AN: Real life went bonkers for a bit. Slowed down a tad now. Have some more words.

Chapter 5

His tongue was tracing figure-eights along the center of my neck, his lips occasionally closing as he'd pinch my skin between those pearly teeth of his. I moaned and let my head roll back as his fingers snaked their way down the front of my sweat pants, one hand behind my back to keep me from toppling off his lap. I groaned as his fingers found the center of the heat, icy fingertips pressing against the wet flesh as I bucked my hips and moaned again. My fingers twisted into his hair as my lips grazed his earlobe. I meant to kiss his temple, but a twitch of his fingers made me buck again and groan, my teeth grinding against his earlobe.

"We can't be related." It was like she had tossed a rope around my throat and given a hard tug to pull me out of my reverie, knocking the wind out of me. How had my mind wandered there so quickly? I spaced out for five seconds and suddenly I was—but no, I shouldn't think about it. It was hard not to. The dreams were getting worse. Or . . . well, better, depending on how you looked at it.

I blinked and shook my head, cleared my throat, and followed her line of sight.

"What idiot thought you would be a good chaperone?" I snorted, watching as Emmett attempted to see how many Cheerios he could balance on his forehead. Alice and I both gaped, unable to look away as he held up a finger for me to wait and continue to balance the cheerios. Just before he hit thirty, a car door slammed and he instinctively turned to watch Rosalie stride to the front door, sending Cheerios scattering across the tile of the kitchen. Rosalie didn't even bother knocking, just let herself in and frowned when she saw the mess.

"I was just about to hit thirty, baby," he beamed as she picked her way through the disaster area to kiss his forehead. Turning to me, he added, "And to answer your question, I thought I would be a good chaperone."

"Well that does answer my question," I mumbled, which made Alice's peal of laughter tear through the kitchen.

"See," she insisted. "Emmett will be there to keep you safe. What possible reason could you have for not going?"

"Um, because I can't even walk on a flat surface? What in the world would lead me to strap a board to me feet and hurdle down a mountain dotted with inflexible trees?" I retorted. For someone so clever, Alice could be extremely stupid.

Rosalie frowned, "Are you not going on the ski trip?"

"She's trying to get out of it," Alice nodded.

It was Emmett who bellowed, "What? Bella! Bella, you only get one senior ski trip and you have no idea the kind of shenanigans that go on. You'll talk about it for the next two years until you've earned the right to be a chaperone." He pumped his fist against his chest, as though he had fought the enemy and won permission to attend. In reality, I knew that the school struggled to find adults willing to go on a ski trip with sixty-four high school seniors. Or, well, sixty-three since I was refusing to even talk to Charlie about letting me go. Clearly I wouldn't be safe on a trip that was so hard pressed to find chaperones that they had decided Emmett Brandon fit the bill.

"I have no desire to ride my face down a mountain slope," I shook my head. "I don't like the cold or the snow."

"Bella, you have to go, and that's all there is to it. For me. Who am I going to bunk with if you don't go?"

"You can bunk with Angela."

"Who will I talk to?"

"Oh, please. You'll be with Jasper the whole time anyways. You wouldn't even notice I was missing," I snorted. Emmett shot me the stink eye over his shoulder. He had reacted surprisingly well when Alice and Jasper made it apparent they were going to be a thing. It had been three weeks since the fateful coffee date, and while things had remained stagnant in my life, Alice and Jasper had become quite the pair. Fortunately, I had not been dragged to anything that Edward attended, but even more fortunately, Edward rarely attended anything. I liked Jasper. He was pretty laid back, loose enough to put up with Alice's constant energy, but also somehow firm enough to keep her from losing control completely. Things were still new between them – I mean, hand holding and kissing were constant, but Alice had confided nothing else had happened. Like Emmett said, though, the senior ski trip was prime time for "shenanigans." With my luck, I would spend the weekend watching football with Charlie until Alice came home to tell me all about her first sexual experience. Couldn't wait. Really.

Like I said, Emmett had been pretty cool about Alice dating one of his friends; Jasper had always hung with the older crowd, and I suppose part of it was Edward being his best friend and Rosalie being Edward's older brother and Rosalie dating Emmett and Emmett being Alice's older brother . . . it suddenly occurred to me that if anything had ever happened between Edward and I, we would have made an eery little circle. Like a little ring of friendly incest. Wow, my mind was really doing wonderful things.

Fortunately, Emmett grabbed my hand and pleaded, "For my sake, please go and keep an eye on Alice and that boy of hers." Of course he trusted Jasper . . . but of course he knew Jasper was a teenage guy. As I was being forced to accept, teenage male train of thoughts rarely ventured from the sex-and-how-to-get-it track.

