Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of the characters used herein. All recognizable characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer and Summit Entertainment. No copyright infringement is intended.

Author's Note- thanks to everyone who favorited, followed and/or reviewed my story. I'm glad you're enjoying it, and I greatly appreciate your feedback. Now, without further ado, on with the show!

As they walked through the wooded area towards the other side of the island, Bella was reminded that she had two left feet. Her sandal caught on a tree root, and she lost her balance. She felt herself falling forward for a brief second before feeling Carlisle's strong hands catch her, one on her shoulder, the other on her lower back. Holding her steady until she could regain her footing, Carlisle spoke, looking concerned. "Bella, sweetheart, are you alright? I apologize. I should have offered to carry you. I certainly don't want you to get injured."

"Yes, thank you Carlisle for catching me. The only thing hurt is my pride." Bella said jokingly. "I'm so uncoordinated that sometimes I think it would be best if I lived in a bubble." Carlisle chuckled at her response. "Well then, I guess you have something to look forward to after your change. Coordination is a strong suit of ours." He smiled at her. "You have no idea how excited I am for that." Bella said while laughing out loud. The sound of her carefree laugh was a joy to Carlisle's ears. He could tell that she was opening up to him, and he couldn't wait for their time out at sea together, getting to know one another in a more intimate way.

Once Bella was steady on her feet again, they carefully walked hand in hand towards the shore. As the trees cleared and Bella saw the beautiful boat in the slip, she was taken aback by it's size and beauty. It was a piece of art. "Oh my gosh, Carlisle. It's absolutely gorgeous!" Bella exclaimed. "You call this small? I think it's bigger than Renee's old apartment" she said, eyes wide taking it all in. Carlisle laughed before responding to her remark. "Yes, Bella, in the way of yachts, it is on the smaller side." Putting his arm around her and pulling her closer to his side, he leaned in, brushing her hair away from her ear and whispered "and I do enjoy indulging at times." Bella shivered as his words sent a jolt of arousal straight to her core. Kissing her on the cheek, Carlisle spoke again, "ladies first" as he guided her towards the boarding ramp and onto the boat.

"Welcome aboard the Eclipse, Bella." Carlisle smiled at her. "Carlisle, this is amazing" Bella whispered, her jaw practically scraping the floor. "Thank you, Bella. I'm rather fond of it as well. It's a Ferretti 550." The yacht had a modern elegance to it, with gray and white tones throughout. It featured a galley kitchen, expansive couch seating and large picture windows throughout the main cabin area, giving a beautiful view of the ocean. There was a small dining table with benches on either side and a king sized bed in the state room.

On the main deck, a small sun pad sat at the stern of the ship. At the bow, there was a larger sun pad big enough for several people to lay out on along with additional seating. A bimini top covered a small table above deck with seating surrounding it. It also shaded the helm of the ship.

"Why don't I show you what she can do?" Carlisle smiled genuinely at Bella. Taking her hand, he guided her towards the ladder to the upper deck. Climbing carefully so as not to fall, Bella made her way up the ladder. Carlisle followed closely behind her, admiring the way her beautiful backside moved as she climbed. Shaking his head quickly to clear his thoughts, he joined Bella above deck.

Bella took a seat on one of the benches near the steering wheel and observed Carlisle as he prepared the ship to set sail. He completed safety checks and verified that they had all of the necessary life-saving equipment on board to meet coast guard regulations. Once he was satisfied that all was ready, he backed the boat out of the slip. Grinning at Bella with a mischievous look in his eyes he said "hold on tight, beautiful." Before Bella had time to respond, he maxed out the throttle. She let out an exhilarated squeal and gripped the seat as the wind blew through her hair. Soon they were cruising at 30 knots.

Carlisle chuckled quietly at her reaction. He loved that she was feeling more at ease with him. They cruised for about a half an hour before he backed off the throttle and called out to her. "Bella, sweetheart" Carlisle beckoned her over. Standing, she made her way towards him. Taking a step back and placing a hand on Bella's hip, he gently pulled her in front of him. Covering her hands with his own, Carlisle placed them on the steering wheel. Bella looked back at him and bit her lip. "Carlisle, I've never driven a boat before. I have no idea what I'm doing." she said nervously. "I will help guide you. Trust me." he said, reassuring her.

