Edward's POV
I paced back and forth in front of the fireplace, anxious for the evening to begin. For the tenth time in as many minutes, I stuffed my hands into the pockets of my charcoal grey suit to make sure I hadn't forgotten the tickets. I wanted everything about our evening together to be perfect. As I'd confirmed during all my other checks, they were there. Good.
Renesmee appeared out of nowhere, bursting out of her room and running toward me with a squeal. Like she so keenly picked up on everything around her, she seemed to pick up on the fact that it was a special evening, and was filled with excitement. She leapt into my arms and buried her face against the collar of the pale blue tailored shirt I wore under the suit, open at the collar. She put her hand against my cheek, telling me that she hoped Mommy and I had fun together tonight, that she was counting the minutes until her playdate with Jake. My eyes narrowed instinctively at that last one, even though I knew we couldn't pray for a more entertaining, conscientious babysitter. She lowered her hand to my shoulder and giggled, her curls tickling my cheek as her musical laughter made them bounce. "You look handsome tonight, Daddy."
I hugged my most precious package against my chest, planting a delicate kiss on her rosy cheek, such a powerful and beautiful reminder of her mother I had first fallen in love with. I whispered into her ear. "But there is no one more beautiful than you, my little love." Renesmee looked up at me, eyes twinkling, a sucker for flattery. At the rate she continued to grow, it certainly didn't help for all of us to make her head any bigger, but I found it impossible to resist. Impossible to find the words to describe exactly how much I cherished her.
My attention was drawn away from doting on my daughter as I caught sight of her mother, finally emerging from the dressing room attached to that ridiculous closet Alice had insisted upon. If I had a breath, it would have been whisked away from me at that moment. I swallowed hard. "Renesmee," I chuckled into her hair. "If you thought I looked special tonight…well, wait until you see your mother." With that, Renesmee's little head whipped around, and in her thoughts I could read that she was as lovestruck and awestruck as I was.
Bella stood before us, rueful smile on her face, still uncomfortable when circumstances mandated a change from the typical worn jeans, cotton shirts, and sneakers she continued to favor. Let it be said, she wore them like a supermodel, and nothing could hide her astonishing beauty on a daily basis. But when she dressed in such a manner as tonight…when she dressed in manner that showcased her beauty rather than downplayed it, I was incapacitated at the very sight of her. She was the most stunning creature I had ever laid eyes upon, and I knew this with certainty, knew that it had nothing to do with my intense love for her casting a rosy colored glow over my eyes.
Her long, luminous hair was swept back off her forehead, half of it teased up into an intricate arrangement around the crown of her head while the remainder fell over her shoulders and back in loose curls. Her dress was a simple red sheath, or at least it must have been on the hanger. On Bella, it was skintight, molding to every curve of her body and ending inches above her knees, providing a glorious view of her long, creamy legs. I couldn't help but grin as I took in the shoes that completed the ensemble – high, red, strappy, and adorned with some type of…feathers? They looked like devices of torture, and I could only imagine the battle that was waged with Alice in protest. As always, it appeared that my sister had won, her conviction over the absolute necessity of these particular shoes outweighing any attempt at protest. I forced my eyes away from Bella's body back to her face. She wore no jewelry except for a pair of simple, dangling earrings, leaving her neck free, a beautiful expanse of the most perfect skin. Her eye makeup was simple, and even to the male eye it was impossible to miss the reason for that – the crimson red lipstick that matched the hue of her dress exactly was all that was needed to transform my love's face into an utter masterpiece. It was a good thing that Renesmee chose that moment to jump out of my arms; otherwise I think I may have dropped her as I stared helplessly at Bella.
"Mommy, you're astonishing!" she cried, leaping into Bella's arms as she had just leapt into mine. My mouth quirked into a smile as Bella tottered in her heels. Some things really never changed. Bella's eyes met mine over Renesmee's head, and I could tell from the twinkle in them she was thinking the same thing I was. When had she added yet another four-syllable word to her vocabulary? My daughter amazed me as much as my wife did.
Bella rubbed her nose against Renesmee's, and my heart swelled and nearly burst with the love I felt for the two people in this room. "You're astonishing," she told our daughter, pushing the curls back off her forehead and planting a kiss there. She frowned when she realized she'd left a very telltale mark behind. "I told Alice this lipstick wouldn't last the night."
