AN: As promised this is an extra long chapter! I almost flaked on that promise because this was a very difficult chapter for me to write. But, that's mostly because I am tough on myself and can't seem to stop editing. Hopefully it turned out alright.

Also, I will not be updating for a couple of weeks because I am traveling across the country for the birth of my godson. As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts and feedback. Thanks for sticking with me and enjoy! :)

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Chapter 13

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Four painfully slow minutes later, Edward walked in.

I immediately forgave him.

He was beautiful as ever, but his appearance was disheveled in a way that told me he had been through something rough. I could see the weariness in his face and the remorse and apology in his eyes as he stalked towards me with a very small smile. His normally unruly hair was crazier than usual, as if he'd been running his hands through it nonstop. I was eager to know what had happened and caused him to be so late.

"Emmett," he began simply.

"Hey, Edward," I spoke casually wanting to ease his discomfort. "I am glad you made it. I was beginning to think I'd have to settle for that guy." I discreetly gestured to the barista who had continued flirting with me since my arrival. He was absolutely not my type, a skinny little emo wannabe who looked to be just out of high school.

Edward snorted out a small laugh before turning serious again, "Yeah, I am really sorry about that. I should have called you earlier, I just…" He trailed off regretfully.

I was hoping for some sort of explanation but none came. Instead, he ran his hand roughly through his hair and sighed as he plopped down across from me.

The tension was rolling off him. Something was definitely up. I decided to just ask, "Is everything okay Edward?"

"Yeah, I guess… Honestly, I don't know," he answered.

"Do you want to talk about it?" I offered.

"Not really."

Well, that was helpful.

He continued to sit there looking sad and lost. I didn't know what to do.

We sat in silence for a few torturous minutes before I stood up and grabbed Edward's hand saying, "Come on, let's get out of here."

He followed me obediently, having had no coffee, and with no idea where we were heading. At first I wasn't sure either, but I knew I had to do something to make him feel better. Edward's happiness was somehow linked to my own and I wanted to put that beautiful smile back on his face.

We walked down the familiar streets, ones that I knew like the back of my hand, and I decided on a destination. Within a few minutes, we were standing across the street from a fountain. But not just any fountain, the kind that shoots streams of water up at random from the sidewalk. The kind kids run through and play in on hot summer days.

Yeah, I was going there. I hoped it would make him laugh and not upset him more.

I had stopped in my tracks and he looked sideways at me, probably thinking I had lost my mind.

"Now what?" He asked confusedly.

A playful smile slowly spread across my face as I answered, "Come on, I want to show you something."

I continued to hold his hand as I ran across the well lit road, forcing him to run with me, and also enjoying the feel of his hand in mine.

As we neared the fountain, I felt him hesitate, but charged ahead before he could stop me. I guided him through the spurting streams of water, following the pattern of the blasts, and keeping us dry. He began to chuckle as we moved around, hopping from one dry spot to the next. We had some near misses, but stayed relatively dry.

Then, without warning, all of the grates erupted at once, shocking us both. We looked at each other in surprise and then busted up laughing. We began jumping towards the sprays of water and pushing each other into them.

Bringing him here may not have been the appropriate thing to do, but he wasn't complaining and I was thrilled to have put a smile on his face.

After we had both become a wet and laughing mess, I suggested he come back to my place to dry off and borrow some clothes. He agreed and we quickly walked back to my apartment. It wasn't far, but it was freezing.

I hadn't quite thought my idea through, but it seemed to have done the trick. I still had no idea what had happened with Edward, but I was glad that I was able to ease his distress, even if only a little bit.

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***EE***EE***EE***EE***EE***EE***EE***EE***EE***EE***EE***

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With Edward waiting in the living room, I rummaged through my drawers and found some clothes that I thought might fit his slightly smaller frame. I then showed him to the bathroom, so he could change, and went back to find some dry clothes for myself.

As I did so, I couldn't help the thought of him naked. Here in my apartment. So worth it.

Then again, I couldn't think about it too much or I'd have a big problem on my hands, one that was already growing bigger by the second in spite of how freezing cold I was.

"Emmett," he called out. "Would you mind if I take a quick shower to warm up a little?"

"No, of course not," I called back, dressing quickly and grabbing him an extra towel from the hall closet.

