Everyone seems to have been pleased with how Bella sneaked into
the shop and ordered her coffee as if it were just another day! LOL
And the loveably conniving Cullen women! Gotta love MommaC.

Today's chapter was one that Edward snuck in on me the first time
around. Seriously, this was supposed to be the Gala. Edward had
other things in mind, and shut that down quick, fast and in a BIG
ole hurry! I imagine you all will enjoy this immensely.

Thank you Fran, for cleaning up my punctuation and for pointing
out all of those pesky repeat words!

-LWTC-

Chapter 22

Standing there, with Bella in his arms, Edward was overcome with emotion. As Bella sighed and nestled her face against his neck, he buried his nose into her lovely brown tresses, and breathed in the scent that he had been craving. He began to press her against him more tightly as he grabbed a fistful of her shirt at her waist in one hand, and rubbed across her shoulders with the other.

"I missed you, so much," Bella murmured against his sensitive skin. Her lips gently caressed his neck as she spoke, and it drove him past the edge of his ability to hold back any longer.

Edward pulled back; gently grasping Bella's face on either side as if she were glass and might shatter. He stared into her eyes as his right thumb softly grazed her bottom lip. Her eyes widened slightly, and her lips parted with a soft puff of air. She had only seen this hungry look of desire once before …

She had never been held like this.

Never kissed.

Her breath hitched as Edward drew his nose upwards from her neck, along her jaw and cheek until they were nose-to-nose, breathing each other in.

Edward's gaze dropped to Bella's mouth. Her enticing, pouty lips beckoned. He looked back to her eyes and saw both fear and excitement there. He leaned in a fraction more and could just feel the warmth of her skin against his lips when …

As the memory of that day, not so long ago, played itself out, it brought with it a determination from the depths of her being. This moment would not be interrupted again.

Edward's mind was focused entirely on the present … on the woman in his arms, and his absolute adoration of her. As he leaned in, keyed into her reactions, he slowly wet his bottom lip with the tip of his tongue. He saw her pupils dilate ever-so slightly, and felt her grasp tighten at the back of his shirt. Her eyes darted back and forth from his lips to his eyes.

Bella saw the desire in Edward's eyes and felt the hesitant, gentle way he was handling her. She knew all it would take was a little bit of encouragement for him to take that leap. Nodding to herself, she pushed herself up onto her tippy-toes, trying to close the distance from his mouth to hers. Her permission was all that he needed.

He watched as she licked her lips, and smiled when she pushed onto her toes. He wanted to remember every detail of this moment. The way her cinnamon eyes, with their amber, and umber flecks began to shine; there was no hesitation. The blush that bloomed across her cheeks had spread to her neck; she wanted this as badly as he did. The way she clung to him, and offered her lips to his; this would be her first kiss. This was right … all of it.

Once again, they found themselves face-to-face. Edward circled the tip of her nose with his own, brushing his lips against hers with a feather-light touch. Her eyes began to flutter, and her breath stilled with expectation. Edward softly kissed her top lip, followed by the bottom before pressing his lips against her whole mouth. It was a lingering, tender kiss, released with a quiet pop.

Bella's eyes, which had fluttered and closed, flew open as he drew back. She was not ready for the kiss to have ended. She knew there was far more to kissing than a soft, gentle caress of the lips. She wanted to taste his mouth, to feel the soft, velvet caress of his tongue against hers.

Before he could fully pull back, Bella released the back of his shirt, and slipped her hands up his chest, grabbing a hold of his collar, yanking him back to eye-level.

"Do it right," she demanded.

Edward watched as the shy, soft-spoken creature that held his whole heart morphed into a siren. Bella might be inexperienced, but he saw the resolve and desire dancing in her eyes. Her demand for more hit him in the solar plexus, and set ablaze the feelings of desire that he had tried to hold at bay. He immediately met her requisition and made appropriations of his own.

He crashed his lips against hers with a bruising force, and drew his thumbs to the corners of her mouth, pressing softly in encouragement for her to open her lips. As they began to part, he drew his tongue along the seam, eliciting a gasp, and soft groan from her.

Bella slackened her jaw and opened her mouth a little bit more in welcome to the silent request of his tongue for entrance. She felt his hands shifting, and followed his lead as he tilted her head so that he could gain full access to her mouth. The first caress of his tongue against hers was electrifying. She felt it in the pit of her stomach, her extremities tingled, and she felt a sharp, tingling ache between her legs she had never experienced before.

She might have said the words, but at this moment, it was his mouth that was dictating where this kiss would go. She timidly began to slide her tongue against his, as she let go of his collar, and plunged her hands into his hair. She twisted the fingers of her right hand into his soft locks at the back of his head, holding him firmly in place, and then touched his face with her left hand, reveling in the feel of his strong jaw as his mouth moved, and his muscles danced under her fingertips.

Edward was on cloud eleventeen, exploring and devouring Bella's mouth. She tasted so sweet and welcoming. He groaned against her mouth when she fisted the hair at the back of his head.

This woman, this treasure, this precious gift was his.

He would never want another. If this first kiss was any indication, please, God in heaven, of the kind of lover that she would be, then he was all in. His heart already belonged to her, but this … this was IT.

Edward was determined.

He wasn't just kissing her hello … he was kissing her welcome … for the rest of his life.

-LWTC-

Was I right? *gigglesnorts* That was over 1k words to describe
a first kiss. I hope it was enough!
*huggles*