Chapter 7 – Not That Kind of Guy

A/N – Happy New Year! Are you ready for a lemon? Mr. LPB reviewed this for me, so we both hope Sunflower Fran enjoys her tribute. Thanks for everything you do for me and everyone in the fandom lucky enough to have your support!

"I really don't want to be near you right now…"

The words echoed in the tiny private dining room long after Bella disappeared out the door. I sat frozen in silence for what felt like an hour, until the weight of my own stupidity came crashing down on me and I fell forward onto the empty table.

I closed my eyes and continued to bang my forehead there, wishing that the thud of my skull hitting the wood and the tinkling of the remaining glasses and flatware were louder. Though each hit and the echo of fine china that followed was its own cacophony, they could not drown out the memory of Bella's voice.

"Let me go, Edward… I really don't want to be near you…"

As I let my head rise and fall for the tenth time, I was surprised by a slightly softer landing and more muted thud against the table. I opened my eyes to see that the waitress had slid the bill portfolio in under my head while I had been on the upward swing.

That reminded me that I hadn't ever figured out how to access my expense account. I wasn't just incompetent at seduction; I was an embarrassment as a Chief Financial Officer.

"What do I do now?" I asked aloud, sitting up and blinking in surprise at the waitress, who was doing her best to look unfazed by my erratic behavior.

"We accept all major credit cards, sir," she said in a cool tone. But, her facade of impersonality cracked a bit as she took in my face. Her eyes drifted to my forehead, which I'm sure would be sporting a bruise soon if there wasn't one there already.

"It's not my place, but perhaps you could try to apologize with a gift," she said under her breath. "Something to let her know how special she is to you. I always find it easier to forgive my boyfriend when he brings me a nice piece of lingerie."

I groaned so loudly that the waitress jumped back, her eyes darting toward the door. I scared her. She was probably imagining what I had done to make Bella leave as upset as she was. With a grimace, I realized she probably couldn't be thinking of anything worse than the reality. Both of them, Bella and the waitress, were right to not want to be near me. In a little more than a day, I had gone from hiding from women to having them flee from me.

I reached inside my jacket for my wallet and was relieved to see that I had more than enough cash on me to settle the bill. I threw down a couple hundreds, hoping the waitress would consider the tip enough to excuse my bizarre behavior.

"Apologies should be made in person, not in lingerie." I mumbled mostly to myself as I rushed out of the restaurant.

I looked back and forth on the street, hoping to catch a glimpse of Bella getting into a taxi or walking away. I glanced at my watch, but since I had no idea when she had stormed out that really didn't help me to know how much of a head start she had.

How much worse would I make things if I showed up at her apartment building? Was that enough to be charged with stalking? I couldn't wait until the morning to try and make this right. I had no idea if she would even bother coming into the office, and the thought of never seeing her again made my chest constrict.

Thankfully I still had her resume memorized in perfect detail, including her address.

It probably wasn't something Don Draper would do, and it definitely isn't something I had ever done, but I was going to follow her home and beg Bella to forgive me, even if it meant getting down on my knees on her doorstep. I ran to my car and pulled out into the street without even allowing my engine to warm up.

She didn't live in the kind of neighborhood with doormen and valets, but I had a small piece of luck in that there was an open parking space and another female tenant entering just as I pulled up. I ran to catch the door, trying to think of how I could convince her to let me in, when she saw me and her eyes widened.

"I would definitely remember you if you lived here," she purred at me.

"I'm here to see Bella Swan," I said, breathing heavy in my anxiety.

Bella's neighbor frowned, but stepped aside. "Lucky Bella," she grumbled.

I took a half step back, startled that I was being granted access without any further explanation. If I could get Bella to forgive me enough to talk to me ever again, I'd have to try and convince her to move to a safer building.

But, I didn't have time to think of that now. I ran up the stairs, tripping over the edge of my coat when I tried to take them two at a time. Thankfully I didn't run into any other neighbors before I got to Bella's door.

My heart was trying to beat out of my chest, and I was gasping for breath, but I didn't pause before knocking on the door. I waited about half a minute before knocking again. The door remained closed and I could not make out any sounds from inside the apartment.

I pressed my face into the doorjamb, trying to make my voice carry inside. "Bella, please, just let me say I'm sorry, and I promise I'll leave."

Nothing.

"Bella," I moaned, knocking again. I dragged my hand over my face, trying to come up with some way to get her to open the door.

