I do not own any of the Twilight characters, just my own. Read and please review…..I love the feedback!! J
Kendra returned home that afternoon, nervous and scared to be alone. Though she felt a little odd at The Cullens, she had felt like she had company and safety all around her. She ate a light dinner with her family, answering the questions that Heidi had for her about her stay there as best she could. "How did you end up there again?" Heidi asked, and her father looked interested as well.
"I got the call at school about mom, and kind of fainted I am told. They took me to their house to see their father, and I was a mess. I needed to rest badly, so they offered me a guest room. It was not my idea to miss school, I promise. Alice and Esme knew how tired I was and how emotional I had been the day before, and they called for me." Kendra replied slowly, the evening flashing through her mind again.
"They are good people for doing that. I appreciate that somebody was there for you." Her father's voice was quiet, as he gazed at his plate. His face was strained and worried. "I cannot believe that he got to your mother like that. Now we need to worry about him coming here for you. Kendra, I do not want anything else to happen to you."
"I know, Dad." Kendra said, knowing she could not hide her fear. "I will be careful, and never be alone. You guys are here at night and I have people around me at school. I will always lock my window and the door, and always be watching out. I will call the police if I see any sign of him." Kendra babbled, knowing that she could not tell them her real protection plan. "It'll be OK."
"I will kill him myself." James told her, and she stared at him. "I want to anyway for making you live the way you have been. I feel so helpless when I cannot help you." His eyes filled with brief tears, and he blinked and looked away from her.
"Daddy, I'm sorry. I wish that I was not doing this to you." Kendra felt tears sliding down her cheeks, and Heidi covered her face as she watched.
"You're not. He is. He destroyed my happy little girl." James said, and Kendra felt Heidi take her hand.
"We'll all be fine." Kendra said, blindly hugging her father. "It has to be." Heidi joined them, and they cleaned up after a long embrace and watched some television together. It got late, and Kendra glanced up the stairs nervously. She bit her lip, and knew that she needed to sleep. She wished her family good night with long hugs and slowly walked up the long staircase. Kendra opened her door quietly, and slowly looked around as she walked in. She jumped when she saw him, sitting in her chair as he read one of her books. "Edward." Kendra whispered, and he looked at her face.
"Bad night?" His voice was very soft, and she nodded as tears filled her eyes. He set down the book and stood up to approach her, and she let him hug her.
"My dad cried down there at dinner. He cried because he feels helpless, and I cannot tell him that I have the help you guys are giving me." Kendra whispered, and slid her arms around his waist.
"Whatever happens, he will know that David is not a threat. We will find a way to explain any outcome." Edward told her, stroking her hair with his hand.
"He wants to kill him."
"I think that is not a bad idea. He tried to destroy you, Kendra." Edward's voice took on a strange pain, and she felt him tighten his hold in her hair. "He took your innocence and your trust, and he needs to die for that."
"Edward." Kendra whispered again, and he stroked her hair with a softer hand. "Why do you care so much?"
"I want to see you stop hurting so much. I want to see you become my sister's best friend and laugh with her, deal with her shopping trips, and just be the young girl that you deserve to be. I want to……" Edward's voice drifted off, and she felt her breath catch in throat. "Someday."
She became aware of his arms around her and her body being held close to his. She knew his skin was cold, but it somehow felt hot as she touched the button up shirt that he wore with the tips of her fingers. The warmth turned cold, and she shuddered in fear. He pulled away from her, and gazed into her eyes as he held her face in his hands. "Edward." Kendra began to struggle, and he shook his head as his eyes grew sad. "I can't….." Kendra pulled away and went to get some sweat shorts and a tee shirt to sleep in, and left the room. She washed her face, brushed her teeth and hair, and stared into the mirror for a long moment. It had felt good to be held for a fleeting moment, but she was so scared to want him to hold her the way that she did. He could do what David had done, and worse he hurt her easier and quicker. The emotion in his eyes never suggested that he wanted to hurt her, but that he wanted to make her life better again. Was that possible? She shook her head and walked back to her room, not looking up. He was in the chair again, and she turned on her Ipod in the docking station quietly and sat on her bed as she sighed. "I am sorry. I am so scared just of being touched."
"I know, Kendra. I want to comfort you, but I know that it is hard for you right now." Edward's silken voice was sincere, and she looked into his breaking face. He was so beautiful, and she wished for any other circumstance at that moment. She wished……..oh, she wished. "Let's talk of happier things."