Yet another fantasy to store in my brain for later. A wet, naked Edward in my shower. Yummy!

While Edward showered, I decided to put on a pot of coffee. He hadn't gotten any at the café and I thought we could both use something to help warm us up. I had just finished pouring our mugs, when Edward came out looking just…

Wow.

His gorgeous locks were still damp and sticking up everywhere and he looked great in my clothes. The light gray t-shirt I had chosen was clinging to his still damp body, not leaving much to the imagination. And the jeans were slightly large for him, causing them to hang agonizingly low on his hips.

I bit my lip, repressing a moan, and held out his coffee to him.

After offering his thanks, he joined me at the counter. We sat on the bar stools and sipped our coffee, in silence. Edward seemed completely lost is his thoughts. The tension he had emitted earlier seemed to have returned. I kept quiet, not wanting to pry and not knowing what to say.

"So, listen. I, um…" Edward began hesitantly.

I was hoping he might finally shed some light for me, but he sat his mug down and stood up, "I'll just get out of your hair. You probably have things to do. Thanks for the coffee and for letting me use your shower."

I watched helplessly as he headed toward the door. Again. This was not how the evening was supposed to go and I couldn't let him get away from me. Not again. Not without a fight.

"Edward, wait." I said, probably a little too forcefully.

He stopped and turned.

I softened my voice and continued, "Please don't go yet. I want you to stay. You don't have to explain about… anything. Just, don't leave." I'm sure I sounded really desperate at this point, but if it got him to stay, then I really didn't care.

He stared at me for a moment and then walked over and sat on my couch, dropping his head into his hands. He mumbled into them, "I'm so sorry Emmett. I'm being a complete jerk. Forgive me, please."

I walked over and situated myself next to him, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. He looked up at me briefly before averting his eyes and murmuring, "I don't know how to do this."

"What do you mean?"

"This," he gestured between us, "dating, relationships, all of it. I was really surprised when you called me about meeting up again. I mean, don't get me wrong, I like you. I really like you and that scares me. In fact, I was so freaked out I almost didn't come tonight… That's one of the reasons I was so late, and I am really sorry about that. But I realized that if I didn't show up, I would regret it for the rest of my life."

He paused, but continued on before I could reply, "You are special Emmett. I could tell that from the moment I met you. And I… I am not good. You would be much better off with someone else. Someone who knows what they're doing and can treat you the way you deserve to be treated."

I couldn't respond immediately as I was a bit stunned by his speech. I don't know what I'd been expecting him to say, but it surely wasn't that.

I answered slowly, choosing my words carefully. "Well, Edward, I like you too and I would like the chance to get to know you, if you'll let me. I am willing to take things slow if that's what you need. But, it does help to know what you're thinking. Maybe you can tell me next time instead of running? This won't work unless we communicate with each other, even if it's uncomfortable. And as for what I deserve, why don't you let me be the judge of that."

He looked at me thoughtfully before replying, "Okay. Yeah, that sounds fair."

"Good," I agreed.

He visibly relaxed, seeming to regain a little more of his confident composure.

"Thanks for being so understanding," he added sincerely.

"Edward, it's okay… really. Relax. I just want to spend some time with you."

He slowly turned toward me and looked directly into my eyes as if testing my sincerity. I don't know what he saw in them, but eventually a small crooked smile appeared on his face. The intensity of his stare disarmed me and I was unprepared as he flung his body forward and kissed me full on. His arms wrapped around my torso tightly and we kissed frantically, out of sheer need.

In the back of my mind I knew I should stop this. Only moments ago, I had promised that we could take things slowly. He probably wasn't ready for this and I didn't want to take advantage of his vulnerability. But as he continued to ravage my mouth, my inner conscience was fighting a losing battle with my hormones. I wanted, no needed him too badly.

Our mouths continued to move together as I slipped my hands up underneath his shirt, resting them on the small of his back. His skin was smooth and warm, still a bit damp from the shower. He shivered a little at my touch and released me long enough to pull his shirt off, before resuming his claim on my mouth.

That was a surprise, but I certainly wasn't going to protest.

My hands greedily roamed over his back, reveling in the feel of his bare skin. It felt amazing, but he hadn't given me enough time to look at his chest. I tried slowing us down a little as I moved my lips to his jaw and began placing open mouthed kisses there, along his neck, and behind his ear. Then I took his earlobe into my mouth and sucked, before gently biting it. His answering moan was loud and full of pure want and desire. It stirred something primal in me, from deep within, and I knew that I could never deny this man anything.

