The Opposites Attract Contest

Rating: M/NC-17

Word Count: 9941

Pairing: Edward/Bella

Summary: When Edward meets the girl of his dream, will the differences between them pull them apart or draw them together?

Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with Twilight. I just like to play in their sandbox.

Thanks to the gorgeous LovelyBrutal for very kindly betaing this for me.

Miles To Go

EPOV

Rushing down the street, I checked my watch, making sure that I wasn't going to be late. An urgent conference call at the end of the day had kept me back at work long after leaving time, and I was now hurrying along the road, my briefcase battering into my knees with every step. I quickly swung into the first Chinese restaurant I came across and ordered a ton of food to take away with me. I made sure to get all her favourites; I knew I would have to sweeten her up if I was late.

Luckily, there wasn't a queue inside the restaurant and I didn't have to wait long. Grabbing the food, I continued to half-walk, half-jog along the sidewalk until I finally reached the my destination. I checked my watch one last time before pushing the door open. Thanks to my haste, I was only running ten minutes late, not enough to piss her off.

Breathing a sigh of relief, I entered the shop, wincing as the bell over the door sounded my arrival. The smell of ink hit me as the door slammed shut behind me and I heard the tell-tale buzz coming from behind the wooden screen set up at the far end of the room.

I stopped abruptly next to the counter, setting my bags on top of the wooden surface. The giant of a man sat comfortably behind it leaned forward to sniff questioningly at the bag containing the food.

"Crispy duck spring rolls – I see you're sucking up."

I winced at the accurate assessment. "Was she very mad about me being late?"

"Nah, dude." Emmett brushed off my concerns. "She knows that sometimes work stuff gets in the way. Besides, she's not finished with this customer either, so she's not really in a position to yell." I breathed out a sigh of relief and he grinned at me. "You've really got to chill out, man. She's not going to run off and leave you just because you got out from work a little late."

"I know, I just... I just worry about it sometimes. I don't want her to feel like I'm taking advantage of her good nature."

Emmett snorted. "You have met Bella, right? I wasn't aware that she had a good nature."

I couldn't help the laugh that escaped me as my girlfriend rounded the screen at that moment, scowl on her face as she glared at Emmett. A big, beefy guy trailed closely behind her, shrugging on his shirt as he did. Two years ago I would've been jealous, I would've felt insecure, I would've questioned why Bella was with someone like me and not someone more suited to her, like this guy. Now, I merely checked out the large bandage that covered half of his side, wondering what kind of art he had gone for.

Bella stopped in the middle of the shop, hands on hips, daggers shooting from her eyes. "What was that you were saying, Em?"

He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, scratching the back of his neck as he avoided eye contact with her. "Ummm, I was just telling Eddie here what a lovely person you are and how you're a great boss to work with."

She snorted but didn't make him squirm anymore. "Yeah, right. Ring up Jake here, will you? $300 for this session."

Emmett immediately rushed to obey, not wanting to push his luck any further, and Bella turned to me, her scowl turning to a bright smile.

"Hi, baby." She flung her arms around my neck and I pulled her closer to me, bending my head so that her lips met mine. She kissed me eagerly, throwing herself into the action in the same enthusiastic way that she approached everything, and I responded in kind.

Her fingers crept into my hair, pulling sharply on the strands, and my hands slipped down her body until I squeezed her ass and she moaned and bucked against me.

A loud cough broke into the bubble of lust I was surrounded by and Bella and I broke apart to turn and look at the person who had interrupted.

Emmett had retreated back to his chair, leaning as far back as he could without tipping over, his hands resting behind his head as he unabashedly watched us. The other man, Jacob, looked a lot more uncomfortable by our display and I realised that he must have been the one to cut short our greeting.

"So..." he began.

Bella merely arched an eyebrow, waiting for him to continue.

"This is your boyfriend?"

I had to give him credit for having the balls to ask something like that. I would never have dreamed of asking such an intrusive question to someone I didn't know.

Bella clearly thought that he was stepping over the line too as she got a determined look on her face; it was the same look she wore when she was struggling not to lose control of her temper. She sighed heavily.

"Yes, this is my boyfriend, Edward. Edward, this is Jacob. He's been coming here for the last few weeks to have some work done on his back and sides."

I nodded, understanding what she was implying in her words – he was just a customer, that was as far as it went, I had nothing to worry about. I offered my hand to Jacob. "It's nice to meet you."

He took the hand, squeezing tightly as he shook it, and I could feel Bella's irritation rise as she caught the show of one-up-man-ship. "Nice to meet you too, Edward. I have to say I'm surprised; Bella's told me all about you before but I didn't think you'd be a suit; I kind of imagined her with someone with more ink."

He laughed at his own words and I angrily removed my hand from his grasp, the same old assumptions that always followed me and Bella hitting a raw nerve.

An awkward silence briefly fell over the shop, and it took Emmett to bite the bullet and break it. "Well, you know what they say, man? Opposites attract and all."

"They must do." Jacob looked assessingly at Bella and I, his eyes lingering on the hand she had wound around my arm. "So, I'll be seeing you again next week then, Bella?"

Bella's mouth curled up triumphantly. "Actually, you won't, Jacob. I'm away on vacation for the next month – Edward and I are going travelling – so Emmett will be filling in the rest of the tattoo for you. Don't worry, he's been trained by me, so you don't have to worry about him not being good."

Jacob's cocky smile dropped off his face and he quickly made his excuses before leaving.

"Prick!" Bella spat vehemently the second the door shut behind him. "Stupid jerk can't take a hint."

