DISCLAIMER: The characters do not belong to me…they are all the creation of the wonderful Stephenie Meyer.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Edward and Bella spend some time in their cabin.
A Romantic Night ( Slight Lemon by popular Vote – 237 to 35 )
I smiled and kissed the back of his neck as he ran us out of the house and into the woods. "I love you, Edward."
"I love you more," he replied.
I chuckled, knowing that, that was impossible, but not wanting to argue the point. I rested my face against his neck, filling myself with his wonderful scent.
All too soon, the wind around us slowed, letting me know we were at our destination. I jumped down from Edward's back and headed toward the door, but he pulled me away from it.
"What are you doing?" I laughed.
"Please wait right here. I'll be back for you shortly," he said, his golden eyes sparkling with love and happiness.
I couldn't deny him when he was happy like this. I nodded my head and smiled. He kissed my forehead and then disappeared into the cabin at vampire speed. He returned about five minutes later, making sure I couldn't see through the front door.
"What are you up to, Mr. Cullen?" I asked, smiling.
"I am showering my beautiful wife, the love of my existence, with romance and attention," he said, taking me into the comfort of his arms.
"You spoil me too much, you know," I laughed.
"That's impossible, Bella. You have given me so much and I am nowhere near close to repaying you."
I opened my mouth, prepared to argue, but the finger pressed against my lips and the crooked smile on his face stopped me.
"No arguments tonight," he said softly. He moved so that he was standing behind me. His hands went over my eyes, keeping me from seeing anything, as he gently guided me forward into our cabin.
"I smell freesia and lavender," I commented.
"You have learned a lot from gardening with Esme. Do you smell anything else?"
I took a deep breath, and then smiled. "You've brought some of Esme's prize pink roses here."
"Yes. When I told her what I had planned, she insisted I take a few for you."
"You and your surprises," I sighed, leaning against him. I heard soft music playing and listened closely. "What's this song, Edward?"
"It's called 'Tonight, I Celebrate My Love'."
"Very aptly named," I giggled. "Who's singing?"
"Peabo Bryson and Roberta Flack. This song was very popular in 1983."
"It's nice. I like the softness of the music and their voices."
"Are you ready to see why you had to wait outside, love?" he asked, placing his lips tenderly against my neck.
"Yes," I replied, trying to contain my excitement. I had been getting a lot better at accepting Edward's surprises.
He removed his hands from my eyes and I quickly blinked to adjust to the change in light. Candles were placed all around the cabin, giving it a soft glow. Freesia and lavender were set in beautiful vases near our reading area. And Esme's pink roses were in a vase on the nightstand, right next to our bed.
"Edward, it's beautiful."
"I thought you might like a night of just relaxing together," he whispered into my ear, wrapping his arms around my waist from behind. "Soft music, soft candlelight, and sweet smells, although nothing smells sweeter than you."
I turned in his arms and hugged him tightly. "You are one amazing husband, Mr. Cullen."
"Only because I married you."
"Let's stretch out on the bed," I sighed, moving us toward the inviting mattress.
Edward laid down first and I laid directly on top of him, resting on my stomach with my head on his shoulder. He rubbed my back with one hand, while running his other hand through my hair.
"I love you," I whispered, knowing he would hear it.
His lips pressed against my hair. "I love you, too, Bella."
I noticed the music had changed to a new song. "I like this. It's describing how I feel when I'm with you. What is it?"
"This is 'The Very Thought of You', and the singer is Frank Sinatra."
"I thought I recognized his voice." We rested quietly, enjoying the peacefulness of just holding each other. When the next song started up, I knew just what it was. "I love this one, even more so now. 'Dream a Little Dream of Me'. It's Ella Fitzgerald, correct?"
"Correct, my love."
"Do you remember what you said to me when you confided you had been listening to my dreams?"
"Of course," he replied, pressing his lips to my hair. "I told you that if I could dream, I would dream about you, and that I wouldn't be embarrassed about it."
"I know you can't technically dream, but you must have some dreams for us. Would you tell me what they are?"
"I really only have one, Bella. I just want us to be together, enjoying a fairly peaceful life. What about you, my love?"
"I want to travel with you. Not all of the time, of course; we would miss our family too much for that. But I would like to get to see all the places you've seen, and to have you tell me what it was like for you to live in each of them."
"We'll start on that this summer with our tour of England."
"When was the last time you went to England?"
