THIRTEEN

Once he had removed his shirt from my body, along with my underwear and other items, he quickly stripped and stretched out beside me. Bracing himself on one forearm and gazing down at me, he studied my face closely, as though he already did not know every detail, as if there would never be another day to see me and was committing every inch to memory. His free hand swept over the planes of my body like a breath of air and down to the heat of my body, gently flicking the bundle of nerves he found there.

He leaned down and licked the shell of my ear, his tongue darting inside and then back out, causing me to shiver in delight. "Did you know, m'Isabella, that many women have stated that sexual release can help ease the pain of menstruation?" He sucked my earlobe into his mouth and scraped his teeth ever-so-lightly over the delicate skin, then pulled away to gaze at me. "Promise me, la mia, that if you begin to experience the slightest discomfort that you will inform me immediately. I only desire to bring you pleasure. I do not wish for you to feel any pain. Promise, bella mia."

"I promise," I murmured.

As my body grew wet beneath his touch, I realized that the naughty little quip about doctors being good with their hands was a grotesque understatement when it came to Carlisle Cullen. His cool fingers danced lightly over my flesh with an expertise born of almost two hundred years of controlled and gentle practice. His hands barely caressed over my form, the touch feeling like a mere whisper, causing my sensitive skin to come alive and singing out for him only.

I writhed in response to his touch and whimpered helplessly as his cold fingers dipped inside me once, twice, then withdrew; I about died of surprise and arousal when he lifted his hand to his lips, licking away all the traces of red. "Carlisle…" I moaned loudly and my thighs instinctively parted farther, allowing him greater access, which he took advantage of instantly, slipping his fingers back inside, moving more firmly and deeply. When he withdrew his fingers again, I fully expected him to taste me instantly but was overwhelmed with lust when his fingertips sought out one tight nipple, pinching it before tracing around the areola. "Oh my God," I panted, watching him streak the intimate area with red then bending his head to claim my breast and my blood. "Oh God, Carlisle… Please, taste me! I want you to taste me, Carlisle…"

I gasped when he suddenly shifted us, propping me up slightly against a small mound of pillows and murmuring into my ear, "I want you to watch, mi passerotta. I want you to see how much pleasure your exquisite body brings me, m'Isabella."

Sweet mother of God, I was not going to survive this! There was absolutely no way. My body was already thrumming in response to simply being this close to my mate; if I were to be witness to this special moment, I felt certain that I would lose myself entirely. But, there was something so incredibly arousing, and at the same time intensely spiritual, about him drinking from me so personally that I felt compelled to watch my mate perform this intimate act.

When he was certain that I was comfortable, he kissed slowly down my body, before grasping my calves and gently shoving my knees toward my chest, letting my ankles rest over those gorgeously broad shoulders. His colds hands trailed down the inside of my thighs and spread them wide, before he gazed up at me, his eyes gleaming with the intensity of his love and adoration. "La mia…" he whispered reverently, before bowing his head.

The first slow lap took me completely by surprise, a bolt of electricity shooting from my core, up my spine and branching out to every nerve ending of my body, and my eyes immediately sought out his. When our gazes locked, I could feel his soul reaching out to mine and I felt a sudden daze overtake me, recognizing almost immediately that my soul was stretching out to him.

I felt almost as if I were watching us from outside of my body, as he wrapped his strong arms around my thighs and pulled me closer to him, his hunger becoming more apparent as he began to devour me greedily. I shivered violently and could not stop my hands from fisting in those luscious blond locks, tugging hard as I began rocking against him. The sound of the loud rumble that burst from his chest alone was enough to send my desire soaring, but the strong vibrations that accompanied it had me crying out in pleasure.

"Divina…" he growled between hungry laps. "Come vina dolce… Mia sangue divina…" He raised his head to stare deeply into my eyes, his lips and chin smeared bright red. "Sei deliziosa, m'Isabella… Tuo sangue è divina, cara mia…"

Under any other circumstance, the sight of blood would have nauseated me, but there was something so purely erotic and so profoundly sacred at seeing my menstrual blood, the most personal and intimate part of me, on those beautiful lips, that I could only gaze in awe. I stared deeply into his dark red eyes and felt the bond between us begin to pulse, as though it were a living entity thriving on our shared desire and love, our souls bleeding into the other through this powerful act.

