I'm With The Band O/S Contest via Wayward Pushers - 1ST PLACE WINNER!

Thanks to everyone who voted for this, it means so much!

Title: "Puff Paint, Glitter and Tattoos"

Prompt Used: Picture Prompt #3

Rating: M

Pairing: Bella/Edward

Genre: Humor/Romance

Word Count: 8,856

Summary: A boy band. A crush. A concert. A best friend's brother who is the exact opposite of every fantasy Bella's had… up until then.

Disclaimer: SM owns all things Twilight. I just like to play around with them in my dirty/pervy/smutty mind.

I sat cross-legged on my floor, surrounded by puff paint, blue and gold glitter, and giant stencil patterns. The music blared from my speakers as I sang along with the happy lyrics, so giddy that my hands were shaking and my trusty bubble letters failed on the first two attempts at making signs, hence the stencils.

Tonight was going to change everything. I had nearly front row seats with my best friend Alice to go see The Elements, our most favorite band in the entire world. I had my outfit all picked out, my hair was going to be perfect and I was going to be the fan they chose at this concert to be pulled up from the audience to go on stage, even if I had to cut a bitch to do it.

I adjusted my rather prominent cleavage (thank you Victoria's Secret) and pulled on my royal blue shirt knowing it was Aaron's favorite color. While I finished my extra coat of mascara I proceeded to get lost in my favorite daydream.

After I was serenaded on stage Aaron would give me a VIP backstage pass.

"I really want you to come see me after the show, Bella," he'd pull his mic away and whisper to me in front of thousands of jealous fans.

"I'd love to, Aaron. Thanks for choosing me."

"I couldn't not pick you, beautiful."

I'd go to him after the concert. He'd take me to his private dressing room where we'd talk for hours. Then he'd slowly lean in and kiss me, with the promise of so much more.

"Bella!" my mom barked from downstairs.

"What?"

"Your friend Alice is here!"

"Then send her up, duh!"

"Don't you smart-mouth me, young lady. I'm letting you stay out until all hours of the night with practically NO adult supervision…"

Alice came creeping into my room just then, looking like the friend caught in the awkward crossfire of a parent-child fight. I rolled my eyes, she smiled, and I moved past her to yell down the hall to make my point extra clear.

"Mom! Alice's brother is 18. A LEGAL adult. You agreed to this months ago so just quit being such a damn nag!"

I heard her huff and walk back to the kitchen. She always liked to think of herself as the "cool mom" and hated when I said she was a nag. It never failed to shut her up.

I walked back to my room and plopped down next to Alice who was filling in some spots on the poster she brought with red glitter.

"Bella your poster looks amazing!"

"Thanks, I figured blue and gold would work best, kind of the theme colors of the tour. Plus blue is Aaron's favorite color, so I hope this shirt looks ok because-"

"Chill woman!" she laughed. "You're going to get up there. I can feel it. You know how I am with these things."

I snorted. "Al, just because you predicted the essay questions on our last two history tests does NOT make you Miss Cleo."

"Whatever, I just have a really good feeling about tonight. I just hope my douche of a brother doesn't give us a hard time the entire time."

"So he's back from boarding school for winter break?"

"Yeah, he'll be back for a few weeks. I'm sure he'll take that time to completely annoy the shit out of me."

"He can't be that bad."

"Ugh! He's just so damn depressing. Like, lighten the fuck up. The world isn't all that bad, you know? And I swear it's gotten worse this time. He's just been uber pissy and emo the last couple of days since he got in."

"Oh god, so he's really going to hate tonight isn't he? How did your mom force him into 'chaperoning' us?"

Alice's older brother was driving us from Forks to Seattle because, even though we were both sixteen and had been driving for months, we still weren't "responsible" enough to handle it ourselves. So instead of dying of embarrassment by having one our parents take us, we'd come to this agreement.

"Well, they're paying him for one thing, and he also gets to drive my dad's Aston Marken Vanish, Vixen…? Something or other," she shrugged. "I thought he was going splooge himself on the spot."

"Ew! Alice!"

"HAH! Don't give me that blush Isabella Marie!"

"Ahh! What's with the middle naming?"

"You know exactly why…" she narrowed her eyes at me and crossed her arms over her stylishly ripped to slutty perfection 'I'm with the band' t-shirt. "Hooking up with a senior, who also happens to announce to all his friends you give the best head he's ever had… you can hardly be embarrassed by the word."

I just giggled and shrugged as I pouted into the mirror perfecting my mascara. Truthfully, I blamed that night on the Schnapps. I mean, Mike Newton was fucking hot and wanted me for some reason. Never having gone down on a guy before, how the fuck was I supposed to know that I didn't have a gag reflex? He pushed forward and I just swallowed as much as I could and apparently blew his mind. It was a little gross, but the crazy loud swearing and look on his face after was totally worth it. A little skanky, maybe, but also oddly empowering.

"Ok, I'm not embarrassed, but he's your brother! That's just creepy to think about."

"You haven't even met him," she laughed.

"So? Since you moved here this year, all I've heard about is what an utter asshole-douche your brother is so forgive me if I don't want to think about him 'splooging' over a car."

"Heh heh… splooging," Alice fell back against the carpet in a fit of giggles. "I like jizzing better!"

