Author's note (DragonGirl323): A thousand pardons for taking so long with this chapter! I had major computer issues that prevented me from writing, but all is fixed now! Also, thank you all for the feedback! Crys and I are eternally grateful for all the support and I hope everyone enjoys this newest chapter!

Author's note (A Romantic Enquiry): Jenna wasn't the only one with computer problems lately: mine completely died, so I had to get a new one before I could do anything. But here is our update at long last. Thank you for your patience!

"You want to know if I love you."

My words to her continued to echo through my mind as the sudden, but not so surprising realization that I really did love her, and not just as the family member that she paraded as, occurred to me. I knew that a small part of me should have felt ashamed about that, but I didn't. My conscience, a constant buzzing in the back of my mind, continually brought up the fact that Bella should be the one in my arms right now and that I certainly shouldn't feel so at peace when I should be anything but.

There was no doubt that I still felt extremely conflicted and ashamed over my infidelity, but what Esme said earlier was absolutely true: she was the second greatest temptation I had ever faced. In fact, she could possibly be the greatest. While Bella was human, on multiple occasions I had resisted from giving into my instincts and indulging myself in her blood. With Esme, I was powerless. There was no way that I could fight my need for her and, what was most shocking to admit to myself, I didn't want to.

Esme nodded, successfully pulling me out of my inner wonderings as I heard her thoughts before she voiced them. "We can't go on like this forever," she said, a faint undercurrent of worry passing through her mind. "I want to know if you love me, if you think you love me enough to end it if I ask you to, if you love me enough to still love me even if someone else ends it, or if you will still love me if each other is all we have left one day."

"I do love you, Esme," I answered automatically, the words rolling off my tongue effortlessly as though I'd uttered them multiple times before. "I love you enough to do as you wish even if I don't like it, and I'll continue to love you from afar if that happens. I love you, and that won't be changing." I held her gaze captive in mine as I spoke, wanting to make sure she could clearly see the conviction in my eyes as well as hear it in my voice.

"I love you," she whispered back to me, a joyous smile slowly spreading across her face as she took my hand and intertwined our fingers. "So, spend the weekend with me on the island. Say you need to get away – that staying here waiting for her is too much. Call me after you've been there for a day or so alone and tell me how you can't stand to be home, but being alone is worse." She paused for a split second, her voice dropping to a whisper, and she barely brushed her lips over mine causing a shiver to race down my spine. "Tell me that you need me. Then I'll come to you, and convince you to come home with me."

I exhaled slowly and squeezed her fingers, snaking my free arm around her waist and pulling her body flush against mine. It took every iota of my restraint to keep myself from kissing her fully, enjoying the rush of ecstasy that was surging through me like a torrent. "That day before you arrive is going to be agonizing," I replied, my voice a low, husky whisper.

She brought her free hand up and pressed her thumb against the middle of my bottom lip, prompting my jaw to slacken and my mouth to open slightly, as she looked into my eyes. "Then we won't be completely lying, will we? We'll be so far away from each other, where you can't hear even the faintest whisper of my thoughts," she said, sliding her hand down and gripping my chin. "I'll be here waiting, aching for you."

My top lip curled involuntarily at the sudden surge of desire those thoughts invoked, and I pressed the tips of my fingers into the base of her back, holding her firmly against me. "No, I suppose not," I replied with a grin. "The silence is going to be deafening."

She sensually slid one leg up around my waist and ran her hand down from my chin to grip the top of my shoulder. "You can only imagine the things I'll be thinking about you," she said, grinning back and kissing me lightly on the corner of my mouth. "Will you miss being in my mind or my body more?"

My hand glided slowly down her body to grip her thigh, and I turned my head slightly, my lips searching for hers. "And you can only imagine the things I'll be thinking of doing to you until you join me," I murmured. I growled under my breath as I considered my answer. "Now that…is a very difficult question. Can I answer both?"

She kissed me softly several times and, with every touch of her lips against mine, I couldn't stop myself from melting into her, fanning the smoldering burn of my desire into a small flame that had the potential to become a raging inferno. "You can if it's the truth," she whispered back to me. A slight hesitation lazily crept through her mind then as she thought about wanting to make love to me again, feeling somewhat guilty that we kept invading her and Carlisle's space and imagined me taking her to my bed instead. "I think maybe waiting for you to leave will be harder than waiting for us to be together there."

"It's definitely the truth," I replied, inwardly agreeing with her train of thought.

