12. Sugar and Spice

Bella

He's taking forever.

I stare out the window looking out to the perfectly manicured lawn where many other students continue to unpack and move their things in to what will become their home for the next nine months. I twirl the engagement ring around my finger—a nervous habit I've developed.

I look at the clock: it's 7pm. The sun is beginning to set and I'm beginning to worry. Kristen and her mom left a few minutes ago for dinner before Mary sets off back to Connecticut.

I get up out of my desk chair and begin to pace around the room. My arms are folded tight against my chest. I let out a deep sigh and stare at the ceiling.

How? What? Why? That's all I can think about.

How can he be so attracted to her blood?

What does this mean?

Why did he leave so suddenly?

Arg!

I throw my hands up in the air in defeat.

"You know you should really start locking your door."

I jump about ten feet in the air.

Edward! Finally!

"Oh thank god you're back," I skip over to him and embrace his hard body a little too quickly as it feels like I've just collided with a wall. But it's a perfect wall. My wall.

He breathes me in. "I've been gone too long. Every second pained me." He holds my head against his chest as he kisses my forehead. I stare into his liquid gold eyes. Again they're a gold so bright I wonder if he's bursting from too much hunting.

"Where is she?" He looks around for a brief moment.

He walks into the room and wants to know where my roommate is. Great.

"No," I say quickly. "She's at dinner with her mom."

He nods his head and pulls me in closer, this time with more force. He looks me in the eyes and tips my head up for a tantalizing kiss. His cool breath mixes with mine and I feel as if my lips are melting with his. Our mouths move in sync as I press harder against him. I pull slightly away from him and linger my teeth on his bottom lip, slowly retracting them. He sighs as I pull completely away. We look at each other as the kiss ends. His fingers slightly graze the side of my cheek.

We stare into each other's eyes for a moment before either one of us speaks.

I take a deep breath. "What happened?"

He doesn't begin to speak, but guides me to the futon that Kristen brought from her home. As we sit down, I can notice Edward tense up. Her scent is probably emitting from the fabric. He closes his eyes and shakes his head.

"I don't know why this happened. More importantly, I don't know how. How could any other human than you be so potent to me?"

"How was she…potent…to you?" I force out the words. I need to help him even if it pains me to realize the truth.

He looks out the window as he speaks. "When the wind blew her scent towards me, it was almost like the first time I experienced yours. But hers is different."

"Good-different?" I ask. I brace myself for the worst.

He pauses. "Not quite. It's almost like yours, but a slightly…" he stops once more, looks at me and begins to laugh slightly. I'm so confused.

"More…?" I guess.

"I'm sorry, my love. It's just that, I'm telling you how she's appealing to me. How she would taste to me. Don't you find that even the slightest bit peculiar?"

I consider this and begin to laugh to myself as well. "Yes, definitely. But I'm trying to help you. Figure this out so I can understand. I mean, I'm going to become one of you soon enough."

He freezes up for a moment and then hangs his head down, as if he knows it's unavoidable at this point. "Yes, you're right." He picks up his head and looks at me. He grasps my hands into his. The coolness of his touch is soothing after a summer day. "Well, she was, a bit…spicier than you, if that makes any sense."

I think for a bit and try to understand. So I guess this means I'm bland to him. Even better. "Uh-huh," I mutter.

Edward notices my discontent. "Bella Swan. You are the love of my life, no, my existence." He clasps my hands even tighter. I glance up at his face and his eyes look so warm. "Nothing in this entire world means more to me than you. No other person's scent can ever replace what yours is like to me. Yours is like the most tempting treat any being could ever crave. Hers might be spice but yours is sugar. Ever heard of someone having a spice tooth?" He looks at me for a reply.

I chuckle for a moment then just laid my head low.

"Bella…" His fingers lift my head up. I lick my lips and glance up into his eyes. I melt. "This means nothing. Her scent means nothing. Please…" He looks almost vulnerable as he speaks to me. And he hates being the vulnerable one.

I sigh, "I know. But, can you blame me?"

He smiles crookedly and I melt even further into my seat. "No, I guess I cannot. You have no idea how many times I wanted to break that Newton boy's neck for getting too close to you."

I laugh at this and slightly cringe because I know he's probably not lying.

"If there was anyone you didn't have to worry about," I begin, "it was probably Mike."

Edward smiles and leans in slightly. "Well…" He exhales and a wash of cool, sweet, tempting breath envelops my head.

I feel faint.

"…I guess that's comforting to know."

I nod quickly and my head spins. He's so close to me. I can feel the cool temperature radiate from his face on mine. A chill runs down my spine. His hand lets go of mine and moves up to my cheek. The sudden temperature change makes me gasp as he cups my face and pulls me in.

The kiss is electrifying. Once our lips meet it's like a million tiny explosions go off under my skin. I close my eyes and become enveloped in all the sensations I'm feeling at once. His hand has merged into my hair, pulling me even closer into the heated kiss. I slowly move my own hand and rest it on his chest. It feels cool and hard. I play with the buttons on his shirt and resist from ripping it off and having him right here, right now. I yearn for more. I want him to just take me and pin me to the bed. Have him not worrying about hurting me and just taking me like I know he wants to. Hear him grunt and moan as if he just can't stand not being inside me for any longer. Make love to me in such a way that he feels alive again. I wish to experience it at least once before I become immortal.

My eagerness has put me in a dangerous position. I failed to notice how I have been moving with Edward in this exchange of passion. I didn't notice that we've moved from sitting to now rolling around in my bed. I open my eyes and see that he's now on top of me…exactly where I want him.

Mmmm. Perfect.

I push my body up to meet his. His pressure on my lips has hardened. My arms wrap around his neck and I swing my legs over his.
He sighs in my mouth and it sends a rush of pleasure throughout me. I travel my hands from his neck, to his structured shoulders, down the curve of his spine. I press my hands onto his lower back and push him onto me. I can feel a grumble of some sort emerge from his throat. His hands are grasping my hips. His hold is tight and hard, but it doesn't bother me. The passion becomes intense. My breathing is becoming erratic. I want more, so much more of him.

Suddenly his head jerks up and he turns his ear to the door. I stare back up at him, breathless as his hands are still at the mercy of my hips. I can feel my heart beating a million miles and hour.

I gulp and catch my breath. "What is it?" I say.

He keeps listening intently. "They're back." He turns his head back to me, kisses my forehead and releases me from his grip. He swiftly and elegantly leaps from the bed and smoothes out the creases in his shirt from my fondling. I can only stare at him in amazement and wonder. He ruffles his hair a bit into a perfect mess of luscious bronze locks.

His tidying up only makes me want to make a mess again.

He gazes at me, his eyes swim with gold. "You may want to fix yourself a bit as well." He smiles and I give him a quizzical look. Then I look down and see that in fact, my shirt is lying on the floor next to my bed.

Woops. How did I not notice that?

He tosses it to me as I sit up on my mattress. I tug the tank top on and fix my own hair just in time for the door to open, and the newest temptation for Edward to walk in.