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[( one )]"She [Jessica] wants to know if we're secretly dating.
And she wants to know how you feel about me," he finally said.
"
Yikes. What should I say?" I tried to keep my expression very innocent.
People were passing us on their way to class, probablystaring,
but I was barely aware of them.
"Hmmm." He paused ... "
I suppose you could say yes to the first... if you don't mind-- it's easier than any other explanation."
"
I don't mind," I said in a faint voice.
[201]
[( two )]"Why did you go to that Goat Rocks place last weekend... to hunt?
Charlie said it wasn't a good place to hike, because of bears."
He stared at me as if I was missing something very obvious."Bears?" I gasped, and he smirked.
"You know, bears are not in season," I added sternly to hide my shock.
"If you read carefully, the laws only cover hunting with weapons," he informed me.
He watched my face with enjoyment as that slowly sank in.[214]
[( four )]"And did you tell Charlie what you were up to?" he asked.
"Nope.""But Jessica thinks we're going to Seattle together?"
He seemed cheered by the idea.
"No, I told her you canceled on me -- which is true."
"No one knows you're with me?"
Angrily now."That depends... I assume you told Alice?"
"That's very helpful, Bella," he snapped.
[255]
[( eight )]"
What is it?"
"No, forget it. I changed my mind."
"Bella, you can ask me anything."
I didn't answer, and he groaned.
"I keep thinking it will get less frustrating, not hearing your thoughts.
But it just gets worse and
worse."
"I'm glad you can't read my thoughts.
It's bad enough you
eavesdrop on my sleep-talking."
[309]
[( nine )] "Your human instincts...," I began. He waited.
"Well, do you find me attractive, in
that way, at all?"
He laughed and lightly rumpled my nearly dry hair.
"
I may not be a human, but I am a man," he assured me.
[311]
[( ten )] "You left?" I accused, touching the collar of his fresh shirt.
"I could hardly leave in the clothes I came in -- what would the neighbors think?"
I pouted."You were very deeply asleep; I didn't miss anything."
His eyes gleamed. "The talking came earlier."
I groaned. "What did you hear?"
His gold eyes grew very soft. "
You said you loved me."
"You knew that already," I reminded him, ducking my head.
"It was nice to hear, just the same."
I hid my face against his shoulder.
"I love you," I whispered.
"
You are my life now," he answered simply.
[314]
[( eleven )]"Oh, they already know everything. They'd taken bets yesterday, youknow"
-- he smiled, but his voice was harsh -- "on whether I'd bringyou back,
though why anyone would bet against Alice, I can't imagine.
At any rate, we don't have secrets in the family.
It's not reallyfeasible, what with my mind reading
and Alice seeing the future and allthat."
"And Jasper making you
feel all warm and fuzzy about
spilling your guts, don't forget that."
[316]
[( twelve )] "And you're worried, not because you're headed to
meet a houseful ofvampires, but beacuse you
think those vampires
won't approve of you,correct?"
"That's right," I answered immediately, hiding my surprise
at his casual use of the word.
He shook his head. "
You're incredible."
[320]
[( thirteen )]"So I hear you're getting my girl to watch baseball."
Only inWashington would the fact that
it was raining buckets have no bearingat all on the playing of outdoor sports.
[359]
[( fourteen )] "Tamper with my memory?" I asked nervously.
"Something like that." He was watching me intently, carefully, butthere was humor deep in his eyes. He placed his hands against the Jeepon either side of my head and leaned forward, forcing me to press backagainst the door. He leaned in even closer, his face inches from mine.I had no room to escape.
"Now," he breathed, and just his smell disturbed my thought process,
"what exactly are you worrying about?"
"Well, um, hitting a tree --" I gulped "-- and dying. And then getting sick."
He fought back a smile. Then he bent his head down and touched
his cold lips softly to the hollow at the base of my throat.
"Are you still worried now?" he murmured against my skin.
"Yes." I struggled to concentrate. "About hitting trees and getting sick."
His nose drew a line up the skin of my throat to the
point of my chin.
His cold breath tickled my skin."And now?" His lips whispered against my jaw.
"Trees," I gasped. "Motion sickness."
He lifted his face to kiss my eyelids.
"Bella, you don't really think I would hit a tree, do you?"
"No, but I might." There was no confidence in my voice.
He smelled an easy victory.He kissed slowly down my cheek, stopping just at the corner of my mouth.
"Would I let a tree hurt you?" His lips barely brushed against my trembling lower lip.
"No," I breathed.
