"What?" I asked in a small voice, eyes wide. The hand that had been smoothing over the nape of his neck stopped abruptly as I considered if I had actually heard him correctly.

"I asked if you would mind if I stayed with you tonight." Adam's voice was soft, back to its velvet cadence. "I understand if you want to say no, I just-"

"No! I mean, not no, but I don't… I'm just trying to play catch up here. You want to stay here… with me… with my dad down the hall." I spoke slowly, my brain sluggishly wrapping around the idea.

"Well… Yes. I… I mean, my family was going hunting tonight and going back to my house now, where I'd be alone, when I would rather stay with you seems just… Nonsensical." My head nodded ever so slightly; I could see his point but I still was considering the matter of my father.

"I-I would love that," I started, stuttering over my words as a chill wind brushed against my neck. "But what if my dad hears us? Y'know, coming up the stairs or talking or…" I trailed off at the other possibility but didn't linger too long on the thought.

"He just went upstairs―I wouldn't be surprised if he was going to be asleep in the next five minutes," Adam told me as he reached up again to move a piece of hair that had caught itself on my kiss-dampened mouth. Letting it fall, he then placed both his hands on my shoulders. "I should get you back inside. I can tell you're freezing out here."

Still shocked by the turn of events, I simply nodded my head and allowed him to tuck me under his arm where I could turn away from the cold wind.

I opened the front door slowly, acknowledging the dim light coming from the kitchen. Since being in Forks, I had noticed that my dad liked to have little lights in rooms where he might have to wander in during the night; he turned them on as a nightly ritual. The dull, yellow light made me breath a little easier because this meant that my father had, in fact, already gone upstairs. If I strained my ears, I could hear the water running from the sink in the bathroom that was just off Michael's bedroom.

I held a finger up to my lips in a shushing motion, which earned me an eye squint from Adam. He leaned into my ear and whispered, "I'll see you up there." With a swift kiss on the cheek, he disappeared from my side and instead became a blur up the stairs. His feet didn't make a sound, naturally.

I had forgotten I was dating a vampire for a second there.

Making my own way up the stairs, I didn't feel the need to keep my footfalls silent―I wouldn't have had to sneak up if I was actually alone. For good measure, I called out, "Goodnight, Dad! Dinner was great―I'll see you tomorrow!"

"Of course. Sleep well!" was my dad's response. I listened as the water turned off and the light that flooded from the crack beneath his door went black. I was incredibly grateful that he was willing to put off any conversation about dinner that night until the next morning. Thankfully, my father was as far from confrontational as I was.

I creaked open my door and found Adam seated on the end of my bed, holding my dog-eared copy of Jitterbug Perfume. He looked up when my shadow cast itself across his lap and flashed me a smile before patting the bed beside him. I shut the door silently behind me and joined him.

"Was that quiet enough for you?" he wondered in a voice like wind passing through the trees at night, giving me a smirk. I rolled my eyes jokingly in response.

"Plenty quiet. Pardon me for doubting your ability to sneak around in the darkness," I answered, trying to keep my voice as low as possible; at least for the time being. My heart wouldn't fully slow in my chest until I could hear my father's low snore from down the hall.

"I've had a few decades of practice―I guess that would make me an expert."

"Ever thought of joining the C.I.A. and becoming a spy?"

"Once."

I raised my eyebrows at my boyfriend; it was hard to differentiate between fact and fiction when it came to his life.

"Kidding. Mostly. But kidding," he responded, leaning down to place my book where it had previously lain on the floor beside my bed.

"You're ridiculous, you know that, right?" I questioned, a small smile playing on the corner of my mouth as he straightened up beside me.

"Entirely aware. I'm also entirely aware that your heart is beating right through your ribs." My cheeks warmed at his observation. "Are you okay?" he asked, putting his arm around me, his large hand clasping my shoulder.

"Yeah, just… antsy is all. I hadn't seen tonight going this way," I told him, laughing quietly, as I tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. Adam snorted but nodded in understanding.

"To be honest, neither had I. But the more I contemplated it, the more appealing it sounded. It helped to focus on you as opposed to… dinner." The word was twisted slightly, as if his mouth didn't taste quite right. In fact, I was sure it didn't.

"I can definitely see the appeal." The damned redness beneath my skin refused to let go. "Speaking of, do you want to… y'know, rinse your mouth out a bit? I'm sure it'd help you forget about it," I suggested, standing up again. Adam's eyes casted up to follow me, since I was momentarily taller, and he nodded.

"That would be a good idea…" he trailed off, holding my gaze for a moment longer before reaching his arms out and pulling me close to him. His head rested against my chest; the intimate gesture surprised me, since it inadvertently meant that his face was nestled right beside my boobs, but it didn't seem as though that was his intention. His eyes were closed and he breathed in and out slowly―I realized that he was probably listening to my heart, which made it skip ever so slightly.

"Thank you for saying okay," he murmured, squeezing me tighter around the waist, though I was aware that he had put barely any power into the gesture. He was always so gentle with me, afraid that I would break in half if he hugged me too hard.

I smiled softly down at the head of rich, chocolate brown hair that nestled itself against me, before leaning down and kissing the top of it.

"Of course." My fingers began to absently run through his neatly-groomed hair. "Any time with you is a good time to me," I added quietly while my pulse slowed to the same rhythm of Adam's steady breathing. Seeming to be satisfied with the effect he had on my heartbeat, Adam released my waist and stood up so he once again towering over me.

