As always, thank you to my pre-reader purpleC305 and to Ninkita, my beta extraordinaire.

Disclaimer: The author does not own any publicly recognizable characters herein. No copyright infringement is intended.

If you're still with me, thank you for your patience.

ooo

EPOV

"Um, Edward? Do we really need condoms?"

I sit up straight and gape at her, thinking I haven't heard her right.

"What are you…? Yes, of course!" I say louder than intended and shake my head in disbelief because… for heaven's sake what is she thinking?

Izi flinches at my unintended outburst. "Oh." Oh? That's all she has to say? Her eyes are on her fiddling fingers and she's abusing her lower lip with her teeth.

"Izi?" I wait for her to look at me but her eyes remain on her hands and she lets out a heavy sigh. I lie down next to her and put my finger under her chin to turn her head in my direction. She gives me a small smile when our eyes finally meet and I lean over to kiss her sweet lips. "I'm sorry I yelled. It's just that… Didn't you tell me you're not on birth control, sweetheart?" She nods slowly. "And you still want us to have sex?" I ask, just to be sure I understood her correctly.

"Yes," she whispers, her answer prompt, there's no hesitation. I look into her eyes to see if it's what she wants or if she still somehow thinks she's letting me down if we don't do it, because it sure looks like that to me (silly girl!). I can't see any hesitation, it seems like she really means it, and I'm totally and utterly dumbfounded. I'm about to talk her into waiting for another opportunity because she has to see how wrong and irresponsible this is, when she speaks.

"We don't have to go all the way, you know," she says casually and shrugs, like it's no big deal. "I mean, can't you just pull out?" The last words are but a whisper, like she just realized herself what she said and how careless it sounds even in her ears.

"Jesus Christ, baby, are you serious?" I look at her in disbelief. My heart is pounding, whether from the shock of her irrational thoughts or the undeniable attraction and lust I'm feeling right now - because feeling her without a barrier would be damn near perfect - I'm not sure.

"I just want to finally…" And there it is. The reason she even suggested something so risque.

"And you don't think I want that, too?" I interrupt her quickly. She shrugs and I want to shake her until she comes back from whatever delusional trip she's on. "You crazy, crazy, woman. After everything we have said and done, you doubt me? You doubt my feelings for you? There's nothing I want more, love but you have to see how irresponsible this is. And besides, why do I feel like I'm the bad guy here, trying to talk you out of having sex?" I shake my head at the whole absurdity.

Izi ignores my question and sits up, her beautiful naked body in front of me. I lose focus for a second. "Please Edward," she pleads, bringing me back from the useless state I'm in. "I'm clean, if that's what you're worried about."

"Oh, good, I'm clean too. Yay!" I say in an exaggerated cheery but not less sarcastic tone. "This is definitely not what I'm worried about," I tell her, my voice taking on a serious tone. I rub my face in frustration. Jesus, she's going to give me gray hair, I swear.

"What are you worried about then? I told you, just pull out. I know you will be careful." If I was an asshole, a less reliable person I'd have her flat on her back and me inside her in a heartbeat. I'm on the verge of giving in because the picture that has just formed in my mind does nothing to convince myself of the wrongness and irresponsibility of the act. On the contrary, it makes me want to love her all night long even more now but thankfully, I still have some resistance left. I shake my head but simultaneously my whole body trembles from excitement, when Izi leans down and starts kissing me slowly but purposefully, her lips pliant but firm and her nipples grazing my chest which makes me ultimately shudder with want. "Please, Edward, please," she almost begs and sucks lightly on my earlobe.

Argh! She's awfully confident in my self-control which, ironically, is gradually slipping right now. The fact that she trusts me makes me want to cry from joy and it makes me love her even more. Despite her willingness to put her trust blindly into my hands in regards to having unprotected sex (again, what is she thinking?!) and to show me that she believes I'll be careful, I won't give in. I'm not a risk seeking idiot. That title belongs to Emmett.

Emmett! Of course! My brain finally catches up. It's highly possible that my brother has condoms in his room and that we don't have to succumb to irresponsible actions after all. Not that I really considered it. Or maybe I did - just a little bit.

"Give me two minutes, love. I'll be right back." I quickly put on my boxers and disappear into Emmett's room which is right next to ours.

