A/N: Sorry for such a delay in posting. We just moved to our new house in a different state 3 weeks ago! It's been quite the adjustment and we aren't fully unpacked or settled in yet. I haven't even had a chance to gather my thoughts to continue writing the next chapter. But I hope to be back on schedule write and posting soon! Thank you all for your patience.

All Around Me - Flyleaf

My hands are searching for you

My arms are outstretched towards you

I feel you on my fingertips

My tongue dances behind my lips for you

This fire runs in through my being

Burning, I'm not used to seeing you

I'm alive

I'm alive

I can feel you all around me

Thickening the air I'm breathing

Holding on to what I'm feeling

Savoring this heart that's healing

.

.

.

"How long are you gunna hold me here Edward?" Bella giggles.

"Until I stop breathing." I grumble burying my face in her neck.

Her nails scratch loving through my hair and I can't help the purrs that vibrate through my chest.

"Are you purring? Ha, it sounds like a big cat." She gasps through a wide smile.

I don't dignify her question with a response. I just nuzzle her throat some more. I want to crawl into her fragrant skin.

"I don't want you to leave again." I breathe harshly, breaking the silence.

"No more separation Edward. We'll exchange numbers and you can come over or vice versa. Speaking of I should get home."

I squeeze her into my chest with a pained groan. "Just come with me then. Dramatic ass vampire."

I huff out a laugh. "I love you angel."

We both freeze at the words. Her eyes are wide as she stares up at me. "I- I didn't." I stutter.

"Say it again." She cuts me off.

I cup her face tilting her head to look up at me. "I love you Isabella. More than my own life. You have given me a reason to continue existing."

Her breathing is shaky as she kisses me again. Electricity crackles around us but the kiss is soft, full of love. Her lips sweep across mine wetly begging for entrance. With a chuckle I part my lips for her. A groan escapes me at the feel of her silky hot tongue. Her fingers tug gently at my hair but our movements are unhurried. She finally pulls back, brushing our lips together before her lids flutter open.

"I love you Edward." Those milk chocolate pools swirl with emotion.

"As I you." I hum.

"Will you drive me home? I didn't think it would take this long to get to your house, couple that with getting lost. All my free time of the day has been used up." She huffs.

I smirk down at her. "Of course. No worries."

With reluctance I finally release her. I don't want to be away from her. If I could I would crawl into her chest and live forever in her heart. She gives me a knowing look as I open the passenger door for her.

"I'm being rude. I should have invited you over." I mumble.

"Oh stop. You are being quite the gentleman." I snort at her statement. Me? A gentleman? Never. "Also I have to get home. My dad has been super overbearing lately. If I don't come home in a timely fashion he might send S.W.A.T after me." She rolls her eyes.

My hands clench around the steering wheel. That is my fault. Had I never taken her….well it doesn't matter now.

We drift into comfortable silence the rest of the drive. I try to think about how I'll be able to remain by her side with minimal interference from her father. He was already wary of me. The only logical solution would be to place nice with a human. Disgusting.

Humans are vile creatures. If I wasn't feeding from them or having sex with them they were useless to me. Being with Bella would be more difficult than I originally thought. I would have to tap into long lost humanity. If that was even possible.

"Ugh I always have bad luck." Bella grumbles pulling me out of my thoughts.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, just that Charlie is home. And he invited over Jacob and Billy to watch the game."

"Would you like me to leave?" I question as I park the car.

"No! Please don't. I might not-" She stops mid sentence.

"I'd like to state for the record that I never left you. If it was up to me we'd still be in our cabin in Canada." I chuckle.

"Just please stay Edward. Promise me." Her eyes are wide.

"Anything you know this." With that I fly around the truck to open her door for her.

"Brace yourself." She grumbles again.

I say nothing as I tilt her head up to face me. A blush spreads itself across her cheeks; her eyes alight with anticipation. I brush my lips over hers once, twice, three times. I start pulling back but she plasters her body to mine, her lips rough as she kisses me with reckless abandon.

I growl as I disengage myself. "As much as I'd love to continue this, your father is two seconds away from coming out here. He heard that monstrosity you call a vehicle from down the street."

"Of course he is." She tries to sound annoyed but her voice is breathy.

She interlocks our fingers and basically drags me into the house. "Dad I'm home."

She pulls me into her small kitchen pointing at a seat. "Sit Edward."

My eyes narrow but I do as I'm told. Just as I fully relax her dad comes into the kitchen, followed by some very tall kid. His stench hits me almost immediately and I stiffen. I clench my jaw to stop the onslaught of growls that are about to erupt from me. A fucking werewolf? Maybe she does have bad luck.

"And where have you been young-" Charlie's eyes enlarge at the sight of me.

"YOU!" He bellows charging towards me.

Bella is quick though. She positions her body in front of mine crossing her arms across her chest.

"Isabella you get this…this…man out of my house this instant." He stammers, not knowing what to call me.

"Edward is my guest and he's not going anywhere. Now I'm going to make dinner. You can go back to your game." She shrugs.