"I think a bit of Listerine would do me some good," he said as he turned his head in the direction of the door. "Sounds like your dad is settled in too."

"Comforting. C'mon," I whispered before cracking my door open and slid down the hallway with Adam following me. My feet, now bare since my black flats were now kicked beneath the bed, padded softly against the hardwood; Adam's were near silently behind me. I glanced down and noticed that he too had managed to take off his tan desert boots in the time before I climbed the stairs. I absently wondered just how much he had to slow himself down to appear normal to other people.

I flicked on the bathroom light, warm and glowy against the mirror. Adam seated himself on the edge of the bathtub, elbows resting on his knees as he watched me rummage through the bottom cabinet for my mouthwash. I pulled out the electric blue bottle and handed it off to him before turning to my reflection in the mirror.

Oh God, I thought. My face was ever-so-slightly windburned from standing outside and my hair had come loose from the bobby pins I had used to hold back a few of the shorter pieces in the front. Good looks, Sloane. I pulled a hair tie out of the front pocket of my jeans, used it to tie back my hair, then reached into one of the drawers to pull out my makeup remover wipes. I splashed my face a few times with cold water before straightening up and finding Adam standing beside me. He looked at me expectantly, eyebrows raised slightly, before I moved out of the way so he could spit into the sink. I was shaken by the odd, dark purple color that rinsed down the drain.

"That's better," he mentioned quietly, cupping his hand under the water to rinse the stinging mint taste from his mouth.

"I'm sure it is," I muttered into the towel I was drying my face off with, which provided a nice distraction from the red I saw going down the sink when he spat again. I put down the cloth and reached for my toothbrush, hoping to rid myself of the vague iron taste on my tongue. While I brushed my teeth, Adam took his seat on the tub's edge once more. Our eyes met a couple of times, each of us smiling at the other.

I didn't think either of us were expecting the night to turn out like this.

I had hardly planned on having my boyfriend stay in my home for the night, let alone in the same bed. Then my mind drifted, naturally, to the kiss we had shared outside and how there could be more of that to follow.

Baby steps, Brynn.

I spat toothpaste into the basin and rinsed out my mouth before pulling my hair from its ponytail. Free from the bobby pins, it fell around my face in loose waves. I jumped slightly when I felt Adam behind me, his hands on my upper arms.

"You look so beautiful right now, you know that?" he whispered in my ear before kissing just below where my pearl studs remained. I shivered at the feeling of his lips on my skin.

Fuck baby steps.

"Thank you," I replied quietly, knowing better than to fight Adam on a compliment. I knew that he meant it; there was no need to be self-deprecating in front of him. "You're looking rather handsome yourself," I added for good measure, smirking at him in the mirror's reflection.

"Well, that I can't help," he answered, shrugging his shoulders before squeezing mine lightly. "Let's get you back to bed," he suggested, taking my hand in his and turning off the light just before opening up the bathroom door. I trusted his eyesight in the pitch blackness much more than my own and soon we were both safely back in my bedroom.

Adam perched himself on the end of my mattress, rubbing the back of his neck―a nervous tick I knew all too well. I was going to ask him what was on his mind (though I had a good enough idea of what it was) when he posed a whispered question.

"Don't you want to get into something more comfortable?" I looked down at my jeans and blouse before I met Adam's eyes again. I hadn't considered the fact that I needed to change clothes while he was here.

"Oh. Um. Yes." I hesitated, glancing at the drawer of my dresser that housed my pajamas. "Erm, uh… Just, turn around for a second?" I suggested; Adam raised his eyebrows in return but followed the order, pulling his one leg up onto the bed and turning so he was facing my headboard. My cheeks burned as I rummaged through my drawer, where I came up with my only clean options: a loose, long-sleeved pajama top with white lining that had once been part of a set as well as a pair of black boy shorts.

Calvin Klein may have heard me curse his name in his sleep that night.

"Okay, you're… Good," I told Adam, biting my lip and looking to my sliding door to avoid initial eye contact. The drag of breath I heard was reaction enough.

"That's definitely more...comfortable," he commented; when I finally met his eyes, he gave me a warm smile.

"You're being an extraordinary gentleman." I strode over to join him on the bed, using the throw blanket that covered the end of it to cover up my legs.

"I usually am, aren't I?"

"You are, but I still feel like I should go do laundry so I can have some leggings or something." I snorted quietly to myself and tucked my hair behind my ear.

"Oh, don't be ridiculous. Don't think that my virtue will suddenly be tarnished by the sight of your... admittedly gorgeous legs," he answered, a smirk illuminated by the porch light on his lips. I giggled and looked down to watch his fingers lace in between mine, my head falling on his shoulder.

"Okay, okay, whatever you say." I could have stayed in that position for most of the night, my hand wrapped in his cool fingers and my legs pressed against his, but after a few moments, tiredness got the best of me. I yawned, lifting my free hand to cover my mouth.

Adam's head lifted from where it had rested on top of mine. "Are you tired?" he wondered, releasing my hand to run his palm over the top of my loose curls.

"Not really," I replied, giving the lie away by yawning once more. Adam shook his head, eyes rolling, before standing and pulling me up with him.

"C'mon―it's been a long day." He lifted the covers for me, and while I pouted in his direction, I couldn't deny that lying down felt absolutely blissful.

