oOo
Soft lips caressed her shoulder. The morning light was peeking in through the curtains.
"Good morning," Edward whispered against her skin.
He was hugging her whole body. His arms were around her, and their legs were entwined.
"Morning," she smiled.
She couldn't remember feeling so perfectly content. And sore.
She shut her eyes again.
"Did you sleep well?"
He nuzzled her neck with his nose.
"Mmm… Yes."
She grabbed his hand and placed a few kisses on his fingers. They smelled like sex, raw and earthy.
"Edward," she murmured happily.
He kissed the back of her neck, which made her shudder pleasantly.
"You're the best Christmas present I ever had," he whispered, his warm breath teasing her.
"You want me wear a bow?" she giggled, turning around in his arms.
"Hmm," he mused. "Yeah, actually, I think I'd like that. But nothing but the bow, okay?"
"You're silly," she said cheerfully, and snuggled up to his chest so that her head fitted under his chin.
She felt him sigh deeply.
"I'm happy," he said softly. "You know that?"
"I'm happy too, Edward. So happy."
They were quiet for a long time. Bella loved that their silence always was peaceful, and never awkward.
"What do you want to do today?" she murmured at some point.
Edward's breathing was low and deep, and when she opened her eyes to look at him, she realized that he had fallen asleep again.
Bella smiled. She closed her eyes.
.
It was after eleven when they had breakfast, cuddling on the bench in his kitchen. It looked out over the garden, and to Bella's delight, it had started to snow.
They watched the flakes float down, slowly covering trees and the lawn.
"I like snow."
She had thrown her legs over Edward's lap and had her head on his shoulder. They were constantly touching and kissing, and she wasn't surprised that, now they had taken the final step, he was even more affectionate than before.
"Me too," he nodded, kissing her forehead.
"I'm baking cookies tonight. Will you help me?"
"If you think I'm any good at it." He kissed her nose.
"You can sit in my kitchen and be my cheerleader. We'll drink mulled wine and sing carols."
"Mmm. That sounds fun. When are you going to your parents tomorrow?"
"Around five. What are you doing? You can join us if you want."
"I think I'd rather just come to the party." He kissed her ear. "Anyway, I'll be with Ro and Emmett. My niece is coming from Oxford, and we have this tradition of taking a long walk in the afternoon."
"That's lovely."
"She's a lovely girl. You'll like her." He frowned. "I mean, you're sure to meet her some time… I mean…"
"I'm sure I'll like her." She silenced him with a long kiss.
They went for a walk after they'd cleared the table. In the afternoon, Edward threw a few items of clothing into a bag, since it was clear that he would spent the night at her place.
Once at Bella's, they got to work. Well, she did. Edward was awarded the title of sous chef, meaning that he got to hand her flour and butter and eggs. His task was also to prepare the mulled wine.
Handel's "Messiah" was playing in the background, and once the cookies were in the oven, Edward pulled her back in his arms and Bella melted.
"Darling," he whispered in her ear. "Why is every day with you better than the last one?"
Edward was one of the very few people who could render Bella Swan speechless.
oOo