"Or cumming?" I started to laugh.

"Squirting!"

"Spurting!"

"Blowing your load!"

"Drain the main vein!"

"Shoot a wad!"

"Bust a nut!"

After the last one we both had to stop because we couldn't breathe from laughing so hard. Once we calmed down, I cranked the music as we put the finishing touches on our posters.

I was running through my mental checklist of stuff I needed to bring. Camera was charged, non-skanky top to wear out of the house to avoid tsk-ing from my mother was laid out, posters were done, pajamas were packed, toothbrush, cell phone, cell phone charger, makeup…

"Bella, are we ready? Edward just texted me and told me to be waiting outside in five minutes."

I threw on my cover up shirt then I grabbed my bags and scanned my room. "Yeah, I have everything, except," I checked my corkboard for the tickets. "The tickets! Oh my god, where the fuck are they?"

I scrambled and began throwing everything from my dresser to the floor. My chest was tightening, I could feel hot tears well up in my eyes. If I fucking lost the tickets…

"Dude! Chill!" Alice said from the door. She was waving three big shiny tickets.

"Alice, you crazy bitch! You can't do that to me!" I heaved a huge a sigh of relief just as a car horn honked from outside.

"He's here, let's go!"

We tumbled down the stairs. "Bye mom! I'll be back tomorrow!"

"Be safe, honey! Have fun!"

Our little screen door slammed behind me and I stopped dead in my tracks as I took in the car waiting for us.

It was black, sleek, sexy… and small.

However, my reaction to the car wasn't nearly as strong as the one to the boy, man, stepping out of it. Black boots and dark ripped jeans swung out of the door as he climbed out. His faded navy shirt hugged his lean frame in the best way.

My eyes traveled slowly up his body and I took in the black ink trailing up his left arm. His coppery bronze reddish hair was in disarray as if he just rolled out of bed and there was a silver bar piercing through one side of his ear to the other. He was the exact opposite of my type, yet I'm pretty sure there was a hint of drool pooling in my mouth. He was grungy and had this dark look about him but damn it all if I didn't want to groan out loud at the specimen in front of me.

I was aware of muffled voices around me, but when he looked from Alice to me, all I could do was stare. His face was… stunning. Beautiful. Sexy. My mind searched for the right adjective, but I was coming up short. Fuckhot? That might have to do until I could make up my own word.

"Does she speak?"

"Yeah, quite a lot actually… Bella? Throw your shit in the back. We've got a drive ahead of us."

I snapped out of my haze and avoided gawking like a total loser as I made my way around him to the trunk and then to the passenger side.

"Ali, you sit in the back," he said.

"What the fuck? Why?"

"Because you're short and don't need as much leg room. Besides, I'm fucking driving and suffering through this bullshit concert for you, so don't argue."

"Screw you!" she screeched flipping him off. He just rolled his eyes and leaned to push the passenger seat forward so she could get in.

I let the awkward sibling moment pass and got situated in the comfy leather, still not directly looking at the hotness less than a foot from me.

"Alice you can have it on the way back, ok? I'll probably be tired and will just pass out anyway," I offered.

"Yeah, at least while you're up there you can play deejay," she perked up immediately and handed me her pink iPod.

"Fuck that," Edward growled as he peeled out on the street. "We've got four hours and I'm not listening to this teenybopper shit the entire way. You get one hour, then its mine."

Alice huffed but didn't say anything more. As we sang through The Elements' first couple of CD's, I tried not to be totally obvious in my glances at Edward, but I couldn't help it. Close up he was even more beautiful. His jaw was strong and he had these pouty lips that I wanted to smother with my own. Thick lashes surrounded his green-gray eyes and when he caught me looking a couple of times, I felt my skin heat with embarrassment. Once his eyes were back on the road I swore I saw the corner of his lips turn up in amusement.

Cocky bastard.

We were a little more than hundred miles outside of Seattle when he pulled the plug.

"Ok, no more. My ears and brain just can't take it anymore."

He unplugged Alice's iPod and plugged in his own huge silver one, scrolling through until something bluesy and mellow filled the tiny cabin.

I nodded in approval.

"I like 'Attack and Release' but 'Brothers' is a great album," I mused.

"You like The Black Keys?" he turned to me his eyes narrowed.

"I happen to have an eclectic taste in music and don't just listen to 'teenybopper bullshit'," I retorted. "Don't judge me because I'm not a music snob."

"Who says I'm a music snob?"

I grabbed the iPod and scanned through it.

Psapp, Coheed and Cambria, the list went on. Pretentious sounding band after pretentious sounding band filled his library, but he did have a decent variety of classic rock and some other stuff that I gave him some credit for.

I snorted. "This has 'music snob' written all over it," I paused and clicked on the Top 25 Most Played list. "Christ, you would like The Cure."

"What the fuck is wrong with The Cure?"

"It's just so typically emo-tastic," I shrugged.

"Sometimes a little 'emo' doesn't hurt."

"No, but eventually that shit is just bound to make you depressed. If you listen to it enough it will just seep into you and make you feel that way all the time."

He opened his mouth like he was going to say something but snapped it shut, cranked the music, and kept driving. I was slightly smug. Getting under his skin made me feel victorious.

