Slowly, I enveloped my entire hand around the side of her warm neck. Her blood increased its pace through her body, her heart charged in her chest, and her body practically struggled to be near me. I could feel her pulsing vein beneath my hand and instantly, I washed the fresh venom away within a fraction of a second. I paused, considering whether her discipline could handle anything further. I stopped my hand at the place on her neck.

“Bella…” I whispered against her lips, my left hand still cradled against her right cheek, which was almost touching the pillow underneath her head.

She did not respond immediately. She could sense the difference in my touch and the intensity in my kiss. My eyes opened and I caught her intense glare. Although I could not read her thoughts, with this, I knew her mind. She wanted me to touch her; she just could not say it.

“Bella…I need you to promise me that you will control yourself…” I whispered firmly.

When she had failed to respond the second time, I pulled my head back slightly and intensified my gaze. Her heart was racing, hammering, pounding. She had the look of a deer trapped in the glare of bright headlights. The comparison unnerved me.

“Sorry…” she finally breathed, exhaling suddenly. She hadn’t been breathing and I chuckled against her skin. Was she sorry for feeling passion? She had no idea.

“Bella…can you control yourself…if…?” I continued. After seeing her eyes in that helpless expression, I was not entirely certain of her ability to breathe.

“Yes…please…please, Edward…” she whispered with veiled anticipation.

I closed my eyes to relish her words, her scent, and her careful annunciation of every syllable of my name. When I was sure she was composed, I opened my eyes and carefully placed my lips to hers again, moving slightly against her mouth. As I moved my hand from her neck to her collarbone, down her arms, around her elbow, stopping at her ribs, she breathed again and moved just slightly into the tender pressure of my hand. She was pressing her hands slightly against my chest, willing me to continue.

The warmth of her breath permeated my senses and swirled high above us into a colorful, intoxicating cloud. I ceased breathing, pausing for another infinitesimal second in order to force the newly pooled venom down my throat. The pain was intense, but when I was sure I could continue to kiss her again, I slowly moved my free hand to a comfortable position to the curve at her hip and waist. It felt as if she had been carved specifically for my hand. The warmth of her skin through her soft cotton nightshirt was desperately alluring.