Confessions

The sun revealed the true nature of my body by reflecting off the rock hard crystals that composed my skin, and shot glaring prism effects and blinding lights around the little meadow. As we sat down in the grass, poor Bella was practically blinded by my light show. But if she was repulsed, she didn't show it and I felt giddy with relief at Bella's acceptance. She didn't seem to care about how freaky I looked, it didn't matter to her. I couldn't resist the urge to recline and let the sun bake me. The tune that had occurred to me in the parking lot was on my lips again as I lay next to Bella, wondering at my good fortune. I felt her fingertip on my hand tentatively brush back and forth, the feeling was exquisite.

"I really don't scare you?" I thought disbelief as well as relief were was evident in my tone.

"No more than usual,." She said casually with a hint of humor in her voice.

Then I felt her touch become less hesitant as her fingers branched out over my hand and forearm, gently trembling as they grazed my skin and caused a pleasure unknown to me until this very moment.

"Do you mind?" she asked without stopping.

"No, you can't imagine how that feels,." I sighed with the contentment of a man who wants to hold on to the present forever. I felt her tilt my hand and completed the movement for her without thinking. It wasn't until she stopped her movements that I realized I must have inadvertently frightened her with the speed of mine. "Sorry, it's too easy to be myself with you." She immediately resumed her inspection of my hand.

"Tell me what you're thinking," the physical relief of speaking these words aloud to her was much akin to allowing oneself to breathe after prolonged periods of oxygen deprivation, "It's still so strange for me, not knowing."

"You know, the rest of us feel that way all the time."

"It's a hard life," I admitted, "But, you didn't tell me."

"I was wishing I could know what you were thinking…" she hesitated.

She continued to hesitate, so I prompted her, "And?"

"I was wishing that I could believe that you were real. And I was wishing that I wasn't afraid."

"I don't want you to be afraid."

"Well, that's not exactly the fear I meant, though that's certainly something to think about."

"What are you afraid of, then?" I whispered close to her, when suddenly, instead of backing away as I expected, she leaned in towards me almost touching my face with hers. Instantly, the urge to reach for her and crush her to me, to never let her go, poured through me. Every fiber of my body wanted her in every way, and I knew I could not have her in any way. I barely got away from her in time to prevent the violence of that need. From the edge of the forest where I stood looking at her, aching, feeling her ache with me, I could see the shock appear on her face as she realized I was no longer within reach.

"I'm… sorry… Edward."

The hurt in her voice clawed painfully at me, I quickly called out to reassure her, "Give me a moment." I struggled to regain some amount of self control. Then, slowly I came back out of the shadows and sat down a few paces away from her, ashamed of the hurt I'd caused.

"I am so very sorry. Would you understand what I meant if I said I was only human?"

Still too shocked at my behavior, she nodded shyly at me.

"I'm the world's best predator, aren't I? Everything about me invites you in – my voice, my face, even my smell. As if I need needed any of that!" I decided to give her an illustration of my words, it was time she saw me for what I truly was. I jumped up and jogged around the meadow, slowly enough so she could just barely follow my progress to get a sense of the velocity I was using. "As if you could outrun me," I called to her laughing.

I stopped in front of her at the edge of the forest and chose a goodly sized branch to pluck off a spruce tree and balanced it in my hand on one end for a few seconds before tossing it into another tree and making a cracking sound that would be fairly deafening to her ears. Then jumped to within two feet in front of her and softly said, "As if you could fight me off." Her wide eyes had followed my every move, her face even paler than normal. Finally, I could see her undisguised fear. I wished so badly there were no need for it, but she needed to know there was, "Don't be afraid," I said in my gentlest non-scary voice, "I swear not to hurt you."

I approached her again, very slowly so as not to upset her further, "Don't be afraid." I was pleading now, with the wide chocolate eyes that seemed to still be filled with fear, "Please forgive me, I can control myself. You caught me off guard. But, I'm on my best behavior now." She still seemed to be frozen with fear.

"I'm not thirsty today, honestly." I tried a wink to lighten the tense mood I'd created. Still, she didn't move or speak. I was on the verge of panic. What had I done? Would this end our time together? Would the screaming and running begin now? "Are you alright?" I reached out to put my hand back in hers, hoping the touch would help, not hinder.

As soon as our hands were together, she looked down as though reminded of what she had been doing before my sudden, shameful display. She began smoothing her fingertips over my skin again. Then, she looked up at me timidly through her eyelashes and smiled. My fear began to subside and my body relaxed with relief. "So where were we, before I behaved so rudely?"