I go through his bag but I can't find anything. The drawer in the bedside table is next and I'm lucky. There are two strips of prophylactics. I tear off two squares and run back to our room before anyone sees me.

Once back, I hold up the condoms for Izi to see, which makes her giggle. Look at her, Edward. She's so damn gorgeous. You're a lucky son of a bitch, I think to myself and smile at her joy and giddiness. Throwing the condoms on the bedside table I take off my boxers before I rejoin my beautiful and naked girlfriend on the bed. Without waiting for me to lie next to her, Izi gets on her knees and puts her arms around my neck. "Finally," she whispers before she grabs me by my hair and pulls me closer to kiss me. "No distractions anymore, no excuses. Make love to me, Edward."

With my hands in her hair I kiss her; tongues tasting, teeth pulling. Our bodies touch - chest to chest, hard to soft. There is no hurry, we have all night.

My hands run up her arms, around her shoulders and down her spine, making her shudder. "You're so soft, so beautiful" I say against her lips when my hands wander down the curve of her ass. I squeeze lightly, eliciting a low moan from her. "And so damn sexy." My words make her tighten her grip on my hair and kiss me harder. Her tongue circles mine before she sucks it into her mouth, making me moan in the process.

Even though there is no more space between us I feel the urge to pull her still closer, to feel more of her. My cock is hard and ready and brushes against her stomach and without breaking the kiss she takes me in her hand, strokes and squeezes, her thumb grazing the tip, making me groan and thrust into her hand. "Izi," I whisper her name, enjoying her intimate touch, tender caresses and kisses.

"Toliko san dugo čekala ovaj trenutak," (I've waited so long for this moment) she confesses. "I can't wait to feel you inside me, Edward."

"Me too, baby," I reciprocate. I put my hand over hers to keep her from stroking me. "But you gotta stop now, beautiful, or I'm done before we even get there."

"Oh, sorry," she says sheepishly and her grip loosens gradually.

"Don't be sorry, it's ok. I'm just a little bit too excited right now," I tell her and kiss her softly. "I love it when you touch me but right now… I want you. I want to feel you and be inside of you. Is that ok, love?" I don't know why I feel the need to ask since it's obvious that our kissing and stroking and touching would have led us there anyway. I just want her to be really sure about it, I guess.

"Of course it's ok," she says incredulously, like I just uttered the most ridiculous words but a second later she smiles at me and puts her hand on my chest. She gives me a quick kiss before she shoves me lightly but hard enough to make me fall backwards, surprising me with the move. "As long as you let me be on top," she teases and winks.

"By all means baby, go ahead." I put my hands behind my head, the picture of relaxation, and grin. She straddles my thighs and smirks at me. Leaning down she kisses me, her tongue stroking languidly and sensually before her lips detach themselves from mine and leave a trail of kisses from my cheek to my ear - where she softly breathes my name and ends it with a nip to my earlobe, making me break out in goosebumps - down to where my neck meets my shoulder and still further down where she ends up dangerously close to my excited friend.

Izi straightens and looks at my cock as it stands at attention, waiting for some action. She licks her lips and for a second her eyes meet mine before she wraps her hand around my shaft and leans down to taste me.

"Ah, shit," I say through gritted teeth and weave my hands in her hair, to anchor me or guide her, I'm not sure. Izi looks up at me, her eyes hooded, intense. Her mouth finally engulfs me in its warmth, her tongue circling the head and fingers playing gently with my balls. "Damn!" My euphoria doesn't last long because Izi lets go of me with a kiss to the head and reaches for a condom.

"As much as I'd like to finish what I started, I want you inside me. I don't think you'll mind, will you?"

I shake my head frantically. "I want that too. I want to be inside you." Izi smiles and opens the foil package, retrieving the latex ring and rolling it on. This is it. This is the moment we have been waiting for for what seems like forever. And I'm so fucking happy.

Izi takes me in her hand, pumping a few times before she positions me at her entrance. She slowly eases herself on to me, making me shiver with every inch that's being surrounded by her.

We both moan at the sensation of finally being joined. We don't move for a while and take our time getting used to the new sensation. "You feel so good," Izi whispers, like it's a secret only I'm allowed to know. Her eyes are closed and she's biting her lower lip.