He was already standing on the other side of the bed by the time I blinked once and was about to get in as well, but I held up my hand. "I have one little request," I said, a tiny, wicked smile creeping onto my face. Even late at night, I still had priorities. "Could you please take off your shirt?"

"Are you serious?" Adam was staring down at me as I sat up and leaned against my chocolate leather headboard.

"I'm asking you to indulge me a bit… And I don't want to get any… blood on my sheets." While the last bit was partly true, since I was eyeing the red stain on his shirt sleeve, I was mostly interested in the indulgence bit. It was the least I could ask for after three months of chastity. "Please."

Adam's marble-like forehead creased and one eyebrow raised in contention. We remained like that for a silent minute, each of us staring at the other in contest. I was surprised that, at the end of the minute, Adam sighed to himself and cast his eyes down.

"You're lucky that you're so convincing in that pajama top," he replied, shaking his head. He unbuttoned the top button of his shirt, revealing the slightest bit more of his collar bone. "Understand that I won't be able to be under the sheets."

I nodded in response. I figured that it would be a fair enough compromise. We were playing a balancing game that night.

My phone lit on the bedside table; the screen told me that my aunt had commented on a photo of me. I turned back in Adam's direction, ignoring the notification momentarily, and found that he had already unbuttoned the rest of his shirt. I gaped as he shrugged out of the light blue fabric, pulling at the sleeves since they must have been snug on his sculpted arms.

I had occasionally guessed at what Adam would look like shirtless, since there hadn't been much intimacy of the physical nature in the beginning of our relationship. I couldn't deny how much I loved just talking with Adam and spending time together, but whenever his shirt would lift ever so slightly to reveal his stomach or his arms would flex with little to no effort, I couldn't help but find myself feeling a bit… frustrated.

This was certainly worth waiting for.

My eyes trailed down his chest, lingering on his stomach that seemed to be that of a Greek god, then landed on the v-shaped curve that his hips created. I found myself biting my lip, imaging running my fingers over that curve and into those incredibly well-fitted jeans…

I was snapped out of my little daydream by Adam clearing his throat while he emptied the pockets of his jeans onto the other bedside table. First his wallet, then his phone, then the rounded key fob to his car; all were stacked neatly in a little pyramid before he lifted the comforter on his side and slid in beside me.

My heart had sped just watching him move; I hoped he wouldn't be able to tell, but I had no such luck. Of course.

"Calm down, Brynn. You're going to have a heart attack at this rate," he warned me with a teasing tone. I rolled my eyes in his direction, muttering "Shut up" like the apparent five year old I was, but rested my head against his shoulder and ran my fingers down his taut arm, trying to focus on that and not my accelerated heartbeat. He grabbed for my hand that had moved to a resting position on top of the comforter.

"Thank you for letting me stay here, though. Even if you are using me for my body," Adam joked, squeezing my hand lightly.

"It's not the only reason," I answered and nestled a little bit more against him. His chilled skin felt like flipping to the cool side of the pillow. "I appreciate the company. I prefer to have someone else in the room when I'm sleeping," I explained.

"Really? I would have thought you were used to sleeping alone―Being an only child and all."

"I mean, I am. I just used to be really afraid of the dark when I was younger, you know? And having someone else there always used to make me feel better―like nothing that my imagination could create could get me when I had someone lying beside me."

Adam nodded, looking up at my dormant ceiling fan. "So you've always had the overactive imagination?" He knew of my ability to overthink every situation, coming to crazy conclusions when I let my mind wander too often. Hell, my overactive imagination had helped me realize just what Adam was without much prompting.

Perhaps it wasn't so overactive. I laughed in response. "Yeah, I guess so."

"So if someone had told you when you were ten years old that you'd be lying in bed with a vampire…?"

"I would have told them that they were crazy and then lie awake all night long, hoping a vampire wouldn't come creeping out of my closet." Adam chuckled quietly to himself.

"We don't creep," he replied in an indignant voice, nudging up the shoulder where my temple rested.

"Well, I'm aware of that now." I made a face up at him, pausing to stare at the shadows the dulled porch light created on the planes of his face, his features in high contrast. I shook my head slightly, looking back down at where our fingers were interlaced. "I wouldn't have been so scared if I knew that vampires looked like you," I added. "I had some hybrid of Nosferatu and Bela Lugosi in my mind."

"We must have the worst PR representative ever," Adam joked, making me laugh.

"Absolutely terrible," I agreed. Without a second thought, I released Adam's hand and slid my arm around his waist, my face resting on his chest. He smelled so damn good―like evergreens after the rain and warm honey. The deep breath I took in was entirely involuntary.

The muscles in his stomach tightened against my forearm and I could hear the short stop in his breath. I had forgotten−I smelled even more delightful the closer I got to him. "Sorry," I murmured, about to pull away when his hand caught the one wrapped around him.

"No. It's alright. You just startled me," he replied a soft voice. I felt him shift down in my direction so that his head rested on the pillow. Then, in the faint light, I saw his navy eyes shining right in front of mine. Breathing in and out slowly, I stared back at him. The hand around him tightened slightly, though I knew he would feel much of a difference against his marble skin. "What are you thinking about?" Adam asked after a few seconds of pure silence.

"Um. "My skin warmed. "J-Just how good you smell. Like, I don't know... The sun coming out after it rains."

