Hello Everyone.

Many of you know, that yesterday was my 24th birthday, so I figured, why not work on something for my readers, and I did. This chapter came pretty quick to me since I have been viewing it in my mind for months, and I really hope you enjoy it. I do have a feeling that I will need to go into hiding afterwards though…

The Normal Stuff: The Twilight Saga and its characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer. Check out my fave authors and stories… they are awesome. Check out my friends stories too… DID by Dollegirl and No Regrets by RedChevy. Also, come over to the twilighted forums and hang out… we are a very interesting group of people and I am known to leave a teaser or two along the way.

To my sweet reviewers… I feel horrible that I haven't had a chance to answer your lovely reviews. They really are so good and awesome, but between my real job and working on writing, it's really getting hard to keep up with them. I do read them and love them, so please don't stop reviewing because you think I don't care, because I do. You are wonderful people and deserve tons of praise. MWAH!

To my lovely ladies over on twilighted… Halo, ECyesplease, Red, Dolle, Who, pwtf, and everyone else… love ya, and now we are starting to get to the good stuff. Also, I want to give a shout out to my girl, Red. She's the best, especially since she checked everything out for this chapter after I edited it. Love ya, Red.

Now, on with our story…

Chapter 35 Like The Rain Song: Like The Rain by Clint Black
Reasoning: "Like the rain, I am falling for you… falling for you now…" Perfect! You will see why soon.
Chapter 35: Like The Rain

Mid March 2008

My heart was breaking. Never in my life would I have thought that something that Bella said to me would hurt so much, and I knew it wasn't possible to stay there around her right now. I wasn't a good enough actor to pull it all off. She would see right through me if I stayed there.

Pausing for a second just a few steps from her front door, I considered running back to the house, throwing open the door and telling her everything. To tell her that I loved her, that I needed her more than air, and mostly to cover her lips with tender kisses. I finally decided that it wasn't in Bella's best interest or my own… so I continued to my bike, kicking it to life, and quickly roared away.

The air was cool against my skin, but I didn't mind. It was making my whole body feel what I was feeling inside… completely and totally numb to the world. I could handle the physical pains that the world threw at me but the pain of knowing that things had now become extremely complicated in my mission to get my angel back was more than I could handle at this point.

Turning up my driveway, I started to think about everything that had happened in the past week. Everything had been going perfectly. We were comfortable with each other, talking about the past, talking about the future… even though some of it hurt to talk about. The memory of her coming home though was one of my favorites.

Alice called me while I was driving home from work and said that Bella would be at her house soon and that maybe I should go over to meet her. I knew that was her way of letting me get some time in with her before everyone, including herself and Rosalie started to occupy her time, and I jumped at the chance to be with her for a while. So, I came home quickly, and pulled on some clean clothes before jumping back on my bike and driving over.

When I arrived, it didn't take me long to realize that Bella hadn't made it in yet, so I lowered the kickstand, walked up to the porch and had a seat in one of the chairs. Sitting there, I felt my hands begin to sweat, so I tried to wipe them on my jeans, but they just wouldn't stop. I was nervous. No woman had ever made me feel this way. There was something about her that made me feel like I was an awkward teenage boy again.

Hearing the purr of an engine coming up the road, I rose up just enough to see a bright blue Vanquish pulling into the drive. I finally stood, and when the door swung open to reveal a slender pair of legs, I almost had to grab a hold of something to keep my balance. Her very presence made me weak at the knees.

I closed the distance and paused just before I reached her. I didn't want to jump her or make her feel uncomfortable, but I wanted nothing more than to pull her as close as possible. So, when she ran into my arms, and I was able to pull her close, I felt my heart skip a beat and then settle down to a steady rhythm.

Offering to carry her luggage I followed her to the car, and while I walked behind her, I caught myself watching the sway of her hips as she walked. Shaking the image from my mind I pulled out a few of her suitcases, and then walked with her to the front door. I placed them just inside the door and turned back to see Bella retrieving the last pieces. She was rushing up the stairs, and something told me that I needed to keep an eye on her, and I was right. She didn't get her footing on the front steps causing her to lose what she was carrying and began to fall but I had her swept up in my arms before she could even get close to the ground.

Having her in my arms wasn't something I had planned on happening, but it was one of the most amazing things that I had ever experienced. Something so simple, so innocent, but it was turning me on just standing there. Worrying that she would stumble, again I carried her in and placed her on the couch before I went to get the bags that she had dropped.