Alice and I filled the rest of the drive with a heated discussion over what we thought the set list should be for tonight. Thank fuck we didn't have the same taste in guys. She was all about Seth while I was completely Team Aaron. I knew Edward was getting annoyed with our rambling. He would huff and roll his eyes every time I talked about the hotness that was Aaron Bennett.

"And the lyrics? Gah! Just speak more to my soul…" I swooned.

"You know Seth wrote half the last album right?"

I giggled. "Only because you tell me EVERY day!"

I heard a blatantly sarcastic snort from our driver.

"Oh my god, what? Just spit it the fuck out already!"

"I just don't see how you can both sit there and talk about these guys like they're real musicians. They're fake and totally full of shit. There's no depth to their 'music' whatsoever and it's completely generic sounding," Edward said. It was the most I'd heard him say the entire ride and I was momentarily distracted by the way his lips curled and moved.

"Well, once we're there you don't have to stay with us. Why don't you just leave?" Alice scowled from the backseat.

"And let you have that over my head for blackmail the entire time I'm home? 'Edward, take me to the mall or else I'll tell mom and dad how you left me at the concert,'" he mimicked. "Yeah fucking right. I'll just endure it."

We finally pulled off the highway and Alice and I both squealed when we pulled into the giant parking lot already swarming with fans.

"Ugh, Jesus fucking Christ…" Edward mumbled.

"Lighten up, Eddie!" Alice chirped as we climbed out stretching our legs.

Alice popped the trunk and organized our supplies. I grabbed the bottom of my cover-up shirt and peeled it off over my head, tossing it back in the trunk.

Edward started having a coughing fit or something. "What," he wheezed, "the fuck… is that?"

Alice and I both looked at each other like he'd lost his damn mind.

"What's what, Edward?" she asked exasperatedly.

His eyes flicked over in my direction and his stare burned into me. My instinct said to cross my arms and shield myself, but my mouth actually said, "Do you have a fucking problem?"

Edward scowled. "Nope, no problem here. Unless you're trying not to look like a teenage prostitute, then I'd say you have a problem."

My skin burned with acknowledgement of his insult. I knew I looked good but the way he was looking at me made me feel… I didn't know, but I liked it and hated it at the same time.

"Good thing it's none of your fucking business then," I threw back.

His eyes narrowed before he scowled and slammed his door shut.

"Whatever, lets get this over with," he grumbled and locked the car.

xx~xx~xx~xx

An hour and a half and one horrendous opening act later, my lungs were burning. I had perma-grin plastered on my face and I was losing circulation in my arms from holding up my sign for so long. I was sweating from dancing and singing along with Alice. I had never felt so happy in my entire life… well, almost.

The only thing ruining the most insanely awesome concert ever was Edward. When we got there he immediately crouched down in his seat and pulled out some earplugs, giving me his stupid smirk as he put them in. Alice even had to threaten him just to get him to take a picture of us with the stage in the background. But he still had the nerve to say, "Stupid fucking flashes, I'm going to have a damn seizure."

I'll give him that though, the flashes going off in the arena were enough to give anyone a headache but it was all part of the experience! The bass pounded through me, reverberating in my chest. I looked on with awe at their concise dance moves, not one of the four of them taking a step outside of the routine. It was pure fucking magic.

Aaron's sandy blond hair had grown out and my normal level of ogling had increased tenfold. I was positive there was no one in this entire fucking place who wanted him more than I did and I knew we could connect if I was just given the chance.

They had just finished one of my favorites, "Only For a Night" when I could literally feel Edward's eyes boring into me. I turned giving him my own death glare. He was still crouched low in his chair like one of his friends might see him or something, but the smirk was gone. His arms were crossed and he was still giving off an annoyingly sexy "don't fuck with me" vibe, but his eyes lacked the contempt from earlier.

They looked darker… or something. Instead of the sneer, his lips were pursed like he was thinking about something really hard. I knew I was staring but I couldn't help it and I gazed right back. The crowd's noise seemed to fade suddenly, becoming fuzzier in my ears. People's movements slowed. I saw his hands clench into fists and my body moved an infinitesimal amount closer to him. He angled himself just in the slightest toward me from his seat.

I was about to move closer when the moment came to a screeching halt as Alice leaned over, yelling in my ear, "Bella it's time! Grab your sign!"

Reality slapped me in the face and shook me out of my momentary stupor.

What the hell was that…? I thought to myself.

"Give it up Seattle!" Seth grinned into his head mic and Alice let out a piercing scream I couldn't help but giggle at. "You know what time it is! Fellas, hit those lights so we can see those signs!"

The decibel level went through the roof and Alice and I contributed to the blood-curdling screams that shook the building. I snuck a glance at Edward because his discomfort with the whole situation was endlessly amusing to me. Sure enough, his hands were clasped tightly over his ears and he was bent at the waist like he was in pain. I couldn't help but laugh. He really was putting up with a lot from us…

"Hold those signs high everyone!" Aaron told the crowd and I felt my heart swell as I jumped up and down with pride at my masterpiece.

The four guys walked across the stage, scanning for the best one. They huddled together and a hush fell swiftly over the crowd, everyone straining to hear if one of their mics would pick up who was the lucky winner.