"I honestly can't remember." She spoke finally.

I realized I had startled her far beyond my intent, yet she bravely continued to stay by my side. I didn't deserve her. "I think we were talking about why you were afraid, besides the obvious reason."

"Oh, right."

"Well?" she continued to produce mesmerizing patterns on my skin with her fingertips which produced distracting and confusing feelings everywhere in my body, instead of just on the places she actually made contact. I thought she might be counting on this distraction to deter me, but I was determined to find out this very important answer. So, I sighed and continued, "How easily frustrated I am."

"I was afraid… because, for, well, obvious reasons, I can't stay with you. And I'm afraid that I'd like to stay with you, much more than I should." She looked down, down; making it clear to me this was, in her own way, a confession of sorts.

"Yes, that is something to be afraid of, indeed. Wanting to be with me… that's not really in your best interest."

I tilted my head a little to better see her downcast eyes and frowned. "I should have left long ago. I should leave now, but I don't know if I can."

"I don't want you to leave,." She mumbled sadly.

"Which is exactly why I should,." She looked as glum as I felt. "But, don't worry, I'm essentially a selfish creature. I crave your company too much to do what I should."

She looked up with a tender smile on her lips, "I'm glad."

No, no, no… she must understand. "Don't be!" I exclaimed. "It's not only your company I crave! Never forget that. Never forget that I am more dangerous to you than I am to anyone else." I paused to think about how to proceed, she must understand and it was my responsibility to make certain she did.

"I don't think I understand exactly what you mean – by that last part anyway."

Ah, yes. I've got her attention, "How do I explain? And without frightening you again… hmmm." She covered my hand with both of hers and the warmth felt exquisite. "That's amazingly pleasant, the warmth." I sighed while I thought of an analogy that would bring home my meaning to her. "You know how everyone enjoys different flavors? Some people love chocolate ice cream, others prefer strawberry?"

She bobbed her head.

"Sorry about the food analogy – I couldn't think of another way to explain."

We smiled briefly at each other.

"You see, every person smells different, has a different essence. If you locked an alcoholic in a room full of stale beer, he'd gladly drink it. But he could resist, if he wished to, if he were a recovering alcoholic. Now let's say you placed in that room a glass of hundred-year-old brandy, the rarest, finest cognac – and filled the room with its warm aroma – how do you think he would fare then?"

She looked back into my eyes silent and unresponsive. Hmm. She must be made to see clearly. "Maybe that's not the right comparison. Maybe it would be too easy to turn down the brandy. Perhaps I should have made our alcoholic a heroin addict instead."

"So what you're saying is, I'm your brand of heroin?" she said in a teasing tone, not really quite believing it yet.

"Yes, you are exactly my brand of heroin." I smiled, but looked her straight in the eyes to drive home my point, this was important.

"Does that happen often?" no chiding or teasing in that tone.

I looked away, mission accomplished. "I spoke to my brothers about it. To Jasper, every one of you is much the same. He's the most recent to join our family. It's a struggle for him to abstain at all. He hasn't had time to grow sensitive to the differences in smell, in flavor." I looked back at her, realizing how offensive that must sound to her, "Sorry."

She smiled graciously back at me, "I don't mind. Please don't worry about offending me, or frightening me, or whichever. That's the way you think. I can understand, or I can try to at least. Just explain however you can."

I continued, "So Jasper wasn't sure if he'd ever come across someone who was as… appealing as you are to me. Which makes me think not. This makes me think not. Emmett has been on the wagon longer, so to speak, and he understood what I meant. He says twice for him, once stronger than the other."

"And for you?"

"Never,." I was emphatic so she would understand, this was a new experience for me, she could not count on my advanced years to have developed a tolerance to this temptation. We both sat in silence as the gravity sunk in.

"What did Emmett do?"

Ahhh… she always asked the questions I didn't want to answer, I turned away from her so she couldn't see the anguish on my face. Well… there was no answering this. I sat sadly in silence without the will or the words to tell her.

"I guess I know." She said finally.

Would she find forgiveness in her heart for my brother? "Even the strongest of us fall off the wagon, don't we?" I asked hopefully.

"What are you asking;? My permission?"

I blanched at her biting tone, not quite sure what she meant.

"I mean, is there no hope, then?" she asked in a friendlier voice.

