Cutting Loose
By Gingerella
A FFFW one-shot. March 2010. Theme: Cupid's Arrow: The Secret Life of Cupid.
I grumbled as we made our way to Edward's Volvo, "Why are you doing this?"
"Because surprises are good for you," he grinned as he opened the passenger door for me.
"I hate surprises." I crossed my arms over my chest in a show of obstinacy, but I knew that it wouldn't be long before Edward would melt all of my defenses, just like always.
"Bella," he breathed my name, and I fought to stay coherent as his scent washed over me. "I promise this will be fun. Don't you trust me?"
I was fighting to keep up my argument, but between his intoxicating scent and the power of his gorgeous topaz eyes, I knew I was toast. "Of course I trust you, Edward. But can't you just tell me what this is all about?"
He leaned closer so that his forehead was touching mine. The electricity I felt every time we touched was not helping my mental state. "No, love. Then it wouldn't be a surprise, now would it?" He gently touched my lips with his, and I all but fell into my seat, shaking my head to try and reassemble what was left of my argument.
Edward leaned over and buckled my seatbelt for me, grazing his hand over my hip, causing my heartbeat to skip erratically. He laid another kiss on my forehead and closed the passenger door.
As he made his way around to the driver's seat, I regained a little of my composure. Once the car was started and we were racing away from my house, I managed one last complaint. "You didn't even give me enough information to help me decide what to wear."
"You are perfect," he replied, turning his gaze from my face to appraise the rest of me. I thought he paused a little longer than necessary at my bare legs. "You know, you really should wear skirts more often."
I grinned, despite my reservations about this evening. I was glad that Edward was pleased with my choice of attire. I had selected a black skirt that hung loosely to my knees and a blue fitted short-sleeved sweater that had a black flower pattern across the right shoulder. I wore simple black flats since I wasn't sure what kind of surfaces I would be asked to walk across on this little outing. When Edward said he had a surprise planned, he gave me no clues concerning the evening, so I tried to dress nicely while keeping comfort in the equation. In the end, I hoped that if I was too far off the mark, he would let me know when he came to pick me up.
I wondered what Edward would think of the special undergarments I had chosen for this evening. We still hadn't taken our physical relationship all the way, but things had been heating up as of late. I was beginning to hope that he would finally let himself get "carried away" with me. So, just in case that was on tonight's agenda, I had selected a matching blue lace bra and thong panty set. My mind began to wander as I imagined Edward's hand gliding up under my skirt to encounter my bare bottom…
"What are you thinking about?" his voice brought me from my daydream, and I flushed crimson as I once again thanked God that he could not read my thoughts. I quickly looked out the window and made up a reply.
"Oh, I was just wondering who else is involved in this little charade you've got going on here."
"Well, I can't take all of the credit, but I promise that tonight is all about you and me. I can never get enough time alone with you, so I decided to create some."
His revelation both relaxed and unnerved me at the same time. I was happy not to have to worry about impressing anyone else or worrying about having unnecessary attention placed on me. I hated being in the spotlight. However, at the same time, I had to wonder what exactly he meant by "time alone". Could this be the night? My heart raced as I considered the possibility.
Edward reached over and grabbed my hand, rubbing gentle circles into the back of my hand with his thumb. I smiled at him as I took in our surroundings. We were driving through the national park, in the direction of Port Angeles.
We made small talk as we whizzed through the forest at 100 miles per hour. I had gotten accustomed to Edward's fast driving, but I tried not to watch the speedometer too closely whenever I was going anywhere with him.
Edward asked me how my day at work had gone, and we talked a little about school and classes. We were both seniors this year, and Edward had somehow managed to work his schedule so that we had all but two classes together. Edward knew that I would be horrified to have him in gym class with me, so he didn't push that one. And he had already taken pre-calculus his junior year, so we didn't have math in common either. But in a way that was nice; we had several subjects together that we could talk about, and then we could share what went on in the classes we didn't have together.
We passed through Port Angeles, and Edward made no sign of slowing down. Where was he going? Surely he didn't plan to take me all the way to Seattle this evening! That was quite a haul. But then, when you drive like a bat out of hell, it wasn't a ridiculous plan. We could make it there in a little over an hour, giving us plenty of time for whatever Edward had planned.
"I convinced Charlie to let me keep you out late tonight. I told him it was a special occasion." Edward winked at me, and I wondered if he sometimes pretended not to be able to read my thoughts.
