Chapter 4: Angel Fatigue

In the end, Bella saved herself. Unknowingly and accidentally of course, as she did everything else. As usual, she didn't have a clue as to her danger. But it had taken only the soft caress of her small, warm hands on his back and the simplicity of five little words and then the deadly brush of his teeth became only a playful nibble with his lips safely covering the very teeth that would have killed her.

"I love you, Edward Cullen," Bella had whispered – and the man wrestled the monster into submission, for the moment at least. The monster whimpered in frustration while the man heaved a sigh of relief.

Bella laughed at his touch, he supposed it tickled, never guessing that she had escaped death by only milliseconds. If she had spoken a moment later, she would have found herself unable to speak. Of course, being Bella, Edward decided, she might have made her declaration of love even as he drained her of her life's blood and she writhed in the agony of the venom's embrace. That would be classic Bella.

And that was the problem when one loved someone who was probably certifiably insane. He would have to remain the reasonable one in the relationship. For Edward the man, that was no problem. He had lifetimes of practice in that skill. Unfortunately, he had his evil twin hitching a permanent ride in body, and the monster tended to react impetuously when he got in the driver's seat, which tended to happen with frightening regularity in Bella's presence.

Silly, warm, fragrant, absurd little Bella still didn't seem to grasp that fact, and Edward knew he was facing a losing battle in protecting her. Because Bella, while unexpectedly saving herself from one peril had, predictably, left herself squarely in yet another danger zone.

Still, he had to try. That's who he was. Right?

He sighed and buried his face in the tempting heat of her neck, thrusting the monster deep beneath the surface. Again. The monster should be used to it by now, but no, he insisted on rearing his ugly head – and appetite – with the slightest provocation. If Bella had a guardian angel, she was probably on a very long lunch break. Maybe the angel had never even reported for duty. More likely though, the angel was currently trying to recover from her exhaustion. She was probably recuperating at the angelic equivalent of Club Med at the moment, regaling her colleagues with stories of the girl who would not keep herself safe and getting lots of sympathy in the bargain. Protecting Bella had to be more than a full time job.

Edward could sympathize with that tired angel. Just refraining from killing Bella was exhausting; he couldn't imagine actively trying to protect her. From herself and every instinct Bella seemed to possess.

Bella's caress was languid and sated, her voice a soft, drowsy murmur. Everything about her screamed satisfied, and Edward took a healthy bit of pride, though he knew it was wrong, in knowing he was the one – the ONLY one – who had given her exactly what she needed.

Of course, she had so sweetly reciprocated. The warmth of her blood inside of him and the damp traces of her arousal – not to mention her virginal blood - on his cock were proof enough of that.

He pulled her close, glad that the night was warm and the breezes balmy. Reaching over, he grabbed his shirt and draped it over her. She was so terrifyingly fragile. And yet here she was, firmly snuggled into his potentially lethal embrace. What drove her to disregard her own safety? What made her accept what he was with such ease and apparent lack of fear? And why was she so drawn to him? Somehow he sensed he would never fully know those answers, no matter how long they had together. "Ah Bella," he whispered yearningly. "You have no idea how dangerous I am."

"I guess you could be considered dangerous," she replied, still sounding sleepy. "But not to me…never to me."

"You more than anyone else," Edward corrected her firmly, pressing a kiss to the fragrant silk of her hair. "You more than anyone…"

"What do I smell like to you, Edward?" she asked, looking up at him, her eyes shimmering in the moonlight.

Edward laughed and pulled her in for a chaste kiss. "You smell like sunshine and the most exotic flowers, the ones that only bloom at night once every hundred years…like honey and the ocean…and everything good." He inhaled. "Your scent is rare and decadent and unbearably alluring. It makes me want to fit you inside my skin and make you a part of me."

"You smell like…" She paused. "I can't even describe how you smell to me." Bella laughed. "I want to eat you up."

"It's all part of the lure, Bella, never forget that." It made him both sad and angry that everything about him had been designed to pull her in closer to him, to bring her close r to the brink of death.

"Because you're a predator?" Her hand began trailing down his chest to his belly, where she playfully tugged at the spattering of hairs leading down to his groin.

"The world's best," Edward affirmed in a slightly breathless voice.

Her finger made a circle around his cock and down toward the fold of his thigh. "You certainly captured me," Bella whispered. Then her hand closed around his shaft. "And this is your most dangerous weapon, I think."

He hissed as she gave him a light, tentative stroke. Firmly, he put his hand over hers. "Enough, Bella. We've risked your life enough tonight."

She pouted, and he found the expression adorable. Unable to help himself, he suckled that protruding lower lip, careful not to nip it with his teeth although they tingled with the desire to do so. That would not be a good way to end the evening, especially after he had done so well, too.

"Come on," he said, jumping to his feet. "Let's get you home."

"What if I don't want to go?" she challenged, still sprawled on the ground and looking deliciously disheveled. That pout would be his undoing if he was not careful.

He quirked one brow at her. "Then I suppose I'd have to make you."

Bella laughed, her hands coming up to cup her breasts, offering them up to him like a sacrificial maiden before her god. "Wouldn't you rather stay…and play?" Her lips were a plump temptation and his teeth tingled again.

"I don't think that's a very wise idea," Edward said as he tugged on his pants. Where the hell was his belt?

Bella, as usual, was not going to cooperate with his efforts to keep her alive, he recognized with a groan. Her hand snaked down her belly, through dark curls and then finally to the little nub he had been so diligently paying attention to earlier. He felt his mouth go dry and his cock begin to stir. Damn it. Even the monster raised his drowsy head and asked, "Well, what have we here?"

It was obvious that Bella Swan should not be allowed out of her house. She did nothing but get into trouble when left to her own devices. Edward wondered if her father had any idea what his daughter was really like. Then he answered his own question. The answer was obviously NO, because if he did, Bella would be under permanent house arrest. Or perhaps locked away in a convent somewhere surrounded by burly nuns suffering from a hatred of males and permanent PMS.

He sighed as he watched Bella's fingers move at a rapid pace. For a virgin, the girl was damnably skilled. Everything about her screamed temptation. Even her feet were sexy and he struggled against a desire to start licking her there and work his way up. For a moment he was torn. The noble side of him was urging him to get dressed and force her to the do the same, then take her home and never see her again. The less noble side of him was scoffing at the very idea and prompting him to remove the restrictive pants and have another go. Bella moaned and her hips thrust upward.

Edward stared at her for a moment and then he politely told his noble side to go fuck itself and began removing his pants.