Author's Note:

About this chapter: PLEASE TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK OF THE ENDING HERE. I NEED TO KNOW IF IT'S ANY GOOD. Again, I'm sorry for the slow update. I think we all know what it's like at this time of the year…

To those who left reviews: Thank you so much! It's so encouraging to get feedback and comments.

To everyone else: Thank you for reading/favouriting/following! Please consider leaving a review. If you're reading it consistently and enjoying it, I'd love to know what you do/don't like.

Disclaimer: Of course, I don't own Twilight. I'm just playing with the characters a bit…

Chapter 7:

"Brother! Welcome home!" Alice and Bella laughed as they heard Emmett's booming voice. Edward flinched and pulled the phone away from his ear.

"Jesus, Emmett! The phone's not even on loudspeaker but I'm pretty sure Alice and Bella were still able to hear every word you just said." Edward commented, laughing at his brother.

"Oh!" Alice remarked, clearly remembering something. "On the topic of loud people, I need to respond to a work email." She quickly explained to Bella before ducking into her room to retrieve her laptop.

Chuckling at the way Alice spoke about her bosses – as though Alice wasn't just as loud and excitable as the rest of them – Bella cleared up the plates from their lasagne.

"Hang on, Emmett." Edward, who had started wandering round the room while continuing his now normal-volume conversation with his brother, took the phone away from his ear for a moment. "Thanks, Bella. That was amazing." He said with a thankful smile.

Bella nodded and smiled in response as Edward, still smiling at her, returned to his conversation with Emmett.

God, Bella thought as she took the dishes to the kitchen, he needs to stop smiling at me. Yes, that one was seemingly innocent but he seems to have the ability to turn innocent into highly suggestive at the drop of a hat. Not wanting to return to the living room so soon, Bella made herself busy in the kitchen until she could hear Edward's conversation with Emmett wrapping up.

As soon as she rounded the corner and made herself comfortable on the couch, Edward caught her attention. "OK, so you'll be here in about 30 minutes then?" He asked Emmett. "Is that OK?" He mouthed to Bella, pointing at his phone. She smiled and nodded, excited to see Emmett. Edward smiled back but rolled his eyes at whatever his brother had just said. "No, Emmett, you don't need to 'show me the sights.' I'm not a tourist. I used to live here, remember?" Again, Emmett responded with something that caused Edward to roll his eyes and chuckle. "See you soon, Em." Edward said before ending the call.

Edward sighed as he pocketed his phone and flopped, annoyingly gracefully, onto the adjacent couch. His head was craning back to rest on the back cushion as he finally let his body give in to a bit of the fatigue from the travel. "I'm not going to survive the day." He commented, staring at the ceiling.

"Tired?" Bella asked, still smiling at the interaction she'd witnessed between the brothers. Despite the fact that she had only met Edward that morning and, in such a short time, he had managed to make her very nervous, Bella was surprised by the ease with which she could interact with him. I actually feel comfortable with him. She thought. Probably because I know his family so well and know that, despite that intense gaze and the lust that was in his eyes earlier, he's a good guy. He would never mean to cause harm to anyone. How could he be any other way after being raised by Carlisle and Esme?

"Very." He sighed again before letting his head roll to the side to face Bella. "And Emmett said he wants to show me the 'grownup' sites of Seattle since I was underage when I left… Please rescue me." He joked.

"Oh God." Bella replied, chuckling at the image of an excited Emmett dragging a half-asleep Edward around the city. "Let's hope that doesn't mean strip clubs all afternoon." She joked, however unlikely the thought was. Without realising it, she was reflecting Edward's relaxed posture by leaning on the arm of her couch, her body angling towards his. "Then again," Bella teased. "Strippers might keep you awake."

"I'm sure they would keep me awake," he replied, sitting forward in his seat, his body leaning toward Bella of its own accord, "but I've already had a striptease today and nothing could compare to that." He had a sly grin on his face and, suddenly, it was as though they were back when they first met. His gaze was intense as their eyes met and the intensity only grew as they both recalled the moments following her falling over in her towel. She knew that, despite her nervousness and her reservations, the look in her own eyes matched his. She was unbelievably attracted to this man… and she'd only known him for a few hours!