Rosalie's phone rang and she flipped it open, drumming her nails on the table impatiently as she greeted, "Yes?" I could just see her in her pink ski suit, gliding gracefully down the mountain while Emmett zipped past, weaving between trees and laughing at the possibility of death. "No, I won't be home for dinner." Did the lodge have enough outlets for all the straighteners and curling irons needed to support thirtysomething teenage girls? I doubted it, and I sure didn't want to be forced to recognize how much effort everyone put in their appearances while I couldn't apply eyeliner to save my life. It was bad enough sharing a bathroom with Charlie; I couldn't imagine sharing with a bunch of teenage girls. "You're a big boy, you can feed yourself."

Oh, so she was talking to Edward.

I tried to hide my eye-roll and turned to Alice for conversation, determined not to listen to Rosalie's conversation lest I space out again and return to the train of thought I had lapsed into only minutes before. Usually I was pretty good about suppressing the memories of my dreams, but since the ski trip was all anyone talked about anymore, and since I was entirely uninterested, my brain was given a lot of free time to wander. And more and more, it made clear that the place it wanted to wander was down the bare chest of Edward Cull—

"So, are we still on for the movies tomorrow?" I asked Alice. A new horror flick was out, and I had agreed to go see it with Jessica, Angela, Mike, Tyler, and Ben if Alice and Jasper went, too. The last thing I needed was to spend two hours in a dark theater between Mike and Tyler, both offering to hold my hand through the scary parts. That was basically how things had gone down last time.

Alice began to nod but couldn't speak over Rosalie, who huffed, "I didn't come home to feed you for the weekend, Edward. Right now I'm busy trying to convince your little girlfriend to go on the ski trip, so why don't you just—"

"Excuse me?" I choked, sitting bolt upright in my chair. Apparently Edward had a similar response, because Rosalie held the phone away from her ear for a second before promptly hanging up on her brother. I gaped for a long moment before managing to choke out, "Um, Rosalie?"

She raised her eyebrows at me, as though annoyed by my saying her name, then shrugged, "Oh, right. Edward would appreciate it if you would go on the ski trip."

"But- what- why? We aren't friends."

She tossed her hair, "As if I would know. I've never understood my brother, Bella. Now Emmett, if you're finished cleaning the floor, what are we doing for dinner? I can't go home or I'll have to feed the baby."

I shot Alice a suspicious look but she seemed as surprised as I was, and when we were finally alone for me to question her she insisted on innocence. Alice might be good at persuasion, but she was horrible at keeping secrets, so I had no choice but to believe her when she insisted she had no idea why Edward would tell his sister to convince me to go on the trip.

That night, we were less gentle with each other, ripping the clothing off of each other with furious hands, our lips and teeth attacking exposed skin with a sort of new urgency. Usually we were slow and gentle with each other, intimately exploring every bit of skin in the darkness of my bedroom, time stretching into slow motion so that I was aware of every tiny detail, every single spot where our skin touched. This time, what had once taken up the space of the entire dream was passed almost as soon as it began, and there I was, perched in his lap completely naked while he kept only his boxers on. He was pulling my hair and sucking on my collar bone hard enough to draw the venom from a snake bite while my hands roamed over his hard chest and broad shoulders. I grabbed his chin and pressed my lips hungrily to his. His hand snaked between my legs and I bit his lip and cried out as he jammed his fingers into me, my nails digging into the nape of his neck with just as much force.

I awoke covered in sweat and with an ache so bad between my legs it was several minutes before I could stand to run to the shower.

Why the hell would Edward Cullen want me to go on the ski trip when he couldn't even talk to me at school?

"Morning, Bells. You're up early." I nodded grumpily at my dad as I watched him pour his coffee. He held up the pot and when I nodded again, poured a cup for me as well.

"Thanks," I mumbled, dousing it with sugar and cream before stumbling around the kitchen to throw together a bowl of cereal.

"Trouble sleeping?" I shrugged. "Well, the coffee will help." I nodded. He sat at the table, glancing disinterestedly through the paper and sipping his mug until I'd sat down with my cereal. I could feel his eyes on me, but it was several minutes more before he ventured, "So, I hear the deadline for permission slips for the senior ski trip is approaching." I nodded. "Is there something I should be signing?"

"I'm not going."

"Well, and why not, Bella?

"You can't honestly picture me skiing, can you, Dad?" I scoffed, making a face. I could just see myself rolling down the mountain, gathering snow like in the cartoons until I was just a huge rolling mass, sucking up everyone in my way. The thought made me crack a smile. I could see Jessica's feet sticking out, and Lauren's arm, Mike Newton's blond head, and Edward Cullen—

I shivered as Charlie argued, "Well, but there's more to do than ski. There are hot springs and sleigh rides . . . and crafts . . ."

"Thanks, but no thanks."

"I just really think you should go, Bella."

Right, like you really thought I should go to the Halloween Party with Alice where I got trashed and spent the entire next day puking. Of course I didn't say. I just shrugged and said I would rather spend the weekend fishing than go on the ski trip. Charlie knew how much I hated fishing, so that pretty much shut him up and he left for work with a shake of his head.

It was the last he said, but certainly not the last I heard. By sixth period with Mike, I was ready to pull my hair out. He leaned forward every time the teacher turned his back and whispered, "Go on the ski trip." Every single flipping time.