He breathed out of his nose sharply, a silent laugh. "The sun, huh?" he questioned and I nearly gasped when I felt his cold hand rub the small of my back through the sheets.

"Yeah. Speaking of which...I still don't really know what happens to you when you're in it," I pointed out. The subject had seemed null since the sun hadn't made an appearance in nearly a month now. Gray seemed to be a permanent state of being for Washington in the winter.

"Er…I'll tell you what… I believe there's going to be nice weather next weekend. I'll show you then."

"Really? And it's nothing bad, is it? Bursting into flames or anything like that?"

"I wouldn't be so eager to show you if those things were to happen, would I?" I could feel him start to maneuver his foot closer to mine, and I desperately wished that I could completely entwine my body with his.

"No, you wouldn't. My God, I must be brain dead."

"You can't think straight because you're tired, Brynn."

"I'm not that tired," I complained, stifling a yawn that I knew Adam could see. "I've stayed up longer than this, and it's Saturday, for Christ's sake. I shouldn't be falling asleep by…" I looked at my side table where the time was barely visible in the darkness, "11:15. That's just not right."

"When you've had the night you have had, it is. Honey, go to sleep. I'll be here… Shirtless." I giggled at what the way he grumpily stated the obvious.

"You really shouldn't have said that. Now I'm going to be up for ages," I teased, snuggling closer to his chest.

"You're lying." I shook my head slowly, my arm tightening yet again around his waist. I kept thinking I might just hug myself out.

"No, I'm not tired. Not now," I whispered, though my eyes closed for a moment too long. His cold body felt so comfortable for whatever reason, my head fitting perfectly into the crook of his arm. We were like pieces of a puzzle being put together for the first time.

I could tell he was shaking his head, but I really didn't care. He could be upset that I was tired, but I would have been up until two o'clock with or without him in my room. It would have been an excellent time for him to be able to read my thoughts, and yet… He only heard silence… Probably for the first time since the nineteenth century. I saw one reason as to why he wouldn't mind spending inordinate amounts of time with me.

It also hit me then that I had never really gotten the full story of how he came into this life, or existence as he would call it. He'd mentioned moments and memories but never the one that changed everything.

There was a blank silence for a minute, and if I didn't know any better I would have thought that he had fallen asleep.

"Adam?" I asked in a childlike whisper, much like the one I used while talking on the phone with my mother.

"Yes?"

I took a deep breath before speaking. "How…" He was silent next to me, his hand now resting back on the curve of my spine. "Never mind."

"What were you about to say?"

"It's nothing, really," I answered, squeezing my eyes tight in frustration. Why did I even open my big mouth?

"Come on… You can ask me anything." God, did I know that for a fact. I let out another sigh and lifted away from him so that I could lean up and look him in the eye.

"Well, I've been wondering… How exactly did you…Get this way?"

"You mean how did I die?" I nodded my head because I really, honestly, could not think of Adam as dead. Something about the concept of him actually lying in a coffin, vulnerable, made me shiver.

"It's… an interesting story," he said, thoughtfully running his hand through his hair. For whatever reason, his crooked smile was faint on his lips… Or at least I saw the corner that was in light turn upward.

"Thing is, I wasn't dead before James changed me," he continued. "I was close to it but still, I was alive enough to know what was happening."

"Does a person have to be dying to be changed?" I interjected curiously.

"No, they could be as alive as you are but it's James' way. He doesn't want anyone to suffer any more pain than they have to." I smiled at his words. I started to wonder if my worries over whether or not Adam's family would like me were pointless. "As I was saying, and it's quite cynical to say this, the funny part of the story was that it was the night before my nineteenth birthday. It was also the first time I had gone out to drink with all of my friends in quite some time…" Adam's eyes were fixed on a spot in the corner of my room as he recalled the story.

"We were down in Five Points, and of course I got mind-numbingly drunk and decided to pick a fight, because I suppose I thought that was a good idea at a time. Unfortunately, the man that I chose as my opponent happened to be one of the top members of the ruling gang. His men didn't seem to take kindly to this kid from uptown trying to make a scene."

I was looking at him with bated breath, watching his eyes. I could read dozens of lives in them. Hearing about Adam's past life reminded me once again that while I knew so much about him already, there was nearly 150 years worth of stories to hear. I could hardly imagine my composed boyfriend getting hammered and picking a fight now, but then again, he was much wiser now than he was back then.

He continued. "It was all very Gangs of New York, really. They took me in a back alley and started to beat the everloving life out of me. My mates were even worse off than I was and were otherwise preoccupied with either girls or games. They had hardly noticed when they hauled me out of the pub. I honestly should have known better, but I certainly learned my lesson." I could see the hand that wasn't wrapped around me absently touch a point on the left side of his chest. "I knew I was dying; there was no way to get around that fact… So, I thought I was going crazy from blood loss when I started to hear voices in the alley.

"Elizabeth and James had been staying in a tenement not too far away; the place was disease ridden, and what better doctor could there be than one that mysteriously never got sick and showed no interest in the vices provided?" He swallowed and licked his lips slightly before speaking again. "Elizabeth had smelled the blood first―there was just too much of it for it be an average wound. They'd both come to investigate and lo and behold, they came across me. At the very beginning, I didn't much appreciate the gesture―"

"Why didn't you appreciate it?" I wondered, curious as to why he wouldn't love them for saving his life.

"It's not a particularly enjoyable experience." His tone told me not to delve any further.

