A/N: Rosette's Chapter.
My head tossed backwards with each firm press of his mouth against my neck. A few teeth scraped against my skin as this incredible surge of warmth pumped through my entire body; it lit every little molecule of skin that made contact with his into a flurry of passionate bombardment.
My fingers combed through his silky tresses; his hair was becoming too long, and the way that he slicked it back just slightly with a run of his hands wasn't enough to maintain it anymore.
I tugged the ends of his hair and ran my hands down his broad, naked back. The muscles tensed and quivered with each pass that I made down to his narrow, powerful hips. His whole body shuddered violently, and I pushed his shoulders upward so I could roll him onto his back.
My chemise tangled my legs into a disastrous mess, but I just couldn't find it in me to care. His hands, his large, warm, soft hands, felt every piece of skin, touched every path of flesh and groped tenderly at every gentle curve.
Those same hands moved over my hips and glided up the thin top of my chemise to cup my breasts and knead them with fiery fingers. My back arched further into his grasp.
White hot bolts shot down my spine when his fingers pinched and tugged at my nipples. My mouth fell open while I whimpered his name pleadingly and worshipfully. Then it went wider, an achingly loud shriek escaping against my consent when his hips bucked upward and he groaned.
"It's so beautiful," I whimpered unthinkingly.
"I know… I know…" he whispered, and his hips kept jumping up harder and harder until I couldn't stand the thin layers of clothing restricting us from each other.
I leaned forward across his chest, my lips on his neck, cheek and ear. "Edward," I panted.
"Oh, Bella," he sighed.
My hands trailed down his chest to the waist of his pants, and I moved my hands carefully over his thighs. I smiled when I heard his breathing speed up and the waves of air began to break against my skin. I continued down the hem of his pants along the carefully stitched lines to where they rounded just slightly at his pockets. I patted the outside of each one and felt something hard in the left pocket. I grinned and pulled out the object before I sat back up.
Edward looked up at me with shock plainly across his face and his chest heaving. I flicked the knife open, being careful to hold the blade away from me as I stuck it in the front of my chemise.
The sound of tearing fabric echoed through the room with each stitch that was broken. I cut all the way down to my waist and managed to tear down over my knees before I could finally pull the wasted fabric above my head.
I sat completely nude atop Edward, my body flushed and eager for any and every touch he was willing to grace me with.
Instead of touching me, his eyes raked over my form. Edward's dark emerald eyes were searing, boring into every pore of my skin with a fervent intensity that made me shiver and squirm.
His hands touched my knees that were bent at his sides and gently ran up to my thighs, slowly crawling toward my waist. His hips moved just a bit and his hands had pushed me onto his naval, my sensitive skin directly on top of his coarse hair—digging and rubbing while simultaneously massaging me rhythmically.
We'd been in bed like this for hours now, simply exploring each other with no rush or haste to finish or even start. It was us—Edward and Bella—loving and touching the way that lovers would do to one another.
My eyes snapped shut while his hands continued to rock me back and forth, creating a delightful friction that I'd never felt before. I flushed brighter when I compared it to another scenario, one that involved his beautiful bronze hair between my thighs.
A shock ran through my stomach and I began to rock back faster without the help of his hands. My eyes slipped open and I immediately saw Edward staring up at me, his expression lustful and primal—the face of a predator.
My mouth popped open a bit with a deep high pitched moan that left my throat. Edward's hand pressed against my hips and he flipped me onto my back quickly. He pulled my legs up over his forearms and then, in one slow, precise movement he entered me.
My whole being shook; it was physical, mental, emotional and spiritual, all at the same time.
It really should not have shocked me; we'd been like this countless times before. My hands threw themselves out onto the mattress, gripping onto anything within reach. I managed to grasp onto Edward's discarded pants that he removed just moments ago.
This had to be one of the best parts. My hands would wander without any instruction; over the mattress to the flesh of his knees, thighs and hips to the side of his strong stomach and chest and then to his beautiful strong shoulders to that incredible mess of hair. And with my eyes closed every sense was heightened to an indescribable pleasure.
My eyes opened finally and met his. Oh, how they were… mesmerizing!
Our lips joined together; lips, tongue and teeth slipping through to the other's mouth. Breath collided against breath with mute whispers and whimpers that led to loud groans and screams with each passing moment. We made our own little symphony of breathy sounds and skin sliding and smacking against skin.
My whole body arched upwards with each thrust that Edward delivered. I was thrown closer and closer to that delightful oblivion but I tried to hold off just a bit longer, just a moment more to memorize the way his eyes dropped and his lips parted so sinfully.
Edward started to go faster, making the bed rock back into the wall violently. He went further and deeper inside of me while pushing me closer and closer, dangling right on the edge and then I was gone, fallen off from the highest point I could possibly imagine.
My body spasmed out of control, my breathing stopped and I cried his name into the heady air around us.
"I love you, I love you," he breathed, pushing faster with uneven thrusts.
"Oh Edward…" I sighed. My arms wrapped around his neck and I kissed every part of his face while his body stilled and a strangled moan came from his lips.
He was so beautiful… every part of him tensed and released, his eyes fluttered and opened just a bit to look at me, and his full, pink lips parted with his sweet breath. I was in heaven right here with the man I loved.
He rolled to the side, quickly pressing his body close to mine while our breathing slowed. My back was pressed against his chest and his arms were wrapped around me soothingly. We were perfect this way in our little world of beauty, harmony, and complete happiness.
"I love you," I laughed, giddy with this newfound feeling of power and confidence that surged through me.