Kendra curled up under her covers, and they talked of her mother and her happy times living with her. They spoke about Kendra's childhood and her silly sports and dance classes and her friends. She asked him about the schools that he had attended, and his favorite subjects and books. Edward remained in the chair, and his excellent allowed him to hear her every whisper. She closed her eyes and finally drifted off to sleep, and he whispered a quiet good night to her. This was the case every night, where they would talk and he would stay away from her in the chair as she lay in bed alone. A couple of weeks passed, and she started spending more and more nights with The Cullens on the weekends. It killed Kendra to see how left out her sister felt, and it got worse as she spent more and more time with Alice and the family. Kendra found her family to be worse for her at this moment, and the Cullens were positive, if not almost looking forward to dealing with him. She felt safe with them and slightly happier. Not totally happier, but Alice's cheerful nature was a relief to her and Esme's warmth was comforting. The talks with Edward were fast becoming the strength that she relied upon, since he kept her away from the subject that she feared the most. Still, she lived her life on guard and perhaps that is why she liked the night the best. He was always there making sure that she was safe.
One afternoon on a sunny weekend, he ran her up the mountains to a beautiful creek. He ran so fast that she could not breath as she wrapped her arms around his neck and his hands gripped her legs as he carried her. Jasper and Alice were out, and the friends has some time alone. Kendra laughed out loud as she was whisked through the air, and kept laughing as he set her down. He smiled at her with relief and she smiled back. He had a great smile, and it was not something she had seen a lot of. She didn't think about it as she reached out to touch his perfect lips, and her heart froze as he took her hand gently. "Edward, I'm sorry." Kendra stammered, and he shook his head. He kissed her hand lightly, and she felt her heart pounding as she stared into his amber eyes that radiated a longing that she understood all too well. He dropped her hand and took her face into his hands slowly, and she widened her eyes. "I'm scared." Kendra whispered, and he smiled comfortingly at her.
"I won't ever hurt you, Kendra. Never." Edward assured her, and she sucked in her breath as he moved closer to her. He let his lips brush hers softly, and she whimpered softly. He kissed her a little harder the second pass, and she found her hands sliding around his back as she pressed herself into him. He was gentle as he caressed her lips with his, and she never wanted the cool contact to stop as she gripped his tee shirt in her hands. When she took the kiss a step further, he turned his head and seemed to choke. "You are very alluring."
"You don't like it?" Kendra asked, her breath shallow and ragged.
"I like it very much. I always knew that I would." Edward assured her, his eyes darkening as he met her gaze. "I need to be careful with you, love. You have been through so much and you're not ready for too much too fast. I need to remember to….hold back with you, partially for the same reasons and due to my strength as well. You're so delicate."
"Love?" Kendra repeated, and he kissed her again, covering her lips completely with his. She slid her hands under his shirt, and they both jumped. "Oh, god. I am doing this when I know I need to be careful too. You're so stunning and I…..I want you. But I am scared as well."
"I know." Edward told her, and dropped his hands from her face. He took her hand tightly in his, in the way a lover only would. He pulled her to the creek and they walked along, quietly touching and marveling at it. He stared at her with a new understanding, and he kissed her again softly before taking her back to the house. He walked in holding her hand again, and Alice squealed from the couch.
"I knew it! I saw this coming. You guys are finally together." Her voice was a happy, and he gazed at Kendra for a long moment.
"I suppose we just might be something like that." Edward agreed, and she blushed as she looked at him. His face was happy as he gazed back at her, and she felt breathless. He had always been beautiful, but like this he was more. He was glowing as he gazed at her with the bliss that she was feeling, though the fear of moving too fast was present in her mind. He took her to dinner that night alone, sitting close to her in the booth as she ate her ravioli and sliding his arm over her back gently. He watched her every movement as if she was doing something so new, and she looked at him with a nervous smile.
"I feel like a science experiment of yours, Edward." Kendra told him, and he leaned down to kiss her cheek gently. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply, and he was smiling at her when she opened them. "Do you want to……want to bite me? Drink from me? Right now?"
