Chapter One

Lilacs, Honeydew, and Maple Syrup

BPOV

I could feel that something wasn't right from the moment I awoke. My tiny bed felt much too large, empty, and warm. I was barely conscious, yet, acutely aware of the void. My restless sleep had been filled with a never-ending dream of passion that dared to engulf me in its heat.

I was panting and a thin sheen of sweat covered my body. My arms blindly searched for the cool, hard flesh of Edward's body, only to find the blanket and pillow I'd shed at some point during the night.

A gentle voice comforted me, as Edward's icy embrace cooled my over-heated skin. "I'm here, Bella."

I sighed in relief. "Edward, where were you? I hate waking up without you," I said groggily, rubbing my tired eyes.

"I know, love." He smiled softly, lying down beside me. "But I never actually left. I've been sitting in the rocker for the last twenty minutes."

I looked at him, bewildered. "But … it's still dark outside. You always stay in bed with me all night."

I wondered what would have caused him to move across the room. Ever since the aftermath of "the incident" at my birthday party, I feared that any hint at distance on his part was a sign he would leave me again. Although, deep down, I knew that wouldn't happen.

"I do, love. However, things were different tonight … with you." He looked away as his sentence trailed off.

Oh God.

"Different, how?" I barely gathered the courage to ask.

Did I have stinky, middle of the night breath? I always brush twice and use Listerine. Or... please, dear God, I hope it wasn't gas!

I was very thankful his gaze was focused out my window at that moment and not on me. I could have died at the mere thought of doing that in front of Edward! But somehow, I knew that wasn't it. He was too mature for something like that to faze him so easily and well, no matter what, I'm pretending it's nothing like that! Gah!

Just then memories of my dream flooded my mind. My extremely erotic dream that woke me in a heated, sweaty frenzy. He had no doubt witnessed something that revealed my state of arousal and it probably offended his gentleman-like sensibilities.

I flushed red with equal parts annoyance and embarrassment. Apparently, he couldn't stand to lay next to such a brazen, dream hussy.

"I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable," I huffed, "but I can't help what I dream about."

I sat up, swinging my legs over the side of the bed. Suddenly, there was a gentle swoosh of air as I was lifted quickly and laid softly back on my bed. Edward hovered over me, with a dark, almost predatory stare.

"Do I look uncomfortable, Bella?" He simultaneously kissed my breathless mouth and ground his hips against mine. "Do I feel uncomfortable to you, love?"

Yikes!

"No," I squeaked, noticing at once that his eyes were fierce and black. "You look, um … hungry." I gulped. "And you feel … so amazing."

He lowered his body onto mine, holding his weight on his elbows. "I am hungry, Bella ... but not for blood."

An involuntary groan escaped me as he softly kissed my lips. "I'm hungry for you," he said quietly. He gently thrust against me for emphasis. "For your body, Bella."

I was breathless as his kissing intensified and he pressed it against me, there! It was the first time that I'd had solid—very solid—proof that he wanted me sexually, and I nearly came undone at the sensuousness of it.

"Oh, Edward." I gasped and forced my legs around his hips. I was still aching with desire from my dream and couldn't keep from grinding my center into his mind-blowingly, hot erection.

"Sssst," he hissed into my mouth and pulled back just enough to keep my lady bits away from what they wanted most.

He placed one shaky hand on each side of my face and kissed me tenderly. Then the obligatory sigh escaped him as he sat up and moved to the edge of the bed. "I'm sorry, Bella. That got … way out of hand."

He stood and moved to the window, looking down at nothing in particular. "It's my fault. I just … you … you've never been so erotic while dreaming before. I had to put some distance between us before I lost control."

A part of me was upset that he still couldn't trust himself around me, but I was grateful that he hadn't bolted out the window and put the distance of Canada between us.

"Edward, look at me."

