Happy Belated Valentine's Day! And for those of you who didn't celebrate, Happy Monday!

Warning: Chapter Rating NC-17 for sexual content near the end of the chapter

Chapter 7 "Mount Doom"

Edward put his book down on the coffee table, took off his glasses, and scrubbed his eyes with his fist. Then he stretched out on his couch and let out a long sigh.

He'd been home for a little over an hour and he missed Bella with such an intensity that was too much to put into words.

Between the drive back to the city and settling back in, it had been almost five hours since he last saw and spoke to Bella. It was a little longer since he last touched her.

His mind wandered to their early morning activities. He wasn't sure how long they were asleep, but it was still dark and the house was quiet. However, their bodies seemed to have other ideas. He was caught in a state of dream-like awareness of Bella's body in his arms and by the time he realized that he wasn't dreaming, Bella was topless and they each had one hand in the other person's underwear.

He couldn't help smiling at the memory of waking up to Bella moaning against his mouth while his fingers explored her. It was the hottest moment of his life.

He hoped that there would be another opportunity again, but he didn't dare expect it. Even though Bella was very willing, Edward wanted to do things right. They made plans to go on a date Friday. He and Bella had been friends for so long that he thought this date would be his chance to show her he could be more.

He didn't want her thinking that he only wanted sex with her.

Even though he really wanted to, he hoped they'd get to that point eventually.

He checked his watch and it was just past noon. They all left his parents' house early in the morning. Even though Monday was a holiday, everyone decided to go home and regroup before the start of the work week.

It was a good idea in theory, but now it just made Edward feel like more time until Friday came along.

Edward put his glasses back on and sat up on his couch. He wondered if it would be too soon to call Bella. He shook his head.

She'll think you're desperate.

Edward made a mental list of things he should do in order to take his mind off Bella: check emails for anything work related, start laundry, and go grocery shopping. Yes, these were all things he knew he should be doing. Instead, he decided he should play some WoW.

He was about to get up, when his phone rattled across the top of the coffee table. He picked it up and when he checked the caller ID, he smiled.

Edward pushed the talk button. "I was just thinking about you."

"Really?" Bella giggled. "I was thinking about you, too."

His eyebrow arched. "Good things, I hope."

She was quiet for a second before she said, "Define good."

He couldn't help smiling, but glad she couldn't see. "I was thinking about this morning. That was good."

There was another hesitation again before she said, "Very good." Then she said in a rush, "What are you doing today?"

His eyebrows shot up. "I was reading before you called and I was going to mess around on the computer." A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "What about you?"

She let out a long sigh. "Nothing much. I was thinking of getting lunch."

He sat at the edge of his seat. "What did you have in mind?"

"Greek. Gyros?" He could her a nervous tone in her voice.

"That sounds good." He hesitated before he asked, "Would you like to have lunch together?"

"That would be really nice. Are you sure you're not busy?"

"No. Not at all."

She hesitated before she said, "You're sure?"

"Positive."

"Okay." Then she hung up.

Edward held the phone away from him and saw that the call ended. Did she hang up? Or did the line get disconnected? He was about to call her back when there was a knock on the door.

If it was a solicitor, he wouldn't answer it. He looked through the peep hole and his eyes widened. He took no time to open the door.

Bella stood in front of him with a take-out bag. "I know this looks really sketchy, but I bought lunch first and I realized afterward that I probably should've called you first instead." She gave him a sheepish looks. "I was hoping we could eat lunch together."

Edward gave her a warm smile. "I think that's a great idea." He stepped away from the door to let her in. "It's not sketchy either."

They stood in the entryway for a minute. Bella shifted from one foot to the other while Edward just stared at her.

She felt her face grow warm. "So..."

"Oh. Sorry." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Kitchen?"

She nodded and then followed him.

Bella walked to the kitchen island and placed the food on the breakfast bar at the end. Then she grabbed some forks and napkins from a drawer.

Edward went to the fridge. "What would you like to drink?"

"Whatever you're having is fine."

He reached in and pulled out two bottles of water. He set the bottles down and took the stool next to her.

They unpacked the food and the aroma of the gyros wafted in the air.

"Thank you for picking up lunch." He leaned toward her and kissed her cheek. "It looks really good."

She smiled. "I got the idea from Alice."

Edward was chewing, but looked at her with a mild furrow on his forehead.

