Summary: After a car accident leaves her out of the loop and with a limp, Bella is afraid she's not enough to attract the man of her dreams. Is bad boy Edward Cullen really what he seems, or will she find out what's under the rock star exterior?

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. This disclaimer applies to all chapters.

Bass Instinct

The knock on my door sounded at eleven o'clock on the dot. My best friend was nothing if not punctual. Alice had been planning this night out for a month, even when I wasn't around. I sighed heavily before shuffling to the door of my studio apartment, letting in the drill sergeant and our other best friend, Rosalie.

I knew the routine. Alice had gone over the plan with me enough times. I had it memorized better than my new course schedule. If nothing else, I was glad that my twenty-first birthday fell on a Sunday, so having the girls drag me out at midnight on Saturday night, only to drink heavily in the last two hours that the bar was open, would at least give me all day Sunday to recover before dealing with the start of the new semester on Monday.

"Why aren't you dressed?" Alice shrieked immediately upon entering. She hadn't even looked at me. How could she even know I wasn't dressed yet? "You've been back since yesterday, and I left you alone all day today, so get a move on!"

Needless to say, she was right. "I'm working on it," I mumbled as I grabbed the silky, midnight blue top that had been pre-approved by Alice off of the chair. Unceremoniously, I dropped my robe and slipped on the top, followed by the also-pre-approved black, skinny jeans. At least I got to choose my own undergarments.

Meanwhile, Alice had busied herself with rearranging everything on my vanity to her liking, and then quickly ushered me to the chair for beautification, starting on my makeup while the curling iron heated.

"You know we have a schedule to keep, Bella," she huffed while powdering my nose. "We need to be there right at midnight, the first moment the bouncers will let you into the bar. Half the fun of celebrating a twenty-first birthday is starting it at the stroke of midnight."

Rose was oddly quiet as she watched Alice work.

"I know, Alice," I placated. "We still have plenty of time." In my head, I knew my reluctance was multifaceted. For one thing, I wasn't a big drinker. Sure, I had gotten drunk at the requisite parties here and there, but making a fool of myself or puking all over the place just wasn't my style. Second of all, I was hesitant to go to the bar they had chosen.

There wasn't anything wrong with the bar, per se – not that I would know, having never been there before – but more the choice of entertainment that would be at the bar. They both knew of my long standing crush on the bass player of Midnight Sun. I'd seen the band play numerous times on campus, at frat parties, and spent many a night drooling over him.

However, while Alice and Rosalie were already twenty-one and living it up in the bars all summer, befriending the members of Midnight Sun, I was still twenty and learning to walk again. On the way home from school during Spring Break, I'd been involved in a rather nasty car accident. A speeding car coming from the other direction had lost control, hit the berm on the side of the road, then overcompensated and spun into my lane hitting the front driver side of my car. My femur had broken in two places, requiring a metal rod to hold it together for the rest of my life.

A slight limp would accompany me from now on, and some ugly scars as well, but every day I was thankful to be alive and walking. Unfortunately, the couple in the other car was not so lucky.

For my birthday, Alice and Rosalie figured what better way to spend the night than in a bar where you're friends with the band. I figured it was a recipe for disaster.

If I didn't say something that would totally embarrass myself, then I was sure I'd be falling-down drunk in front of my longtime crush. Besides why would I want to spend the night watching him flirt with all the beautiful women?

I wasn't down on my self-image or anything, but I also wasn't naïve enough to think I could compete for a guy as hot as him. Especially not when standing next to the model-perfect Rosalie, and the adorable and outgoing Alice.

"Ouch!" I yelled, as the pulling of my hair broke my reverie.

"Sorry, sorry!" Alice held her hands up contritely. "It just got stuck in the curling iron."

I growled a little under my breath but looked in the mirror and noticed she had done a pretty good job on not only my hair, but my makeup as well. I still looked like me, not too heavily done up, but I looked like more.

"Wow, Alice … you really did a great job."

