LONGEST A/N EVER:

Here we go. You will mostly be hearing from Edward or Bella's perspective from here on out, and the timelines have now crossed and aligned... so I will no longer be posting the date, unless there is a significant time jump. We have not gotten into the heart of this story. I want to say thank you to everyone from the reviews, the messages, the ideas and the support. You guys are the reason I kept writing, so thank you for the motivation. I know this version of Bella is not everyone's cup of tea, my ideas are a bit more twisted than the original. This is my own take on the Twilight universe. I like my characters to be a bit flawed. I am sorry if that was not the type of story you were hoping this was going to be. I can't write those types of characters, even though I personally have read several stories that have been written exactly like that and I have loved them tremendously. It's just not my strong point. I have tried to use my basic understanding of human psychology (Travel Nurse Practitioner here) to help readers understand what motivates these characters, and why they are not all as cleancut and "wholesome" as the original series. I also don't want them to be entirely horrendous people who have no redeeming qualities…. this isn't Wuthering Heights after all ;) ….. So I promise that I will not completely ruin the "good" qualities and let their "bad" one's take over, but I am also going to delve a little deeper into the darker side of them while still keeping the humorous and lighthearted side as well. It is my belief that all people are multifaceted and have many different character traits. It could be that I am just incredibly blessed to know a lot of amazing, vibrant people who have experienced the good and the bad and still manage to wake up everyday and have a hunger for joy, friendship and adventure. This is a going to be a slow burn still. I am not just going to dump them together and call it a day. I want to really develop these characters and their relationships…anyways...I am going to end my ramble and get on with the story.I hope you enjoy the much awaited….reunion?... Kinda? Let me know what you guys think, it helps with the writing process.

Forks, Washington

"Part those sheets like holy waters,

And I will worship your skin like a born again believer.

-Tyler Knott Gregson

Edward

I pushed away the dead carcass with apathy. The constant urge to feed was getting tedious. I had spent the past few years trying to remain numb, disconnected from everything else. In a way it made things so much easier to just...exist. If I were to be entirely honest with myself, this would be much easier if I continued pretending to feel nothing in order to maintain the small amount of control I had over the circumstances. It would be easier. Not better. I would still be existing only to exist. There would still be no purpose to anything. I understood that much now. I understood that to have purpose meant to feel all of these things, even the bad. I was beginning to realize the error of my own ways. Emmett was right. I was a late bloomer.

My cell phone rang the moment I entered an area with cell phone reception.

I knew it was her without looking at the screen. "Alice."

"Brother." she replied.

"What is it now? Have we also discovered a coven of witches residing in the Port Angeles area?" I snarked.

"No, no witches as of yet, just Bella." she sang out in a strangely cheerful voice.

I came to a sudden stop.

"What happened?" I asked.

"I don't know exactly, I can't see anything unless I leave the area. The wolves are patrolling closer to the house and they mess with my site somehow." she explained.

"So then leave the area. Meet me up North." I suggested.

"How far North are you?" she asked.

"I don't know. Sixty miles out of Forks maybe." I shrugged my shoulders. "Just follow my trail Alice." I felt like I was suddenly talking to a child.

"Sorry. No can do." she replied.

"Alice…"

"Jazz is on his way here. I would rather stick around until he shows up." she cut me off.

"Right." I rolled my eyes in exasperation. The two of them couldn't even go an hour without talking.

"What about Bella?" I asked.

"Oh, right. " she exclaimed. "I think we will be hearing from her soon."

She was clearly up to something. I wasn't in the mood to play her games at the moment. She had been actively blocking my thoughts for the past Eighteen hours, something she only did when she was up to her usual meddling.

"Interesting." I pursed my lips.

"Oh and Edward?"

"Yes Alice?" I sighed.

"Come in towards the West side of town."

"Why-" the line disconnected.

I shoved my phone back into my pocket before changing course slightly. Alice had to have had a good reason for telling me to enter town from the West. Perhaps there were hunters in the area, or cross country skiers. I debated ignoring her travel advice altogether just to spite her. I had grown increasingly frustrated over the past several days and Alice seemed to think this was all a game.

In the end, curiosity won out and I ended up changing direction, exactly as she had suggested.