Thankfully, Alice chose that moment to return to the room, immediately diffusing the tension as Bella and Edward broke their heated gaze to look at her. Realising she had been leaning forward, Bella relaxed back in her seat as she noticed Edward do the same. Bella was the first to speak as a seemingly oblivious Alice plopped down on the couch next to her. "All good on the work front?"

"Yeah," Alice replied, making herself comfortable by tucking her legs under her bum. "Carmen just needed some details on one of the projects I'd taken home with me."

"How is work, Alice?" Edward asked, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. Bella could tell he wasn't just attempting to change the topic, he genuinely wanted to know if his little sister was still enjoying her work.

"It's great." Alice smiled but Bella could tell there was something more coming… Something exciting. "Carmen and Kate actually wanted those details because they're drawing up my full-time contract."

"Seriously? Congratulations!" Edward replied, smiling happily for his sister.

"I knew it!" Bella grinned. "It was just a matter of time. They'd have been mad not to take you on full-time."

"Apparently they were just waiting for me to finish studying." Alice explained happily.

While Alice frequently joked about being "the best," Bella knew that, like everyone, Alice had some insecurities. There was no reason for Alice to doubt her skill and talent when it came to fashion but she had worked at The Denali Collection for Kate and Carmen since she'd started studying and, until now, there had never been any talk of permanency. Over the years, Bella had seen random little doubts creep in to Alice's mind but it looked like the introduction of this full-time contract would be the end of those worries. No one was better suited to a job at a designer boutique than Alice.

"Ah!" Alice squealed as she bounced on the spot. "I'm just so excited."

Edward and Bella both laughed.

"You deserve it, Alice." Bella said, still grinning at her friend.

"And soon we'll both be officially employed!" Alice continued excitedly.

"I don't know if an internship comes close to a full-time job in your dream career but it's a start." Bella laughed.

"You have an internship, Bella?" Edward asked, genuinely curious again.

"Yeah, I managed to score a paid internship at Washington State University Press." Bella explained.

"Fantastic. When does that start?" He asked.

"Not for a couple of weeks." Bella replied. "In the meantime, I'll be staying at the bookstore. I love that place."

"I'm sure you'll enjoy your internship though. It's what you've been studying for, after all." Alice commented.

"Oh, I don't doubt that. It's exactly what I want for my future." Bella replied. "I think I'm just going to miss the shop. The people, the place, the security, you know?"

"Don't we all know that feeling?" Edward commented knowingly, making the three of them chuckle.

"Speaking of work, Edward, what's your plan?" Alice asked. "Dad said he might be lining something up for you?"

"Yeah," Edward grinned, obviously excited by the thought.

Who gets so excited about work? Bella wondered. The three of us (and Emmett) must be the luckiest people on Earth.

"Dad was going to talk to a colleague – Garrett – about a community outreach program he runs. Apparently they need qualified doctors for the weekends." Edward explained with an excited smile.

"Oh, that sounds perfect for you, Edward." Alice remarked.

"Yeah," Edward agreed, "I'm just waiting for confirmation on that but I'm hoping to pick up some bar work during the week."

"You don't want to work as a doctor full-time?" Bella queried.

"Honestly, no. Not yet, at least. When I was completing the practical portion of my study in England, I felt like I would walk into the room and everyone would wonder what I was doing there. That I was too young." Edward explained.

"What?! But you're great at what you do. You could out-doctor any doctor!" Alice remarked. "Except maybe Dad." She added.

They all laughed.

"I think what Alice is trying to say is that you shouldn't let other people's misgivings make you doubt yourself." Bella explained after catching her breath.

"Oh, no. Don't worry." Edward replied, still smiling, "I know I have the skills, the knowledge and some experience but I'm just not ready to jump in head-first yet. I spoke to Dad about it. In some ways, he wishes he had taken it slow to begin with and he actually encouraged me to take it down a notch when I was talking to him about applying for full-time work."