I have never wished for anything so hard in my entire life. I prayed to the gods, to Buddha, to the universe, to Zeus, and to the little baby Jesus in that damn manger…

"The lucky lady has been chosen!" Jared announced in a game show host voice that sent a girlish titter through the crowd. He was the oldest one of the group, totally cute, but just not my type. He was the one "the moms" normally liked.

My palms were sweaty. I was clutching the poster board so tight I could feel it crinkling under my fingers. The bright lights stung my eyes because I hadn't blinked. I could have sworn I was evolving into some sort of higher species with better hearing and senses, attuned to everything so I wouldn't miss this amazing, wonderful, life-altering…

"The lovely blonde on my right! About ten rows back with the giant picture of my face and the thought bubble that says… 'LICK ME'!" he guffawed into the mic.

I was not blonde. I was not on his right. I sure as fuck didn't have a giant poster of Jared "I used to have respect for you" Anders.

I had lost.

A balloon popped in my chest and my happy bubble quickly deflated. I sunk into my chair feeling defeated and morose. I thought for sure I would be chosen; I had felt in my bones. It was supposed to be my time. Not some fucking, stupid, Barbie-want-to-be being escorted to the stage by secur-

"ROSALIE HALE?" Alice and I screeched at the same time.

The "lovely blonde" sauntering across the stage was non-other than the queen bitch of our high school. She was "the" senior. Head bitch in charge. And was a cunt to boot.

Alice and I were fuming, screaming unintelligible obscenities at the stage until we were red in the face. When I ran out of ways to combine the words "bitch", "cunt", "fucking", "whore" and "twat" I collapsed into my seat watching what should have been the highlight of my life happen to someone else.

Rosalie was given a stool to sit on the middle of the stage as the boys crooned and sang one of their best ballads in her ear. She blushed and cried and swayed with the music. Fucking twatwaffle.

I didn't even bother standing like the rest of the crowd. Alice was a better person than me. She continued watching along with everyone else but I could still see the unadulterated jealousy steaming out of her ears like a teakettle.

I laughed over this mental image, because sometimes it was so true. She would get all puffed up over something and then finally explode in a shrill, shaking manner. Just then, she put one of her hands on her hip completing my teakettle mental image and I fucking lost it.

"What's so funny?"

Edward had leaned across Alice's chair and was suddenly peering at me like a puzzle he couldn't figure out.

I shook my head and continued cackling like a crazed hyena.

"You just went from spewing pure verbal venom at that cheap bimbo on stage to cracking up. Something had to be really funny in that head of yours," he yelled over the music.

Well, he earned some serious cool points for calling Rosalie a cheap bimbo, so I took a deep breath trying to get my words back and explained my vision of Alice to him. He cocked his head at me before letting out a deep laugh.

"I'd say that definitely sums her up," he smiled and suddenly the night wasn't completely ruined.

Once the fan dedication was done they finished their set with the biggest numbers of the year, ending the show on an insanely high note. The house lights came on, taking away the darkened and thrilling vibe from the show, casting us in fluorescent reality.

I held back a jealous tear as I threw out my poster I had spent so much time on. I couldn't bear to take it home. It was tainted with the fact that I had been passed over for that vapid slut.

"Ugh! I know right?" Alice seethed as we walked out through the turnstiles. She always knew what to say.

"Exactly! Of the thousands of people in there, that bitch gets chosen."

"You know we're never going to hear the end of this. She won't shut up about it at school. Like the freshmen don't kiss her ass her enough!"

"I bet she's going to make up some bullshit story about how she partied with them and shit backstage."

Alice nodded and we went back and forth predicting how bad it was going to be when school started back up. Rosalie was going to be notorious, as if she needed more of an ego.

We were halfway to the car before Edward spun around and crossed his arms, glaring at us.

"Fucking Christ! You two realize that if either of you had been picked you probably wouldn't be talking right now, and would probably have some retarded fight over all this bullshit?" he spat.

We stopped in our tracks, considering the situation he put out there for us the mull over.

If Alice had been picked over me, I would have been perfectly fine with it… I snorted.

"Dude, he's so right."

She pursed her lips before giggling. "That's so true. I would have been nice to your face and then totally spread rumors about how you had massive sweat stains up there or something," she shrugged. "Must you always be right big brother?"

"It's a gift," he smirked. "A gloriously, satisfying gift."

I laughed a little too hard at his joke. Alice shot me a look that said "what the fuck?" but I just shrugged at her. She narrowed her eyes at me and did that annoying thing she does when she figures something out in her head but doesn't say anything about it.

We were herded by rent-a-cops in narrow little pathways and finally made it back to the car just as my watch clicked midnight.

"I'll sit in the back again!" Alice volunteered.

"What? Alice, it's fine. We made a deal, you can have shotgun this time."

"No worries, Bella. I feel a massive nap coming on anyway," she fake yawned.

"Uh huh…"

"It's true, totally past my bedtime," she climbed in the now open door and sprawled across the backseat.

I got adjusted in the passenger seat, trying to get comfortable before the long drive ahead of us. I realized just how daunting it was considering we wouldn't get back until around three am.

"Hey, Edward?"

"Hmm?"

"Thanks for doing this for us. I know you get something out the deal, but still."

"Oh. Yeah, you're welcome," he said softly and pulled out of the parking spot.