I tightened my hands in his silky hair and pulled his face toward mine, claiming his lips as greedily as he had claimed my body. When I tried to take control of the passionate kiss, he snarled softly and grabbed a handful of my hair, pulling my head back to expose my throat. "Sottostare a mi, bella mia." His lips caressed my neck, soothing the mark he had left previously, before returning to the warm fountain of my body, his tongue delving deep inside.

I dropped my head back against the pillows, only letting myself feel, as his tongue thrust in and out with startling speed, while a cool finger worked my clit at an inhumane pace. My pussy clenched around him erratically while the strangest vibration began spreading through my entire form, astonishment mingling with ecstasy as I realized that it was both my body and my soul that was being overwhelmed by the intense orgasm.

Tears burned my eyes as I began to shake uncontrollably, riding wave after colorful wave of excruciating pleasure. My hands ached as I gripped the sheets tightly, holding on for dear life as bliss threatened to shatter every thread of my being. I was vaguely aware of my mate still lapping at the hot blood between my thighs as I came down from my heavenly high, and I moaned. "Carlisle… what-what was that?"

The delicious purr that he made between my thighs shook me to my core. "That, cara mia, was a miracle that I have only personally heard of happening twice before." He raised his head, his eyes gleamed a dark maroon color, as he licked the last remaining traces of my blood from his lips. "Are you quite all right, dolce vina?"

"Yes," I replied softly, offering him a reassuring smile. "It was just a bit… overwhelming. It felt like—"

"Your soul was having an orgasm?" he interjected, as he rolled over onto his side, taking me with him. "That is because it was. It was powerful enough that I felt it inside of my own body and soul. And I must say that I have never been more thankful for my family being gone from the house; I doubt that I could stop myself from being jealous if they received such exquisite pleasure from the force of your orgasm."

I blinked at him in confusion.

He smiled at me, a hint of embarrassment in his maroon eyes. "M'amore, the force of your spiritual orgasm went beyond your own soul's reach, and it was like being engulfed in pure and utter ecstasy, with some rather interesting results." When my lips formed a surprised and knowing O, he chuckled and nuzzled my temple, the purr growing louder. "I'm surprised that you did not feel me bite you when I lost control. It took me a moment to realize what had happened and I removed the venom as quickly as possible."

I rested silently for a few minutes in his embrace, soaking up the love pouring from him and blushing under his adoring gaze. "I-I want to ask you something, but I…"

His hands combed through the chocolate waves of my hair. "Mi deliziosa bella," he cooed, "you may ask me anything your heart wishes. I swear to you, I will never deny you anything ever again, mi passerotta."

I buried my face in his neck and mumbled my question, growling when he asked me to repeat it because there was no doubt that he had heard me with his vampiric senses; he was just teasing me, and it was not at all nice. I drew back and flushed at the look of contentment and satisfaction on his face. "Did I… How did I…"

He stroked the soft planes of my face tenderly, running his thumb over my cheek then my lower lip, purring when I sighed blissfully at the touch. "Isabella mia, you are far more heavenly than I could have ever anticipated. When I said before that your blood would be like ambrosia to me, I was wholly unaware of just how correct I was. I knew you would have the most delectable flavor, but your taste is practically beyond words… Never before have I been so sure of my soul's reprieve from damnation, for only God himself could create and grant me such an exquisite delight. Your blood, cara mia… your life-giving blood is truly the most perfect nectar upon this Earth, the most divine and delicious gift given to me by God."

I was speechless. Absolutely speechless.

One of the things that I had before hated most about my humanity was nothing short of the most miraculous treasure to the beautiful creature before me; and for the first time since meeting this remarkable man, I almost regretted having to become like them in future, knowing that this part of me would be forever lost to him.

.

Waking up was a surprisingly pleasant experience, to say the least.

Normally when I woke up the day after starting my period, I felt drained and just downright bitchy! I usually started those less than stellar days with obnoxious cramps and backache, but this morning was different. I awoke to find my entire midsection blanketed in unusual warmth and was suddenly aware of a rather large heating pad underneath me and a hot water bottle lying across my abdomen.

I opened my eyes to find two glittering topazes staring right back at me, and I smiled. "You know, I could get very used to having a doctor for my mate." He smirked and ran one finger down my arm, making me shiver in delight before I stretched and yawned. "Although, I should probably get cleaned up. I don't want to ruin your expensive sheets."