"It turns out she and Jasper went out for lunch today. She mentioned that they were going out for Greek and it sounded good to me too." She picked at her salad. "She invited me to join them, but...I wanted to see you."

He rested his hand on her knee and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I'm glad you did." He hesitated before he said, "I was going to call you and ask what you were doing today, but I thought maybe that would be a bit desperate."

She let out a small laugh. "No. Not as desperate as Emmett."

He groaned. "What did he do now?"

"I don't know if I should say." She licked off some tahini sauce on her thumb. "He made me Fight Club swear."

A mild frown spread across his lips. "Oh, I see."

Bella peeked at him and saw he was picking at his salad now when just a minute ago, he was eating with gusto. She bumped shoulders with him. "Of course I'll tell you, but you have to promise not to say anything."

He looked at her with subdued eagerness. "Okay."

"Well, you know how Em was bugging Rosalie for her number?"

He let out a small laugh. "I still can't believe he walked in on her while she was in the shower."

"Yeah." She rolled her eyes. "I don't know how much of that was an accident."

He shook his head. "So, why did he swear you into secrecy?"

She looked over her shoulder. She knew Emmett wasn't here, but she still couldn't help it. "Well, he's planning on having car trouble and asking Rosalie if she could help him out. While she's checking his car, he wants to surprise her with tickets to a monster jam rally."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "What makes him think that she'd like something like that?"

She lowered her head. "I may have mentioned to him that I heard Rosalie talking about going."

He laughed. Then he said, "I hope you told Emmett he owes you."

She nodded. "Hell yeah." She held up two fingers. "He owes me twice now."

"Twice?" He took a bite of his gyro.

"For Rosalie and the other thing."

"What other thing?"

She gave him a pointed look. "You know."

His brow furrowed. "What?"

She let out a short sigh. "The Angry Dragon."

"Oh, yeah." He shook his head. "So, what are you going to make Emmett do?"

Her smile was gleeful. "Well, I don't have to pay for a drink. Ever."

His eyebrows shot up. "Really? He agreed to that?"

"Yeah." She took a sip of water. "He wanted to be even on that pretty badly."

"Well, he should." Since he finished his meal, Edward pushed aside the empty container. "What else did he agree to do?"

Bella swallowed the last of her meal. "His box seats for five home games."

His eyes widened. "Shit. You really got him by the short hairs. He must've really been desperate to let you have that." Emmett was fierce in his devotion to the Mariners. The fact that he was willing to give up five home games showed just how much he wanted things to work with Rosalie.

Bella had a smug expression.

"But, will Rosalie even go out with him? She didn't seem too impressed with Emmett. He's giving up a lot if she doesn't even like him a little."

"Oh, she likes him."

"Really?"

She pushed away her to-go container. "Yeah. She doesn't want to seem too easy."

His brow creased. "But what about Lucy? I thought Em really liked her."

Bella shifted on the stool. "Yeah, about that..."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "What?"

Bella ducked her head.

"Bella?"

She mumbled. "Fight Club."

He rolled his eyes to the ceiling. "You know you're just going to tell me, so just tell me."

She bit her lower lip, looking like she was trying to hold back what she was going to say. After another second, she blurted out, "Lucy and Maria are lovers."

His eyebrows disappeared into his hairline. "What?"

"You have to promise not to say anything. Not even to Alice." Her expression became serious. "Fight Club."

He had to reign in his amusement over the situation. She was so serious, but it was also endearing how serious she was about it. She and Emmett were always loyal to each other and then when they started doing these Fight Club pacts, they bonded even more. He couldn't help being a little jealous at their closeness.

This was the first time Bella was swearing him in to a Fight Club secret. His heart soared and he hoped this wouldn't be the last time.

With a small smile, he promised. "Fight Club."

She let out a sigh of relief. Then launched into the story of how Lucy called Emmett to tell him that they couldn't see each other anymore and how she met someone else.

"How did he find out about Maria?" he asked.

Her eyes lit up. "From Jasper."

He turned his body so it was facing her. "Jasper?"

She nodded. "Remember when you told me that Lucy and Maria knew each other?"

He nodded.

"Well, Maria told Jasper that she met someone else, but she was more forthcoming and told Jasper about Lucy."

His lips formed an O.

"Jasper was cool about it because they hadn't been dating for very long. Then he called Emmett to talk about it and Emmett flipped."