Emmett answered my questioning glance. "That boy's been hitting on our Bells ever since he started coming here. He can't take a hint at all, even when she told him that she had a boyfriend. That's why I'm taking over his tat for her, 'cos he seems to think that your girl's going to faint with lust the second he takes his shirt off."

I blinked and transferred my attention to Bella who was running her hand up and down my arm reassuringly. She offered me a small smile and I returned it, determined not to overreact, determined not to doubt her feelings for me.

"Sounds like an asshole."

"He is." Bella beamed at my assessment and she looked so happy that I leaned down to press a quick kiss against her lips again.

"Anyway," Emmett sang out obnoxiously, "now that he's gone and you're here, I'm out of here. I've got myself a hot date with a nympho with long legs."

I grinned. "Say hi to Rosalie for me."

"Will do," he called out as he grabbed his jacket, waving as he left the shop and crossed over to where his Jeep was parked on the other side of the road. Bella let go of me, following him to the door so she could lock it behind him and flip the sign in the window over to 'Closed.' Wanting to help, I flipped the switch to bring the metal shutters in front of the shop down and set the alarm as Bella grabbed the bag of food and my briefcase and led me towards the back of the shop. At the back of the employee's kitchen, she opened the door to the apartment above and I admired the view as she walked up the stairs in front of me, resisting the urge to smack her ass.

She looked back over her shoulder and gave me a sultry smile, as if she knew what I was thinking.

When we got inside the apartment, Bella sent me to find a movie for us to watch in the living room while she sorted out the food I had brought. I was flicking through her DVD collection when I heard a squeal come from the kitchen and Bella ran into the room, throwing herself in my arms and dotting kisses all over my face.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you. I can't believe you remembered my favourite."

With one last kiss, she returned to the kitchen and I abandoned my search to see what she had gotten so excited about. Entering the kitchen, Bella looked up guiltily, half a crispy duck spring roll still in her mouth. From what I could see, she had been portioning out our dinner onto plates with the majority of the spring rolls on her plate. I rolled my eyes and allowed her this one indulgence.

"Come on." I grabbed our food. "Let's go eat."

We settled on the sofa and Bella flicked through the TV channels until she found something that she could stand watching and then began eating.

"So... What did I do to deserve duck spring rolls?"

"Do I need an excuse to give my wonderful girlfriend spring rolls?" I shot back.

"No." She pouted. "But you usually only buy them when you think that you've done something wrong and want to make it up to me. So what's up?"

"Nothing." She raised her eyebrows in disbelief and I shook my head. "Ok, so I got held up at work today by an irritating client and I thought I was going to be late getting here."

Bella set her plate aside and shuffled closer to me on the sofa. Resting her elbow against the back, she began to brush my hair back off my forehead, a look of concern on her face.

"Edward, you know that I understand that sometimes you're not going to be able to help being late, right?"

"I know." I rubbed the back of my hand over my eyes in frustration and set my food on the coffee table before sinking back into the sofa, closing my eyes at the feeling of Bella's careful touch. "But you know that I don't like to keep you waiting."

"I know," she acknowledged. "But it's not like I couldn't have kept myself entertained in the shop while I waited for you."

I opened my eyes to give her a look. "The last time you were left alone in the shop to entertain yourself, you ended up with a new tattoo on your foot."

"I was experimenting," she shrugged, a small smile playing about her lips. "Besides, it's not like you were complaining at the time."

I rolled my eyes but let it go.

"Anyway," Bella continued. "I ended up getting held up too. Stupid Jacob." She stuck her tongue out at the name and I lifted my arm from between us to wrap around her shoulders. Bella wriggled as she got more comfortable sitting against me, her head coming down to rest against my chest.

"Has he been causing problems?" I asked, twisting a loose strand of her long hair around my fingers.

Bella huffed. "Not causing problems, as such, really. Just making a nuisance of himself. Like today, our session was supposed to finish half an hour before it did, but he came in with all these changes he wanted to his design and so I spent ages trying to explain to him why it wouldn't work with what I had already drawn up, and after all that he decided not to make any changes after all..."

"Is that all?" I queried, sensing that there was more, but not wanting to sound pushy or like I didn't trust her.

Bella's voice was very small when she replied. "It's like he refuses to believe that I'm not interested in him, like he's got it into his head that we were meant to be together and nothing can sway him from that idea. I've told him about you, but you saw his reaction today. It's like he couldn't possibly believe that someone like you would be with someone like me. That's why Emmett was still in when you got here. He's taken it upon himself to keep an eye on him when I'm working, make sure he doesn't try anything."

"Were you worried that he might?" My feelings of concern over this Jacob's interest in her began to rise.

"No," she mused. "At least, not seriously. I'm not worried about him trying to force me or anything; I just think he pushes it to the point where I'm uncomfortable, and he doesn't get that I might not welcome any advances."

I didn't say anything, instead choosing to merely hug Bella closer to me, placing a kiss on the crown of her head. I had learned in the past not to try and fight her battles for her, no matter what I might instinctively want to do. Bella was fiercely independent, so I knew that she would handle the situation herself and only ask for help if she really needed it. Squeezing her one last time, I released my grip on her so that we could finish eating.

She was quiet for the rest of the meal and throughout the movie we had settled on watching, something very unusual for Bella. Usually I was the quieter of the two of us; Bella had a tendency to babble about whatever came into her head, but tonight she was strangely silent.

