Note: The characters in this story belong to Stephenie Meyer.

Edward swam one-armed beside me, keeping his hand curled lightly around my waist. I swam free-style, enjoying the sensation of my muscles working and lengthening with each stroke. The water was very warm and relaxing. The warm water and steamy air might have been too much, were it not for Edward's cool touch on my skin.

I stopped to catch my breath. The water was deep enough that I had to tread water, but it didn't bother me.

"You're a good swimmer," Edward commented. He could have been standing next to me, he was so still. And, of course, he wasn't breathing hard. Swimming, like everything else, was easy for him

"Surprised?" I arched one eyebrow, panting lightly.

He chuckled softly. "Well, you are from Arizona, which, if I recall correctly, is a desert."

"Exactly," I scoffed. "What do you think we do during the summer? Sit in front of the cooler?"

"Actually, it's how graceful you are that's surprising," Edward murmured, drawing closer. His hands reached out and lightly ran the length of my torso, coming to rest on my hips. My breath caught. "You have a little trouble with that on land."

I tried to think of a retort, but suddenly found thinking to be more difficult. "I'm going to take that as a compliment," I said finally, leaning in to kiss him. I began to sink almost immediately. In addition to forgetting to breathe, I'd forgotten to tread water. Edward held me up, then looped one arm around my waist and began paddling back to shore. I relaxed and floated, feeling the hard contours of his chest against my back. I held his arm against my waist with one of my own, letting the other dangle in the water. Edward's legs brushed against my hand underwater as he kicked. I wasn't surprised to feel that they were as hard and smooth as his chest, but I felt my heart speed up when I realized I'd never touched him anywhere on his lower body before. It reminded me of the other places I wanted to touch.

Edward stopped swimming. His hands slid underneath me, supporting my back and bottom as I floated. A light breeze blew across my exposed nipples and abdomen, bobbing above the water, and I blushed in response, wondering if he was looking at them. I was too afraid to check. I kept my eyes closed, enjoying his touch.

Suddenly, I felt his cool, smooth lips press against my stomach. His tongue snaked out and licked sea water from my navel, and it felt as though all the nerve endings in my body were in that one spot. My nipples were painfully erect, practically screaming for attention. When his mouth left my stomach, I held my breath in anticipation. Would he allow himself to go further than that?

Nothing happened. I opened my eyes and found him staring at my face. His eyes were hungry; he was breathing thickly. His hand slid across my bottom as he gently righted me in the water. My hands found his waist and pulled him to me. I pressed my lips to his neck and lightly brushed them up and across his jaw. His hands slid down to cup my bottom, and I copied him shyly. His breath caught and his lips found mine, kissing me deeply. His kiss was rougher than normal, more urgent. His fingers kneaded my skin.

Abruptly, he pulled away. His expression sent my heart racing. I'd never seen him so aroused, or so terrified. "It's okay," I said softly. "I'm your wife. You can touch me."

"That's the problem," he groaned, burying his face in my neck. "I want to touch you everywhere. I'm so afraid to lose control."

"We can go slowly, okay? Let's go in the house. It's okay," I repeated. Edward nodded once, then scooped me into my arms and had me in the house in the blink of an eye. Somehow, he managed to snag my towel and wrap me in it on the way. Gently, keeping his eyes on my face, he set me on the large, white bed, and then slowly straightened up. He stood there uncertainly.

I decided to take charge. One of us needed to get past this shyness. I sat up, unwrapping the towel from my body, and scooted to the edge of the bed. I found that, at the last moment, I couldn't quite manage to keep eye contact with Edward, but I didn't let that stop me from running the towel over his marble body. I let my hands follow the towel, running them down his chest to his stomach, then along each of his arms to his fingertips. He held them out for me, palms up. I stood and came behind him and ran the towel slowly down his back, marveling at the muscles I'd felt many times before, but never really had the chance to admire up close. I didn't pause at his hips, but moved right down over his bottom and down each leg. I paused to kiss his hip before going back to sit on the bed in front of him.

By now I was blushing so much my eyes were beginning to water, but I soldiered on, this time starting at his feet and working up the front of each leg, before coming to the part of his body I'd never allowed myself to picture before. I'd seen male genitalia on statues before, of course, but it had never held any interest for me, as Edward's did now. I finished drying him off, lightly running my hands across this last section of his body. He sighed.

Okay, the statues didn't look like that. And now I was wondering if we were really going to fit together after all.

Edward's quiet laugh startled me. I dragged my eyes back to his face. "You're blushing clear to the roots of your hair," he chuckled, shaking his head. "I'm surprised the whites of your eyes aren't red." I dropped my gaze, embarrassed, but his fingers lightly pulled my chin up to look at him again. "I'd be blushing, too, if I could," he said softly. "This is new to both of us."

He climbed onto the bed and stretched out supine. I took a deep breath and joined him. Sensing the return of my shyness, Edward rolled over to his side, propping himself up on one elbow, and continued our awkward lovemaking. He appraised my body with his eyes and stroked his fingers across my rib cage, bringing them to a point on my nipple. He reached down and tasted it with his tongue, sending shivers down my body. He smiled at this response and did it to my other breast. I felt like my entire body was covered in goose bumps. "I'm not cold," I explained, before he could start covering me up. "That feels . . . really good."

Edward smiled. He leaned over and traced a line with his tongue from my breasts to my navel, then across my hips. "Your skin tastes amazing," he whispered. "I want to taste your whole body."

