Warning: This gets a bit too romantic. I was giggling like an idiot while writing this. Love Edward. MUUUAAAAHHHHHHH!

"Bella . . ." I couldn't fight this anymore. I trailed my kisses softly across her throat. Don't do this, some tiny component of my brain warned. Before I could ponder over that, Bella turned her head to kiss me full on the mouth. And my will crumbled. All sanity forgotten, I grabbed her face. I was too far gone.

I was kissing her with all my pent up passion. Yes, this is what I needed, what I craved, what I had to have. The feelings coursing through me could not be expressed. The warnings of my brain were all snarled up. I went with my instincts alone, and they were all urging me to prove my mad devastating love to Bella. Gladly!

Her response was just as enthusiastic. Her body was heating up at an enormous rate but I ignored the implications, still too disoriented to keep a clear head. She ensnared me in her arms and then gave an involuntary shiver.

She's cold, my brain tried to argue, but my lips had other intentions. Off their own accord, they continued to kiss her with wild abandon. They could never have enough of this heaven. It was Bella who had to pull away. Of course, she should breathe, my still rational side argued. Fine, I could allow that. I trailed my lips down to that delicious part of her collarbone instead. Take as much air as you can Bella. You'd be needing it tonight. As soon as I thought those words, something suddenly felt off, though I couldn't place my finger on it.

In the meantime, Bella had succeeded with unbuttoning all my shirt buttons. She was now shyly tracing my exposed skin. I could not stop the shiver from escaping. The most intense, unadulterated pleasure had just shot through me. There were so many ways that I wanted to touch her…

As if on cue, Bella brought her lips back to mine and I seized them with a reckless exuberance. Driven by an almost unbearable need, I hugged her tightly against me and cupped her face softly as I kissed her. I could feel every inch of her body against my own. I wouldn't survive this. This mountain of pure ecstasy would have me submerged.

I felt Bella reaching for her shirt and then something clicked. Why it had felt off despite the crushing joy. Why my brain had persisted with its admonition. Bella deserved a soul.

I could not allow myself to be physically intimate with her without the contract of marriage. It was in keeping with her faith… and Carlisle's too, for that matter. Plus, in my moment of insanity, I had forgotten the immense risk. I shuddered at the thought. We had come so close… I still wasn't sure I could do it right, without harming her in anyway. I had to be a hundred percent convinced before I took any major step.

It hardly took me a few milliseconds to think these through and therefore by the time Bella reached for her first button, I had her wrists securely above her head as I lay her gently against a pillow.

"Bella," I whispered into her ears. "Would you pleasestop trying to take your clothes off?" I almost laughed.

She was clearly confused "Do you want to do that part?" Yes!...No! No! What was I thinking?

"Not tonight," I had to be honest with her. I'd do it the right way.

"Edward, don't —," she began, distressed.

"I'm not saying no," I promised her quickly. "I'm just saying not tonight."

As she processed that, she scowled. My resolve almost broke right there.

"Give me one good reason why tonight is not as good as any other night." She demanded. She was still a little breathless.

"I wasn't born yesterday. Out of the two of us, which do you think is more unwilling to give the other what they want? You just promised to marry me before you do any changing, but if I give in tonight, what guarantee do I have that you won't go running off to Carlisle in the morning? I am — clearly" — very very clearly "much less reluctant to give you what you want. Therefore . . . you first." By the time I had finished, it hit me with full force. Bella had agreed to marry me. My heart exploded with joy and the room was suddenly a blur.

I almost missed Bella's question. She found the idea outrageous, naturally.

"That's the deal," I insisted. "Take it or leave it. Compromise, remember?"

Before she could even answer, I took her in my arms and kissed her. I couldn't resist this anymore. I kept on kissing her, just to relay a tiny portion what she had done to me. How incandescently happy she had made me. It wasn't before she was breathless again that I let go. I however did not allow her to squirm even an inch away.

"I think that's a really bad idea," she was gasping.

"I'm not surprised you feel that way." I smiled. "You have a one-track mind." And you are not the only one.This was getting dangerous. I needed to focus on a safer topic.

"How did this happen?" she asked before I could think of anything. "I thought I was holding my own tonight — for once — and now, all of a sudden —"

"You're engaged," I burst out with glee.

"Ew!" she protested. "Pleasedon't say that out loud."

Wow, this was so much fun. "Are you going back on your word?" I teased her. She glared back at me and I laughed. "Are you?" Why was looking at her face suddenly making me so delirious?

"Ugh!" she gave in. "No. I'm not. Are you happy now?"

My whole face was gleaming now. "Exceptionally." She had no idea.

"Aren't you happy at all?" I teased her again when she frowned. Well, I could influence that answer. Besides, she was too irresistible for her own good. So I indulged myself in another long kiss. Hmm, I could get used to this, my mind noted blissfully.

"A little bit," she allowed. "But not about getting married."

How could anyone be so intoxicating, I wondered. Her charm was deadly. I couldn't help but lunge for her lips again – my personal nirvana. "Do you get the feeling that everything is backward?" I chuckled. "Traditionally, shouldn't you be arguing my side, and I yours?"

"There isn't much that's traditional about you and me."

"True." I murmured. Suddenly, I didn't want to waste time talking. I took her face between my hands and gave her the longest, most fervent kiss I could dare. My heart was racing in my veins and hers was equally jagged. I let go reluctantly and instead turned to kiss her open palm. She was blushing from head to foot and I was sorely tempted to break my own resolve.

"Look, Edward," she coaxed softly. "I said I would marry you, and I will. I promise. I swear. If you want, I'll sign a contract in my own blood."

"Not funny," I was still too busy with her beautiful wrists to take offense.

"What I'm saying is this — I'm not going to trick you or anything. You know me better than that. So there's really no reason to wait. We're completely alone — how often does that happen? — and you've provided this very large and comfortable bed. . . ." she trailed off.

This was taking every single ounce of my self restraint. Trust Bella to allure me at the wrong time. "Not tonight," I tried to sound firm.

"Don't you trust me?" she was curious.

"Of course I do." Of all things…

I was still busy caressing her palm when I felt the soft pressure trying to lift my head. Automatically, I complied. I pulled my face back so that her eyes were level with mine.

"Then what's the problem?" she tried to fathom. "It's not like you didn't know you were going to win in the end. You always win." She admitted flustered.

"Just hedging my bets," I answered. I couldn't explain to her my real motives. It sounded childish but I obstinately held on to it. If she was forcing me to change her, well, I too would see to it that we honoured every single decree, vampire or human. Her soul was far too precious to be put at stake. She was far too precious.