"It was right after Rose and Emmett's third wedding. We all went together, and Carlisle rented out a large castle for us. But that was before Alice and Jasper joined us."
We lapsed into silence again. I watched the candles burn lower, the small flames casting shadows on the walls.
"Bella?"
"Yes, Edward?"
"What are you thinking about?"
"Amazingly enough, nothing. I'm too content to do much of anything at the moment."
"That's good to hear."
"I'm sorry. I know you've been worried about me."
"Not worried, just concerned. I know you will deal with this and become stronger because of it. You always do."
I lifted my head to look at him. "Don't get me wrong. I'm completely thrilled to hear you say that, but what brought that on?"
"I know that I was extremely overprotective in your first year. But this year, you've really come into your own, both as a person and as a vampire. You've stood up to Emmett's childishness and let him know there's a line he shouldn't cross. You've put your foot down with our sisters, not letting them make all of your choices for you. You stopped Jasper from hurting others, and then helped him by talking about it with him. And before you ask, neither Alice nor I listened, but we could both see the difference in his attitude after your walk together. And you've definitely become more assertive with me, putting your foot down when you feel I'm being overprotective. Not to mention your progress with your defense training, and your practicing with Carlisle."
I reached up and grabbed the hand that had been trailing through my hair, kissing Edward's ring finger. "I'd like to tell you something, but you have to promise to listen to the whole thing, and to not jump to any conclusions."
"I will do my best."
"I didn't mind you being overprotective of me last year, not really. After the change, I was…unsure of myself for a long time. I had known everything would be different once I was changed, but there's nothing anyone can say to truly prepare you for the differences. Just the changes in my own body were a bit overwhelming. Even with the beauty of a vampire, I still felt that…I didn't quite look like I belonged with you. But this year, I learned that you are only as beautiful as you let yourself feel. So what if I'm plain? If you find me beautiful, and I'm comfortable with myself, then in some way, I am beautiful.
"And then there were the mental changes. The ability to think of so many things at once, coupled with the fading of memories, while new ones are constantly being etched in…It's so daunting! When you add in the advanced hearing, the eyesight, the strength, it's no wonder that newborns are unstable. Who could be with all of that going on at once? I can't imagine how much harder the bloodlust must make everything. Fortunately, I was extremely lucky because I had one amazing support group, and still do. But even with all of the support, I didn't know what my place in the family was. I didn't have a gift at first, and I felt like the weakest, strangest vampire to ever exist." I kissed Edward's chin. "But I'm older now, and wiser. I'm Bella Cullen, a wife, a sister, a daughter, a friend, and a vampire. I can love just as strongly as I can fight, and my place in this world, and in this family, is at your side. Beyond that, it just doesn't matter. And know that as difficult as I have found things to be at times, I would do them all over again in a second, just to be with you. I love you, Edward."
He didn't reply right away. He just kept looking at me, his hand had long ago stilled in its motion against my back. His face was impassive; something I hadn't seen in a very long time. I wondered briefly if I should have kept my big mouth shut.
"No. Thank you for telling me," he said softly.
I lifted an eyebrow at him, wondering if I had somehow connected us without realizing it.
His head moved the slightest bit. "I can't read your thoughts, but I can still read your face and your eyes. I'm sorry that it took me a moment to speak. I know it makes you nervous when I'm quiet, just as your silence bothers me. Part of me understands why you didn't say something sooner. You probably thought I would be a mess if I knew how bothered you were."
"I've always feared that you would regret changing me."
"And I have always feared you would regret the change. Thank you for telling me that you don't regret being with me."
I ran my fingers across his creased brow. "Do you regret changing me?"
"Never. I know that I was reluctant to do it, but Bella, we could never have had this life if I hadn't, and I would never trade this life with you for anything."
"I wouldn't trade it, either, Edward. I love you."
"And I love you, Bella."
He pulled me up so that our faces were even and I lowered my lips to his, kissing him slowly and tenderly, sharing my love for him through the kiss. He moved his lips to my neck, at first softly kissing the skin there. But then he growled, pressing his lips against me, making my skin ripple like it had earlier tonight.
"That is so amazing," I sighed. "How did you figure out how to do that?"
He chuckled and kissed my neck softly. "I've been around for a little while, love."
"That is not an answer, Mr. Cullen," I replied, resting my forehead against his, looking down into his topaz eyes.