Alice was actually true to her word and about twenty minutes into the drive I heard soft little snores coming from behind me.

"Man she's really out," I mused softly.

"She's been like that since we were kids. The whole 'baby in a car' syndrome? She'd pass out even on our way to school and stuff."

I nodded and a comfortable silence fell between us for a moment, but I wanted to know more about him. I thought back to the brief moments during the concert where we had connected and I was intrigued to say the least.

"So, why the tattoo?"

"Why the boy band love?"

"I asked you first."

"But my question is much better," he chuckled.

"I didn't know I needed a reason to like a band."

"For that one? You definitely do."

"Why? Just because it's a bunch of guys who happen to harmonize well and have some sweet dance moves?" I asked in my best Napoleon Dynamite voice.

He laughed and shook his head. "Yeah, actually."

I shrugged. "It's feel-good kind of music, you know? I may not necessarily think it's the most musically complex and deep stuff, but a little cheese can be good every now and then. Plus, it's their lyrics that I really love."

"Really? 'Baby we have to dance tonight because it's our god forsaken right'?" he quoted.

I rolled my eyes. "Not that stuff. The ballads. I think some of the words are really beautiful."

"Hmph," was all he said to that.

Citizen Cope drifted through the speakers as I leaned my head against the window.

"Good song…" I murmured and fought closing my eyes.

"You know you can go to sleep, Bella."

"No, I'll make it," I yawned. "It'll help keep you awake. Besides, you didn't answer my question."

"Hah, yeah… that's not going to happen. Just sleep, I might make the music a little louder though if that's ok?"

I nodded and peered out from under my heavy eyelids. I watched the muscles in his arm flex when he changed gears. I noticed how almost every thirty seconds he'd lick his lips and check the rearview mirror. His jaw would clench and unclench steadily. Headlights on the other side of the road would illuminate his eyes for a brief moment as cars passed us.

"Bella, just sleep."

Another yawn and I drifted off into a weird dream where Edward was dancing on stage with Aaron but picked me out from the crowd instead and then his tattoo started moving…

A few hours later I found myself lying wide-awake in Alice's bed. Edward had practically carried her in from the car and she fell right back asleep once her head hit the pillow. My catnap however, only managed to energize me. I tossed and turned, trying to think of anything but Edward, but knowing the bathroom he and Alice shared between their rooms when he was home was the only thing separating us right now was driving me mad. I would have gone downstairs to watch some crappy late-night, well, early morning television, but their parents' room was down there and I didn't want to wake them up.

I was just getting ready to start mentally drawing numbers on some sheep when I heard soft music filtering through the door.

The soothing notes of acoustic guitar had me scrambling out from the under the covers, treading softly across the carpet to press my ear against Alice's bathroom door. I could just make out the tune now, but my curiosity got the best of me. The next thing I know I'm opening the door, nearly slipping on a bath mat and leaning against the opposite door leading into Edward's room.

It was much clearer now and I felt my heart speed up. It felt kind of forbidden almost to be listening in on something so private. I could almost picture him, reclining on his bed, the guitar resting against him…

Something in the way she moves,

Attracts me like no other lover…

My heart started to hammer in my chest. I loved this song, and Edward's voice was unlike anything I'd heard before. Velvety in a masculine way, but not generic sounding either.

I pressed harder against the door, willing my eardrums to evolve to a higher level of sensitivity. If I could just… the bathmat suddenly slipped under my feet and I lurched forward throwing my arms out to break my fall. I hit the handle on my way down and collapsed with a graceless and loud "thud" onto the floor, spilling into Edward's room through the now open door.

"Ow! Holy fucking shit ow!" I pathetically wailed from the floor. I had somehow managed to hit my funny bone, stub my big toe, and land awkwardly on my tailbone at the same time.

"Jesus! Fucking shit… Bella!" Edward sat up straight clutching his chest, startled by my slapstick entrance.

I sat there wincing while rubbing at my injuries and too preoccupied by the dulling throbs to form a sentence.

"Shit, are you ok?" he asked kneeling at my side.

"Yeah, I'm a klutz, kind of used to it. But what kind of bathmat just slips like that?"

He chuckled, "The mean kind?"

"Ugh, apparently," I grumbled.

He helped me to my feet and in my state of music delirium I had completely forgotten what I had gone to sleep in. Green and white polka dotted boxers and a slightly see-though tank top were the only barriers between my skin and his bare chest. I gulped.

Holy sweet baby Jesus.

Low slung black sweats hung from his lean body accentuating the black swirling lines that started at his wrist. They extended up and onto his shoulder and across his chest, fading from black to royal blue. I had a flash of a visual of me licking my way down each individual one.

"Umm…"

"Was that an 'ummm' meaning 'sorry for falling through your door at 3:45 in the morning'?"

"Maybe."

"Maybe, huh?" He shook his head and ruffled his already perfect tousled hair. "Did I wake you up?"

I crossed my arms and felt the goose bumps that had appeared on my skin. "No, not really. I couldn't sleep."

"Me either."

"So it would seem." I caught him staring at me before he shook his head and looked away. I smirked and eyed his black acoustic guitar lying on his bed.

"You play?" He strode over to the bed and plopped back down, leaning against the wall it was pushed up against.

