Age of Edward Contest

Title: Boys of Summer

Your pen name: Rochelle Allison

Type of Edward: 80's Surfward

If you would like to see all the stories that are a part of this contest visit:The Age of Edward C2 Community:
http://www(DOT)fanfiction(DOT)net/community/The_Age_of_Edward_Contest/70125/

I don't own Twilight; SM does. "Boys of Summer" is by Don Henley, and it's one of my favorite songs.

This second entry was more for fun than anything. Thanks - as always - for your beta goodness, Nic. xoxo

My parents gave me with a brand new '86 Toyota Celica the morning I turned sixteen. It was shiny, red and a convertible – a girl's dream car, really. I spent the few minutes I had before school hand picking the cassettes I would christen it with (The Cure, Michael Jackson, and definitely The Police) and obsessing over the one birthday gift I craved the most: to be properly kissed.

Boys had tried, but they were totally sub-par. I'd probably earned the title of Ice Queen at school because of my refusal to date but my friends knew the truth; I was seriously picky. My first real kiss needed to be mach 2, hair on fire. Otherwise, what the hell was the point?

Later that afternoon, in the green and gold time of day, the girls and I drove to the bonfire at the beach. It was my favorite time of day, when the sun was starting to set and seemed to saturate and honey everything. It was nippy and gusty but we kept the top down, and tumbled out without using the doors when we arrived because we could. Arms linked and sans-shoes, we descended into the almost-twilight realm of the sandy and the barefoot, the tipsy and the toasty.

Sun set fast, and like the tide the wind ebbed and flowed, scattering strains of music across the beach until we were fully absorbed into the nighttime revelry. Most of the cool kids from school were present, as well as a smattering of unfamiliar faces. Throughout the night, as people heard it was my birthday, libations were offered left and right: hugs and kisses, beer and weed.

After a spell, we sat down on Someone's blanket and Alice lit one of my birthday joints… and while I exhaled my first stream of smoke I saw him, with his odd flickering hair and his board shorts slung so low it was obscene. He was with two other guys I'd never seen before either … they stood by a rusted blue truck, immersed in beer and conversation and the opposite sex.

A car stereo parked on the sand started playing Sting's "I Burn for You", the live version – the best one – and, in this abrupt and yet soft sort of way I just knew.My heart squeezed and I averted my eyes long enough to bring them back because frankly no one else was worth looking at; I burned for him.

Eventually through embers and ashes of the bonfire between us, he looked my way. Our eyes met briefly before his flickered away and I was at once exhilarated and crushed. Becoming vaguely aware of the mellow chitchat of my girls I, scathed, had enough sense to return my attention to them.

I finished my beer and then another, and before long I was calm and fine and just a little numbed. I didn't really mean to seek him out, but still I followed him with my sleepy, stoned eyes. When we decided to stretch our legs and walk down the beach I accepted that it was Just One of Those Things and shrugged, letting myself be led toward other bonfires and groups.

Around midnight we three sat on a beach wall, giggling at private jokes, when two cute boys drifted drunkenly over to us, tell-tale bottles in hand. They were charming and silly but they weren't him… I managed to push that errant thought away. They engaged us and tried to charm us with their inebriated wit and it was so endearing we had to laugh and they knew they'd succeeded, that they were in.

We'd been bantering with them for a good while when a third silhouette wandered up, backlit by the nearest dying fire. As he neared I saw that it was in fact him and I tensed, my mellowness draining out like water out a drain. Glancing quickly at our small group I realized yes, these were the three that had been together earlier…how could I have forgotten?

He wasn't just hot, he was beautiful.

Gone was my easy-going vibe. I swallowed back the cottonmouth and acted nonchalant, wishing I had something in my hands as he leaned a few feet away, keeping to himself, a cup in one hand and a cigarette in the other.

But before long all three of them were goofing off, teasing one another the way that boys do. Imperceptible steps brought him closer and I pretended not to notice, pretended I wasn't way aware of every movement he made.

He flicked the butt of his cigarette, sending it in a tiny flaming arc, and proceeded to cover it with sand.

"Litterbug," I commented without prior thought.

He paused in the dark, then turned slowly and looked at me, seemingly unsurprised by my sudden speech. He grinned slyly and bent slowly to pick up the butt, instead dropping it into the now empty cup by his feet.

"Better?" he asked, coming and standing directly in front of me.