Ever since I stalked into the bathroom after Esme, the presence of Carlisle's scent was a challenge in and of itself to push from my mind, and now she would have to wash the sheets to rid them of my scent as well as come up with a logical excuse for why I had been in the room if Carlisle happens to ask later when he returns home. I shared in her guilt, knowing the position I was putting her in, that I was putting the both of us in, but was able to take a small amount of comfort from the fact that she wanted this, wanted me.

And I wanted her.

I wanted her with a fierce desperation that I had never before experienced.

Keeping a hold of her thigh, I wound my other arm around her and rolled, pulling her with me as I rose swiftly from the bed, holding her firmly against me. "And I agree with you wholeheartedly," I said, breathing those words against her lips as I headed toward my room by memory.

She coiled her body tightly around me as I walked, tangling one hand in my hair as we shared heated, passionate kisses. I could feel her legs shaking with anticipation and excitement from where they were locked around my waist, and a low growl rumbled through my chest as images of me holding her down with our bodies intertwined flowed from her mind directly into mine. I picked up my pace, desperate to make her unspoken desires a reality, and jumped onto my bed, landing solidly on top of her.

I reluctantly broke our mouths apart and looked down into her darkened, lust filled gaze. "You are so wicked, and the worst part is that you know it," I said, lowering my head to dot tender kisses along her shoulder and neck.

She giggled and lifted her hand, pressing the tip of her finger into the center of my chest. "I don't know what you're talking about, Edward Cullen. Me, wicked?" she said innocently, shaking her head and biting down on her lip to prevent the smile that wanted to spread across her lips. "You shouldn't talk to your mother that way, you impudent boy." She smacked my cheek lightly, her thoughts taking on a joking tone.

The corners of my mouth tugged up as I gazed down at her, my golden eyes flashing playfully. "I apologize," I murmured, moving down to slip my tongue into the dip of her belly button then gradually trailing my mouth back up her body, savoring the traces of white jasmine that lingered on her skin.

She breathed in slowly through her nose as she watched me kiss her, bunching one of her hands in the blankets while she reached the other around my back, running one fingertip down my spine, just barely grazing my vertebrae. A tremor raced through me at the soft, sensual contact and I inhaled involuntarily, the sound reminiscent of a gasp, as my mouth finally reached hers. I hovered my lips in front of hers for just a few short seconds before hesitantly brushing our mouths together, keeping my movements teasing, before becoming more passionate.

She sighed against my mouth as she surrendered to my kisses, her lips parting slightly, but didn't move to return the gesture. Her body began quivering as she struggled to refrain from kissing me madly, her thoughts far ahead of our actions.

I chuckled as I read her thoughts, keeping my hands braced against the mattress even though I longed to explore her body. "Your thoughts betray you, Esme," I whispered against her mouth teasingly.

She smiled and shot a sideways glance at my hands. "And you just act on every impulse and fantasy that crosses your mind? There's something to be said for a little anticipation. Not acting immediately and not acting at all are very different things."

I laughed then left another lingering kiss on her lips. "Touché," I responded, winking at her.

"I thought that you enjoyed listening to my fantasies about you," she said, wrapping her arms around me and digging her fingernails into my shoulders. "Besides, you know that I can't control my thoughts about you when you aren't even near me, much less when I'm in your arms."

I grinned at her and nodded. "I do. I could sit and listen to your thoughts for hours without pause." I breathed in slowly through my nose as her hands gripped my shoulders, my eyes sliding shut, and groaned softly on the exhale. "Oh, the things you do to me…"

She raked the nails of one hand down my back in response to my groan and I growled under my breath, grinding our pelvises together. Her hand stopped at the small of my back and she pressed her palm firmly against me to hold us together, cupping my cheek with her free hand. "Do I make you happy?" she asked, carefully studying my face. "Do I make you feel loved?" I could tell those two questions were of great concern to her and even if I was unable to read her thoughts, I would still be able to pick up the worry that was obvious in her voice.

I stared down into her eyes meaningfully and softly stroked her cheek with my thumb. "Even though what I'm feeling for you might be wrong, I couldn't imagine it gets any better than this," I replied, smiling delicately at her. "Of course you make me feel happy and loved." I paused momentarily and kissed her tenderly for emphasis. "I could ask you the same questions."

"Are you asking?"

I nodded once. "I am."

She fell silent and brought her fingers to her lips, her eyebrows furrowing. "I'm sorry. Do I talk too much? Am I spoiling the mood? You should be warned now about this. I do this – talk a lot, about emotions."

