Long, gushy A/N at the bottom, but breakfast is dedicated to the beautiful GingerandGreen. Love you! Also, the characters belong to SM.

Bella

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I knocked on the heavy cherry-wood door with butterflies in my stomach. While I waited, I straightened the belt of my sensible tan trenchcoat, keeping a tight grip on the clipboard in my hand. After a few moments, the door was opened by an extremely handsome man, familiar green eyes twinkling behind his glasses.

"Yes, may I help you?" he asked, his gaze raking up and down my body.

"Edward Cullen?"

"That's me," he replied with a wink.

"I'm Inspector Bella Swan, with the City of Seattle. I'm here about a complaint we've received," I said, struggling to keep my voice as professional as possible.

"A complaint? Oh my, I'm sorry to hear that. Please, won't you come in so we can discuss it?" Edward opened the door wider and gestured for me to enter.

I stepped through the entry into the large, elegant great room of the condo, pausing to admire the view of the Sound from the floor to ceiling glass windows. When I reached the living room area, I perched in the center of the black leather sofa.

Edward stepped towards the sofa as well but stopped suddenly. "I'm sorry, Inspector Swan, I'm being terribly rude. Can I offer you something to drink? I have water, or… I was about to open this nice bottle of wine, if you'd care to join me?"

I considered for a moment. "I really shouldn't drink on the job, Mr. Cullen."

"Well, certainly not, under normal circumstances. But it's Friday, after business hours. Are you going back to the office?"

He had me there. "No, I'm not going back."

"Well, then, I insist." He opened the bottle of chardonnay that was sitting on the nearby kitchen countertop, and poured into the two waiting glasses. With a slight bow, he handed me a goblet and then took a seat in the club chair next to the sofa.

I sipped my wine and hummed in appreciation, then consulted my clipboard. "Now, Mr. Cullen, we've received a complaint about your property at the city offices, and it's very important that I speak with you about it."

"Yes, of course, Inspector Swan. You have my undivided attention," he said, leaning forward.

"Um…" I was momentarily distracted by the sight of Edward's lips on the rim of his wineglass. "Yes, well, you're in violation of Section 123… of something. And you need to rectify this right away."

Edward placed his hand on his chest in shock. "Section 123? That sounds serious." He moved closer. "Tell me, Inspector Swan, what can I do to remedy this violation? I'm willing to do… anything." Lust burned in his eyes, and I felt my body begin to respond.

"Hmmm… there's quite a stiff penalty for this particular infraction. Are you sure you're up to the task?" I challenged. When Edward first suggested roleplaying, I was skeptical, but I found I was enjoying it quite a bit.

"Oh, Inspector. I think you'll find I'm up for whatever challenge you have in mind, no matter how hard," he answered.

"That's good to know, Mr. Cullen. I… I hope you don't mind, but it's a little warm in here. Would it be all right if I removed my coat?" I had a surprise for him.

Edward looked a little confused when I deviated from our 'script', but he nodded. With a smirk, I stood up and untied the belt of my trench, slowly unfasten the buttons to reveal the skimpy lingerie underneath. My thigh-high black stockings fastened into a garter belt built into a red chemise, and my boyfriend's eyes grew wide as saucers when the outfit was revealed and I casually tossed my coat onto a chair.

"Jesus… fuck, Bella," he whispered.

"Excuse me, Mr. Cullen?" I replied, maintaining a prim tone. I sat back down on the sofa, delicately crossing my legs, and took another sip of my wine.

"Uh…" Edward seemed at a loss for words.

"Oh, just one more thing..." I reached up behind my head and removed the pins holding my tight bun in place, shaking my hair down my back with my fingers. "Oh, that's so much better. Now, I believe you were saying something about being ready to face the consequences of your misbehavior?" I challenged him with my gaze, eyebrow arched.

"Oh, fuck this," Edward said, barely getting his wineglass safely to the side table before launching himself at me.

I laughed as he landed on top of me on the couch, pushing me to my back and kissing me deeply. "Oh my… Mr. Cullen… this is very… unusual…" I gasped out in between giggles and kisses.

"Bella, God… I love you, but you can't expect me to sit over there when you look like this. It's unnatural," Edward said before attaching his lips to my neck.

His hands were running all over my body, alternating between the slippery silk of the lingerie and my smooth skin, and I couldn't maintain my composure any longer. "Oh, Edward…" I moaned. "Does this mean… ohhhh… you're not going to make up for your… mmm… violation?"

"Hell yes, I am," he vowed, and his kisses moved lower. "Now, don't get me wrong, I appreciate this," he said, dragging his fingers across my lace thong. "But how the fuck do I get it off of you?"

I laughed and helped him unbuckle the garters so he could move the scrap of fabric down my legs. He tossed it across the room with glee and settled himself between my legs.

