Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.
This story has been adopted. The original was written and discontinued by Amiiix3. I was graciously given permission to continue the story as I saw fit. Thank you Amiiix3 for your trust.
We stared at each other through narrowed eyes for a long time, attempting to keep straight faces. Edward caved first, a beautiful smile illuminating his angular features.
"Okay, I'll go first." He sighed. It was silent, nothing but the trees rustling in the wind and the crickets chirping off in the distance.
"Any day now," I urged. Edward chuckled quietly, but there was an edge to the musical sound, like a note played wrong. "What is it?" I asked softly, automatically leaning closer.
Edward's eyes snapped up to mine, shimmering liquid gold, melted to perfection, but there was something in them that I could not place– a strange expression. His lips were suddenly on mine and I was aware of the comforting feel of his entire body pressing mine to the rock. His lips ravished mine and, although I was surprised at first I responded quickly, slipping my fingers into his silky hair and arching my back from the hard rock to press myself closer to him.
He groaned, one hand sliding to pillow my head and the other tracing erratic shapes on the sliver of bare skin on my stomach. This time he took initiative and opened his mouth wider, running his tongue over my flushed lips. I gasped at the feeling and a thick whiff of his scent made me dizzy and… hungry. It was a much different hunger than the hunger for warm, human blood, different than the thirst. It was different from anything I had felt before– only Edward could push me to feel this.
He had been holding himself up with his forearms, but when I opened my mouth to him and our tongues began their complicated dance, his arms shook and he finally let his entire weight press down on me, distributing it slowly. I could feel every inch of his body against mine. A pleased mortification overtook me at the newly discovered, and thoroughly manly, part of him.
"Edward…" I sighed against his lips, the hunger inside me swelling. Edward pressed his hips flush against mine, letting me know I was not the only one desiring more. We both sighed into each others mouths, my body arching towards him again. A new feeling rose inside me, feeding the hunger; tingles ran from deep in my stomach, through the strands of my hair and down to the tip of my toes.
"Bella…" He breathed my name softly, shocking me by separating his lips from mine and rolling off me. I stared wide-eyed at the stars for a moment, my body heaving, just his touch having made me unnecessarily breathless.
A frown dented my brows. Why had he pulled away? Had I done something wrong? I turned on my side to face him. He was laying flat on his back, his breathing as irregular as mine. His eyes were closed, but they fluttered open when he felt me watching him.
He smiled roguishly, his eyes sparkling, and I knew he had not pulled away because of me, but for me. I marveled again at his self control.
"Sorry." He grinned, not seeming too sorry. I had to look away before I was seduced by his all too telling eyes. It was hard to think; my mind kept wandering back to the way his lips felt caressing mine, the very Edwardly way in which he kept his body weight from pressing against me until his arms had given way, and the delicious fireworks between us.
"What are you thinking?" he asked, frowning.
I smiled, appreciating the particularly lucky aspect of our relationship– my ability to block off my mind. "Guess."
His face scrunched up in a very child-like expression. "I hate guessing."
"I can't imagine why." I smirked.
"Are you wondering why I wouldn't keep… pleasuring you?" The way he said 'pleasuring' sent chills down my spine.
I shook my head vehemently, hiding my slavish expression. "Don't flatter yourself."
"Are you wondering what I was smiling about this morning?"
I laughed guiltily. I had completely forgotten about the tell-the-truth deal we had made. "No… I'm more wondering why you kissed me— not that I mind."
His smile widened. He leaned forward, his lips just barely brushing against mine. I instinctively angled myself towards his touch, but he had already pulled away. His lips hung over the sensitive skin of my neck. His steady breaths unfurled me so much that when he finally kissed my neck, sucking on the skin, the feeling intensified tenfold. And just like before, he pulled away just as the pleasure began.
I glared at him. "And what was that?"
He only pressed his lips to my ear and whispered, "Did you feel it?" I sucked in a breath: his voice was velvety but husky.
"Feel w-what?" My stammer embarrassed me, but he did not seem to take notice. His fingers trailed my side, just grazing the side of my breast. I shivered. I knew what he was talking about.
"Yes," I whispered. He leaned back and smiled. I missed his touch already.
"Just wondering." He shrugged carelessly, as if nothing momentous had just occurred.
"What do you mean you were 'just wondering'?" I glared. Did it really not mean anything to him?
His eyes met mine, smiling, and his fingers twined around my own. "I was just making sure you felt it." I rested my head on his shoulder, my too-quick breaths caressing his neck.
"I definitely felt it." If 'it' was the sexual frustration.
"I didn't want to tell you what I was thinking this morning if you didn't feel the same way. Being with you makes me feel so whole… so human. It's as if everything I lost in my change has been brought back when I'm with you." The sincerity in his voice was touching. I pressed myself closer to him, waiting for him to continue and becoming ever more curious about these cryptic thoughts of his.