We remained sitting relaxed together until the movie ended and the late-night infomercials began, and Bella finally stirred from where she was sprawled half on top of my body. She seemed distracted as we moved around the apartment getting ready for bed, but it wasn't until we were lying together, with her back pressed against my chest that she let me know what was on her mind.

"Does it ever bother you?"

Her voice was so low that I almost missed it.

"Does what bother me, love?"

"That people like Jacob still look and us and wonder what we're doing together? That people can never understand what someone like you is doing with someone like me?"

I laughed at the thought, but rushed to explain when I felt her body stiffen against mine. "Bella, I can assure you that when people look at us, they're actually wondering what someone as beautiful as you is doing with someone like me." She snorted in response and I continued my explanation. "And no, it doesn't bother me."

Bella twisted round so that she could see my face. "It used to. I was worried that you would be upset by what Jacob had said. You used to be so worried about appearances and what people thought of you."

I couldn't deny her words, as much as I wanted to.

I wished that I could say that I had never been the type of person to make judgements about people based on their appearance, but it would have been a lie. I had never been impolite to anyone based off how they looked, but I had been guilty of some discrimination. In the past, if I had seen someone like Emmett walking towards me, I would have avoided him, making sure not to make eye contact and putting as much distance between us as I could. I was thoroughly ashamed, especially considering what a nice guy he was once you actually looked beyond his giant frame, bulging muscles, tattoos crawling up his neck and down his arms, and the many facial piercings he sported.

I had also made judgments about Bella when I had first met her, and she made them about me. It had taken us an age to get beyond our original preconceptions.

Of course, she had gone out of her way to prove me right, her bravado hiding the prejudice she was braced for. And yet, despite our start, we had made it over two years together.

My closest friend, Jasper, still credited himself for our successful relationship.

He had just passed the bar in Washington and had decided that in order to celebrate, he wanted to get a tattoo. As his roommate, and the only person around with a car, he had dragged me along to a neighbourhood that I normally wouldn't set foot in during the day, especially not in the early dark that winter had brought on.

"Jazz, are you sure this is the best place to come?"

He had scowled at me. "Of course. I looked it up online and this shop had the best reputation, especially if you don't want just some generic design. I don't want to look back on this in ten years and regret having it done, which means it has to be so fucking awesome it blows your mind."

Not wanting to argue with him anymore, I had reluctantly nodded, pushing my heavy-framed glasses back up my nose and wrapping my overcoat tighter around me. As we walked down the street, I kept a close eye on the people around me, half expecting someone to make a grab for my wallet. I felt completely out of place, surrounded by people who looked like college students, while I was still dressed in my suit that I had worn to the accountancy firm where I worked, my old battered briefcase that had been a gift from my father still clasped in my hand.

We stopped outside a dingy looking shop with a blinking fluorescent sign in the window announcing that they offered tattoos and piercings inside. The inside of the shop looked surprisingly clinical. I wasn't sure what I had been expecting, probably a dingy, dark room with a row of needles lined up.

Jasper was breathing deeply and I wondered if he was about to change his mind.

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

He shot me a look that clearly told me how stupid he thought I was for even asking. Shrugging, I opened the door to the shop and stepped inside, taking in my surroundings. The first thing that crossed my mind was that this reminded me of a dentist's office: the white tiled floor, the plain walls and the bright spotlights that hung over plastic-covered reclining chairs. A row of shelves lined the wall to the right of the entrance, filled to bursting with folders. A long counter ran along the left of the shop and the largest man I had ever seen sat behind it, leafing through a magazine. To the back of the store were several of the dentist's chairs, each with a wooden screen pulled back to one side beside them.

To my surprise, Jasper immediately headed for the counter and greeted the giant with a smile and clasped hands.

"Emmett."

"Jasper, hey. Ready to get that ink done today?"

My best friend nodded eagerly and I realised rather belatedly that this wasn't just a spur of the moment decision like he had told me, but that he had actually arranged to come here today to get this tattoo done.

"What about your friend? Is he getting ink done today too?" He didn't bother to wait for a reply, instead turning to yell to the back the shop. "Hey Bells, get your ass out here. I've got a job for you."

I started to slowly back away, my hands raised in protest. "No no. I'm not here for a tattoo. I'm just here for moral support."

"That's cool." Emmett nodded. "So you want to come watch or you gonna hang out here and wait for Jasper?"

See my friend get stabbed repeatedly with a needle all for the sake of body art?

"I think I'll wait out here."

Jasper laughed and clapped me on the back. "I'll see you in a bit then, Edward."

The two of them headed towards the back of the shop where the shuffling sound of another person moving around was coming from. Jasper disappeared behind one of the drawn-back screens and Emmett stopped to talk to someone – obviously this 'Bells' that he had been yelling for.

I decided that since I was going to be here for a while, since I didn't know how long it would take for Jasper to get his tattoo, I might as well get comfortable. Unfortunately, looking around, I wasn't sure that was going to be possible. Unbuttoning and shrugging off my overcoat, I lay it over one of the stools lined up in front of the counter, and sat on another.

Apart from the low voices coming from the back of the shop, it was quiet, and I found myself shifting uncomfortably in my suit. I had just resolved to fish out some paperwork that needed finishing from my briefcase when a voice rang out behind me, making me jump.

"Not really your scene here, is it?"

The girl behind me laughed at my surprise and then wound her way around the edge of the counter until she was stood opposite me, leaning against the wall, her arms folded, a frown on her face. Her eyes seemed to travel down and then back up my body, assessing me, and from the curl of her lip I could tell that I had been found wanting.

