Was I losing my mind? Edward could not be here. He was at his parents' place with his sister and my friends. He had said so on the phone. I was there. I had heard it. I was clearly hallucinating...

Yet, when his hand touched my shoulder to gently make me turn around, I could not deny reality: Edward was here. The magnificent Edward Cullen was standing before me, a heartbreaking smile on his lips, clearly waiting for me to say something. I tried to regain some composure and spoke.

"Wh – what, what are you doing here?" I stuttered pathetically.

Great, Bella. Truly impressive. You should consider seeing medical help for your stuttering…

"I was working." He answered and pointed to a table on which a ton of papers were scattered and where his MacBook rested.

So he hadn't spent the evening with my friends?

"I left my parents' house right after dinner. I had some work to complete. I've been here for about 2 hours, but you looked so busy when I arrived that I didn't want to bother you." He explained, answering my silent question.

I swallowed hard. How could I have not noticed him when my entire world had been revolving around him for weeks now?

"So were you working on your upcoming assignment on 'Madame Bovary'?" He asked as he saw me squat to pick up the novel at my feet.

I drew my eyes back to him and watched his widen and darken. He parted his lips slightly, but no sound came out. Realizing the suggestive position I was in, that is to say with my mouth at the same level as his crotch, I straightened up quickly.

"Uh, yeah. I was working on the critic." I replied, blushing as furiously as ever.

Edward took a step towards me. My pulse quickened as he pinned me with his fierce gaze and twirled a strand of my hair around his index finger. I pressed the book hard against my chest.

"Good. So how is it coming along?" He inquired, raising a brow as I did not volunteer any additional information.

I saw his finger playing with my hair, twirling it over and over again, and all I could think about was how much pleasure he could procure me if only he moved his finger a little lower… much lower.

Focus, Bella! Damn it!

"Uh, my - my critic is pretty long. You will get to read it soon. I need to work on it some more."

Judging by the smirk at the corner of his mouth, Edward seemed quite pleased to unsettle me so. I wanted to slap myself for how ridiculous I knew I was acting. My attraction to him unnerved me on too many levels. I wished I affected him as much as he affected me…

"Too bad. I guess I'm going to have to be patient. Lucky for you... I like to take my time." He declared, lowering his voice to a soft whisper before slowly wetting his lips.

Good Lord, what a divine vision he was.

Lucky for me? Take his time? And that tongue… Were we still talking about the same thing? Whatever the case may be, those few words managed to conjure up mental images of Edward and me naked, covered in sweat and shivering, making slow, sensual love against the library shelve behind me.

Uggggghhh.

Edward took another step towards me as I struggled, in vain, to push those surreal thoughts out of my mind, and I ceased breathing. His face was unbearably close to mine. Slowly, he moved his lips closer to mine. His eyes remain fastened on mine and what I could read in his gaze excited me terribly. I could decipher lust. Desire. Were my eyes as transparent? Could he read my hunger for him?

"Mmmhh, you smell so good, Bella…" He whispered, breathing in the scent of my hair. I watched as he rested his left hand against the shelf behind me, effectively caging me in. Not that I had any desire to escape.

Dear Lord, he liked my natural scent. If only he knew how much his drove me mad…

The distance between our two bodies was so small, but I wanted to reduce it even further. I wanted to press myself against him. I needed to feel his skin on my skin. I had dreamt about it so many times. I could feel the scorching heat radiating from his body.

His eyes never left mine as he moved even closer. His index finger released my strand of hair he had been playing with and gently settled on my lower lip. I had to stop myself from opening my mouth and sucking greedily on his finger. Just when I thought the situation could not be more erotic, his finger slowly began to trace a path from my lips to my throat to the valley of my breasts, leaving a burning mark on every parcel of my skin he touched and sending a shock of lightning straight down through the walls of my sex that was getting wetter by the second.

His incandescent gaze followed the movement of his own finger, which only heightened my excitement. I started panting as his finger followed its trail back up my body, even more slowly. When his finger reached my mouth again, he traced its contour and then gently pulled at my lower lip to part it from its twin.

It was too much.

I wanted him. I needed him. Here. Now.

I watched his scorching gaze go back and forth between my mouth and my eyes. I have no idea how I was able to contain a moan. Dear Lord, this was too good to be true! Edward and I were alone in this library. He was touching me. His mouth was mere inches away from mine. Would I finally be able to taste his lips? His intoxicating breath mingled with my own, and my heart started beating faster and faster. My eyes closed out of their own volition, and I stood… waiting for the kiss that would consume me entirely.

Nothing happened.

Surprised, I opened my eyes to see Edward smirking mischievously. He took the book I was holding firmly in my hands and moved to put it back on the shelf, right above me.

Damn it!

This had all been part of his game. He was once again toying with me, making a fool out of me. This evil and frustrating little game of his was seriously starting to rub me the wrong way. My earlier excitement and hunger gave way to anger. Rage.

I was furious. Furious with him because he was toying with my emotions. Because he kept allowing me to believe that something would happen between us.

And furious with myself because like a fool, I kept falling for his act.

Would this charade ever result in something real or would Edward simply toy with me until he got bored?

I had to know if this man truly wanted me. I could not bear any more…

After placing back the copy of 'Madame Bovary' in its rightful place, he anchored his gaze back into mine, visibly proud of himself, malice reflected in his eyes. His smirk fell instantly when he saw all the anger in mine. A confused expression settled on his face, reminding me of the one he bore the day I had rushed out of his lecture at the end of the first period.

Yes, I had to know.

So without giving it another moment's thought, I grabbed his face and crashed my lips onto his…

This chapter is a bit shorter than usual, but I did promise you an update before the end of the month and I am headed to a medical conference next week, so...

I'm eager to read your thoughts.

Let me know when you are ready for more.