I decided to just keep talking, hoping that if I did it long enough I'd somehow come up with something that would make her understand that I wasn't really a chauvinist jerk or an immature loser. Or at least, I didn't want to be either of those things.

"Please, Bella," I said. "I know I made a huge mistake, and I should have been much braver and worked harder to fix it sooner, but I did tell you the truth as soon as I could. You have to realize that I'm not at all the man you thought you saw when we met. I've spent the last three weeks hiding in my sister's office because I'm frightened of beautiful women. And, you are by far the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. I couldn't be myself around you, so I tried to be someone else."

"Well, most of the time I tried to be someone else. But, the real Edward slipped out now and then. I think you saw it, too. Because you're so smart and perceptive, and I'm just an idiot. I didn't even realize what I was saying and what you were seeing when you came into interview until it was too late."

"Any reasonable person would have explained the second you took off your coat. But, I was in shock."

"And it wasn't just the shock of seeing you, even though you should know that the image of you in that blue teddy would bring just about any man in the world to his knees to worship you. I was already having trouble thinking clearly when I heard you tell your friend on the phone that you like my eyes and my commanding voice. And I so wanted you to keep liking me. Even though I know you probably hate me now. Just being around you made me feel like a different person."

"Bella, I'm not the kind of guy who would make a professional woman work in just her underwear. I'm the kind of guy who would order you something from Amazon to wear to dinner. I'm the kind of guy that would ruin a wonderful evening when I was getting to know how incredibly sexy your mind was by telling the truth in the worst time and the worst way."

"You're the kind of guy who would sneak into my building and make a big speech to an empty apartment." The sweet voice I had been longing to hear came from behind me in the hall, not from the other side of the door as I expected.

I spun around to come face to face with Bella, her key in her hand.

"How did you get in?" she asked.

"I told your neighbor I was here to see you," I said.

"Well, I can make a pretty good guess who that was," Bella rolled her eyes and shook her head. "And as much as I'm sure the whole hall is enjoying your soliloquy, I'm not the type of girl who enjoys embarrassing a man by keeping him shut out while he's trying to apologize."

"You're not?" I asked, hopefully.

"No," Bella said. "But I'm also not the kind of girl who invites her boss into her apartment after he takes her to dinner."

"I would never think you were," I said, my hands raised.

We stood there, staring at each other for what seemed like several minutes.

"So," Bella started, dragging the word out. "We've both been acting like people we're not recently. I guess there's no reason to stop now."

I was about to ask her what she meant when Bella stepped around me to unlock her door. She then pivoted to face me as the door swung open behind her.

"I am normally the type of girl who may give my date a chaste kiss on my doorstep," Bella said, licking her lips as she took a step back inside. "But I'd never let a man inside after a first date."

I stood frozen in the hallway, staring inside the entry to Bella's apartment. She flipped on the light and backed further in, her eyes locked on mine, daring me to come over the threshold.

I took a deep breath, raised one foot and cautiously stepped inside. Bella took another step backward, but gave the slightest nod of encouragement.

"I'm normally the type of guy who will go home after a date and spend the next three days wondering, berating myself for not having the courage to try and kiss that woman I was dying to kiss," I said. While this was true, there hadn't been a woman I was dying to kiss in a long time. And none that I could remember wanting as much as Bella.

"Three days is a long time," Bella noted, arching an eyebrow.

"Actually," I confessed, "that was probably under-estimating."

She looked about ready to make another teasing comment, but I didn't let her get the words out. Instead, I closed the distance between us and pulled her against me with my left arm, while cupping her chin with my right hand. I hesitated for the smallest fraction of a second, giving her a chance to tell me to stop before I brought my mouth down to meet hers.

My lips molded around Bella's and I could feel her heart racing against mine as I pressed her closer to me. She opened her mouth a fraction, and I teased the soft underside of her top lip with my tongue, not trying to go any further, but gently teasing in my exploration.

I could feel her hands clench against my back and a small moan escaped from the back of her throat.

I pulled away to stare into her chocolate eyes again.

"I'm not the kind of guy who would tell a woman that the sound of her moan went straight to my cock," I whispered.

The corners of Bella's mouth twitched. "You're the kind of guy that wouldn't HAVE to tell a woman when something she did went to your cock," she teased as she thrust her hips against my straining erection.

I groaned at the friction.