Since she was so blatantly staring at me, I decided to conduct my own assessment. She was a tiny little thing, nearly as small as my sister Alice, and like Alice, she was also remarkably slender. However, that was where any similarities stopped.

Her hair was pulled back off her face in some kind of twist, showing off all her piercings. Numerous studs and hoops lined her ears and she also had a stud in her nose as well. Her bottom lip was divided by a ring that punctured it and she had another piercing that I didn't know the name of just above her upper lip. A bolt of some kind ran through her eyebrow and I briefly wondered how she managed to get through airport security without setting all the alarms off.

She wore low-slung jeans and a thin-strapped top that stopped a good two inches above her navel, which, not surprisingly, also had a metal ring through it. The gap in her clothes revealed a large tattoo that seemed to cover most of her right side, delicate swirls and splashes of colour creating half-images of butterflies and blossoms. The tattoo must have continued further up her body because I could see the edge of the design peeking out from the neckline of her shirt.

Despite all the...modifications...to her body, however, she was an incredibly attractive girl. Granted, she looked like she could take me on and win, but she had these gorgeous big, brown eyes and luscious-looking full lips that appealed to me.

If I had been braver, or... not me, I might have considered asking her out.

"No," I finally answered. "This isn't like anywhere I've been before. It's not really..." I tried to find the words to explain just how alien this all was to me.

The girl shrugged. "We get a lot of people like you in. Most just come in to see what a real tattoo parlour looks like, as if they're proving something to themselves just by entering the shop." She raised her eyebrows. "Is that what you're here for?"

I found myself taken aback by her confrontational question. "I'm just here to give my friend a ride home."

She grunted, but didn't say anything else, instead grabbing a sketch pad and pencil off the counter and pulling herself up onto the seat opposite mine. Flipping the pad open on her lap, she immediately began to draw, her pencil skating across the paper easily.

The sketch pad was tilted away from me so I couldn't see what she was drawing and she seemed quite happy to ignore my presence. Something she had said had caught my attention though, and I wasn't about to let it go.

"What do you mean people like me?"

She glanced up questioningly and I clarified.

"A minute ago you said that you get a lot of people like me coming in. What did you mean?"

I had expected more hostility, maybe even a scowl. Instead what I received was a blush, a bright flush of pink spreading across her cheeks. It was a surprisingly innocent reaction and it occurred to me that if this girl was as badass as she seemed then she would have been quite happy to insult me openly instead of having this quite sweet embarrassed reaction.

"Ummmm," she stuttered.

I decided to rescue her. "Hey. No worries. I knew what you meant. I guess you don't get a lot of suits in here."

She flashed me a wicked smile. "Not anyone whose suit stays on for very long anyway."

This time it was my turn to blush and I awkwardly adjusted my glasses again. By the time I looked up again, the girl had gone back to ignoring my presence. Every now and then she would glance up at me, but for the most part I was left to shuffle uncomfortably on the stool, unsure of whether to attempt instigating another conversation or whether to go against every manner my mother had ever taught me and get my own work out.

The low buzzing of the needle and the sharp scratching of the pencil were the only noises in the room.

For the sake of my conscience, I decided to try again, even though I couldn't deny that she terrified me a bit. If she rebuffed me a second time, then I would get the hint and just get on with my own reading.

As it was, she beat me to it, setting her pencil down and gazing at me critically. "I'm Bella by the way. Emmett didn't introduce us earlier." She held out a hand bedecked in rings and I tentatively took it.

"I'm Edward."

She nodded. "So are you going to get any work done while you're here?"

I shot a look towards my briefcase. "Any work?"

"You know," she talked exaggeratedly slowly, "tattoos, piercings... Any work?"

"Oh. No, no. No I have no plans for any..." I struggled to find an appropriate word and finally borrowed hers, "...work."

"Have you ever thought about it?"

I shook my head. "I can't see myself with a tattoo," I joked, "Can you?"

"Actually I can." She held out her sketchpad and I took it, curious as to what she had drawn.

The sketch I saw before me made me raise my eyebrows. Bella had mocked up an elaborate design of swirling thorn and tribal-looking symbols that would cover half of my chest and wind up my neck. The quick glances she had shot me earlier now made sense, given the surprisingly accurate sketch of my body frame. I adjusted my glasses as I tried to think what to say about the shirtless image of me.

"I'm not sure that I could get away with a tattoo like that at work." It was a pathetic excuse, but luckily Bella just shrugged.

"Yeah, it's not for everyone." She bit her lip and I could hear the faint clinking sound of her teeth biting down on her lip ring. "So how about dinner instead?"

"Dinner?" I felt completely off balance by the quick change of subject.

"Yeah." She grinned at me. "You know, you and me going out to eat...together."

I gaped at her, dumbstruck, and her smile began to fade. "You know what, never mind. It was a stupid idea anyway."

She began to gather up her drawing equipment and stood up, ready to leave.

"Wait," I found my mouth saying. She paused and I struggled to find my bearings as I worked out what to say. I didn't know what I was doing – I hadn't even thought that this girl liked me, yet here she was, asking me out to dinner with her.

Curiosity as much as attraction determined my instinctive reply. "I'd love to go to dinner with you."

"Great." The smile was back, only slightly more cautious this time. "I'm free tomorrow if you like. Emmett's working the evening shift again."

"Ummmm, sure," I stuttered. This was all happening too fast for me to obsess about it like I usually would. My brain slowly tried to work out date etiquette. "Shall I pick you up from here after work?"

She thought about it for a couple of seconds. I caught the speculative gleam in her eye. "How about you tell me where you work and I can come and meet you afterwards?"