I pulled back to look in his brilliant green eyes as a huge smile overtook my face. My own eyes finally had the chance to wander over his exposed chest. He was more fit than he appeared and although he wasn't overly muscular, his chest was well-defined and he had nice tight abs.

I couldn't help reaching out to touch him and feel his muscles clench and release under my fingertips. I looked back into his eyes and saw that he was watching me intently with a look of awe on his face that soon turned unto the confident smirk I had missed lately. There were so many sides and mysteries to this man. I didn't quite understand him, but I didn't think I could ever get tired of learning him.

He reached forward to trace his thumb over my lips as he whispered reverently, "You're perfect."

I grabbed his waist in answer and pushed him onto his back. Straddling his hips, I bent down to capture his mouth in mine, reciprocating the sentiment with my lips. He reached up and tugged on my shirt as he whispered, "Off please."

It was my turn to smirk as I saw his eyes roving hungrily over my naked chest. I wasn't cocky about it, but I knew I looked good. I had worked my body hard for years and it showed. He ran his hands over every inch of my torso before hooking one hand behind my neck and pulling me back down to him as he muttered, "Freaking perfect," before kissing me hard.

Eventually I shifted my body so that I was lying parallel over top of him and began to gently rock my hips. He groaned and began thrusting up to meet me.

I spoke, my voice sounding gravelly with desire even to me, "I want you so bad, Edward."

He threw his head back and moaned, emboldening me further. "Mmm, Edward, you are so beautiful. I want to taste you."

I thrust against him pointedly as I spoke, letting my body say as much as my words in the moment. He panted heavily as he threw his head back again and closed his eyes.

"How does that sound?" I continued driving our hips together, "Hmm?"

"Yes, Emmett," he answered breathily, "please."

I extracted myself from him and pulled him with me to my bedroom, grateful that it was clean. Not that he seemed to care right now, but it still made me feel better. We fell ungracefully onto my bed, limbs tangled around one another, as we continued to make out.

I found myself on my back this time as Edward leaned over me and sucked on my Adam's apple, eliciting a loud groan from me. He continued to lick and suck along my neck and collarbone, causing my body to react in ways it never had before. I was so turned on, I could have come from that alone. I think he sensed this and backed off, standing to slowly shed his remaining clothes.

I sat up to watch as he removed the pants I had lent him, leaving him in a pair of my back boxer briefs.

I couldn't help it as I whispered, "So sexy," mostly to myself.

He certainly heard me though and smirked as he began to finger the waistband of said briefs. My eyes were drawn in to the trail of bronze hair leading down to the place I was longing to see, touch, and taste. I licked my bottom lip before biting it and holding it between my teeth in anticipation. Finally he bent and began to lower the briefs, revealing himself to me completely.

I couldn't do anything but stare for a few moments at the perfection that was Edward. He was better than any fantasy I could have imagined. Remembering that he was real and here in front of me, I moved to the edge of the bed and reached for him. He stepped towards me and I looked into his eyes and smiled before putting my hands on his hips and pulling him closer. I took one hand and ran it across his abdomen, following his happy trail, but stopping just short of where I knew he wanted me.

I leaned forward and began to kiss along his stomach and down the joints where his legs met his hips and pelvis, that delicious v shape. He was shaking in anticipation and moaning, his breath coming out in gasps. I continued to tease him until he whispered, "Emmett please." I couldn't deny him any longer.

I slowly stroked my fingers up his hardened length, from base to tip. He was firm yet smooth and felt so good in my hand. I continued this motion a few times, twisting around his glistening peak randomly, driving him crazy. He said as much, "Ugh, Emmett…so good. I need more."

I brought my face forward and replaced my hand with my tongue, following the same pattern. I heard his breath catch and looked up, without breaking the movement, to see his eyes drop closed. I kept my eyes trained on his face as I opened my mouth to enclose his sensitive tip, swiping my tongue back and forth a few times. His legs were shaking and I gripped his waist to help steady him.

I continued to pleasure him, rotating between tonguing him and stroking him with my hand. He, in turn, massaged my scalp with his fingers and tightened his grip whenever I found a particularly pleasurable spot.