"Oh. Okay." I couldn't think of anything to say to that. Charlie had been a little cool to Edward since the incident at my 18th birthday party when I had come home with stitches from my elbow to my wrist. That probably wouldn't have been cause for too much concern except that it came on the heels of my terrible "accident" in Phoenix when I had been attacked by a vampire who was bent on hurting me in order to torture Edward. Charlie had clued into the fact that Edward had been present for both of these incidents, and he had been a little on the protective side lately.
After that, we settled into a comfortable silence. Edward had an Oldies CD playing in the background, and I enjoyed listening to him hum the tunes or sing along to the ones he especially liked.
Eventually we began to slow down, and I realized that I didn't have any idea where we were. I had never seen this part of Washington before, so I tried to pay more careful attention. Edward smirked a little as he saw me straighten up in my seat and take more notice of my surroundings. We had only been driving for a little over an hour, but thanks to Edward's speeding, that didn't give me any help in figuring out our location.
We stopped outside of a giant fair complex; The Puyallup Fair, the sign said. But the parking lot was completely empty; there was no one else here. As I studied the entrance, I saw the dates for the fair: September 10-26. But today was the 9th.
"Edward, it's not open." I looked at him quizzically, and he looked back at me for a second with mock horror on his face. He looked at the date on his watch, and then he grinned.
He jumped out of the car and was at my door in an instant. I was still trying to figure out what was going on when we got to the gate. Edward pulled open the gate easily, and we were greeted by a young man who looked like he was expecting us. The young man closed and locked the gate behind us, and Edward nodded in his direction.
"May I?" Edward asked, gesturing toward an electrical panel on the wall inside the gate.
"Go right ahead," the man answered with a slight twang in his voice, smiling at me like he was in on the secret.
Edward walked over to the electrical panel and flipped the main switch. All of the sudden the fair came to life. The lights flickered on, and I could hear the engines of the rides begin to whir as they warmed up. Carnival sights and sounds surrounded us, and here and there fair employees began making their way to their stations.
Edward chuckled when he turned around and saw my face. My mouth was hanging open, and I squinted my eyes at him. "What the…?" I had started to get an inkling of what Edward had done, but I couldn't quite frame the words.
"Welcome to the fair, Bella," Edward said as he put his arm around me and pulled me forward. With his other arm he gestured toward the immense fairgrounds that were stretched out ahead of us. "Tonight we let loose and have some fun."
I just shook my head and looked up at him. "You are unbelievable, Edward Cullen. How did you manage this?"
"Well, I thought the fair might like to do a practice run the night before they open for this year's season, and I was right. Don't you worry about the logistics."
I didn't want to think about how much this little escapade was costing; Edward's had more money than he knew what to do with, and that just added to the disparity between us.
"What would you like to do first?" he offered, trying to take my mind off of my questions.
"I don't know. What are my choices?"
"The sky's the limit, Bella. Are you hungry? I have heard that fair food is incredible, although I cannot testify to that fact myself. Or we can ride rides, look at exhibits, feed the animals. Where would you like to start?"
"Honestly, Edward, I don't know. I've never been to a fair before."
He was incredulous. "What?" he exclaimed. "How is that possible, Bella?"
I really wasn't sure. Fairs would have been right up Renee's alley, but I guess we had just never gotten around to going. And to be honest, I had always thought myself too mature for such idle silliness. Throwing money away on rides and games that were impossible to win seemed imprudent to me. But I didn't want to put a damper on Edward's plans, so I just grinned a sheepish grin and shrugged my shoulders.
"OK, then," he said, taking the reins. "How about something to eat? It is dinner time after all."
He dragged me toward the food booths. He sat me at a picnic table and left to collect all sorts of crazy foods for me to try. He came back with a funnel cake, a corn dog, a deep fried Twinkie, a giant pretzel, a stick of cotton candy, and a monstrous turkey leg.
I grimaced at him and held up my hands. "There is no way I can eat all of that! What do you think I am, a pig?"
But as Edward laid everything out in front of me, I realized that I was ravenous. I had been too nervous to eat much lunch, so my stomach began to growl at the sight of the food, giving me away. Edward just grinned and watched as I tried everything. I was amazed to find that it was all delicious, except for the cotton candy. It was bubble gum flavor and just a little too sweet for my taste. My favorite was the funnel cake – flaky and sweet and covered in powdered sugar. YUM!