This was a test of some kind, I could tell by the look on her face, but I didn't know what for. In the meanwhile, agreeing with her was the easiest option.

"Great."

Grabbing one of the shop's business cards off the counter, Bella handed me that and her pencil and I scribbled down my work address and what time I finished. I also included my cell-phone number in case she needed to reach me before that.

"Thanks," she sang out. Placing both hands on the counter, she lifted her body up, leaning over and pecking me on the cheek.

I sat frozen in shock as this strange girl began to hum as she collected up her possessions and headed towards the back of the shop.

"By the way, your friend will be finished soon. He was just having the outline done today so he'll be out in a minute. See you tomorrow, Edward."

"Bye." I waved dazedly.

Had that really just happened? One minute Bella was implying that I didn't belong here in this shop, which I actually agreed with, and the next she was inviting me out on a date.

I could hardly speak when Jasper and Emmett came out from behind the screen ten minutes later. I sat quietly as they settled up and sorted out Jasper's next appointment, and it wasn't until we left the shop and were walking back towards where we had left the car that he questioned me on it."

"What's up, man? Sorry if you weren't really comfortable waiting for me back there."

"No no," I reassured him. "It was fine."

"Did that Bella girl say anything then?" he pressed. "I know that Emmett said she could be a bit abrupt at times."

"I have a date with her." I stopped in the middle of the sidewalk as I said it.

"What?" Jasper sounded like he couldn't believe it. "With Bella? Piercings, tattoos, scary Bella?"

"Yeah."

"Wow. I didn't know you had it in you, dude."

I shook my head and began walking again. "Me neither."

I was incredibly nervous and jittery the next day at work. I had no idea what to expect from Bella or even why she had really asked me out and I spent the entire day running through scenarios of tonight through my head, each one more catastrophic than the last.

Finally, it was the end of the day and I adjusted my glasses and ran my fingers nervously through my hair before heading out.

I didn't know what I had been expecting of Bella, but I had definitely been expecting something and by God I got it.

I walked out of work only to be pulled up short by the sight of Bella waiting for me. From the looks of the people around me, I wasn't the only one who had noticed her. I now understood why she had insisted that she meet me after work and what she was trying to prove.

Unlike the rest of the financial district, Bella was not dressed formally. While the rest of the women who flooded out of the building were clothed in smart suits or expensive-looking dresses and heels, Bella was leaning unconcerned against the wall, her knee-high combat boots tapping on the ground. She had clearly dressed to make an impression – fishnet hose, a short, pleated skirt and a sheer white top that I could clearly see her black bra through. Her see-through shirt also confirmed my previous suspicion that her flower tattoo stretched all the way up the side of her body.

Behind me, I could hear people muttering.

"...disgraceful..."

"...people like that coming round here..."

"...some kind of tramp..."

"...look at...piercings..."

"...whore..."

I spun sharply around at the last hissed comment, glaring at the blonde woman that had uttered it. She lowered her gaze, her sneer disappearing off her face, and hurried away.

Bella watched her go with an unconcerned look and I realised with a jolt that this reaction was nothing new to her.

She had deliberately come here to my work, dressed like that, to see if I had the stomach to confront the reactions she faced because of the way her appearance. She was making a point, and it made me sad to acknowledge that she was trying to demonstrate just how different and ill-suited we were together. She had come here expecting me to walk away, to ignore her, to dismiss her in front of my peers.

This was the test she was setting me – to see if I was willing to be seen in public with her, especially given the dirty looks and comments currently being shot at her.

I swallowed hard.

"Bella!" I raised my hand up in a wave, weaving through the people in front of the office towards her. "Hey!"

She bit her lip before smiling and lifting her own hand in greeting. "Hey Edward."

I stopped in front of her and impulsively bent down to kiss her on the cheek, echoing her action from the night before, pushing my glasses back up the bridge of my nose as I straightened. Her smile widened and I knew that I had made the right move.

"Shall we?" I held out my arm and she linked her hand through it.

As we walked along together, Bella chattering away, I caught a glimpse of the bewildered looks we were getting. It was an incredibly uncomfortable sensation, to know people were watching you as you walked down the street, especially since I had never liked being the centre of attention. The same kept happening when we sat down in the restaurant. I had taken Bella to my favourite Thai place and she seemed happy with my choice, but fellow diners and even some of the wait staff were glancing over, incredulous looks on their faces. Increasingly uneasy by the censure in their eyes, I kept my head down, my eyes fixed on the white linen tablecloths and my hand coming up to unnecessarily adjust my glasses.

Bella obviously recognised the nervous tic from the day before. "Does it bother you, to be seen with me?"

My head jerked up. "Of course not."

She raised an eyebrow disbelievingly and I amended my statement, my face heating up again. "I'm not used to people staring."

Bella's body language changed, her shoulders straightening, her knees shifting away from where they had rested against mine under the table. I found that I missed the contact more than I anticipated.

"Is it too much?" Her tone was assertive but I caught a glimpse of vulnerability in her eyes before they hardened.

That momentary hint of sadness clinched it for me. I didn't want to be the guy that was so concerned with what other people thought that I let their opinions dictate my life. I didn't want to bail on Bella; she was warm and funny and she seemed to like me. I didn't even know why I was still hesitating when I'd clearly made up my mind on the matter.

For once, I was going to man up and take control.

"No, it's not too much." I smiled hesitantly at her and she returned the gesture. "Besides, it's not like I know or care about any of these people anyway."

