Disclaimer: I don't own these characters. I'm just manipulating them.

This story takes place during the summer between Twilight and New Moon.

For Lenny.

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I walked through the woods with my eyes down, mindful of my steps. I'd been through this patch of forest enough to know that the roots dangerously sticking out of the ground were more harmful to me than the branches near my head. Edward made sure to clear them out as much as possible during the many times we walked this path.

Edward.

Just thinking his name brought such redness to my cheeks that it only made me want to blush more. And with "Edward" and "we" in the same sentence, I become nearly breathless. Even with all of the time we have spent together, I still find it so difficult to believe that he could actually love me.

The past few months have felt like a dream. After we got back from Phoenix and summer started, Edward and I were nearly inseparable, much to Charlie's dismay. We spent most of our time at his house with his family. But sometimes we would slip off to our meadow, the only place we can really be alone. We could spend hours there together without talking and, yet, still feel so connected.

I stopped abruptly when I felt myself slam into something hard. I started to fall backwards and moved to brace myself, but I was caught and pulled upright again before I could hit the ground. As I was trying to pull myself together and figure out what I had run into, I heard a low, breathy chuckle.

I looked up and my eyes found Edward's face, his signature crooked smile splashed there in such a way that made me furious and weak in the knees at the same time.

"Careful," he murmured and it became increasingly difficult to hold onto that frustration.

I took a step back to give myself a little breathing room and I looked into his eyes, ready to scold him for startling me and laughing at me. Any fight left in me disappeared as his butterscotch eyes stared back into mine.

He held his arms out to me and I went to him without a thought, needing to be in his arms. He gently pulled me close, his thin, long-sleeved shirt partially protecting me from his chilling skin. After a few moments, he pulled away from me enough to look down at my face.

"You were supposed to wait for me there," I said, trying to be stern, but failing miserably.

"You were taking too long."

"Well, I can't run 60 miles per hour through trees like you."

He laughed softly again and nodded. "I know. I just got impatient. Forgive me?"

I sighed softly and nodded. "Yes, I suppose so."

My eyes drifted down to his perfectly sculpted lips. I reached up to touch them gently with the tips of my fingers. His light eyes watched me carefully, but I didn't look up at them. I kept my eyes on his lips and watched as they parted, letting his cold breath run over my fingers as he exhaled.

I had the overwhelming urge to tackle him to the ground and force our lips to meet, ending the prolonged agony of waiting for that moment, but I knew that I had to take it slow. I had come to learn that moving too quickly only caused us to hurt. It usually meant several minutes of separation as Edward recomposed himself, unwilling to try and be that close again for the time being.

My eyes flicked up to meet his and he was looking back at me. I felt him slowly leaning in, bracing himself for our touch. I began to move forward as well, letting my eyes close.

Our lips met and the instantaneous thrill I'd grown so accustomed to happening during these occasions nearly made me lose control, but I was becoming more skilled at managing my reactions to our kisses. My hands made their way up his chest and behind his head, my fingers intertwining with the hair at his neck.

I was exceedingly aware of two things: the way his hands held onto my hips as if he were holding on for his life, yet still gentle, and the way his lips began to move against mine with a fervor that I wasn't used to.

Usually, our kisses were a little more than a peck; a kiss that was short enough for him to keep control and long enough for me to lose control. But lately, there was something more there—a passionate intensity that left me breathless and clouded my mind.

I felt his lips part against my own and I froze, concentrating hard on his movements. I felt his tongue reach out tentatively and brush against my lower lip. The breath that I didn't know I was holding rushed out of my mouth and into his.

Trembling, I let my tongue move out of my mouth to touch the tip of his. He gasped now, but didn't pull away like I expected him to.

Instead, he pulled me closer, crushing me to his chest. His tongue became more insistent and I opened my mouth to let him in, needing to feel this closeness with him. For the first time, his tongue explored my mouth. He was eager, yet cautious, mindful to keep control of himself.

I put my tongue against his again, massaging it in a way that made electricity flow through my veins. My hands tugged at his hair and it only encouraged him.

He lifted me up, wrapping my legs around his waist. Our mouths were fighting against each other now—a fierce and loving battle that made my mind foggy. He held me close with one hand on my back, the other at the back of my head.

I felt dizzy and couldn't suppress a moan as it escaped my lips. Suddenly, I was ripped from his body and set onto the ground. I stumbled, my knees too weak to support me, and I felt him catch me and lower me to the ground with lightning speed before stepping away from me.

I worked hard to clear my mind so that I could look up at him and judge his reaction. When I finally opened my eyes, I saw that he was leaning against a tree a few feet away, his head bowed and eyes closed.

I watched him for a few moments, worried that I may have overwhelmed him and destroyed the progress we had made with our intimacy. "Edward?"

It felt like an entire lifetime had passed before he looked up, but he was smiling his crooked smile when he did.

"Well, that was interesting, wasn't it?" he asked as he moved away from the tree. Slowly, he walked over and reached out a hand to me. I took it and he gently lifted me off of the ground and back into his arms.

I nodded and looked up, watching his face carefully for any clues as to how he was really feeling and reacting to the kiss, but found none.

He looked down at me and saw the look of concern on my face. He furrowed his brow, his face filling with worry. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," I said as I shook my head.

He sighed so heavily that it almost came out as a growl. "Bella, you know I hate it when you do that."

I tried hard not to smile at his frustration. "Are you ok?" I asked him, raising my eyebrows.

"I am fine," he replied shortly. I frowned and looked down, put off by the hostility in his voice. His tone quickly changed as he cupped my cheek, raising my face so that our eyes could meet again. "Are you okay?"

I nodded and brought my arms around his neck again. He smiled now and brushed a few stray pieces of hair from my eyes. "These new feelings will just take some getting used to, hm?"

"Yes, I think they will. But I'm willing try. I'm willing to practice every day, if we have to," I said with a sly smile.

He laughed, louder this time, sounding relieved. "You are too intoxicating, Bella Swan."

My smiled turned into a pout and he shook his head at it. His lips met mine again briefly at an attempt to kiss the frown away. He pulled away and looked into my eyes.

"I'll need some time to recover, but I think we should try that again."

"Promise?" I asked.

He nodded with a solemn look on his face, appearing to take the promise very seriously. He held one hand up as if he were taking an oath. "I promise," he said softly, putting his forehead against mine lovingly.

I would be sure to hold him to that promise.

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