I couldn't resist. I was at her side at once, gently moving the curls out of the way so that I could tickle her neck with my lips. "I certainly hope not, Mrs. Cullen," I whispered into her exquisite flesh.
Bella whipped her head around so that her eyes could meet mine. Mellowed out to a beautiful golden hue in the past year, they now flared with intensity, with a hunger I could read perfectly, a hunger that was currently coursing through my body with lightening speed. Her voice was low and thick, laced with meaning when she finally spoke. "What time is Jacob getting here?"
With perfect timing, Jacob burst through our door at that moment, not bothering to knock. He barely fit through the frame, and I reminded myself not to be annoyed with the ease at which he entered our home, as if it were partially his. I no longer harbored any ill will toward him, but I had definitely grown into my role as a father, a very protective father, and it was hard to turn one of the two most important things in my world over to someone else for safekeeping, regardless.
"Jake!" Renesmee cried, her enthusiasm at the sight of him as strong as the very first day. Again I reminded myself not to become agitated. I knew that love knew no bounds and there was room in her heart for all of us.
"Hey Ness," he greeted her, ruffling her curls as he scooped her up in his massive arms. He nodded in my direction. "Edward." Then his face broke out in a teasing grin as he took in Bella's appearance. He gave a low whistle. "Not too bad, Bells. You almost look…not like a monster tonight." She gave him a mock glare, a low growl emanating from her throat. "Easy now," he continued. He grinned again. "And have fun in those shoes. Don't hurt yourself." He kept Renesmee close to him, seemingly as a protective factor to keep my wife from attacking him after so much antagonizing.
I tuned them out, continuing to stare at Bella, helpless to do anything else. Sometimes these days I just stared at her, wondering what had happened to the girl I had fallen in love with. The change had nothing to do with her changing from human to…not. I think it had everything to do with the year we had spent in our marriage, the year she had spent as a mother, the world's most loving, attentive, and capable mother. Bella was all woman these days, and damn if I didn't want her as a woman. Growing more impatient for the evening to start by the minute, I finally spoke, trying to keep my voice even, trying to keep lust from infusing it in front of Jacob and Renesmee. "Are you just about ready, love?"
After saying our goodbyes, we made our way back toward the main house, toward the driveway. Bella raised her eyebrows in my direction when she caught sight of the Vanquish, looking polished and supple, sitting in front of the house. "Where's the Volvo?" she asked.
I took her by the waist, pressing her against the side of the car. It was hard to focus on getting out of there once my body was against hers, hard to resist the temptation to slide my hands under that short skirt and push it upward, make love to her against the side of the car. Focus, I told myself. You have all night. I channeled my desire, reminded myself of its source, and refocused on the emotions that were running through me just as strongly as the lust. I smiled at her. "Tonight's a special occasion," I reminded her. I stared into her eyes for several moments, remembering the utter joy and completeness I had felt as I stood inside this house one year ago today and watched her descend those steps, the certainty I had seen in her eyes as she vowed to be my wife. "Happy anniversary, love," I whispered.
Bella's lovely mouth broke out into a smile. "Happy anniversary, Edward." From the emotion I read in her eyes, I could tell, if they could, they would be filling with tears at this moment. She wiped at them out of habit, as if she still expected to find her eyelashes brimming. She glanced toward the house, remembering too. Her voice was a broken whisper. "I always find it so impossible to pick the best moment of my life. There are too many best moments with you, with Renesmee." She squeezed my hand. "But our wedding…" She trailed off, failing to find the words.
I took her face in my hands, kissing her tenderly. "I know, Bella, I know." We stared into each other's eyes for several more minutes, and again, I felt the powerful, emotional bond between us begin to transform into something else, felt it fueling the lust that seemed to crackle in the air between us as I stood between her legs, up against the Vanquish. The need…the need was overwhelming. Never breaking her gaze, I licked my lips and whispered to her. "We're wasting precious time. Let's get out of here." I helped her in the door and was around to the driver's seat in a flash.
