Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns everything in the Twiverse. But this plot is mine.

Remember that A/N at the beginning of the story? Read it again, if need be ;)

Chapter 15: First Kiss

Edward's POV

In fifteen years of this life, I have been surprised but a handful of times.

Not merely owing to my gift, but mainly because people are predictable.

Mind-numbingly so.

But on the few occasions when someone catches me unawares, the event is seldom beneficial.

Never welcome.

Let alone seminal.

Until now.

Until this.

Until her.

One minute, I am flailing in my attempt to earn her confidence.

One minute, I am apologizing for refusing to assist with her earlier plans.

One minute, I am more hindrance than help.

Then I watch her advance from the rock, expecting her to slap me for tarnishing her celebration with my opinions.

I note when she stops in front of me, thinking she plans to assault me with that terrifying sub-vocal whisper she reserves for her strongest anger.

I see her hands as they cup my face, confused to feel cherished when I expect to be chastened.

And then…

A wisp of pressure, softer than an angel's sigh.

Warmth against my lips like a slow-spreading fever.

The faint taste of jasmine mingling on my breath.

And the shocking realization that Rosalie is kissing me.

Rosalie.

Kissing.

Me.

Will wonders never cease?

Her lips are sure as they press against mine, searing their intentions as she holds me in place.

Though her mouth is closed, she opens her mind, and I am captivated by what I see.

A kaleidoscope of colors and swirls, their peaceful sway lulling me into submission.

As if have any thought of resistance.

With no need to breathe, we could stay forever locked at the corner of Impossible and Indescribable.

But she pushes gently away and opens her eyes, their emotions shining like red diamonds in the serenity of her face.

"Wh-what did you…" My fingers run across my lips, already missing her. "Why?"

"How did you find me?"

Her breathlessness catches me off-guard, confusing me further. "How did I…"

"Find me?" she repeats, coming impossibly closer. "How did you find me?"

"I followed your scent."

She fingers the length of my jacket's lapel. "Why did you find me?"

"I was worried about you."

"Why?"

"We had…" I clear my throat, dragging my focus from the feel of her hands on my chest. "Our earlier quarrel left me uneasy, and I owed you an apology."

"But when you spoke, you were so angry."

She continues her journey around my collar, stealing my train of thought. "I was."

"Why?"

"Because I… I was scared."

"Of?"

"I didn't want you with those men," I grind out, fighting a shiver as her fingertips brush across the back of my neck.

"Did you think they would hurt me?"

"No."

"Did you think they would escape?"

"No."

"Then why were you scared?"

She idles in her chosen spot, rendering me incapable of speech as I close my eyes. "Safe."

"What was that?"

The ache in her voice raises my eyes, now blazing with the strength of my feelings. "I wanted you to be safe."

Her pupils soften to a rosy red. "I was safe. Because of you."

I shake my head, loosening her hand from its position. "No."

"Yes." Her palm cups my cheek once more. "You saved me, Edward."

Her gratitude ignites a million flames in my chest, but I cannot accept their warmth however much I long to. "I abandoned you when you needed me most."

"You came for me when I needed you most. You kept me from draining Harley. You protected me from the consequences of my hastiness. And it was you here, before, who eased me into this unholy life."

She strokes my jaw with her thumb, her voice lowering. "It was you, Edward. It has always been you."

"Rosalie…"

"It was you, Edward." Her breath caresses my face. "And I want… I need to… just…"

I answer her plea with my lips as her hand drops to her side with a sigh. She is wild honey and heat, baptizing me in sensations I can scarcely name as we kiss for the second time.

I savor the perfection of her mouth, pressing gently against its plush softness.

In but a few moments of exquisiteness, her flavor is as familiar as my own, and my mouth quite literally waters with thirst.

I swallow the venom as I retreat for breath, needing a moment to clear my head. But she advances as I pause, and we dance again.

Patience guides as I sample her mouth, but a dangerous need lurks beneath its innocence. The urge to consume her rises with each push and pass of our lips, but she is the crown jewel of creation and worthy of worship.

I must delay.

The warmth of her breath singes my face as I pull back and note with pleasure that her eyes remain closed. I caress her cheek with the back of my hand, and she rewards me with a sigh.

A sweet prelude to another kiss.

She tilts her head and parts her lips, the deeper notes of amber and black orchid flooding my senses. The raw taste of her proves too much, and I force myself away.

She opens her eyes with a gasp. "What's wrong?"

Her voice is thick with desire, stealing the breath from my lungs.

"Was I too much?" Shame coats her words, defiling the heat between us. "Was I…"

"It isn't you." I force my eyes to hers and drown in their need. "It is never you, Rosalie."