"No, no!" she'd misunderstood my intent. "Of course there's hope! I mean, of course I won't… It's different for us. Emmett… these were strangers he happened across. It was a long time ago, and he wasn't as… practiced, as careful, as he is now,." I watched for her expression to tell me she'd understood.

"So, if we'd met… oh, in a dark alley or something…" her voice trailed off.

"It took everything I had not to jump up in the middle of that class full of children and…" I had to turn away from her;, the shame was too great for me to bear. But it was important that I continue, "When you walked past me, I could have ruined everything Carlisle has built for us, right then and there. If I hadn't been denying my thirst for the last, well, too many years, I wouldn't have been able to stop myself." I scowled at the trees, remembering the monster.

"I couldn't understand why. How you could hate me so quickly…"

Yes, of course she remembered the monster too, "To me, it was like you were some kind of demon, summoned straight from my own personal hell to ruin me. The fragrance coming off your skin… I thought it would make me deranged that first day. In that one hour, I thought of a hundred different ways to lure you from the room with me, to get you alone. And I fought them each back, thinking of my family, what I could do to them. I had to run out, to get away before I could speak the words that would make you follow…"

I turned back to face her to look deeply into the warm, soft brown pools, "You would have come."

She gulped, "Without a doubt."

I looked down, "And then, as I tried to rearrange my schedule in a pointless attempt to avoid you, you were there – in that close, warm little room, the scent was maddening. I so very nearly took you then. There was only one other frail human there – so easily dealt with."

I saw her shiver. She was indeed, finally understanding. "But I resisted. I don't know how. I forced myself not to wait for you, not to follow you from the school. It was easier outside, when I couldn't smell you anymore, to think clearly, to make the right decision. I left the others near home – and then I went straight to Carlisle, at the hospital, to tell him I was leaving." Her expression changed now, less fear, more… shock? "I traded cars with him – he had a full tank of gas and I didn't want to stop. I didn't dare to go home, to face Esme. She wouldn't have let me go without a scene. She would have tried to convince me that it wasn't necessary…" I turned away from her, still a coward, unable to watch the changing expressions on her face as I continued. "By the next morning I was in Alaska."

I couldn't look back at her, I must finish this, she must know. "I spent two days there, with some old acquaintances… but I was homesick. I hated knowing I'd upset Esme, and the rest of them, my adopted family. In the pure air of the mountains it was hard to believe you were so irresistible. I convinced myself it was weak to run away. I'd dealt with temptation before, not of this magnitude, not even close. But I was strong. Who were you, an insignificant little girl," yeah, right, I smiled to myself, "to chase me from the place I wanted to be? So I came back…" I paused to listen to her heart, it seemed to be calm enough so I continued, "and "I took precautions, hunting, feeding more than usual before seeing you again. I was sure that I was strong enough to treat you like any other human. I was arrogant about it."

"It was unquestionably a complication that I couldn't simply read your thoughts to know what your reaction was to me. I wasn't used to having to go to such circuitous measures, listening to your words in Jessica's mind… her mind isn't very original, and it was annoying to have to stoop to that. And then I couldn't know if you really meant what you said. It was all extremely irritating,." I frowned at the memory.

"I wanted you to forget my behavior that first day, if possible, so I tried to talk with you like I would with any person. I was eager actually, hoping to decipher some of your thoughts. But you were too interesting, I found myself caught up in your expressions… and every now and then you would stir the air with your hand or your hair, and the scent would stun me again…" Don't stop now, the truth was spilling out, she had to know.

"Of course, then you were nearly crushed to death in front of my eyes. Later, I thought of a perfectly good excuse for why I acted at that moment – because if I hadn't saved you, if your blood had been spilled there in front of me, I don't think I could have stopped myself from exposing us for what we are. But I only thought of that excuse later. At the time, all I could think was, 'Not her.'" I paused in a deafening silence.

"In the hospital?" her voice quavered slightly.

I looked up at her, she wanted me to continue, "I was appalled;. I couldn't believe I had put us in danger after all, put myself in your power – you of all people; as if I needed another motive to kill you." She flinched at the word. I flinched at her flinch… "But it had the opposite effect. I fought with Rosalie, Emmett, and Jasper when they suggested that now was the time… the worst fight we've ever had. Carlisle sided with me, and Alice." Alice's visions were NOT going to come true, despite my lapses… "Esme told me to do whatever I had to in order to stay."