My stomach somersaulted, and then did it again... "Yes, "I replied uncertainly, fidgeting with the knot I'd tied in my hot pink t-shirt.

He stepped forward until the hem of his tank top touched my knee and regarded me for a second. Theen he turned around so his back was to me as he lightly rested against my legs.

I chanced a glance at my friends and they were leaning forward on the wall now, matching expressions of surprise on their faces.

He tapped at my knees just then, and I let them fall open so he could settle in.

Instead of picking up, my heart slowed down, beating heavily like some sort of tribal drum. The tips of my fingers grazed trembly his arms, and I could feel the salt on his skin. I'd grown up with that same feeling on my own body, typical of a day spent in ocean water.

We two stared at the black and shiny sea, our silent arrangement a contrast to the roughhousing of his boys and the feminine giggles of my girls. He ran his hands absently over my bare legs and I leaned forward into his hair-that-smelled-of-smoke-and-sandalwood.

One of the boys grabbed one of the girls, tossing her over his shoulder, and suddenly the four of them were racing down the now deserted beach, their raucous laughter drifting back to us in bubbles.

I shivered.

"Are you cold?" he asked, turning so just I could see his profile. "Or nervous?"

"Both, I guess." I admitted - trying to relax my hands, which were tensed into anxious little fists.

He turned around and faced me, resting his palms on my thighs. His hands were warm and rough, and I liked that.

"Why are you nervous?"

I shrugged, trapped in his gaze, a spider in a web. His eyes were verygreen, his face so fine. I had never seen such a perfect looking boy in real life… it was hard not to stare, a fact made worse by my previous enjoyment of the herbal persuasion. I was floating, and his eyes were the one thing to anchor me.

"I don't make you nervous, do I?"

My stomach swirling with the most divine riot of butterflies, I swallowed and chose not to say anything, letting the unsaid answer for me.

For awhile we stayed, comfortable in our quietude. Waves crashed down at the shore, and sometimes I heard the shouts and squeals of my girls as they were tossed about by his rowdy friends. The last fire burned out, and the lighting became gauzy and muted from an almost full moon.

He looked at me, our faces inches apart, and again I burned for him. I needed this, needed for him to be the one. He tilted forward a bit so that his nose skimmed along my neck.

"You smell good, "he said as my stomach rippled in on itself.

"So do you," I replied, and he did. I shivered again.

"Still cold?"

"A little."

"I'll warm you up."

He began to rub my legs again, from the tattered friendship bracelet adorning my ankle to the hem of my cutoffs, made that day from my oldest, greatest Guess jeans.

I leaned forward more, my arms floating up to rest on his shoulders. His eyes had drifted shut, but now he opened them to gaze intently at me. He stopping running his hands up and down my legs and wrapped his arms loosely around my waist.

Terrified, excited, high, I licked my lips and stared at his mouth, wondering if I should just steal the kiss I knew belonged to me.

But he decided for me. He touched his lips to mine, and even though I didn't think it could, my stomach tightened even more. I kissed him back, and his lips, pliable, soft, pushed mine apart. Our mouths opened to one another and he traced his tongue between my lips; I pulled myself closer to him and did the same. Everything he did I matched, and he taught me how to kiss.

I felt his hands, one at the small of my back, trying to coax me to him even more, and one tangled in my hair at the base of my neck. Goosebumps scattered across my legs and I reflexively wrapped them around his body, needing to fasten myself to something.

My breathing quickened. I tried not to consume him but it was hard because he was certainly consuming me, the way our lips and tongues coalesced. I soothed my fingers through his soft, silky hair and he sighed between kisses.

"Bella," a soft, familiar voice whispered.

I pulled away from the kiss and blinked, lost and intoxicated.

Alice stood a few feet away, smiling apologetically. "Curfew, Bella. We have to go."

I nodded, loosening my grip on the dream in front of me, and he pulled me forward so that I slid off the wall. I brushed the sand off my bottom and gazed at him before turning reluctantly away.

"Bye," I mumbled.

His lips curved into a half grin. "Bye… Bella."

I smiled a little bit at that, at him knowing my name, and thought I should ask him his…but it seemed that I had lost my words. I looked back when we were far enough away, and the three boys were sitting on the beach wall together, probably talking about us.

I didn't see him again.

3 years later

"Rose, pass me another please."

"We gotta go soon, you know. Our shift starts in an hour and a half."

I lay still and kept my eyes closed, patiently waiting for the cold bottle that eventually made its way into my extended hand.

