The characters contained herein are not my property…no copyright infringement is intended—this story is mine, no reproduction without express permission…

This FF is rated M for a reason & the following chapter contains sexual content—if you don't like that sort of thing, then please don't read it—the rest of you perverts, carry on ; )

Ok now, sorry for the amount of time between the last update and this…where were we? Oh yes, our darling boy had Bella pinned up against the wall…but he hadn't quite 'finished' with her yet…go back and refresh your memory if you need to get back in the mood…

~Canicule~

I stared into Edward's eyes, taking in his words as I took him into my body, and then shut my eyes again tightly, flushing. I knew it was silly, but I couldn't help but to focus on the fact that he had called me "love"…was that as in "my love", or "I love you"? Was he telling me he loved me? Or that maybe he had never stopped? My mind was pulling me in three different directions at once: one part was trying to add up everything that Edward had told me earlier in the evening…before my clothes had been torn off…another part was pretty absorbed by what was happening to my body now, while said clothing was gone…and yet another part was doing cartwheels because Edward freaking Cullen was maybe saying that he loved me…whoa, he was stopping—why was he stopping? I was sooo close—again…

Edward stilled, buried completely within me, and I whimpered softly as I felt my orgasm retreat. He transferred my weight from what had been his two hands to just one, and then slowly slid the hand that he had freed upward. "Bella, love…" he whispered. 'Love' again?

His long fingers inched along beneath the bottom edge of the corset, tracing my hip, and then slid up and over the fabric. Up, up, up…past my ribcage, and then right beneath my breast, his thumb softly stroking the underside and then plotting a new course by trailing the tips of his fingers up my arm and to my collarbone. I watched his eyes following his fingers before shifting his gaze up and into mine. He leaned forward, his lips almost touching mine only to turn at the last moment and touch his lips to the lobe of my ear.

"Are you not…" he paused and bit my ear softly, teeth firmly covered by his lips, "aren't you enjoying this?" He ground his hips into me and then did the faux biting thing to my neck. I gasped, feeling my climax coming back around the corner as he continued to grind against me. "You seemed distracted a moment ago…" His lips were moving down my neck.

Distracted? He had actually been able to tell that I was distracted? How many years had I spent with Jake, and had he ever noticed or cared if I was 'distracted' during sex? Do I tell Edward that I was just wondering if he was trying to say I love you? Did I even want to know if he loved me—was I ready for that?

"Bella?" Edward whispered, looking into my eyes. "Where are you? If you want me to stop…" he looked uncertain. He began to pull away, and my body took over for me where my mind had left off, ignoring any wandering thoughts and focusing instead on what his body was doing to mine. I wrapped my arms and legs around him and kissed him fiercely.

"Please don't stop, Edward," I said in between kisses. "You have no idea how much I want this…how long I've wanted you…" His lips were back at my neck again, eliciting another moan from me, and his hips began a steady rhythm against mine again. He let his free hand travel between where our two bodies were joined and he began to press slow steady circles with his thumb against my core. The sensation, combined with his steady teasing thrusts was sending me right to the edge again.

"Don't you think that it's been the same for me," he whispered against my ear. "You have no idea how it's been…" he punctuated this with another of those faux biting motions at my neck, "watching you…", bite, "wanting you…", bite, "aching to possess you." His lips at my neck were echoed by his thrusts, growing more frenzied, "fantasizing about having you…" bite, thrust, "just…" I was breathless, teetering on the edge of my climax, hanging on his each word, "like…" another bite and thrust, each harder than the last, "this…" Edward groaned and I felt him explode in me, and all of the combined sensations, his hand at my sex…him buried in me…his teeth, still firmly protected by his lips, biting against my neck…and most of all his words—it all sent me over the edge into an orgasm like nothing I had ever experienced before. I cried out, feeling my body clench around him from within, and throb against him where his hand was still on me.

Edward moved both of his hands, letting my legs fall from where they had been wrapped around him, and then grasping my waist as I slid against him into a standing position. I was grateful that the weight of his body was still effectively pinning me to the wall, because I didn't think that my legs would have supported me just then. Edward buried his face in my hair, breathing deeply, "Oh, Bella...my love…you are…well, words fail me," he whispered into my hair.

I didn't try to respond; I didn't think I would be able to, so I just wrapped my arms around him and buried my face in his chest. I sighed contentedly and placed several small kisses against his chest. I was surprised to feel him grow hard against me in response. Good god…again, already? I looked up into Edward's face questioningly.

He chuckled as if he could read my mind and knew what I had been thinking, and pulled away slightly. "Bella, would you object to investigating the bathing facilities here? I understand they are quite exemplary."

I couldn't help myself—I giggled outright at him; sometimes Edward sounded more like an aging schoolteacher, not at all like his gorgeous exterior. He raised one brow at me while I laughed. "Do I amuse you, Isabella?" he asked darkly. I continued to giggle. Edward ducked down swiftly and wrapped his mouth around my left nipple. I gasped as he teased me with his cool tongue, and then cried out, startled, as he lightly slapped my bottom at the same time.