She looks away. "Yet you toss me away."

Her plea melts my reticence, and I blur to her side. "I would never."

Our eyes meet again, recharging the moment.

"Do you…" She glances at my lips. "Do you not want me this way?"

I groan in spite of myself. "In this and every way."

"Then why?" Her voice cracks on the last word. "Why do you stop?"

"Rosalie, I…" Frustration crosses my brows. "I don't know what to do."

The corners of her luscious mouth lift. "Mustn't there be a first time for everything?"

In spite of my anxiety, I laugh. "Although I am a novice in such matters, it is not my chastity to which I refer."

"Then what do you mean?"

The moment has arrived, and I wonder if I have the courage to proceed.

But her fearlessness emboldens my tongue, and I force my fear aside.

"Rosalie, I need to… I want to be with you." I tremble with the effort not to touch her. "But this is… you are… I…" I curse under my breath, unable to make my point.

She lifts my chin. "Tell me."

As our eyes meet, she pulls the truth from my mind as if she were the gifted one.

"This desire you unleashed… it is boundless and primitive, terrifyingly so. I could happily drown in you and never come out."

"I know," she whispers.

"Am I that obvious?"

"No," she hesitates. "I feel it too."

Again, she steals my breath, and my hands clench at my sides to keep from attacking her.

"You feel it?"

She nods, averting her eyes. "And I understand now… what you meant before."

"Before?"

"When you said you would take me." Innocence colors her whispered words. "You meant you would do so… with force…not by force."

"Yes."

She nods, and the look on her face sends another wave of pleasure across my skin. "I want you to take me, Edward."

If I were human, I'd be a blushing, quivering mess right now.

Or I might just fall out in a dead faint.

"I want you, Edward." She licks her lips, quickening every fiber in my dead body. "More than I can understand at the moment. But…"

The conjunction saves my life and returns me to rational thought. "It is too soon."

"Yes," she says sadly. "I fear it is too much too soon."

"And I agree."

Relief brightens her eyes. "Do you?"

"As sublime as such intimacy would undoubtedly be, it would also be a bit… premature."

The last word leaves my lips as a question, and she frowns. "I see."

"No, no." I take her hands. "I am not rejecting you. I want to know you better, Rosalie. To become more to you than a floor-mate."

"You are."

I ignore the flare of pleasure her words create, determined to allay her fears as I press my point. "Then I would like to build on that. I will begin by lifting my embargo against your company and attempt to have a civil conversation lasting more than a few minutes. Then perhaps we will be ready for more mature situations."

Although it takes a moment, her eyes sparkle with mischief. "There was an embargo?"

"A rather difficult one to sustain, but yes."

"Why, Mr. Masen." She surprises me with my surname. "I didn't know you cared."

"I'd had it on good authority that I didn't," I murmur. "But once again, you have proved me wrong."

She smiles, rubbing her thumb against the back of my hand. "Edward?"

"Yes, love?"

The endearment slips from my tongue, but her blushing smile reveals her pleasure at it. "Will it be difficult for you to abstain? I have already intruded on your perpetuity and have no wish to be any additional trouble."

"Miss Hale." I lift her hand and press my lips against her wrist. "You are the very best kind of trouble, the kind warranting forever to explore and tame."

She arches an eyebrow. "Tame?"

"Perhaps."

She laughs, the rich sound filling the space around us. "You're an ambitious one, Mr. Masen."

"That I am. Ambitious and patient."

"So you will wait?"

I kiss her lips again, softly sealing my promise. "We will wait."

She returns the favor against my cheek. "Thank you."

I can only nod as my face burns where she kissed me, the heat warming me from head to toe.

"Now what?"

I bent to hoist my knapsack on my back, my free hand still clasped in hers. "Now you will tell me where you got this outfit."

"This old thing?" She glances at me slyly. "Do you like it?"

I hold her eyes longer than intended, confessing once more. "I like it all, very much."

"Good." Her eyes twinkle as she grins. "For there is more where this came from."

I kiss the back of her hand, unable to keep my lips from her skin. "One can only hope."

We walk hand-in-hand toward the house at human speed. And as she flutters beside me, the prospect of eternity is suddenly not so wearisome.

Soooo… what do you think of Roseward's first kiss? Where do you think things will go from here?

I have a Roseward rec I think you'll really like:

"Minuet in F you Major" by LightHeartLoreli. In this completed AH fic, Edward is a perfectionist conductor and Rosalie is the newest cellist in his orchestra. Will they make beautiful music together? Read and see!

Until next time!

xoxo