IMPORTANT NOTE: The sequel to this story, Infinite Dawn, is currently up and in progress! You can find the link to it on my profile.

Here's a Twilight FanFic for the sophisticated reader, featuring an intelligent blend of canon & creative elements. Please savor every line - I designed it to be one of the best experiences you'll ever have with Fan Fiction.
And of course, I own none of the characters.

CHAPTER 1 - Paradise

Bella

August had been emotionally exhausting month. Though honestly, the entire summer had been. And if you count the crazy events from last spring, you're looking at six straight months of stress. It's hard to believe a human being can withstand that much and still be sane.

Well, some might consider sanity a relative thing, I thought as I glanced over at my husband's prostrate form. The delicious irony of the situation hit me. Here I was, congratulating myself on having survived extreme physical & psychological distress with my sanity intact, when lying next to me in our honeymoon suite was a creature that wasn't technically human. A smirk played on my mouth. Few would consider this a victory for sanity. But I could live with that.

Especially at this moment, in this exquisite place, with the early morning sun bathing the sheer curtains in lemon light. There were no screens here, nothing to inhibit the island's breeze or silence the pulse lapping at its shore. Everything breathed and sighed in perfect rhythm. It was like being inside a giant cocoon, swaddled in ultimate bliss, tasting paradise with all of my five senses. If I wasn't careful, delirium would set in and no force on earth could bring me back to reality.

There were no screens here – none in the cottage, none in our hearts, and none in the bedroom.

Eyes half-lidded, Edward lazily removed one of his arms from behind his head and let it flop down on the sheet. That simple, lethargic motion put me over the top – my smirk spread into a grin and I had no chance of containing my laughter.

This, of course, snapped his attention over to me in an instant. "What? What's so funny all of a sudden?" he asked, sounding as demanding as he was perplexed.

His dumfounded expression only made things more amusing. I couldn't help but giggle again. "I'm not sure you want to know," I hedged, eyes twinkling mischievously while his amber ones grew more impatient.

"Oh, I think I do, especially after you said that," his eyebrows rose imperiously.

I bit my lip, still smiling. "It's just… I've always heard about guys get worn out after doing… that, but I wasn't expecting you to," I was starting to blush by this point. "It's kind of funny that you do."

For an instant, mock indignation crossed his face. Worried I had hurt his feelings or, even worse, his ego, I quickly added, "And cute, too… I think it's cute," I leaned in to place a reassuring hand on his rock-hard bare shoulder. "It's nice when you're a little vulnerable. It's not something I get to see very often. Ever, actually," I added with a cynical laugh.

I scanned his eyes desperately, hoping my comments had succeeded in keeping his indignation to a minimum. What I saw confused me – he seemed almost amused. The longer I stared, breathlessly anxious, the more I found myself being pulled into those twin hypnotic pools, a sensation I'd grown all too familiar with over the past week.

It was useless to resist, and before I knew it I'd been forcefully yet gently rolled onto my back. One pair of granite limbs pinned my hips in place while another pair locked around my shoulders. A chill raced across my skin as his mouth tickled my neck and collarbone, cool waves from his chest diffusing through my thin satin gown. My eyes closed in speechless anticipation.

"Now then," he murmured in my ear, "who were you saying was 'worn out?'"

"Nobody," I barely whispered, planting my hands once more on his impossibly smooth skin. In the distant reaches of my mind, I was glad I hadn't offended him, at least not overtly. He seemed to have recovered just fine. More than fine, really.

That was confirmed ten minutes later when he dismounted and rolled back under the covers, leaving me gasping for air and blind with euphoria. Seizing the opportunity to have the last word, he turned to me and said, "For the record, I was letting you rest earlier," his playful lopsided smile took over. "Just so we're both perfectly clear on the matter."

If it was any clearer, I thought to myself, it would be the very air I was breathing.