"Okay, just get your shoes on and we can go." She side-eyed me, probably suspecting I was going to try to get out of wearing the pre-approved two inch heels. Rolling my eyes, I put the heels on and grabbed my ID and money. I'd have to be more careful than usual while walking in heels, but even I could admit that they made my legs look great.

The three of us were out the door at 11:45 on the dot and walked slowly down the main drag off campus. I caught Rose looking at me a few times while I was a few steps behind them.

"Blame it on Alice," I objected. "She should have known I wouldn't be able to walk fast in these heels."

"Oh, Bella, I'm so sorry! I didn't even think of that when I picked them out." Both girls knew about the accident and had been supportive from afar while I was recuperating. Since I was mostly recovered by the time I returned yesterday though, I also knew it was easy for them to forget.

"It's fine, Alice. I just need to be careful when I walk." What I didn't mention was, it was also going to be a great excuse for me to stay relatively sober because I would never make it home in these heels if I was drunk.

The bar was only a short distance away, so we made it to the door at 12:03 AM. Not too far behind the drill sergeant's schedule.

The girls had me show my ID to the bouncer first. He looked it over and then glanced at me before wishing me a happy birthday and allowing me to enter the bar. Rosalie and Alice followed quickly after me.

Loud, thumping music assaulted my ears the moment the door was opened. I took a deep breath of the stale air as I steeled myself against the lust that the familiar music evoked. Having seen Midnight Sun perform many times before, I was well acquainted with the songs they played and could close my eyes and picture him on stage, looking sexy as hell.

Snap out of it, Bella! I told myself. I needed to stop this nonsense before it got started tonight. There was no way that he would ever be interested in me. Even if he was, I was too embarrassed by the scars on my body to do anything about it these days. It felt like forever since the last time I had been intimate with anyone.

Each grabbing an arm, Alice and Rosalie propelled me forward and further into the establishment. It was clear their destination was the bar, and their mission to order the first round of drinks for the night.

My breath caught in my throat as I felt an electric charge in the air when we came around the corner and entered the main area. I looked up toward the stage and my eyes immediately fell on him. But what made me stop in my tracks was the fact that his eyes were on me.

Edward Cullen, gorgeous singer and bass player for Midnight Sun, was staring at me.

His green eyes seemed to blaze from their sockets right down to my very soul. I watched his tongue snake out from his parted lips to wet them, causing a throbbing between my legs. His hair was its usual disarray of brown and red locks, and stubble was visible on his perfect jaw even from across the room. The tight Stoli T-shirt was stretched across his chest and biceps, which were flexing with every movement of his fingers across the bass.

Ah, the fingers—they were long and thin and moving quickly to create the perfect seductive rhythm for the song. I could get lost watching those fingers play.

Clad in black jeans and oxblood Dr. Martens boots, Edward's signature look was complete. It was the look he wore in the starring role of my fantasies.

"Bella, what—" Alice started, looking to me for an indication of why I had stopped in my tracks. She followed my eyes up to the stage before leaning over and whisper-shouting to me. "Holy shit, Bella! Why is Edward Cullen staring at you like you're something to eat?"

I looked at Alice, breaking from my blatant ogling of Edward, and shrugged a shoulder. "I need a drink. Let's go," I announced.

Rose led the way to the bar and ordered the first round of shots. The bartender came back quickly, lining up the shots and announcing, "Three Panty Droppers for the beautiful ladies." He also left us each with a beer.

Alice and I laughed, while Rosalie said, "I ordered it, but I think Bella's already found her Panty Dropper." She looked pointedly at the stage.

"To Bella's birthday!" Alice said, holding up her glass. We clinked our glasses and downed the shots.

My face screwed up at the burn of liquid crawling down my throat, but I successfully swallowed it all and chased it with a sip of beer. Glancing back at the stage, I found that Edward's eyes were still on me as he approached his microphone. "For the birthday girl," was all he said in his deep, velvety voice, nodding in my direction before the song started.

I looked to my left to find Alice shrugging. "We told the guys we were bringing our best friend tonight to celebrate her birthday." I could only blink blankly in response. I knew they'd become friends with Jasper, Emmett and Edward in my absence, but I hadn't realized they were friendly enough to chat about me. I figured the girls were just like any other groupies, hanging around between sets and flirting shamelessly.