"Oh." I tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. "Well, I'm glad they did find you."

"If they hadn't, I wouldn't have had the incredible life I've had… and I wouldn't have ever met you. I'm eternally grateful to them." With that he kissed my forehead and I could sense that that was his way of closing the conversation.

I nestled closer into Adam, my hand on his chest. I traced small designs over his skin while a riot of butterflies fluttered in my stomach as I thought of the concept of gratitude.

I was grateful for Adam. I was grateful for him for making me laugh more, for making me think harder, for making me feel deeper. I felt so strongly for him.

A butterfly seemed to flit into my throat.

I had said "I love you" plenty of times in my life… but it hadn't been the kind of love I was beginning to feel for Adam. The love I felt for my parents, my friends, or even my ex, was nothing like my feelings for the man lying beside me.

And yet… I hadn't managed to find the right time to say it out loud. Something about him turned me inside out and I could completely lose what I was thinking about just because of a mere look in his eye or the way his hand would touch mine. And me being me, I was too afraid of rejection. Too afraid that maybe, when I said it, he wouldn't say it back right away. Or worse, he wouldn't feel the same way. I knew that was ridiculous but the very idea hurt like hell.

There was no way we could back out now, though. I knew something about him that would keep me close to him for… Well, as long as I lived. Then there was the problem of my mortality. I had never, in a million years, thought I would be the kind of girl to say it but… I was beginning to see the perks of losing my mortality in order to spend those million years with this man.

I know. I am, in fact, completely and utterly ridiculous.

"Are you asleep?" Adam wondered in a quiet voice, and I realized I had been silent for quite some time as I pondered over the pros and cons of 'I love you'.

"No. Just... thinking," I replied, playing with my comforter.

"About what, may I ask?" He now had his eyes set on mine, and I nearly felt the probing fingers of his mind try their best to work their way into my own.

Breath shaking, I replied, "You," and received a slight chuckle. "What's so funny?"

"Great minds think alike, I suppose," was the response I received before watching his lips move up to kiss my forehead. Damn him and his proximity. His scent only became stronger when his neck was so close to my face.

I was going to go crazy.

"So I'm guessing you were thinking about me as well?" I questioned, raising my eyebrow in a very Adam-esque fashion.

"Yes, I was. I was thinking about how... How soft your lips are... and how much you must spend on lip balm," he explained, chuckling again while I suddenly became aware of how close his face was.

"Hundreds of dollars a month. My biggest expense, really," I answered, smirking a bit before my apparently soft lips became preoccupied by an even softer set of lips. He had to be the best kisser on the entire planet. Completely honest. It was like kissing an electrical outlet. It then became difficult to remember my own name when he rolled on top of me, his body pressing against mine, though the goddamn sheet was separating us. I could have ripped that thing in half, and I was surprised Adam hadn't already.

Goddamnit, I was in bed with Adonis. I was assured of this fact when my searching hands found his arms, which were so chiseled that I convinced myself that he was made of the world's smoothest marble. The aforementioned sheet soon found itself tangled around my legs, so I thought Off with you, vile piece of fabric as I kicked it to the end of my bed, allowing Adam's half-bare body to be completely rested on top of mine. I heard him murmur something that sounded like my name before separating our lips.

"Why'd you do that?" I whispered, a bit out of breath while my hand moved to the back of his neck in order to bring him back down into our kiss.

"Brynn, give me a second," he replied, his voice stern as he released air quickly. His eyes were trained on my headboard. He had stayed in his place on top of me, but now he was just kneeling between my legs, which had somehow worked their way onto either side of his hips. Now how did those get there?

I made a whining sound in the back of my throat before he shot me a quick look. His eyes, which had been a dark, cobalt blue just a few minutes earlier, were now deep navy, nearly black; the gold flecks that were usually present had been drowned out by the darkness.

So that's why he needed a moment.

"Am I making you hungry?" I asked, biting my kiss-swollen lip.

"You could say that," Adam answered, breathing in and out slowly before giving me a light kiss. "It's not that I want your blood... It's your body that I'm more concerned about," he explained. I held back the urge to giggle at the fact that I had gotten my vampire boyfriend a bit hot and bothered. So much for not acting like a normal teenage guy. Then again, I hadn't really helped his case. It'd been a long time since I had seen any kind of action and I wasn't about to ruin my chances of getting further action by laughing about Adam's... condition.

"I guess I'm sorry?" I shrugged, and received a laugh in return.

"Oh, please. Don't be sorry that you just happen to be the most incredible girl I've ever been in bed with. You couldn't help that," he told me before giving me another kiss, this time on my neck. "It's me who has to take it easy with you." I allowed him to breathe for a few more moments, sitting up and putting my arms around him in a leisurely hug, my face on his bare chest. I liked the sound of the air pulling into his body, but was put off by the lack of a heartbeat beneath his skin. It was certainly disconcerting. I felt his hand softly touch my back, and pulled away to look up at his eyes, which had faded to a shadowy sapphire color, but were less dark than they had been.

"Thank you," he breathed, leaning his head down to give me another breath-taking kiss. I didn't want to push it with him so I allowed him to pull away this time without any audible complaint, though I was pouting mentally. We both shifted on the bed, finding ourselves in crossed legged positions with our knees skimming one another. He took my hands in his and turned my palms over, running his index finger over the veins in my wrist. It was strange to sit there in silence, having him map me out, yet I felt comfortable. I contemplated turning on some music, gauging whether or not Michael would hear it and come check on me.