"No, definitely not. I lack the coordination to walk, let alone learn an instrument."

He patted a spot in front of him and my heart skipped a beat. This felt so "cloak and dagger" or "cheesy teen movie" forbidden-like. I loved it. I climbed up on his bed and sat across from him and he gingerly passed me the guitar.

"Right handed?" I nodded and situated it in my lap, immediately plucking some of the strings.

"I'll teach you a couple of chords, if you want."

"Ok, cool."

He leaned toward me and gently grasped my pointer finger placing it over a string. Edward's fingers were warm and slightly rough. He was close enough that I could feel his breath washing over me, and I could tell he'd brushed his teeth not too long ago.

Once the rest of my fingers were in a really awkward position he said, "Ok strum."

I brushed my fingers over the strings and a horrible sound came out. He chuckled.

"What chord is that? It sounds terrible," I pouted.

"You let your middle finger slip, and press down really hard this time," his voice came out almost like a whisper and I shuddered a little.

I furrowed my eyebrows in concentration and forced my hand to remain still as I pressed again on the strings and simultaneously strummed the others. It sounded right this time and I let an excited squeak.

"Congrats, that was the D chord. Want to try another?" he gave me a crooked grin that made me lose my concentration. "Bella?"

"Sorry… I uh, I should let you sleep." I handed him back the guitar.

"Oh, well, you can stay if you'd like. If that's not weird... I'm kind of a night owl anyway," he started absentmindedly plucking out a tune and my eyes were drawn to his long fingers and how effortlessly they moved.

"I guess I can hang out, for a little," I conceded. "What's that song?"

"It's something I've been working on for a while. Mine," he shrugged.

"You… you write your own stuff?" I asked in awe. Like he wasn't hot enough already, add the fact that he one, played the guitar and two, wrote his own music, made him that much more irresistible.

I swooned hard. Like eye-fluttering, wanting to actually sigh out loud, swooned.

"Yeah a little. I can never seem to come up with any lyrics though," he continued to softly pick at the strings.

"Are you in a band?"

He raised his eyebrows. "Why? Want to be my groupie?"

I blanched and narrowed my eyes. "No, I was just; I can't believe you'd think-"

"Relax, Bella. I was kidding," he looked down the neck to the little pegs at the top and fiddled with them. "Mostly," he whispered, so soft I wasn't sure I heard him right.

My pulse quickened. I don't know where the sudden burst of bravery came from. Maybe it was the late hour. Maybe it was left over adrenaline from the concert. Or just maybe it was the way he looked at me, like I mattered.

"So you want me?" I paused to gauge his reaction. His fingers froze over the strings; the only sound now was the rain pattering against the window. "To be your groupie…" I clarified and teased at the same time.

Edward didn't meet my eyes. Instead, I watched his chest rise and fall with a deep breath as he stretched over the bed, setting his guitar down. He righted himself and suddenly leaned toward me. I barely had time to register what was happening and sucked in a sharp breath just before Edward shoved his hands in my hair. He cupped the back of my head and crushed his lips to mine.

My gasp caught in my throat. I was momentarily frozen with nerves and confusion but those quickly melted away as I felt the need and yearning in his soft lips moving against mine. He tasted incredible with the faintest hint of toothpaste and something that was just all Edward.

I kissed him back. Hard.

I wrapped my arms around his broad shoulders, throwing myself into the kiss and into him. His tongue brushed across my lower lip and I felt a soft moan echo in my throat. His grip tightened in my hair making me feel wanted and desirable. I reached out with my own tongue, our lips fusing together as we tasted each other.

All too soon my lips were cold with a blast of air that wasn't his breath. He broke away but began trailing light kisses from under my ear and across my throat. I was actually tingling.

"Does that," he kissed again. "Answer," another kiss. "Your question?" more lips.

"That you want me to be your groupie?" My fucking sarcasm, here to save the day from awkward moments and questions I don't really have the courage to answer. Excellent timing, way to ruin this, Bella.

"No," he held my face, forcing me to look him in the eyes. "That I want you," he whispered gruffly. "Because I do, Bella. I've wanted to do that all night."

I smiled. "Oh."

"Yeah, 'oh'," he gave me cocky grin.

"Can you," I hesitated and felt the blush spread across my skin. "Again. Will you kiss me again?" I rushed the words praying he understood, which he must have because the next thing I know he's pulling my body toward him and rolling me on my side, all the while doing magical things with his lips and mine.

I had never been kissed like this before. Don't get me wrong, I've made out before, but it was sloppy and messy and basically happened out of boredom. This was so much better.

My hands traveled up and down his toned arms, errantly tracing the pattern of the ink I knew was there. His hand gripped my waist and the pressure was divine, stirring something in me that made me want more. More hands, more gripping.

"More," I sighed, not even sure if it was out loud or in my head.

"Fuck," he grunted and the hand on my waist skimmed down my bare leg, pausing at my knee before he grabbed it, hitching my leg around over his hip.

I felt him. Not like I hadn't seen one or felt one before in my previous "rolling around, half getting felt up" make out sessions before, but again, this was different. It felt so much better with Edward.

A groan escaped my throat as our hips ground together, naturally seeking the relief our bodies craved. I pulled away from his lips, and began kissing and sucking my way down his neck as he'd done with mine. The only difference was, he didn't have a shirt hindering my progress.

