Edward
She came to me in the moonlight, wading through the liquid silver path it cast across the sea; her skin washed to alabaster and rose by the pale glow. I could hear her heart tripping double time as she paused at my side, her eyes downcast shyly, her lip caught and worried between her small, white teeth. I reached for her, and her eyes flashed up to meet mine.
"So beautiful..." I whispered, holding her against me as I traced the strong, yet delicately feminine line of her cheekbone and jaw. I let my fingers trail, feather soft, down her graceful neck and shoulders, and then farther down, where the ocean lapped the swell of her soft curves, gazing, all the while into her wide, shining, dark eyes.
She closed her eyes and shivered, leaning into me, her lips parting in a low, breathless sound of pleasure as I continued my gentle exploration of her silken skin. I cupped her full breast in my hand, enjoying the feel of it in my palm, and then traced a spiral inward with my fingertips, feeling the tip swell to a rock hard point. Her heartbeat was slower, now, deep and steady, but her breathing was quick and shallow.
All shyness and hesitancy gone, she pressed the full length of her body against mine, and then, suddenly, she gasped and drew back, looking down into the water between us, at the evidence of my arousal.
"Oh, wow!" she said, glancing up at me with startled eyes.
I dropped my hands and turned my back to her, balling them into fists in an attempt to restrain the impulse to crush her fragile body against mine, cursing myself for being a fool. I should never have have agreed to this, she was not ready, and obviously neither was I.
As I struggled to regain control I felt two small, warm hands slip around me from behind and slide across my stomach and chest, completely shredding the minimal level of will power I had achieved. I stiffened, "Bella," I said, hoarsely, "You probably don't want to touch me right now, because I'm having a very difficult time controlling myself, and I don't want to hurt you."
"I don't want you to control yourself, and you aren't going to hurt me!" Her hands continued their wandering path, dipping lower, and then lower still, driving me almost to a frenzy with their delicate touch.
"Bella!" I warned, grabbing her roving hands. "I saw the look on your face, you aren't ready for this, and I can only take so much!"
She swam around to face me, laying her hands on my chest. "I am ready...you have no idea how much I want you!"
"But, you..."
"I was just surprised," she interrupted, "I didn't expect it to be so...much!" She was blushing furiously, but she was sliding her hands down, over my stomach, where she paused and looked up into my eyes. "Is it Okay if I touch you? I want to get acquainted, you know, so I'll know what to expect." She gave me a mischievous little grin, "It's not going to get any bigger, is it?"
I laughed, grateful for her unabashed curiosity, it was just the distraction I needed. "No, I don't think so."
"Good, that's good!" She nodded her head in approval. I laughed again.
"Is it," she hesitated, as if unsure whether to ask her next question.
"What?" I prompted.
"Is that what human men look like?"
"More or less.." I grinned. "I haven't made a study or anything..."
"I don't plan to, either, I was just curious." She laughed again and resumed 'getting acquainted,' as she put it.
"I should think not!" I stated, emphatically, and pulled her to me, unable to resist any longer. "Are you sure, Bella? Completely sure?" I whispered, serious once more. "Because..." she covered my lips, first with her fingers, then with her lips.
"Yes," she murmured against my mouth, "I'm more sure of that than anything else, ever in my life. If you don't take me up to that big white bed and make love to me, right now, I just might explode! And you wouldn't want that on your conscience, now would you?"
"No," I said, laughing, but keeping our lips connected as I gathered her up in my arms and carried her out of the water, "we definitely don't want any explosions on Isle Esme!" I drew back for a moment to consider, "At least, not that kind of explosion, anyway." I waggled my eyebrows at her, and leered. She laughed and pulled my lips back to hers.
I carried her straight to the shower, where we rinsed off the salty seawater and toweled each other dry. I swept her up, laughing at the speed with which I moved, and carried her into the bedroom to deposit her gently on the bed, her hair spreading around her in a dark, red-brown cloud. My eyes stung with tears I could not shed; her beauty stunned me. For the rest of my existence I would carry, and treasure, the image of Bella's perfection on her wedding night.
I slid in beside her and she welcomed me into her arms, running her hands over my cold, hard flesh, spreading warmth everywhere she touched. We explored each other, tasting and touching and stroking, gently, softly at first, and then, as passion grew, with more urgency. She had me on fire, electrified by her little moans and soft whispers...I never had to wonder if something felt right, she was so responsive I knew immediately.
I could tell she liked it when I trailed soft kisses from her lips all the way down and around her achingly beautiful breasts; she whimpered and her little hip thrusts rendered me speechless when I flicked the tip with my tongue.
