So I wasn't going to post today, but I couldn't stay away.

Things had picked up at the magazine considerably and Bella had had a hectic week. Her boss was on her for a bunch of articles she was supposed to have finished last week, the deadline for such things was approaching and there was a whole process to submitting an article after initially writing it.

The lights in the magazine were all off except for a lamp on Bella's desk and the glare of her computer screen as she furiously worked at putting the final touches on her last article. She breathed a sigh of relief as she hit the send button on her email. Don would be happy that she'd finally given it over, although she didn't doubt he'd have something more to add to the half an hour lecture she'd received for poor performance. She knew better than to hand in articles to the editor late.

She glanced at the clock, it was a little after eight o'clock, she tossed the Chinese takeaway she'd ordered to the office and packed up leaving the work she would need to complete for the next day on her desk in a neat pile.

Her feet were killing her but it was only a short walk back to the apartment. The streets were busy, as usual, filled with pedestrians visiting the various restaurants and bars and Bella had to dodge through the crowds to get home. She sighed with relief when she arrived in front of her own apartment. All she needed was to kick her heels off, grab a rather large bottle of wine and hope that her hangover wasn't too bad the next morning.

She was digging in her handbag for her keys when she heard the handle of Edward's apartment door jiggle indicating he was about to come out… Bella hastened, it wasn't that she was avoiding Edward… Okay, she might have been avoiding Edward.

Ever since the weekend she had been doing her best to stay out of his way. She'd been frantically researching ways to earn some extra cash (specifically six thousand dollars) that didn't require taking her clothes off or performing indecent behavior. And that also didn't require borrowing money from the hot guy next door.

Unfortunately, Bella wasn't quick enough. She dropped her keys in her haste and when she glanced up from her crouching position, Edward was standing directly above her.

Edward paused outside his door as he saw a familiar dark haired figure fumbling with her keys and swearing indistinctly as they tumbled from her fingers in her haste. He hid a smile, choosing instead to admire the way her black skirt rode up her long tanned legs, his eyes darkening with a touch of want as he spotted the stretch of warm, smooth skin of her inner thigh revealed by the black thigh highs she'd donned.

This woman would be the death of him.

He had debated whether to let Bella escape into her house undisturbed but such a stirring sight had left him no choice but to confront her for obvious attempts to avoid him over the past week. And so Edward carefully made his way over to her, stopping a little bit ways as Bella grabbed for her keys.

"Hello." He greeted as she rose to her feet. "Haven't seen you in a while, Bella. I would ask you how's the head but…" he paused, his eyes flicking over to where a small, healing scar remained near her temple mostly covered by her mass of dark hair. "It seems to be doing well."

"Of course, I wouldn't need to ask that if I had seen you more recently than Saturday." The corner of Edward's mouth twitched up in a faint smile, more sardonic than anything else even as his tone was light and pleasant.

His eyebrows rose up. "Avoiding me much?"

"Avoiding you?" Bella bit at her lip nervously. So he'd noticed, she frowned. She hadn't meant to make it look so obvious. "I'm not avoiding you..."

She tucked a loose bit of hair that had sprung from her untidy bun as she straightened up to meet Edward's eye.

Edward's eyebrows rose even higher at her protest. He debated whether to point out the instances before where upon his approach, she had either hastily disappeared into the house or scurried away before deciding not to. He was sure his skepticism was plain enough that he needn't comment on it.

"Why, have you been missing me?" She asked, her lips quirking up in a small, somewhat flirtatious smile.

"Maybe. It does seem that way." Edward agreed as easy as if discussing the weather. But his steady gaze on Bella belied the ease at which these remarks were said as he searched her face for her reaction. "Though I have a feeling that my sentiments aren't exactly shared." He said lightly.

Bella's gaze flickered downward at Edward's assumption that she hadn't missed him. She didn't correct him though, only because she couldn't even seem to admit to herself how much she'd missed Edward's company. When she'd worked at the club, he'd been the only thing she ever looked forward to of a night and now that she no longer had to work there... She found herself wishing that she could still keep that part of her night. The feeling of Edward's eyes on her body, the heated looks he gave her, the way his green eyes turned black and that he visibly had to control himself not to touch her body, and when he did...

But it was more than the physical contact with him that she craved.

She wanted more.

She wanted to feel held, cared for and reassured. Edward seemed to be the only one who could provide that. No, Edward was the only one she wanted to provide that to her.

Her stomach fluttered, being so close to Edward in proximity was making her even more nervous than normal. She looked up at him beneath her eyelashes. "How have you been?"

His green eyes returned to her face, taking in the playful curve of her lips – still red despite the late hour – and the light, golden flecks in her brown eyes. Bella's moods came and went like the wind. But he preferred this return to a coquettish phase than her earlier churlish one and he hoped that it meant that she had somewhat forgiven him for spilling her secrets to their friends.

He rested his back against the wall and nodded to Bella. "I've been well." Edward's eyes softened slightly as he glanced over her body. "And you? Apart from the head, how are your other injuries? Is your wrist still sore?"

"I'm a quick healer." She smiled.

He gestured to her right hand that still clutched at the keys. "May I?"

Edward waited, his breath held as Bella paused to consider his offer. He tried to keep his face blank as her eyes flicked up to his before she slowly placed her palm in his outstretched one. He hid a pleased smile as he ducked his head, raising the hand closer to his eyes for inspection.

Her hand was soft and warm and Edward found himself relishing the feel of it in his own palm as he carefully examined the sprain. "The swelling's gone down. That's good." He murmured as the rough pad of his thumb caressed the back of her hand.

Bella's breath caught as Edward wrapped a gentle hand around hers and held it carefully in his own as he inspected it for bruising and swelling, which there was none. It only felt a bit tight, the muscles had not been used very much over the course of the past week. Even the cut on her forehead was healing quickly; she'd managed to hide the couple of butterfly stitches by fixing her hair so that it covered it.

But while her heart rate quickened and the butterflies in her stomach went wild, she did her best to hide her nerves. She bit her lip; the only tell Edward might spot of what Edward was doing to her with his proximity.

"You really are a quick healer." Edward commented with a slow, amused smile. "Have you any other secret talents?"

She smiled coyly as he looked her over. "I've got many talents." Bella raised an eyebrow. "But I do believe you've seen most of my most secret ones, Edward…" She looked up at him through her eyelashes, Edward's thumb continued to graze over the back of her hand.

Any ideas on where this might be heading...?