"How asleep is Michael?" I asked Adam, who looked up at me with a cocked eyebrow. "I want to put on some music," I explained and watched as he sat there for a quiet moment, still except for his thumb which was now rubbing the back of my hand.

"He might as well be dead to the world," he answered, chuckling and letting go of my hand. "Keep it quiet though." I nodded and hopped off my bed in order to grab my phone off my bedside table before placing it in the speakers in the corner. I turned the volume to an almost inaudible level, but enough that I could hear. I tip-toed my way back to the bed while Simon and Garfunkel acted as my soundtrack but was surprised when I felt Adam's arms wrap around me from behind. "Dance with me?" he whispered in my ear, turning me around so that we were chest to chest. I cursed the moonlight that flooded through the window for exposing my blush and his gloriously blue eyes. He lifted me just slightly so that my feet were on top of his and started swaying.

It had to be the most romantic moment of my entire life.

I don't know how long we were in that position, turning ever so slowly in the darkness, but I was suddenly overcome by something that I could not explain. Maybe it was a bout of insanity or maybe I was just tired enough to lose control of my mouth and mind.

My head stayed in its place on his chest, and my eyes remained closed as I breathed, "I love you."

I had said it. It was out there. I knew he had heard it regardless of how quietly I had whispered it. The air was polluted with the weight of the words, and I took a hesitant breath, as if the small statement would have a smell and taste. He stopped moving us, and I immediately felt my skin heat up. Oh God. He doesn't want to say it back, I thought automatically, looking down at our overlapped feet until I felt his index finger hook under my chin and tilt it upwards.

The intensity that was found in his eyes caused me to inhale sharply. I couldn't help but feel like the only thing in his world at the moment and was assured of this fact when he leaned down to kiss me with those electric lips. My feet left the ground momentarily; I would have blamed the kiss had I not felt his arms lift me up before setting me flat on the floor.

"I love you too," he replied, resting his forehead against mine and smiling that crooked smile of his and I saw his eyes glint in the dim light. I released the breath I had been holding before smiling right back at him. I knew that it had just bubbled up from me, but something about the way that Adam reacted had me thinking that he too had been mulling over those words.

It was comforting to know that he felt as strongly for me as I did for him; my attraction wasn't one sided obviously, but I had worried sometimes about the true affection. Those four little words meant more to me than any other version of the sentence I had heard before.

My head felt light at this thought. He was actually in love with me. With me. I couldn't keep myself from pressing my lips against his once more, my arms around his neck. It was strange to think that we were just standing in my dark bedroom, my dad asleep just down the hall, in Forks, Washington on an average Saturday night. It felt like we were in another place, a place with no sense of time, or snoring fathers, or school in a couple of days.

I pulled away after a moment, catching my breath even though I would have kissed him for an hour straight (fuck breathing), and I felt his lips move to my neck. I would have never thought that with all this chasteness over the past few months or so that Adam was this... enthusiastic. No, that wasn't the right word. Adam had always been this enthusiastic when it came to me, just in different ways. He was eager now.

I had sometimes thought he would be the kind of guy that would not want to be involved with me that way until we were married, something I only wished for in my wildest dreams. I'd categorized him as the old-fashioned type. I certainly didn't feel that way, but the way his hands had moved slightly lower on my body made me blush. When Adam's lips hit just the right spot on my neck, something inside of me forced his name out of my mouth in a breathy whisper. I was shocked by his cold hands on the back of my thighs that lifted me up onto my dresser; the rest of my body hadn't registered that he had moved us across the room in a millisecond.

"You're going to be the death of me," he told me, leaning our foreheads together again while his hands left my hips and pressed against the wooden surface beneath me. I saw that his eyes had darkened once again, the pupils mixing with the irises to create one solid, molten black spot. I wouldn't have worried one bit about my pajamas if this was the reaction he had wanted to display. I guess I had done it for his sake―I had thought that he would be offended by my lack of clothes, or... What have you. I was enjoying myself far too much to even point out the turn in events, and instead kissed him heatedly.

"I'll try to be good," I assured him, smirking slightly before giggling when he flashed a dangerous smile. I liked this side of Adam. As much as I enjoyed his polite side, that was so loving and sweet and good, I thought that this side of him was terribly entertaining.

"Too late for that," Adam answered with a chuckle, sending a shiver through my body when his fingertips lightly ran up the side of my thighs and to my hips. I decided it was time for him to shiver, so I allowed my hands to run from his shoulders, down his chest and stomach, then to the rim of his jeans. The sharp breath I heard him take in satisfied the need to see him squirm, but I was more than surprised when I felt him lift me again and move me to the bed. Was that a growl I just heard? I questioned myself while I felt my gloriously handsome boyfriend kiss from my collarbone to my lips. When our eyes met, I couldn't help the slight moan that made its way out of my chest. I was disappointed when I felt Adam lift himself up so that he was kneeling again on the bed.

"Adam?" I asked, out of breath, while my hands touched his stomach. Why did he have to stop again? I just never wanted to stop kissing him. I never wanted to stop touching him. So this was what all-consuming love was.

"Brynn. Make that sound again and I might not be able to control myself," he warned me, and I contemplated doing it just to see what he would do. God, I was being bad. I should have just stopped then, kept my hands off him and been a good girl. We'd only been dating for a few months―I shouldn't have wanted to do this just yet, but some (large) part of me didn't see anything wrong with this.

