"Don't be afraid," I murmured. "We belong together."

I was abruptly overwhelmed by the truth of my own words. This moment was so perfect, so right, there was no way to doubt it.

His arms wrapped around me, holding me against him, summer and winter. It felt like every nerve ending in my body was a live wire.

"Forever," he agreed, and then pulled us gently into deeper water.

A little ways out into the swells of the water, Edward released my hold. He stood facing me, twining my fingers with his, looking intently into my eyes. I saw a fire there that I hadn't seen before, a smoldering sensation that made me gasp. It took me a moment to realize that the look was desire. Having restricted himself from feeling it so many times before, it caught me by surprise, and then I realized he must want this as much as I did.

He released my fingers and then gently ran his hands up each of my arms to my shoulders, leaving a trail of goose bumps along the way. He cupped my face in his hands and stroked my cheeks with his thumbs, running under my eyes, over my eyelids and back down again. I was frozen in place as I stared deeper into his eyes, awed by him, awed by the evening, awed by the occasion. I had just married the most wonderful man in the world and he was mine. Nothing would be able to keep us apart ever again. Soon I would be immortal and we'd live out eternity, swimming in the love that surrounded us. I knew I would love him as much at the end of my existence as I did right at this moment. Probably even more as time went on. How could I ever show him how much he meant to me?

"Bella? Are you all right?" he whispered huskily. "You seem deep in thought… I want to make sure you're ready."

"I'm… I'm…" I struggled to find the words that would accurately describe the onset of emotions that I was feeling. Where there words to describe how I loved him?

"Bella?" Edward whispered anxiously, his eyebrows beginning to crease with worry.

"Edward, I'm just so…so caught up in the moment. It was so silly of me to worry about getting married, Edward. I'm so glad I did. No – glad doesn't cover it. I love you more than words can describe. I was just thinking that I don't know how I could ever find enough words or ways to show you how much I love you, but I'm going to spend the rest of my life trying to."

One of Edward's earth-shattering smiles crept onto his face as he sighed with relief, and I had to remember to breathe while staring at his beautiful face. The way he was looking at me sent an immediate rosiness to my cheeks. My eyes never left his as his lips met mine in a way that was urgent, full of desire, and at the same time, soft and communicative of his feelings.

His hands crept from my face back down my neck to my shoulders. Gently, he turned my body so that I was facing away from him. His hands never left my body. He was going to take this slowly, savor the moment, not rushing anything. I smiled as I realized we were going to take full advantage of our first time together, and enjoy each other as much as possible.

Edward softly stroked my back, shoulders, and neck, in a circuitous pattern again and again. I let my head fall back and rest against his shoulder. He ran his fingers into my damp hair and lifted two fistfuls of it, gaining access to my neck and began placing soft kisses there, lingering below my left ear. His mouth explored every inch of my neck, shoulders and ears. He nibbled lightly on my earlobe which surprised me and caused me to gasp. He was being bolder than I would have thought he'd be. This delighted me. This was really going to happen for us, I only hoped that for one night, this night, that he would swallow some of his reservations and allow himself to receive this personal satisfaction. At that moment, I wanted nothing more than to please him.

Edward's hands drifted down my shoulders and into the middle of my back, slowly, lightly, and although this part of my body was under the water, I still shuddered lightly at the electricity of his touch. His fingers traveled down, down, reaching the small of my back and he hooked his long fingers on either side of my waist. As he rubbed the skin there and his thumbs brushed over the small of my back, his mouth found my neck again. I realized then his breathing had become rapid, husky, and full of excitement. His moist kisses left a trail of shivers across my skin, which increased the desire and warmth I felt deep within me.

His hands fluttered across my belly, sending shivers through my body as I tried to control my breathing and just enjoy the sensations. I wanted to give him a chance to explore my body, I certainly wanted the chance to explore his, but at that moment, I think he began to realize that he was driving me crazy.

His hands tightened on my waist and turned me back around to face him. His lips turned up into a smile that conveyed satisfaction and desire. I couldn't hold back any longer. I jumped up slightly and easily thanks to the water and wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling his face toward mine and kissing him with force and passion. He groaned into my mouth as I parted my lips and sighed against his, his arms wrapped around my back and reaching all the way around my chest. He'd never held me so tightly before. I knew his need must be as great as mine.

Edward pulled back for a moment, breaking our kiss. I looked to his face to find the worry that I thought was sure to be there. Instead, I found a look of hesitation and a look in his eyes that made me think that if he could, he'd be blushing right then.

"Bella?" he murmured. "I, um, I was wondering, if I…um…"

I knew what he was about to ask. My ever polite Edward was asking permission to touch my body and explore it further. In a split second I took his hands from around me and held them gently in my own, my thumbs tracing circles in his palms. I hesitated slightly, and then placed each of his hands on my breasts. He gasped, whether at my boldness, or his wish being fulfilled, I'm not sure, and then his mouth found mine again. His hands gently kneaded the oh-so-soft skin of mine that had never been touched, never explored. I couldn't help but let out a little moan as his thumbs traced the sides of my breasts and then fluttered ever so gently over my nipples. I broke from our kiss and then took his lower lip gently between mine, slightly sucking and slowly moving my head side to side. He stayed perfectly still, his forehead pressed to mine, and I could feel his cool breath on my face, could see his closed eyelids fluttering as he allowed me to explore him as well. A wave of desire came through me and, in a purely carnal instinct, I gently bit down on his lip.