"I am the type of guy who meant it when he said that the teddy you wore looked like it was made just for you," I said, placing my hand on her ass, enjoying the roundness even through her coat. "And that I couldn't imagine another woman on the planet would looking as beautiful as you. It made me furious to hear you say that you didn't think those things were for you."

"I never felt like they were," Bella admitted, biting her lip before adding. "Before today."

"Well, that's one change I hope is permanent," I said, cupping her chin and swiping her lip with my thumb to release it from her teeth. "Even if I never have the courage again to tell you how fucking sexy you are, you should feel it and believe it yourself."

Bella closed her eyes at these words. "I might need reminding," she whispered. "Are you the type of guy who would be willing to tell me over and over again?"

I nodded, "You better believe I am," I said.

"Well," Bella smirked. "In that case, maybe you should come inside and stay awhile."

I laughed, struck by the ridiculousness of our talking this much without getting past Bella's hall or taking off our coats.

Bella unbuttoned her jacket and slid it off her shoulders. I was reminded of the moment when she revealed the infamous blue teddy in my office.

"You are an incredibly beautiful woman," I said. "But it wasn't your body or even your face that I was thinking of when you said you didn't want to see me again."

"No?" Bella asked, her eyebrow rising. I took the coat from her and slung it across the back of a chair in the living room before removing my own jacket and placing it on top of hers.

I turned back to her shaking my head. "No," I said. "I was thinking about your voice when you were talking to your friend about me on the phone, and again when you were reading that catalog piece you wrote. I was thinking about you saying you could stand a little taller and see the beauty in your own reflection. And, I wanted to be the man who made you feel that way."

Bella smiled. "It's not enough that you convinced me to walk around in my underwear?" She took a step toward me.

"No," I nodded, moving closer to her and holding her gaze. "I wanted you to realize how beautiful you were walking around in your underwear, and I wanted you to want me to see you in your underwear."

"I do," she whispered. We were now standing so close that I could feel her breath on my face, but I didn't dare reach out for her, yet.

"You realize now how beautiful you are?" I smirked, cocking an eyebrow.

Bella bit her lip and cast her eyes downward. "That's not what I meant," she said.

"Then what?" I scowled. I thought I had been following our conversation, but maybe I was messing up again.

I reached up to tug at my hair. Bella caught my hand in hers and guided it away from my head and toward her. I relaxed my fingers in her grip, ready to caress her shoulder, but Bella nodded and twisted her arm to guide both our hands to the zipper in the back of her dress.

"I'm not the type of girl that a man would undress in the middle of her living room," Bella said, the challenge clear in her voice and her gaze.

My thumb and forefinger found the clasp and Bella took her hand away. "You'll tell me when you want to stop acting like you normally never would?" I said in a clear voice as I began to pull the zipper down her back, my knuckles grazing the bare skin I was exposing to the air of Bella's apartment.

"Please don't stop," she whispered.

I followed her command, completing the journey to open the back of her dress. I then brought both hands to her shoulders to push the black dress off down. Our eyes remained locked as I caressed her arms and encouraged the fabric to slide to the floor.

It was only when Bella reached toward me and began unbuttoning my shirt that I allowed myself to look down and take in the vision before me. My pulse quickened as I traced the details of black lace that highlighted the natural line of her curves. As I had expected, the dark details and purple silk were lovely against her pale skin.

She mimicked the gesture I had just made, pushing my dress shirt off my shoulders and onto the floor. Her eyes remained locked on mine as she undid my belt. The muscles in my stomach contracted to feel her fingers reach into my waistband and unzip my pants, which were also soon on the floor.

We stood there, now both in nothing but our underwear. Bella's chest was flushed a light pink. I touched the top of her breasts lightly with one finger, following the color as it spread and just grazing the line of her cleavage.

I felt like I could spend the rest of my life exploring every line of her body like that, with just the tip of my finger, and it would be better than anything I had ever experienced with another woman. But, I could tell from the increased rate of her breaths and the darkness of her eyes that Bella wanted more.

I brought my hands back to her face, cradling it as I tilted my head to fit in the crick of her neck. I brushed a long strand of her dark hair away and pressed my lips to the place just behind her left ear. I then made a trail of kisses to the corner of her mouth before capturing her lips forcefully.

Bella opened her mouth slightly allowing me the access I craved. The moment our tongues touched, I lost my resolve to move slowly and my arms wrapped around her, my hands cupping her ass and pulling her against me.