"Thanks, babe." I sat up, shielding my eyes from the blazing midday sun and popped the cap off my last beer of the day. We'd managed a half day off together and I was going to make the most of it, dammit.

I drained the beer in a few long gulps and rested the bottle next to my feet, half buried in sand. Rose and Alice sat on my right and left, respectively. We were catching a few rays before heading to the restaurant where we worked nights during the summer. Rose fiddled with the dial on the radio, trying to find something she liked.

"Gag me with a spoon. If I hear this stupid Bangles song one more time, I swear…" she trailed off, scowling at the tiny boombox on her towel.

Alice shifted, adjusting her bikini bottoms, which matched her bright orange toenails, which matched the scrunchie keeping her hair in its loose side ponytail. She was nothing if not consistent in color coordination.

"Look," she breathed, blowing a bubble from her magnificently glossed lips (which were not, thankfully, orange).

I squinted out toward the water, following her gaze. There were a lot of surfers on the water today, and we'd been watching intermittently as they floated around, catching the sporadic sets as they rolled in. It hadn't been much of a day for surfing, but now a huge wave was pummeling in, curling into a nice pipeline.

We watched as one ambitious dude caught the wave and totally owned it, riding it clean and all the way in. He was the only one to take it on, and I could hear the other guys in the line up giving him props, all stoked as he paddled his board toward shore. He leaned down to remove the leash from his ankle and then stood up, shaking excess water from his hair.

I realized I was totally holding my breath. Lusting.

"Bitchin'," Rose commented, a rare note of approval in her voice. She and Alice started packing up but I just nodded absently, staring at the righteousness now sauntering down the beach, his board tucked underneath his arm.

I chewed on my thumbnail and waited for him to get close enough so I could see if his face was as appealing as his body. He glanced at us as he passed and my heart stuttered before taking off like a horse at the races. I dropped my finger from my mouth and felt the now unfamiliar sensation of butterflies. No one but no one made me feel that way anymore. It had been years.

But I'd know those green eyes anywhere… he flashed me a crooked grin and continued on his way, rivulets of water dripping down his back and toward the crack where his board shorts met his ass.

"C'mon Bella, stop drooling and let's go. I don't want to be late again." Rose sighed, standing and pulling her white cutoffs on.

I stood up, a little dazed. My First Kiss had appeared out of thin air- and then had proceeded to just walk on by without speaking a word. I hurriedly rolled my belongings into my beach bag, sand and all, wondering why I was scampering after my friends when I was the one with the car keys.

Once we'd settled into my car, I rolled down the windows and blasted the air conditioner in an attempt to flood out the heat.

"You guys do realize that guy was the guy, right? The one from my sixteenth birthday?" I asked, twisting around and resting my hand on the passenger seat so I could reverse out.

Rose made a face. "You're kidding me,"

"I kid you not."

"Why didn't you talk to him?" Alice asked slowly, as if I were mental.

I shrugged. "I mean, I haven't seen him since that night, and then I see him….and he just, like, looks at me and smiles and keeps steppin'. What was I supposed to do, chase him up the beach and ask if he remembers making out with me?"

"Yes," snorted Rose.

I pulled out onto the main road, ignoring her.

"Maybe you'll see him, now that he's obviously back in town. You, like, want to see him, right?" Alice asked, twirling her hair around her finger.

I shrugged. I was kind of seeing someone anyway, so it really didn't matter.

Right?

***

I wiped the back of my hand across my brow, sweaty despite the brisk breeze coming off the water. Night had just fallen, and it had- thankfully - finally begun to cool down. I dropped my pen and pad into the front pocket of my little apron and ducked into the kitchen to grab a bottle of water.

The hostess, Jessica, poked her head around the corner. "Bella, new table in your section. Table 12."

"Thanks, Jess."

I glanced at the clock; just an hour to go.

I readied my face with a friendly grin and walked over to the new table.

"Hi guys, my name's Bella. I'll be your waitress tonight. Do you want to start with a few drinks?" My voice faltered a little as I realized I recognized the three guys at the table.

You've got to be kidding me.

Surfer Guy and his two cohorts from yesteryear; my mouth went a little dry and I sort of hoped they wouldn't recognize me.

"Hi, yeah, three Coronas. Thanks, sweetheart." The big guy said, flashing me his pearly whites.

I nodded. "Sure. I'll be right back."