The time was precious indeed. It seemed we could never find enough time to be alone together. Not that there wasn't always a gaggle of willing babysitters just across the river, but we found it hard to part with our daughter ourselves. So there were few occasions where we got to fully…enjoy one another the way we desired. Like most new parents, we now understood the necessity of keeping things…quiet…during the night, a nearly impossible task when our bodies met. We'd tried sneaking off on several occasions, deep into the woods, but it still felt rushed, still felt like we were racing to enjoy ourselves when what we actually wanted to do was stretch out the experience as long as possible. I felt an ache in my groin as I just thought about it, thought about being able to enjoy Bella without pause. Another time we'd taken the Ferrari out, deep in the middle of the night, driving through the twisting roads that bordered the main house, lights on the car kept off like we weren't even on the road, knowing no one else would be driving and knowing we didn't need them to navigate ourselves. I had driven while Bella had straddled me, pumping her hips against my body as we whipped around the night. Damn if that hadn't been exciting, and damn if it wasn't making me hard right now, just thinking about it, but again, it had been too fast-paced in comparison to what I was craving – an entire night spent inside my true love, an entire night of bringing her pleasure over and over again. Dear Lord, time away was precious.
The sun was already descending in the sky as we drove further away from the house and we spoke little, just relishing being together as the soft classical music filled the car. I had complete peace of mind, or at least I did until I felt Bella's left hand creeping upward from where it had been resting on my knee. When I turned my head, I realized she was gazing steadily and purposefully into my eyes. As she caressed my inner thigh, my entire body responded instantaneously and I groaned softly. "What are you trying to do to me, Bella?" I managed to get out. "I thought you wanted to see the show."
A teasing smile graced her face as she continued to torture my body, her hand now lightly skimming the waistband of my pants and down the length of my hardness, pressing against me. I nearly passed out. "I do," she replied.
I shook my head, tried to focus on the road in front of me. "Then I really think you need to reconsider what you're doing, love. Because if you keep that up? You can be assured we are not making it there."
Bella arched her back against the passenger seat, causing my dick to strain further against my pants with that one simple, graceful movement. "I just think…" she whispered. "I just think I won't be able to fully enjoy the play until I get some of this out of my system." I didn't respond, couldn't respond, my mind wanting to tell her to stop torturing me, my body screaming at my mind to shut the hell up.
While my mind and my body battled on, Bella took advantage of the impasse to further her advances. Before I could process what was happening, she was leaning across the stickshift and unzipping my pants. She glanced up at me, a grin that could only be described as devilish gracing her face as she slid her hands inside my pants. Oh for the love of God. Forget about resistance. She could have her way with me in any manner she wanted. As hands met skin, I felt my dick throb at her touch, felt the moisture seep from the tip as she took me in her hands. And that was nothing compared to the sensation when she lowered her gaze from mine and lowered her mouth over me. Jesus Christ. The sensation of her warm, wet mouth over my cock as the bumps in the road moved her body against mine in unpredictable patterns…it was debilitating. I reached my right hand over, desperate to feel her body, running my hand over the glorious curves of her ass and hips as she gave me indescribable pleasure with her mouth.
I let it continue for several minutes, trying my best to focus even though every ounce of awareness at the moment was centered below the belt. God that felt amazing. What she was doing with her tongue…what she was doing with her hand, applying just the right amount of pressure at the base while her mouth swept hungrily up and down my length. My entire body was tensed, ready to explode. And God she looked beautiful doing it.
Not even realizing I was making the decision as I did so, I wrenched my hands suddenly, directing the car off the road and onto the shoulder, stirring up a cloud of dust and pebbles as I did so. Bella sat up, confused, although her left hand continued to stimulate me as she did so. "Edward?" she asked.
In one swift movement, I pulled her on top of me, hands straying from the wheel to run over her shoulders and breasts. I reclined the seat, allowing us some extra space. I attacked her mouth with mine, driven by an inexplicable need to be inside her at every point possible. From there I moved to her neck, her collarbone, her ear. "It's not happening like that, love," I informed her. "I need you to feel pleasure too."
Bella gasped aloud as my lips and tongue continued to roam her body. "But I was enjoying myself," she told me, neck tilted backward and eyes closed.
"I need you to enjoy yourself more." And with that statement, I was intent on the goal, hands running the course of her body until they reached the short hem of that insane dress. Just as I had envisioned doing against the side of the car, I slipped them underneath the lux fabric, relishing the feel of skin against skin. They climbed further…finding…nothing? Good God, she wasn't wearing underwear. I almost promptly lost it at this revelation.
My eyes flew to hers, the question in them obvious. Bella looked slightly pleased with herself and shrugged slightly. "Alice said they would ruin the 'line' of the dress." She began nuzzling my earlobe with her tongue. "I didn't protest too much." This woman knew no boundaries when it came to torturing me, and apparently neither did my sister. I could only imagine her giggling as she envisioned me making this "discovery."