That didn't seem to reassure her. She chewed on her lip as she thought. "What about people you do know? Would it bother you to be seen with me then?"

The truth was that I wasn't sure about this. I only had a small circle of friends and I hated that they might not like Bella, not to mention what my parents would think if I ever brought this bold girl with her piercings and tattoos home. Their opinions mattered to me, but at the same time I knew that they only wanted what was best for me. Truthfully, I was more worried about what her friends and family would think of me. Obviously I didn't look like the kind of tough guy that people would automatically assume someone like Bella would be with. It was strange to consider that we were having this conversation on our first date, but I guess both of us were hedging our bets.

I settled for the truth as I knew it at that time. "To tell you the truth, Jasper actually thinks better of me for coming out with you tonight. He said it was about time for me to get some balls."

She laughed then, a high clear sound that brought a matching grin to my face. "Well, I'm glad I could help you find them."

My confession appeared to clear the air between us and I made a concerted effort to not let the looks bother me anymore while we were eating.

The rest of dinner continued to be a somewhat awkward affair, with conversation stopping and starting as we both struggled to find some common ground. She couldn't understand my fascination with numbers and how I didn't mind being stuck working in an office all day. I didn't understand the artist expression that she was so passionate about or how it related to jamming pieces of metal through people's skin.

Yet despite all that, I could honestly say that I had never had such an interesting dinner before. The way she talked, the way she thought, was so intriguing to me and so different from what I was used to. The only women I tended to meet outside my family were in the same field of work as me, career-oriented women who didn't have time for sentimentality or frivolity. Bella talked with equal measures of fondness and frustration about her parents and their quirks, she waved her hands enthusiastically in the air when describing the thrill she got from inking her first tattoo, and she got into a passionate argument with me over the state of politics in Seattle at the moment. In particular, she had told me about the time when she and Emmett had randomly decided to go on vacation to Hawaii, closing up their shop mid-week and leaving and same day.

The thought of just disappearing for a week without any warning or fore-planning was just alien to me. I found myself listening with my mouth open as she recounted her adventures.

I felt very boring and unadventurous by comparison. I hadn't had a vacation since my junior year of college, throwing myself straight into my Masters and my accounting courses, giving myself every advantage that I could in my chosen profession, but leaving my social life a little...non-existent.

I found myself longing for some of the excitement and just pure 'life' that Bella seemed to enjoy, wanting to be a part of that.

Strangely enough, Bella seemed to want me to be a part of it too. She asked endless questions – everything from descriptions of my parents and sister to what my favourite film was and where I wanted to visit in the world.

The most promising sign was when I tentatively asked Bella if she'd like to go on another date with me at the end of the evening outside the restaurant.

She beamed at my stammered invitation. "I thought you'd never ask." Rising up on her toes, she pushed her lips to mine, taking advantage when I opened my mouth in shock to slide her tongue against mine. I kissed her back fervently, my arms wrapping around her waist, holding her to me.

With one last kiss, a smile and a wave, she bounded off before I could recover.

Over time, I began to wonder what I had been so worried about.

She met my parents and despite their fixed smiles when they first caught sight of Bella, she quickly won them over. My mother especially fell in love with her, declaring that she was a keeper and that I should recognise what was good for me and put a ring on her finger as soon as possible. Bella also made a great impression when she was introduced to my friends, despite Alice declaring that she was committing fashion suicide and that, "people would find you much less intimidating if you just took the ring out of your nose so you don't look like a charging bull." In turn, I met her friends, including Emmett and his partner Rosalie, and was ribbed mercilessly for wearing a polo shirt and chinos for a casual evening of gaming and movie-watching. I also met her police-chief father, who greeted me at the door with his freshly cleaned gun, but five minutes later tossed me a beer and invited me to watch baseball with him. From the roll of Bella's eyes, I took that to mean that he approved of me.

None of the problems that I had been so worried about ever raised their heads. The only people who ever seemed to have a problem with mine and Bella's relationship were people who didn't know either of us and couldn't understand why or how we'd ended up together.

I liked Bella more and more every time I saw her and in my mind, things were progressing perfectly between the two of us.

Or, at least, I thought they were, until the day that I went to Bella's apartment over the shop to have dinner, only for her to ask me why I hadn't fucked her yet midway through a mouthful of fettuccine.

I had choked on my food and it had taken several minutes of coughing frantically and wiping the tears from my eyes before I could reply.

"What?"

"Oh come on!" She threw her fork onto her plate and glared at me. "I've been throwing you signals for days now and you haven't picked up on them. So either you don't want to sleep with me or you're really that oblivious." She paused. "It's not... It's not that you find me really unattractive, is it? Because I can take some of the face piercings out if they really bother you that much."

I held up a hand to stop her babbling, hating the words that were coming out of her mouth and wanting to reassure her.

"Trust me, Bella, I find you attractive. And you can leave your piercings in, they don't bother me."

She huffed. "You'd never know from the way you treat me. God, from the way you act anyone would think I'm your sister."

"I don't treat you like my sister," I defended myself. "But I don't want to pressure you either. I figured if you ever wanted to... do that, then you would let me know."

Listening to myself, I considered just handing my balls over right away, but then I figured that Bella was probably brazen enough to already have them.

She proved me right.

"So that means I'm in charge here, right? I get to call the shots?"

I nodded, bewildered.

"Right." She shot to her feet and crossed to my side of the table. Reaching out, she grabbed my tie and wound around her hand, pulling me out of the chair and towards her. Turning her back on me, she marched in the direction of her bedroom and I was left with the option of following her or being strangled.