I slipped in behind the bar and grabbed three frosty brews. Mike, the bartender, smacked my butt as I quickly popped the tops.

"Classy," I smirked, turning to him. He grinned and rather sloppily kissed my cheek. I quirked an eyebrow at his forwardness, then stepped back a bit. His eyes were a little glazed, so I figured I'd attribute his nonsense to whatever he'd been smoking on his last break.

"We going to that party later?"He asked.

I set the beers down so I could tighten my ponytail, making it rest a little higher on my head. "The one at Eric's?"

Mike nodded, looking over his shoulder as someone sat at the bar.

"I think so. We'll talk about it later." I said, grabbing the Coronas and hurrying back to the table.

"So, do you guys know what you want or d'ya need another minute?" I asked, setting the beers down.

They ordered burgers and fries and I was about to turn away when Surfer Guy reached out and touched my elbow. My heart dropped down into my shoes, and I cursed myself inwardly at my schoolgirl crush.

"You were at the beach today, right?" he asked, tilting his head as he regarded me.

I glanced at his friends, who were now talking about something else.

"Yeah, "I admitted. "You were...catching waves."

"Yeah," his said, eyes crinkling in amusement. His eyes popped against his sun-kissed skin and his hair was even lighter now, the bronze much more noticeable from all the sun. I knew it was as soft as it looked, and I wanted desperately to just comb my fingers through it, to feel it again.

I stood awkwardly for a moment, before rocking back on my heels.

"Okay," I mumbled, turning to go back to the kitchen.I didn't even bother to berate myself on the epic lameness of our non-conversation.

He seemed to watch me every time I stopped at their table, and it pissed me off more and more. I couldn't tell if he remembered me or if he was just checking me out because of earlier that day.

"Yes," I wanted to snap, "we have definitely met." But he never said anything, and neither did I. I'd told Rose and Alice about the table, and they'd wanted to go over and say hello, see if the other two boys would remember them at least.

I begged them not to. It was too weird.

The thing was, I had fantasized about the perfection of that kiss, that whole night really, for years. It had become this magical moment of fairytale proportions in my mind. To see him again and have him not remember me was a bit devastating.

Soon after Surfer Guy's table left we began our closing duties. I'd finished restocking the condiments, and I was counting out my tips in the back room when Alice plopped down beside me.

"So…we invited them to the party." She rubbed her hands together, apparently very excited.

I lost my place and had to start counting again. "Great, Alice."

"Stop being so dramatic, it's so not cute." She chided.

I ignored her and finished counting, standing and dividing the bills into different pockets of my jeans.

"Ready, baby?" Mike cooed, wrapping himself around me from behind. Alice covered her grimace with a pained smile and slinked off to locate Rose, who was probably teasing her bangs into a cascade of fantastic in the bathroom.

Mike was hot, no doubt, but he was generic. A thousand guys looked just like him, with his nice blue eyes and long blonde hair always hanging in his face. He was a beast on the waves, which is what attracted me to him in the first place, but after a few cheap dates and lacking lays I was ready to cut Mike loose. It was too bad really, because he was fun - as a friend.

The get together at Eric's was in full swing when Alice, Rose and I arrived. Mike hopped out of his jeep and swaggered in with us, looking predictably cheesetastic in his Jams and collar-popped Polo. I shook my head, realizing I'd have to break this debacle of a hook-up off sooner than later.

"I'll see you around, okay?" I yelled to him over the music.

Mike nodded and made a beeline for the group with the bong in the corner.

"There's Emmett and Jasper… and Edward." Rose said when we came out of the bathroom, having just changed into our swimsuits.

I checked the three of them out, leaning against the railing out on the deck. "Which one is – "

Rose interrupted. "Edward. His name is Edward."

Ah, finally a name to put to the face. I smiled faintly, remembering how he'd heard Alice at the beach that night, and had echoed my name back to me.

"C'mon, let's get in the hot tub." Alice suggested, lacing her fingers through mine and pulling me along.

Eric's parties – and his oversized hot tub –were notorious. Dozens and dozens of people milled around, and the music was loud, the genre changing up every now and then. We eased into the steamy bubbles and found an empty spot among the scantily clad.

Almost immediately Emmett, Jasper, and Edward settled in next to us, effectively breaking up our trio. They must have been watching us. It felt like a repeat of three years ago: My girlfriends giggled and chattered and I shivered and stewed.

"Are you okay?" Edward asked, his lips close enough to my ear that I could feel his warm breath.