It didn't take me long to figure out the real reason behind her request. The tantalizing smell hit me like a brick wall the moment I crossed the Sol Duc River. I had to use every part of my self control to come to a complete stop and analyze the situation. I could call Alice and ask her to come instead. I had a feeling that Alice already has a pretty good idea about what I was going to find though, and she had set it up perfectly. If Alice didn't seem worried, then she must have some insight she wasn't willing to share will me. She knew enough to tell me what direction to come in at. She knew enough to not try to stop was when I realized she was playing games with me from the very beginning. She had never expected me to truly stay away from Bella. I couldn't believe she was willing to go this far. This was crossing a line, even for Alice. Bella was out there, possibly very injured and bleeding and she has ensured I would be in her direct path.

I trusted Alice enough to believe that she wouldn't have sent me into this situation if she saw a negative outcome.

Right?

I stood rooted to my spot for several moments, acclimating myself to the potency of what could only be her freshly spilled blood.

I could do this, I would have to learn how to do this if I wanted any kind of a future with Bella at all. Bracing myself, I took a deep breath and allowed her scent to pull me closer. Initially, I started off at a slow jog, and then slowly worked my way up to a full speed run. I ran for several minutes before I heard the faint sounds of a beating heart. It was a sound I was familiar with. A rhythm I had memorized long ago. I had played the melody over and over again in my head throughout the last several years. Even so, hearing it in person almost took me to my knees. As the apex predators, my kind could usually decipher a lot about a human being from their human reactions. Their emotions, well being, even their state of mind could be gauged by their heartbeat alone.

Bella was alone and injured in the middle of the woods, yet her heartbeat was slow and steady. She was not in any sort of distress, nor was she breathing heavy.

How paciliar. I thought.

I finally reached a small clearing that had a decent sized campfire smoldering in the middle of it. The flames had mostly gone out, but the coal's burned brightly; helping to illuminate the entire clearing with an orange was no sign of Bella anywhere. I could hear her and smell her and sense her, but I couldn't see her. It was only after several moments of rationalizing that I finally came to the conclusion there was only one place she could be.

Up.

But how? I questioned. I followed her scent to the bottom of a rather tall pine tree, and then I stood there for a moment, contemplating my next move.

"You going to stand down there all night? I have places to be." her voice was clear and steady.

She had been expecting me, I realized.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, I was unaware we had made plans to meet up." I smirked into the darkness.

"You didn't receive your invitation?" her tone was unusually sweet, as if she was attempting to be cordial. As if she had to pretend to be interested in having anything to do with me at all.

"Are you referring to your little blood sacrifice?" I tried to not sound reprimanding, but I was unsuccessful.

"What's the matter Edward? I thought you would like it." she chuckled.

"Not particularly." I frowned.

"Is it the quality or the quantity of my blood that you object to." she questioned.

I swallowed back the venom that came rushing into my mouth. "The quantity mostly. I see no need for unnecessary and dramatic antics. You could have attracted a very different kind of monster here this evening." I chastised.

"That's true. I will admit... I had to consider the risks before deciding the proper course of action. Don't be too upset though Edward. This means I placed odds on you after all."

she was so very different than I remembered. Calm, detached, almost as if she were negotiating a business deal instead of bartering with her very life.

"So what you are telling me is that you have a death wish." I sank my fingernails deep into the tree bark, attempting to remain calm.

She laughed loudly. "Oh Edward. Now who's being dramatic?"

"I see. You think this is a joke then, is that it?" I said through gritted teeth.

She didn't respond.

"You think I couldn't reach you in less than a second and sink my teeth into your neck until all that was left of you was a cold lifeless corpse? You think I haven't envisioned doing exactly that at least a hundred times, fantasized about it, actually?" I paused for a moment to listen to her heartbeat.

Calm, steady. Not even the slightest fluctuation. I frowned. "There hasn't been a single day since Phoenix that I haven't replayed what your blood tasted like over and over again in my head." I admitted one of my deepest secrets.

"Well damn Edward, all you had to do was ask." she laughed humorlessly.

"You think this is a game Bella?" I snapped.

"Come off of your high horse Edward. I get it. You are the big bad vampire with the big sharp teeth and I am the fragile human spun from glass. I never thought for a second that you were lying about your capabilities. I know what you could do. I'm only disagreeing on what you would do." she drawled out.

"I see." I pursed my lips thoughtfully. "So I am your friendly neighborhood vampire?" I joked.

"Not exactly. Spider-Man is far more dangerous." she scoffed.

I didn't give myself time to think before I began to scale the tree silently. I was sick of this calm and unaffected behavior of hers. I wanted the Bella I knew, not this false front she was putting on now.

"Let's talk about boundaries while we are out here." she said after a few moments of silence.