I could barely see his doleful eyes in the moonlight and instantly regretted whatever I did to make them look that way. "I love you. Thank you for not going home earlier, or right now, for that matter. It's comforting just having you in my room." I held my hand out to him, and he lay down next to me once again. "Do you feel in control now?"

He turned on his side and placed a feather light kiss on my cheek. "I'm never completely in control with you, Bella. It takes more willpower than I've needed in a hundred years to not touch you the way I want to." He smiled sadly. "Even becoming a vegetarian never took this much restraint."

I was taken aback by that. "Oh. I had no idea."

"Don't get me wrong, love." He kissed me softly on the forehead. "Being with you, looking at you, getting to marry you is worth a thousand times this pain. Every second you love me is more rewarding than anything I ever thought possible for a monster like me."

"Edward, you are not a monster! You are the most amazing, gentle, loving man I have ever known." I hugged him tightly.

He chuckled softly and I was grateful to have lightened the mood a little. "Thank you. Knowing your feelings toward me is the most rewarding part of all."

I emphasized my feelings by nestling against him and placing a hand over his still heart. "I love you so much." My lips moved to his and I tried to tell him, without words, how I trusted and adored him, pulling back before he moved away this time.

We lay still for a few minutes just gazing into each other's eyes. Our connection was so fierce that we both knew everything was back to normal.

"So, what sounds did I make in my sleep?"

"So, what were you dreaming about?"

We both laughed after simultaneously asking each other a question.

He answered first. "I knew you'd want to know that." He smiled. "My Bella, always asking naughty questions, tsk tsk," he teased.

I playfully smacked his arm. "Oh, and I suppose you wanting to know my dream is purely analytical."

"Okay, I'm sorry; you're right. I admit that my interest is purely carnal. Ladies first." He winked and it went straight to my belly.

"Well, um, we were kissing. I mean really kissing, your tongue was in my mouth." I blushed at my admission. "You didn't pull away as usual." He looked a little wounded so I added, "I understand why you have to in real life, but in my dream, I wasn't so … breakable."

He lifted the corner of his mouth and said, "Wouldn't that be nice."

Phew! We were back on track.

"Anyway, just like all my dreams, you were able to, um, make love to me without losing control." Holy crow! I was rife with embarrassment, having to explain my ridiculous dreams to Edward.

"Mmm, Bella, that's very sexy. However, if that's something you dream of frequently, I wonder why you looked, sounded, and smelled so much more aroused tonight?" His eyes were glazing over, sensually, as he spoke. "I've witnessed, many times, what I assumed were your erotic dreams and even heard you whisper my name with passion behind it. But, this time ..." He gulped.

Yipes!

"Umm, what?" I felt that familiar heat rise on my cheeks. "Please explain more ..." I was baffled by what he meant, especially about my smell. Ugh.

"Please don't be embarrassed, love." He ran his fingers through my hair. "I'm with you every night and, while I can't read that gorgeous mind, I can tell when you're dreaming about me." He smiled warmly. "Anyone would get a sense of your dreams when you moan and sigh, or squirm around and rub your thighs together. God, it's so unbelievably sexy. However, I can usually enjoy the scene without feeling like I'll lose complete control. God, Bella. You were off the charts sexy tonight."

His breath was coming much too quickly for an immortal who didn't need air, and it pleased me to no end. I thoroughly enjoyed that what I'd done had caused my usually restrained fiancé to be overwhelmed with lust for me.

Still, the embarrassing question loomed in my mind. I had to ask him, "So, you can … smell me?" I had absolutely no experience sexually. Sure, I touched myself often enough, but I'd never noticed any smell. Maybe it's the same as not being able to smell your own breath. Hence, the reason I brush my teeth twice.

"Yessss," he hissed. "You smell phenomenal, Bella."

"I … um, you mean, down there?"

I lost all sense of thought when his nostrils flared. "I can smell your arousal now. When you're wet for me, Bella, it calls to me and beckons me to your pussy."

Air. I need air.