. . .Then he took my face in his hands almost roughly, and kissed me in earnest,
his unyielding lips moving against mine.
[362-363]
[( fifteen )]Jasper and I looked at each other.
He stood across the length of the entryway from me... being careful.
"
You're wrong, you know," he said quietly.
"What?" I gasped.
"I can feel what you're feeling now --
and you are worth it."
"I'm not," I mumbled. "If anything happens to them, it will be for nothing."
"
You're wrong," he repeated, smiling kindly at me.
[404]
[( sixteen )]"Ugh." I winced.
"What is it?" he asked anxiously -- distracted, but not enough.
The bleakness did not entirely leave his eyes.
"
Needles," I explained, looking away from the one in my hand. Iconcentrated on a warped ceiling tile and tried to breathe deeplydespite the ache in my ribs.
"Afraid of a needle," he muttered to himself under his breath, shakinghis head. "Oh, a sadistic vampire, intent on
torturing her to death,sure, no problem, she runs off to meet him. An
IV, on the other hand..."
[462]
[( seventeen )] »for HUAdotcomThe beeping of the monitor jumped around erratically --
now he wasn't
the only one who could hear my heart misbehave.
"That's going to be embarassing," I mutter to myself.
He chuckled, and a speculative look came into his eye.
"
Hmm, I wonder. . ."
He leaned in slowly;
the beeping noice accelerated wildlybefore his lips even touched me. But when they did, though
with the most gentle of pressure, the beeping
stopped altogether.
He pulled back abruptly, his anxious expression turning to
relief as the monitor reported the restarting of my heart.
"It seems that I'm going to have to be even more careful with
you than usual." He frowned.
"
I was not finished kissing you," I complained.
"Don't make me come over there."
He grinned, and bent his lips lightly to mine.
The monitor went wild.[463]
[( eighteen )]"I love you, Mom."
"I love you, too, Bella. Try to be more careful when
you walk, honey, I don't want to lose you."
Edward's eyes stayed closed, but a wide grin flashed across his face.[469]
[( twenty )]"I'm sorry if there's been some kind of
miscommunication, but Bella isunavailable tonight." Edward's tone changed, and
the threat in hisvoice was suddenly much more evident as he continued. "To be perfectlyhonest, she'll be unavailable
every night, as far as anyone besidesmyself is concerned. No offense. And I'm sorry about your evening." Hedidn't sound sorry at all. And then he snapped the phone shut,
a hugesmirk on his face.
[483]
[( twenty-one )] "You're taking me to the prom!" I yelled.
It was embarassingly obvious now.
. . ."
Don't be difficult, Bella."
My eyes flashed to the window; we were halfway to the school already.
"Why are you doing this to me?" I demanded in horror.
He gestured to his tuxedo.
"
Honestly, Bella, what did you think we were doing?"
[484]
[( twenty-two )]"This looks like a horror movie waiting to happen," I snickered.
"Well," he murmured as we slowly approached the ticket table -- he wascarrying most of my weight, but I still had to shuffle and wobbleforward -- "there are
more than enough vampires present."
. . ."Do you want me to bolt the doors so you can
massacre the unsuspecting townsfolk?" I whispered conspiratorially.
"And where do you fit into that scheme?" He glared.
"Oh, I'm with the vampires,
of course."
He smiled reluctantly. "Anything to get out of dancing."
"
Anything."
[487]
[( twenty-three )]"Well... I assumed it was some kind of... occassion. But I didn't think it would be some
trite human thing...
prom!" I scoffed.
"Human?" he asked flatly. He'd picked up on the key word.
I looked down at my dress, fidgeting with a stray piece of chiffon.
He waited in silence."Okay," I confessed in a rush. "So I was hoping that you might havechanged your mind... that you were going to change
me, after all."
A dozen emotions played across his face. Some I recognized: anger...pain... and then he seemed to collect himself and his expression becameamused.
"
You thought that would be a black tie occasion, did you?"
he teased touching the lapel of his tuxedo jacket.
I scowled to hide my embarrassment. "I don't know how these thingswork.
To me, at least, it seems
more rational than prom does."
He wasstill grinning. "It's not funny," I said.
"No, you're right, it's not," he agreed, his smiled fading.
"I'd rathertreat it like a joke, though, than believe you're serious."
"
But I am serious."
He sighed deeply. "I know. And you're really that willing?"
The pain was back in his eyes. I bit my lip and nodded.
"
So ready for this to be the end," he murmured ...
[496-497]
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