A/N: I'll keep this brief.

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Chapter 11:

June 2003- Paris

EPOV

Bella liked my surprise. I could see it in her eyes that she didn't find it presumptuous of me to take her to such a romantic place.

I had decided to hold nothing back. I didn't want to do anything to make Bella feel uncomfortable, but I knew it was only a matter of time for us. I knew there was a mutual attraction but I wasn't sure how far Bella was ready to take things. I couldn't explain the way I felt about her. I was protective and possessive of her in a way that I had never felt before. I wanted to steal her away and keep her for myself, thus my idea for the trip. I was willing to throw caution to the wind and live in the moment with her. Something I never did. I wanted to spend as much time with her as possible and fully enjoy this experience.

Even though I hadn't known her very long, it felt like I had known her forever. She had a kind and genuine heart and was passionate about her interests and the people she cared about. I loved her mind and her quick wit. She fascinated me and confused me so much that I wished that I could read her mind.

We boarded the high-speed train and made our way to our seats. Bella sat next to the window so I conveniently needed to lean over her to see the sights as we passed them. Not a bad bit of planning on my part.

As we approached the tunnel, I could see Bella's face grow nervous. It was adorable. I grabbed her hand and squeezed it in reassurance, catching a glimpse of something flirtatious in Bella's eyes. She seemed to calm under my touch and I was glad that I could comfort her. Soon after we emerged from the tunnel, I could feel Bella's eyes on me, as if she was undressing me mentally. It made me pleased that she was staring at me. I wanted her to stare at me, and only me.

"You're staring, Bella," I said, without looking up, intentionally trying to embarrass her so I could see the adorable blush come across her face.

"Sorry, I couldn't help it. It's just…you look really good."

There's that blush. Hmm, she thinks I look good?

"You can look all you want, provided I get the chance to reciprocate." I wanted her to know that the attraction was definitely mutual so I leaned over and kissed her passionately. I felt her relax into my arms as though we were the only two people on the train. Throughout the remainder of the trip, she bubbled over with excitement about what we were going to see and do. I loved that I put that smile on her face.

She was reluctant to let me treat her but I held my ground. It was my idea to come to Paris and I wanted to spoil her. I wanted her to feel special, especially since I got the impression that she'd never been treated that way before. She deserved nothing less.

The hotel was even nicer than it looked online and I was very impressed. As I checked us in, I debated whether or not to get us one room or two. The attraction and pull toward each other was strong and I could tell that even though she had been nervous to ask me up to her room in London, it had more to do with how fast everything was going than how she felt about me. At least, that's what I banked on when I booked us one room.

The hotel porter collected our sparse luggage, as we walked towards the elevator.

"Our room is on the seventh floor," I said, waiting eagerly to hear her response.

She looked mildly shocked and I couldn't help but laugh at her expression. She really was adorable when she was pretending to be angry.

"Yes, Bella. I got us one room," I said, answering her silent question. "You aren't scared of me, are you? I don't bite. Unless you're into that sort of thing."

Please be into that sort of thing.

"No, that's not my particular concern," she said, chuckling. "And what if I say no?"

"You won't." Two could play at that game.

"You're right, I won't," she said, as she prepared for the lecture that looked like it was about to follow, "but you have to behave yourself. I'm not some floozy."

I'd never treat her like that.

"I didn't mean to insinuate that you are. I just want to spend as much time together as we can while we're here. I promise I'll behave, no matter how much it kills me."

And it will definitely kill me.

Bella's eyes widened when she saw the stately room. I saw her eyes move to the enormous bed, and my imagination went wild. We could have a lot of fun in that bed and I fully intended to make the most of it.

After exploring the spacious room, Bella and I got changed and decided to walk around the city for a while. We walked along the river, taking in the boats cruising up and down. Everyone walked in Paris and the city was bustling.

We found a small bench along the river's edge and decided to rest a while and talk. She shivered in spite of the warmth of the sun. I wrapped my arms around her and held her close to me. Her hand naturally fell onto my thighs and her fingers rested in between my knees. I felt my body instantly react to her closeness, her smell, and the warmth of her body. I craved her touch and I couldn't get close enough to her.

We watched a flock of pigeons take off in unison and fly in formation to land on the railing of a nearby bridge, leaving a wake of movement behind them. Light bounced off the water and sparkled like diamonds. The branches of the shade trees swayed gently in the light warm breeze. It was serene.

"Things are so peaceful here, aren't they? It's just as I imagined it would be," Bella hummed, rubbing her thumb along my knee.