He bit his lower lip and glanced away, the bloodless blush apparent. "I…took care of that already."

"Oh!" I blinked in surprise, then confusion as I quickly realized that this could mean one of two things. I was afraid to ask which, not wanting to offend or embarrass him, so I rubbed my thighs together as discreetly as possible, feeling the cotton string. I felt a bit guilty for having jumped to conclusions, knowing that Carlisle was far too much of a gentleman to ever do anything without my expressed permission. I felt even worse when I saw his self-deprecating smirk, knowing that I had been caught. "Sorry," I murmured apologetically.

He shook his head. "For once in my near-four hundred years, I was tempted to do the inappropriate thing," he said and he stretched out beside me. "I was very tempted, but I knew that I could not disrespect you in such a way, m'Isabella." He blushed again, before he added, "I am sorry if I presumed too much in taking care of your needs, but I was certain that you would be less comfortable waking up covered in your own blood."

I hummed. "Yes… While I am more than glad that my blood can offer you pleasure and comfort, I cannot say that waking up in it is the most pleasant experience for me personally." I stretched again and shot him a mournful glance. "It's Friday… Do I have to go to school?"

He smiled and stroked my chocolate curls. "Actually, it would be quite impossible, unless you were to take my Mercedes — the others are not quite as generous about sharing their cars." He then gestured to the window, where I could see a thin beam of glaringly bright light streaming through a part in the curtains. "It is impossible for the rest of us to go out in public today. Your poor father was quite confused as to why Esme would want to remain in his home without the company of another."

My eyes widened. "Esme's trapped in Charlie's house?"

Carlisle grinned like the Cheshire cat. "I can only imagine what changes he will return to find… As much as I care for her, there are times when I do believe that Esme has some strange form of obsessive-compulsive disorder. She truly cannot seem to help herself when it comes to decoration and renovation."

I rubbed my face as I chortled. "Poor Charlie."

He chuckled along with me as he wrapped me in a tender embrace, pressing a kiss to the bruise on my neck. "If you only knew the half of it, cara mia… Esme is indeed a loving and compassionate woman, but she has a somewhat devious and mischievous streak hidden very deeply beneath that gentle personality of hers. I do not wish to know just what it was she said and did to your father that caused him to allow you to spend the night here."

I wrinkled my nose. "Oh God, I don't think I want to know either. Just…no! Ew! I love Esme, I do. But Charlie… Just… Ew!" The faces I made must have been quite hysterical because my mate burst out laughing as he hugged me tightly. "I need to think of something else. Anything! Pizza, chocolate, chocolate pizza, sea turtles—"

"Sea turtles?"

"Sea turtles! A pair of them strapped to my feet!"

He pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation. "Please, I beg of you, do not start singing about why the rum is gone!"

I could not stop giggling. "I'm sorry. If I had known that Emmett was going to bother everyone with it, I wouldn't have sent him the link."

Carlisle shook his head, a lock of brilliant blond hair falling over one eye. "Alas, it would not have mattered. He would have found it on his own eventually, just like he found that damned hobbits to Isengard video." He shuddered, and I had to agree because while it was funny the first one hundred times, the next several hundred times were less than pleasant.

"So," I drawled, hoping to get us away from the painful memories of Emmett's idea of torture. "What's on today's agenda? And just what is my excuse for not going to school? And what am I supposed to tell Charlie about my absence?"

He smiled. "You need not worry about Charlie. All Esme had to say was 'female trouble' and he apparently was ready to move onto a different subject quickly."

"Yes," I said, pulling back the covers to climb out of bed, and rolled my eyes. "Nothing shuts up a man like the P-word. And they say women are the 'fairer' sex. Men are so sad!"

I was suddenly on my back, my mate atop me and growling down at me playfully. "I do hope, mi passerotta, that you are not saying that I am not man enough to handle your natural biology."

I smirked. "Oh, I think you handled it quite well, amongst other things." When his lips found my pulse and attached themselves firmly to the delicate skin, I hissed. "Will you please stop that? I cannot walk around with a permanent hickey! People will notice, you know."