"I realize that you would taste delicious, but I am not willing to harm you to find out." Edward promised her, leaning into her neck and inhaling deeply. "You smell so good. It is the first thing I noticed when you bumped into me that first day, and it was so intoxicating that I had trouble standing. I did not want to rip your throat out right then and there, though there was a hunger. I just was overwhelmed by it. I yearned to know what it was about you, and that was when I tried to read your thoughts. The pain was quite a different thing from the exhilaration of your scent. It haunted me and I longed to know what it was. I became obsessed with it, Kendra, and it didn't help how Alice felt about you so quickly." He pulled back and stroked her hair gently. "I still feel that you're hiding something. What is it?"
She tried to distract him with a kiss, and he leaned over her closely for a long moment. She took in the taste of his lips, the heat flowing between them, and the warmth her body was feeling until he pulled away. Kendra could not breathe and she leaned into his arms. "You make me forget how to breathe."
"Good thing I don't have to." Edward murmured, and she gazed at him. His eyes were deeply curious. "Tell me, Kendra. Trust me to tell me what it is."
"I don't want to lose you, Edward." Kendra whispered, and he brushed her lips with his. She gasped, and he stroked her neck with cool fingers.
"It's too late for that to happen." Edward told her, and she stared into his intensely amber eyes. He took her home and kissed her as he promised to see her later, and she stumbled to the door. Heidi was doing homework as she watched a hockey game, and she glanced up.
"Hey, Ken." Heidi looked back at her homework, and the strain on her face was obvious. She used to be so happy and beautiful.
"Hi." Kendra said, and Heidi looked at her again.
"You look….so happy." Heidi said, and Kendra blushed as she looked down. "What is it?"
"I…..ah…..I seem to be going out with Edward Cullen very suddenly." Kendra admitted, and Heidi covered her mouth with shock. "It is a very slow thing, but it is something. I like this something."
"Oh, wow. Jess is going to detest you now. He's so gorgeous, but he seems to really care about your well being right now. Are you in love?" Heidi asked, and Kendra choked.
"Wow. I need to be so far past this before I can even say that. I will say that I am…..error…..smitten." Kendra admitted, and sat down to watch the game with her. "I love his sister. That I will say." Alice had been to her house several times, and both her father and stepsister were smitten with Alice in their own ways. You could not help but find her warmth refreshing, and want her around to spread it. Their home was a better place, and now Edward would be more a part of that. They didn't see what was going on underneath the friendship, and now the dating. Kendra just wanted to be free from David and move on with whatever her life had to offer, and she hoped that it was Edward. She went upstairs and got ready for bed, wearing a tank top and sweat shorts to bed. She brushed her teeth and hair, and took an extra moment with it. She walked quietly into her room, and found him stretched out on her bed as he met her gaze. "Oh, god. You….ah….you look great."
"Do I?" Edward asked her, and raised an eyebrow. He combed her body slowly with his burning eyes, and she held onto the doorknob of her closed bedroom door. "You look good too, Kendra. I always found you beautiful." They talked in low voices and whispers as always, and his brushed down her skin as she shivered.
"Holy Jesus." Kendra breathed, and he grinned at her with his charming smile.
"I'm sorry, love. You would take my breath away as well, if I had any." He sat up and patted the bed next to him, and she turned on her Ipod as always. It had led to many good conversations in the past few weeks, and she squeezed into his arms as he pulled her close. His cool temperature caught her by surprise for a second, but she closed her eyes and took in the feeling of him stroking her bare arm. He buried his face into her longer hair and inhaled, and she turned her head to find his lips in the dimly lit room. He pulled her closer to him in a tighter grip, and she lost herself in his lips. He kissed her deeper, and one of his hands drifted to her bare leg. He started to slide his hand up her thigh, and she took a deep breath as he pulled away. "I think this may be a better job for Alice at this stage. I am going to want you more and more every night." He pressed his hand over her neck and upper chest, and felt her heart beating. "I can feel that you want me too."
"I do." Kendra whispered, and he let his hand drift down to her leg again. She breathed deeply, and he kissed her again. His tongue teased her lower lip, and she opened her mouth to allow him to kiss her deeper. He moaned as she pressed into him, and he slid his hands around her ass as she moved over him. Kendra was fighting her heart that said that she was too scared for this, and her body that wanted him more than anything at that time. It was only when he started to slide her tank top up that she froze, and he met her eyes with a curious gaze. His hands stroked her stomach and he felt it. He felt her secret.