The opening notes to Kings of Leon's Sex on Fire started and Alice squealed while Rosalie hooted next to me. Alice grabbed my hand and started to pull, exclaiming that she wanted to dance. I quickly pulled my hand away and shrugged her off. "I can't Alice," I said with a small smile of apology. Notwithstanding the death traps on my feet, dancing was just out of the question since it would put too much pressure on my injured leg. I would never be one of those groupie girls, getting sexy and shaking my stuff in front of the band. "You guys go ahead. I'll go around to the other side of the bar to watch." This would give me a better vantage point to drool over Edward while he sang.

After convincing them I really didn't mind, I followed them to the other side of the bar and took a seat facing the dance floor, but more importantly, the stage. There were quite a few beautiful women on the floor now, and I couldn't help but wonder who was going to be the lucky one that went home with Edward.

I chanced another glance up at the stage while quietly sipping my beer. Edward's skilled fingers moved seductively over his bass. My eyes made their way up his long, lean torso, finally landing on his scruffy face, only to realize that he was again staring right at me.

"You, your sex is on fire
Consumed, we're the ones, what's to transpire…"

I felt the penetrating stare of his green eyes and his words all the way through my bones, making my body heat with desire. I had to look away when my cheeks flooded with embarrassment. I focused all of my efforts on the dance floor for the remainder of the song, before hearing Jasper announce that the band was going to take a break.

Sipping my beer with irrational jealousy, I watched as Emmett and Jasper left the stage and immediately approached Alice and Rosalie, giving them playful hugs of greeting. I guess they had become better friends with the band than even I'd realized. My irrational jealousy didn't end there, as I imagined they had a relationship with Edward that I never would.

A delicious scent enveloped me a second before his voice was hot in my ear. "You don't dance, birthday girl?"

I turned and let out a small gasp to find Edward Cullen so close to me, leaning against the bar. Almost stunned silent, I finally found my voice and answered shakily. "Um, no. I can't dance."

"That's a shame," he said, leaning in and encroaching on my personal space, which I didn't mind one bit. "I haven't seen you at any of our under twenty-one shows recently. I was beginning to think we were never going to meet."

Now I was totally confused. Was he saying that he had noticed me before? That was just impossible. Even before the accident, I was never much of a dancer so I wouldn't have been front and center in the band's line of sight. Not liking attention, I usually tried to stick to the sidelines and just enjoy the music and the view.

While I should have just answered simply and let him know I hadn't been around for a while, what actually tumbled out of my mouth was, "You've seen me at your shows?"

I could feel my cheeks heat immediately, so I ducked my head in embarrassment, cursing under my breath at how stupid I was.

Edward's fingers made contact with my chin and lifted it until my eyes met his. "Of course I've seen you," he said with a crooked grin that turned my insides to mush. "But you never stayed around after the shows for me to introduce myself. I'm Edward, by the way." His grin softened.

Gathering my wits, I introduced myself intelligently. "Bella," I said, holding my hand out to shake his.

Finally releasing my chin, he reached out and took my hand, giving it a small squeeze. "Well, Bella, it's a pleasure to finally meet you."

"You, too." I smiled and nodded. Could I be any more juvenile?

"Can I buy you a drink for your birthday?"

"Sure." I was reduced to single syllables.

"What's your poison?"

"Um, Patron?" It came out as more of a question even though I was certain it was my favorite.

Edward chuckled. "My kind of girl," he said quietly before motioning to the bartender and ordering two shots and two beers. Turning back to me, he asked, "Are you staying for the rest of the show?"

"Yeah, I think that's the plan. I guess Rosalie and Alice come to see you guys a lot?"

"They do," he stated. "We've hung out with them a few times after hours. They're great girls."

"My best friends," I agreed.

Thankfully, the bartender saved me from any more stilted conversation by delivering our drinks. Edward handed me a shot and took the other glass for himself. He raised it slightly while his piercing eyes held my stare. "To finally meeting the birthday girl," he offered with a wink.