His mouth gapes, moving but no words come out. His mind fights the urge to argue with his daughter. He's uneasy in my presence but I haven't actually done anything to warrant such a display. I stare at him with dark eyes but I stay rooted to my seat. Every nerve ending is tense as I battle for control. He throws me one last dirty look before he storms back out.

"What was that all about?"

The mongrels thoughts hit me. His mind was confused by Charlie's outburst, having never seen Bella's father angry that way before. He moves on speedily, taking Bella in. His eyes shift nonchalantly over her body. I grip the counter, focusing all my efforts on not destroying this insolent child.

"Charlie didn't say you'd be bringing a guest over." He eyed me shrewdly.

I glare at him, hoping all the hate I'm feeling inside can be seen on my face.

"Yea my dad didn't know. It was spontaneous."

"Well I was hoping you and I could spend some time together. Ya know..alone." He hints.

I pinch the bridge of my nose, my breaths deep. I cannot kill this stupid fuck. It would reveal what I was to her father. He'd have to die at my hands too and that would definitely upset my angel. When I open my eyes I see the dumbass smirking at me.

"He has every right to be jealous. Bella would never be interested in such a pretty boy like him. Bet she hasn't even kissed him yet." He thinks smugly.

"Why would we spend alone time together? We never do when you come over." Bella tucks her hair behind her ear, giving the pup a confused look.

His face drops and I bark out a loud laugh. He scowls at me. I bite my lip to try to stop the laughter but it's no use.

"The fuck is he laughing at."

"Edward." Bella sighs.

I straighten up and arrange my features to look bored. "Yes angel?"

"Be nice." She chastises but her tone is easy going.

"Of course baby. Anything you want." I hum while looking at the dog.

His face is murderous. He feels embarrassed at Bella's rejection, especially since it was in front of an audience. He underestimated our relationship. So sure was he that Bella must not be interested in anyone, because she wasn't interested in him. It was the only logical conclusion his brain could land on. Bella pats my face lovingly before going back to making dinner.

"So this schmuck is your boyfriend?" It's a hiss.

"Jacob you are being very rude right now." She reprimands.

"Cmon Bella. This isn't you." He sighs.

"You don't know a fucking thing about me." She snaps sharply.

I lean my head into my hand watching their interaction with amusement. He's two seconds from facing her full wrath and I'm almost vibrating in excitement at the thought of it.

"That's not true. We're best friends. We have been since we were little." Jacob pouts.

"I may be your best friend but you aren't mine. I care about you Jake but I've told you that I don't have those type of feelings for you."

Jacob's mind flashes memories of when Bella and I were separated. She looked broken. But what I also notice is how close she seemed to be to him. She relied on his company heavily in those two months. My jaw clenches at what I see. Yet I have no reason to be upset. Didn't I rely on Tanya's companionship. And I sure as fuck did more with Tanya than Bella did with this kid. I should be disgusted with myself.

"This guy must be controlling her. She must not be allowed to be around other men. I bet she's scared to speak her mind."

I want to laugh out loud at where his thoughts are heading. He must really not know Bella at all. She says whatever the fuck she wants even to me.

"You're just saying that." he mumbles petulantly.

"Haven't you heard that no means no?" I mutter indifferently

"Butt the fuck out."

I growl low, too low for him to hear but Bella does. "Edward." It's a warning.

I stand up, towering over the little shit. "Someone should teach you some fucking manners." I hiss.

He goes to push me but I clock his every thought, dodging him before I grip his shirt lifting him off the ground.

"What the fuck!"

"I'm not a patient man Jacob. And you've worn that tolerance into nothing. Now apologize to Bella for your lack of decorum." I snarl.

"Edward! Put him down this instant." Bella yells in a hushed whisper.

"Who the fuck is this guy." Jacob's mind is in a panic. I thought that wolves were stronger than this. He must not have shifted yet. Pity it would have made this more entertaining.

"I said apologize." I shake him.

"Bells I'm sorry!" He chokes out.

I drop him like a rotten sack of potatoes. "There. That wasn't so fucking hard was it? Don't disrespect her again. I might not be as merciful next time." I snark.

"Have you lost your mind!?" Bella hits my arm.

"Of course not." I shrug.

"Why would you do that? You're insufferable." She frowns.

"He was disrespectful. What the fuck was I supposed to do? Just let him run his fuck ass mouth?" I huff.

She looks at me before looking at Jacob, her frown deepening. "Are you ok Jake?" She reaches her hand up to help him up.

"She does care about me. Maybe she realizes this guy is a psycho."

"I'm ok Bells thank you." He smiles smugly.

Oh this is fucking ridiculous. "I'm leaving." I grunt bored with all of this and pissed she's showing him compassion.

"Well it's sad to see you go." Jacob sneers.

"What! Why are you leaving? You promised." Bella suddenly becomes hysterical.

Jacob looks down at her in shock. My face remains impassive. I can't deal with this human shit. I would have already ripped Jacob apart for his discourtesy towards my mate. But I was in Bella's human world and had to play by her arbitrary human rules. I needed to go for a run, maybe even hunt, to clear my head.

