CHAPTER 21

Eventually Edward moved onto his elbows to relieve the weight of his body, which was pinning Bella to the bed, and after a few seconds of staring down at her, perhaps to check that she was all right, he began to move away. Unable to bear losing contact, Bella stopped him by wrapping her arms and legs around him and forcefully pulling him back.

Burying her face in his shoulder and holding him tightly, she breathed in the scent of his warm skin and closed her eyes, desperately wanting to luxuriate in their physical closeness for a while longer. But she eventually had to admit the moment was over and grudgingly released her grip, allowing Edward to slide onto the mattress beside her. Thinking he would now retreat, Bella rolled onto her side away from him, holding her breath in trepidation while she waited to see what he would do or say next.

To her surprise, instead of distancing himself, Edward wrapped an arm around her and pulled her towards him, until her back was resting snugly against his chest. Cradled against his body, which now felt as natural as breathing, Bella could still hardly believe her wildest dreams had just come true, She didn't quite know how it had happened and she certainly didn't believe for a second that she could possibly hang onto Edward for long, but for now Bella just wanted to lie here quietly in his arms without having to think or speak.

In fact Bella managed to relax so much that she had almost drifted off to sleep when she felt Edward stir behind her. Immediately alert, her body tensed, before melting so completely and trustingly into his touch that it scared her a little. Stupidly she had thought Edward was done with her, but over the next few hours he demonstrated how wrong she was.

This time round Bella felt less nervous and inhibited and she quickly realised how much Edward must have been taken by surprise initially, because compared to what followed, his inability to hold himself back in their first encounter indicated a very uncharacteristic loss of control. Now he began to demonstrate how much pleasure there was in drawing things out.

Bella had always thought she had enjoyed sex before, but with Edward it was so much more. He already knew her body better than anyone else had ever done and she was astounded at how skilful he was in coaxing her to fall further under his spell, until she felt she would do anything he asked to prolong the experience.

Without neglecting his own pleasure, Edward continued to watch her and adjust their positions until she gasped and moaned and her body shook with the strength of the sensations he wrung out of her. Again and again he brought them to the brink and back again, until she felt weightless and almost delirious and nothing else mattered but their two naked bodies and the almost unbearable need to connect.

At times he was gentle and slow as if he was worshipping her body and nothing else mattered but pleasing her and she smilingly slipped into a state of lazy intoxication in which she felt so utterly relaxed and at peace that she dreamily felt as if she was floating away into some sort of sexual nirvana. At other times he was rough and demanding and they were both unable to restrain the violence and the greed of their need for each other, as their bodies wrestled with the strength of their passion.

At one point they decided they were hungry and wandered hand in hand towards the kitchen, only to become distracted because Edward suddenly had an intense desire to see her draped across his office desk in the moonlight. Eventually they made it to the kitchen, where they gathered up a bottle of red wine and whatever food they could find in the fridge to take back to the bedroom. But before they could get there Bella somehow found herself on all fours in the sitting room, then thrust up against the plate glass walls, screaming like a banshee and biting hard on Edward's shoulder, as she came for what seemed like the hundredth time.

Eventually as the sky began to lighten, their weary bodies were finally satisfied and Edward took her one last time, wrapping her gently in his arms as he slowly rocked into her and whispered endearments into her ear. Afterwards they fell asleep still tangled together, and when Bella woke a little later, disturbed by the sound of a car alarm in the street below, she was pleased to see how soundly Edward was sleeping for once. With the knowledge that at least she might have helped alleviate the nightmares, Bella drifted off to sleep again with the hint of a smile still on her face.

-ooo-

Switching off his alarm, Edward rubbed his eyes and tried to force his brain to focus on the day ahead and not the events of the night or the state of his room. Apart from his almost pathologically tidy ex-wife, he had never allowed anyone to freely share his living space before and he was distracted by the jumble of misplaced items which were strewn over every surface including the floor, where the broken lamp, crumpled bedclothes, half eaten food, spilt wine and discarded clothing were vying for his attention.

Despite the overwhelming euphoria and physical sense of wellbeing he felt, Edward was extremely wary of inviting this type of chaos into his life and his immediate reaction was to regroup and reassess the situation, but like the jumbled room, he knew his thoughts and emotions were far too disorganised to attempt this at the moment and for once he felt slightly at a loss. Dragging his eyes away from the mess, he therefore made another effort to clear his mind and concentrate on the important meetings he had in his diary for the day.

After visualising the agenda for his first meeting and deciding which suit he would wear, he sat up and leant back against the headboard, yawning and automatically running a hand through his hair. Rolling his head and shoulders, he flexed and stretched, feeling the pull of muscles which hadn't been used for too long. There was no denying the sex had been extraordinarily good, which was a serious complication when, for her own protection, he had still been hoping to somehow get his worryingly powerful attraction towards Bella out of his system as quickly as he could.

A slight movement caught his attention and looking down, his mouth twitched in amusement as he watched Bella nestle more closely into his body. Christ she was so perfect for him, she looked so small and delicate caught here in the tangle of his sheets, wide eyed and so willing to do anything he asked of her, she appealed so much to the predator in him that he was practically salivating.

Leisurely moving one arm, he ran a finger along her shoulder, unable to stop himself touching the firm white flesh, which almost shimmered now, as daylight began to creep in through the windows. She stirred and smiled slightly in her sleep and the sheet slipped down to reveal one rosy nipple, as well as the shadow of a bite mark just above it. His hand moved down her breast, his fingers teasingly circling, and as he watched the soft flesh harden under his touch, it was all he could do to stop himself reaching over to kiss Bella's reddened lips and coaxing her to take him in again.

As much as he would have liked to downplay what had happened last night, it was pointless to deny that she was the best he had ever had. But this was Bella, not one of his casual partners and she looked so innocent lying there that part of him strongly regretted what he had already done to tarnish that innocence. Although he was convinced he would never have taken the first step if Bella hadn't accidentally landed up in his bed, the previous night had confirmed that somehow he was tied to her more deeply than he wanted or had even thought possible.

But even if it meant sacrificing his own happiness, there could never be any excuse for hurting her and he vowed to himself that whatever happened in the future, he would continue to make an effort to rein himself in where Bella was concerned. Even if all his other resolutions fell by the wayside, he had to resist the impulse to ruthlessly take everything she so sweetly and unknowingly offered up to him.

So Edward gently and carefully drew the sheet back over her body, absently palming himself as his eyes travelled over her sleeping form. As he'd suspected all along, she was too tempting, and the situation was going to need careful handling if it wasn't going to get totally out of control. He'd been an idiot to let this happen after all these months and what was worse he'd been kidding himself all along - it hadn't been just Bella's welfare he'd been so concerned about, it was his own.

Sorry Edward's still holding back - it looks like Bella might have to work on that. Starting from when she wakes up?

See you on Friday - Suki