"I bet he did." His brow furrowed in concern. "Is he okay?"

"Yeah, he's okay about it." She let out a small laugh. "Actually, I think he's more than okay. I think he'd tell people about it if Jasper hadn't told him not to say anything."

"Why?"

She hesitated before she said, "Maria and Lucy aren't ready to make their relationship public."

He shook his head. "Well, I'm glad Em met Rosalie. I just hope he knows what he's doing."

"He'll be fine." It was a moment before she said, "I stopped temping at Ben's store."

Edward had gotten up to throw away their trash, but at Bella's comment he stopped mid-way to the trash bin. "You stopped? Why?"

"I just...Even though we're friends, I didn't want Angela to worry about anything. I mean, of course, nothing will happen and she trusts me, but I felt kind of bad about the whole thing."

His brow creased. He threw away their trash and then he walked back to her. "What do you feel bad about?"

She thought for a moment, before she said, "I didn't want to make Ben uncomfortable. I know...he liked me a little and things have changed since then, but I didn't..."

He took one of her hands in his. "I get it."

She gave him a hesitant smile.

There was a shift in their relationship and they both felt it, but neither felt bold enough to bring up the state of it. It was all so new and scary at the same time.

Bella's eyes wandered and took in the kitchen. "It's been a long time since I've been here. It's been a month. I think the last time I was here was—"

"The dinner party."

Bella didn't notice the change in his tone or that he was looking at her so closely. She was looking at a Van Gogh print of Cafe Terrace that was mounted on the wall. "It was a really nice party too. God, the food was amazing. The Osso Bucco was so tender. Then there was the Berry Trifle. Tanya is such a good cook. I'd marry her if--" She caught herself and mentally kicked herself.

She looked at Edward who wore a mild expression of amusement. She said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to--"

"It's okay." He smiled. "She is a good cook."

Besides being a good cook, Tanya was also fluent in six languages. She worked as a freelance translator for various international businesses and even did some work for the United Nations. When she wasn't translating, she taught a Spanish class at the local parks and recreation program.

He didn't seem bothered by her slip up, but he now had this expression on his face that she couldn't read. She suddenly felt self conscious about being at Edward's place. Tanya had been practically living with him at the time.

"What happened with Tanya?" she asked.

The expression he had disappeared and was replaced with surprise. "What do you mean?"

Her brow furrowed. "I mean, she's beautiful, smart, and perfect. I don't understand why...why you're not with her."

He took her hand and brushed his finger across her knuckles. "I'm not in love with her."

When he looked at her through those square dark rimmed glasses with his eyes so intense, Bella almost lost herself.

Almost.

She shook her head and willed her eyes to look elsewhere. They landed on their joined hands. "But, you were with her for so long and how could you...you said that you love me, but...I don't see how you could when...you had Tanya."

He let out a long sigh. After a moment, he said, "Tanya and I...she's special and I'll always consider her a good friend, but...I couldn't be what she wanted."

She chanced to look at him. "What did she want?"

He studied her face for a moment before he said, "She wanted all of me and I couldn't..."

She turned to face him. "But, you guys were together for so long. What happened?"

He continued to hold Bella's hand, but his other hand tugged at his hair. "I thought I was okay with how things were. We got along fine. But...I never felt...the spark with her."

Bella remembered the night they watched Iron Man and how the electricity she felt being next to Edward was almost unbearable, but she wouldn't give it up for anything. She couldn't imagine being without it, without him now.

Edward continued, "I know I sound like the biggest douche. Like I strung along Tanya for a long time, but I told her that even though I loved her, I wasn't in love with her. And she was okay with that." He tugged at his hair again, trying to find the courage to say the next part. "I was okay with it too for a while until...I realized that I couldn't live like that anymore. So, we talked and decided that we should just be friends."

She waited for him to continue, but he didn't. After half a minute, she said, "But I don't understand. What changed?"

He let go of his hair and squeezed her hand. "It was the night of the dinner party."

She thought back to that night and couldn't think of anything out of the ordinary. "I don't remember anything out of place that night."

Edward let out a small laugh. "Of course you wouldn't, Mary. You really are clueless sometimes, you know."

She let go of his hand and gave him a gentle shove. "Well, maybe you should clue me in then."

He took her hand again and was pleased that she let him. "You had a date. Felix."