After awhile I changed my strategy, working him towards his climax in earnest. I gripped the base of his shaft, pumping my hand swiftly, as I moved my mouth over his head repeatedly. I kept my lips tight over his sticky flesh, enclosing him, sucking hard, and then releasing him completely each time.

He seemed to be enjoying it, becoming increasingly vocal and shifting his hips in time with my movements. It wasn't long before he cried out, "Oh, Emmett. It's too…I'm coming Emmett."

Within seconds, I felt his warm release on my tongue. I continued to stroke him, slowly drawing out his pleasure until he collapsed into my arms, completely spent. He laid his forehead against mine, as he caught his breath, before thanking me with a deep kiss. Pulling back, he gave me a saucy grin and said, "Your turn." He grabbed my hands and pulled me into a standing position.

Slowly, he ran his hands over my arms and chest, kissing everywhere his fingers touched. He reached down and began to unbutton my jeans.

Suddenly, my mind caught up with my body and I realized what was about to happen. I was going to be completely bared in front of Edward.

Normally this would not be cause for concern. I was certainly not ashamed of my body. But things were different now. I was not the same man I had been. A part of me was missing and I wasn't sure how I felt about that. More importantly, at the moment, I didn't know what Edward's reaction would be.

I began to panic. I probably should have talked to him about this before. What will he think? Will he even notice? Will he care? Some guys only had one testicle, I guess, but it probably wasn't that common. I really didn't want to stop and explain my situation to him. What a mood killer that would be. But would he ask? Would I ask if I was going down on someone else? I thought about it and firmly decided that no, I wouldn't ask. Only if we became more serious, then I might ask. I didn't think he would ask and decided to shut off my brain and just enjoy the sensations I was feeling.

Edward continued to kiss and suck on my neck and shoulders, effectively throwing the earlier concerns out of my mind. I then realized that my pants had pooled around my ankles and I carefully stepped out of them. The entire time, Edward had never let his mouth and hands leave my skin. After a hot kiss on my collarbone that made my nerves tingle, he pulled back to look at me. I watched as his eyes descended my body, lingering on my Calvin's and the large bulge residing underneath. He knelt down before me and pulled my boxer briefs down as he went. My throbbing shaft sprung away from my body nearly smacking him in the face. His eyes grew larger as he took me in. Yeah, I was pretty big, or so I'd been told. Not that Edward was small by any means, but I was both longer and wider than he.

"So perfect," he murmured.

He slowly ran his hands up the backs of my legs, from my ankles up to the small of my back. He fingered the dimples there before grabbing and squeezing my backside and pulling me forward to his waiting mouth. All thought escaped me as I gave myself over to the sensations he created within me.

Surrounded by his hot mouth, I watched his head bob up and down as his tongue expertly stroked me. It was sensory overload and it only took a few minutes before I had to pull him away.

He looked at me questioningly and I tried to catch my breath to explain, "It's too good Edward. I can't hold out if you keep that up."

"Then don't," he responded huskily. "Just let go Emmett. I want to watch you come undone."

He didn't give me a chance to think it over or respond before his mouth was on me, once again enveloping me in his moist heat. I ran my hands through that wild hair of his, pulling gently and twisting it between my fingers. Something I'd longed to do since I first saw him.

I am proud to say that I lasted a few minutes longer, but not much more than that. I wasn't sure if he wanted me to come in his mouth, so I tugged on his hair in warning as I spoke, "Edward, I'm going to come, beautiful."

He responded by picking up the pace a little. I had been watching intently, but as his head bobbed faster my eyes rolled back as my pleasure rose to a climax. He reached one hand up to lightly tug on my tightening sac and I lost it completely. I rode the high for a little while before coming back to earth and collapsing onto the bed. I reached my hand out for him to join me and whispered my thanks as I showered him with kisses.

Our bodies curled around each other as we continued to kiss languidly. I could tell that this was as far as we were going to get tonight, and that was okay with me. I didn't want him to leave, though. At the risk of sounding needy, I decided to ask him to stay. It was rather late, after all.

He agreed and snuggled close to lean his head on my chest. I kissed the top of his head and he wrapped his arm around my waist, holding me close. We said goodnight and fell quickly into a peaceful slumber.