I decided that I'd much rather see what would happen if I did push his limits. I shifted around so that I was kneeling as well, then put my arms around his neck and leaned into his ear "What would happen then?" I asked in the breathiest voice I could muster, though it wasn't difficult since I was already so turned on. Well, hello Marilyn, I thought.

Adam growled while his hands gripped firmly onto my waist. "Brynn," he whispered once more, the sound of my name on his lips making it even harder not to just have my way with him right that minute. "You have no idea what you're doing to me."

"I think I have an idea," I replied, smirking before running my fingers through his hair. What had gotten into me? Was the fact that we had both said that we loved each other emboldened me to act this way? Had it been far too long since I had any kind of attention of this kind? Absolutely, and I wanted to spend my fun time with someone I loved. "Adam..." I whined slightly, "It's fine. God knows I'm enjoying this."

"Oh, I know that. I would much rather have it so that your father wasn't down the hall at the moment, because I can't imagine-" He cut himself off before finishing the sentence, and I watched as his already pitch black eyes glazed over.

"Imagine what?" I questioned, cocking my head to the side. It took a few short beats for him to come back completely to reality.

"Imagine that... That you'd be able to stay quiet enough," he responded, and I felt my skin warm up in a heat flash. Dear God.

"Oh... There is that," I said soberly, blushing heavily. Had he really just said that? All of my preconceptions about Adam had been thrown out the window in about 5 seconds.

"Yes, exactly," he replied. A hint of a smirk graced his beautiful, kissable lips. Just the thought of doing anything moan-inducing with him made my heart beat that much harder. Had I really been outside just some thirty or so minutes ago, debating whether or not Adam could sleep over? Was I crazy?! He could spend as much time in my bed as he damn well pleased. Maybe we just wouldn't leave. That scenario was extremely attractive. I decided to test my limits just a little more.

"But… What if I could stay quiet?" I ran my palms up his arms and then down his chest until they rested themselves against his hard stomach muscles. I couldn't help but revel in the intake of breath he took. His eyes gleamed dangerously in my direction, but Adam didn't say anything right away. Instead he gently moved his own hands up and down my sides, moving my shirt as he did.

"I highly doubt that you could…" He sent his eyes skyward, as if praying for some patience or willpower. His dark eyes then met mine and I could have sworn I heard him mutter "Fuck it," as he kissed me once more, pushing me back on my bed. My fingers ran up his neck and into his deliciously thick hair. All of my preconceptions about Adam had disappeared that night. All of his politeness, his chasteness, his standoffishness−gone. But I wasn't about to start complaining. I liked this Adam. God, do I love this Adam, I thought as another quiet moan escaped my throat while his lips traveled down my jaw and neck. "Brynn," he warned, dragging out my name in a judgemental tone of voice.

"Adam," I whined back, just to tease him. He shook his head slightly and I could feel the smile on his lips against my collarbone.

"You're absolutely insatiable," he informed me, looking up at me with his black eyes. His mischievous grin reached those lovely eyes and I couldn't help but kiss him, dipping my head down to catch his mouth in another quick peck.

"I can't help it." I smiled back at him, mussing his hair with my fingers. God, I had been waiting for this moment for what felt like an eternity. To have Adam resting on top of me, my fingers delved into his mane of chocolate hair, and the comforting reminder that he loved me made me break into a bigger smile. Oh yeah, he loves me, I remembered, wanting to giggle and dance but instead bringing his head up to my level again so that I could properly kiss him, my arms sliding around his neck.

"I think you could," he muttered against my lips, however he did nothing to help my addiction and instead fed into it, flipping our bodies so we were in opposite positions: my thighs straddling his hips, and his face nestled in my neck. His hands transitioned from my sides to flitting beneath my boyshorts, and for each time he did a circuit, his smooth but so very manly hands delved further into my underwear until after a while, he had his palms firmly placed on my butt. Adam kissed along my throat and collarbone, and I could have sworn I could hear a shaky intake of breath as the tip of his nose dragged along my pulse. It was both terrifying and incredibly sexy to know that Adam was breathing in the smell of my blood and that part of him still wanted it with an animalistic need.

However, another thing came to mind when I thought of animalistic need.

My mouth had become occupied with Adam's lips once more, but after a moment, I was the one to pull away.

"Adam, I need to ask you something." My chest lifted up and down slowly as I caught my breath.

"What's wrong?" he questioned, keeping his hands placed firmly on my hips and his incredibly dark eyes focused on mine. Why was I even mentioning this, when I had such a gloriously handsome and good man in my hands? But I felt like this needed to be said, because while I knew almost everything about Adam, there was one thing that had never crossed my mind until this very moment.

"Nothing's wrong, I'm fine. I…. I was just thinking about something."

"What is it, Brynn?"

"This is so embarrassing but Adam…" I hesitated, looking down at where my legs straddled his lap. I suddenly became aware that the jeans he was wearing looked much tighter than they had before, and I felt a blush escape across my face just as Adam took his hand off of my hip to lift my face to his again.

"Brynn, talk to me," he urged quietly, moving a piece of hair out of my eyes and holding the side of my face. I sighed, figuring that I just had to get this over with.