There was this awkward moment after I set her bags down. I wasn't really sure what to say to her. She had to notice it too. I was never at a loss for words around her. I had to think… something, anything!!!!

So I asked her about her flight… corny, but it worked. I brought up the fact that she had a fear of heights, and in turn she turned it on me. Typical Bella, she just had this ability to do this kind of thing to me. I blew off her comments and tried to play it cool and hoped that she wouldn't see through my façade.

When her stomach growled, it was a lifesaver. Offering to order pizza for both of us, I pulled open my phone and quickly ordered to see Bella walking toward the steps. She informed me that she was going to go shower and be back down in a few minutes. This left me alone in her house with nothing to occupy my mind.

Pacing around her house, I noticed things that I hadn't noticed the last time I had been there. I noticed that Alice had bought lots of new items for the house. Most of the stuff, I knew Bella had to love… everything was classy and very classic. The colors were brilliant shades but nothing extreme. No lime green, but deep burgundies and evergreens.

Then my mind started to travel to places that it shouldn't as soon as I heard the water of the shower start to run. I knew she was up there, no clothes on, water running down her slender form, her gently washing her skin…

Shaking my head, I went back to pacing, trying not to think about how much I wanted to climb the stairs and slip into the room with her… I then turned my attention to the pictures of her on the wall. It was nice to see how she changed over time from a shy girl, to a temptress of a woman. Staring at the picture of the two of us from the Prom, I though about the chaste kiss she had given me and for the first time, the memory sent a shiver through my body.

The silence was broken by a squeak, and I turned to see Bella standing in a t-shirt and a rather short pair of shorts, her hair falling in wet waves down around her face. She was stunning. Shaking my head, I let myself come back to reality while she finally finished descended the stairs.

Soon there was a knock at the door, and when I opened it, Mike Newton stood just on the other side. My blood boiled within me at the sight of him. I didn't care that he had been fucking Tanya but it was just the point that he was alive and that he was an absolute pervert. Grabbing money from my wallet I shoved it in his hand before he had a chance to say or do anything, but as soon as I slammed the door behind me I knew that Bella would be questioning me why I was acting like I was.

The fact was… I wasn't ready to tell her that I had broken my engagement. It was going to make things worse, but it couldn't be avoided. Telling her was like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders, but I knew it wasn't going to help me since she was still engaged to Jacob Black. It was obvious that she felt bad for the end of that relationship, but I didn't care to see its end because I was now on to the more important things… her.

I let it go and gathered a couple of plates and a couple of sodas from the refrigerator before I crashed on the couch beside her. Talking to her like this was what I enjoyed the most… the simple stuff and it was light and comfortable. I didn't want to push anything, I wanted it to come with time.

We finished eating so I raided her DVDs and found one of her favorite movies and put in before I turned down the lights. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her yawn and her eyes begin to droop, so I reached over and pulled her closer to my body. It was innocent. I had always been sort of her 'pillow' back in the day… so why not now? I wrapped the blanket around her, but before I turned my attention back to the movie, I looked into the chocolate depths and was lost for a moment but then went back to looking like I was engrossed in the movie. I was too focused on her breathing to keep track of Matt Damon.

When the movie was starting to get interesting, I glanced down to see her eyes close, and I then pulled her closer to me, letting my arm wrap around her. Finishing the movie, I slowly moved enough that I didn't wake the slumbering goddess that slept beside me. Knowing that it wouldn't be the best for her to sleep on the couch, I did something I didn't think possible. I gently lifted her into my arms and carried her up the stairs, pushing her bedroom door open with my foot, and finally laid her down among the pillows.

Pulling back the covers, I slipped them over her body. I stood there just watching her sleep for a moment. Her hair was fanned out like a halo around her face, and she slept so peacefully. I kept wondering and asking myself how it would feel to go to sleep with her beside me every night until the end of time, but I would have to push the thoughts away, because at this point it was only a fantasy… not a reality.

Closing the door behind me, I went back downstairs. I saw the time and realized that I didn't need to be driving so I slumped back onto the couch. Hopefully, Bella wouldn't mind me sleeping there for a night. I wrapped the blanket that had once covered my angel around me, and I could smell the light fragrance of her shampoo on it. It was so relaxing and within moments I was drifting off into dreams that were completely consumed by her.

When I awoke the following morning, I was surprised to see Bella looking down at me. I couldn't help myself… I told her how beautiful she really was. I could play it off to being still half asleep so I thought it was okay. Watching her reaction to my words was perfect. She turned a dazzling crimson color, and I wanted nothing more than to see it everyday, it fit her perfectly.