"It doesn't seem real, does it?" I said, as I leaned in and kissed the top of her head, inhaling the sweet scent of her hair.

"I want to remember this view and this moment forever." She glanced up at me and kissed me gently. "Thank you for bringing me here."

I moved one of my hands to her cheek and softly rubbed circles on her milky skin. "I wouldn't want to be sharing this with anyone else." I chuckled softly to myself. "You're quite something, you know that? I didn't even see you coming."

She smiled widely at me, her eyes lighting up as she shifted her weight to face me as much as possible.

"Edward, this is like something out of a fairy tale. One day I was alone in London and the next day I've got this gorgeous guy, who just happens to be smart and nice too, whisking me away to Paris. Seriously, how often does that happen?"

"Bella, I don't know how it happened either, but I'm thankful for it."

She reached up and pulled my face to hers and kissed me, this time with passion, showing me the extent of her feelings toward me. Her lips pressed powerfully against mine and I moved my hand to her neck to pull her even closer, my fingers twined in her hair. Our tongues danced with each other and my hands traced lower on her back, feeling her supple curves and her muscles flex as she shifted in my arms with the heat we were generating.

This woman is going to kill me.

She pulled away slightly and lowered her eyes. "Edward, God…you're just so…I'm just…I'm so scared of this. This is so unlike me," she whispered as she buried her face in my chest.

I gently lifted her face to look at me and she looked as though she might start crying.

"Scared of what?" I asked softly, caressing her cheek.

"Of this." She gestured between us with her hands. "Of us." She buried her face again and I engulfed her in my arms.

"I'm scared too, but not enough to stop," I confessed. I hadn't put my thoughts into words, but fear was as good of a way to describe what I was feeling as any other word. Excitement, anticipation, attraction, uncertainty were other words that came to mind. I was scared of my feelings toward Bella, knowing that each minute I spent with her they deepened, leaving me exposed.

"I've never done anything like this Bella, believe me. My life has always been perfectly planned out. I know it seems crazy how fast this is happening, but I can't help it. It just feels right and I don't want to second guess this or waste one minute denying myself this happiness."

"I don't want to second guess things either, it's just that I feel a little out of control with you. I'm not used to it." She lowered her head, looking embarrassed at her admission.

"Hey… look at me." I lifted her face again so I could look directly into her eyes. "I feel the same way, Bella, but it's a good thing. I'm happy, aren't you?"

"I'm very happy. I just don't want to get hurt," she sighed. I hugged her tightly to comfort her. She seemed to relax as I reassured her.

"I would never intentionally hurt you."

I meant it. I wouldn't hurt her. I hated seeing her worried but I understood where it was coming from. This was new for me too, and as much as I hated to admit the possibility of being hurt, I knew that my heart was on the line as much as Bella's.

It was getting late in the day, despite still being quite light out, and we strolled back to our hotel, stopping in the shops along the way. It was nice to be so leisurely with Bella. In my life in Los Angeles, I was always going somewhere fast. I studied non-stop and the small amount of free time I had didn't come close to relieving the tension that built up. I couldn't recall a time recently that I had been able to enjoy something as simple as taking a walk.

We took turns in the shower to get ready for dinner. My vivid imagination ran wild as I heard the water running in the shower while Bella was getting ready. I pictured the water running over her smooth skin with her head tossed back, allowing her hair to flow down her back. I was getting really anxious and needed to calm myself so I didn't end up busting down the bathroom door. Or worse, Bella walking in on Mr. Righty and my perpetual hard-on getting reacquainted. They were admittedly spending a lot of time together since I met Bella. I was pretty sure that wouldn't help my efforts to not scare her away.

After what seemed like a long time, she emerged from the bathroom and my jaw dropped. She wore a red dress that hugged every delicious and perfectly placed curve. It fell to her mid-thigh, revealing her long, shapely legs. The v-neck fell deep and forced my eyes to her tempting cleavage. Her hair was down and had slight curls that flowed over her exposed shoulders. Seeing her so dressed up blew me away.

I stood up and walked toward her, needing to show my immense appreciation.

"Bella, you look absolutely stunning," I said reverently, kissing her on the cheek. "Shall we?"

I extended my arm to her and she wrapped her hand around it as we left for dinner. The walk was slow and leisurely and despite the hour, it was still quite warm. On several occasions I would catch men gawking at her, which made the possessive side of me come to the surface. I wasn't used to feeling so protective of anyone but it bugged the shit out of me when other men looked at her, sizing up what was mine. I wanted to gouge their eyes out.

