One Night Only

Seven

"Son of a bitch!"

"Oh, don't be such a poor sport," I giggled. I was kicking Edward's ass at poker and he was not taking losing too well. It was actually cute how competitive he was. Before it was a nuisance but now it was pretty fucking hot.

"How did you get so good at cards?" He asked in frustrated fascination.

"The same way I'm good a blowjobs, practice." I smiled innocently, loving the way his eyes smoldered with want.

"You're right. You do give mind blowing head, Bella," he responded huskily. That wicked smile was plastered on his face and my insides stirred deliciously.

"Well, thank you for the praise, Mr. Cullen."

"No problem, Miss Swan." We both burst out in a fit of laughter, our sexual banter flowing easily between us. This weekend actually turned out better than I thought it would. Besides the unbelievably hot and wild sex, spending time with Edward was refreshing. I've haven't been so relaxed and comfortable with another man for quite a while. I knew that eventually whatever this thing was between us would take a turn for the worse, but I didn't care. I was enjoying the ride and once it was over, I would have to return back to reality and deal with the repercussions.

"So what do you want to do now?" He asked, intercepting my thoughts.

"I could eat." My stomach rumbled at that exact moment, loudly. Edward chuckled and rose from the floor onto his feet. He offered me his hand and I took it, blood returning to my lower extremities as I stood. I stamped my feet, trying to relieve the numbness.

"What are you doing?" He chuckled.

"My legs fell asleep on me."

"Ah, I see. That's a bitch. I hate that feeling.

"Yeah, no shit," I laughed . The feeling finally returned, the prickling numbness alleviated.

"Can you walk now?"

"Yeah, I'm good." I smiled, following him into the kitchen. Another surprise I found out about Edward was that the man was a phenomenal cook. Besides sex orgasms, Edward also gave me food ones. His food was just damn good. I sat at the expansive kitchen island, watching him gather ingredients for whatever creation he was making tonight.

"What are you making, chef?" I asked. He smirked at me, placing some spices on the counter.

"Cajun Chicken Alfredo." My mouth instantly watered, imagining the taste.

"That sound delicious. I can't wait to eat it. I swear, I'm going to be thirty pounds heavier when I leave here," I joked.

"Even if you were, I would still find you incredibly sexy and beautiful." I looked at him, astonished by his boldness. I blushed, all of a sudden flustered. My heart sped up at his words, making me feel warm inside and it unsettled me. He grinned and began chopping peppers on the cutting bored. It was awkwardly quiet before he broke the silence.

"So you never told me how you came to live in Manhattan. I know about your life in Arizona and Washington but not how you got here." I sighed, a little reluctant to tell him. He must've seen the apprehension on my face. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"No, it's fine. I moved to New York a few weeks after graduating from UW. I decided to come here to be with my boyfriend. We grew up together, our fathers were very close friends. We were madly in love or at least I was." I paused momentarily, to gather my emotions before continuing. "He proposed and I said yes. I was ecstatic to be his permanently, to create a life with him, a family. He was the love of my life."

"Why do I feel like what you're about to say is not going to be very good?" Edward said cautiously.

"Because you're right. I came home to find him fucking some blonde with huge tits in our bed." Edward winced, understanding masked on his face. "I was devastated and enraged. I'm not violent but that night I lashed out. I attacked them both and left the apartment. I didn't have anything; no money or family. I was stranded alone in a strange city. Everything that was sugar went to shit for me that night but it turned out sweet again. I met Alice and she took me in." I smiled fondly, thinking of my dear friend.

"I can see why you two are so close."

"Yeah. Alice is the most optimistic, compassionate person I've ever met. She didn't have to let me live with her or get me a job, but she did. I would forever be grateful for what she has done for me. She's like another older sister to me." Edward nodded in admiration as he cut strips of chicken.

"So what happened to the dumbass ex of yours?"

"You met him the other night."

He stopped what he was doing and looked at me. "You mean the guy that had you looking at him like you were going to commit murder?"

"Yup, that's the one," I confirmed.

"What a moronic asshole. I see why you had the death stare," he said shaking his head.

"It doesn't matter anymore. I'm glad that I walked away from him. Back then I was naïve, clueless to all the signs that Jacob wasn't the one for me. It's always the little things that you choose to ignore when you're in love with someone, I had to learn that the hard way." I sighed shakily, the bad memories bubbling to the surface.

"Let's talk about something else. I didn't mean to upset you Bella," Edward said softly. I looked into his eyes swimming with sympathy.

"It's fine. It's almost therapeutic, talking about it, I mean. For a long time, I was insecure, depressed and angry. I needed a distraction, a outlet for my problems. Sex was a coping mechanism. I was never a overtly sexual person but after Jacob, I changed. Sex made me feel in control and the adrenaline that came with it was welcomed. I embraced my sexuality."

"That's why you went to The Secret Garden," he asked but he already knew the answer.

"Yes."

"What Jacob did was fucked up and he lost out on a great girl," he said compassionately. Those simple words pulled on my heartstrings and it felt good.

"Thank you," I said with a smile.

"No problem, love." Edward continued to cook and when dinner was done, we ate in comfortable silence. The meal was made to perfection, the spiciness complementing the creaminess of the homemade alfredo and it was truly heaven. After dinner, we watched Pineapple Express, laughing our asses off at the shenanigans the two main characters got into.

We didn't have sex, he just held me. My head rested on his chest as he stroked my hair softly as I listened to the steady thrum of his heart. I absentmindedly traced patterns on his skin, reveling in the peace I felt embraced in his arms. I realized just before I fell asleep that I was slowly starting to fall for Edward. I could see this blowing up terribly and it was unavoidable. I was so fucked.