Then I started to panic that I overstepped my boundaries of our friendship… I just assumed that she would be okay with everything, and she quickly calmed my nerves and informed me that she wanted to fix breakfast. Quickly, I reminded her that she had no food and that she needed to change so we could go shopping.

I cleaned my mess up, and pulled my t-shirt back on that I had removed during the night. I couldn't help but notice Bella watching me closely as I pulled the shirt over my head and down my body. I wanted to know if she was thinking about me… thinking about me the way that I thought about her.

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful… shopping for groceries was something that she hated more than anything in the world. She was good with people, but it was just like she was scared of people at the same time. It was just the way that she was.

I spent most of my days after work like this with Bella. So carefree and relaxed. I was slowly gaining more courage… soon I hoped to tell her how I felt about her… but then she dropped this bomb on me.

She wanted me to give her away… was she crazy?? I didn't know if I could endure having to stand beside her, walk her up the aisle and then hand her over to Jacob Black. I knew I couldn't and that was going to be a problem. Then I realized that I had said yes to this… God I was so stupid!

By the time I got to the house, I noticed that everyone was there, and I knew that they would be curious about why I was at home when I should be with Bella, so I avoided them and went to the garage. Going to the back, I slipped into the back and had a seat at the piano.

Staring at the sheet music that was scattered around, I finally gathered it up and organized it some before I started to play. Letting my fingers glide across the keyboard, I played until I reached a weird place when I started to play a few bars… to stop and write them in.

This had become my stress relief since the end of my engagement. I was actually writing out Bella's song. Being able to see it on paper was something I had never thought of doing, but then I realized it couldn't just stay in my mind forever, I had to make it where I could keep it forever.

I tried to calm myself down from my stupidity by saying yes to her request, I couldn't. It was too much, and it was coming out as I worked. I finally gave up trying to work out stuff for the song and began to play whatever I could play from memory. I pounded my hands against the keys, letting my anger ring out with the loud tones that were being produced. Finally I slammed the cover over the keyboard, and laid my head against the cool surface.

The fact was that I had said yes to walking her down the aisle and giving her away… UGH!

Then there was that damn fitting. I hated getting fitted for stuff in the first place, but this was going to be worse. I was going to be going to a wedding instead of being the groom, the place I wanted to be more than anything.

I was in trouble… more trouble than I knew and it was painfully clear that it was only going to get worse unless I did something to change it, but what? How do I get her to see that I am the one she needs? Nothing I thought of seemed good enough. How do you tell someone something of this magnitude and not have it turn out bad? That was truly the question…

A Couple Weeks Later…

Like anything else, plans change. I mentally prepared myself for the evil thing which is called the fitting, but it was later cancelled due to the fact that Alice and Rose had to take Bella to a bridal show up in Olympia. So I was stuck at home with Jasper and Emmett. They spent most of their time with their Wii, so I just moped around. More than anything, I was trying to figure out what I was going to do when Jake showed up next week.

Alice announced the other day that she and Rosalie were going to be hosting an engagement party for them. Mom jumped at the chance to offer the house up for the occasion too. I was thrilled… not really, but I played it off that I was. Also, I had to figure out how I was going to spend some time with Bella while he was here, especially since Jake wanted me to drop off the face of the planet.

So now the time had come yet again to plan on going to Seattle for the girls to try on dresses and for the guys to show up and get fitted for their tuxes. Alice showed me a picture of them… they weren't horrible, at least. I knew I would feel like a monkey in them no matter what, but that was to be expected.

It was a Saturday and it was a normal, cloudy day, the only difference was that I was going to have to spend time with some of Jake's friends from La Push. I wasn't really sure if I was going to be able to handle too much of the 'Jake friend love' that would be going on, but Emmett and Jasper, along with my dad were going too. Actually the whole Cullen family was going, since they all were considered family of the bride.

Much to my dismay, everyone left early since everyone had business to take care of before we went to the fitting, with the exception of me and Bella, so I had to swing over and pick her up. Dressing casually, I got on my bike and was at Bella's within about ten minutes. I saw her shutting the door as I pulled up. When she saw me, I smiled. It didn't matter what she did, what she wore, or anything else, her very presence made me happy, and it always seemed to radiate off me when she was around.

"Hey," she called as she walked toward me.

"Hey, you ready to go?"

"I guess, I think we both feel the same way about this whole fitting thing, right?"

"Pretty much, Bells. So… let's get going then. The faster we get there, the sooner we can leave and we can go do something fun."