When she opens her eyes again they immediately seek out mine. "I love you," she declares before she starts to move above me, never looking away from me. She puts her hands on my chest for support while she glides up and down my cock. She rolls her hips and sounds of pleasure escape her luscious lips.

The sensation of having her surrounding me is incomparable to anything I've ever felt. My love for her is bigger than I ever thought to be possible. I look at my beauty who is lazily smiling at me, her eyes hooded from arousal while she's riding me nice and slow. I run my hands up her side and to the front to cup her breasts. Her breathing gets faster and heavier with each stroke of my thumbs across her nipples. "Mmmh," Izi moans, her hands reaching behind her to find support on my thighs, rocking and rolling her hips. I put my hands on her hips, guiding her while I thrust into her. The feeling of her walls gripping me, possessing me, does nothing to prolong the bliss and calmness I felt when I first entered her. On the contrary. I want to take her, right here, right now - fast and hard.

"Oh God," Izi moans when my thrusts become harder. Her moves are getting faster too, her noises of pleasure penetrating my ears. "It's never been like this," Izi confesses, panting with her efforts of keeping the rhythm and pace. "So good, baby, so so good." She leans forward and puts her hands on either side of my head, moving her hips up and down my shaft, faster and harder with every move. I meet her with equally hard thrusts upwards, my orgasm building slowly.

"I'm close, baby," she says and it's all I need to know, I'm almost there too. I lift my head to take a nipple into my mouth and suck hard at the bud knowing she loves it and that it turns her on even more. "Jeben ti!" (Fuck!) she cries out, her head thrown back, while she rocks wildly above me. "Now Edward! Now!" she orders, her voice strained and I hold on to her hips tightly while I drive into her like a crazy man. Finally, I find my release and I close my eyes, forgetting everything around me for a moment. Izi's right there with me, her mouth open in ecstasy before she collapses on me, weak and spent.

Our chests rise and fall with our heavy breaths. I run my hand up and down her back and bury my head into her hair. "You ok, baby?"

"Mmm," she confirms and kisses the spot over my heart before she looks at me, her happy face a testament that she liked what we just did. "That was…" She shakes her head and looks at her fingers that are stretched out on my chest before her eyes meet mine again. "It was all I imagined and more."

"For me too, love," I reciprocate and pull her head toward me to meet her halfway for a kiss. It's short but soft. "I need to take care of the condom. I'll be right back." Izi rolls off me and snuggles into the pillow.

When I get back I have to suppress a sigh because the sight in front of me is gorgeous. Izi is sprawled out on the bed, her soft naked body the most glorious creation I have ever had the pleasure of seeing. I should be disappointed that she fell asleep but I can't be. She's exhausted from our activities today, outdoor and indoor and to be honest I'm going to fall asleep just as fast when my head finally hits the pillow.

ooo

I wake up to the sun peeking through the blinds and a warm hand on my chest. I blink a few times until my eyes adjust to the morning light in the room. Izi's warm brown eyes are the first thing I see. "Good morning." My voice is raspy from sleep and my mind is still a bit foggy.

"Good morning," she says back, her voice clearer than mine, which tells me she's been awake for a while.

"Have you been awake for a long time?" I ask.

"An hour maybe." She runs a finger from my temple down to my jaw. "I couldn't sleep."

"Is something wrong?" I support myself on my elbow and look down at her, concerned.

"No, no, nothing's wrong. I had a bad dream, that's all." She shrugs, like it's not affecting her but I can see in her eyes that it wasn't just a bad dream.

"Do you want to talk about it?" I cup her cheek and run my thumb along her soft skin. Her mouth opens a few times but the words won't come. "You know you can talk to me about anything, right?"

"I know, but the dream was about my ex-boyfriend and I don't know if you want to hear about it." She looks uncertain and I already fear the worst. What could he have done for her to have bad dreams about him? Or maybe she thinks I'm not interested in her life before me? I don't care because I want to know everything and anything she's comfortable sharing with me. Even about her ex-boyfriend. Especially about her ex-boyfriend if he's been an ass to her like I'm assuming at the moment.

"I'll listen if you're ready to share," I assure her.