My mouth wasn't receiving my brain's command to keep shut and just go with it. "Bella...what are you doing?"

We reached her room and she let go of me, shutting the door behind us and unbuttoning the lacy over-shirt she wore with one hand. Shrugging the shirt off, she left it in a heap on the floor, grabbing my tie again and beginning to slide it from around my neck.

"You said I could call the shots, right?"

I couldn't answer as she quickly undid my shirt and pushed it over my shoulders, skirting behind me to drag it off my arms and toss it over to her reading chair. Her mouth trailed down my spine, pressing hot, wet kisses along my skin as her hands wormed their way around my waist, her fingers skimming my sides and making me squirm as they brushed against several ticklish spots before coming to rest over my belt buckle.

She lifted her mouth off my skin just long enough to whisper, "Well, I'm calling them." Her fingers began to nimbly unbuckle my pants – the belt discarded, the buttons easily popped open. "So now, I'm seducing you. And you are letting yourself be seduced." Her hand slipped underneath the fabric of boxers to cup my burgeoning erection and I grunted as she began to massage along the length.

She was right though. I was letting myself be seduced.

And while I was willing to wait for Bella to decide when she was ready, I wasn't going to let her take complete control of the situation.

Brushing her hands away with a groan – because I really wanted to keep them there – I spun around and grabbed the hem of her shirt, drawing it up over her head sharply. The second it was out of the way I was kissing her again, sucking and nibbling on her plump lips and moaning as her tongue stroked mine languidly. My hands fell to her hips, outlining the soft curves before sweeping up and around to her back.

I managed to get her bra unhooked, albeit slightly less smoothly than I had wanted, and slid the straps down her arms as we continued to kiss. My hands moved back round to cup her waist before I slid them up to cover her breasts. My left hand caught on a chink of metal and Bella moaned loudly in response.

I pulled back from her mouth, knowing instinctively what I had just hit upon but wanting to see all the same. I knew about the tattoo up Bella's side of course, with all the revealing clothing she wore it was a bit impossible to miss, but what I hadn't known about was the small sliver hoop that bisected her right nipple. Seeing it there was surprisingly arousing and my fingers unconsciously stretched out to flick lightly at it.

Bella squirmed, before grabbing me by the waistband and pulling me back towards her. "Kiss me please, Edward?"

I obeyed her whispered command, both hands now toying with her breasts, my thumbs flicking over her nipples every now and then.

Her hands began to impatiently push my pants down, her fingers shoving my underwear out of the way too. I moved to copy her only to pause with my hands touching the edge of her skirt's waistband.

"Any more surprises?" I mumbled against her lips.

I felt, rather than saw, her smile. "Maybe just a few."

Inwardly shrugging, I tried to push her skirt down while jerking to get out of my pants. Part way down they got tangled in my shoes and I realised that in the rush of clothes removal and groping, I had forgotten to take them off. I knelt to remove them, yanking off Bella's skirt at the same time. She wasn't wearing her fishnets and I momentarily mourned that I wouldn't have the experience of slowly rolling them down her thighs and off her legs. Instead, I bent my head and kissed each bare foot, hoping that she would understand the depth of emotion that I put into the action.

And then it was just us.

I was naked before her, whilst she remained in her panties, a deep indigo colour that highlighted the paleness of her skin.

I stared up at her, taking in her near-naked beauty.

She giggled.

I frowned. This wasn't the reaction I had been hoping for.

"Can you see without those?" She gestured towards my face and it took me a second to realise that she was talking about my glasses.

"Oh." My hand came up to touch the frames and Bella giggled again. Leaning over, she pressed her lips against the bridge of my nose and then pulled my glasses carefully off with her teeth, taking them from her mouth and setting them on the side.

She titled her head. "Can you still see me?"

I nodded. "I only can't see long distance without them."

"Well, that good then. 'Cos I plan to have you see me very up close and personal. No long distance here."

I grinned and wrapped my arms around the top of her legs, lifting her up and making her shriek in surprise as I stood up. She gripped my shoulders tightly for balance as I took a couple of steps forward before falling forward onto the bed, landing carefully on top of Bella.

She threw back her head and laughed again and the sound made me happy.

Kneeling back, I hooked my fingers through her underwear at her hips and glided them down her legs. Bella lifted them to assist me and once her feet were free, she lowered them, parting her knees so there was a gap between them for me to settle in.

She beckoned me forward invitingly, her fingers crooked, a warm smile on her face. I stayed where I was, enjoying the chance to look over her unclothed body.

Bella had one more visible tattoo – a vine trailed down the leg opposite to her side tattoo, the image of a hummingbird breaking up the winding leaves – that I could see, but I knew that if she rolled over I would also find two lines of poetry in swirling writing across her lower back. She had told me the history of that tattoo the night after I met Emmett and all her friends and I knew how much that particular mark meant to her.

What I didn't know about was the surprise she had teased me with earlier – a gleaming bud of silver nestled right in her centre.

I reached out and carefully ran my fingers along her wet folds.

"Now this one you didn't tell me about."

She gasped at my touch. When she answered me tone was breathy. "I have to have some secrets, Edward. Besides what's the point of knowing about this piercing unless you're going to see it?"

"True," I mused. I continued to run my fingers up and down her cleft, paying close attention to which spots elicited a gasp or an inadvertent buck of her hips. I could feel my cock begin to ache for attention and I idly grasped myself in my hand, running a thumb over the top to spread the pre-cum that was leaking from the tip.