I smiled and tapped my glass against his before throwing back the shot. As soon as the burn left my throat, I thanked him for the drinks. "No problem," he said. He looked around, and I followed his eyes to see Jasper returning to the stage. "I have to get back up there, but don't disappear on me. I was hoping we could hang out later, if you want." He sounded almost nervous, as if I would turn him down.

"Sure, I'd like that."

He leaned over and kissed my cheek lightly, whispering happy birthday in my ear before disappearing back onto the stage. My cheek was on fire from his lips, and shivers were still running up and down my spine when Rose and Alice walked over with wide eyes. Sounds of the band warming up floated through the air before either one of them spoke.

Alice broke first. "Lucy, you've got some 'splainin to do!"

"What?" I asked innocently with a shrug of my shoulder. "He just came over to introduce himself and bought me a drink for my birthday. I'm sure he does stuff like that all the time, right?"

"Uh … no," Rose added. "Bella, he doesn't usually talk to anyone during the breaks. In fact, for the three months we've been friends with Emmett and Jasper, he's only talked to us a few times."

"What do you mean?" I was perplexed. "I thought you were friends with all of them."

Alice piped in next. "We are, sort of … friendly … with all of them. It's just that even when Edward hangs out with us, he pretty much keeps to himself. I've never seen him talking to a woman, let alone kissing one, and especially not eye fucking one as he sings to them from the stage!"

My cheeks flamed again as my eyes widened. Could Edward Cullen really be interested in me?

"You better jump on that," Rosalie chimed in. "Every woman in this bar is shooting daggers at you right now."

"So, are you going to tell us what really happened over here?" Alice asked.

The music started back up, and I glanced surreptitiously at the stage, finding Edward facing the other direction and looking at Jasper while they played. This, of course, gave me a chance to finally see my other favorite view of him; his black jeans hugging his tight ass perfectly, and broad shoulders rippling under the strain of his tight T-shirt.

Taking a deep breath, I told the girls about my conversation with Edward. About how he said he had noticed me before, that he had wanted to meet me, and that he asked me to hang out later. "I'm reading too much into this, aren't I? I mean, what would Edward Cullen want with someone like me?"

Alice picked up my hand and squeezed it. "Why in the world would you say that, Bella? You could probably have any guy in this bar you want."

Mustering up a small smile, I told them the truth. "I don't really see how that's possible. I was plain Bella before my accident, and now I'll probably walk with a limp for the rest of my life. What's so special about that?"

"Bella, you are far from plain," Rose said, throwing her arm around my shoulder. "You really don't see yourself clearly. Do me a favor, would you?"

"What," I asked with an exasperated sigh.

"Just for tonight, try to put all of those thoughts out of your head. Go with the flow and have a good time."

"I'll try." I knew trying was the best I could promise.

"Okay, good. Now, what do you say to another shot for your birthday?"

We spent the last hour over shared drinks and good music, singing along and people watching from our spot at the bar. The girls made sure I had a good time and didn't dwell on what might or might not happen with Edward.

I still snuck glances at the stage, enraptured by watching Edward play bass and sing. When he wasn't singing, he'd frequently close his eyes and throw his head back, clearly getting lost in the music. There was something even more appealing about watching him play, knowing he loved what he was doing. I did catch him checking me out a few more times, but tried to play it cool and just enjoy my time with the girls.

By the time the bartender had given last call, and the band had played their last song, I was wondering where the night had gone. I found myself secretly looking forward to the next time I'd be able to catch the whole show instead of arriving at midnight.

The girls and I sat finishing up our drinks when Edward came over. "I just have to pack up a few things. Don't go anywhere, okay?" It was a little heartwarming to see that he seemed nervous over the whole thing. I nodded my head to indicate I'd stay put until he was done. I guess Alice and Rosalie were used to this since they made no move to leave.

A few minutes later, Emmett left the stage and made a beeline for us. His boisterous voice could be heard throughout the slowly emptying bar. "You must be Bella. Glad to finally meet you!" He grabbed me off my stool and locked me in a bear hug before wishing me a happy birthday and replacing me on my feet.