"Do you want me to take off the rest? The stockings… ohhh!" I lost all further words; his tongue working deliciously against my body to create the indescribable feelings that were becoming so familiar and yet more exciting the longer we dated. I writhed and gasped, moaning my way to a blissful climax.

I pulled him back up to my mouth for a kiss, loving the taste of myself on his lips. He pulled back slightly and looked at me, chuckling. "Well, Inspector Swan? What about that violation, is my slate clean?" He continued stroking me gently below, just enough to keep me aroused and aching for him.

"Mmmm," I hummed. "That certainly helped matters, but I had something harder in mind."

"Why, Inspector Swan, that's quite a coincidence." He smirked and pressed his firm erection into my hip. "I happen to have something hard very close at hand."

"Oh my," I gasped, as his fingers explored me deeper. "That is a coincidence. Although, I'll have to see what you have to offer before I can agree to clear your record." I reached down to rub him through his jeans.

It was his turn to groan. "Uh, Inspector, would you mind helping me with the zipper? My own hand seems to be otherwise engaged at the moment." He swirled his thumb around my clitoris to prove how busy his fingers were, and my eyes briefly rolled back in my head.

When I came back to my senses, I continued stroking him while I worked down the zipper of his jeans, undoing the button to free him completely. I ran my hand up and down his length through his boxers, his eyes closing in bliss.

"I admit, Mr. Cullen, I'm impressed by what I feel here. But I think I need a closer look." I moved him onto his back, unbuttoning his shirt and kissing my way down his chest, then moved off of him to pull off his jeans and underwear.

He lay still, breathing heavily and nearly naked, and I reveled in the sight of his gorgeous body. I knelt next to the couch and began teasing him with open-mouthed kisses on his hard cock, licking and sucking gently without giving in to what he really wanted. His hips thrust gently upwards, searching for my lips, and he moaned. "Fuck, Bella… I can't handle… ugh… need you. Bed."

I had no sooner murmured my agreement than he jumped up and swooped me into his arms, dashing towards the bedroom and tossing me on the bed as I squealed. He tore off his shirt and joined me, kissing and thrusting and caressing until I felt I would go mad. Somehow I'd lost my chemise, and one of my stockings was halfway down my leg, but none of it mattered when Edward pushed himself inside of me.

We moved together desperately, purposefully; Edward's thrusts punctuated with kisses and nibbles and declarations of love. When I couldn't hold on any longer, I cried out and clenched around him, feeling him throbbing inside of me soon after.

Gasping and sweaty, we held each other tight until our breathing steadied. "Sorry, I guess my outfit cut our game a little short," I said eventually, giggling.

"Baby, don't you ever fucking apologize for wearing something like that. Goddamn." Edward threw his head back on the pillow, dragging me into his side. "We didn't rip it or anything, did we? You can wear it again sometime?" He glanced around half-heartedly before collapsing again. "Although I do like you out of it, too," he said, caressing my breast.

"I'm sure it's fine. And consider your violation cleared, Mr. Cullen," I teased.

"Well, that's a relief." Edward hummed in satisfaction, then maneuvered us underneath the rumpled covers. "Are you hungry? We could order Chinese or something."

I loved to cook, but right then I didn't feel like moving an inch while in my boneless, post-orgasmic bliss. "Sounds great."

Edward sighed and lurched out of bed, and I got a nice view of his fantastic ass while he dashed to the living room. I heard him on the phone placing an order, then he appeared in the doorway wearing his boxers before snuggling back into bed.

"We've got twenty to thirty minutes… enough time for round two?" he asked with a twinkle in his eye.

I laughed. "I'm not sure we could top that so soon, it was pretty incredible."

He chuckled back and kissed my head. "That it was, my love. You're pretty incredible, though, so you shouldn't be surprised."

I grinned up at him. "I love you. And you're pretty incredible yourself."

Edward gave a long sigh of satisfaction. "Yeah, I know."

We both laughed at that, holding each other and filling our afterglow with quiet chatter and silly teasing until a knock on the door signaled it was time to pull clothes on and eat. I borrowed one of Edward's t-shirts, but had taken to leaving some of my lounge pants at his place so I had something comfortable to wear that wouldn't fall off my ass.

