His breathing is still uneven when he finally pulls away from my neck. My legs are wrapped around him, my fingers tangled in his wet hair, and for a moment we just stare at each other both of us flushed, both of us trembling, both of us trying to understand what the hell just happened between us.
There's no more rain outside.
But it's still raining inside me a storm of emotions I've been trying so hard to cage.
Edward brushes a strand of hair from my face, his palm lingering against my cheek like he can't convince himself I'm really here.
"You okay?" he asks softly.
I let out a breath that feels like it's been caged in my lungs for days. "I don't know."
He smiles weakly, resting his forehead against mine. "Me neither."
The room is dim, the only sound being our mixed breathing and the quiet hum of the city outside. His hands slide down my sides slowly, almost reverently. He touches me like I'm something precious, something he's terrified of breaking.
Or losing.
"I thought I'd lost you," he whispers.
My heart twists. "I thought I lost myself."
His lips brush my cheek, not rushed this time, not desperate. Soft. Slow. Almost afraid.
"I'm right here," he murmurs into my skin. "Just… let me be here, Leah."
My fingers slide down his back, feeling each tense muscle, each shaky breath. His body is warm now, not drenched from the rain anymore, but warm like he belongs in my bed… on my body… in my arms.
"I'm still angry," I whisper.
He nods. "I know."
"And confused."
"I know that too."
"And scared."
Edward lifts his head and meets my eyes. Really meets them. "So am I."
Something loosens in my chest.
Something I've been fighting.
Something I've been terrified to name.
He doesn't push me.
He doesn't kiss me.
He doesn't rush.
He just strokes my cheek with his thumb, waiting for me to move first.
So I do.
I cup his face and kiss him softly. A slow, deep, lingering kiss that says nothing and everything at once. His lips part against mine, warm and tender, and he lets me take control this time. His fingers slide into my hair while his other hand rests gently on my hip not pulling, not demanding.
Just holding.
The kiss builds slowly, steadily until heat curls low in my stomach again. I shift beneath him, and his breath catches on my lips. His hand tightens just slightly, betraying the desire he's trying to keep restrained.
"Leah…" he murmurs, voice low with warning and want.
"I know," I whisper, kissing him again.
He groans softly, the sound vibrating through my chest. This kiss is different from the first there's no shock, no desperation, no disbelief. This one is all quiet fire, steady hunger, deep longing. My hands slide across his shoulders, tracing the lines of his body, feeling the way he shivers beneath my touch.
His lips travel down my jaw, then to my throat, leaving slow, warm kisses that make my skin burn. His hands move in gentle motions, caressing, memorizing, grounding me. Every touch says what neither of us has said out loud yet.
"I want you," I whisper into his hair.
He lets out a shaky breath. "You have no idea how much I want you."
"Then stay."
He lifts his head. "I wasn't planning on leaving."
I pull him down into another kiss deeper, fuller, filled with all the emotions I've been denying. His hands explore my body with a tenderness that makes my chest ache. He presses against me, our breaths mixing, our hearts racing in a rhythm we've created together.
I feel him everywhere his warmth, his weight, his breath, his heartbeat.
He lifts my hand to his lips and kisses each finger slowly, like a silent vow.
I trace the lines of his jaw and pull him closer.
We move together again this time not out of shock or hunger, but out of something deeper. Something almost frightening. His body fits perfectly against mine, every movement careful, coaxing, worshipful.
He kisses me through every shift, every breath, every soft sound I make.
Our passion builds slow at first, then hotter, stronger, unstoppable. He holds me like I'm something he promised to protect. I hold him like he's something I'm terrified to lose.
My fingers dig into his shoulders. His mouth trails along my neck. Our breaths grow uneven, our bodies tightening with heat, our hearts racing in wild rhythm.
I don't know how long it lasts time feels irrelevant.
There is only him.
His touch.
His warmth.
His whispers against my skin.
The moment crests powerful, overwhelming, intimate beyond words and we fall into it together, holding on to each other like we're afraid the moment will shatter if we let go.
He collapses gently against me, burying his face in my neck. I wrap my arms around him, still trembling.
For a long time, neither of us speaks.
We just breathe, tangled in sheets, tangled in emotions.
Finally, he whispers, "I'm not going anywhere, Leah."
I close my eyes and let myself believe him.
Because tonight…
Tonight I didn't just lose myself in Edward.
I found myself with him.