"Thanks." I smiled. "It's nice to meet you, too."

"I'm starving," he announced to no one in particular. "Anyone up for going to the diner?"

I noticed Rose nodding profusely as Jasper approached from the stage, wrapping an arm around Alice's waist before addressing me. "Happy birthday, darlin'," he said with a distinct southern drawl. "Thanks for coming out tonight."

That made me chuckle. As if I had a choice. "It was a great show. I'm looking forward to being able to see you guys in the bars now."

Edward finally appeared by my side with his bass slung over his shoulder. I noticed that Jasper had two guitar cases with him, but everything else was still on stage. "Don't you guys have to pack everything up?" I asked.

"Not tonight," Edward answered, while Emmett started going on about being hungry. "With all the students coming back this weekend, it would have been too difficult to park here earlier, so we'll come back with our cars tomorrow to pack everything up."

"Oh," was my brilliant response.

"Hey, um …" he started, glancing at the rest of the group before turning back to me. "I was thinking maybe we could go somewhere quieter. I'm not really in the mood for the diner … unless you're hungry."

I took a quick look at Rose and Alice, who were both giving me encouraging smiles. "No, that's fine. I'm not really hungry either."

All six of us began moving toward the exit, and I felt Edward slip his hand into mine, causing my heart rate to kick up a notch. "This okay?" he asked quietly. I turned to him and nodded slightly, trying to temper my reaction. It was more than okay.

We parted ways with the others when we reached the street corner. Edward and I apprehensively discussed where to go, quickly realizing that there weren't many options at this hour. Finally, I decided to throw caution to the wind and invite him to my apartment, remembering Rose's advice. He held my hand the entire way there while we chatted and got to know each other a bit.

I found out he only lived a few blocks away from me, had graduated a year ago, and gave music lessons during the day but for now was making most of his money with the band. He acknowledged that someday, teaching music would be full time, but he was going to enjoy the band for as long as he could. I enjoyed listening to him talk so passionately about music. Whether giving lessons or playing, it was clear that he loved it. I was slightly envious that he was already making money doing what he loved and hoped that I'd be able to do the same with my writing when I graduated.

Overall I was surprised that he had a somewhat shy personality, considering he was rather outgoing on stage. But, I guess he had to have a stage persona in order to keep the crowd entertained. I was finding shy Edward even more attractive than extrovert Edward.

The nerves hit full force once I opened the door to my apartment. I offered him a drink, ushered him to the couch, and turned on some music before he grabbed my hand and pulled me down next to him. "Tell me more about you," he said, fiddling with the fingers of my right hand. "I would have paid more attention to Alice and Rose when they talked about their friend, if I had realized it was you they were talking about. But I thought it was just some random friend that they spoke of. I mean, I was stunned when I saw you walk in tonight."

Wow, he was really making my head spin, yet at the same time, he had this calming quality about him. We talked for hours about everything and nothing. I told him about the accident: why I wasn't here at the end of last semester or this summer, how I was able to finish my classes at home while I recovered from surgery, and about physical therapy. We talked about our families, our hopes and dreams for the future, and eventually relaxed further into the couch with the conversation.

At one point, Edward pulled my feet up into his lap and rubbed them absentmindedly while I spoke. Later, he had somehow curled himself into my side while my fingers travelled through his hair—that hair, softer and thicker than I had imagined it.

I looked down at him, his Docs long abandoned on the floor, legs curled up on the other cushion of the couch, bright white athletic socks peeking out of the bottom of his jeans, and his head practically in my lap. He was telling me about a piano recital when he was twelve. As captivated as I was by his words and the feel of his hair slipping through my fingers, the vision of him on my couch reminded me more of a shy little boy than the bad boy rock star I was used to seeing.

It took me a moment to realize his words had stopped, and he'd lifted his head to look at me. "I thought maybe you fell asleep," he said shyly. "You stopped playing with my hair."

"Sorry, no … I didn't fall asleep. I was just …" I cut myself off, shaking my head, not sure what I was trying to say.