I shuddered. I was so physically attracted to him it was nauseating. "Yes." I lied.

"You seem uptight."

I shrugged. "Long night."

Another voice joined the mix. "Bella?"

I groaned inwardly and twisted my neck around to see Mike, who was squatting beside the hot tub, a confused look on his face. He handed me a pina colada complete with a maraschino cherry on top.

"Oh, thanks," I answered sweetly, accepting the drink. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed Edward look from me to Mike and smirk.

Mike was looking from Edward to me, as well. He scratched his head. "Um, can we talk?"

I sighed. "No. "

"Oh, so that's how it is? That's pretty gnarly, Bella, and not in a good way," he complained. I didn't bother to turn around, and kept my eyes trained forward. Maybe this would be easier that I'd anticipated, after all.

"He's gone," Edward commented after a minute.

I nodded, gulping my pina colada like it was water in a desert. We sat in silence a moment and I began to wonder what I was doing, really. My emotions were all over the place because of this guy and I hardly even knew him. I was about to climb out when Edward grabbed my empty cup.

"I'll get you another one." He stood up before I could argue and all I saw was a spectacular set of V-lines headed straight for the promised land.

"Good Lord," I muttered. He got out and I watched shamelessly as he went to the tiki bar at the far end of the pool deck.

I slid down until I was fully submerged and then popped back up, squeezing water from my eyes. I was starting to feel a little tipsy from the heat and the alcohol; it was a nice respite from my day of self-induced inner melodrama. Edward was suddenly next to me again, handing me my drink and sipping on one of his own.

I could feel the fabric of his shorts tickling my thigh as the water agitated around us. This made me inexplicably aroused, even as I tried unsuccessfully to ignore it.

But then he began to talk to me, telling me about medical school, which he was starting in the fall, and how he and his friends had scored an awesome little house a few blocks from campus.

I asked him why he'd chosen the school he had, and he answered that, besides the school being top notch, he just loved this town. He said he'd been driving down to surf these beaches for years.

I'd have been happy to nurse my melting cocktail but he switched gears and began questioning me, so I told him all about myself. How I was about to start my second year of college, and I was working and partying my way through the summer before going back to the books in the fall.

He was really close to me now, and in addition to his shorts, his fingers had begun trailing up and down my thigh… so of course my nipples hardened beneath the clingy, wet fabric of my swimsuit. The longer he touched me the more restless I became, and a tingle kindled in my stomach, spreading the warmth much, much lower.

I hadn't really looked him in the eye in a while, even though I could feel him watching me. I knew I was being ridiculous - I wasn't exactly a blushing virgin anymore; I knew my way around guys. It was him though, Edward. He did funny things to my insides and I wasn't sure I could handle looking at his face.

His hand drifted to a momentary stop on my thigh and then he moved it deliberately up, pausing where my skin met the elastic of my bikini bottoms. His fingers tapped along the material of my suit and I tensed, bringing my eyes up to meet his.

The energy between us had changed.

He was staring back, looking from one eye to the other. He lowered his face to my neck and ran his nose along the damp, flushed skin there.

"You smell good," he said in a voice so low I almost didn't hear.

I startled at the déjà vu of it, my mind racing.

Does he remember?

His fingers danced a little higher, playing just under the elastic of my swimsuit. I clamped my hand around his wrist, stilling him as I looked nervously around the hot tub. No one was looking at us, not even our friends. He brought his head up from my neck.

"Relax," he whispered.

He floated his hand down and slipped it between my thighs, opening and caressing them, rubbing his thumb along the sensitive skin of my inner thighs. I relaxed my grip on his arm but I didn't let go. What was I doing? I mean, really –

Oh.

His fingers pushed the fabric aside and made contact with my most private place and I jerked a little.

My breathing picked up and I threw another anxious glance around. No looks, no stares. Everyone around us seemed too caught up in their own laughter and conversation. The bubbles on the surface of the water gurgled and popped steadily, providing the perfect cover for Edward's deliciously inappropriate movements.

He massaged his fingers up and down, and soon I felt my own kind of wetness come down. Each time he completed a circuit I felt myself slip lower into the water, like I couldn't help it.

Abruptly he pulled his hand away and moved me up so that I was sitting sideways, half facing him, my leg slung over his knees. He kissed me softly and then continued fingering me; his mouth guarding my sounds and his tongue complimenting his underwater movements. His fingers were everywhere, inside and out and over and over, and I could feel the flutters flicker through my abdomen, the burn deep inside, bringing me closer.