Edward gasped and his eyes flew open. He looked at me with amazement clouding his gaze. His breathing increased again and he kissed me, passionately, forcefully, little moans escaping his lips. I felt his lips part against mine and I groaned against him.

"Ed...ahhh…Edward…" I managed to spit out. His lips were busy kissing any other part of my skin he could frantically reach.

"Hmm?" he breathed against my cheek.

"Let's go back."

The next second I was in his arms, my arms locked around his neck, still kissing him. His eyes never left mine as we trudged back towards the house.

Inside, he set me down momentarily on the little tiled entry inside the French doors. I hadn't even noticed he'd grabbed my towel from outside. I started to swirl around to face him, his back still to the doors, but his cool hand on my shoulder stopped me. He draped the towel over my shoulders, rubbing his hands over it, drying my shoulders, neck and back. He pulled the towel off of me and continued down my body, drying my back, bottom, then legs. My breathing became more erratic, and I could feel my heart pounding in my chest as his toweled hand softly and slowly moved to my inner legs. Who knew one of the simplest acts of towel drying could become so erotic?

The next moment he was on his knees in front of me, and began drying off my chest and stomach with the towel. His gaze alternated between my eyes and whatever body part he was drying. They lingered more than once over my breasts. I may not be a mind reader, but I could tell what he wanted to do.

Slowly, gently, cautioning him with my eyes, I leaned towards him, my breasts inching closer to his face. He realized what I was doing, and taking one long look into my eyes, moaned quietly and began kissing and caressing my breasts. His eyes shut tights as he focused on one, and then the other, running his soft lips over my nipples, causing me to sigh and lean into him further. He seemed to enjoy that reaction and so his movements seemed to deepen, quicken. A few more moans from me and I realized that was what encouraged him, the sounds escaping my throat with no thought from me. This caused me to flush, embarrassed. He glanced up at me and hesitated, his thumbs running up to my cheeks as each of his hands embraced my face.

"Bella, don't be embarrassed. It's just me. You don't have to feel embarrassed about these sounds coming out of you. It lets me know what I'm doing right, and besides, I love the sound of them," he said with a smirk.

I flushed even brighter right then, having received confirmation of what was increasing his desire, was my own. We two creatures couldn't be better matched for each other, both of us determined to want to make this event as special and meaningful and pleasurable as possible for the other. At that moment I bent my knees so that my face was level with his and took his lips into mine, molding them around his, kissing him more passionately that ever before. The wave of desire that was shooting through me couldn't have stopped even him from allowing me this.

Suddenly his hands were under my arms and he sent me gently on the bed, standing above me. I leaned back onto my elbows, watching him, watching his reaction at seeing all of me as his eyes drifted up and down my body. His face gave nothing away. I took the opportunity to gaze over his magnificent body… his smooth chest and stomach, his shoulders and arms, his lower belly, relishing in how soft and inviting the skin and fuzzy hair there looked. His bronze colored curls sloped downward to his long smooth shaft that was erect.

After what seemed like a long time, I felt his eyes snap back up to mine. "Bella… you're beautiful, so exquisite, better than I'd imagined after all of this time… I don't have the right words to describe you," he breathed.

I exhaled an enormous breath of air, realizing that I had been holding my breath and waiting for his reaction. My insecurities had gotten the best of me again as I realized I had been needing his acceptance of me. I needed to know that I was something his body desired, that my body would please him. This revelation immediately brought back the smoldering flame of desire that had wound its way through my entire being. In a second he was on top of me, his body pressing against every inch of mine, our legs intertwining and our arms and hands mimicking each other. For a moment, the feeling was so wonderful that I couldn't imagine ever separating from him. Was it too much to ask for him to just lay naked on top of me for all time?

His lips found mine again and abruptly, the tempo increased, the urgency and desire and need increased. I found my head lifting off of the comforter to meet his, pushing back to him, my forcefulness animating my yearning. His hands drifted over the sides of my chest and stomach, briefly stopping to allow his thumbs to graze my breasts again, before moving upwards and taking my arms with them. He smoothed his hands over my arms above my head and with one hand, clamped my wrists to the bed.

"Bella, you know I need to stay in control. Can you help me with that, love? Can you go along with me and allow me to do the touching tonight, so that I don't go over the edge?" he breathed huskily into my face.

All I could do was nod solemnly. This would be hard for me to keep my hands to myself, but for him, I would do anything. Anything at all to share this moment with him. Anything at all to ease the internal pain that I knew he was feeling. Anything at all to encourage him, for him to know that this was alright, that this was okay, that this needed to happen because we both wanted it, because we both needed it, and because most of all, we loved each other.

My heart swelled up and a small smile played on my face as I realized a few hot tears had pricked their way to my lashes. These were happy tears, joyful tears, at having my husband wrap his arms around me as we were about to embark on the act of expressing our love physically. My husband smiled back at me, not even questioning the tears. Maybe he would have cried at that moment too, if it were possible. The look on my face couldn't have relayed any doubt, hesitation or fear. Only love.