Her eyes widened in recognition. "Oh, I totally forgot about that."

He shook his head.

"That bothered you?"

"I'd be lying if I said it didn't, but not more than any other times when you were with some guy."

Bella felt her heart flutter at the admission. "Then what? Why was Felix different?"

"He wasn't." He looked at her with his brow furrowed. "You really don't remember what happened that night?"

The dinner was a month ago, so the events of the evening weren't as clear. She remembered they had some wine and apples with baked brie before dinner. Then there was the amazing Osso Bucco and the parmesan risotto.

Edward's voice cut into her thoughts. "You only remember the food, huh?"

"What? It was good."

He laughed. "You don't remember anything else?"

"Well, I also remember I almost missed dessert because I spilled wine on my dress."

He moved to the edge of his stool toward her. "Do you remember what happened after that?"

She thought for a second and then said, "Yeah, Tanya had me change and took my dress to have it dry cleaned for me. That was really nice. She didn't have to do it. It was my fault--"

"Wait, do you remember what happened when you had to change?"

She let out a short sigh, frustrated about having to remember such a minute details. "Um, I went to your room and grabbed a shirt. Tanya was trying to get the stain out and when it wasn't coming out, she said that she'd get it dry cleaned."

He gave her an expectant look like she was supposed to remember more.

After another minute, she said, "Oh, you let me borrow some clothes to wear home."

He let out a small laugh. "I put you in the oldest shirt I had and the baggiest pair of sweats I could find."

Her brow furrowed. "Uh, okay. Why?"

Edward picked up a strand of her hair and tugged at the end. "Because I didn't want Felix getting any ideas about you and him."

"What?" They were facing each other, but Bella moved closer, so her knees came in between his legs. "That doesn't make any sense."

He let out a sigh. "Of course you wouldn't remember," he muttered. Then he said, "While Tanya was in the kitchen trying to find some club soda for the stain, I went in to check on you."

There was heat behind the look he gave her and Bella swallowed, but waited for him to continue.

"You were wearing one of my buttoned down shirts." The image of Bella's lace panties peeking from underneath the hem of his shirt was burned in his mind. His voice was uneven. "Seeing you in my room like that...." He reached for her face. "You were going home with someone else and I realized then that I wanted things to be different between us so badly."

She barely managed to say. "Edward."

"I watched you leave other times with someone else before and I always told myself that when I'd get a chance, I'd tell you how I felt. And every time I did, I chickened out. I'd tell myself that our friendship was way too important to risk. But that night, seeing you that way, and realizing that someone else might see you that way...I couldn't pretend anymore." He took her hand in his. "After everyone left, I told Tanya that I couldn't...that we...I told her that I thought we should just be friends."

She stared at him in disbelief that Tanya seemed so understanding about it all. "Just like that? And she was okay with everything?"

He shook his head. "She was hurt and said that maybe we should just take a break, but I told her that it wasn't fair to me or her." He licked his lips before he said, "At first, I wanted to call you and tell you how I felt, but Tanya was pretty broken up, so I didn't want to hurt her anymore than I already did."

He ran his fingers through his hair. "Then after a while, I thought I should wait until the time was right. But as I waited, I started to have doubts. I didn't think you'd ever see me as more than just a friend."

A small smile played on his lips. "Then Tanya started bugging me to tell you."

Bella's eyebrows shot up. "She did?"

He nodded. "She's really been supportive and she kept telling me that I better do something about my feelings or else she'd kick my ass for breaking up with her and having nothing to show for it."

Bella laughed.

"Then Alice told me about this weekend." He took in a steady breath. "I thought maybe I should at least ask you out on a date. I hadn't planned to confess..." He rubbed the back of his neck. "But I just couldn't...I was tired of holding back my feelings for you."

She slid off the stool and stood in between Edward's legs. "I'm glad you didn't." She gave him a soft kiss. "I'm sorry I was so oblivious."

He chuckled and returned her kiss. "You're also really hard to read sometimes."

"Well, I'll try not to be." She kissed him again.

He returned her kiss again. He was about to say something, but Bella nipped at his lower lip and his thoughts fled his brain. His hands reached around her waist and drew her closer to him. Bella wrapped her arms around his neck and their kiss deepened.