Our tongues slid together, smooth and wet and cold. Edward tasted like pina colada, but mixed with him, and it was all sugar and euphoria when I came on his fingers and moaned in his mouth.

I tried not to pant and be obvious as I rode it out but it was really very difficult, especially now that I could feel his hard on under my leg. I broke off the kiss and leaned my head on his shoulder and he removed his hand from my bikini bottom and rested it on my hip.

"Do you remember me?" I asked quietly.

He was silent a moment, his hands running absently over my hips, my waist, the small of my back. My fingers felt like prunes from being in the water so long.

He put his mouth to my ear. "When I kissed you on the beach wall?"

I smiled into his shoulder, and he pulled back to look down at me. I brought my head up to meet his gaze and he laughed when he saw my expression.

"Yes. I remember, Bella."

I ran my wet thumb across his lip affectionately. "That was my first kiss."

***

Alice hugged me, making sure I had my house keys before climbing into Jasper's van with Emmett and Rose. They drove away, leaving the two of us standing on the moonlit driveway in our dripping swimsuits, towels and flip flops.

Edward smiled down at me, a knowing look on his face. His eyes actually seemed to like, sparkle.

"You ready to go?"

"Yes," I pointed to my car, "I'll follow you."

He nodded, and we parted to walk to our vehicles. I waited until his truck appeared and then got behind him. We drove down the empty main road, which ran parallel to the ocean, and the reflection of moon on the water was lovely as it was distracting. I was slightly surprised when he pulled off rather quickly, into the driveway of a cozy looking two story house that sat right across the street from the beach.

"Snazzy," I commented, lugging my bag out and locking my doors.

"We like it," Edward shrugged, opening the front door and switching on a light.

It was a bachelor pad, but not typically so, sparsely furnished, and clean, with quite a few plants spread around. Actually, the only sign that young, single guys lived there was the quintessential Nintendo attached to the TV, and an older version Atari lying beside it.

Edward ran his hand down my arm, grasping my hand as he led me up the stairs. He ushered me into what appeared to be his room and shut the door, the lock clicking into place with a kind of finality.

I watched him moving toward me in the dark. Nervous and excited by the inevitability of what we were doing, I let my bag slide from my hand and fall to the floor. He stopped in front of me and unwound the damp beach towel from my body, leaving me in my swimsuit.

I stepped a little closer, wanting to close the space between us. He ran his hands up and down my bare back, his fingers spread and exploring my skin, sometimes teasing at the strings dangling from my bikini top. He paused after a while, and leaned down to kiss me, teasing me with soft, quick pecks on my lips. I felt him pull the string, loosening the first knot. Then he tugged on the next knot behind my neck, and my top came down and fell to the floor.

My breasts were clammy and cold from the still-wet suit, and I sucked in a sharp breath when he pressed his warm body against mine. He held me close and stepped forward again, causing me to step back until I was against the side of his bed.

I giggled when we tumbled on to the messy bed, his knee lodged between my thighs, his face nuzzling into my neck. We kissed and rolled around for awhile, our hands everywhere, exploring each other's bodies. He seemed to really have a thing for my breasts, sucking and licking the nipples until I was wound so tight I could hardly stand it.

I ran my fingers through his hair, kissing the top of his head as he came back up to my lips.

"You really like those, don't you?" I teased.

Edward grinned, rolling off of me. "Yeah, I've wanted to do that all night."

"Since the party?"

"No, since you served our table." His eyes crinkled mischievously and I swatted at him.

"You were checking out my rack at the restaurant?"

"I was checking out your everything." He hooked his finger underneath the side of bikini bottoms and started to pull. His eyes met mine and he hesitated.

"Can I?"

As if I could say no. I bit my lip and nodded, lifting my hips as he rolled the last of my swimsuit off. He sat on the edge of the bed and removed his board shorts and then came back to me and eased his body onto mine with nothing between us.

I had calmed down, acclimated to our making out, but now I grew jittery again. I wasn't a prude, but I wasn't easy either. I didn't know what Edward wanted, but I had idealized him for far too long to be satisfied with a one night stand. He had settled in between my legs and was starting to go down when I pulled on his ear.

"Hey," I whispered.

He halted, looking questioningly up at me.

"What's it going to be like after this?" I blurted, preparing for the possibility I might not like his answer.

