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She never felt the need to fill the silence around him, something she treasured.

Bella didn't know how this started, these late nights spent on the beach together, lying in the sand on a blanket without either of them saying anything. His leg was always pressed against hers, the heat through both of their jeans almost overwhelming.

She breathed in deeply, shifting around on the blanket and shivered when the night air brushed across her skin.

Closing her eyes she was no longer surprised when his arm wrapped around her shoulders and he pulled her close to his body, holding her there and sharing his warmth.

She didn't say anything, burying her face in his neck she breathed in his scent, comforted by it.

Paul smiled to himself, resisting with every fiber of his being the urge to kiss her forehead. He kept quiet, wanting to tell her that he loved feeling her like this and that he wanted more but he knew it would scare her away and he had no interest in doing that.

Instead, he closed his eyes and relished the feeling of being able to hold her close, just like this.

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