My fingers were still in his hair and he was so close to me that I was having trouble breathing, let alone being able to form words. His eyes, gazing into mine, were trying to tell me something, but I didn't know what until they flickered down to my lips and back. Subconsciously, I licked my lips, dropping my eyes down to his as he shifted his body to sit up next to me.

I don't know who moved closer or who made the first move. It didn't matter. All I knew was nothing had ever felt as right as his lips felt when they met mine. They were soft and gentle, yet strong and commanding as they molded to mine over and over. Our heads tilted instinctively, mouths opening and tongues meeting in the middle. He swallowed the sigh that escaped me while his groan of contentment shot straight through to my core.

Cupping my cheek, he deepened the kiss before slipping his hand further back and tangling his fingers in my hair. His gentle grip grounded me at the same time it set me afloat, unable to believe how connected I felt to him in that very moment.

Breaking our kiss softly, he leaned his forehead against mine. "That was even better than I imagined," he said quietly with his eyes still closed. I could only hum in acknowledgement, letting my eyes drift closed again.

Like two magnets, our lips drew together again as my fingers went back to working through his hair. He practically purred before whispering, "I love how your fingers feel in my hair." He moved to my jaw, placing kisses as he gradually worked his way down my neck before finding a spot just below my ear that made me tighten my grip on his locks.

The whimper that escaped me would have been embarrassing if I didn't feel the vibration of Edward's hum against my neck. I leaned into his touch as his hand found my waist, sending waves of heat down to my toes. The flames intensified when his fingers found my bare skin just under the hem of my shirt and began making small circles along my waist.

"Tell me to stop," he implored quietly, his mouth lingering along my collar bone, lips teasing my sensitive flesh, giving the impression that he had no desire to stop.

"I don't want you to stop," I whispered.

The chemistry between us had overtaken my senses, and my body moved on autopilot, overriding every message my brain was sending about scars and not being enough for someone like Edward. Bursting with need to feel him closer, I turned and threw my leg over his lap to straddle him.

He groaned and grabbed my hips with both hands, pulling me closer and letting me feel his body's reaction to me. Our lips crashed back together, a mess of teeth and tongues, hands roaming anywhere and everywhere at once, desperate to get as close as possible to each other.

My hands fisted the back of his shirt as my hips ground into him. I could feel the wetness in my underwear as a wave of euphoria rocked through my body. Feeling me yank at his shirt he twisted his body, allowing me to remove it. My lips instantly attached to any piece of skin I could reach—his shoulder, neck, pecks. His skin was hot and silky under my mouth, and I snaked my tongue out to taste him and circle a nipple.

He bucked his hips against mine, reaching between us to unfasten the buttons of my shirt, pushing it off my shoulders as soon as it was open. I forgot all about the insecurity my scars caused when I saw the fire burning in his eyes. His lips followed to where my shirt had been, and his hands snaked around my back to cradle me as he laid me down on the sofa and hovered over me.

"You are so beautiful," he said, staring deeply into my eyes. "You have no idea how long I've wanted to meet you."

"That makes two of us," I said, pulling him back down to meet my lips again.

His hands covered as much of my skin as possible, each touch searing through me. Never did his fingers linger on a scar. My loud moan filled the room when his hand cradled my breast through the cup of my bra. I circled his waist with my legs, drawing his body forcefully down onto mine to relieve some of the pressure in my core.

He left a trail of open mouth kisses along my chest while reaching behind me to undo the clasp of my bra. As soon as it was open I wiggled to pull it from my body, tossing it away from us. He descended on my breast, licking, sucking and nibbling. It felt as if the talents of his mouth had a direct line of pleasure to my pussy. I cried out, so he moved to my other breast and repeated the action.

I let my hands explore the hard planes of his chest with its sparse hair before descending my way to his taut abs, finding his happy trail and skirting my fingers along the waistband of his jeans. Without thinking of anything other than how much I wanted him, I opened his jeans and pushed my hand inside, finding him deliciously long and thick. A hiss escaped his lips as my hand made contact with his hot, hard flesh and his hips flexed against me. Feeling bold, I began to push his jeans and underwear down his body. He looked up at me, searching my eyes for a moment. He would find no hesitation from me tonight.