I didn't eat all of the food, but I did taste everything. I stopped before I was stuffed so that I wouldn't run the risk of getting sick on one of the rides. I had gotten over my embarrassment of eating in front of Edward a long time ago, but it was still a little weird to sit across from him while he just watched me. I briefly wondered what the fair workers thought as they watched us.
After I was done eating, we made our way to the midway. We both played every game, and I was pleased that Edward didn't employ all of his vampire strength and talents to win me every prize available. After a while, I felt myself begin to relax and really enjoy myself. I didn't do very well at any of the games, but it was fun to try. I won a dreamcatcher keychain at the duck pond, and Edward won me a giant stuffed unicorn by knocking over countless pyramids of milk bottles. It was fun to watch the carefree, relaxed Edward that I didn't get to see often enough.
We left my unicorn by the front gate as we passed by on our way to the rides. I'm pretty much a big chicken when it comes to amusement park rides, and thankfully Edward didn't try to push me into anything I was uncomfortable with. He let me choose the rides, and he didn't laugh at any of my choices.
First, we rode the giant swings. Edward sat in the swing beside me and grinned at me as we flew around in circles over the fairgrounds. Had it not been dark and cloudy, we could have seen for miles. As I looked at the joy on Edward's face, I was amazed yet again that he had chosen me. He was so beautiful, so kind, so brilliant. I wondered sometimes at the impossibility of our relationship. He was everything, and I was nothing, a mere ordinary human. I wondered what he could possibly find interesting or attractive about me, but I knew that as long as he chose me, I would be his, totally and completely.
When the ride stopped, Edward met me and gently lifted me out of my swing. But instead of putting me down, he wrapped his arms around me and held me close. He laid sweet kisses along my jawbone and whispered into my ear, "I will never want anyone but you, Bella. Being with you brings me a joy that I never thought possible. I don't want to ever be without you."
His words took my breath away, and I wound my fingers into his hair. I pulled his head back so that I could place my lips onto his. He didn't hesitate or push me away. Instead, he parted his lips, his sweet breath like honey on my tongue. His tongue sought entrance to my lips, and I granted it immediately. As our tongues danced together, he pulled me even closer. I left one hand in his hair and trailed the other down his neck and onto his perfectly muscled chest. God, but he was perfect!
Slowly but sweetly Edward ended the kiss, but I could see the longing in his eyes as they met mine again. As we parted, I wondered briefly at my decision to go with the blue lace bra. It wasn't very substantial, and my erect nipples were revealing my arousal, giving away the depth of my physical attraction to this godlike creature. As Edward's eyes traveled down, one side of his lips twitched in an effort to hide a smile as he took in the message my body was sending.
He grabbed my hand and began to pull me away. "Come on! What's next?"
Oh, I can think of a few things. But instead we headed for more rides. We rode the giant slide countless times, carrying our burlap sacks up the huge flights of stairs only to hurl ourselves down to the bottom again. Sometimes we rode together, Edward behind me with his arms wrapped around my waist. Other times we rode side-by-side, holding hands as we descended. We laughed like children, and I marveled at the optimism emanating from Edward's face. This had been the perfect idea. Edward and I were both serious, old souls. We didn't spend much time being carefree, what with all of the worries we had to deal with. Our world was complicated by mythology and madness, but tonight we were just two high school seniors having a good time.
After we rode all of the rides I was willing to ride, we wandered through the animal exhibits. Goats, horses, cows, chickens, pigs, all had been groomed and settled into their designated spaces for the judging that would take place in the coming week. A small petting zoo was stocked with gentle animals of all sorts, but many of the animals shied away from Edward. They recognized him as a predator, so he sat back and watched me as I fed and petted them.
As we left the farmyard, I locked my arm through Edward's and looked up at him. "Thank you, Edward. This is absolutely perfect."
He leaned toward me and said, "I'm glad you're enjoying it, but we're not done yet. I have a special surprise for you."
I couldn't imagine what could possibly be left on his agenda. We had seen and done everything that I had ever heard of being part of the fair, except for clogging. Oh God, I really hoped he didn't plan on trying to make me dance!
Edward winked at me as if he knew what I was thinking, and we headed for a large building with an open door. Everything was dark, so I had to trust Edward's vampire vision to lead us safely to wherever it was we were going. I could hear my footsteps echo across a large, open space until we came to a stop. I could barely make out the outline of something large and square located to my right.
