Authors note; beta'd by Frannie, remaining mistakes are mine.

Yet another bouquet awaited me when I opened the door to my small townhouse. This time a massive arrangement of blood-red lilies. I smiled as I reached for a perfect bloom. Jasper hadn't forgotten me. I reached for my phone to Google their meaning; it had become a habit. I was always eager to understand the sentiment behind the bouquets. Maybe I read too much into the flowers he sent me; perhaps they were just flowers to him, although some sixth sense told me I was right in my interpretation of them.

Red lilies stood for passion.

We certainly had that. I shivered as the chill of my wet clothes reminded me of the state I was in. It was pouring with rain, and I was drenched through to the skin from my walk home.

I lit a fire in the grate; my skin was icy cold, my head strangely warm and fuzzy. I doubted the sanity of my decision to tell Jess as much as I had about Jasper. She'd seemed more worried than happy for me. In fact, she was perplexed. She didn't share my belief that Jasper was something other than human; she seemed to be leaning towards the idea that he was a psychopath. Towards the end of our meal, she'd begun to look at me like I was crazy.

I stoked the fire, pausing a moment to watch the tiny glittering embers rise from the ash. I thought of them fondly as fire babies, which brought a smile to my lips. I wanted a warm room to return to once I was done bathing. I idly wondered where Jasper was. I had a feeling he was never far away. Did he think of me as much as I did of him? I was feeling edgy again, lost and oddly forlorn.

I washed as quickly as I could and then dried just as fast. My long hair was swept up in a towel, which I would leave to dry naturally by the fire. I went downstairs armed with a brush and a glass of wine, determined to get rid of the inexplicable melancholy I felt. This seemed to happen when I hadn't seen Jasper. It was ridiculous that I'd become attached so quickly. I was not a clingy female; in fact, I'd spent most of my life alone. I'd never found anyone I wanted - until now. Other men repulsed me, a fact I'd never shared with anyone because it singled me out as a freak. While my friends in high school talked excitedly about boys or girls they liked, I would remain silent; I'd smile, nod, and even laugh with them, but deep down inside, I'd known there was something wrong with me.

My stomach growled hungrily, and I suddenly remembered that I hadn't eaten all day. But any thought of my favorite foods made me feel queasy. I took another huge gulp of the red wine in my glass, my fingers gripping it in a death hold. Maybe I was coming down with something. I felt strange, off-balance, paused - as if I were waiting for something.

Or someone.

I needed Jasper.

A spark fluttered to life inside me, a luminescent glow in my heart. I was instantly expectant and eager. As though I were being summoned, I wandered to the sliding door which opened onto my small garden. There was a mirror hanging beside it. Large, ornate, and vintage, its aged surface was ridiculously flattering. I paused to stare at myself for a moment. My hair was almost dry, and it fell around my shoulders in disarray. My face was pale, my lips a deep vibrant pink, and my eyes oddly dark. They glittered back at me eerily, glinting with a foreign, glass-like iridescence. It must be the mirror or maybe the muted light. I leaned in closer to examine my eyes. Their color seemed changed somehow. Was I imagining the scarlet tint to my usual amber? I was sure it was a trick of the light. I shook my head to dispel the stupid thoughts. I unlocked the door and stepped out into the cold night air. It felt fabulous on my skin after the confines of my home. The air was heavy with the scent of flowers. I breathed it in deeply, enjoying the sensation of filling my lungs to capacity.

I knew he was there before he touched me. I looked over my shoulder, slowly, my heartbeat erratic. A luminous shiver, which seemed born of the moonlight, slithered down my spine, and I felt the night air in my bones. His silent arrival was perfect; it fit in with the beauty of the night and my own poignant loneliness. I wanted, no, needed him. I was excited by his arrival and yet completely unsurprised by it. His large hands ghosted my shoulders, and his nose skimmed my temple and then my ear. Gooseflesh scattered across my entire body. I tilted my head, allowing him access. I could feel his body directly behind me; his strength was a palpable thing, making me weak at the knees.

His hum of approval was music to my ears as he scented my pulse points.

"Bella." He breathed against my skin, reverently, pushing aside my pajama top to press his lips to my shoulder.

He took the glass of wine from me by slowly following the line of my arm until he reached my fingers.

"There are better things for you to drink, darlin'," he told me cryptically, his tone darkly erotic and slightly amused.

Suddenly I was face to face with him, our oxygen shared. He inhaled deeply as if he'd missed my scent. His gaze was intense as he examined me. I sensed his satisfaction; he was pleased about something.

"It's time." He spoke.

"For what?" I asked.

"I can make you feel better, Bella."

My mind was instantly filled with questions. Did he know of this strange yearning, this clawing sensation I felt deep inside? I felt at odds with myself, and yet I'd never looked or indeed been calmer outwardly.

He chuckled darkly as he walked me back into my house, step by step. He could read my thoughts, I remembered. I was excited by the thought of such a deep connection with him even as I felt laid bare by it.

Eager to be alone with him, I was filled with curiosity—unanswered questions spinning through my mind along with dangerous desire. Excitement built, unexplained and dark. I wanted something, but I wasn't sure what it was.

The door slid shut behind us, seemingly of its own violation. I ignored it; my eyes fixed on his face. He was all I could see. I was bewitched. Jasper placed my half-empty glass on the mantelpiece over the fire and reached for me.

My pulse went wild, air trapped in my throat. I couldn't breathe. He cradled my face, large hands ghosting along my cheekbones and then my jaw, lifting my face towards his. I swayed into him; my equilibrium gone. Jasper was my source of gravity. I heard myself gasp as our mouths touched, but then Jasper's growl of satisfaction drowned it out. I shook, my body trembling as he enfolded me in his arms.

