Chapter 1

Bella Swan hated Tuesdays.

She hated the way her heart would pound as she walked down the hallway as she left her apartment promptly at six-thirty in the morning. She hated the way it caused her blood to pulse like a painful point just behind her eyes whenever she had a migraine. She hated being nervous, even if that was just a little bit ridiculous because she was nervous all the time. She was just more nervous on Tuesdays.

As she stepped into the elevator, she took those deep, cleansing breaths – the ones her therapist had taught her. She closed her eyes, and focused on the subtle hum of the lift as it took her to the main floor. It didn't work, not really. She would need at least four hundred floors to calm down before she got to the lobby, and she only lived on the sixth.

The ding of the elevator – even though it was soft – startled her. It pulled her from her quiet meditation, and she opened her eyes just as soon as the doors opened. It was altogether too soon, and she took another deep breath, holding it in her lungs until it burned, and she made her way to the entrance.

He was there.

She knew he would be, of course. He was always there. From six to six every Tuesday through Friday. So, that meant she had to see him twice – every morning when she left for work, and every evening when she came home. She didn't know exactly what it was about him that made her so nervous. Maybe it was just his presence; his muscular arms that only seemed more defined underneath the crisp, pressed sleeves of his shirt. Though given his job as a security guard, she assumed that his build worked in his favor. Maybe it was his gorgeous face, his chiseled jaw, all defined and sharp, masculine yet beautiful. Or maybe it was the way his piercing green eyes looked at her – assessed her – every time she walked by.

Bella didn't like being watched. It made her uncomfortable. She'd always preferred to blend into background like the faded flowers on her grandmother's Victorian wallpaper. She liked the anonymity of being plain, ordinary, and altogether unexceptional. She'd never been the girl who stood out, happily sitting on the side and watching everyone else. In fact, she was so completely introverted; her parents had been shocked to learn that she'd accepted a job at a pharmaceutical lab in the city.

Her mother was certain that she wouldn't be able to handle living on her own in such a scary, busy place, but her father reluctantly agreed to let her. Let her. As if she wasn't a grown woman, capable of making her own decisions. However, he did have one stipulation – Bella had to live in a building with security.

And that was what led her here – nervous and flushed and walking into the lobby where the man who made her that way was surely going to be there.

Watching.

And there he was.

"Good morning, Ms. Swan," he said as she approached.

Bella looked down at the practical loafers on her feet, feeling her face flame. "Good morning."

She didn't know his name. She'd seen a name tag once, but she didn't let herself look long enough to actually read it. She imagined it was Clint or Bruce or something equally masculine and intimidating – someone who said things like, Make my day.

"Have a good day, ma'am." he said, holding the beveled glass door open. She noticed, not for the first time, his big hands, and the way his long fingers wrapped around the pewter handle.

"You too." She had to force the words out, pushing them with as much vigor as her remaining, shaky breath would allow.

Two words, she thought as she walked out onto the still-dark sidewalk, illuminated by lamp posts that were probably as old as the city. It shouldn't be so hard to say two words.

But unfortunately for Bella, it was.

She made her way to work. It wasn't far, not really, not by anyone's standards. Only five blocks. But at the early hour, it might as well have been twenty. It wasn't that the city was desolate. People were just starting to trickle in; commuters coming from the trains running underneath the streets. But the city was still sleepy, quiet. And while Bella didn't necessarily like crowds, there was something about the hustle and bustle of everyone around her that made her feel safe.

So she did what she always did. She kept her head down, her eyes glued to the quick cadence of her feet against the dirty concrete. She clutched the strap of her messenger bag until her knuckles were pained and white, only relaxing once she entered the building where she worked. She felt safe there, unbothered. She could work in the pharmaceutical lab where she had little need to interact with anyone. Bella understood chemicals. The chemistry between people was another thing entirely.

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Edward Cullen breathed a heavy sigh as he watched her walk away. He knew he made her nervous, but for the life of him, he didn't know why. Although, that wasn't really the truth, was it? He knew. Bella Swan was like a timid, little kitten, unsure about everything, including herself.

Especially herself.

And Edward, well, he knew he was intimidating. Even though he was quiet, he was dangerous. Or, at least, he could be. Of course he made her anxious. How could he not? But just like a guard dog, Edward was fiercely protective and affectionate with those who were important to him. Bella triggered that instinct in him for reasons he didn't understand, and beyond that, he found that he wanted to explore the reasons why. Even though every logical part of his brain told him he damn well shouldn't.

He'd worked in security for almost nine years – a sad, but necessary choice after being shot on a domestic violence call while he was on the police force. Being a cop was all he'd ever wanted. And when he graduated with a degree in criminal justice, he was accepted on the force the following fall. He'd never been happier, and his father had been so proud.

His father had been police officer, spent his entire career behind the badge. Hell, his entire life. When he had a heart-attack, suddenly passing away just three months before his retirement, Edward grieved. And standing next to his weeping mother, looking at his father in the casket, dressed in his uniform… Well, it changed him. It made him determined. And in that moment, he silently vowed to make him proud by becoming the kind of man, the kind of officer his father was.

And one night on a call, a drunk motherfucker who beat his wife pulled the trigger. And in less than one second, Edward lost everything. Not just his job, but his purpose.

Being in security wasn't a terrible job. Hell, at the time, he'd been relieved to know he had options that didn't include sitting behind a desk on the force, pushing papers like some glorified file clerk. But there was nothing challenging about what he did, nothing thrilling. Standing guard at an upscale, luxury apartment building didn't exactly scream exciting. At least it didn't until the day Bella Swan walked in.

She trailed quietly behind an older man he assumed was her father, and Edward couldn't help watching the obviously shy, quiet brunette. She stood there, wringing her small, delicate hands. But she'd looked up at him. It was just for a moment – only a second – but when she did, her brown eyes connected with his. She hadn't smiled before she quickly glanced away, but her face and neck flushed the deepest pink. And yeah, she could have been embarrassed, but Edward didn't think she was. He'd always been good at reading people. And even if she didn't know it, Bella Swan had been aroused.

And she had been every single time she'd passed him in the lobby ever since.

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A/N

Thanks for reading!

This was my submission for the BatB compilation, and you'll be happy to know it's already complete.

I'll do updates daily, or as close to that as possible.

Huge thanks to Marvar, my constant friend and beta. You can't imagine how horrible all this would be without her.

Thanks to my pre-readers, Funmbie, Courtney, Raina, and Jaime (who also made the gorgeous banner). Y'all make this fun!

Reviews are love.