My smile widened at her slightly embarrassed state, which I found extremely endearing, and chuckled lowly, shaking my head in reassurance. "No, don't worry about that. I love listening to you talk."

She lowered her gaze for just a moment, smiling coyly, and I imagined that her cheeks would take on a beautiful rosy hue were she human. It was times like these, just simply studying her face and admiring how truly gorgeous she was, that the curse of immortality didn't seem as heavy. But, at the same time, made me lament the small possibility that we could have met in our human lives and found happiness together. That would have been easier, if not a trifle scandalous because of our age difference, and we wouldn't be breaking up two marriages that had been filled with love and loyalty.

Perhaps, though, I thought, this is Fate's way of finally bringing us together at the perfect time.

"You do," she answered, returning to our previous topic of conversation. "I like how attentive you are. You realize that you have me under the impression that I'm quite important." She reached up and began toying with my hair, her lithe fingers slowly combing through the copper strands. "Maybe that's selfish, but it's very nice."

"That's because you are," I murmured, my eyelids fluttering as her fingers moved through my hair. "I would never make you think something that wasn't true."

My breath caught in my throat when images of us making love suddenly flooded her mind as she watched me and I squeezed my eyes shut as an excited thrill raced through me. "Kiss me again, Edward," she said, her voice low and sultry. "I can't bear the thought of someone coming home before I've had you again. I'll go absolutely mad with need if you make me wait."

I eagerly smashed my lips against hers, just as desperate to be joined with her again, and drew her bottom lip into my mouth, sucking on it gently. "How could I deny you?" I purred, lowering myself over her and sensually stroking the sensitive skin of her inner thighs as I gradually parted her legs.

I wanted so badly to forego all sense of formality and drive into her roughly until her cries of ecstasy shook the very foundation of the house, but I knew in the back of my mind that I couldn't do that. Esme was a treasure and she deserved so much more than that, and even though we could very well be interrupted soon, I wanted to savor the moment. I wanted every touch of her skin against mine, every breathy sigh and moan of pleasure to be branded in my memory.

A shiver raced through her at my touch, her body tensing slightly with anticipation, and her eyes drifted shut as her legs dropped open in surrender, giving me a glorious view of her womanhood. "How do you do that?" she whispered, referring to how I was able to give her so much pleasure when I was barely touching her.

I smirked and continued my soft teasing, making no move to enter her yet and exerting a great deal of self control to keep it that way for just a little while longer. "I am rather good at paying attention."

She smiled, her eyes still shut, and I could tell she was trying to relax so she could enjoy the buildup, but her thoughts were rapidly becoming heated, her body aching for mine. "I've been accused of being sensual, but this is really far beyond anything I've ever felt. I'd say you're more than just attentive. Maybe my constant, wild desire for you plays in your favor though," she said, laughing slightly and opening her eyes to gaze up at me.

I chuckled a small amount as well and locked gazes with her. "That's a distinct possibility. My desire for you is just as wild." I drew my hands away, the scent of her arousal nearly driving me into a frenzy, then slid effortlessly inside her. I groaned deeply at how primed she was and my head lolled back, completely astounded by how powerful the sensations were. It reminded me of our first encounter, but now that I knew what the forbidden fruit tasted like, each bite was so much sweeter than the last.

She gasped when our bodies joined, her arms locking tightly around me, and rocked her hips up to meet mine, urging me with both her mind and her body to keep a slow, gentle pace, something I was more than willing to do. As I began gradually thrusting, her body trembled each time I filled her and she buried her head against my shoulder, whimpering in pleasure.

My eyes slid shut as I listened to her soft vocalizations, the effort of restraining myself from pounding into her relentlessly making a low growl tear up my throat. I immediately lowered my mouth to her neck, kissing and sucking on her skin hungrily. "Esme..." I mumbled, her name escaped from behind my clenched teeth in a deep passion filled whisper.

Her hands fluttered over my skin like the gossamer wings of a butterfly, down the length of my back and curled around my hips. She tipped her head back, causing her silky caramel hair to fan out around her shoulders, and I couldn't help but be momentarily mesmerized by it. "I want you to possess me, Edward. I want to be completely yours," she said, her breathy words interrupted by gasps and sighs.

A shudder coursed through me as her hands caressed my back and my eyes rolled into the back of my head at her words. "You are mine," I answered immediately, my tone turning possessive as my pace picked up and became more desperate. "And I want to be yours. Always."