"No," he growled possessively as he pulled away to stare into my eyes. "By now, aquela schifosa has informed most of the town. You are eighteen, a legal adult, and your father already knows. And you must remember, mi dolce vina—" he leaned down and whispered in my ear through the growl— "that you are mine, mia Bella, and I need you to wear my mark during this time. It reassures me that you are mine and that the world knows your mine."

I ran my fingers through his luscious blond hair and pulled him back from my ear to smile at him adoringly. "I would never deny you this if it makes you more comfortable." When he mumbled 'it does', I nodded my acquiescence. "Then I will not mention it again."

While we did not experience the same Earth-shattering pleasure as the night before, I could feel our souls reaching out for the other in the intensity of the moment as we lay together, just gazing at each other, touching and stroking each other gently, enjoying the closeness and the emotions of our bond swirling between us. It was warm and comforting, perfect, like magic. I sighed contently when he dipped his head to press the most tender kiss to my lips, and I found myself whispering, "Saranghabnida." When he jerked back, blinking at me in surprise and confusion. "Um… It's the informal way of saying I love you in Korean. In front of others, I would say dangshin uhl saranghabnida, simply out of formality."

While his lips curled into a smirk, I could see the pride in his eyes. "I do recall you informing Alice that you do not speak Korean."

I rolled my eyes. "Knowing a few terms and phrases does not constitute speaking the language, Carlisle. And I hate to break this to Alice, but memorizing several songs doesn't count either!" I wiggled closer to him and decided that it was time to divert the topic away from my knowledge of Korean. "Are you ever going to tell me what torture your family has planned for the human today?"

"Alice wants for the family to spend the day at the lake," he said, chuckling when I groaned. "I must admit that I would rather be spending the day alone with you, but I fear that if I do not allow you out of the bedroom, the pixie will result to drastic measures. Plus, I do believe that she is aware that if we are going to be near the wolves this evening that I need to allow you to be around other predators first to... adapt."

"What are we going to do about this evening?" I questioned softly.

"Jasper will go ahead of us," he explained. "Sam trusts Jasper more than the others. He will explain to Sam the situation between you and me, and warn them about my protective state. To keep war from breaking out, I am certain Sam will allow Jasper to uses his power on the wolves as well if it becomes necessary."

I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him in for a loving kiss, my eyes conveying my love as I gazed into the darkening citrine. I knew that he was struggling with allowing anyone near me, as his protective instincts had been triggered not once, but twice within one day… We both had already been experiencing difficulty being away from each other, but between Jessica's damn mouth and Emmett's over-eagerness to make sure his little sister was okay, we were in a very volatile situation. Of course, if I were to be honest, despite the seriousness of his aggressive emotions, I found his possessiveness to be quite endearing, which was rather odd, considering I could not stand any of Edward's aggressive traits.

He pulled away ever so slowly, his eyes full of such adoration that it nearly took my breath away. "Rosalie has your breakfast ready," he murmured as he kissed the tip of my nose. "Alice brought you several changes of clothes last night, along with your other personal items. They are sitting on the counter above the towels. I have to go hunting, but I will be back before you are through with your shower, m'Isabella."

He claimed my lips in a tender and deep kiss, before dressing in a blur and disappearing through the window. As he ran, I could see a glowing blur fade into the forest and it occurred to me that I had never really seen Carlisle in the sunlight. I had never seen him slowly step out into the warm beams of the sun and watch the light dance on his pale skin; and as I made my way to the bathroom to take care of my feminine needs, I realized that my entire body was practically humming with anticipation.

I showered quickly and chose a pair of faded blue jeans and an Aeropostale graphic-tee. Just before I went to put on my hoodie, I suddenly had a mischievous urge to wander into Carlisle's closet, and after searching for a good minute or two, I found the one thing that I never would have expected from Carlisle Cullen. I immediately grabbed the article of clothing, grinning like a maniac the entire time, and tromped down the stairs, feeling incredibly proud of myself for both not falling and my rather surprising find. As soon as I entered the kitchen, all four vampires broke out into bright smirks at what I carried in my hands.

When I slipped it on, Jasper, who had obviously gotten a healthy dose of my glee and pride, chuckled. "You do realize, Bella, that if Carlisle were human, that right there would give him a damn heart attack!"

I just continued smiling brightly as I munched on my delicious breakfast.

Poor Carlisle Cullen wouldn't know what hit him.

.

TBC

In the words of Bob Ross:

Let's get crazy.