"It's a lot like driving a car" Carlisle spoke again, his hands still covering hers. "Keep both hands on the wheel unless you're shifting the throttle." Moving her hand in his to the throttle, Carlisle showed Bella how to change their speed, how to stop and how to reverse. "You're doing great, sweetheart." he said enthusiastically. Slowly, Carlisle dropped his hands to his side as he allowed Bella to take full control of the helm.

Still standing behind her, he moved closer and placed his hands on her hips. He felt Bella tense, startled by his touch. "Shh, Bella, it's alright" he whispered against her neck. Trembling slightly but determined to stay focused on the task at hand, Bella stared straight ahead and kept her hands on the wheel. Soon she felt Carlisle gently pull her back up against him as he pressed his body flush against hers, their bodies molding together. Leaning down he began to place feather light kisses on her neck. Slowly, his hands wandered from her hips around to her lower abdomen, resting there as he held her close.

Granting him the access that her body was so desperately aching for, Bella tilted her head to the side and leaned back against his cool muscular chest. Sighing with contentment she relaxed as she melted into him. "Carlisle..." Bella moaned, "if you keep that up, you're going to make me crash the boat." Chuckling in her ear, Carlisle reached forward and placed his hands back over hers on the wheel. Slowly decreasing speed, he prepared to drop the anchors.

Once the yacht had come to a stop, Carlisle whispered seductively into Bella's ear "I take it that you liked that, Bella?" Bella nodded, eyes closed as she focused on her breathing and tried to slow her racing heart. Smiling at the reaction his words and actions had caused, Carlisle spoke again. "Bella, sweetheart, I'm going to drop the anchors. There is no one else around for miles and I think this will be a great place for us to spend the day." Finding her voice Bella spoke shakily, "Alright, Carlisle. That sounds good."

As Carlisle busied himself with the anchors, Bella made her way down the ladder and onto the large sun pad at the bow of the ship. Sitting down and pulling her knees up to her chest, she wrapped her arms around them and stared out at the open water. She was beginning to feel overwhelmed. When she had agreed to let Carlisle help them with their problem, it was supposed to be a means to an end so that she could be with Edward. She knew that it was her hormones talking, but she still couldn't help but feel guilty for wanting Carlisle so badly.

Lost in her thoughts, Bella didn't hear Carlisle approaching until he sat down next to her. Pulling his knees up, he rested his arms on top of them. Silently, he joined her in staring out at the open ocean, listening to the waves and the seagulls flying overhead. He could sense that something was troubling her. After a few minutes, Carlisle turned towards Bella with concern in his eyes. "Bella, sweetheart, I can tell that you are feeling unsettled. Would you like to talk about it?" He spoke kindly to her.

Bella was quiet for a moment before speaking. "It's just that I'm feeling... I don't know... guilty I guess. When I agreed to go through with this weekend, I wasn't expecting to feel this way. Whenever you touch me, it's like... a jolt of electricity. It's so intense, and we have barely done anything yet. I love Edward, and I know that it's probably just my hormones talking, but it's like my body has a mind of it's own." Bella spoke quietly, still staring out at the blue and green waters surrounding them.

"I understand." Carlisle said with empathy. "I know it can be overwhelming to feel out of control, but Bella, you desiring physical touches doesn't make you a bad person, it just makes you human" he said kindly. "You have been so patient, waited so long to be intimate, it's only natural that you would feel this way now that the opportunity has presented itself. There is no need to feel shame about our actions this weekend. I am confident that we will both be able to walk away without regrets."

Bella looked towards Carlisle and gave him a small smile. "Thank you, Carlisle. I think I needed some reassurance that all of this is okay. I know that Edward and Esme gave us their blessing. I guess I'm just having a difficult time letting go of the emotions and letting it happen." Bella said.

