17
We've made love and dozed on and off for hours, now. Good golly, Edward has the moves, and he knows how to use them. I wouldn't be surprised if he's been watching YouTube to bone up on his sexing skills, too. Not that I had any complaints about the Old School methods, but Edward has this thing about staying relevant.
I suppose we'll have to leave this bed at some point to eat dinner, but something tells me the tilapia plan is going to get scrapped for something quicker and more immediately satisfying. Carbs… yes… and butter and cheese…
And now I'm dreaming about a piping-hot bowl of Kraft macaroni and cheese, accompanied by a dirty martini—garnished with three olives at the end of a bright pink umbrella, served on a wicker tray by a scrumptiously naked Edward, and delivered right here to this bed.
Mmm, this glorious bed—his bed—I might never leave.
Click-click-click.
My eyes fly open. Edward is standing over me, his feet straddling my hips, camera pointed at my face. No macaroni and cheese and no martini, but the consolation prize works for me: Edward's six-foot-three frame, his beautiful, cut cock resting against his thigh after the long, promised workout, impressive even at half-mast.
I wrap my hand around his ankle—it's all I can reach. "What are you doing?"
Click-click-click. "I'm sorry I woke you. Your hair looked too beautiful fanned out on the pillow. I couldn't resist."
"I suppose this is what I get for sleeping with an artist."
He lowers the camera to his chest. "Have I been downgraded from superhero?" He gives me a devastating smile, then drops to his knees on either side of my waist.
"What makes you think artist is a downgrade from superhero?"
He chuckles. "Hush. You're ruining my pictures." He covers my lips with a soft kiss. "Better."
Better but also worse. I'm falling so hard.
He raises his camera again, then changes his mind and draws the sheet over me, smoothing the material over the crest of my nipples.
"Why'd you cover me?"
"As much as I love photographing your body, I really need to focus on what's inside. Is that okay?"
Is that okay, he asks. Mind if I look right into your soul?
The weird part is, I want him to. Nobody has ever seen me the way Edward does. Most people never even try.
I swallow hard. "Edward—" I can't finish. I nod instead.
He traces his thumb gently down my cheek. "Thank you."
I close my eyes, pinching back tears.
"It's okay. You can trust me," he whispers, kissing my eyelids. "I promise."
"I know." I've trusted him from the beginning, with everything.
Click-click-click.
"I need to tell you something," he says.
I know that line. Eyes shut, I smile, thrumming for his kiss. "Tell me." Kiss me. See me.
Click-click-click.
"I love you, Bella Swan."
I open my teary eyes. Click-click-click.
"What?"
He lifts the camera over his head, dips his forehead, and nuzzles his nose along mine. "Forgive me for the intrusion. I'm really sorry about the camera, but I wanted to capture the moment."
"Edward."
I can barely choke out his name. The tears break free and roll down my cheeks.
I know how this works. He says it, I say it back. It will wreck me if I hurt him, but silence is its own answer. Edward deserves better than that. "I'm so sorry, but I'm… not ready..."
He smiles at me as if I haven't just ruined everything. "My beautiful Bella," he says, running his thumb across my lips. "Look."
He hands me the camera to show me the last image he captured. He flops onto his back beside me while I study the photo. There's no question what he's recorded: my eyes brimming with a resounding, "I love you, too."
I roll onto my side to face him. "Glad we got that all cleared up."
"Yeah, me too," he says with a totally Edwardly grin. His hand cradles my head and pulls me in for a kiss. And we kiss and kiss and kisssss and I wonder how we'll ever stop.
Edward's stomach growls. He chuckles first, but once I dissolve into giggles, the magical moment is over.
"Well?" he asks. "Should we have dinner or just go straight to dessert again?"
###
Author's Note: Happy Valentine's Day! I hope you enjoyed this expanded version of the P.S. I Love You Contest ending. And no, we're not done yet. *wink*
XXX ~BOH