This is what Edward had been missing in his life. Bella was his friend and he had always wondered what it would be like if they were more. It was nothing like he imagined. It was so much better. They already knew each other so well and he always enjoyed being around her. He thought he could live with just that, but now, experiencing the physical aspect of their growing intimacy, Edward knew that he could never go back to being just friends. He wanted all of it.

He broke their kiss when he felt it getting heated. He rested his forehead and said, "Friday seems so far away. I wish we could go on our date sooner."

She smiled. "Anxious to take me out?"

He nodded. "I just...I don't want you to think that I...I want to do this right."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "What's the right way?"

He kissed the apple of her cheek. "Taking you out on dates. Showing you that I love spending time with you. Treating you the way you should be treated." He kissed the corner of her mouth. "I don't want to rush into anything too soon because...you're important to me."

"But, you..." She felt her cheeks growing warm, but fought it off. She lowered her eyes, but then forced herself to look up at him. "I'm okay if we rushed into something."

He rested his forehead against hers. "Bella--"

"Edward." She reached up and tangled her fingers into his hair. "I love you."

His head shot up at the words. "You...you don't have to say--"

"I mean it." Her fingers trailed down to brush his cheek. "I know most times I'm slow, but I'm sure about this. I'm yours, Edward." She gave him a shy look. "If you'll have me."

He let out a shuddered breath. Then he kissed her forehead and said, "Let's go to the movies."

Bella's heart fell at her feet. "What?"

He stood up and put some distance between them. "We have to get out of here."

"You want to leave?" She didn't like that her voice wavered.

"I don't want to leave, but if we stay any longer, I don't think I can-" He tugged at the section of hair at the nape of his neck. "When we're telling our children about how we started dating, I don't want to tell them we couldn't even make it to our first date because I couldn't keep my hands off you."

She couldn't help grinning. "You know there's a bunch of things I could say about what you just said, but all I can think about is how sweet it was and how much I'd like to--"

"Woman, don't you dare finish that sentence." He gave her a stern look which made him look even more adorable. "I'm going to get the paper to look up show times. And we're watching something with guns and fighting. Lots of swearing too." He turned on his heel and left the kitchen.

Bella couldn't help laughing and followed him out. She found him in the living room, scanning the paper.

She said, "You know how hot it is that you take charge like this. Especially with those glasses. I could just--"

"If we leave now, we can catch that animated movie. It'll be good and wholesome."

She laughed again. "Whatever you want is fine with me." He was still scanning the paper. She couldn't help messing with him though. "But you know how hard it is for me, being with you...in the dark."

"Bella," he warned.

She held up her hands. "Fine. Can I at least freshen up before we leave?"

He let out a sigh of relief. "Yes. Go ahead."

She disappeared into the hall toward the bathroom.

Edward took his glasses off and tilted his head back. Then he pinched the bridge of his nose. She was right. It would be difficult being in the dark with her and not touching her. He just wanted to do this one thing. A simple date. That's all. Why was it becoming so difficult?

Oh, right. Because Bella decided that she wanted to jump his bones like ten minutes ago.

The realization made him snap his head forward. Was that really such a bad thing?

Focus, Edward.

He always imagined that they would date for a while before they'd cross that line. He was prepared for some second and third base action for a while, so the fact that Bella was ready to slide into home was a startling realization. He thought it would take her a while to adjust to the change in their relationship.

But apparently not.

The girl could be so dense sometimes, but when she finally got a clue it was like in Return of the King when the ring gets thrown into Mount Doom and the Eye falls, everyone celebrates and cries at the same time because everything is right with the world, but it came at a price.

Edward stopped his pacing and shook his head. He decided to compromise. If they could just make it through the movie, he would let whatever happened afterwards, happen.

He scanned the show times for a movie with the shortest running time and noticed that Bella had not returned yet.

"Bella?" No answer.

He walked down the hall toward the bathroom to check on her. When he found the door wide open and the bathroom empty, he called out again, "Bella?"

"In here."

He followed the sound of her voice to his room. He wondered what she could be doing in his room and the realization hit him a second too late. If he had realized it sooner, Edward would not have gone to his room.

He wasn't going anywhere now.

Mount Doom was crumbling around him and all he could do was celebrate.

Bella was standing in his room, examining a print of Klimt's The Kiss. When she heard Edward's footsteps stop at the door, she said, "This is one of my favorites."

His voice was rough. "I know."