"Thank you." She sounds relieved but nervous. "But first I need you to know that I'm not comparing you with him. You are nothing like him." She gauges my reaction, waiting for me to confirm I understood what she just said. I nod and Izi takes a deep breath. "I met my ex, Petar, two years ago in a club Roza and I used to go to. He was nice and very attentive. He was seven years older, had a career as a bank manager, and owned his own apartment. Every girl's dream man, right?" It's a rhetorical question so I don't answer.

"It was very exciting, at first. Like I said, he was very attentive, taking me out for dinner, weekend trips and such even though I protested and told him I didn't need all these things. My parents and Roza didn't like him. They saw immediately what I didn't want to see.

"After a few months he started to act weird. Roza and I were still going out together on the weekends, not as often as we used to but still every other Saturday since I had a boyfriend who needed my attention." Her voice changes from factual to agitated. Instantly, I sense that something bad must have happened.

"He started to accuse me of spending more time with Roza than with him even though it wasn't true. One time he even said that Roza takes me with her so she could hook me up with other guys." Izi pauses for a few seconds, her thoughts somewhere far away.

"I was mad at him, not only because of how he viewed my best friend but also how he could think I would even entertain the thought of looking for other guys while I was with him. He apologized, I forgave him. Things were good for a while until we met an old childhood friend of mine. A nice guy who did nothing wrong but to hug me because we hadn't seen each other for a long while because he had moved to another county."

I tense at her words. I don't want to assume but I have to ask. "Did he…"

"Abuse me, you mean?" she asks, finishing my sentence. I nod, glad I'm not the one having to say it. "No, not physically anyway. Verbally on the other hand..." She shrugs like it's no big deal. "Everytime I talked to a guy, no matter how innocent, he would interrogate me with questions like: 'Who is this?', 'Did you date him?' or even 'Did you sleep with him?' I don't know why I was still with him after that. Probably because he apologized again." She laughs humorlessly and I wonder what else he said that made her ultimately break up with him.

"When he started calling me names like "tease" and "whore" that's when I told him to go to Hell. I finally broke up with him, which I should have done long before the name calling started." She gives me an embarrassed smile and continues.

"If I thought that breaking up was all it took to get rid of him, I was sorely mistaken. He called and apologized - again. I told him it wouldn't work this time and he told me I was his and that he wouldn't let me go just like that. When he started to show up everywhere I was, I started to get scared. Roza knew everything that had happened pre and post breakup and she never judged me but she advised me to tell my parents. So I did. I gave my dad his address and he drove to him. I don't know what he said to Petar, or what he threatened him with but I never saw him again."

Silence sets in because I don't know what to say. "What a prick!" I say through gritted teeth. "If I ever…"

"If you ever what, Edward?" She asks with a sympathetic smile. "I appreciate your concern and anger, baby, but I don't want you to waste any thoughts on him about shit like beating him up or something, ok? He's in the past."

"Obviously not if you still dream about him." I'm so mad. Not at Izi but the asshole who invades her dreams.

"I've never dreamed about him before," she corrects me. "That was the first and only time."

Even though I'm elated that this is the case I'm still irritated. "Will you tell me what the dream was about?"

Izi nods and takes a deep breath. "We were at the beach. I think we were at the bar actually and he was suddenly behind us, his arms around your shoulder, like you're old buddies or something. He started to list all the reasons you shouldn't be with me, everything I told you a few minutes ago he said the same to you. It didn't even take you a minute to believe him and then you left me there after you told me that you don't want me anymore." She takes a shuddering breath and I immediately pull her to me.

"Please believe me, that will never happen." I put her head on my chest, planting a kiss into her hair. "He doesn't know you, baby. He doesn't know what he's talking about. He's nothing but a self-centered asshole, too selfish to see what a wonderful person you are. His loss is my gain."

She smiles at my words and lifts her head slightly to kiss my chin. "He is an asshole, I know. I'm glad I got rid of him. The dream just scared me for a moment, that's all. Since I never even thought about him much less anything else since the ultimate breakup, it felt so real and I was confused and frightened at the same time when I woke up."

"I can't promise you that everything will always be sunshine and roses, Izi, but I promise that I will never hurt you intentionally. You don't hurt the ones you love and I do love you, baby, so much."

Izi leans away a bit and smiles up at me. "I ja tebe," (I love you too) she whispers before she pulls me down for a kiss.

ooo

Thank you so much for reading and reviewing, I appreciate it!

Voli vas,

LunaBev