I chose to remain quiet, not wanting to give away my location in the tree. She remained quiet while I made my way silently to a large branch that reached out several feet behind her and straddled it with very little effort.

"Boundaries are an important social skill to have." she continued on after a moment. I watched as she carefully glanced towards the ground, searching for any sign of movement. She tilted her head slightly, listening for something.

"Edward?" She questioned.

I remained silent.

I watched her body language intently, smiling to myself as her breathing picked up slightly and her heartbeat stuttered momentarily before continuing on at a slightly faster pace.

There it is. I thought to myself.

Not wanting to startle her too badly, I leaned forward carefully.

"I'm not particularly fond of boundaries, Bella." I whispered into her ear.

"Shit!" she flinched violently, exactly how I had anticipated. I reached out and carefully grabbed onto her waist with both hands to prevent her from losing her balance and falling to the forest floor below.

Her heart was now thundering against her chest at a riotous pace. The steady thumping vibrated through my fingertips and made my mouth fill with even more venom. I was going to have to hunt again soon. Still, underneath the constant thumping was the familiar electrical hum that had always existed between us.

"Ugh!" she swatted my hands away after a brief moment.

"Sorry." I lifted my hands off of her body and held them up near my face in surrender.

"Again, with the boundaries." she angled herself more towards me so that we could finally face each other.

She was even more beautiful than I could remember. Her cheeks were more defined and angular than they used to be and her lips appeared slightly fuller and poutier. Her skin had a healthy amount of color to it, a sign of her proclivity for spending time outdoors.

I shifted awkwardly and looked away before she could realize I was gaping at her like an idiot.

"How'd you get up here?" I asked.

"Same way you did... and don't change the subject. It isn't going to work." she began to fidget with a small silver object in her hand.

"You climbed?" I glanced down at the forest floor below. The fall would be more than enough to kill any human.

"I know you were in my bedroom." she said after a moment.

"Yeah...about that-" I nervously began peeling bark from the branch I was perched on.

"There will be no more of you doing whatever the hell you want." she cut me off.

"Bella, I-"

"No. I'm telling you now." she interrupted again. "Do not come into my personal space or intrude in my personal life or my personal privacy without my permission. I don't care who or what you are. I don't care if you are God himself You have no right!" she explained.

"I'm sorry. In my defense I didn't realize you were such a private person." I defended.

"Excuse you?" she narrowed her eyes.

"Just saying. The entire world could go on the internet and see your ass right now." I shrugged nonchalantly. I knew it would upset her, but I couldn't help myself. The words practically fell out of my mouth.

She blinked several times before finally responding.

"You mean my bikini? I forgot how prudish you could be." she chortled.

"I'm not a prude. I just believe in leaving a little to the imagination." My eyes involuntarily roamed her body from head to toe as I spoke the words.

"For you Edward, I'm more than willing to leave more than a little to the imagination." she shot back.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means you shouldn't be too concerned. I'm not particularly interested in stripping down for you." she moved to a rising position.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"This was a bad idea.I'm leaving." she said calmly.

"At least let me walk you home. I suppose the dog filled you in on everything?" I scowled.

"Jacob? Yeah, that's a bit of an understatement." she muttered sarcastically.

"Ah. I see." I nodded my head in understanding. "Poor Jacob. Unrequited love can be so complicated." I feigned sympathy .

"You would know." she drawled.

"Not really." I attempted to hold her gaze. Instead, she looked anywhere but at my face.

"Look me in the eyes and tell me you meant that, and I will leave now and never come back." I spoke quietly.

"Didn't you kind of already make that promise? And then break it too?" she finally made eye contact with me.

I visibly flinched.

"Did I strike a nerve there?" Bella looked down at the harness she had attached to her chest and began fastening several clasps.

"I deserved that." I conceded.

"You deserve that and much more, asshole." she spat out.

"Bella, I didn't mean the things I said that day in the woods." she had turned her back to me again and was busy tying a rope of some sort to her harness.

"I...can we please start over. This isn't how I wanted to do this at all." I tried to reason with her.

She turned to face me again, an incredulous expression on her face. "Well guess what Edward? It isn't about what you want. Or what Alice wants or what Jacob wants." she spoke softly.

"I know that, I wasn't…" I began.

"I have a life. You know? A really good life." her voice began to rise with word. "You thought you and Alice could just waltz back into my life and everything would go back to the way it was?" she scoffed. "You thought I was going to let you call the shots. You may have psychic mind reading abilities on your side, but I am not that girl anymore. I learned how to live without you." she pointed to herself.