She moaned softly in response, sliding her hands up my sides to massage my chest while placing firm kisses along my jaw line. "And you are mine," she repeated without a second thought as she wrapped her legs around my waist, her body beginning to tighten around mine.

I brought my hands down to grip her hip bones and drove deeper inside of her, hitting the same spot I remembered discovering the first time we made love, getting closer and closer to my release with every hard thrust. "Amazing. You are amazing."

Her reaction was instantaneous and mind-numbing in its purity. Her sharp cry was filled with surprise and pleasure as her body convulsed with ecstasy, her hands gripping my arms and her face pressed into my shoulder. "Yes, Edward..." she urged, her words barely audible and breathy against my skin.

A deep, primal thrumming reminiscent of a purr began emanating from my chest, her words spurring me on, prompting me to go harder and faster, to do anything to bring her the pleasure I was experiencing. I tried to hold off as long as I could, but the exquisite feel of her body around mine and the erotic intensity of her thoughts sent me sailing over the edge. I slammed our pelvises together one more time and a burst of color exploded behind my eyelids as her passion peaked, forcing a loud growl out of my mouth that echoed through the empty house.

Only a short breath of time passed before Esme lifted her hand and cupped the back of my head, kissing me deeply as she ran her fingers through my hair. "Stay inside of me. Just for a moment," she whispered, her lips brushing against mine. "I don't want to let you go. I feel so empty and incomplete without you now that know what it feels like for us to be joined together."

I bobbed my head slowly as my muscles gradually unlocked and slid my arms beneath her, bringing our bodies closer together. I grinned down at her, in awe of how beautiful she looked in that moment lying beneath me, and placed several tender kisses on her lips. "You are so perfect."

"If I was perfect, we wouldn't be here," she replied, gazing up at me with a soft smile. "I have a question."

Her thoughts began swirling with curiosity about what it was like for me to read her mind while we made love, and I paused for a moment to consider her unspoken question, simply staring down into her eyes as I thought. That was no simple answer. Sharing such a profound level of intimacy with Esme, something I wished I could have experienced with Bella, was something that I had never encountered before and was already becoming addicted to.

"There is no way for me to properly describe it that would do it justice," I answered finally after a long, pregnant silence, bringing a hand up to brush my fingers from her forehead down to her chin. "The euphoria is absolutely phenomenal."

"I'm glad I can give you that," she said, her voice soft. "I'm very used to the idea of you hearing my thoughts, but, at first, I was...nervous about how you might feel about it."

"I've never experienced something so powerful before. It could be compared to a human feeling the addictive effects of a drug, but a thousand times more wild."

She lifted her hands to brace them against my shoulders and pushed her hips up to urge us apart finally, wanting me to hold her before we needed to get up. "You have such beautiful lips. I could be content just watching you talk." Her thoughts shifted slightly and I could tell she wanted to say more, but was feeling unsure.

My eyebrows twitched as I rolled to the side, hearing her uncertainly, and eagerly drew her into my embrace, placing a soft kiss on her shoulder as I rubbed her back soothingly. "What's wrong?"

She settled into my arms and fell silent, running her fingertips across her lips before draping her arm over mine and staring up into my eyes. "I like that you can be certain about my sincerity – that you know, without a doubt, the way you make me feel, the gripping, blinding rapture you give me, the fact that when you touch me, you are my world exclusively and entirely."

One corner of my mouth tugged upwards as I listened to her and brought a hand up to comb my fingers through her silky hair. "That makes me wish you could hear exactly how I feel about you. I could tell you that I love you every minute of every day, but even then that would never be enough." I paused and exhaled slowly, gazing deeply into her eyes. "How did we live together for so long without discovering this sooner?"

"Because we love each other," she answered simply, smiling sadly at me. "And we love Carlisle and since you met Bella, we have loved her too. The moment I opened my eyes after the transformation, I was in love with him. I don't think I knew it as that right away. He was my savior, and part of me will always be bound to him in love and honor. You knew that he and I were in love before we did, I think, before we confessed it anyway; you heard our thoughts, and you wouldn't compromise our happiness, am I right?"

I listened to her intently as she spoke and I once again found myself hypnotized by the sound of her voice and the way her mouth moved as the words rolled off her tongue. I nodded in response to her question and breathed in deeply, holding the air that was laced with her scent in my lungs before exhaling. "Yes," I replied, meeting her eyes. "And my love for Bella will always be there as well. I didn't think the prospect of loving two people at the same time was even possible, but it is."