Bella matched my eagerness, her hands reached inside my boxers. I hissed as I felt her fingers wrap around my hard shaft.

"Where's your bedroom?" I growled, as I lifted her up and Bella's legs wrapped around my waist.

"Down…..the…hall…on…the…right," Bella answered around my kisses.

I squinted into her mostly still dark apartment and thought I could make out where the hall entrance would be. I almost made it a full four steps, but then my foot caught on the corner of Bella's couch and I started to lurch forward.

Bella's eyes went wide as she tilted in my arms, and I jerked to keep us both upright. I just managed to not drop her or fall backward myself.

"Maybe I could walk," Bella gasped, with a giggle.

I reluctantly set her on her feet. "I guess I can't stop being awkward," I admitted sheepishly. "That's definitely Edward Cullen."

Bella gave me a glowing smile, and took my hand before turning down the hall. She snapped on a small lamp just inside the door and turned back to me. "Maybe we shouldn't try this in the dark. It could be dangerous given our combined clumsiness," she said.

I wanted to laugh, but I was too breathless from the beauty standing beside the bed and the thought of what we were about to do. A small voice inside my head kept repeating "This is Edward Cullen, about to make love to Bella Swan."

Then voice reminded me of something very important.

"Oh no," I said, slapping the front of my head with the back of my palm.

"What is it?" Bella asked. I met her gaze and notice her face was so scrunched with worry that a small line had formed between her eyebrows.

"Bella," I groaned. "I really wasn't thinking we'd end up like this. I mean, I'm not prepared. I don't have…" I gulped, unable to finish.

Bella's expression relaxed, before pulling into a grin. "Mr. Cullen," she said, "Are you trying to tell me that you don't have a condom? Because if that's the only thing that's bothering you I don't think there's any problem."

She turned around and reached down to open a drawer in her nightstand. I glanced furtively before looking away, not wanting to invade her privacy. But, the thought that Bella kept condoms in her nightstand definitely piqued my curiosity as to what else might be in there.

The sight of her lace covered ass stuck up in the air incredibly got me even more excited. The fabric stretched across her perfect round cheeks, the bedside lamp giving them an enticing sheen. It would almost be a shame to take those beautiful panties off, but not quite.

"It may not be like me to bring a man back to my apartment after a first date, but I do like to plan way ahead," Bella explained, holding a square of foil in between her fingers.

I took it from her, but placed the condom on back on top of the nightstand. Though my cock was straining against my boxers, I wasn't quite ready for it. "In that case," I said, "let's proceed, but there's plenty I want to do to you before we're going to need that."

Bella's breath hitched as I gently pushed her down onto the bed. She quickly swung her feet around to position herself more comfortably and looked up at me, still standing beside the nightstand with invitation in her eyes. I let my gaze take in her full form, wishing I could memorize ever detail from her delicately pink toes to the softly flowing waves of ebony hair that framed her eager face.

She really was perfect. I was sure there wasn't another woman in the world who would look as gorgeous in the pieces she was wearing.

"As much as I love seeing you in this beautiful lingerie," I said, "I'm ready to see you out of it."

"And I'm ready to see you out of those boxers," Bella replied, her gaze traveling down my bare chest and focusing on the outline of my cock, that was straining against the fabric still covering me.

"You first," I growled, crawling into the bed. I hovered over her, lost in her lustful gaze before I hooked my thumbs into her panties and then began tugging them down her legs. Tossing them aside, I crouched at the foot of the bed, taking in the view once again.

"Edward," Bella purred, glancing meaningful at my own underwear. I smirked and tugged those off, kicking them away before coming back to kiss Bella, holding her now almost entirely naked body next to me.

Her leg hitched over my hip and our mouths met. My left hand traveled up and down her thigh while my right kneaded one of her breasts through the bra.

My cock pressed against both our stomachs, and Bella reached to stroke me. The friction made a growl form in the back of my throat. I broke our kiss to stare at Bella, then reached behind to unclasp her bra and tugged it away, revealing her perfectly shaped milky white breasts.

Unable to resist, I brought my mouth to her chest and began covering her gorgeous tits with kisses, swiping my tongue across her hardened nipples, feeling them react to the heat of my mouth and the coolness of the air of the room.

She arched beneath me, pressing further into me, and I took advantage to cup her ass in my hand. Bella was rocking her hips, silently begging me to give her more while her breaths came out in shaky pants.

I pulled back from her chest and Bella moaned from the loss of contact.