I nibbled and tasted across his chest and when I reached one of his nipples I swirled my tongue around it while lightly scratching my nails down and over the other.

"Oh, god..." he swore some more under his breath and it was the sexiest noise, next to him singing, I'd ever heard in my life. I smiled against his warm skin.

The lower half of my body moved of its own accord, rocking into him slowly. It felt oh-so-good and I felt him hardening under me. Edward's hands slid up my thighs as I continued my path down his chest. His eyes fluttered closed and he was breathtakingly sexy.

I grazed my fingertips across the waistband of his pants and his stomach muscles twitched under them.

"Jesus," his eyes shot open as he grabbed my hands. "What are you doing?"

I didn't realize until then that I was actually planning on putting my mouth on his cock, but at that moment I knew I wanted to. "I was going to uh, I wanted to," fucking say it, Swan, you've done it, the least you can do is say it. "Taste you."

"Fucking hell," he groaned. "That is undoubtedly the hottest thing I've ever heard in my life, but you don't, I mean we just met, so I understand if you don't-"

I shut him up with my lips, kissing him until I felt he was sufficiently back in this.

"I want to," I breathed and he slowly nodded.

I slipped my fingers under the fabric and slowly pulled down. I expected boxers, maybe even boxer-briefs, but oh no, there it was. Edward's cock. Right in my face and bigger than the only other two I had ever seen. It was hard and covered with pre-cum and just knowing that was from me made my stomach knot and my thighs clench.

I tested the waters and slowly stroked him with my hand first. That alone elicited another grunt and a thrust upward, both good signs. I hovered over him, my breath alone making him twitch with need and I had to taste.

One slow lick from the base to the tip and then I slipped a little into my mouth.

"Holy shit," he huffed and I noticed his hands were curled into tight fists around the rumpled navy blue sheets. I hummed in pleasure around him and he pushed himself into my mouth a little bit more. I could tell he was restraining himself.

I sucked and licked; inch-by-inch until I felt him hit the back of my throat. "Fuck… Bella, oh fuck," he whimpered and I felt his hand caressing the back of my neck.

I had accepted it when Mike put his hands on the back of my head, because I just didn't really care either way what he did, but now I wanted Edward's hands in my hair, because it was Edward and again, everything was just entirely different with him. I lifted his hand, pulling off briefly to kiss his palm and placed it on the back of my head before picking up where I left off.

"God, Bella," his hand tightened to a vice grip around my hair as he slowly began guiding me up and down his shaft.

I sucked him at a steady pace, letting him bump the back of my throat each time. The noises he was making were sexy and uninhibited and I could feel myself getting more and more turned on. I had no idea this could be so hot for both parties involved.

On my way back up I flicked my tongue against his slit. He bucked his hips hard and I took a look at his face as I ran my hands up the inside of his thighs. Edward's eyes were closed and he was biting his lip so hard it looked painful and blissful at the same time. The image was so beautiful I eagerly took him back in my mouth groaning around him and sucking at a faster pace.

I heard his breathing pick up. "Bella, I'm so…" he panted. "Gonna cum…"

I definitely didn't swallow with Mike, but this, this I wanted. I splayed my hands across where his legs met his hips and continued stroking him with my tongue until he moaned something unintelligible and I felt him twitch hard in my mouth.

"Oh… oh fuck," Edward groaned loudly right before I felt his release pulsing onto my tongue. I wasn't quite sure whether or not to pull off right away so I continued to lick and swallow at the same time until I was sure he was done.

His grip loosened from my hair as he gently tugged my chin away. I shyly wiped the remaining fluids from my lips before looking at him. Edward looked sated and had a huge grin across his face which couldn't help but mirror.

"Bella," he paused still catching his breath. "I don't want to insinuate anything about your experience, but fucking hell that was amazing."

All I could do was blush and shrug and secretly thank whatever higher power had blessed me with no gag reflex.

He pulled me up and over him, gazing at me heatedly before rolling me under his body. My skin was so sensitive that everywhere I felt his lips touch seemed to send a wave a pleasure through me ending between my legs.

I rubbed my legs together in search of the friction that I desperately wanted.

"I want to feel you," he murmured against my shoulder at the same time his hands worked their way under the edge of my tank top.

I nodded, "Please… please touch me."

He hissed in pleasure and I felt his calloused fingers slide up my sides before his thumbs grazed the underside of my breasts. I shifted under him shy and wanton, wanting to be completely naked and equally cover myself up.

"Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?" he asked, his green-gray eyes stared into mine. Suddenly there were no thoughts of covering myself up. Those words made me come undone and before I let my nerves catch up with me again, I reached down and quickly tugged my top off welcoming the feel of his bare skin on mine.

"Holy shit," he said as his eyes roved over my half-naked form. "I take it back. Beautiful isn't good enough."

With that, his lips and hands were everywhere, turning me into a whimpering, thrashing mess. When his mouth closed around my nipple I nearly came from that alone. The pressure was building deep in my belly and I needed…

"More," I said again.

Edward traced his fingers at the top of my shorts making me quiver under him. I nodded and he slowly slipped his fingers down, down until- I let out a high-pitched moan when he brushed over my most sensitive spot.

