So far my summer was going great. The weather had been unusually sunny, but the Cullens had plenty of creative ideas to keep themselves entertained out of the public eye. I thought back to my day of hiking. Well, it was more like piggy back riding. We hiked in the woods behind their home until we came to a beautiful cascading waterfall. Edward and I watched from the other cliff as his siblings and even Carlisle and Esme traversed to the head of the falls. The took turns diving from the cliff into the water below. Each person received a score based on the number of flips, twists and turns they were able to complete.

Edward kept track of those, and I gave somewhat arbitrary scores based on style. Alice received bonus points for a beautiful five flip dive and Emmett received no points for his wave inducing belly flop. Although Edward argued that he should receive minus points. I might admit to padding in a few extra points for Rosalie to avoid offending her. Carlisle and Esme both got a respectable seven bonus points. Surprisingly, Jasper won with ten flips and twists, beating out all the others.

After our day on the mountain, Charlie invited Edward to stay for dinner. I encouraged him to sit with Charlie to bond over the baseball game, while I cooked up some steaks. Sounds of genuine male bonding and excited banter floated into the kitchen. I was happy they were getting along. Charlie was really making an effort. I sniggered to myself when I heard Charlie encouraging Edward to try out for the town's baseball team. I could only imagine the sensation the Cullens would cause if they played at their true capability level. Edward appeared in the kitchen doorway to help me set the table, and Charlie joined us in the kitchen with his eyes on the TV in the other room.

Charlie's wolfed down his food and gave his usual praise for my steak, grilled potatoes and salad meal. Edward kept up with his own compliments. I accepted both in mystified silence. Edward appeared to actually eat each bite of steak he raised to his lips. He caught me watching and gave me extra appreciative humming noises with his next bet. Yup, it was definitely going in his mouth. Charlie made conversation during the commercials and hurriedly finished his food to return to the game. Mine and Edward's plates were still half full. I silently cleared his plate and gave him an apologetic look.

"Don't worry about it," he whispered. "I'm sure it was delicious. And I don't mind if it helps me smooth things over with Charlie."

When clean-up couldn't be dragged out any longer, we sat together on the couch until the end of the game. When it finished, Charlie stood and stretched his arms above his held. "Well, I suppose it's about time I head up for bed. I have an early shift tomorrow." He gave Edward an expectant look.

Edward rose quickly and shook his hand. "Thank you for inviting me to stay, Chief Swan."

I stuck my tongue out at him where Charlie couldn't see. Edward chuckled and headed toward the door. I walked outside with him and closed the door behind us. We stood on the porch like any other normal couple, delaying our good bye, except we were expecting to see each other in about twenty minutes.

Edward tapped his ear to tell me that Charlie was listening. I decided that it would be appropriate for an engaged couple to participate in some farewell kissing. Edward obliged.

"I'll be back as soon as Charlie is asleep," he whispered in my ear. "Thank you for dinner," he said louder, "it was delicious."

"I'll see you tomorrow," I responded a little too loudly.

He shook his head, and we shared a smile.

"I love you," he said seriously. He planted a soft kiss on my lips.

"I love you too," I whispered just loud enough for him to hear me.

With a final wave he got into his Volvo and pulled away from the house. I walked back inside and hung up my damp coat by the door. Charlie watched me out of the corner of his eye.

"What?"

He turned off the game and stretched again. In an uncharacteristic display, he hugged me. "I'm just glad you're happy, Bells."

"I told you he Edward was good for me."

Charlie grunted. He'd apparently used up his words for the day.

He patted my back awkwardly before he released me and headed up to his room. I smiled fondly at his retreating back before I followed him upstairs. I had until Charlie fell asleep to shower and prepare for more desensitizing tonight with Edward. I couldn't wait. Just thinking about it made me giddy.

Charlie must have been taking longer to fall asleep than normal. I filled my time reading while I waited. Almost an hour later, he slipped through my bedroom window. My breathe caught at the sight of him. He was just too beautiful. I realized it was one of the few times I'd actually caught him in the act of coming through the window. Usually, I turned around and there he was, waiting for me.

Unsurprisingly, he was incredibly graceful as he swung his legs through the window, his arm leveraging his weight on the sill. He landed soundlessly on my floor and closed the window behind him. He was wearing the cotton plaid pajama bottoms and a white tee shirt. My heart warmed remembering that he was doing that for me. He looked at me aware that I was watching him.

I set my book down beside me. "I was beginning to wonder if you got eaten by a mountain lion."

He frowned. "Sorry, I took a little longer than I would have liked."

So it wasn't Charlie that caused the delay. "Everything okay?" I asked.

"Yes. I needed to take care of your delicious dinner first." He smiled to take the sting out of his potential insult. "Then I wanted to brush my teeth and change. One thing led to another..."

It sounded like there was more to that story, but I didn't want to be nosy. He'd tell me if it was important. He picked up my book, taking its spot on the bed next to me. "Jane Eyre again?" He fingered the well worn cover.

"It's a classic," I defended.