So he did. His cool, smooth tongue caressed my skin, down each leg and around my ankles. He kissed each joint as he passed it. He flipped me over and worked his way up the backs of my legs, sucking lightly behind my knees. When he reached my bottom, I felt his lips and tongue press gentle kisses over the entire surface. His hands gripped my hips. He drew his tongue up the middle of my back, moving his hands to rest on my ribs. He flipped me over again. Each arm got his undivided attention, as did each finger and thumb, which he gently drew into his mouth and sucked on.

I realized I was whimpering. Edward smiled his crooked smile and kissed my shoulders and collar bones. His lips moved up my neck, to my jaw. His hands cupped my face. I could both hear and feel his breath as he moved to my ear, and my body broke out in fresh goose bumps when his lips closed over my earlobe. His teeth grazed me lightly. He moved across my face, kissing my eyelids on the way, to my other ear. While he sucked on this earlobe, his hand slid down my face and neck, brushing lightly over my breasts before pausing on my stomach. Hesitantly, he stroked his fingers across my pubic bone and down between my legs. I opened them slightly to allow him better access, panting softly. When his fingers stroked across my sex, I moaned softly. He stroked me for a few minutes, then gently pushed his finger inside me. "You're so warm," he groaned, closing his eyes. I closed my eyes, too, and clutched the blanket hard in my fists.

He noticed. "Does this hurt?" he asked, pausing. I could only shake my head weakly. He pushed his finger up farther, until it bumped against something. "You know I have to break the hymen, right?" he whispered, sounding frightened. "It's going to hurt a little."

"Yes, I know," I replied, opening my eyes, trying to reassure him. "It's okay. It would hurt no matter what, and I want you to do it. Please." His finger had come to rest inside me, and I longed to feel it move again. Surely, having my hymen broken couldn't feel much worse than this longing.

I was wrong. Edward's finger pumped a few times as he gathered his courage, then broke through my hymen like a pin popping a balloon. I cringed and rolled into a fetal position, biting back a moan. Instantly, he withdrew his finger and wrapped his arms around me. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he murmured. "I don't want to hurt you. Why don't we stop now?"

I took another deep breath. "No, just give me a minute. I'm all right."

"I don't want to cause you any more pain," Edward insisted. "You're probably going to be sore for a day or two. We can wait."

I forced my body to uncurl and pressed it against him. "I've wanted you for so long, Edward," I told him firmly. "This, this desire is painful, okay? Not making love is going to be more painful for me. Please." I trailed my hand downwards, keeping my eyes on his face in an attempt to control the blushing. I wrapped my fingers around him and squeezed, enjoying his gasp of pleasure. I kissed him slowly, opening my mouth to him. He groaned and kissed me back, running his hands over my body again. Impatiently, I tried to pull him on top of me, and he quickly acquiesced, holding himself carefully so I didn't feel any of his weight.

I shook my head. "I want to feel you," I told him. "I want to feel you on me. I want you to hold me." He relaxed a little, letting me feel some of his weight. His arms cradled my torso, his hands cupping my shoulders.

I still had my hand wrapped around him, and I guided him clumsily into me. He pushed in slowly, letting my body adjust to the glorious intrusion. It was a little painful, but it was also intensely pleasurable, and I kissed him more urgently, stroking his tongue with mine. When he filled me completely, he paused and broke our kiss. His eyes were closed, his expression one of pain.

"Are you all right?" I asked.

He opened his eyes and nodded. He was breathing harder than I'd ever heard before. "It's . . . it's . . ." he faltered. "This feels . . . amazing."

"I know," I whispered. "Hold me tighter, please." His grip on my shoulders tightened slightly.
He started to move inside me, slowly. My eyes closed as I gave myself over to this new sensation, of him being inside me. It was all so new, but at the same time so right. We truly belonged together, body and soul.

Edward gradually increased his speed. His breathing had slowed, and I could tell he was trying very hard to stay in control. I tried to control myself, too, to make it easier for him, but tiny squeaks and moans spilled from my mouth. With a groan, Edward buried his face in my neck and his movements roughened. I began to feel more of his weight. His hands closed tightly over my arms. His legs banged lightly against mine, his hips against my hips. My own excitement grew with each involuntary lessening of his self control. To hear him moan like that, to know that I was giving him such pleasure . . .

I heard a sound like fabric ripping, but I was too caught up in my own mounting pleasure to be curious. Edward's moans sounded a bit desperate now. I heard the ripping sound again, and he growled, his movements coming faster and faster. The pleasure was swelling inside me, filling my entire body, radiating outward like ripples in a pond. Edward made a noise that sounded like a plea, again and again, his body begging mine for release, and then, with a loud and drawn out moan, he found it. He moved against me jerkily a few times and came to rest between my legs, panting heavily. I felt a strange and pleasant sort of fluttering inside me and gave a satisfied sigh.

"I love you so much," Edward whispered in my ear. "I love you, Bella."

"I love you, too, Edward," I murmured sleepily. I tried to open my eyes, to see his beautiful face, but my eyelids weighed a ton. I felt him gently disengage himself and move to lie beside me. He wrapped his arms around me and nuzzled my neck. I turned my head and he kissed my lips, once, twice, three times. The sound of his rhythmic breathing lulled me to sleep.

That's it. This is my first story on this site. Feel free to review. Constructive criticism preferred, but all forms of criticism accepted