"Adam, this is an awkward question but…" I lowered my voice even more, but knew he'd be able to hear it all the same. "Are you a virgin?" I had never thought anything I could say would shock my almost 150-year-old boyfriend but low and behold, here we were, with Adam's eyebrows nearly shooting up into that wonderful hair of his. He cleared his throat, dropping his hand away from my face so that it could return to its previous position on my hip.

"Wow, I was not expecting that. Er," he paused, expressing the first sign of speechlessness that I had ever seen from him. I could see his eyes scan over the room, settling in the corner for a moment as he seemed to gather his thoughts. I began to assume exactly what his answer was going to be based on his silence, so I shouldn't have been surprised by his response.

"Well… If I'm going to be completely honest with you, which I always will be," Adam assured me sincerely, rubbing the small of my back as he spoke, "I'm... not a virgin, Brynn, but I haven't been with anyone in nearly forty years, truth be told." I took a steadying breath―being reminded that Adam had lived many lifetimes before me always shook me a bit. I looked down once more before Adam caught my eye. "You're the first girl that has had my heart, Brynn, and the reason I'm so careful with you is because you're also the first human I've ever been with or even had feelings for. I understand if you feel differently about all of this but-"

"No! No, no, no," I interrupted him, lowering my voice after my first protestation before placing my hands on his bare chest. "No, this doesn't change things. Not really. I just felt like I should know this about you before things got more...Physical." I smiled at him nervously before tucking a tendril of hair behind my ear. "It was just on my mind considering..." I added, casting my gaze down to our hips, moving mine into his for emphasis. Adam groaned quietly in response, his eyelids sliding closed. When he opened them again, his irises were mesmerizingly midnight blue and he gazed at me hungrily for a moment before his eyes softened.

"I just can't help myself when it comes to you," he replied, slipping his arms around my waist and hugging me close. I leaned into him, welcoming the tenderness and a chance to let Adam know that I was, in fact, okay with the fact that he had been with other women. He had been alive for nearly two centuries (Don't dwell on that thought too long, I reminded myself), so it was to be expected that there had to have been women that had caught his eye and vice versa in all those years. He was such a genuinely good man, and he was too good for me to ever pass judgement. This was the here and now, and the thought that he had put his heart in my fragile, naive hands made my own heart warm and my stomach flip. "But if we're having this conversation right now," Adam said, bringing me out of my reprieve as he pulled away from my neck, "I have to ask… Are you?"

"I mean…" I thought of my ex-boyfriend, Connor, across the country, who, regardless of being a sweet and genuine guy, never made my heart palpitate like Adam did. Connor was the perfect starter boyfriend: good looking, unthreatening, and just plain old nice. He had made me happy for quite a few months during junior year. He was a good surfer and a great kisser, among other things. I thought about the time at his friend's party when we both got relatively drunk and hooked up in the back of his truck. Everything in my body that night told me it was right, but something stopped us both from going all the way. Maybe we had both acknowledged the finiteness of our relationship and didn't want to make a decision on a hot summer night when we had had one too many beers. Our problem was that, while we complimented each other, we just didn't want the same things from life; so then life happened as it usually does, he graduated, and we broke up. So I was honest with Adam when I replied, "Yes, I am a virgin, for all intents and purposes."

"That was quite the pause, Miss Sloane," Adam acknowledged, raising an eyebrow but nonetheless hugging me closer in his arms. I knew he was teasing but I felt the need to explain myself.

"Well if we're doing honesty hour here," I began, making light of the revelations we made that night, "I guess you could call me… experienced. I dated a guy for a while last year and we liked each other a lot and so naturally…" I made a gesture as if to say One thing led to another, though I hated that phrase. "But I didn't love him enough to give up anything I would regret. So… Here we are."

"Yes, here we are," Adam agreed, taking in a deep breath as he looked at me in the darkness. We looked into each other's eyes for quite some time as we contemplated the facts. I was virgin and he wasn't. I'd had a taste of losing yourself in another person, but Adam had enjoyed the whole meal. I didn't know and didn't want to know how often he had, but the fact that I was the first girl he had truly loved and the fact that I was mortal and breakable probably scared the shit out of him. This was new territory for the both of us.

I needed to break the silence.

For the second time that night, I told him I loved him, just to remind him. "I trust you, with my heart and my body and I don't think I've ever felt that way about another person, Adam, and I don't think I ever will again. So whatever happens, I want you to know that I trust you."

"I love you so very much, Brynn," he replied, kissing me intensely, his fingers tangling themselves into the back of my head. I slipped my hands up to hold the sides of his face, pushing myself closer into his body so that we were melded together. I soon found myself pinned beneath his marble body, my legs wrapped around his hips to hold him tighter. After another heated moment, Adam lifted his lips away from mine and touched my face gently. "If you're putting your trust in me, then I'm going to make sure everything is perfect when that day comes, whenever it may be." He smiled down at me, kissing my nose. "As far I'm concerned, whatever is okay with you is okay with me."

"In that case," I answered, a slow smile spreading on my lips as I lifted my head to whisper in his ear, "I'd like to pick up where we left off." I knew myself well enough to know that I wouldn't be losing my virginity that night, especially not with my father sleeping down the hall. I also needed time, and I think Adam needed it as well. This fact, however, wasn't going to stop me from enjoying my incredibly sexy boyfriend. Adam thankfully shared the sentiment, and flashed a relieved smile down at me before catching my lips with his once more.