She grips my arm her nails cracking against my skin with the force. Her eyes watery as she looks up at me. I groan, a pained sound. "Angel please." My voice is low, rough.

"No! No. You promised me. You promised me." She gasps.

"Sshh, relax baby. I'm not leaving forever. I just...this is too much." I breathe.

I lean down and press my forehead to her. She wraps her arms around my shoulders pulling me down to her. I allow it, moving down at her insistence. She clings to me, hugging me as tightly as she can.

"What the fuck. Why's she acting like that? Like she can't breathe without this dude."

I kiss her forehead, moving down to kiss each lid before pressing a soft kiss on her lips. "I think I need to hunt. I can only take so much social interaction." I murmur quietly in her ear.

"Can you wait? At least until they leave. Please."

"Anything." I smile crookedly.

She sags in my arms with relief making me, once again, wonder what's going through her mind. "Ok good I'm going to finally make dinner."

"Bells are you ok? What the heck was that?"

"Uhh nothing. I'm fine." She mumbles.

The silence is awkward. Jacob has no idea what to think. He is concerned about her. I rub my temples trying to stay out of his head, and his dad's and Charlie's. I'm getting the vampire equivalent of a migraine. Being around Bella has made me functional again. And now I'm paying the price. The thoughts of everyone in the house buzz in my brain.

"So…how did you win our little Bella over and how did you meet her?" Jacob glares at me with beady little eyes.

"Met her while traveling with my siblings. Also that's a good question. Maybe you should ask her cause I have no clue." I ignore the way her says our.

"As if. It's totally because you're hot. And probably rich."

He was a horrible friend I deduce. His thoughts of Bella were possessive and callous. If she wasn't doing everything he wanted her to do he began to think of her in a negative light.

"Bells? What do you see in this guy?" He tried to sound light hearted.

Bella turns with a bowl of absolutely foul smelling spaghetti. I wrinkle my nose at it. But it doesn't go unnoticed. She smiles wryly at me. Our own personal joke now.

"Well Edward is absolutely the sweetest, and he's so protective and intelligent. I can truly be myself around him. He also doesn't seem to care about how snarky I am which is a bonus." She blushes.

My throat burns at the action. It's not the same all consuming thirst I felt when I first laid eyes on her. But it still burns just the same. I'll feed again after I leave her.

"He pushed me up against the wall like I weighed nothing. I highly doubt he's sweet." The pup deadpans.

"You shouldn't be so obnoxious then. Bella deserves respect, especially in her own home. If you can't give it to her then I'll put you in your place. Simple." I assert.

"Enough handsome." Bella cajoles me. "He is right Jake. You have been acting like a pompous jerk since I came home. What is wrong with you?"

"He's jealous. Can't you tell?" I shrug.

"No I'm not!" "Oh my god are you?" Him and Bella say at the same time.

"No don't listen to him." He glowers at me.

"Edward why would you say that?" She scowls.

I give her a look and tap my head. Her eyes light up in understanding. "It's just intuition. You don't see yourself very clearly is all. Also I didn't miss his implication of having you to himself when he first walked in here."

The explanation was only for his benefit. Bella immediately understood that I had been listening to his thoughts this whole time.

"Whatever." Jacob grumbles sullenly.

"Ugh Jake. We're just friends. I'm also way older than you. I'm sorry I just don't see you that way."

"Bella we're literally three years apart." He huffs.

"Jacob I'm twenty years old and you're only seventeen. I am a legal adult. This is not happening." Her tone leaves no room for arguments.

"And him? He looks no older than me." He grouses.

I grin widely. In fact Jacob and I are the same age. I was physically frozen at seventeen. I'll never age a day past that.

"Edward's twenty four." She waves off handedly.

"How does that even make sense? The gap between the two of you is worse."

"Jake it's time to go kid." A raspy voice calls from the living room.

"Coming dad!" He yells back.

His turns back to Bella, his brows furrowed. "This isn't over."

"Is that a threat Jacob?" My voice is menacing.

His eyes widen as he shakes his head. But he says nothing else while walking out.

"I can't stand him." I mutter when it's just the two of us.

"I know you said Jacob was jealous…but are you?"

"What? Absolutely not. That's ridiculous." I snap.

She puts her hands up trying to pacify me but her lips twitch.

"Do you think this is funny Isabella?" I hiss.

She shakes her amused. Her dad walks in then sobering the mood.

"It's late Bella. Your guest has to go. Now." He glares at me.

"I'll talk to you tomorrow yes?" She whispers to me.

"I'll come back tonight. I can climb through your window. I don't want to be away from you." The wall cracks a little, my emotions seeping out without control.

She smiles dazzlingly before standing on her tip toes to plant a wet smooch to my lips. Charlie clears his throat separating us.

"I'll call you later angel. I love you."

"Goodnight Edward."

I walk myself out only standing still long enough to check where her father's attention was. Then I take off. I needed to hunt with a desperation if I planned to spend the night with her.

Please leave reviews and let me know what you think! And thank you all again for your patience!