His eyes took in the sight before him. Bella in one of his buttoned down shirts. It was just like the night of the dinner party. His breath was unsteady. "What..."

She turned to look at him. "I thought we could go to a movie another time."

He gulped when she moved toward him.

"I really think it's sweet that you want to go on a date first, but...we're here now." She stood in front of him. "Wouldn't you rather be here...alone...with me?"

"Bella," he said, hating that his voice wavered. He tried to remain focused and was going to tell Bella they should talk about this more, but her determined expression told him that she wasn't interested in talking. She placed a hand on his chest and the other became entangled with the hair at the nape of his neck. His hands lifted of their own accord and gripped her hips with a slight tremble. He felt his resolve slipping. In one last desperate plea, he said, "The children." He let out an unsteady breath. "Think of the children, Bella."

The hand that was threaded at the nape of his neck gave a gentle tug and a low grumble sounded in his chest and he complied by tilting his head to the side. She pressed her mouth on the base of his neck and was pleased to hear his breath catch. Her hand closed around a fistful of hair as she pulled him down to her. Her lips brushed against his ear when she said, "We could tell them that we had Greek food for lunch on our first date."

"But that doesn't--" Edward hadn't noticed the hand Bella rested on his chest had made a trail across his shoulder and then down his arm. He also didn't notice the casual way she guided his arm to wrap around him. What he did notice, however, was that Bella wasn't wearing underwear. "Uh, so...no lace panties this time? You're trying to kill me, aren't you?"

"No, of course not." She peppered the underside of his chin and the line of his jaw with kisses. "I just thought no underwear would be more convincing than the lace panties."

He kissed the base of her throat and then pushed aside the collar of his shirt to lay kisses on her shoulder. He spoke against her skin. "And what if it didn't?"

She covered her mouth over his and touched the tip of her tongue on his lower lip. Edward mirrored the action and soon the kiss deepened. She reached down and undid the button of his jeans and then unzipped his pants. Her hand slid down into his boxers and squeezed his hardened length.

Edward moaned into her mouth and she took his tongue into hers and sucked on it. He bucked his hips in response. He broke the kiss. "Jesus Christ, Bella."

"I take that as a yes, we're staying?" She let go of him and walked backward, leading him to the bed.

Edward followed, taking off his shirt in the process. "We are going on a date." Not wanting to mess with the buttons of the shirt Bella was wearing, he pulled the shirt above her head and threw it over his shoulder. "I don't know when, but we will."

He lowered Bella onto the bed and then covered one of her breasts with his mouth. Her back arched at the sensation and her breath became uneven. "Okay."

"God, you're beautiful." He kissed her and cupped her breast. Then he trailed kisses down her neck, between her breasts, and down to her navel.

"Edward," she moaned. He was leaving open mouth kisses on her hips and now on the inside of her thighs. She didn't know how much she could take and when his tongue swiped her clit, she knew she wouldn't last much longer.

She had fully intended on letting Edward take her on a date, but when she saw the open door to his room, she knew what she had to do. She wanted to replay that moment from the dinner party and let him have the ending that he wanted.

Once she had changed into one of his shirts, she wasn't sure how she was going to lure him into his room without him being suspicious. He seemed so intent on going out. Fortunately, he seemed distracted enough to come to his room without hesitation.

The expression on his face when he saw her was worth the effort and she would remember it for the rest of her life. It started off as confusion, surprise, and then amazement. It was like he couldn't believe that she was in his room with hardly any clothes, waiting for him.

It took every ounce of her willpower not to run to him and wrap her legs around him.

Pretending to be interested in the Klimt print was difficult when she felt his eyes raking over her body. She wanted to be under him while he looked at her that way.

Her breath came in short breaths and she moaned when she felt his tongue at her entrance. Bella had never experienced anything like this before. No one had ever savored her like this. With each lick and suck, Bella's body responded on its own accord. Her hands fisted the comforter above her head and her thighs brushed against the rough stubble forming on Edward's cheeks.

When his tongue found its way on her clit again and he began making soft circles on it, Bella's hands let go of the blanket and shot into Edward's hair, holding his head in place. With a few more passes with his tongue, Bella felt herself come undone.

"Oh God, Edward."

He kissed the sensitive bundle of nerves which caused her to let out a strangled cry.

He slipped the rest of his clothes off and settled himself between her thighs. He kissed her lightly on the lips and said, "Bella, I need to be inside of you."