"Edward..." Bella warned. "Don't tease me." I glanced up only to find her avidly watching the movement of my hand over my length.

A playful edge that I didn't know I had in me emerged. "I won't then, baby." I removed my fingers from her body, making her whimper, but continued to stroke myself. "I'll just carry on teasing myself."

"Edward," she whined. "I thought I was in charge here."

I grinned at her. "You are. But apart from not teasing you, you haven't told me what to do yet."

A slow smile crossed her face as my words registered. "I want you to fuck me."

"I will," I promised. "Just not yet."

She stuck her tongue out at my answer and I copied the action, before crawling forward and licking a line from her knee up the inside of her thigh. I avoided her centre and her protesting whimper, instead retreating to her other leg to repeat the gesture.

Bella's hands were scrabbling at my head now, trying to guide me where she wanted me to go. I held back, nibbling gently over her hips for as long as I could until her nails dug firmly into my scalp and I gave into her directions.

I flattened my tongue and licked up Bella's centre, ending with a flick over the silver ring through her clit. She moaned and her fingers tightened around my hair. Throwing myself into my task with abandon, I licked, sucked and bit lightly at her clit, bringing my hand up at the same time to slide a finger inside her. Her muscles clenched around my finger and I pumped it in and out a few times, getting her used to the intrusion before I added a second finger.

Bella squirmed as I continued to lash my tongue against her clit and the flutterings around my fingers grew stronger. I doubled my efforts, pumping my fingers in and out of her body faster, enjoying the moans, whimpers and curses that fell from Bella's lips.

Bella's body began to stiffen, her hips pushing upwards towards my mouth, her legs clenching around my head. Her breathing quickened and she called out my name as she came.

I continued to lap at her clit until she came down from her high, not able to contain the smile on my face. I almost felt proud of myself for making her orgasm, especially as I knew in my current excited state that it probably wouldn't happen during the main event.

Bella was beginning to wriggle away from my touch now, too oversensitive to continue with so much stimulation, and I allowed her grip on my hair to lead me back up her body. Shifting so I was lying next to her, her legs entangled with mine, I threw an arm over her waist and buried my face into her neck, kissing along any available skin I could find.

"Edward?" she panted and I shifted my head so I could see down the length her body. She was still trying to catch her breath and I watched fascinated at the rising and falling movement of her breasts.

"Hmm?"

"Now would be a good time to fuck me, don't you think?"

My aching cock thanked her and I moved so I was between her legs again, this time with the tip of my dick pressing against her entrance. Bella's fingers began to skim up and over my arms and shoulders, clasping around my neck at the same time as she drew her legs up and hooked her ankles over my hips, pressing her heels into my ass.

This time, I took the hint and pushed into her, allowing my length to be enveloped by her heat.

It was heaven. Everything about it was just perfect.

The thrust into her welcoming body, the clench of her muscles as they gripped me, the delicious ache as inch by inch I withdrew, only to repeat the action again and again. If my ego was ever going to get bigger, then it would be now, with Bella whispering into my ear about how good she was feeling, about how amazing I felt inside her, about how incredible I was.

I could feel my balls drawing up and my thrusts became harder and jerkier as I fought off the inevitable climax.

Bella tongue snuck out to wrap around the shell of my ear. "It's alright, Edward, baby. Just let go."

I tried to hold off cumming for another few minutes but it was in vain. I felt myself explode, light behind my eyes blinding me temporarily. The muscles in my arms gave way and I found myself collapsed on top of Bella. Her hands stroked my hair off my forehead tenderly and she craned her neck down to place a kiss on my temple.

I sighed in contentment, but then frowned. "You didn't get off."

Bella laughed, the vibrations flowing through her chest to where my cheek was placed against her skin.

"Yes I did. Beforehand."

I couldn't stop the pout that fell onto my lips. "I know, but I wanted you to cum during as well."

"Such high ambitions," she mocked. "Do you know how rare that is?"

I pulled a face that she couldn't see and didn't answer, instead choosing to mouth gently at the breast in front of me.

Bella sighed. "If it's any consolation, it was the best sex I've ever had."

I raised my head and blearily gazed at her. "You must have had a lot of bad sex."

She smiled happily down at me. "Yep. But I have you now, so that's not going to be a problem anymore. I think I might keep you."

She looked so self-satisfied at that last pronouncement that I couldn't stop my reply. "Does that mean I can keep you too then?"

Bella puckered her lips for a kiss and I slid up her body to oblige. This kiss was tender, and full of promises.

"For as long as you want me," she vowed.

"I might keep you forever then, seeing as you're mine."

And she was.

It had been something that needed repeating several times over the last two years – times when I doubted how someone as bright and vibrant as Bella could ever love me and times when she had screamed and cried at me, yelling that I was going to leave her for some Ivy League graduate. Despite it all, we had come to know and understand each other in a way that I couldn't have imagined.

Which was why when Bella asked me if I had been bothered by Jacob's insinuation that we weren't meant to be, I had no doubts about my answer.

"The only thing that bothers me now, love, is that people think that they have the right to comment on our lives. After all, the only thing I have to know that matters is that you love me and that you're mine."

I nuzzled playfully into her neck, sucking gently at the spot right behind her ear that I knew that she liked.

Bella wriggled and moaned softly. "I do and I am," she confirmed. She rolled over onto her back and offered her mouth to me, which I took full advantage of.

When we broke apart, she smiled up at me. "And you love me and you're mine," she stated, a grin on her face.

I repeated her words back to her, happy in the knowledge of their truth.

"I do and I am."