"Remember when you showed me your bare leg and said the humans would be suspicious about you wearing a skirt while standing in the snow?"
I nodded, recalling the moment perfectly, though my details had more to do with Edward and his crooked smile.
I raised an eyebrow and stuck out a bare leg. "It's snowy here." He stared at my leg for far too long, then met my eyes, grinning like a Cheshire cat.
"What?" I demanded, suddenly feeling self conscious. I pulled my leg back and tucked it behind me, as if I could hide it from view. He continued to smirk, a wicked look in his eye. "What?
"Well," Edward continued, breaking me from my thoughts. "I was just thinking."
"Yes?"
"…that you wouldn't need to worry about humans seeing you bare-legged in the snow if you just took all your clothes off." He refused to meet my eyes.
I frowned, confused. "What do you mean?" I asked slowly.
"I mean that you're just so pale you would blend right in with the snow."
"But what does that have to do with that eccentric smile of yours? I thought it might be something better than that." His confession was a bit of a disappointment.
He gave me a look that clearly said I was unbelievable. "Don't you understand? I imagined you lying in the snow with no clothes on."
Oh… that. I laughed nervously. "I suppose I didn't understand, then. Now I do." The thought of Edward picturing me naked sent a torrent of butterflies to my stomach.
"And then when you started taking your clothes off on the way to the market," He groaned. "That drove me crazy." I simply stared at him, at a loss for words. "Don't you see what you do to me?" he asked, suddenly turning to look at me, his topaz eyes smoldering. I shook my head, mouth agape.
"You make it so hard for me to think. When I'm with you, I start feeling all these things I haven't felt since I was… since ever. Not even when I was a human could a woman do to me what you do."
A smile began to work its way across my lips, without my consent. Before I knew it, I was beaming at him, unable to push my lips back over my gleaming teeth.
It was Edward's turn to be confused. "Are you alright?"
I nodded, smiling widely. "Never better."
"So you're not going to leave? You don't think I'm crazy for feeling this way? You're not disturbed by these thoughts of mine?" He was disbelieving.
I was so elated, but unable to explain why. Perhaps it was the fact that I was not the only one having inappropriate thoughts and now I knew it. Or maybe it was because of Edward's genuine confession. The feeling of happiness inflated inside my chest and, desperate to take the disbelieving expression off his face, I tackled Edward. We both fell back on the rock and the momentum rolled us over on our sides.
Edward was smiling now and I knew the grin had never left my face.
"Of course I'm not leaving you. I won't tell you what I've been thinking about you, but I promise it's just as indecent as your thoughts," I revealed.
"That's wonderful to know." And I knew Edward truly meant it. His arm encircled my waist and my hands pressed against his chest, now free of his coat as it was dark. I could feel every muscle beneath my fingers and I had to force myself not to unbutton his shirt and run my hands over his chest.
"Now it's your turn," Edward mumbled, his face buried in my hair.
"Hmm…?" I was imagining the silky smoothness of Edward's skin beneath my fingers.
"You never told me what you were thinking when you said 'if only.'"
Damn his amazing memory… "Oh, it was nothing."
Edward lifted his head, gazing into my eyes cockily. "Try me."
I'd love to. I sighed. "Fine. You must not have heard what Esme said-"
"-'Well, I'll let you get back to your Edward.'" His voice was perfectly matched to Esme's, velvety and sweet, albeit much deeper.
I blinked, surprised. "Yes, well… that's it."
"What is?" he asked innocently, though I had reason to believe he already knew what I meant.
I rolled my eyes and sighed deeply. "I was just thinking that it would be wonderful if you really were 'My Edward'. Happy?"
"Immensely." And as I moved closer I could feel just how happy he really was. It made me flustered to know the effect I was having on him. I shifted this way and that, attempting to act inconspicuous.
Edward's deep chuckle broke my awkward moving, an edge to his voice.
"You might want to stay still, Bella. You moving around like that isn't making this any easier."
My next breath caught in my throat as I gazed up into his fiery golden eyes.
"I love you." The words tumbled from my lips before I had even a chance to realize they were coming. I gaped at him, wide-eyed, shocked that I had let those dreaded words slip.
Edward did not break our gaze and it suddenly became a staring contest to me. It was as if we were frozen in this moment of time after my outburst and if I blinked it would all come crashing down.
While we sat staring at each other, despite my fear of what Edward would say, I felt extremely calm. It was not the unnerving kind of calm, either; there was a perfect peacefulness surrounding us.
The wind blew. The snow danced. The stars twinkled. The moon glowed.
And as I gazed fearfully into Edward's eyes, I saw something in them that set me free from this frozen state. A silent sigh escaped me, because with those melting honey eyes, he looked at me the same way I looked at him: with love.