Edward turned me and sat me down on what I realized was a giant bale of hay covered with a thick quilt. As I felt around me, I pieced together that there were three bales of hay set up in an L-shape, kind of like a couch. After he made sure I was seated comfortably, Edward leaned over and whispered into my ear, "I love you, Bella." And then he turned and disappeared. I couldn't hear where he went, but I was strangely unafraid as I sat alone in the darkness. I knew Edward would never do anything to hurt me, and I knew he would never put me in any situation that was remotely dangerous. More than anything else, I was curious.
Then, someone flicked a switch, and lights that resembled a million shining stars lit up the darkness. I marveled at the display for a moment before I heard the music begin. I recognized the first notes of "Clair de Lune" immediately, and I gasped as my hand flew over my heart. Suddenly, a muted spotlight shone on Edward, seated elegantly at a gorgeous baby grand piano. He turned to wink briefly at me before becoming absorbed in his music. We were seated on a concert stage, and Edward and his piano were only a few feet away from my makeshift couch.
His fingers gently stroked the keys as he played the song that took me back to a cold, rainy day; the first time I had ridden in his Volvo, the day I had passed out during blood typing in biology class. I could still remember vividly the emotions of the early weeks of our relationship, but those events seemed like an eternity ago. We had conquered so much since then, and our lives were now inextricably woven together. I could not survive without him.
I lie down on the hay bale, angling myself so that I could take in both the stars and the glorious vision of Edward at his instrument. I felt myself relax completely as the music washed over me. There was nothing more beautiful than the sound of Edward at the piano. He added his own flourishes and embellishments, keeping the integrity of the music while making it something even more powerful.
He finished "Clair de Lune" and moved on to other pieces. Some I recognized, like "Esme's Song"; others were new to my ears, but I enjoyed them nonetheless. Again I marveled that this glorious creature was part of my world. It was easy to understand why I was totally and completely drawn to him.
As Edward began to play my lullaby, I knew that my personal concert was drawing to a close. I felt the tears begin to invade my eyes as he serenaded me with the song he had written just for me, the song that he had used to lull me to sleep on numerous occasions. Every note was a gift from my own personal angel. As the song drew to a close, I stood up and made my way over to the piano. Edward pushed back the piano bench and drew me into his arms.
He looked a little sad when he noticed the tears that had made their way down my cheeks. He gently held my face in his hands and wiped them with his thumbs, but his eyes searched mine for the reason behind my tears. I wanted to reassure him that I was nothing less than unbelievably thrilled with the gift he had honored me with. I blubbered, "Oh, Edward! It was absolutely beautiful! Thank you!" Why couldn't I be more eloquent and say something reasonably intelligent?
I wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him close to me. I could feel him relax as he understood that the tears were merely an expression of the intense emotion I was feeling at the moment. He continued to hold me close until I pulled away to look at him again. "Your music always moves me, Edward. I can't explain it, but to hear you play makes my soul happy."
He looked soulfully into my eyes and said, "Bella, before I met you, music was simply a hobby of mine. Everyone encouraged me in it, and I enjoyed it well enough. But when you lit up my life, I found an energy and a passion that gave my music meaning. If I am able to play anything beautiful, it is because I have seen true beauty in you. I have experienced the unconditional love that you gift me with every day just by allowing me to be close to you. You are my muse, Isabella Swan."
As he spoke, I raised my hand to touch his face. He leaned into my touch, and I caressed the hollow under his eye with my thumb. I was very much in danger of crying again, but as Edward's eyes began to smolder, my thoughts began to travel down a different path.
Still holding his face in my hand, I leaned toward him and placed my lips on his, gently at first. But the passion his music had evoked in me, coupled with the effects of our carefree evening, gave me the courage to deepen the kiss and mold myself to his perfect body. As the fire between us ignited, Edward wound his fingers into my hair and pressed his tongue firmly against my lips. My tongue greeted his hungrily, and I moaned into his mouth. My bones were starting to turn to jell-o, and everything about my body was giving me away.
Without breaking our kiss, Edward stood up with me in his arms. He began carrying me away from the stage, but I wasn't paying any attention to where we were going. Shortly we stopped, and he lowered me to a standing position. As my breathing slowed and my vision began to come back into focus, I noticed that we were standing outside a small, red circus tent. And I also noticed that Edward was not looking me in the eye. He shifted slightly in place, his eyes darting from one spot to another.
Confused, I put my hand on his face, willing him to look at me. My feeble strength didn't affect him in the least, but he finally turned his eyes my way. "Edward, what is it?" My emotions were riding a roller coaster of their own – from overwhelming joy, to intense passion, to cautious fear.