My hands found their way into his chin-length hair. I twisted the golden strands around my fingers hungrily; it was both familiar and comforting. Stay, don't leave. The thought came from nowhere.

Our tongues touched, and a sonic boom of desire swamped me. Jasper lifted me in his arms with no effort, and I wrapped my legs around his waist. He was hard everywhere beneath the well-tailored suit he wore. There was no jacket tonight, only a priceless white shirt and a waistcoat.

We kissed until I was dizzy, hunger forgotten - replaced with lust. Jasper sat on my small sofa and placed me over him gently but firmly, guiding me, his large hands on my waist. Our clothes seemed to evaporate, and we were naked—skin on skin, heated entanglement, and soul-destroying need.

Jasper positioned me, and then he was inside me. I cried out in ecstasy, my mouth open to drag in great lungfuls of air, my body on autopilot. Jasper's hands and mouth seemed to be everywhere, his touch just where I needed it most.

His hands guided me as I moved over him, curving around my ass possessively. He moved me where he wanted as if I were weightless. My body was strung as tightly as a bowstring as the pleasure built to unbearable levels of sweetness. He filled me repeatedly, to the brink of insanity and beyond.

Just as I was about to shatter, I guided his face to my flesh. I needed him to feed off me like I needed my next breath.

"Take what you need," I whispered, my voice unrecognizable.

This time he didn't deny my wish. He attacked gracefully, gently, almost like I imagined a panther would. He bit into my neck with a savage, almost inhuman growl, which made my belly flutter wantonly, a touch of fear mixing with heady passion.

His bite caused me no pain, only intensifying my pleasure until I climaxed violently, again and again, my body trembling and spasming uncontrollably. His flesh twitched inside me, and I felt his release as if it were my own, the ebb and flow of pleasure running along my skin to my fingertips.

His tongue licked across the wound he had created, and I felt weak. It was worse than the other time; I felt utterly drained.

Jasper watched me closely, and then he bit into his own wrist. I watched in awe. He pressed his broken skin to my lips. I tried to resist - but that only lasted a moment. I should have been repulsed by it all, but I was suddenly ravenous. His blood was very dark, and it smelt sweet. Its musky, metallic taste hit my tongue, and it was ambrosia to my starved body. My mouth was wrapped around his wrist as I sucked reflexively. We were still joined intimately, his flesh hard inside me. I began to move, rocking onto him with a slow frenzy, which lit my blood with millions of sparks. Pleasure exploded through me once again like napalm. I couldn't stop; I didn't want to. Jasper didn't stop me either, merely holding me closer while I drank from him. I felt his satisfaction while I fed off him.

This was so fucking crazy, some detached part of my brain knew that, but I truly didn't care. I'd never felt better in my entire life. His blood dribbled out the corners of my lips and fell on my breasts. I sucked harder. I was starved. Jasper rubbed the droplets of blood into my skin as if he were claiming me with his scent, his essence. I couldn't stop. Would I kill him? Was it possible to kill him?

Jasper detached me from his flesh after what felt like hours but could only gave been minutes. He lay back with me in his arms. I watched, fascinated as he licked his own wound, sealing it before my eyes. He didn't wrap me in a blanket this time, every centimeter of my body against his. I wondered why this was, but said nothing. I had a million questions but no desire to voice them. I felt more invigorated than I could ever recall feeling.

I raised my face to his.

"What was that?" I asked, husky intense, my heartbeat clamoring in my ears.

Jasper stroked my hair off my face and smiled at me.

"That, was us fulfilling destiny."

"Did I just drink from you?" I whispered, aghast.

"Yes, you did." He mused, sounding a little smug.

"Does that mean that I'm a vampire now?"

A slow shake of the head, "Not yet." He told me.

"But I will be?" I asked, terrified, excited, and angry all at once. The fear won. "Did you ever stop and think to ask me if I wanted you to change me?"

Jasper held my gaze captive, his face devoid of expression. He was perfect. He looked like Michelangelo's David, marble perfection with burning dark eyes.

"There was no other way."

I pulled away from him, feeling physically stronger than I ever had before. My body cried out for his touch even as anger spurred me on.

"Why?" I hissed. "You don't think a little thing like taking away my humanity should be discussed?"

Jasper remained where he was, watching me with a sardonic gleam in his strange eyes and a smirk on his lips. I was naked, I realized belatedly. I snatched up a blanket and pulled it around myself like a sarong.

"I did what I had to." He said solemnly, unapologetic.

My emotions veered wildly between anger and happiness.

Jasper wanted me.

I stared at him, my mind working furiously. Did this mean what I thought it did? Did he want me for eternity? Did it work like that in the real world? I was well aware this wasn't some teen vampire romance novel. This was real. This was my life!

Jaspers sensuous lifts twisted into a smirk.

"Yes, I want you, Bella. Forever." He used our connection shamelessly.

My heart stopped beating and then again sprinted wildly.

Forever?

"How can you be sure?" I reasoned. "You've known me such a short time."

There was a pause while Jasper stared at me, his dark burgundy gaze speculative and penetrative. I felt torn asunder by that look.

"I've known you for a lifetime." He said at last as if he'd reached a decision.

I stared back, shocked. "Who's?"

Jasper smiled, a small lift of his lips. "Yours."

I drew in a long lungful of air, my entire body trembling.

Was he saying what I thought he was saying?