"All the next day I eavesdropped on the minds of everyone you spoke to, shocked that you kept your word. I didn't understand you at all. But I knew that I couldn't become more involved with you. I did my very best to stay as far from you as possible. And every day the perfume of your skin, your breath, your hair… it hit me as hard as the very first day."

I turned back to look into her eyes, her face was kind now, "And for all that, I'd have fared better if I had exposed us all at that first moment, than if now, here – with no witnesses and nothing to stop me – I were to hurt you."

"Why?" she truly did not know. I must make certain that she does, beyond all doubt.

"Isabella," I turned the syllables of her name around gently with my tongue and ran my hand lightly through her hair, "Bella, I couldn't live with myself if I ever hurt you. You don't know how it's tortured me." The shame welled up in me again. "The thought of you, still, white, cold… to never see you blush scarlet again, to never see that flash of intuition in your eyes when you see through my pretenses… it would be… unendurable." I paused to make sure she followed my intent, "You are the most important thing to me now. The most important thing to me ever," I watched her face as comprehension spread and her heart beat began to speed up. I waited, listening.

"You already know how I feel, of course. I'm here… which, roughly translated means I would rather die than stay away from you." She frowned, "I'm an idiot."

I laughed, "You are an idiot." Then, we laughed together at the sheer impossibility of such a moment. "And so the lion fell in love with the lamb…" I murmured.

"What a stupid lamb,." She was looking into the forest now.

"What a sick, masochistic lion," I looked into the forest too, wondering what she saw there.

"Why…?" she stopped… ah, the lovely, excruciating, painful curiosity.

"Yes?" I prompted.

"Tell me why you ran from me before."

"You know why."

"No, I mean, exactly what did I do wrong? I'll have to be on my guard, you see, so I better start learning what I shouldn't do. This, for example," she stroked my hand with her fingers again, "seems to be alright."

Silly girl, she was always so quick to blame herself for everything. "You didn't do anything wrong, Bella. It was my fault."

"But, I want to help, if I can, to not make this harder for you."

I thought about that for a minute, "Well… it was just how close you were. Most humans instinctively shy away from us, are repelled by our alienness… I wasn't expecting you to come so close and the smell of your throat..." Wait a minute, what could she possibly do about that?

"Okay, then," as though she'd heard my thoughts, she tucked her chin down to her chest and a wide grin spread across her face, "No throat exposure."

I couldn't help but laugh out loud, "No, really, it was more the surprise than anything else,." I was still chuckling. But, I raised my hand and put it against her neck as gently as I could, feeling the warm pulse we both depended on for Bella's life to continue, "You see, perfectly fine."

Ah, I heard her heart beat speed up at my touch and I thrilled to it, "The blush on your cheeks is lovely." I longed to touch her cheek, and then without conscious command my hands were bracing her face, holding her there gently, but firmly. "Be very still,." I whispered to her more as a caution than anything else, I knew I was beyond reigning in this urge. The burning reminded me that the best I could hope for was containment and I needed her cooperation for that.

As I looked deeply into her eyes to be certain she understood, I bent to her ever so carefully, and, satisfied she would obey, I put my ear to her pulse. Slowly, my hands moved over her warm cheeks and down the sides of her silken neck. I felt her shiver from the cold of my touch and caught my breath, but didn't pause. Her pulse was racing now and if I'd had one, I was sure mine would've matched it. Resting my palms on her shoulder, I lifted my face to her - allowing my nose to follow the graceful curve of her collarbone. Then, I pressed my ear to her heartbeat, "Ah." I couldn't help the sigh of relief that escaped. To hold her here, to be allowed so close to the most important sound in my world, was so much more than I'd dared to dream possible. I listened for as long as it took for her heart to slow and her calm to return. I could have remained there for much, much longer.

When I released her, I was much calmer too. "It won't be that hard again."

"Was that very hard for you?" she asked sincerely.

"Not nearly as bad as I imagined it would be. And you?"

She grinned, "No, it wasn't bad… for me."

She did know I was referring to the fear… didn't she? "You know what I mean?"

She only smiled back at me.

"Here,." I picked up her hand and put it on my cheek, hot from our close contact. "Do you feel how warm it is?"

"Don't move," she whispered.

Not a problem for me. I gladly allowed her touch, craving it and closing my eyes so I could savor the experience. She was ever so cautious, carefully slow, not to surprise me at any juncture. She brushed my face, my eyes, my nose and my mouth. I didn't understand how the feelings that were close to overwhelming me seemed to have more to do with my stomach than with my face. Her touch was compelling. When she released me and I opened my eyes to look deep into hers once more, I heard her heart beat begin to race again. "I wish…" I struggled to control myself, "I wish you could feel the… complexity… the confusion… I feel; that you could understand." I brushed a lock of hair from her face.