"Shh," he warned, but I could hear the smile behind it. "God… you're so wet."

I didn't have a response to that, mostly because I was on the brink of something wonderful, so ran my fingers through his thick waves, tugging hard when he slipped a finger inside me.

"So warm, good… so good," he groaned.

Suddenly my squirming stopped as he pulled his fingers away. I whined in protest.

"Bella," he swallowed thickly. "I want to taste you too."

Oh. Holy. Fuck.

"I've uh, I haven't exactly done it before though," he admitted.

"Edward," I shook my head, partially in shock that this amazingly hot guy hadn't gone down on a girl before. "You don't have to, that's sweet, but just because I did doesn't mean-"

"No, like you said, I want to."

I reached for him, pulling his face to mine before giving him a kiss that I hope showed him that I was more than ok with what was going on and that it wasn't just some random hook up with my best friend's brother. I didn't know what he was, but I definitely didn't want Edward to be that.

His hands gripped the edge of my shorts as he began to pull them down. I lifted my hips and was soon in nothing but my lilac cheekies underneath him. I don't know when the fashion for girls to keep things shaved down there started, but I was thankful I participated. I wasn't completely bare, but things were definitely neat.

Edward kissed back and forth between my hips, making his way lower and lower until he skipped where I wanted him most and began the same pattern on the inside of my thighs. I could feel the wetness gathering between my legs and I was on the verge of taking things into my own hands I was so desperate to cum at that point. Then he pushed the fabric to the side and I felt his hot breath right before his tongue circled my clit.

"Oh god…" I hummed in pleasure and wriggled closer to him.

"Damn you taste good." He worked his tongue with more certainty now, licking and sucking in all the right places and I was sure he'd had some practice or at least watched some half-decent porn.

Edward slid a finger in while pressing his tongue harder and swirling it over my clit. I tugged his hair, opened my legs more, and was panting hard at this point.

"Fuck, oh my god, Edward!"

At the sound of his name, I felt him growl against my sensitive flesh.

That did it.

The vibrations sent me over the edge falling head first into pleasure. I had never felt anything like it. My back arched as I thrashed about, Edward's name falling from lips repeatedly as I throbbed into his mouth.

Once the sensation dulled, my legs fell limp onto the bed. My muscles were jelly, except for the ones in my face, which couldn't seem to stop from smiling.

"Holy shit," I practically purred.

"I'll say."

I opened my eyes to find Edward hovering above me, his mouth had a slight glisten to it and I found myself curious. I lifted my head to kiss him and tasted the evidence of my arousal on his lips. Tangy and kind of sweet, mixed with Edward. I kissed him hungrily once more and felt his newly awakened arousal grinding into me.

"God, that's…"

He grinned. "The noises you were making, plus hearing you say my name like that, and making you cum? It was bound to happen."

We turned to our sides, facing each other with our limbs tangled in such an intimate way that it felt like we'd been doing this forever.

"Well, I hear morning 'activities' are supposedly good?" I giggled.

He glanced behind me. "Bella," he kissed down my jaw. "It is morning."

With that we burst into a fit of stifled laughter so as not wake anyone.

A wave of calm and comfort washed over me then and I felt my eyes start to flutter, but I tried to force them open as my fingers wandered over his ink once more.

"You never did tell me what this means."

Edward gently pushed a piece of my hair out of my face before looking in my eyes. "It's kind of symbolic about how I feel about my music. It starts down in my hand but then works its way up, becoming more of a part of me, until it gets here."

He took my hand and placed it over his heart where the design stopped. The moment was so tender I wasn't sure if it was real. I nodded because the gravity of what he said rang true to me and I understood what he meant.

I left my hand there as he pulled my body to his, cradling me in his embrace. I felt warm and secure like I was right where I was needed to be.

"Goodnight… groupie," he said as a chuckle rumbled through his chest.

I used what strength I had left to nudge him in the leg with my knee before drifting off to sleep.

xx~xx~xx~xx

I snuck back into Alice's room before anyone woke up. Thank god she slept like the dead and I was somehow able to pretend the entire next morning that I had just slept bad and wasn't hooking up with her brother until the sun had started to rise.

Her mom was making us pancakes as we sat in the kitchen telling her about the show.

"And Edward behaved? He wasn't too sullen about the whole thing?"

I choked on my orange juice at his name and Alice shot me one of her looks.

"Of course he was sullen mom, that's what Edward does!"

"He wasn't that bad, Alice," I couldn't help but come to his defense. "He was nice enough while you were passed out in the back on the way home."

"Oh was he now?"

I blushed and shoved a huge bite of syrupy goodness in my mouth hoping her mom didn't hear the blatant innuendo in her voice.

"Well that's good," Mrs. Cullen said.

"What's good, mom?"

"That he gets along with your friends. It will be nice for him to know someone besides his sister when he starts at your school after the break."

My fork fell from my fingers, clattering on the tile. Alice and her mom's words were drowned out the pounding of my own heart in my ears.

Ohmygod, ohmygod, ohmygod…

"Drop this?" his voice, thick with sleep rumbled beside me as he crouched to pick up my utensil. My skin heated as images of just a few hours ago flashed through my head. I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out as he stood up in front of me.

"Morning, Bella," he smirked.