"I'll sit out with you, if you want," he offered when class ended, following me into the hall.

"Mike, that's the last thing I want."

He mistook my meaning and beamed, "Really, Bella, I wouldn't mind."

I rolled my eyes, "Go to class, Mike," and darted away before he could say more.

I had almost made it to Euro-history when yet another voiced asked over my shoulder, "Bella, why won't you go on the ski trip?"

"Ugh! Because I said—" I began, spinning on my heel and stopping myself abruptly. It had been a month since the study date, and since the dreams weren't really centered around conversation, I had apparently forgotten what his voice sounded like. Now I gaped, my mouth ajar as I eyed him warily. He had one hand in his pocket, the other holding his books, and looked entirely casual, as though this were just another conversation between two friends who talked on a daily basis. He had a small smile, not full-blown, but enough to make my heart skip a beat and then rush to make up for it.

"I really think you should—" he began, but suddenly Jessica had grabbed my arm, apparently oblivious to our interaction.

"Bella," she grinned, pulling me into the classroom and away from Edward Cullen's green eyes. I had never loved her more. "I was thinking, if you're worried about not having warm enough clothes, I can loan you some . . ." And just like that, the love was gone.

Edward didn't look at me as he took his seat, but if I thought Mr. Washmond's lecture would save me from Jessica' persuasion tactics, I couldn't have been more wrong. We had changed our note-passing tactics since getting caught, always writing each note on a new scrap of paper so at worst Washmond would have one sentence to read out loud. Only minutes into class she began tossing them my way.

You have to go. Please.

Seriously we all want you there. You're so much fun to be around.

I rolled my eyes.

Please don't make me beg. And Lauren is an amazing skier so I need someone besides me who doesn't know what they're doing.

Really, we need you. I can't handle three days with Lauren on my own.

That was true enough.

I don't want to beg but now Mike is saying if you aren't going, maybe he won't either.

I gave her a surprised look that she would bring that up. I knew Mike would never actually follow through with that, but Mike was something Jessica and I didn't talk about. She didn't seem to give me credit for continuously shunning his advances, but then I didn't give her credit for not being so bad when Lauren wasn't around.

And Lauren's going to try and seduce Edward Cullen.

I couldn't keep my eyebrows from lifting, and she noticed it. Quickly she added: She has a whole elaborate scheme but I bet she's going to fail. I mean, if even you didn't score with him . . .

Ah, she was buttering me up. I hadn't forgotten the ugly duckling comment.

You and me can make popcorn . . .

I bit my lip. The spiteful part of me really would like to watch Lauren get a taste of her own medicine. As far as I knew, she had never made a pass at Edward before, and I was certain she would fail. Not that I had any upper hand, but Lauren and Edward had interacted even less than he and I had. Of course, there was always that nagging little suspicion that maybe she would succeed . . .

Pleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleaseplease

I chewed my lip when suddenly another balled up piece of paper landed on my desk. I glanced up but Jessica was staring in surprise at the back of Edward's head, who was suspiciously twiddling his thumbs on his desk. I smoothed out the piece of paper on my desk to reveal his steady hand.

With a sigh, I groaned, "All right, I'll go!"

"What was that, Miss Swan?" I shuddered, not realizing I had spoken that loudly.

Jessica was apparently too thrilled, though, and gushed, "She's going on the senior ski trip!"

Mr. Washmond chortled –chortled was a good word for him with his long bushy mustache, "Well I can't wait to read all about Miss Swan's latest drunken non-hook ups." I glared at my desk in response to the jab, but at least he had never mentioned it to Charlie, or even the other teachers as far as I knew.

When I glanced up, Edward was tossing a smirk back at me, but quickly turned back around as Mr. Washmond continued his lecture.

Perhaps Alice had been right. I had left out the details of my dream, but once mentioned vaguely to her that sometimes Edward Cullen made an appearance. She had explained her personal belief, that our dreams are our suppressed worries and desires, our brain exploring the things we refuse to accept in our waking. It made some small sense, maybe, since the dreams had been getting worse the longer I went without talking to Edward.

I expected that since Rosalie merely mentioning Edward wanted me to go on the ski trip had made my dreams take the rougher turn, that his actual actions would send me completely over the edge. My expectations were disappointed, though. That night, I didn't dream about Edward at all.

I frequently shoved mine and Jessica's notes into my pocket during class to hide the evidence, only to find them that night when I dressed for bed, whereupon I would toss them to the side. A small mountain was forming in the corner of my desk, perhaps similar to the mountains I would soon possibly be throwing myself down.

Edward's note was tossed onto the pile, and I groaned whenever I thought of it, just like I groaned when Charlie signed the permission slip and wrote the check, just like I groaned when I turned it all into the office, just like I groaned when Alice came running over Thursday night before we left to help me pack. Why the hell had I agreed to this again?

You owe me. I request protection from the Mallory creature.

Damn you, Edward Cullen.