"Yes, please." Her voice came out in a sigh.

Edward rubbed the tip of himself on her. "Do we need protection?"

She shook her head. "I'm covered."

"Are you sure?" He kissed her again. "I could--"

She covered her mouth over his and deepened the kiss. Edward rubbed the tip of himself over her clit with more friction. They both moaned at the sensation.

Bella broke the kiss and moaned against his lips. "I'm going to--You're going to--"

Edward lowered his head and swiped her nipple with his tongue.

Bella's back arched while her orgasm rolled through her in waves. Her hips spread further which caused Edward to slip inside of her in one fluid motion.

He steadied himself by holding on to one of her hips. His breathing was ragged and he held still for a moment.

"Edward?"

"Just give me a minute." He pressed his lips on hers and then continued to press soft kisses on the side of her neck. "So good."

She mirrored kisses on his neck and ran her hands up and down his sides. After a moment of slow kisses and rubbing, Edward moved his hips. They both let out sharp breaths.

"Is this okay?" he asked, his voice strained.

She nodded. "You feel so good."

He moved his hips again and groaned at Bella's response to having him inside of her. The sounds she made and the way she moved with him, it was everything he wanted and nothing like he ever experienced before. He couldn't believe how perfect they fit. He moved his hips a little faster and soon they had a rhythm of their hips meeting each other.

She hitched a leg over his hip and he almost lost it. He slowed down.

"What's the matter?" she asked.

"Just..." He kissed her and then flipped them, so that she was on top of him.

Bella was momentarily stunned by the change in position. He did it with such ease and stayed inside her the whole time.

"I hope this is okay," he said.

She smiled down at him and rocked her hips. "It's more than okay."

He reached up and cupped her face. "Just like this. I could watch you just like this all day."

She moved her hips again. "Okay." She kissed him.

Bella straddled his lap with her hands reaching back onto his thighs which helped to reach the spot deep inside. Soon, her movements became frantic.

"Edward, I'm so close."

He reached between her thighs and rubbed his thumb over her clit while she moved above him. "Bella, you're so beautiful."

She felt herself shatter and she let out a low moan.

Edward sat up and placed a hand behind her head while he lowered her onto her back. He lifted her knees and began pumping inside of her.

"Edward, it's too much." But she raised her hips to meet each of his thrusts.

After a few more thrusts, Edward threw his head back and groaned. He muttered, "Fuck."

His hips slowed and he trembled as the last of his orgasm rippled through his body. Then he collapsed on top of Bella.

She wrapped herself around him.

"Shit, sorry. I'm probably really heavy."

"No, don't go yet."

Their chests were pressed together, heaving. Arms and legs were tangled. Edward's face was buried in her neck and Bella's nose was nuzzled into the nape of his neck.

When their breathing evened out, Edward said, "Bella?"

"Hmm?"

"This is the best Valentine's Day ever."

She giggled. "Valentine's Day is over."

He kissed her. "I think it's just getting started."

She laughed again, but it soon turned into a groan when she felt him moving inside of her again.

THE END

Author's Note:

Special thanks to my betas for this story. mrskatycullen went above the call of duty on this one. She was stuck in another country with limited internet and an old computer. Thank you so much! sherylaf~It was snowing like crazy in her area so she was stuck inside, but she was also really sick. Thank you for your awesome beta comments even though you were hacking up a lung the whole time.

Thank you also to JAG at Random Acts of Rob for including this story in your Valetine's Day post. If you need a Rob fix, GO THERE. But it is an 18 and over site, so adults only.

Thank you to everyone who reviewed and rec'd this story. I know I was late with this final chapter, but I wanted to make sure it was shiny for you guys. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it. :)

A couple of FAQs:

• Are you planning on a sequel for this story?

No. This was originally supposed to be a Valentine's Day one-shot. Obviously, it didn't happen that way and the fact that it became a novella was more than I had planned initially.

• Are you going to write anymore stories?

That is the big question. I have a few more ideas stored up. I'm debating between two right now. An AU New Moon story and another AH story. I'm not sure which one I'll do next, but which ever one I do decide on, I'm going to take the time to write out as many chapters as I can before I start posting again. I don't know how long that will take. If you're interested, you can put me on Author Alert just in case.

Thank you all for reading. I hope to see you all again soon.