"That makes a lot of sense actually." Alice commented. "While you may be passionate about something, you still need to live your life. I can't imagine working the hours Dad used to work at our age."

"And imagine how good working for a community outreach program will look on your resume when you're applying for jobs in the future." Bella commented.

"Exactly and, in the meantime, what better way to gain life experience than by doing community work and working at a bar?" Edward joked. "Anyway, I should probably have a quick shower before Emmett gets here." Standing up, Edward walked towards the front door, next to which his bags were still sitting.

"Do you need a hand?" Bella asked, seeing the small mountain of bags he was about to tackle.

Glancing back at the girls on the couch, Edward saw Alice grinning at him while still sitting on her legs with no attempt to get up. On the other hand, Bella was already halfway to her feet.

Do I need a hand? Edward thought, repeating Bella's words to himself. I can think of some things she could give me a hand with… Especially if she came into my room… Alone... Fuck, Edward! Get your head straight! He thought, giving himself a mental slap across the face.

"No, I'm fine." He replied, giving Bella a polite smile. "Thanks though." He added before escaping to his room and closing the door behind him.

What happened to being a gentleman, Edward? To being better than the guys she described earlier? Yes, she's attractive … absolutely fucking to-die-for attractive… even without makeup… especially without makeup… but she's also funny and smart. She's clumsy as hell but I've never seen a more beautiful sight than that dishevelled girl falling out of that goddamn bathroom…

Hoping to distract himself from the rapidly growing bulge in his pants, Edward collected the things he would need for his shower and made his way into his ensuite. Climbing in, he tried to distract himself and his cock by thinking of mundane activities such as unpacking his luggage and being dragged around the city by his brother. However, thinking about being dragged around the city by Emmett simply made him think of his earlier conversation with Bella about stripteases…

Frustrated by his overactive imagination and growing increasingly frustrated with his body, Edward decided to clear his head by staring at the wall. There's nothing suggestive about a wall, right? He thought. Unfortunately, however, as he turned his head, he spotted a towel hanging on a rail. A towel from exactly the same damn set as the one Bella had been wearing at their first meeting.

"Damn it!" He exclaimed, leaning his shoulder against the tiled wall and resting his head on the cool surface. Realising there were only two ways in which he could deal with his current situation and unwilling to give in to his body's baser instinct, Edward turned the hot water faucet down, dousing himself in cold water.

With cool water running down his front, Edward was finally able to think clearly. Hesitantly, making sure to keep his mind in check, he allowed his thoughts wander back to Bella. Of course, he understood why he was attracted to her but he was infuriated with himself for thinking of her in such a lustful way while in a relationship with Tanya. Tanya who, despite her insecurities, was an ideal woman in so many ways. Of course, she was smart, beautiful and – usually – kind but he also knew she had a cunning streak. One that had the potential to become explosive if she felt threatened. That was why he had worked so hard to make her feel secure, constantly insisting that she could trust him.

Now, despite all of the effort he had put into earning Tanya's trust, he had stumbled upon a woman who made him want to throw caution to the wind, breaking all the promises he had made to his girlfriend.

Edward sighed, resolving himself to act as a gentleman. He could talk and joke with Bella but nothing more. They could be friends but he was to never act on his lustful feelings for her. It is just lust, after all. He decided. How could it be anything more? You only met her a few hours ago… And yet, you feel so comfortable with her already. So at ease and it's like you can talk to her about anything… Except your relationship. Fucking hell, Edward! If you don't stop torturing yourself, you'll be in for a world of trouble.

Climbing out of the shower and drying off, he tried not to think about the towel wrapped around his waist and the thoughts it provoked. Instead, summoning his earlier resolve, he splashed his face with some cold water at the sink, brushed his teeth and made his way back into his room to change into some fresh clothes.

AN:

Sorry for the lack of Emmett! I honestly thought he was going to make an appearance in this chapter. He'll be in the next one, I promise!

I hope everyone likes the way I write Edward… I find it hot when the guys are all lustful and stuff but I don't want him to come across as a dick… I want him to be cheeky and a little bit cocky but also sweet and respectful.