Mine.

The restaurant was almost empty so we got a great table overlooking the street, which was full of people. Apparently the Parisians didn't dine as early as we Americans. The lights were dimmed and there was a candle in the middle of the table, which made Bella's face glow. The waiter spoke English and was very patient with our lack of French, which was a huge relief given the complexity of the menu. He recommended a bottle of wine and we took him up on it, celebrating our first night together in Paris.

Bella lifted her glass in a toast. "So, what should we toast to?"

"To a beautiful woman in a beautiful city and to being the luckiest guy in the world."

If I could bottle her smile, I could make a million dollars. It lit up the room.

"I'm pretty lucky myself."

We talked easily throughout dinner, which came in multiple courses and lasted several hours. I liked that the meal itself was the occasion and not the precursor to something else. The cheese course came and I savored every bite. I had never had cheese like that before. It was so much more flavorful than cheese in the US. Bella and I scraped the plate clean, sipping our wine to cleanse our palate. The restaurant was quite busy and bustling by the time dinner ended and we felt lucky to have gotten such a good table.

We were thankful to have the walk back to our hotel as we were both completely stuffed from dinner. We needed to walk just to feel better. If Paris was beautiful by day, it was spectacular by night. Everything was lit up and the lights reflected off the water of the Seine creating unbelievable sights. I couldn't take it all in.

Finally arriving at our hotel, we were both exhausted. I fell onto the bed, the pillows scattering as I allowed my hands to fall over my head.

"That was really fun," I said, relaxing onto the luxurious bed. "The dinner was amazing."

Bella was fumbling in her suitcase gathering her pajamas as I watched in curiosity.

What have you got there, Bella?

She shot me a knowing glance over her shoulder and smiled, walking into the bathroom. My pants tightened as the blood flow in my body was redirected to my crotch.

She has no idea what she does to me.

I had been anticipating this since we met. We were finally going to be in the same room, in the same bed for the whole night. It was our time. Bella emerged from the bathroom and I almost started drooling. She was wearing boxer shorts that were rolled over at the waist, revealing almost all of her long toned legs and a peek of her stomach. She had on a pink camisole that hung over her breasts just low enough to reveal their perfect shape. Her hair was loose and hung over her shoulders. I could barely control myself, the problem in my pants now fully evident and almost painful.

She walked across the room and climbed onto the bed next to me, sliding under the covers.

"The bathroom's all yours," she said, smiling as she arranged her pillows.

I leaned over and gave her a quick kiss, then reluctantly stood to gather my things and get ready for bed, hoping she didn't notice my rather prominent erection. I closed the door of the bathroom and had to take a deep breath to calm myself. I wanted to ravage her and make her understand exactly what she did to me. I was so aroused seeing her slink into the bed that I almost attacked her right then. Then I remembered my promise to be good.

Fucking promises.

She seemed to be able to resist me without a struggle. I knew that she felt the same attraction that I did. I could tell that from her passionate kisses. How was it so easy for her and such a struggle for me? I would never understand women.

I splashed some cold water on my face and stripped out of my clothes, wearing only my boxers. I didn't want any more clothes than absolutely necessary between us, despite the inherent danger.

I opened the door and walked into the room toward the bed. When I glanced up, I saw that she was already asleep. I turned off the lights in the room and made my way to the bed, sliding in on the other side from Bella. I scooted over to her as she slept on her side, curled up into a ball.

The light from the window illuminated her face and her body. The sheet rested on her curves and accentuated her womanly shape. I felt a little creepy, ogling her as she slept, but I couldn't help it. I was mesmerized. She looked so peaceful lying there in our huge bed, her chest rising and falling slowly with each breath. As much as I wanted to, I couldn't wake her up. Believe me, I really wanted to but we'd had a long couple of days and I knew she needed the sleep.

I curled up behind her, resting my knees right behind hers, feeling the warmth emanate from her body. My chest was flush against her back and I let my head fall in the crook of her neck, reveling in her sweet scent. I slid my hand around her waist and pulled her close to me, my boxers straining once again with her proximity. She let out a small moan at the movement that made me feel like a caveman, nearly ripping off our clothes and taking her right then. Her leg moved in between mine and I was instantly reminded of the friction it could create. She squirmed a little more in my arms but I wouldn't let her go. Finally, my breathing slowed and my blood flow returned to normal, relieving the ache in my groin as we both settled into our place. I fell asleep with her in my arms. If I had my way, I would never have let her go.

Day 1 in Paris= Raging success