I kept quiet for several moments, giving her a chance to calm down.

"I haven't." I admitted. "I tried to. I fought like hell to stay away from you. I wanted you to have a human life Bella, I really did." I exhaled heavily.

"But...I can't live without you. I'm not too noble to realize that now. I need you. I can't exist in this world without you. I was never meant to. Even before I met you...something was always missing." I explained. "You feel it too. I know you do. Your just..your so much stronger than I am." I admitted.

"I don't know what your talking about." she squared her shoulders.

I ran my fingers through my hair in frustration. "Alright then." I quickly stood up, balancing myself on the branch with perfect poise.

"What are you doing?" she glanced down towards my feet.

"I'm assuming you plan on using that…" I motioned to her rope and harness. "...to get down from this tree?"

"No. I planned on jumping." she deadpanned.

"Excellent." I smiled lavisciously.

"What are-" her eyes widened as I approached her.

"Come with me?" I held my hand out to her.

"Why should I?" her voice shook.

"Because your cold and the climb down is going to be less than pleasant." I raised an eyebrow in challenge.

The corner of her mouth turned up slightly. "Fine. Only because I have no plan to become the next Julia Butterfly." she reached for my outstretched hand.

I held her hand while she carefully maneuvered her way along the tree branches until she was close enough that I could feel her body heat radiating off of her.

"Turn around." I lifted her hand above her head so she could twist her body around.

Once her back was steady against my chest, I hesitantly let go of her hand. She slowly dropped her arm, letting it hang loosely at her side. Her breathing deepened and became far too heavy for someone in her physical shape, I observed. Slowly, I leaned into her backside, widening my stance to allow her body to align perfectly with mine. We both exhaled heavily at the change in contact. Our bodies aligned perfectly. Her warm breath created a small cloud of vapor in the air, reminding me of the need to get her out of the frigid outdoors. I brought my arm up and across the top of her shoulders, only allowing my hand the slightest of pressure as I ghosted it along the back of her neck before gently sweeping her hair off to one shoulder, exposing her ear to me. Her heart rate shot up, suddenly galapping at a much faster pace.

I gulped down another mouthful of venom. I was millimeters away from her carotid artery and I could practically feel the blood pulsing beneath her skin. I struggled to keep the part of me that wanted to sink his teeth into that soft pale flesh at bay, instead I switched to focusing on the curves of her body against mine. My lips curved up into a smile as I brushed my hands lightly down her arms until they reached her hips.

"I'm going to hold onto you." I gripped her hips lightly. "Here." I whispered into her ear.

She shivered lightly against my body, nodding once in silent affirmation.

"Are you ready?" I asked, slowly walking us backwards towards the edge of the tree branch we were perched on.

"Yes." her voice shook.

"Do you trust me?" I flexed my fingertips lightly against her hips.

"With my life? Yes." her hands clamped down over mine.

"Good." I touched my lips softly against her neck before taking the final step backwards.

"Hold on tight." I whispered, before pushing off of the branch at an angle, giving us plenty of room to avoid the branches directly below us.

"Oh god!" she screamed as we fell backwards toward the ground.

The fall itself lasted for less than two seconds before my feet made contact with the ground. The impact was miniscule, even for a human, yet I stayed silent while she caught her breath.

"Do you you feel that?" I whispered after several moments of silence between us. The forest barely acknowledged our existence.

"The adrenaline." I released her hips, and instead moved my hands along the feminine curves of her torso. "That moment of free fall where the entire world stops and it's only that moment that exists? All of your senses are attuned to one thing only, the imminent impact of you meeting the ground below. Your heart races, your breathing accelerates. You feel euphoric, carefree, alive." I paused, gently brushing my thumb against the underside of her breast. She let out a small gasp in response.

"That is how you make me feel, Bella." I took two steps back, breaking our contact.

"Now... tell me you don't feel the same." I said, still facing her back.

She slowly turned to face me. A sad smile on her face.

"I forgot how good you were at sweet talking me." she laughed.

"It's the truth." I corrected her.

"This is your reasoning?" she used her hand to motion between the two of us. "So what? I'm sexually attracted to you. I'm a Twenty-One year old girl. Your moderately attractive. It's not that hard to believe." she shrugged nonchalantly.

"Moderately?" I quirked my brow. "So you react that way to any man you find attractive?" I almost choked on the words.

"Of course." she lied.

"Liar." I smirked.

"Don't be so sure of yourself." she shot me a dirty look.

