With one hand, I parted the gauzy netting and slowly laid Bella, still dripping wet, across the bedspread. God, she was divine. Seeing her thin body, pale and feminine, offering herself to me without fear, it was like my own personal heaven and hell. I couldn't believe that I was lucky enough to have Bella as my wife, lucky enough for this.

The moonlight shined through the open doors, turning the billowy bunches of mosquito netting into fluffy clouds above the bed, as if we were floating somewhere in the blackened sky.

Her skin shimmered like a mirage. I had to be dreaming.

Bella's body, open and vulnerable, threatened to make my instincts run amok. The largest part of me wanted to protect her, to cover her with my own body. The rest wanted to devour her, to run my hands, my lips, my teeth over her. The ferocity shocked me. I'd battled my cravings for her blood before but nothing compared to the blaze scorching me now.

Take it slow, I told myself. And whatever you do, don't hurt her.

I studied her face as I knelt beside her. Bella gazed back at me, letting her eyes travel the length of my body. She stopped breathing when she got to my lower half, seeing the evidence of my arousal, then drew in a ragged breath before meeting my eyes again.

"Please," she urged.

The energy rising off of Bella's skin vibrated like a magnet, pulling me towards her. Every vein pulsed with life, persistently calling to me, while my mouth ached for her delicate flesh. I ignored the siren song by focusing on her eyes.

I cradled her face in my hands, kissing along her brow. I moved down her cheekbone, from the right to left, then across her jaw. Bella closed her eyes, parting her lips and breathing quickly. My fingers, splayed wide, slid across her shoulders and arms. I continued up her inner arms, stroking her breasts with my thumbs before cupping both of them in my palms. Bella bared her teeth and lightly bit her lower lip. Again the inferno ripped through me. I heard a howling in my ears, like forests engulfed by flames.

I wanted to tease her, to move painfully slow, but found it nearly unbearable to stop myself from speeding up. I couldn't halt my exploring hands or my growing need to taste her.

I bent over her torso, nestling my face in the soft part of her abdomen. I breathed, long and measured, while Bella curled her fingers into my hair. Carefully, I kissed my way down her stomach, running my hands along the sides of her thighs. Her scent intoxicated me—now a heady mixture of floral notes and an earthy, salty sweetness. I nuzzled her hipbone. Bella arched her back and moaned, shifting her legs apart slightly. The moonlight made her glistening skin sparkle like my own in sunlight, turning the tender pinks into an iridescent rainbow. The tantalizing invitation of the deepest part of her made both monsters surge against my brain.

I very nearly bit her. I caught myself, a fraction of an inch away, teeth bared, venom filling my mouth, my eyes huge and hungry. God, what was I doing? I was going to kill her!

Bella noticed my hesitation. "Is something wrong?" She sat up slightly, worry creasing her brow.

"No, Bella." I closed my eyes so she couldn't see the pure hunger boiling there. I didn't want to scare her. "No, you're just too delicious. I don't want to hurt you."

"Edward, you won't." I could see the delicate skin around Bella's neck flutter with her thumping heart. "The way you touch me feels so good."

I held my breath. As much as I wanted to ravish Bella and explore her body to its limits, I knew I couldn't restrain myself with her overpoweringly delectable smell enveloping me. I used my hands instead, stroking along the length of her legs. Lightly I caressed the inside of her thighs, nearly coming undone when my fingers grazed the fluff of hair and stroked her softest flesh. Bella cried out. I panicked. Did I hurt her? Did I push too hard despite my attempts at gentleness?

I froze, searching her face and expecting to hear her pleas for me to stop.

But her eyes rolled back in her head, her breath ragged and quick, like she'd been running. "Oh, Edward," she murmured.

I wanted to taste her, and not just her blood. I wanted to savor her skin, her sweetness. I remembered all of the times in Bella's bedroom, our passionate kisses ending abruptly. I would never let it go too far. I always worried that I would lose control. Here, now, we were completely naked, married, about to throw all caution and logic to the wind and attempt the impossible. I wanted to please Bella, to bring her to ecstasy. But the most intimate act, so tender and vulnerable, turned fraught with deadly promise. If I couldn't even breathe where I was, how on earth could I bring my lips to her?

No, I wasn't strong enough for this. As much as I regretted it, the temptation to bite her was far too great when I was face-to-face (so to speak) with the essence of her. I could barely contain the venom pulsing through my mouth. My shoulders shook as I fought to keep my mouth closed, to not inhale. This would have to wait. I exhaled sharply, and my breath alone caused another set of shudders to ripple through Bella's body.

In a flash, I was kneeling at the end of the bed. I rested my palms against her ankles, hoping she wouldn't be alarmed at my sudden movement. Bella seemed oblivious, and sighed.

This was better. Feet were safer. I was further away from temptation down here. I could calm down, or thought I could, until my eyes caught sight of the damp curls where her thighs met. I blew out a sharp breath, closing my eyes for a moment against the heaven of her inviting folds. I swallowed. Concentrate, I told myself.

I pulled my eyes away to rest on her face again. A slight smile graced her lips. Her hair, in complete disarray, spread out on the pillow while her fists clenched handfuls of the bedspread. I stroked her calves and Bella groaned softly. I grasped her foot in both hands, delicately massaging the arch. While I knew that Bella wasn't tense—she seemed perfectly content to allow this ludicrous event to happen—I was. I could pretend that this interruption was solely to ensure that her fists would relax, that she could shake off any last worries of me hurting her, but that would be a lie. Yes, it was pleasurable for Bella, but this pause was strictly for my own benefit to calm myself down.

Of course, it wasn't working. As much as I tried to keep my eyes glued to her face, I couldn't stop glancing along the length of her bare form. My alabaster goddess, so innocent yet seductive. I wanted to worship her. I felt privileged to bow to her feet; I was not worthy of her.

As I rubbed the tension out of her heel, I studied her slim foot. Such thin skin, such soft curves. The smallest movement on my part could snap her ankle. I shook my head. Vampires were not meant to have sex with humans. It was purely a recipe for disaster. Why, why, why were we trying it?

I sighed, then kissed the tip of her big toe. She'd painted the nails a fleshy pink color, reminding me of other parts of her body I longed to bury my face in. No! Stupid, dangerous mind! Cursed sexy wife! Even her feet were sensuous and tantalizing. Before I knew it, the tip of my tongue snuck between her first and second toes. Bella giggled, slowly opening her heavy-lidded eyes. "You're going to make me melt into the bed."

"Good," I grinned. By now Bella seemed slack and sleepy. Maybe she would fall asleep before I could do anything else to risk damaging her. It seemed I couldn't even handle a foot massage.

Just as the thought left my head, a devilish grin spread across Bella's face. "Can I have a turn?" Bella asked, a fierce glint in her eyes.