I hadn't told her or anyone else that I wanted to do something special for her and I was finally ready to try to push a little more… well push her to realizing that I care about her more than in a friendly manner.

"Do tell?" She asked playfully.

"Not telling. You'll have to find out when we're done with all this stuff."

She frowned when she realized that I was intending on taking my bike to Seattle. Never speaking a word, she put some of her stuff in one of the saddle bags, and zipped up her coat before she slipped on and wrapped her arms around me.

The engine roared to life, and I pulled the bike back on the road, and I felt Bella's grip around my middle tighten. Having her so close was wonderful. I wanted to concentrate on driving, but when she placed her face in my back, to prevent the cool winds from blowing against her face, I thought I would die. Innocent as it was, it was so intimate, almost like a lover laying her head against your body after you had exhausted yourself from all the love that you had made.

Driving faster than the speed limit, we arrived in front of the bridal store well before everyone else did. The first people to arrive were friends of Jacob's. Bella stepped off and went to talk to them leaving me to think about what I had planned. It wasn't much… but Bella had always liked the simple things in life. Nothing too fancy for her…

Fifteen minutes after we got to the store, the rest of my family arrived and Alice pushed us all into the store, directing the ladies to one part of the store, and the men to the other side. The friends from La Push were talkative, me and my family, on the other hand, kept our mouths shut.

The guys introduced themselves as Sam, Quil, Embry, and Paul. Listening to them talk I learned quite a bit about Jacob Black. He dated a woman named Leah in high school, but wouldn't commit to her because of his desire for Bella. Leah had now moved on to someone else, but who, they never said. Then they talked about the stuff that Jake had told them about Bella. The thing that surprised me the most was that they weren't talking about Jake's comments about how Bella was in bed. Maybe it was because they didn't know us, and 'we' thought of Bella as family.

After two hours of being poked, prodded, and measured, they said we could go. The La Push guys said their goodbyes and were gone within minutes, the rest of us walked over toward the dressing rooms. We found Alice and Rosalie talking with one of the employees about bridesmaid dresses. Esme was sitting on a small sofa in front of the dressing rooms.

Slipping down beside my mother, she reached for my hand and smiled gently back to me. She still had hope for this to work out, even though I was starting to lose more and more faith everyday. My father rested his hand down upon my mothers shoulder, she looked up and mouthed words of love back to him. I tried not to pay any attention to what was going on around me since I was completely surrounded by all these couples and their massive amount of affection for one another.

Staring at my hands for a moment, I tried to let my mind go anywhere but on what was going on around me. I just wanted to clear my mind, prepare myself for what I had planned, but it was then that I heard a click from one of the dressing room doors. Raising my eyes, I felt every drop of blood leave my face.

Standing before me, with her hair tumbling around her shoulders, was the most beautiful angel dressed in the most stunning wedding dress I had ever seen in my life. There was no words to describe it, but beautiful. Bella's eyes fell on me, and she immediately blushed her famous crimson.

"Oh, Bella…" whispered my mother.

Both Alice and Rosalie ran over and began to circle her like they were buzzards looking at her as their next meal. They were talking so fast I couldn't understand a word either of them was saying. My eyes never left Bella though. I couldn't help myself, drinking in every detail, like she was the last person I would ever see in my entire life.

The dress's front was cut somewhat low allowing the swells of her breasts to peak over just slightly, it hugged against her slim curves, and made her look like a princess that had stepped right out of a fairy tale. I could see her breathing lightly, and fidgeting with the dress… she was nervous, I was sure of it.

"This is the dress, Bella!" Exclaimed Rosalie.

"Yes, it looks like it was made for you," gushed Alice.

Bella turned me, meeting my eyes for a moment. She paused for a second before she spoke.

"What do you think of it, Edward?" She asked, her voice almost a whisper.

As soon as she spoke, my mouth went dry, I couldn't form a sentence if I tried. I had to calm down, I couldn't let her know that I wanted nothing more than to kiss her on this very spot in front of everyone we cared about.

"You… look… stunning," I stuttered out.

She smiled at me, blushing even more. How could she not know that I loved her? I knew my eyes shone with all the feelings that I had, and at times, I could swear that she felt the same way about me.

Bella turned to the woman that had been helping them and told her that she would take the dress. My sisters squealed and started to dance around like crazy. Me… I felt my nervousness growing. It was about time for me to start working on getting Bella back.

Once Alice and Rosalie settled the paperwork for ordering their dresses and they paid for Bella's dress, we were finally released from their presence. Walking to my bike, I sat down, watching Bella finish talking to everyone else before she came back toward me.