"Oh, Edward." I absentmindedly ran my hand down his chest. I had never so much as heard him say vagina, and he'd just referred to it as my pussy?

I swallowed hard.

"Tonight, you smelled of lilacs and honeydew drizzled with maple syrup. It was all I could do not to rip your shorts off and place my nose right here." He cupped my sex in his hand.

Suddenly, all I knew was touch, sight, and sound.

Once again, he flipped me onto my back and crawled on top of me, resting right where I needed him, still cupping me.

"Edward," I gasped. "Please don't stop." I lifted my throbbing pussy—no, his—throbbing pussy against his hand.

"Mmm, Bella, we can't," he said. Although, his statement was almost perfunctory as the strain of his voice in my ear and of his erection against my thigh said otherwise.

"I know; we won't do anything else. Just … please don't get off me," I begged.

He stilled and remained a statue until his breathing slowed. "Let me just get used to this." His hand, unfortunately, moved to my hair. However, he replaced it with his jean-clad erection and fire soared through my loins.

"Ungh!" I felt as though I was borrowing from his century's worth of strong willpower to keep still.

"You feel so good," he moaned, barely moving himself against me. "Please Bella. Tell me what was different about your dream tonight." His eyes bore into me like black, molten lava.

God, he thinks I can speak!

"Well, hmmph … uh." I tried to remember how to utilize my vocal chords. "God, Edward. You feel so good." I nearly sobbed.

"Please, baby. I need to hear it," he purred and, once again, thrust against me.

"Mmmm, well, I normally dream that you slowly and … softly make love to me on my bed. But, tonight was different. We were, uh, in our meadow, and you flipped me onto my belly and took me from behind … fast and hard."

"Fuck," he whispered hoarsely and began steadily thrusting against me.

Feeling his hardness caress my aching center through my clothes was astounding, and hearing him lose enough control to curse so openly was achingly sexy. All I could do was gasp and writhe against him. I moaned and pulled away just in time to say, "Edward, don't stop. I'm … oh!"

"Yesss, Bella. Yes, cum for me. Let yourself go," he managed to say as he thrust one … two … three more times and...

"AHHHH!" he roared above me, unleashing his own orgasm as I panted and wiggled beneath him.

"Uh, uh, oh, oh!" I panted heavily as my own climax ferociously played out.

Praise the Lord, Charlie is working the graveyard shift tonight.

When we both stopped trembling, he relaxed next to me and cradled me into his arms. "God, Bella; you are so perfect." He spoke softly and caressed my cheek.

It was amazing how he could be so primal and passionate one moment and immediately return to loving and worshipful the next.

I watched as his eyes drifted over to my window again and feared that a regretful, lamenting speech would follow. "The sun's coming up," he whispered as he delicately kissed my cheek.

Oh good, no speech. My God, I was just dry humped by Edward Cullen!

"You need some more sleep, love. My family is expecting you to come to the beach with us today." He displayed his gorgeous, white teeth in a sexy, lop-sided grin.

His revelation caught me off guard, and my lustful reverie was cut short. "Um, what? Why am I just hearing about this now?"

He laughed. "Well, there were more pressing things to do tonight." He emphasized his words by pressing firmly against me.

My breath quickened and I kissed him hard. "Don't tease me unless you plan to make me cum again, Cullen," I growled.

I was amused to see his eyes grow wide and slightly darker. "You do need more sleep my sweet, little human." He pressed his face into my hair and inhaled deeply. "Plus, if I stay here and smell you any longer, I'll end up making your dream a reality."

It seemed to take some effort to pull back, but he placed a chaste peck on the end of my nose, before leaping gracefully from my bed and out the window in one bound.

I hadn't stopped panting from his last sentence when my phone notified me of a text.

Get some rest, my Bella. I'll be back at noon to get you. In the meantime, I'll be day-dreaming of lilacs, honeydew, and maple syrup.

I sighed. Sexy ass vampire.

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