Chapter 5

I grinned up at her as she leaned over me, her hair falling around us and brushing against my shoulder. "Oh, I had a plan. I was going to take you to Port Angeles, wine you and dine you, then drive up to that make-out spot everybody talked about. I was a little obsessed with what was under those plaid skirts you wore."

She covered her mouth in mock disbelief. "Weren't you the dirty boy."

"You have no idea," I replied.

She leaned forward, her lips brushing against my ear. "Given my little fantasy we just reenacted, I'd say I do. So, want to return the favor and tell me one of yours?" Her tongue crept out and flicked against my earlobe, causing my breath to catch as she whispered, "And it was plain white cotton under those skirts. Frequently soaked from thinking about you."

I almost choked. "It's a good thing I had no idea what was on your mind back then, Bella Swan. You would have been in so much trouble. I'm not sure even the threat of that gun your dad carried would have kept me away."

"Really?" she purred in my ear. "Too bad I didn't say something. Now tell me about what you get off too. In detail."

Bella wanted me to talk dirty to her. I could feel the blood rushing south so fast I felt dizzy. I swallowed hard and started talking.

"Ok, I'm at the high school, in homeroom. Only it's lunchtime, and no one's around. I'm sitting in my seat, over by the window. Waiting."

"What are you waiting for?" she breathed.

"This gorgeous girl. She gets me so hard every morning with the way she licks her lips, 'cause all I can think about is them on me, the way it'd feel if she licked me that way. And her ass, so hot I can barely stop myself from grabbing it when she walks by. So when she slips me a note in homeroom, tells me to meet her at lunch, I'm there."

"Sounds like a knockout," Bella whispered.

I traced my fingers against her cheek. "She is. Knocks me out, every time."

She closed her eyes, leaning into my hand against her face, and I felt that weird flutter that was somehow not about sex in my stomach again.

Her eyes opened and I was lost in them for a long moment.

"Then what happens?" she asked, finally.

"The door knobturns and there she is."

Bella bit her lip, her eyes narrowing as she studied me intently for a second, then jumped up, pulling my hand.

"Wait, where are we going?"

She tugged me to the edge of the bed, but stopped me from getting up.

"Wait here," she commanded.

She grabbed my shirt off the floor and disappeared into the bathroom, the door closing with a creak behind her. I waited as directed.

But not for long. She opened the door, looking rumpled and so sexy. I hadn't expected her wearing my shirt to be such a turn-on, as if I needed anything else, but seeing her there, one shoulder almost bare from the too large shirt, sleeves pushed up, a few buttons undone to hint at her cleavage, and legs deliciously revealed, I realized that this was even better than my memories of that plaid skirt.

And her hair. It was wild around her shoulders, and I craved the feel of it again, now that I actually knew how soft it was, how good it felt to run my hands through it, wrap it around my fingers.

Soon. I was going to let her have her way, tease me a little first.

She looked up at me, doe-eyed and shy, hands clasped together. Little vixen, acting innocent and surprised, playing the part. A smile curved her mouth as she took me in, her eyes running over me. She licked her lips.

"Edward," she whispered my name, shy, nervous, but still inviting. "I'm glad you came." I watched as she walked across the room, hips swaying, before she seated herself on the low dresser on the wall beside the bed. My shirt didn't quite reach mid-thigh on her, and my eyes followed her every move as she situated herself demurely, crossing her legs and highlighting the curve of her calf, the arch of her foot, the small toes tipped in the palest pink.

I decided she was too far away. I was off the bed and in front of her before she could even beckon, tracing one finger down the thin cotton of my shirt, feeling the heat of her body beneath. She breathed in, a quick hiss as her porcelain skin flushed.

I loved the way she reacted to my touch.

She was playing hard to get though, reverting to her sophomore self and teasing me with her legs firmly crossed even as she leaned back, displaying her perky breasts to best advantage.

"So, Edward, do you know why I asked you to meet me here?" she asked, her voice sweet.

I leaned closer, inhaling her. "Well, I know why I hope you asked me to meet you."

She giggled just a little as my nose nudged her neck, barely ghosting against the skin. I wrapped my hands around her waist and pulled her towards me.

Her hand went up in protest, a barrier against my chest. "I . . . I was hoping you'd give me my first kiss."

Her first kiss? Okay, not what I'd been expecting. But there was something real in her voice that made me pause. I raised my head, meeting her eyes.

"You'd . . . you've never been kissed?"

She shook her head, a sad smile at her lips. "I was kind of hoping you'd be my first."

And then it really hit me, what she was telling me. Fuck. What I'd missed out on all those years ago. For a brief moment, a litany of could have beens flashed through my head.