"So… what are we off to do now?" She asked playfully.

"What are the rest of them doing?"

"They are all going over to Emmett and Rose's… why?"

"Just wondering. Let's get going… lots to do tonight."

Kicking the bike to life, I put it back on the road, and again, Bella buried her face in my back, this time I was ready for it. I enjoyed it more the second time. She looked up when she saw that I was slowing down, and turning up the driveway to my house.

"What are we doing here?" She asked.

"I wanted to share something with you."

Pulling up beside the garage, I turned off the bike and stepped off, turning back to see Bella looking at me. Extending my hand, I helped her off, and she followed me to the garage and inside as soon as I unlocked the door.

Turning on the lights, I noticed her taking in the place since it had been so long since she had been there. She sauntered around the room, walking over to the couch that was still in the spot that she had last seen it.

"Edward…"

Turning to look at her, I saw her copy of Gone With the Wind in her hands.

"All of things that I left here are still here. I figured Tanya would have thrown it all out."

"I wouldn't let her. She didn't like that either. Told her that it wasn't mine or hers to throw away."

She smiled, clutching the book to her chest as she continued to look around. I knew what she was doing… she wanted to know what was so special about the garage, but it wasn't something that she really even knew about.

"Come on," I said, extending my hand to her again.

She took it and I led her to the door at the back, opening it, I quickly led us inside. Pushing the door shut with my foot, the room was pitch black, her hand clamped down on my own. Giving her a reassuring squeeze, I reached for the light switch, and turned it on.

She blinked a couple of times, adjusting to the new brightness of the room, when she started to take in what she was seeing. Looking up, I smiled at her.

"How long has this been here?"

"It was a compromise with my mom. I got the garage, but I had to have a place for the piano as well, I just let everyone think it was storage though."

Bella released my hand and began to walk around the room, examining everything that was there. My eyes followed her, taking her in, enjoying her very presence in my life. She finally walked up to the piano and began to run her fingers over the hard surface.

I walked up behind her, pausing to whisper in her ear.

"Do you want your surprise?"

Turning enough that she could see my face, she examined me a moment, before she nodded.

Stepping around her, I had a seat at the keyboard, lifting the cover and then looking up into her chocolate eyes that were filled with wonder.

Placing my hands on the keys, I began play. I had put the music away, and I was playing from memory… no, from my heart. Everything that I had been feeling for her, from the moment that I realized that I loved her, through the realization that she was getting married to someone else, to me knowing that I had fight for her, for her love, and for my place at her side.

As I played, I felt something brush against my arm, and I looked to see Bella sitting down beside me. She leaned her head against shoulder and I continued to play, the song changing some as it went. Time was nothing that I was concerned with, for time stopped for me when I realized how much Bella meant to me, and always would, so when I wrapped up the piece, I looked over to see tears streaming down my angels face.

"That was beautiful, Edward. Who wrote that?"

"I did," I mumbled as I looked down at the keys.

"Really?" She asked with awe in her voice.

Looking up to see her teary eyes, I saw how they sparkled. I smiled at her and reached over and brushed away the tears that had tumbled down her face.

"Yeah. I actually started to play again after what happened when you left for college."

"You did?"

"Yeah… I missed you, Bella. It was a way that I could work out how I was feeling at the time, and I just never stopped."

"I'm glad that you didn't stop playing."

"Me too," I answered with a smile.

"Play some more for me please…"

"For you, Bella… your wish is my command."

My hands returned to the keys and I played the pieces that I had played many times before for her in the past and she just sat there and took them in like it was the first time she had ever heard them. This was the stuff I wanted with her… moments like this. Peaceful, calm, together.

After a while, I finally covered the keys and looked over at her, her eyes shining with some unknown thoughts. I wanted to pluck her thoughts from her mind and know what she was thinking… whatever it was that made her smile, I wanted to know what it was… so I could keep doing it.

"So… is this the end of our night?" She asked.

"Far from it. Let's take out the truck for old time sake…"

"Edward…"

"We won't break any laws… just for a drive. Promise."

"Fine. Let's go," she laughed.

Turning off the lights and closing the door to the piano room, Bella walked over to the truck and opened the passenger door and jumped inside. After opening the garage doors, I pulled the keys to the truck off the hook over the bench and got in myself.

Looking over at her for a second, I stuck the key in the ignition and turned it, the truck roared to life. Revving up the engine, she laughed.