"I'm sure of us, Bella." I shook my head.

"Sure enough that you left!" she scoffed. "Sure enough that you refused to change me!" she swung her backpack across her back.

"I'm sorry for what I did. It was the biggest mistake of my existence . I never should have left. I never should have doubted what we have." I followed after her now retreating form.

"What's so different now?" she paused her stride.

"What's to say you don't turn around and do the same thing the next time I fall down and scrape my knee or decide to go cliff jumping." she flailed her arms out dramatically. "Tell me what guarantee I have that your not going to leave the second you think it's what is best for me!" she motioned for me to answer.

"What would it take for you to believe that I would never make the same mistake again?" I asked. "I'll give you anything you you ask for." I spoke calmly.

She stared silently at my face for several moments before finally looking towards the ground. I watched as she swept a small rock out of her way with the tip of her boot.

"Damnit." she threw her head back. "I can't do this tonight." she shook her head sadly.

"That's understandable." I conceded. "May I at least walk you home? I am not the only monster in town, after all." I smiled tightly.

"About that." she squinted into the darkened forest. "Do you have any idea who they were and why they would want my sweatshirt?" she asked.

If I still had a heart it would have stopped beating. "They took your sweatshirt?" I questioned.

"Yeah. My favorite one too." she crossed her arms in front of her.

"So it was an item you wore often." I pinched the bridge of my nose.

"Well yeah, I suppose." she shrugged.

"Someone wanted your scent."

"Why?" she asked.

"That... I don't know. I was in your room. I didn't recognize the scent." I tried to explain.

"So it's someone you've never met?" she continued walking.

"Exactly."

"How can you tell?"

"Tell what?"

"How can you tell by someone's scent." she elaborated.

"Why do you ask?" I narrowed my eyes suspiciously.

"Jacob said I smelled like…" she trailed off.

I smirked. "Like me?"

"So you did it on purpose then?" she rolled her eyes.

"It's hard to explain." I shook my head. "It's not...a human behavior." I looked away.

"So explain it then." she shrugged.

"I'll make you a deal. If you let me get you out of this forest and into a warm house, I will answer any questions you have." I stopped walking.

"Anything?" she repeated.

"Anything." I nodded.

"Fine, but I would rather avoid Charlie's house, I think he's had his fill guy's showing up-" she abruptly stopped talking.

There was an awkward silence. I clenched my hands into fists.

"My house is free." I said after I had a moment to control my reaction.

"Okay." she nodded.

"What are the chances I am going to be able to talk you into letting me take you?" I asked

"...it's at least a few more hours hike if we go at a human pace." I explained.

"Fine" she agreed. "Just this once." she conceded.

"Hop on." I turned so my back was facing her. I leaned down so she could reach me easier.

"Great." she muttered. "This isn't embarrassing or demeaning at all." she loosely wrapped her arms around my neck.

I stood up once she was safely situated on my back. I heard her breath stutter when I wrapped my hands around her lower thighs to bring her legs further around my waist, hitching her up higher onto my back.

"It's up to you. Although, I personally would not prefer to die from hypothermia." I quipped.

"I've hiked in much colder climates for much longer." her warm breath hit my neck and sent an electric charge throughout my entire body.

"I know. I came across your trails. You've been busy." I set a pace that was fast, but not so fast it would disorient the human on my back.

"I like to explore." she explained.

"Where all have you been" I asked.

"I haven't gone as far north as I want. The snow pack is too heavy this year." she leaned her cheek against my neck without thinking and then lifted it almost instantly.

"I could take you." I offered.

"I'm actually planning a trip up to in the Spring."

"Almost there." I informed her. We were approaching the backside of the house. "What are you going to Rainier for?" I inquired.

I couldn't hear a single thought, meaning Alice and Jasper were gone. This only affirmed my suspicion that the little brat knew more than she was letting on during her phone call with me earlier.

"I don't know, just something I haven't done yet." she shrugged.

I came to a stop once we were on the back porch.

"You can let me down here."

I crouched down so she could safely slide off of my back.

"Alice isn't here." I said, motioning to the back sliding door that led into the kitchen.

"That's...convenient." Bella quirked an eyebrow.

"I know. I'm starting to feel like-"

"Like you've been played?" she laughed. "Yeah. Some things never change."

"I can't believe I didn't realize it. She has gotten remarkably good at blocking me." I tapped my temple.

"Never bet against Alice." Bella smiled.

I opened the sliding glass door and motioned for Bella to enter "After you." I said.