But I had her now, in this moment, and I was going to make the most of it.

"Bella? I'd be honored."

I framed her face in my hands, holding her gently as our lips came together. I didn't really remember much about my first kiss. I'd been drunk, and at a party, and it had been the result of some stupid game with a girl whose name I'd barely known then and didn't remember now. And I had no idea what hers had been like. But even though we weren't kids anymore, and this was just some game we were playing, it felt . . . real. Like I'd fallen back through time somehow, with a chance to do the things I wished I'd done.

I'd have probably screwed it up back then, bumped our noses, half-choked her on my tongue, or rushed things too fast. But now . . . now I could do it right. I brushed my lips against hers again and again, the bow of her upper lip, the pout of her lower, the corner bending up in a smile, all feather light, each touch an invitation for more. My thumb stroked against her neck, feeling the strum of her pulse as she ran her hands up my chest, her fingers burying themselves in my hair and pulling me closer in response.

Her plump lower lip was sweet and tantalizing, so I gave it a slow lick, listening to her sharp inhale, the way she opened to me as I angled our faces, allowing myself to explore her mouth. The low buzz that seemed to fill my senses when I touched her was back in full force, wrapping around us, magnifying the languid slide of our lips, the tentative acquaintance of mouths and bodies of new lovers.

We kissed like that, arms tangled but chaste, holding each other close until we were both breathless and shaky. I'd never felt anything quite like it. When we finally parted, I couldn't bring myself to disengage, keeping her close, my forehead resting against hers as she slowly opened her eyes.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"You're welcome," I whispered back.

"So, what happens next?" she asked in hushed tones.

In my fantasies, she'd worn her short plaid skirt. I'd pulled her panties off and fucked her hard on the edge of the desk while she panted my name.

But that felt wrong now and it wasn't what I wanted tonight. I picked her up off the dresser without a word as her legs slid around my waist, and carried her back to the bed. I loved how she looked there, dark hair spread out on the white of the sheets, her cheeks still flushed from my kisses. I slid my fingers in the buttons of my shirt, revealing her body to me slowly. She must have stripped off her underwear in the bathroom, because she was bare beneath, her reality so much more beautiful than her airbrushed photo.

"Edward?" she asked, her hand touching my face. It was a unspoken question, this sudden change, and I didn't know how to explain it to her, the strange twisting desire inside to make this something more than a random fuck, a one night stand.

"Is this . . . okay?" I asked tentatively.

She nodded, her thumb smoothing my lip. "More than," she replied.

I kissed her again, harder than before, and she moaned into my mouth as our tongues tangled. I was on fire, consumed with her, as my mouth found the smooth skin of her neck, leaving small nips and sucks as she arched against me, her legs curling around me and letting me slide closer between them. I could feel her against me, hot and slick. Ready for me.

"Please," she whispered, "Edward, please, I want you."

My hands found her hips, and I slid my fingers down to touch her, softly at first. She trembled beneath me, a soft whispered plea on her lips for more. She was wet and I slid into her easily, entranced by the way her body swallowed my fingers. I needed to be inside her. Now.

I tore myself away, fumbling for my discarded jeans, scrambling for the condom in my wallet. Her hands skimmed over me, caressing my back, pulling me back to her as I held up the foil packet in triumph.

Our mouths met again, more intense, and I needed her closer, urging her to wrap herself around me again as I cupped her breasts, loving the way she writhed against me when I stroked her hard nipples.

Her nails left light scratches as she buried her hands in my hair when I paused for a second to suck on one tight bud, then the other. It felt so good, the sharp little bite of her fingers a counterpoint anchoring me against her soft body.

I was rock hard, almost painfully so, as she managed to slip her hand between us. I hissed at the pleasure of her hand wrapping around me. Her fingers teased the sensitive flesh, her thumb ghosting over the head of my cock and causing me to jerk at her touch like I was still that schoolboy she'd dreamed about.

She let me go, grabbing the condom and ripping open the packet, rolling it on me as our eyes locked. Without looking away, she guided me towards her, and we both exhaled sharply as I slid inside, joining us as her slick heat consumed me. It was heaven, her tight body molded to mine, her fingers back in my hair as I found her mouth, pulling her closer to me as we rocked together.

I couldn't take my eyes off her, and the need in her eyes drove me faster, pushing us both towards the inevitable end. We seemed to be in sync, moving and flexing together. I touched her, wanting to see her fall apart, feel the orgasm rip through her with me buried inside.