"You and I are emotional and passionate. I think our kind form strong bonds, when they do happen, for a reason – even we weren't meant to be alone. We're both lonely and trusting of one another; we understand one another and offer something that can't be found somewhere else." She paused for a long moment, her thoughts about our complicated attachment become conflicted and confused. "It's okay if you choose her. I'll be happy as long as you are."

I pressed my lips together as her thoughts filtered into my head, feeling conflicted myself, and knowing deep down that if we had to stay away from one another neither one of us would be happy. "And what if the only way I would be exclusively happy is being with you?" I asked her bluntly.

Her reaction was something I had prepared myself for. She pulled back away from me slightly, suddenly feeling nervous and unsure, and hesitated for a long, tense moment, blinking rapidly several times. I fought to keep my expression stoic, her silence tearing me apart inside and, for a moment, I feared I may have crossed some invisible line with such a bold declaration.

"Are you asking me to choose right now?" she asked, and I could hear the apprehension that was clear in her voice.

"No, I'm not," I reassured her immediately, but still felt uneasy about the whirling vortex her thoughts had become. "You may take all the time you need to decide. I won't pressure you."

She looked away from me, still blinking as a reflex, and I heard it when she came upon the realization that she would eventually have to choose between Carlisle and I, something that frightened her a small amount. "I can't yet. I've spent nearly a century loving Carlisle, never wanting to imagine an existence without him. This past week has been so confusing," she said, her eyebrows furrowing as she brought a hand to her forehead for a brief moment before dropping it and looking at me again. "What if we regret it? If we choose each other, we can't turn back. Could you be with me even if I mourned what I lost with him forever?"

She pulled away from me completely and sat up on the side of the bed, pulling the corner of the blanket up around her shoulders, then buried her face in her hands. I sat up as well and stared at the back of her head for a moment, a crushing guilt settling onto my shoulders for being the cause of the unexpected turn in the atmosphere. But it had been a question I wanted – no, needed – her to hear, something I had to get out in the open before it drove me mad.

I bobbed my head in contemplative thought even though she couldn't see it and rose from the bed, retrieving a pair of sweat pants that were draped over my desk chair and putting them on. I winced as I listened to her thoughts, rubbing my forehead unconsciously as her hunched form began shaking as though she was sobbing though no tears would come, heartbroken over the thought of hurting Carlisle and leaving him alone for eternity.

The weight of her questions added to the already unimaginable burden that seemed to be pressing in on me from all sides, and I couldn't stop from wondering the same thing about Bella. She was the first woman I had ever truly loved, even before I realized the bond that Esme and I shared was more than familial. If I chose to be with Esme for the rest of eternity, would I too mourn for the life that I could have had with Bella? Was I willing to subject both Esme and Bella to such heartache to fulfill my own selfish desires?

"If we should end this... Just say so," I said, breaking the thick silence. "We can't carry on living two lives."

"I can't stand you being angry at me for loving him," she mumbled with her face still pressed into her palms. "Why do I have to choose alone? What about Bella? Are you ready to decide right now?"

"I would never be angry with you for choosing your husband," I responded, then fell silent, feeling a crushing dread over having to make such a monumental decision at that moment. Finally, I answered, "No. No, I'm not."

Esme straightened and looked back at me, tucking the blanket beneath her arms. "I'm sorry. This is hard," she apologized. "Will you spend the weekend with me? I need to know what it's like for us to be alone together...like this. I can't make a choice like that based off of one evening and one afternoon after a week of not speaking to each other."

I met her gaze and a short stretch of silence passed between us as I weighed my decision in my mind. "Yes, I will. I need to know that the advantages outweigh the risks."

She dropped the blanket and stood up slowly, walking over to the closet. I got one last glance at her statuesque form before she grabbed one of my t-shirts and pulled it on. "Do you mind?" she asked, brushing her hair back with her hands.

The ghost of a smile played across my lips and I shook my head, my eyes scanning down the length of her body, admiring how she looked wearing my shirt. "Not at all."

She nodded once. "Either way, I think I have to tell him. Even if it means losing you both."

I worked my jaw back and forth as she spoke. "And I'll need to tell Bella."

I inwardly rejoiced when I heard her make the decision to come over to me in her thoughts a millisecond before she started moving and opened my arms to her, sliding them around her waist once she was in reach. She cupped my face and kissed me softly, a gesture I was more than happy to return, before wrapping her arms around my neck.

"Of course," she replied with an understanding tone to her voice. "I'll always love you. No matter what happens."

"No matter what."