"That's perfectly understandable, Bella. Thank you for being open and honest with me. I assure you that I will do everything I can to make this weekend a positive experience for you." Carlisle said, putting his arm over her shoulder and pulling her to his side. Bella rested her head against his chest and they enjoyed the view for a few more minutes before a pod of dolphins swam up to the boat.

"Oh my gosh, Carlisle. There are so many of them!" Bella exclaimed, excited to be seeing dolphins in their natural habitat. Carlisle was grateful to see Bella's smile. As the dolphins started to swim away, Carlisle spoke again. "Dolphins are fascinating creatures. Did you know that they are one of the only other animals that have sex for fun?" Bella looked at him and laughed. "Really?" she asked. "I wouldn't lie to you." Carlisle said with a twinkle in his eye. "Well..." Bella said, feeling momentarily brave "I trust that you will show me just how fun it can be?"

Carlisle's eyes immediately darkened at her words as they met her gaze. "Oh, Bella, that's a promise" he murmured. Leaning in, he captured her lips with his own, this time with such determination and intensity that it left her breathless. "Do you trust me?" Carlisle whispered against her lips. She nodded, swallowing hard. Carlisle moved over her, their lips brushing together tenderly before he ran the tip of his nose along her jugular vein. Bella's breath hitched as she grasped at his shirt, desperate for something to anchor herself on. Taking her ear lobe gently between his lips, he tugged lightly with his teeth, careful not to break the surface of her skin.

Lost in the sensation of Carlisle's mouth on her, Bella stiffened when she felt the tips of his fingers lightly tease the sensitive skin of her lower back and sides before grabbing the hem of her shirt and pulling it over her head. Feeling his cool hands splay across her upper back, Bella shivered as he slowly laid her down on the sun pad beneath them.

Breathing still ragged, she closed her eyes as she felt Carlisle move above her and begin placing teasing kisses on her abdomen.

Lying on her back, Bella's heart was racing with a mixture of anxiety and need. "Shh, Bella, relax and let me take care of you. You are safe with me." Carlisle whispered when he heard how fast her heart was beating. He could smell the proof of her arousal forming in her bikini bottoms and he had to focus hard to keep himself in check. He was really looking forward to the time that he could taste the sweet nectar of her innocence on his tongue. Nipping and licking his way across Bella's abdomen, Carlisle slowly made his way up her torso, his hands gently massaging her sides.

When he reached the valley between her breasts, Bella inhaled sharply, holding her breath and biting her lower lip. "Shh, Bella, it's alright. I will not remove your top. Just relax." Trusting in Carlisle's words, Bella visibly relaxed and reveled in the feelings of pleasure that Carlisle was creating in her lower belly. "That's it." He whispered, nuzzling against her skin. Carlisle's hands continued to make their way up her torso until they came to her bikini top. Ever so lightly, Carlisle grazed his fingertips over the side of Bella's left breast, making his way to her clavicle.

Bella bit back a moan as the feel of Carlisle's mouth and hands on her skin left her wanton. Carlisle could feel heat emanating from her core as her cheeks and neck flushed with arousal. Slowly moving farther up her torso, Carlisle placed his hands over Bella's breasts, the pads of his thumbs lightly grazing over her aching peaks that were now begging for attention under the fabric of her bikini top.

Letting out a moan, Bella arched her back into his hands as he continued to roll, flick and pinch them lightly between his fingers.

"Carlisle..." she mewled. Carlisle didn't relent, continuing to tease and torture her aching peaks with his skilled fingers ."Please... Carlisle.." Bella pleaded. "Tell me what you need, sweetheart." he murmured against her neck. "I don't know.. I just... I need...more." Bella was grasping at his shirt, feeling hazy from desire.

"Oh and you shall have more, sweet girl, but first, I think it's time we get you some lunch." He smiled brazenly at her. Carlisle could hear Bella's stomach growling and he knew that she would need her energy for what was to come later in the day. Filled with built up sexual tension, Bella groaned when Carlisle moved to stand, offering her a hand up. "You're evil, you know that?" Bella whined, glaring a him with a slight smile on her face. Chuckling at her response Carlisle winked at her "Ah, patience sweet Bella, good things come to those who wait." With that he took her hand and they headed towards the kitchen.