"Tell me," she implored.

"I don't think I can. I've told you, on the one hand, the hunger – the thirst – that, deplorable creature that I am, I feel for you. And I think you can understand that, to an extent. Though… as you are not addicted to any illegal substances, you probably can't empathize completely. But… there are other hungers." I touched her lips lightly as she had touched mine, "Hungers I don't even understand, that are foreign to me."

She smiled crookedly, "I may understand that better than you think."

"I'm not used to feeling so human. Is it always like this?"

"For me?" she asked and then paused for a moment. "No, never. Never before this."

I held her hands in mine, their soft warmth prolonging the deep yearning I couldn't remember ever having felt before. "I don't know how to be close to you. I don't know if I can."

She looked deeply into my eyes, cautioning me of her intent as she leaned toward me slowly, but relentlessly… until her cheek rested upon my chest.

"This is enough," she sighed.

I put my arms around her, slowly, gently and bent my face down to immerse myself in her mahogany hair. Her scent stronger than ever before, no longer seemed to possess the brutal violence it once had. I breathed it in, welcoming the flames licking at my throat…

"You're better at this than you give yourself credit for," she murmured.

"I have human instincts – they may be buried deep, but they're there."

I could have stayed like this forever, holding her was happiness, a contentment, I'd never imagined. Much too soon, the daylight began to fade and I felt her as much as I heard her sigh. "You have to go." The sadness was evident in my voice.

"I thought you couldn't read my mind."

I was pleased with myself, but I was only beginning to guess correctly. "It's getting clearer." I wondered how she would take a ride through the woods, she seemed able to accept so much of my reality with casual interest. Well, I thought to myself, now is as good a time as any to demonstrate. Slowly, gently, I chanted to myself as I placed my hands on her shoulders and pivoted her towards me, "Can I show you something?"

"Show me what?" She looked up at me cautiously curious.

"I'll show you how I travel in the forest," she unconsciously began biting her lip, a sure sign of tension. "Don't worry, you'll be very safe, and we'll get back to your truck much faster,." I tried smiling my most reassuring smile back at her.

"Will you turn into a bat?" she wasn't altogether certain it was a joke.

I laughed at her concern, "Like I haven't heard that one before!"

"Right, I'm sure you get that all the time."

"Come on little coward, climb on my back."

She stood there looking at me as though she couldn't decide whether I meant it or not. I waited as long as I could for her to make up her mind. But I was anxious to reassure her and hoping she would enjoy this as much as I did. I reached for her arms and hoisted her up like I was donning a human cape.

"I'm a bit heavier than your average backpack," she warned me nervously.

"Hah!" she was a featherweight. I pulled her hand off my neck and pressed her palm to my face while I breathed in deeply. "Easier all the time,." Alice's vision had been wrong, we were leaving and we were both fine, I am strong enough to manage this safely for her. I felt exhilarated, giving her back her hand, I grabbed the backs of her knees to give them a little hike up my sides and took off for the truck. I was giddy with the speed and the thought of sharing the feeling of it with her… I wanted her to know me and she was getting a first hand show today.

We were back to her truck within minutes, "Exhilarating, isn't it?" she didn't answer and she didn't move although we'd been at a standstill now for over a couple of minutes. "Bella?"

"I think I need to lie down," she gasped.

She sounded winded, I waited for her to let go, but she made no move, "Oh sorry,." Still, she made no effort to release her grasp on me.

"I think I need help."

This may have frightened her more than I anticipated, she did after all have a problem with speed, I knew that already. I loosened her stranglehold on my neck and grabbed her arms to pull her around to face me, holding her like I've seen mothers hold their toddlers. Then I found some soft looking ferns and bent over them, gently laying her down on top of them. I looked down on her face which did seem to be a bit paler than usual. "How do you feel?"

"Dizzy, I think." She sounded hesitant.

"Put your head between your knees,." She moved to follow my instructions and I helped her gently to a sitting position so that she could recover herself. I listened to her breathe for awhile. "I guess that wasn't the best idea."

"No, that was very interesting."

"Hah! You're as white as a ghost – no, you're as white as me!"

She lifted her head, but kept her eyes closed, still trying to breathe deep, regular breaths, "I think I should have closed my eyes."