"Patience, my love," I whispered as let my hand travel from her butt to the place between her thighs.

I had to take a steadying breath as my fingers first came into contact with the soft curls between her legs. I cupped her and was rewarded with the feeling of warm moisture between her folds.

"Oh, baby," I groaned. "So wet for me Bella. You know, I'm not the type of guy to tell a woman how fucking hard it makes me to taste between her thighs. But, I hope you're the type of girl to let me taste you."

Bella's voice was so breathy I may not have recognized the words if I didn't see the answer in her eyes. "Yes, Edward, yes, please," she panted.

My heart was pounding, hardly believing that this was happening. If this did turn out to be some kind of psychotic episode and I was lying in a hospital bed from the stroke I had suffered at the sight of Bella in a teddy, I just hoped no one would revive me for a long time.

My fingers explored her slit, and Bella groaned above me. Spurred on by the sound, I placed a small kiss on her clit and Bella gasped as I slid a finger inside her. Her leg bent and she arched up from the bed, as my tongue moved over her folds and her moans grew in volume. She tasted amazing – the perfect combination of sweet and salty naturalness.

I tried to go slow, to draw out the experience for both of us, but Bella's cries and my lust, having built up over the course of this amazing day made me lap at her with unrestrained hunger. I could feel her walls fluttering around my fingers.

"Edward, Edward," she moaned. "Please, I want you to be inside me, so close."

I pulled back and reached for the condom. In the moments I was no longer over her, Bella flipped on her side and put one hand on my chest, pushing me to lie on my back.

"I'm not the normally type of woman to take control, but I want to ride you tonight, Edward," she said, her eyes burning with desire.

My lust had completely taken over my brain, so all I could do was nod and watch as Bella sat up on her knees over my thighs. I was expecting her to either hand me the condom or put it on me, but she took me by surprise, placing a gentle kiss on my leaking tip and then taking my length in between her lips.

I hissed as the heat of mouth engulfed me, then groaned as I felt her hollow out her cheeks and flick her tongue to tease the most sensitive place under the tip of my cock while sliding her head back and forth.

"Wait, Bella," I pleaded, using all my self-restraint to push her off. "As amazing as that feels, I don't want to lose control before I get inside you."

Bella nodded and furtively wiped her lip before tearing open the packed she still had in her hand. She slid the condom down my straining cock, grasping it in her hand and stroking me a few times.

We stared at each other for a few seconds before Bella lowered herself onto me. I swallowed, my eyes closed at the feeling of her heat around me.

"So good," I whispered. "So tight, Bella."

"So full," she responded. "Show me how to make you feel good, Edward" she encouraged as she guided my hands to the side of her hips and began to rock above me.

"Yes," I hissed. "Like that Bella, nice and slow." She moved around me and I watched her every arch and undulation. I reached between us to massage her clit, glancing down at the place where we met. I almost lost control at the sight.

Bella seemed to respond unconsciously, speeding up her thrusts. Unable to resist, I pulled her down onto me, holding her against my chest as I rolled us over.

Her legs wrapped around me and we continued to move together, both becoming frantic as the pressure built.

"Bella," I groaned. "I'm not the type of guy that orders a woman around, but I want you to come for me, angel."

I could feel her respond before I was even finished the sentence. Bella's eyes became unfocused, her mouth fell open and her walls clenched around me.

"Edward!" she called, and the sound pushed me over the edge. The explosion affected my entire body. My hands went numb and shivers ran up and down my spine as I came and collapsed onto Bella.

Both of us gasped as we lay tangled together, my face had landed in my favorite place in the crook of her neck, where her soft brown hair tickled my nose. Bella's hands were moving over my shoulder blades. I didn't want to be too heavy for her, but I wasn't quite ready to lose the connection between us, as I was still slightly hard inside her.

I turned my head to see Bella's face turned toward me. We kissed again, this time even slow and sweet, without the slightest hint of goodbye.

Bella pulled away, and I frowned before seeing her happy and teasing expression.

"Are you the type of guy who leaves right after sex, or do you like to spend the night?" Bella asked, the familiar shyness returning into her tone.

I chuckled and ruffled her hair. "I'm the type of guy who wants to cuddle all night, and I think it's about time to start being ourselves."

A/N – That's all for these two. I know there are probably some loose threads about the job and how they're going to manage their new-found other-selves, but let's just say they got their HEA. Hope you enjoyed.