A perfectly relaxing post-coital evening was spent eating from greasy white boxes on the couch in front of the television. When we put the food aside, snuggling turned into caressing and touching, and soon we were naked in Edward's bed once again, connecting more slowly but no less passionately the second time around. After we were spent, and before we drifted off to sleep together, I wondered how I'd ever lived without this kind of bliss in my life.

~~~~~~~~SiC~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning, I woke up before Edward and pried myself out of his arms. Throwing on some comfortable clothes, I wandered to his sleek, modern kitchen to cook us some breakfast. After starting the coffee maker, I opened the fridge and pondered what to make for breakfast.

Edward's new condo was just a few blocks from Pike Place Market, and we went there often to buy produce and seafood. I pulled out some fresh fruit to cut up for a salad, and decided I could make a frittata with some of the vegetables he had on hand. I found the heavy cast-iron skillet right where I'd left it and smiled at the memory of buying it.

Helping my boyfriend outfit his new home had been fun, but… odd. He'd asked my opinion about almost everything, especially the kitchen, until I felt like I'd been tricked into outfitting my own fantasy cooking paradise. If I admired something but put it aside as too expensive, Edward would go back later and buy it anyway. He dismissed my protests easily, saying he would be the one to benefit from my cooking.

The same was true to a lesser extent in the other rooms. He already had a top-of-the-line bed, of course, but we picked out a bedroom set, living room furniture, and even a dining room table since his new place had a large game room for his recliners and video game systems. When everything was delivered, set up, and unpacked, I felt completely at home. In my head I knew it was far too soon, but it felt like I should be moving in, too.

Still, I kept my own apartment once Alice and Jasper moved into their own cozy place. Although I spent a lot of time at Edward's, it was nice to have a place that was all mine for once. I had turned Alice's old room into a guest room for my dad when he came to visit, since his trips increased in frequency once he found out I was seeing someone seriously.

The first time Charlie met Edward was awkward. My father arrived a few hours early, knocking on my door during our pre-parental visit stress-relieving make-out session. I quickly straightened my clothes and finger-combed my hair before answering the door, but the critical look he gave me signaled that he knew exactly what had been going on.

My still-rumpled boyfriend cleared his throat. "You must be Mr. Swan, sir. I'm Edward Cullen, nice to meet you." He stood and offered a handshake, but Charlie just looked at it with disdain, as if he could tell that the hand Edward held out had been enthusiastically caressing his daughter's ass just moments before.

"Hello there," he said with a brief nod. "How's that police problem going?"

Edward stiffened. "Well, the woman who planned to kill my father and was trying to extort money from me is now in prison, so I'd say it's going all right. Thanks for connecting me with Detective Falk, though. He was a big help."

Charlie's eyes widened, the only outward acknowledgement of emotion at Edward's surprising revelation. "Well, uh… I'm glad he was able to help. And it's good that the bad guy… or gal, I guess… is behind bars." He looked around and motioned to his small duffel bag. "Bells, where do you want me to put this?"

I took the bag and set it on the bed in the guest room, but was horrified at the conversation when I returned.

"…so you understand why I don't want my daughter mixed up in anything like that. You put her through enough grief already with your junk and your lawsuit antics," Charlie was saying to Edward, leveling him with an intimidating stare.

"Dad!" I cried, rushing to stand between them. "Remember, we talked about this? I'm an adult, and you promised to be nice to him. He's a good guy now, he volunteers for the law firm... remember?"

"Hrmph," Charlie grunted. "I remember… 'he's important', right?"

I blushed but nodded. I was about to offer drinks and try to change the topic of conversation but was interrupted when Edward spoke up.

"You're right, though," he interjected. "I did cause problems for her, and I'll be forever sorry for that. I'm very grateful that she's forgiven me, and I swear to you that I won't ever do something so foolish again. She's important to me, too." He gazed at me with a promise in his eyes, and if my dad hadn't been three feet away, I would have kissed him senseless.

Charlie looked at Edward for several moments, appraising his sincerity. "All right, then," he finally said.

"So, Edward, I hear you got us some pretty fancy tickets to the ball game tonight. What do you think, do the Mariners have any shot at winning?"

I sighed in relief. Although the situation was still awkward, it was no longer unbearable, and things got slightly better with each subsequent visit. Charlie was due to come again in two weeks, so I made a mental note to ask Edward if there was a sporting event going on we could distract him with.

Jerking back to the present, I noticed that the coffee was done, so I poured myself a cup to sip while I finished sauteing the green peppers and onions. I added the egg mixture and put the whole skillet in the oven to bake. Humming to myself, I sliced up the fruit and mixed it together, then put some bacon on the griddle, figuring the smell should wake Edward up.

Sure enough, I was flipping the meat when two strong arms wrapped around my waist. I leaned back into Edward's chest, tilting my head to give him better access to kiss my neck. Once he had me sufficiently distracted, he reached past me to snitch a strawberry from the bowl of fruit salad on the counter. I playfully swatted his hand, then pouted. "Where's mine?"