"Remember that next time,." I cautioned her.

"Next time!" her exclamation made me giddy again, "Show off," she muttered under her breath.

Our time alone, really alone, was growing short and I'd been counting on attempting a very human move on Bella. It was now or never, I moved very close to her, "Open your eyes, Bella,." I said as gently as I could.

Her eyes opened, and as she looked into mine her heart began the staccato beat I'd come to enjoy and looked forward to so much. "I was thinking while I was running…"

"About not hitting trees, I hope."

"Silly Bella, running is second nature to me, it's not something I have to think about."

"Show off," She grinned and looked down.

But, I wanted her full attention, so I took her face in both of my hands and gently tilted it up so I could gaze into the depths of her deep brown eyes. "No, I was thinking there was something I wanted to try."

Her breathing stopped momentarily, my own increased, I was certain I could do this safely for her now, yes this would be fine. I leaned in slowly, pressing my lips gently to hers, cold stone to silk over glass, so very, very fragile. The sensation was indescribable, and then, Bella was breathing again and moving against the pressure of my lips to hers. I felt her warm fingers knotting in my hair, pulling me to her. Ah, the yearning to be even closer to her, the need to feel her body pressed to mine, and then her lips parted and the scent of her breath overwhelmed me, I felt myself losing balance, my senses began to reel, other urgent needs made themselves known… STOP. I managed to shut down somehow and gently pull her face away from mine just in time. Definitely not what I wanted to do, but the most I was capable of at the time. Her face was bewildered for a moment and then quickly formed an understanding expression.

"Oops," she said somewhat abashedly.

"That's an understatement,." I held us both immobile while I continued to attempt to regain my composure.

She began to struggle slightly, "Should I… ?"

"No, it's tolerable. Wait for a moment, please,." I had no energy to explain the need for stillness, hers as well as mine. But, she was cooperating well enough for the moment… just a few seconds more, "I'm stronger than I thought. It's nice to know."

"I wish I could say the same. I'm sorry." She reiterated.

I couldn't help the roguish smile I was probably exhibiting by now, "You are only human, after all."

"Thanks so much," she retorted.

I was on my feet and offering her a hand up. I pulled her to a standing position too quickly for her to balance on her own, and the chance to hold her until she regained her footing was another temptation I had little will to resist. "Are you still faint from the run? Or was it my kissing expertise?" I grinned at her.

"I can't be sure. I'm still woozy."

I held on to her, just in case… right, "Maybe you should let me drive."

"Are you insane?" she yanked herself away from me, eager to stand on her own now.

"I can drive better than you on your best day, you have much slower reflexes,." I grinned down at her as she stood motionless, but steady.

"I'm sure that's true, but I don't think my nerves or my truck could take it."

"Some trust, please, Bella."

She pursed her lips in determination, "Nope, not a chance."

I couldn't believe her, she was just being stubborn now. I watched closely as she started to make her way past me to the driver's side of the Chevy. She shifted her weight and her first step was fine, but when she lifted her foot to take her second step, she nearly toppled and I grabbed her waist just in time. "Bella, I've already expended a great deal of personal effort at this point to keep you alive. I'm not about to let you behind the wheel of a vehicle when you can't even walk straight. Besides, friends don't let friends drive drunk," I chuckled.

"Drunk?" she blanched.

"You're intoxicated by my very presence,." I teased her.

Bella paused, looking deep into my eyes for any lingering antagonism, I returned her gaze with openly evident love and concern.

"I can't argue with that," she capitulated, holding out the keys and dropping them carelessly, "Take it easy – my truck is a senior citizen."

"Very sensible," I made my voice as gentle as possible, hoping she would hear the approval in my tone.

"And are you not affected at all? By my presence?" she seemed doubtful.

I realized this was no time to hide these feelings from her, she must have no doubts. I leaned my face down to hers, slowly, ever so gently. My arms tightened around her waist, drawing her body closer to mine. I brushed my lips across her cheek to her jaw then to her chin, tasting her scent, burning with her perfume, keeping my lips parted slightly while I breathed until I felt her tremble in my arms. That tremble almost did me in again, but I managed to lift my mouth to her ear and hoarsely whisper, "Regardless, I have better reflexes."

AN: This novel was begun by the Twilight Saga's Creator Ms. Stephenie Meyer and can be read online at her website: www . stepheniemeyer . com

A/N: Thank you for reading!
Now it's time to use the Review This Chapter 'Button' below!
THANKS!