I could tell it pleased her, too, when I coaxed open her thighs, lightly stroking from her knee up to the top, over her flat, quivering belly and back down the other side.
I let my lips follow the same trail my fingers had just blazed. The scent of her readiness made me catch my breath; it was the sweetest nectar I had ever smelled, equal to her blood, at least. I had assured her I would grow no larger, but I could feel my self swelling even more with excitement.
She clutched the sheets with both fists and stiffened as I allowed just the tip of my tongue to part her lips and explore the unfamiliar bumps and ridges, which, to my delight, swelled and grew hard under my attention. "Mmmm," I murmured, as she cried my name, arching her back and tossing her head from side to side.
I chuckled, and whispered against her, "It's a good thing I didn't know exactly how good this was going to be, or I'd have never been able to wait!"
"No, you were right, it was definitely worth waiting for." she said, pulling me back up to lay full length on top of her. "I don't think I can take much more, if you keep doing...that, I think I might die, my heart will just...stop. I'm ready, I want you...in me." she whispered into my ear, sending earth quaking shivers down my back. Her skin, already flushed with her arousal, blushed even deeper pink at her boldness.
"I could tell you're ready," I informed her, kissing the tip of her pert nose.
"Well, then, give it to me!" she practically growled. Spreading her legs, she ran her hands down my back to my hips to guide me home.
When my member entered her the exquisite pleasure of it was like nothing I'd ever felt or imagined. The entire universe was centered along the axis of our connection, and her heat seared through me, burning away any coherent thought. I met a slight resistance and pushed through, realizing only then that I had taken her maidenhead. She gasped, a brief flash of pain marring her perfect features. I tried valiantly to hold back, to give her body time to adjust around me, but she was having none of that; her hips began moving under me, encouraging deeper penetration.
Then, I smelled the tiny bit of blood from her lost virginity, and almost snapped. Instinct began taking over, as Carlisle had warned me it might, and venom flooded my mouth. The bloodlusting monster reared his ugly head, and for several moments I was paralyzed by my internal battle for control.
Bella didn't help matters any; when I stopped moving and laid my chin on top of her head to collect myself she protested, "Why did you stop? Don't stop!" she begged, her thrusting pelvis pushing me deeper inside.
I groaned in frustration; I wanted, desperately, to bury my teeth in the pulse I could feel throbbing in her neck, and my manhood in the tight, wet heat of her welcoming sheath. I understood, clearly, for the first time, why humans seldom, if ever, survived this joining. Seeming to have a mind of their own my teeth were determined to rend something, and at the last moment I thrust a pillow between my jaws and tore it to pieces, sending feathers flying everywhere.
Time seemed to stand still; I was transported, carried on wave after wave of pleasure as I stroked within her. Her eyes were closed and she was breathing in panting little gasps, arching against me, meeting me thrust for thrust. She was apparently oblivious to anything else, her entire focus, as was my own, on the explosion of sensation building toward critical mass between us.
Our release, when it came, came together, and my world was shattered, changed forever. If I had thought I was in love with her before...it was nothing compared to the feeling I had now, as she screamed out my name and tensed around me, pulling every last drop, draining me as I exploded into her.
She abruptly went limp in my arms, sending a chill of fear through me for a fraction of a second. Had her heart stopped? No, I realized with relief, in fact, it was pounding hard enough to be visible between her breasts.
Afraid I might be crushing her, I tried to roll off, but her arms wrapped around me, preventing me from moving. "Bella, I'm too heavy," I chided her, ducking my head and nuzzling her neck.
"No, you're not! I like it under here." she told me, reaching up to pull her hair back, giving me unencumbered access. "Oh, Edward, I didn't know, I had no idea, I mean, I knew it would be good but..." she trailed off, seeming to run out of words. "You know, I'm going to want more of that, right away!"
I chuckled, "It's probably a good thing you're with a vampire, then," I teased, "because, if I were human it would take me a week to recover from that!"
"But, since you're not human...?"
"Hmmmm, well, let's see, shall we?" I said, leaning down to claim her lips once more...
Hours later she fell asleep, spent and sated, a light sheen of sweat covering her body, and her lips curved up in a satisfied smile. I was feeling a trifle smug, and my entire body was tingling in the aftermath of our last climax, when I noticed the bruises spreading across her shoulders, arms and chest; they seemed to darken even as I watched, aghast.
My joy dissipated, to be replaced by complete self loathing...what had I done? I dreaded facing her when she awoke, there was no way that would not be painful for her in the morning.
I fled the bedroom and waded out into the ocean, my head bowed in shame, berating myself at every step. The only way I could live with my guilt was to promise myself that as long as she was that fragile, I would not touch her, for, I could never allow that to happen again.