He smiled and selected a juicy piece of cantaloupe, bringing it to my lips and watching intently as I bit, capturing a stray drop with his fingertip. Of course, I had to help him out by sucking the remaining juice off his finger, which led to some deep, deliciously fruit-flavored kisses. Only when the bacon began popping in the pan did I turn back to the stove, rolling my eyes at Edward's groan of disappointment.

"How many times do I have to tell you, don't distract me while I'm cooking!" I asked. I turned off the burner and removed the bacon, then checked on the frittata, which was nearly done as well.

"Hey, it's not my fault that you look so incredibly sexy while you cook," he replied. "Anything I can do to help?"

"Could you get out some plates? Real ones," I added with a smile.

He put his hand to his chest in mock offense. "As if I would use anything else? Real cooking deserves real plates, even I know that." He kissed my temple and moved to the cupboard, gathering what he needed to set the table.

It felt so comfortable, working and sharing space with him, and I had a huge smile on my face when we sat down to eat.

"What?" Edward asked, smiling back.

"Nothing. I'm just… happy. I like being here," I said.

"Mmmm…" Edward took a bite of his eggs and closed his eyes in bliss. "Well, I definitely love having you here. And not just for your cooking," he added with a roguish wink.

Taking a piece of bacon, I grinned. "Oh, really?"

"Yes… in fact…" Edward took a deep breath before continuing, "…I know we've talked about this a little, but I want to make it official." Reaching into the pocket of his lounge pants, he pulled out a key with a red bow wrapped around it. "Bella Swan, love of my life, will you move in with me?"

Despite my best efforts, a joyful giggle slipped out. "Edward, you goof, I already have a key to your place."

His cheeks turned red. "I know, but I wanted you to have an extra one… I guess." He laughed along with me. "It's more of a symbol, I thought it would be romantic or something."

I was touched. "It is, thank you. And…" I sighed, but realized that I was ready with my answer. "Yes, I'll move in. But we have to talk about the bills and how we're going to split stuff," I warned.

Edward waved his hand dismissively. "Yeah, sure. But you will? Maybe today?" he asked, with a hopeful smile.

I laughed at his adorable enthusiasm. "I'll move in but not today. I've got to give notice at my apartment and figure out what to keep of my stuff… and we've got to tell Charlie," I said, my nerves fluttering at the thought.

Apprehension flashed across Edward's face. "Aw, Charlie and I are buddies now," he said, not sounding sure of himself.

"Well, he's coming to town in two weeks, so you'd better start thinking about what kind of tickets you can get to butter him up," I joked.

His eyes squinted as he consulted his mental schedule of sporting events, but then he shook his head and flashed me a bright smile. "You're really moving in with me?"

I nodded, and he stood up and pulled me to my feet for a long embrace. "I can't wait," he whispered when he finally pulled away. He shut his eyes and stood without speaking for several seconds.

"What are you doing?" I asked, my curiosity overwhelming me.

"Just saying thanks to the first person that left an ugly couch by the side of the road, so Jasper and I could pick it up. It turned out to be the best decision I ever made," he said, chuckling.

I giggled along. "I guess, but I'm glad you're a law-abiding citizen now."

"Me too, mostly," he replied. "Now, let's eat our breakfast so we have some energy. Then, I believe we have some celebrating to do. I have big plans for you, Inspector Swan."

Well, that's it! *wipes tear* Writing and posting this story has been such a positive experience, and I have all of you to thank for that. Thank you so much for reading, reviewing, favoriting, etc. – you're truly wonderful! I also couldn't have done this without the team behind me:

Books, thank you so much for taking a chance on reading my first chapters, and encouraging me to finish. You've been such a fantastic mentor into the world of author-dom, and I appreciate all the help so much!

Heather, thank you for always being there to chat, encourage, whatever – I love your comments, and you've been such a great advocate for the story on Twitter and elsewhere! I'm so lucky to have met you and have your insight on my chapters.

Regina, you're amazing! You've taught me so much and been so patient with my mistakes along the way, I think you deserve some kind of medal. You've really challenged me to become a better writer, and I'm so incredibly thankful for you as my beta and as my friend.

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Still with me? Some have asked what I'm writing next, and it's something very different from Speaking in Code. I'm working on a historical fic, set in Canada, with Edward as a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. I have this rather strange fascination with Mounties… um… yeah. *hides face*

Anyway, I'm really excited about it, and I've done a ton of research. I have a detailed outline and a few chapters written, but I won't start posting until it's completely drafted. Life is busy and unpredictable for me, and I hate to leave people hanging. Also, I'm expecting our third child this summer, so things will only get busier and I don't want to start posting anything I won't be able to finish. I'm hoping *fingers crossed* I'll be ready to post by March or April, but put me on Author Alert or follow me on Twitter (mamabean30) to get updates.

Again, I can't thank you all enough for the support! I've never tried any kind of extensive creative writing before, so this has been a very fun journey. I've learned so much, and met so many lovely people along the way, so I'm completely grateful for the experience. Take care!

xxx

Jen