He ran his hand through his hair, something he always did when he was nervous. "Bella," he said as he sighed, trying to gain the courage to continue. "I don't want you to think that I brought you here in some effort to seduce you. I wanted this night to be special; I wanted us to have a chance to relax and just enjoy being together. And if the night ends now, it will still be one of the greatest nights I have ever spent."
I was trying to understand exactly where he was going with his speech, and I was a little worried that I had done something wrong. "I don't understand, Edward. Did I do something wrong? I have loved every minute of this wonderful night you have planned for us."
He instantly backtracked, "No, no, Bella. You haven't done anything wrong." He shifted again, his anxiety playing clearly across his face. "Ugh! I don't know how to do this, and I'm screwing it all up."
"Just tell me whatever it is that you need to say, Edward. But please spit it out; you're killing me here!"
"I guess the best way is just to show you."
Then Edward pulled the curtain to the tent aside and led me inside. My eyes widened to take in the scene as some of the pieces of the puzzle began to click into place. The tent was cozy and decorated with lighted candles, providing the only light to the space. In the center was a large and very comfy-looking bed, crafted from wrought iron and draped with a gossamer canopy.
I hoped this meant what I thought it meant! I turned to Edward and practically assaulted him. My fingers wound into his hair, and my lips found his with an urgency that I had always felt too inhibited to display. But his lips answered mine hesitantly, and he pulled back to say, "Bella, I don't want you to get the wrong idea. I know it looks like I planned this, like I lured you here to have my way with you. But I only wanted to be prepared; please don't feel like you have to do anything you don't want to do…"
I had had enough of his talking by that point, and there was no way I was going to let him weasel his way out of this now. I put my hand over his lips, and reached up to whisper into his ear, "Would you please stop worrying? I want this. I want you. You've kept me waiting long enough."
I breathed lightly into his ear and sucked his earlobe into my mouth, grazing it slightly with my teeth.
Apparently, my advances knocked down the last of his defenses, and he swiftly picked me up and carried me to the bed. He sat down, wrapping my legs around his waist.
He began kissing me in earnest, and our breathing accelerated as we realized with certainty where this night was headed. With my legs wrapped around his waist, I could feel his hardness pressing into my center, which was already wet with anticipation. As we kissed, I began to unbutton his shirt, revealing the muscles of his perfectly chiseled chest and abs. I ran my hands over his chest toward his shoulders, dropping his shirt behind him and raking my fingernails across his flawless skin. His body was cold as ice but on fire at the same time. It was an exhilarating sensation, and I was neither hot nor cold.
I pulled my lips away from his, only to run my mouth over his neck and jaw, licking and sucking at the skin there. As I worked on finding the spots that pleasured him most, his hands found their way under the hem of my sweater. His touch on my skin was like nothing I had ever felt before. We had never let ourselves get carried away like this, and although I wanted nothing more than to be with him completely, I was nervous about baring myself so intimately.
Edward gently pulled upward on the hem of my sweater, and I raised my arms to let him know that he could continue. His hands gently brushed across my ribs as he removed my sweater, revealing the blue lace bra that I was quite proud of. He grinned when he noticed the color, and his hands immediately sought my breasts. As my mouth returned again to his, goosebumps made their way across my flesh as my nipples stood erect, paying homage to Edward's expert hands. He gently tweaked my nipples, and I gasped in surprise and pleasure.
I pressed my body into his, longing to satisfy the physical need to be even closer to him. As I brushed my nipples against his chest, Edward moved his hands to my legs. Starting at my knees, he worked his hands below my skirt and around to my bare bottom. He stopped short, and pulled away from our kiss. He moved his hands to my hips and found the strings to my panties with his thumbs. He looked up at me with an expression of awe as he sat me on my feet. He quickly unzipped the zipper on my skirt and let it fall to the floor.
His eyes widened appreciatively at my recent lingerie purchase, and he made me spin in a little circle so that he could get the complete view. Then he did something that I did not expect. He growled, a low and sexy growl that made me weak in the knees. He didn't say anything, and I was too incoherent to form a sentence that would make any sense.
As I fell into him, he pulled me back onto the bed with him. I was again straddling his lap, wondering how much foreplay I was going to be able to handle. I felt like I was going to explode!
Then Edward, always the gentleman, moved his hand to the clasp on my bra and whispered in my ear, "May I?"
"God, please!" I moaned, finding his mouth again with my own.