She keened my name and I knew I wasn't going to last much longer when I felt her pulse around me, her eyes fluttering shut. I moved faster, shifting her leg up and changing the angle in a way that made her bite her lip and moan again as I came hard, one word on my lips.

"Bella."

She was warm and soft beneath me, her hand cradling my head against her. I knew I needed to move off her before I crushed her, but everything felt so right at that moment, I just wanted to stay exactly where I was.

I heaved myself off of her with a reluctant sigh, making a quick trip to the bathroom to toss the condom before coming back, ready to curl against her. I found her sitting on the edge of the bed, waiting, wrapped loosely in a sheet and staring at the mottled brown of the industrial carpet. A slight smile gave me little indication of where she was at before she disappeared into the bathroom, the door closing firmly behind her.

I collapsed back on the bed, the hazy euphoric exhaustion of really great sex washing over me as I pulled the tangled sheets up. They were scratchy and harsh against my bare skin, and I frowned as I studied the room. Even the dim lighting of the lamp didn't hide what a dump the place was, now that I was looking at something besides Bella. I twisted against the lumpy mattress, trying to find a comfortable spot before I gave up. I wasn't ready to end our night, but I didn't want to stay here. It wouldn't take that long to drive back and then we could crash at my place. Soft flannel sheets, a nice big bed, and Bella naked against me.

Perfect.

I reached for my pants and pulled my phone out of my pocket. It was nearly four in the morning. We could be home before dawn, sleep in, then I could make her pancakes for lunch, one of the few things I could actually cook. Jasper would probably give me a hard time about it, Emmett too, if he'd emerged from his love-fest with Rose, but I didn't really care. I got it now, what had happened to both of them. And I wanted it too.

I tucked my hands behind my head and waited for her to come out. What did women do in the bathroom for so long? I ventured over to the door, tapping softly.

"Hey, Bella? What do you think about getting out of here?"

I waited for a reply, wondering if she'd heard me, when she finally spoke, her voice muffled through the door. "Um, sure, Edward." The squeak of the tap twisting and water splashing in the sink sounded, making it even harder to hear her as she rushed on. "No reason to stay now, right? So why don't you go check out? I'll meet you out at the car."

"You sure?" I asked, leaning against the door frame, wishing I could see her face. "I was thinking-"

"I'll meet you out there." The faucet creaked up to full blast and the running water dismissed me before I could finish.

I found my boxers and jeans crumpled beside the bed and slid them on, then located my shirt that she'd discarded on her pillow. Sliding into my shoes, I called out, "I'm taking the key back to the desk now."

She didn't respond, but the water was still running.

I whistled to myself as I walked the few steps to the office, surreptitiously sniffing my shirt to see if it smelled like her now. Twirling the plastic keychain around my finger, I grinned at the number etched on it. Lucky number 7. Lucky indeed.

The same old man who'd checked us in was dozing behind the counter as I opened the door to the office, tapping the bell softly with no effect.

"Sir?" No response.

"Checking out," I announced a little louder, then hit the bell harder. The last ring seemed to rouse him, and he straightened abruptly, his eyes blearily focusing on me.

"Have a good time?" He yawned as he stood up, grabbing the key. I gave a short nod, annoyed at the leering glance he was tossing towards the parking lot, where Bella was now unlocking her car door. "That one's a looker, alright. Bet you did have a real good time." He leaned forward, smirking. "Walls are kinda thin here, if you know what I mean."

I stepped back, trying to resist the urge to hit him. "Hey, buddy, watch it. That's my girlfriend." I was surprised when the words flew out of mouth. She wasn't, not yet, but as I stood there I realized that I really hoped she would be.

He shrugged. "Don't matter to me."

I turned on my heel and stalked out into the cool night, still inky black, annoyed at his insinuations and assumptions about what has happened here between us tonight. What the fuck did he know? I wrenched open the door to the passenger seat and slid in to the car, where Bella sat, fiddling with the dial to the radio.

"You alright?" Bella asked, catching my scowl. She smoothly put her car into reverse and pulled out of the gravel lot, the still lit neon of the diner and motel glowing as we pulled onto the road.

"Guy inside was a dick," I huffed.

"Oh," she replied. "Well, it's a crap job." She reached forward and flipped the radio dial away from some twangy love song before I could say another word. She landed on the late night shift for the college AM station, a pair of bored sophomores that were yakking about who knows what in some sort of talk show format.

I let out a breath, trying to get back that feeling I'd had before I walked into the office. "So, Bella-"

She shot me a look I couldn't decipher and cut me off. "I'm sorry, Edward, do you mind if we listen to this while I drive back? I really like this show. These guys are funny."