He frowned a little and moved back up so he hovered above me. I reached up and touched his stunningly handsome face, realizing I was already too smitten to really go back.

"What do you want it to be like?" He asked softly.

"I don't know. I like you. Anyway, I asked first… what is this to you?"

"I like you too, Bella. I'd like to see you again."

I tried, unsuccessfully, to subdue the totally ridiculous grin that spread across my face just then. "Okay."

He winked and grinned cheekily. "Okay." He repeated, messing with me, and then made his way back to where he'd been before I'd interrupted.

He kissed my hips and then the insides of my thighs. I took shaky, shallow breaths as I watched him kiss his way all the way in. He looked up at me again, lips curling into a devilish smirk. I bit my own smile back and closed my eyes as he opened me with his fingers and kissed my clit.

After a few seconds of writhing beneath his tongue I dug my hands into his hair, needing to touch him as he licked his way up and down, readying me and pleasuring me in the best way. I felt him slide a couple of fingers inside and work against the rhythm of his mouth.

Rather than pull his pretty hair out, I let go of it as I came, gasping and crying out. Seriously, I hadn't felt like this in quite some time…maybe not ever. It was like he had the owner's manual to... me. All I knew was that I couldn't resist what he did to me; I never had been able to.

He crawled back up my body and positioned himself, ready to slip inside at my word. Anxiously I reached down to feel his cock, and to my relief he was wearing a condom.

"When did you –" I began to murmur, but he licked his way into my open mouth, quieting me with his kiss. He pushed against me but not in me, bringing us closer.

It had always been like this with him, this all-consuming attraction; we were magnets.

I wrapped my legs around him and he pushed swiftly into me, exhaling when he had filled me all the way. We started to make love the way we kissed, and it was making love, intense and slow. It was as if our bodies knew one other, and always had.

My senses were overwhelmed by Edward – his touch, his taste, his scent. His mouth all over me, on my mouth, my ears and my neck. I could have gone on indefinitely, our bodies rocking together, loving the way he thrust so thoroughly, but he pulled out suddenly, pausing. The expression on his face was one of sheer concentration, and almost pain, and I began to sit up.

"What's wrong?" I asked, cupping his cheek. His face, like my hand, was damp with sweat.

He placed the palm of his hand between my breasts, right beneath my collar bone, and gently pushed me back so I was laying flat again.

"Nothing. I didn't want to come yet," he explained, dipping his head down to kiss me. I started to pull him back to me with my arms and my heels but he moved back and put his hands around my hips. He rolled me onto my stomach, spreading my legs before entering me slowly again.

I groaned at the new position; it was so much deeper. He moved my hair to the side and slowly sucked my neck as he worked himself in and out of me and I grasped the pillows in my fists, needing something to hold on to as he moved within me so intently. When he started to go faster and I knew he was close so I pushed back against him, raising my hips up a little bit. He moaned and grabbed my hips, pulling them toward him as he came hard.

We collapsed in a tangle of limbs and sheets for a few moments, panting. I lifted my head, trying to resist the inane urge to giggle. I felt Edward roll off the bed, I assumed to clean himself up. Seconds later his weight settled back onto the bed and his hands glided up and down the planes and curves of my back and bottom.

"That was excellent," he crowed.

I flipped over, laughing, and drew him down so we were lying on our sides, facing each other. I kissed his nose, his eyelids, his cheeks, and finally his lips.

"Totally rad," I agreed.

He ran his fingers through my knotted hair. "You'll stay?"

"Yeah, I'll stay."

He nodded.

"Is this going to happen again?" I asked, playing with a lock of his disheveled hair.

He smirked. "What, tonight?"

I smacked his shoulder softly. "I meant, in general."

"I know what you meant, Bella, and yes I'd like it to happen again. I told you, I like you, a lot. I always have."

Somehow I knew he wasn't just talking about that night and the preceding day.

"Why didn't you try to find me, then?" I asked, remembering the kiss on the beach wall, all those years ago.

He shrugged. "Don't know. I thought it was meant to be that way."

"It was kind of serendipitous." I agreed, snickering.

We lay there awhile, and before long I felt myself being lulled to sleep by Edward's even breathing and the sound of the shore across the street.

"It turned out well," he sighed.

"What did?" I asked, my eyes still closed.

"This day. Today was my birthday."

"Oh. Happy birthday, Edward." I whispered, smiling to myself.