In one deft movement, Edward removed my bra and explored my newly uncovered breasts with his hands. No one had ever touched me there, and I had never imagined the ecstasy that could be experienced by such a simple touch.
He leaned me back, supporting all of my weight on his arms so that he could have better access to my breasts. I moaned as Edward leaned over and began trailing kisses from my neck to my chest. He worshipped my breasts tenderly, suckling them and causing a trembling in my core that I knew would have to be satisfied before I spontaneously combusted. He took one breast into his mouth and then flicked my nipple with his tongue. I involuntarily squealed with pleasure and began shifting my hips against the erection hidden in his pants to satisfy the longing in my core.
"Oh, God." I moaned. "Edward, please!"
He was distracted from my breasts momentarily and looked up to see the longing in my eyes. He brought me back to himself and kissed me gently. "Please what, love?"
I whispered against his lips, "Make love to me, Edward. I need to feel you inside me now."
Our eyes met, and we both knew that we could not deny ourselves any longer. Edward shifted around so that he was standing in front of me, and I quickly unbuttoned his jeans and lowered his zipper. I tugged on his jeans until they fell to the floor, and I was greeted by Edward's erection, veiled only by the thin fabric of his boxer shorts. I had never seen a man's penis before, and when I removed Edward's boxers, my eyes widened in both admiration and a little fear.
Edward gently pushed me back onto the bed and removed my panties deftly. He climbed onto the bed with me, lifting me gently and turning me so that we were properly oriented on the bed. He lay down beside me, one arm supporting his head, the other caressing my body lovingly. "You are so beautiful," he murmured into my ear.
He leaned over me, kissing my neck and moving his hand slowly down to my center. I parted my legs for him, and he ran his hand up my thigh. I could feel his arousal pushing against my hip, and I longed to have him inside me. I wrapped my arms around him and tried to pull him on top of me, but he wasn't quite ready. He slipped his fingers into my folds, and I trembled to my core. I found his mouth with mine and moaned into it. He responded by slipping a finger inside me, followed by another. He gently pumped his fingers in and out of me as my hips bucked to meet his advances. Finally, I whimpered a signal that it was time.
As he moved above me, I opened my legs wide to allow him entrance. He leaned forward on his elbows, and spoke with a voice of rough velvet into my ear, "Bella, if I hurt you, you have to tell me. Promise me."
I knew there was no way that he could ever hurt me, but I promised anyway.
Then he lowered himself onto me, his erect penis teasing my wet center. He pushed into me slowly, and I felt him pause as he encountered the barrier of my virginity. I knew how much it hurt him to cause me pain, but I also knew that the pain would definitely be worth the cost. I wrapped my legs around him and gently pulled him forward. I tried not to wince as he broke through my membrane, but he stopped the second he saw the pain in my eyes.
I encouraged him to continue, "I'm okay, Edward. I promise."
He pushed forward until he was completely ensheathed by me, and he paused momentarily, letting me take the reins. The pain was fleeting, and I was soon ready for him to begin. I began bucking my hips slowly, letting him know that all was well.
He lowered his face to mine, showering me with kisses and his hips worked in and out. He pulled almost entirely out of me and then thrust in again. Over and over again, until I felt myself beginning to come unglued.
"Edward?" I moaned.
"I'm here, love," he responded in my ear.
I dug my fingernails into his back and began to whimper. He brushed my hair away from my face and lowered his eyes to mine. His breathing was ragged, and I knew instinctively that he was waiting for me, holding back so that I could experience the ultimate pleasure.
That knowledge pushed me over the edge, and I buried my face in his neck. I let out a wail as my walls clenched around him over and over again. His thrusts came faster and faster until he found his release, and he pumped into me until he was completely drained and all of the muscles in his body relaxed.
As our breathing evened out, he lowered his forehead to mine, looked into my eyes with perfect sincerity and said, "I love you, Bella."
"I love you, too, Edward," I responded simply. In that moment there was nothing more we needed to say.
What had begun with a dreaded surprise had turned out to be the best night of my life. From a night of carefree, childlike fun to a dizzying display of passion and intimacy, the night held more surprises than I could wrap my mind around. But as I took in the face of the godlike creature next to me, I realized with complete certainty that he would always be mine. We had cemented our love and commitment with the most intimate of acts. I knew it wasn't easy for Edward to let go of his fear and insecurities. He worried obsessively that he might hurt me during a moment of passion, but he had succumbed to my needs and desires, putting me first in a way that helped me to see that he truly would do anything for me. Nothing would separate us now.