Seriously? The pair sounded worse than a couple of braying donkeys to me, but I shrugged.

"Um, sure."

The rest of the ride back to Hanover was quiet, the noise of the radio filling the car. She looked tired as she hunched over the wheel, and I wondered if suggesting we leave had been the wrong move. Fuck the crap sheets, maybe we should have just stayed there, come back later in the morning. I could have still made her pancakes.

She stayed focused on her driving, eyes glued to the road even after I offered to take over. As we got closer to the town limits, the silence between us seemed to grow more tangible, piling up like some kind of invisible wall the longer we went without words.

I felt my anxiety about asking her to stay with me increasing. Had I imagined what happened back there? Maybe she hadn't been that into it after all.

No, she'd definitely been into what we were doing. Maybe it was just me that she wasn't that into. Had she just been looking to scratch an itch? Get an old crush out of her system? But that kiss . . . didn't a kiss like that mean something?

I cleared my throat. "My place is off the second left up ahead."

She nodded, still silent, and I knew I had to say something, but my mind was suddenly blank as she navigate the turn on to my street.

I pointed to the small house with my car, Jasper's, and a third vehicle I didn't recognize that must be Alice's sitting in the driveway. "Um . . . that's me."

She nodded again, and within seconds we were sitting there in the driveway, the car idling as we both stared straight ahead. This was it. This was where I was supposed to make the big move. The feeling in my stomach had morphed into a hard knot of uncertainty.

"So, here we are," I managed.

"Here we are," she echoed, glancing over at me, then looking away quickly. "Oh, wait a second." She fumbled in the side pocket of the car and pulled out a pen, then picked up the magazine I'd dropped in the floorboard the night before. She flipped it open, uncapped the pen with her mouth, then began to write quickly.

"You wanted an autograph, right?" she said, when she was done, handing me the Playboy. "There you go." She stifled a yawn that looked kind of fake from where I was sitting. "Well, I guess I'd better get home, see if Rose and Em have wrecked the place again. I'm pretty beat."

I rolled up the magazine and curled my hand into a fist around it, not wanting to look at it. This all felt wrong, and not the way I'd wanted to end tonight, but I couldn't figure out how to make it right with her practically booting me out of the car. She was just sitting there, staring straight ahead again. The car was still idling, not even in park, like she was ready to gun it if I'd just get out.

So I opened the car door slowly. "Thanks, Bella. Listen, tonight was-"

"A great trip down memory lane, wasn't it?" she finished, her tight smile not quite reaching her eyes. "I'll see you around, Edward. Good night."

I shut the door, watching as she started to back out of the drive and pull away. Fuck. What had just happened there? What was wrong with me? Why hadn't I said something to her? At least tried to make her listen to me? I trudged towards the glow of the porch light, watching as her tail lights headed down the street.

The magazine was heavy in my hand, and part of me just wanted to toss in the trash. To a million other guys who were going to open it, she'd be just another piece of ass to stare at, fantasize about, jerk off to. But to me, she was so much more than that now. I'd had the real thing, and it beat every fantasy I'd ever had of her.

I flipped the magazine open as I stood under the porch light, and saw that she'd done more than just sign her name. The words jumped off the page at me.

Edward,

If you'd asked me in high school, I would have said yes.

Bella

Underneath was her number, ten digits that made my breath catch. I dug in my pocket, hastily hitting the keys as I watched her car slow at the stop sign at the end of the street, and then hit send.

The phone rang once, twice, three times as I watched her silhouette, unmoving, before her head ducked down and I saw her raise something to her ear.

"What about now?" I asked without preamble.

"What do you mean?" Her voice was soft.

"What if I asked you now? Would you still say yes?" I asked.

There was such a long pause that I was almost afraid she'd disconnected.

"And what would we be doing?" she asked tentatively.

I started to walk down the street towards the car. "Well, for starters, you come back and park that thing so we can go inside. And then we sleep, because the sexiest woman I know already had her way with me tonight and wore me out. And then when we wake up, pancakes."

"With syrup?" she asked.

"I don't make any other kind," I responded, as I leaned down and tapped on her window.

She rolled down the glass, as I dropped the phone and looked her in the eyes. "Bella Swan? Will you go out with me?"

Her face lit up as she smiled and pulled me in until her lips brushed mine. "I thought you'd never ask."

The End

A/N: Thanks to each and every one of you who have put this story on alert, added it to your list of favorites, and especially those who have taken the time to review. I've appreciated each and every comment, and I hope you've enjoyed the story. Next week I'll be moving on to finish up another story called So Be It – the first two chapters have been up for a while and you can find them under my profile if you're interested. Thanks again!