I immediately felt the loss as he moved his body away, but it was only so he could continue to remove the clothing I had started to push off of him. I swallowed hard at the sight of his beautiful, naked form before he moved back over me.

My abdomen quivered as his mouth descended on it, his tongue dragging a path of fire in its wake. I grabbed his hair again, holding his head to my body. I knew he could see and feel the scars where the windshield glass had littered my torso but chose not to let it bother me.

His hands splayed out across my hips near the top of my jeans. When his fingers skimmed the waist, he looked up at me, asking permission. With a slight nod of my head, I allowed myself to be fully bare for him. Something about Edward, the way he looked at me and the way he touched me, told me that I wouldn't regret this.

He kissed my mouth again, his tongue claiming me, as his fingers worked the button and zipper of my jeans. I lifted my hips to help him as he slid them down my body, along with my underwear, kissing me until he couldn't reach any further. His body slid down mine until I was as naked as he was.

Sliding his hand up my right leg, his mouth made its way up my left leg. I knew he had seen the scars as he removed my clothes, but my body stiffened as he came nearer to an up-close view of the worst ones. If he felt the change in my body language, he didn't let it bother him. I allowed his coaxing touch to relax me, waiting for a reaction when he reached my left thigh, but there was none. He maintained his gentle kisses, some moving right over the scars, and moved towards the inside of my leg.

Taking a deep breath, I held it momentarily before allowing the remaining tension to drain away, until I realized his next target and the nerves returned with a vengeance. When his mouth touched my aching center the nerves subsided as all rational thought fled my mind.

We both moaned when he licked me, his tongue capable of incredible things where ever it was on my body. I would have been embarrassed by how wet I was if he didn't seem to be enjoying it so much, licking the entire area before focusing on the bundle of nerves in a circular pattern. I grabbed his head, my fingers threading through his hair again, anchoring him to me, never wanting to let go.

One of his hands moved over my hips, holding me in place, while the other made the journey to join his mouth. I cried out and jerked my lower half as his finger slowly entered me. I was a writhing mess as he licked and sucked and curled his finger inside of me, rubbing the perfect spot every time. It felt like nothing I'd experienced before. I called his name and shattering around him, his movements slowing until I recovered my senses.

Wiping his mouth on his hand, he crawled back up my body until he was hovering over me again and staring right into my eyes with a slight smile. "Fuck, that was beautiful," he said quietly, then kissed me hard. I could only whimper in response as our mouths collided, and I felt the full weight of his body pressing down on me.

My hands scratched at his back, his shoulders, his muscular ass – anywhere I could reach. I had never wanted anyone like this before, and certainly had never slept with anyone on a first date, if you could even call this one. But there was something about Edward, some kind of connection between us, and I knew he felt it, too. I knew that this wouldn't just be a one-time thing for us, and I knew I could trust him. It felt like my heart was finally speaking to me. After all the years of wondering and not feeling much for anyone, I was suddenly alive.

"Edward," I breathed as I wrapped a hand around his cock. "Edward, I want you." I kissed his neck repeatedly.

Edward made some kind of groaning noise in the back of his throat before pulling back to look at me again. "I want you, too." He brushed his fingers down my cheek. "But, I don't have any condoms. It's, um … well, it's been a long time for me," he admitted nervously.

"Me, too," I said with a shy smile. "But, uh, I'm on the pill, and I'm clean, I mean, after all the testing I had done in the hospital …" Stop babbling, Bella! I took a deep breath and tried to rid my growing nerves again.

"Are you sure?" he asked, looking deep in my eyes. "I mean, I'm clean, too, but we don't have to rush this. I definitely want to see you again …" he kissed me "… and again …" another kiss "… and again."

"I've never been more sure of anything," I promised. "Please," I said quietly.

He groaned again as our lips met, kissing me deeply. I responded with equal fervor. His fingers danced lightly down my body until they found my wet lips. My hand wrapped tighter around his cock as he rubbed my most sensitive area. It was my turn to moan as two of his fingers slowly entered me and pumped in and out.