"It's just one of the many things I find endlessly fascinating about you."

"Can you blame me? The main love interest's name is Edward."

"A common name for the period."

"I know. Actually, it was a bit frustrating, back when I was fascinated with you but you weren't speaking to me yet. Every book I picked up had your name. I couldn't even find solace in my favorite activity without thinking of you."

His eyes lit up. "I think you just solved a little mystery for me. I must admit to stalking you a little bit."

My eyes widened, and a little thrill went through me. He had told me that he was as obsessed with me as I was with him, but it was hard to believe.

"One particularly frustrating day I saw you lay out in your back yard with a book. You seemed frustrated with it and eventually gave up on reading it. I watched you from the shadows as you slept. I always wondered what you were thinking. Why the book had frustrated you."

Having only done that once on an unusually sunny day, I knew immediately the day he was thinking of. He was right. I was frustrated because everyone in the book was named Edward or something similar. It had obviously reminded me of him and I had fallen asleep with strange dreams. Wow.

"I watched you sleep as the hours passed and the shadows crept toward you. I couldn't decide if you were my own personal devil or something else entirely. I was tempted to follow the shadows closer, to tempt fate, just to touch you. I tried to rationalize that I just wanted to see what you were reading. To just unravel some small mystery of your brain." He smiled softly and touched my forehead. "But I wasn't sure if I could resist the temptation to drag you away into the forest. I thought it was very symbolic at the time." He shook his head. "I always suspected you sensed my presence when you woke suddenly."

"I think I did, somehow. I remember feeling watched." Goose bumps ran down my arms as I realized the truth of the situation. I had been so near to Edward and didn't even know it. I shivered.

He pulled me into the circle of his arms. It was hard to imagine a time when these arms wouldn't have held me with love and protection. But I knew my present day Edward was still dwelling on the difficulties of the past. I turned my thoughts forward, thinking of plans for tonight. First, I needed to pull Edward into the present with me. He wasn't going to be very cooperative if he was still remembering the days where he wanted to 'drag me into the forest'. Hmmm, perhaps that had potential. I briefly considered ways I could leave the house with Edward rather than him sneaking in. I put the thought aside for another night.

I leaned my head against his shoulder, unsure how to start things. His arm wound around me and I settled further into his chest. Our free hands intertwined on his leg, gently playing with each other's fingers. We stayed that way for a few minutes, my heart beating faster and faster in anticipation. How could I get this moving?

"Got something on your mind, love?" He chuckled. "Your heart is racing."

I looked up at his face. He knew. He knew what I was thinking about, and he was holding out on purpose to make me uncomfortable.

I frowned at him and he laughed. Something in my brain snapped and I kissed him hard on the lips. He pulled back a fraction, surprised. I shifted to kneel on the bed next to him. His arms twined around my waist. I placed my hands on either side of his face and kissed him again. The position was a little awkward with his legs still over the side of my bed. I gave him a little nudge. He complied and laid back on the bed. I smiled. He was letting me control the pace. I followed him down to the bed and laid on top of him. His hands travelled slowly up and down my arms as we kissed.

I kissed his face and his neck, and he hummed in pleasure. Traveling where I wanted, and tasting his skin on my lips. Why had I never tried this before? Being in control was awesome. And I felt completely in control of myself. He was delicious and being able to kiss him anywhere was amazing. Since I was usually hyperventilating when we kissed, this was a nice change.

I held his face in my hands and tilted his head for better access to the lines of his strong jaw. When I returned to his mouth, I kissed him again, allowing my tongue to touch softly along his lips.

He opened his eyes in surprise. They were the darkest amber.

I kissed him again, using my tongue a little more with each pass. I was careful to kiss him softly and slowly, never pushing anything too far. I knew better than to get near his teeth.

His hands tangled into my hair. I continued kissing and stroking his lips. I nearly gasped when I felt the soft tip of his tongue against my own lips. He was tentative at first, exploring this new boundary. I coaxed him with my mouth, drawing him out further. Soon he was exploring my lips and tongue with his own, always careful of the dangers. My whole body tingled with pleasure.

He pulled away. "Careful, love," he whispered.

I knew he was pushing against a boundary he had been scared of, for good reason. I resolved to be very, very careful. I didn't want to ruin this. I kissed him again, tentatively connecting our tongues with open mouthed kisses.

We moved like this for a while, our lips and tongues gently connecting. The soft feel of him was amazing. The taste of him was exquisite.

After an indeterminable amount of time, he pulled away. "Amazing."

I glanced at the clock and sighed. It was almost one in the morning. I knew what was coming next: bedtime for the human. I rested my head against his chest, my whole body tingling from being near him. He pulled me carefully into his side and our bodies melded together perfectly. He repositioned us on the bed. I laid my head on the pillow and he covered us with the blanket. He kissed me goodnight, humming my lullaby softly in my ear.I drifted into sleep, pleased with our progress tonight. I had been in control of myself and had helped us discover we could push past a boundary we thought previously set in stone.

It was a good night.