"You will never change, Edward Cullen. You are still that teenage boy that loves his loud vehicles, and will always have the girls chasing you."

"You may be right about my cars, but I only want one girl in my life from now on."

She looked at me for a moment, trying to figure out the meaning of what I had said. She never questioned me about it, but I knew she was trying to know what I had meant by that, that was how Bella was about things.

Putting the truck in gear, I gently pushed down on the gas… the truck rumbled out of the garage. Jumping out, I closed the doors and locked up before I got back inside and we headed toward the highway.

Turning down one of the many back roads, we drove, listening to the radio, and talking about a pretty wide variety of things. Many of the funny things she told me was when she was working as a waitress. She had witnessed a fight in which the two involved almost fell over her feet, to having to call for help when customers fainted or even some of her coworkers. I realized that these moments might have changed her some, but they made her more interesting to me.

We drove for an hour or so when I realized where we were, and I pulled over to the side of the road to park. Opening the door, I got out and walked out to the spot that Bella had once asked me to dance with her. I heard the door slam on the truck and the sound of her foot steps coming toward me. Then in the distance, I heard the rumble of thunder. Looking up to the sky, I saw that a storm was coming in.

"Edward…"

Turning to face her, she looked concerned, almost worried about me.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I was just thinking about stuff that I wish I could do differently."

The sound of the thunder rumbled again, louder this time… the storm was coming and it would be here soon.

She turned her attention to the sky too, noticing the clouds.

"Maybe we should start heading home, Edward. Looks like its going to come pouring down here soon."

"We still have a little while, Bells. Let's stay here for a little longer."

"Okay…"

Standing there I don't know what came over me, but I had the urge to touch her, but how to make it seem not so obvious… then I thought of the perfect idea… a request that she had once asked me.

"Bella… would you dance with me?"

She looked at me for a moment, like I was crazy, and I was… absolutely crazy about her.

"Edward… we don't have any music."

Walking toward her I pulled her toward me, wrapping my arms around her.

"I believe you asked me to dance once and I answered with that very response, and we worked it out just fine."

Smiling, she let her arms snake around my neck, letting her head rest on my shoulder as I began to hum the song that I had written just for her. She exhaled a gentle sigh, as we danced there in that field, the thunder becoming louder by the minute.

Then I felt a drop of rain on my face, I knew it was a matter of time before it started, but I didn't want to let her go. This was where I wanted her to be, and I was greedy… I needed this, wanted this more than anything I ever wanted.

"Edward, it's starting to rain," she whispered.

"I know. We'll go soon."

Then something I hadn't expected happened. The clouds opened up and the rain began to thunder down upon us. The water was beating against our bodies and plastering our hair to our skin. I thought that Bella would jerk away from me, and make a run for the truck, but she didn't, her arms tightened around me, leaning into my body, closing all distance between us.

My heart was thundering just as loud as the thunder from above us, and I had to see her face, so I pulled back to see that her hair was hanging over her lovely eyes, hiding them from my view. Still holding her close with one arm, I used my free hand to touch her chin, allowing me to raise it slightly. Then I touched her face, processing how soft her skin was before I gently pushed away her hair.

Lightning cracked in that moment letting me see her eyes for a second. They were wide with wonder… it was the sexiest thing I had ever seen in my life. My hand never left her face, it continued to move slowly across her skin as the rain abused our bodies. Then I noticed that her hand was beginning to move too… starting to stroke my face with the backside of her hand.

What was she doing to me? Did she want to make me crazy? I wanted her. More than she knew, and her hand barely touching my face was making me want more than just a gentle caress of her hand.

My free hand started to trace her facial features, trying to memorize everything about her. Stroking my thumb across her eyes…down her nose… across her sensuous lips, my mind wanted to do more. It was when I moved my hand along her jaw line and she moved into my caress that I thought I would lose it.

Lightning lit up the sky yet again, and her eyes were smoldering with something that had been hidden from view but now was where I could see it… I couldn't take it any more. I had to know…

Tightening my hold on her body, she never flinched away from me. She looked straight at me, her eyes never leaving mine. My hand began to snake itself into the long waves of her hair, pulling her face closer to me. I moved slowly, not wanting to scare her, but something told me that nothing could scare her in this moment. Her hand was firmly locked on my neck, the other around my waist.

Then I did what I never thought I would do. As the sky lit up with lightning, I leaned forward and pressed my lips to hers, letting go of all my fear, all my worries, taking this moment. Finding out what my heart and body always wanted to know. I had no more fear, no regrets… just this moment with this woman that was now kissing me back.