"Thanks." she said, as she stepped into the kitchen.

"Speaking of betting...what did you mean when you said you placed odds on me finding you?"

She laughed. "It's obvious isn't it? I assumed you would find me first."

"Why is that?"

"I don't know." she twisted her hands together nervously. "I figured since I smelled so much better to you than most humans…"

"That I would be able to smell you better." I finished.

"Yeah. Is that how it works?" she questioned.

"Kinda." I nodded.

"That's not an answer." she used her arms to lift her body onto the kitchen countertop, placing both hands on either side of her hips once she was comfortably seated. I was suddenly intrigued by her jean covered legs, which she gently swung back and forth. I had the sudden urge to wrap wrap them tightly around my hips.

I heard a throat clear and looked up. "Sorry." I quickly looked away from her. "Can I get you some tea or something?" I cleared my throat, an unnecessary action.

She smirked. "Yes please."

I moved around the kitchen, pulling out a tea kettle and filling it from the sink before placing it on the stove to heat up.

"You said you would answer my questions." she accused.

"Right." I nodded. " I'm sorry. I was thinking of the best way to explain it."

"Okay." she motioned for me to continue.

"I can pick up on your scent easier and from a greater distance than the others. Alice, for instance, couldn't pick up on most of your older trails."

"But you could." she tilted her head.

"Right." I nodded.

"I don't know how much of my sensitivity has to do with my... preference for your blood and how much of it has to do with…" I trailed off.

"With what?" she prodded.

"It's a mating thing. We tend to have a heightened awareness of our mate at all times." I explained.

"But we…" she wrinkled her brow in confusion. "We've never…"

I shook my head. "It's more than that. It's a type of connection that exists even without the physical aspects."

"I couldn't see you." she whispered.

"What?" I stepped closer to her.

"Tonight. When you were down on the ground. I couldn't see anything. The fire had died down and there wasn't enough light. Something just...told me you were down there." she shrugged.

"I also knew someone had been in my room. I couldn't figure out how I knew, but I did. It was like a gut instinct you know?"

"Yeah, I know." I was openly staring at her now.

"What?" she gave me a questioning look.

"Is that the only time you've noticed something like that?" I pried.

"Well…" she paused for a moment. "No."

I nodded in understanding. "What else have you noticed."

"Um." I watched her cheeks darken with blush and wished for the millionth time that I could read her mind. My feet moved me closer to her without my permission. "What else?" I said quietly.

"This." she motioned to the foot of space I had left between us. "The weird magnetic pull. The buzzing." she licked her lips.

"You can feel that?" I tilted my head slightly.

"Yes. It's like...sexual tension to the tenth degree." she leaned her body forward slightly.

Unable to stop them, my eyes traveled from her lips down to the rise and fall of her chest. The predator in me wanted one thing while the man wanted something else entirely.

Was she torturing me on purpose? No sooner had the thought crossed my mind when Bella chose that moment to open her legs slightly wider.

"I never realized." I snapped my gaze back up to her face.

"What? That I had needs too?" she raised one brow.

I shook my head. "Your human. I always assumed you wouldn't be affected the same way." I stepped forward hesitantly, gauging her reaction to my sudden intrusion into her personal space.

She reacted by lightly squeezing my hips with her thighs.

"I'm affected." she whispered.

I stopped breathing entirely.

"Do you feel that Edward?" she reached up to wrap her hand around the back of my neck, pulling my face closer to hers. I let her pull me in willingly.

She wrapped both of her legs around me, pulling me closer. I had never been so adverse to jeans in my entire existence. My hands moved to her hips, holding her steady against my now prominent manhood. Her fingers dug into the hair at the nape of neck as she ghosted her lips across my neck at a painfully slow pace.

"The adrenaline." she whispered into my ear. I groaned, pulling her forward so that her ass was barely touching the counter anymore. She gently rolled her hips against mine, causing me to buck forward into her.

"Ugh." she moaned quietly. "That moment of extreme pleasure where the entire world stops and it's only that moment that exists?" she laughed.

I froze.

"All of your senses are attuned to one thing only." she smirked.

I let out a gust of air and tried to step back, but her legs were locked around me in a vice grip.

"Your heart races, your breathing accelerates. You feel euphoric, carefree, alive" she said with over-dramatic flair. She was an actress reading her lines.

I smacked my hands down onto the countertop next to her angrily, creating a small fissure in the granite rock.

She didn't even have the decency to flinch.

"That's how he made me feel." she delivered the final blow without even blinking.