Not wanting to wait any longer, I guided him to my entrance. He removed his hand and placed it on my waist, while he looked down to where we were about to connect. As soon as the tip of his hard cock touched me, he looked up and held my gaze.

Our eyes locked for an indeterminate amount of time as he slowly pushed forward. I felt my body stretching to accommodate him, the fullness and connection more satisfying than any other time I'd had sex.

Stilling deep inside of me, he dropped his weight onto me and kissed me again. Each kiss from Edward was different, but no less wonderful than the others. This one was anxious and needy, yet passionate and welcoming. Our tongues met and retreated, then dug deeper to explore and savor.

Edward lifted my leg over his hip to make more room on the cramped couch, at the same time causing him to slide deeper. There was no controlling the noises of pleasure that escaped me as he began to move slowly inside of me. My hands found his ass again, and I reveled in each flex of his hips under my fingers.

His hand slid down to my left thigh, lifting it a bit more before he looked at me and asked, "Is this okay?"

I nodded and lifted my leg higher, so it rested over his hip like my other one. "Very okay," I sighed, as I started meeting his thrusts with my own.

His groans filled the room and he kissed and nipped at my body until he couldn't any more. We both instinctively sped up the pace as he buried his face in my neck.

My senses were on overload between his deep thrusts hitting me just so and his hot breath fanning across my neck, and I felt the wonderful tension building low in my belly.

When he pinched my nipple and whispered in my ear, "Cum for me, Bella," I lost it. I screamed his name and a few other incoherent things as my orgasm ripped through me.

His movements became more powerful, prolonging my pleasure, before he began yelling out. "Oh, fuck! Ah … Bella!" I felt him twitching and emptying inside of me as his thrusts turned erratic.

He stilled deep inside me, breathing heavily, resting all of his weight on me. My fingers wound back into his hair as we both recovered our senses for several minutes.

"Shit, I'm crushing you," he said as he started moving away.

"No," I said, stopping his movements. "I like it. Don't move."

He kissed me with a smile. "Good, I like it, too." He tightened his hold on me before laying his head back down on my shoulder.

We stayed like that for a while, with gentle caresses and hums of pleasure until I opened my eyes and realized the first light of dawn was beginning to stream in through the window.

"Do you, um …" I couldn't believe that I was still nervous after what we had just shared. "Do you need to get home?" I finally asked.

"Oh," he started, probably just realizing the time as well. "I guess."

Understanding he probably misinterpreted my comment, I was quick to correct myself. "You don't have to go, if you don't want to. I just wasn't sure …" I trailed off.

"Can I stay right here?" he asked with a shy smile.

"How about we just move to the bed, where we'll be a little more comfortable?"

He chuckled at that. "That sounds like a good idea."

We shuffled awkwardly to my bed and climbed under the covers. As soon as he laid down, he pulled my back into his chest and wrapped his arm around my waist. My fingers ran up and down his strong forearm and he kissed my shoulder.

After a few minutes, he broke the comfortable silence. "I know this seems kind of backwards, but would you like to go out with me sometime?"

I laughed quietly before turning my head so I could see him. "Yeah, I'd like that," I said with a smile.

His answering smile was all the reassurance I needed. "Me, too." He leaned over to kiss me once more. "Oh, and Bella? Happy birthday," he said quietly. "I hope you get everything you wish for."

"I think I already did."

A/N: Welcome to my new story! This chapter was originally a contest entry for the Twific Happily Ever After contest. I am expanding it into a longer story. Although there will be a HEA at the end, we may have some bumps to get there. I hope you'll join me for the ride!

I'm currently planning to post at least once a week, maybe twice. Chapters will be on the shorter side. Although I have another story in progress right now (A Family Affair), both have several chapters pre-written so I should be able to keep up with both.

Please leave me a review to let me know what you think, even if you left me one on the contest page. I can't respond to those, and I love to respond to reviews!

You can find me on Facebook as Kitchmill Fanfic, or on Twitter as kitchmillfanfic.