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 lip.
"No," I breathed. I knew there was a second part to my brilliant defense, but I couldn't quite recall it. "But a sentient tree monster might," I mumbled.
"You see," he said, his lips moving against mine. "There's nothing to be afraid of, is there?"
I reared back slightly. "Wait, what? No, what about the tree monsters?"
Then he took my face in his hands most roughly, and kissed me in earnest, his unyielding lips moving against my yieldy ones.
There really was no excuse for my behavior. Obviously I knew better by now. And yet I couldn't seem to stop from reacting exactly as I had the first time he kissed me with that nasty, impertinent mouth of his. Instead of keeping safely motionless, my arms reached up to twine tightly around his neck, and I was suddenly welded to his stone figure.315 I sighed, and my lips parted.316
He staggered back, breaking my grip effortlessly.
"Damn it, Bella" he broke off, gasping. "You'll be the death of me, I swear you will."
I leaned over, bracing my hands against my knees for support.
"You're indestructible," I mumbled, waiting for my lips to unpart.
"I might have believed that before I met you. Now let's get out of here before I do something really stupid," he growled.
He threw me across his back as he had before, like a rucksack, and I
315. The author is being ironic here, as stone is not a material which can be welded.
316. You know which ones ;)