He raised his head, grinning mischievously at me. "Now that I have your full attention, I repeat, would you object to a bath?" I nodded, at a loss for words, my ass stinging in a surprisingly not unpleasant way and my libido back in full swing. Edward scooped me up in his arms as if I were weightless and carried me in what I assumed was the direction of the bedroom to his suite.

I gasped again when we entered the bedroom, and Edward paused in the doorway, taking in my expression. The room was larger than the bedroom in my suite had been, and it was lit completely by what had to be at least a hundred candles, scattered across every available surface. The temperature in the room had to be at least a few degrees higher than that of the hallway we had just come from, undoubtedly due to the candles everywhere.

I looked from the room to Edward's face, trying to read his expression. "So, did Alice tell you that I was a sure thing? Or were you intending to seduce me?" I asked.

Edward grinned a little sheepishly. "I won't deny that I was hoping to convince you to come here with me…but what makes you think that I needed any help from Alice with any of this? I'm a little wounded, frankly…" his hand traveled from where he had been supporting my thighs and slipped inward, stroking my inner thigh just below my sex. My temperature raised a few degrees more. "Are you trying to tell me that you find me somehow inadequate romantically?" Edward asked, his voice low and teasing.

I swallowed, trying to keep my thoughts coherent. "No, you were more than…adequate," I whispered. Seriously? Did he really have any doubts as to how I felt about him in that department? Geez, the guests two floors above and below could probably tell that I had enjoyed myself…

"More than…adequate?" Edward echoed my words speculatively. He shook his head, making a tsk-ing noise with his tongue, smirking at me openly. He gave an exaggerated sigh, "I guess you're going to have to help me refine my technique." Damn, could I possibly get any wetter?

My heart was racing and I flushed, embarrassed, certain that Edward could hear it as he crossed the room and entered the bathroom, which was also significantly larger than the one in my suite. Good god, the tub was like a small pool, complete with what looked like jacuzzi jets and an inlaid seat running along the sides. Edward placed me on the edge of the tub, if you could call it that, turned on the water, and knelt in front of me.

I noted his absolutely huge erection as he crouched—at least I wasn't the only one with an overactive libido. He removed my heels one at a time; I had quite forgotten that they were still on. His hands ran up and down my calves enticingly, and then he reached up and grasped the lower edge to the corset. My breathing quickened.

"As lovely as you look in this, I think it's time to remove it, shall we?" he asked, his voice low again. He began to unfasten the small hooks slowly, working his way upward one at a time, and I found myself suddenly nervous. It was silly, since we had just had sex, and he had obviously seen the more intimate parts of my body, but I was suddenly very conscious of the fact that my body was no longer that of an eighteen year old. Edward reached the last hook at the top and let the corset fall, gazing up at me.

I flushed, crossing my arms around my body self-consciously. Edward met my gaze questioningly. "Why are you covering yourself? You are incredibly lovely," he said, looking confused.

"Sure, lovely, if you like love handles and stretch marks," I answered sarcastically.

Edward reached up and drew my arms away from my body. I flushed even darker. He looked me fully in the eyes, and said intently, "I have never seen anything more beautiful than your body, right now."

He bent his head, his lips gently touching my knee, and then moving slowly up my thigh. His hands cupped my breasts lightly, tracing my nipples with his thumbs. I sighed involuntarily. His lips reached my lower abdomen, and his hands dropped, caressing the upper curve of my rear. "And as to how much more voluptuous you are now than the girl I first met, I'd be happy to demonstrate just how much I enjoy tracing the contours of your body…" His lips were parted against my abdomen, and my heart was racing, my embarrassment fading swiftly. His tongue traced the edge of what I knew must be a stretch mark from pregnancy, "and as far as these are concerned, I only wish…" he paused, his expression darkening. He shook his head as if trying to erase a thought, and then stood slowly, trailing kisses upward with his tongue and lips as he rose.

He lifted me easily, placing me on the seat inside the now full tub, and then climbed in after me, again kneeling in front of me. The warm water swirled around us, and steam hung in the air. He leaned into me, pulling me forward and slipping in between my legs. His kissed me softly, parting my lips as he kissed me repeatedly.

"There is absolutely nothing that you need to hide from me," he whispered, his lips at my ear now. "Don't ever cover yourself in front of me again…" his lips were doing the biting thing at my earlobe, "You are more beautiful than I can say, and there isn't an inch of you than I don't want to possess." And with that, he slid completely beneath the water and kissed me in a much more intimate manner, drawing the first of many gasps from me, and effectively demonstrating just how wonderful it can be to not have the need to breath underwater.

Ok…gonna' break again here--Emmett and I have to catch up on some hockey games on the DVR—review please, and I promise to update swiftly… -E