Able to feel Bella freely, nothing obstructing my touch, I let my fingers explore. Oh my God she was wet. Wet and warm. It was always in these moments that Bella felt the warmest to my touch. It was intoxicating, feeling her body respond more and more to my probing fingers, hearing her cry out as I felt the muscles relax to accommodate my explorations. "Oh God…Edward!" Other exclamations were indecipherable, mere moans and heavy breaths. I was happy just to watch her, watch her tremble at my touch, knowing that I was making her feel good. As always, I lived to bring her pleasure and it was the greatest reward I could ask for. "Edward…" she begged. "Please. Now. I need you." My dick, feeling abandoned by me in the last few moments as I attended to Bella, concurred with her sentiments.
I slid down further in the seat, making the necessary adjustments so that we were aligned properly. And then with one thrust of my hips, I entered her ready body, savoring the feel of her core tightening around me as I went deep inside. Truly there was no better feeling in the world. The way her moist body stroked mine as I plunged in and out, the perfect friction of her hips against mine in the tight space we found ourselves in, the pressure built throughout my entire body rapidly.
Wanting to feel more of her, wanting to increase her level of stimulation, I swept my hands to her collarbone, allowing them to rest there for a moment as I enjoyed the feel of her, enjoyed holding onto her tightly. But they were eager to move further, and so they quickly began pushing at the neckline of the strapless dress, searching for the perfect breasts so clearly outlined by the clingy fabric. I succeeded in freeing her breasts from the binding dress, pulling one pink nipple into my mouth as quickly as possible, increasing the rhythm of my lower body as I sucked down on her, hard. Bella cried out, fingers lost in my hair as she held my head tightly against her body, letting me know I was causing only pleasure and no pain.
I had learned my wife's responses, I had learned the way she sounded and exactly the way her inner body felt as she neared the heights of pleasure. I could feel she was almost there, feel she was going to come quickly, her pleasure exacerbated by the unexpected and urgent nature of our tryst. And I was right there with her. Sure, I know I said I wanted an extended period of time to devote to pleasuring her…but we had all night. Right now, I knew what we both wanted, and that was release.
With purpose, I pulled my mouth away from her, grabbed her face, and forced her eyes upon mine. Nothing made me come harder than staring into Bella's eyes, and from what I'd observed in the past, it was the same for her too. Certain she would not pull her face away from mine, I allowed my hands to move down to her hips, which were writhing against me in demand. I took control of them, moving them in rough circular patterns with mine, holding her gaze dead steady as I pumped into her, hard and steady. "Do you know how glad I am that you are my wife, how much I love you?" I managed to get out.
She was at a loss to speak as well, merely nodding at first. "Yes. Yes, I know."
I grabbed her hips again, grabbed her ass as I held her body firmly against mine. "Do you know how badly I want you to come for me right now, how hard I want to make you come?"
She lowered her eyelids, groaning in desperation. I smacked her ass lightly with one hand. "Don't do that, Bella. Look at me. I need you to look at me." Her eyes flew open and I felt the walls of her body pulse at rapid fire pace around my body. The sensation was debilitating, and I exploded into her body mere seconds later.
Bella collapsed against my body, and I wrapped her in my embrace. We held onto each other for a long time, the night and the forest quiet around us. She finally raised her head, wry smile on her face. "Well that was impressive. What? We made it like five minutes away from the house?"
I grinned in response. "I see absolutely nothing wrong with that," I said. I pulled the seat forward again. "And the Vanquish seems to have fared well." I couldn't say the same for the Volvo. When we'd found ourselves in a similar situation when Bella was still getting used to her new strength, well, let's just say the entire seat had to be replaced. Great fun explaining that situation to Rosalie, our resident mechanic.
Bella laughed, adjusting her dress and glancing at the clock. "We better get back on the road though. I know you really want to make it to the show. It wasn't my plan to distract you so…entirely."
I raised my eyebrows in her direction. "I find that somewhat hard to believe, Bella."
She shrugged innocently. "Oh well. It was a nice way to celebrate our anniversary, regardless."
As I stared at her, glowing from our encounter, eyes fervent and excited, I felt myself getting turned on all over again. "Please Bella, be serious," I admonished her. "That was hardly the celebration. More of just a preview of what's to come…"