"Choose, love. Explanations or sensations?" he questioned in that sexy voice of his that I loved so much.
"If you promise to do that growling thing again, I'll definitely go with sensations."
"As you wish, wife," he purred, before pulling me into one really great, very heated kiss.
I lost track of which tongue belonged to whom as we rolled across the bed. Edward rested just enough of his weight on me for me to feel every line and curve of his magnificent body.
He finally broke our kiss, moving his lips to the hollow behind my ear, one of his favorite spots. "Bella, I love you so much."
"I love you more," I replied, hugging his neck tightly.
"You still compare the forest to the tree, my love," he chuckled.
"So you say," I sighed, relaxing completely beneath him. "But I know my heart and it beats only for you. Figuratively, of course."
"Of course," he sighed, kissing my cheek before moving back to my lips.
Somewhere between his tender kisses and softly roaming hands, my shirt and bra had disappeared, along with his own shirt. I traced over every line of his chest, marveling at the idea of getting to love him this way for eternity.
"Bella," Edward moaned, resting his head in the crook of my shoulder.
"Yes, honey?" I asked, stopping my hands.
"I didn't mean for you to stop," he sighed. "It just feels amazing."
"Oh," I replied, immediately returning to my tracing. "I've always loved touching your chest. I like how solid it feels under my hands. Even when I was human, I loved the hardness and coldness of it."
"I remember that quite well," he said softly, placing a small kiss on my collarbone. "You were always looking for an excuse to remove my shirt." He pulled my hands away from his chest. "I think it's time that I pleasure you for a bit, love. After all, I did promise to growl for you again," he said with a seductive smile sitting on his beautiful face.
I could only nod, too amazed that this man was real and my husband.
He carefully unbuttoned my jeans and slid them down my legs, making sure his fingers trailed down the outside of my legs as he inched my pants off. He slipped his fingers under the sides of my underwear and repeated his sweet torture.
He looked over my naked form, smiling. "Absolutely, stunningly beautiful."
His hands slowly trailed up the inside of my legs and thighs, barely brushing the skin, but certainly setting every nerve in my body on edge. I moaned much louder than I had intended, but his hands felt so good against my skin.
He bent one of my legs and placed a soft kiss on the inside of my thigh. Then, he looked up at me from under his lashes, smiling wickedly. I heard the growl building in his chest and just before he released it from his mouth, his pressed his lips against my thigh. The sensation was beyond description, as the vibration traveled across my thigh and the part of me that longed to be one with him. He smiled again, obviously enjoying his affect on me.
I put my hand against his cheek, drawing his attention to my face. "Edward, I don't want to play anymore. Please make love to me."
He nodded his head before slipping out of his remaining clothes. He crawled across the bed, looking like the predator he truly could be. I smiled and opened my arms for him. He rested his weight on me once again, letting me hold him and hug him to me.
We kissed softly for a long time, doing nothing more than tracing each other's chests with our hands. There was no reason to rush, so we gladly took our time, exploring each other's bodies fully.
When we made love, we could go extremely slow, or amazingly fast, but every time was filled with a pure love and our deep emotions for each other. I had never loved anyone so completely, and I knew nothing could ever compare to the feel of him inside of me, joining us together in a way that couldn't be achieved by any other means. With Edward, it was never just sex—it always meant something. He had been alone for over a hundred years, convinced he would never fall in love or enjoy the pleasures of having a lover; my wait had been considerably less. But with the way we loved each other, it only seemed natural to us that we would want to repeat this wonderful act with each other as often as possible.
"Are you ready, love?" he whispered, kissing every inch of my face.
"Yes. I love you."
"I love you, too," he said, kissing my lips, as he slowly entered me. "Bella," he moaned, completely enjoying the friction our bodies were creating.
Our lips met, molding to each other, as our tongues danced sweetly together and our bodies moved in perfect harmony.
"Love you," I panted, wrapping my arms around his neck and holding tightly to him.
"Love you more," he replied, just as breathless, but managing to grin all the same.
Our slow, passionate love-making continued through the rest of the night and well into the early morning. As the sun finally began to rise, we lay snuggled under the covers, holding tightly to each other, both of us content with each other and our life together. It had definitely been a romantic and attentive night, and I certainly felt spoiled. I would have to think of something to do for Edward to let him know just how much I appreciated all of the things he did for me. Maybe Rose and Alice could help me figure something out…