"My Bella," he sighed. "How I love you."
The grin on my face was hard to subdue, and while we lay there together I gazed out the window, to the trees and the sunshine that was shining on their leaves.
"We should have a picnic today before winter comes," I said, remembering the last time that we went for a picnic—and inevitably the end result. "I promised Alice we would spend today outdoors."
"Later on then," Edward murmured, his hand resting on my hip and slowly crawling to my thigh.
"Why not now? We've been away from everyone for hours."
"I intend to add more than a few hours." His mouth brushed against the back of my neck. "I would love nothing more than to lock you and I away in this room for the rest of our existence."
"There will be plenty of time for that," I told him as his hand came fully onto my thigh.
I clenched my legs together but Edward only chuckled and easily wriggled his hand between them, using those fiery fingers to stroke and touch me sinfully.
"There will be plenty of time for silly picnics, I promise you. But for now I still am not sated."
And even though my stomach was growling, it was silenced instantly as one of his fingers slipped into me, effectively cutting off all complaints.
--
"I swear to the good lord above," Alice fumed. "The next time you keep her locked in your dungeon upstairs I will break down that door—regardless of what might be going on behind it."
"Yes, Alice," Edward chuckled. The deep rumble was music to my ears.
Alice glanced at me from the corner of her eye and her brow furrowed. "What on earth did you do to her?"
"Well—"
"Not meant to be answered," Jasper interrupted and handed Edward a wooden basket filled with fresh fruit.
"Is it really necessary to have a picnic on today of all days?" Edward grumbled while grabbing another basket filled with sandwiches.
"This is our last chance to spend time outside before winter comes," I told him. "That house will feel like a prison in a few months."
The conversation continued from the house to middle of the Cullen's extensive backyard. A large quilt with beautiful designs was laid over the grass and goose down pillows were assembled in a circle of six. I gazed questioningly from the set up before looking over at Edward.
His eyes touched the blanket on the ground, looking carefully at the pillows and then back to me.
"Rosalie will be joining us," he said hesitantly.
I nodded a bit, trying to ignore the butterflies that were flapping away at my insides and eating at my lungs. Nervousness ran through me but Edward shuffled one basket under his arm and held my hand, squeezing it for reassurance.
I held my chin up and immediately decided that I wouldn't allow her or anything else to ruin my day. Even if it was cold and a bit gloomy I was looking forward to having a nice picnic with the Cullen's.
And despite the crooked tension that was apparent between Rosalie and myself, our lunch was very enjoyable.
Everything was so peaceful, absolutely comfortable and lively. Everyone around me laughed and spoke with pleasant familiarity and finished each other's thoughts and sentences.
In one way I felt out of place. I had never been in this kind of family setting, not even something close to this with friends.
But whenever my thoughts would drift away, sending me to a darker place, Edward would stroke my arm or hair and pull me from those thoughts with his sincerity.
It was so beautiful, absolutely tear jerking.
Toward the end of the day Edward had became somewhat tense. He would stare off into the surrounding woods, and then become startled when someone called him back into conversation. His mind was obviously not in the same place as his body.
As the sun began to set and the wind picked up into a cold chill the maids came out from the house and began to clean up the food and blankets.
But instead of following the others into the house, Edward grasped my hand and pulled me into the forest.
I didn't question him as he led me. We took a scenic walk along the path, watching the birds fly away from their nests and the green leaves turn orange before they would plummet to the ground.
It was an enjoyable walk, not fast in pace or eager return to the house. It was calming, easing us back into our own private little world with only the two of us. I would love to have this feeling more often.
"Bella?" Edward turned to me, and his expression was nervous; those expressive eyes were darting around my face—seeming to look for something.
"Yes, Edward?"I murmured, and his eyes looked into mine without hesitance this time.
"I—" he sighed loudly. "I originally had some extravagant delivery prepared for you. I had plans to buy doves, flowers, candles and every other romantic gesture I could think of."
"What are you talking about?" I asked.
His hand dropped from mine and he breathed in deeply. "I thought when this moment came I would be prepared beyond my expectations, and I am, but not in the way I had assumed I would be. To be honest, I know that right now is the perfect moment—any moment in the future regarding you would be the perfect moment."
He dropped to his knee in front of me quickly. For a moment I had thought he collapsed, but on the contrary he was upright and looking at me, his expression smooth and his forest green eyes wide.
Oh!
"Edward," I whispered when it finally hit me full in the chest.
"Isabella, I have never been more sure of anything in my life. I can freely say to you without hesitation or judgment that I am completely and utterly in love with you. And that is why I ask you now if you will do me the honor of accepting my hand in marriage."
I gazed into his eyes, which were so encompassed with love and worshipfulness that I could feel the tremor in my bones rock me in every corner of my being. Disbelief, confusion, giddiness and most of all love sprang through me in that moment because this was most certainly not supposed to happen. We had overcome every obstacle that was set in our path and the mere fact that we were here together at this point brought tears to my eyes.
We were no longer master and servant, not even man and woman; we were our own separate entity.
"Yes, Edward. Yes," I whispered.
He sprang up on his feet with his arms outstretched to pulled me to him, lifting me from the ground and spinning us around like a silly child—but he was mine. He was my silly child.
"Thank you, Bella," he whispered. "Thank you for everything you have done for me."
No, I thought, wrapping my arms around his neck and sobbing his name over and over again in my indescribable happiness. Thank you.
A/N: Sigh, what a beautiful ending. Anybody else need a tissue?
Just so you're all forewarned, this is the final chapter. But no worries, the Epilogue will be next!