Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns everything in the Twiverse. No copyright infringement intended.

A/N: Thanks to EVERYONE who reviewed the last chapter. You guys are AWESOME!

And uh, this story is rated M for a reason. :)

Chapter 27: Breaking Dawn

Edward's POV

I was lying in bed, the encroaching dawn coloring the sky with morning. The only sounds in the room were slumbering sighs and a gentle heartbeat, the relative quiet a relief to my soul.

Yet despite my stillness and disinclination to move, I was on fire.

My body, my mind, my entire being was a live wire, channeling an electricity that could not be contained. I was nowhere to be found, feeling everything at once, and rendered paralyzed by the newness of a life filled with joy. A joy wholly unfettered by the weight of self-contempt.

I remembered that burden, that satchel of sorrow I had carried for so long. Yet as far as I could sense with my unearthly abilities, I bore no trace of its weakness in my current state.

Where had my tormentor gone? Did I bury him forever in a dark damp grave or had he been stripped of all power with the spreading of her legs?

Bella was asleep, her sated body wrapped around me with nothing between us but sweat and satisfaction. Her skin glistened faintly with the evidence of our work, and on her luminous face was the look of divine contentment.

A ferocious pride seized my soul, and I bared my teeth to the fading darkness.

I did that to her.

And I wanted to do it again.

Compared to this ache, my desire for blood was a mere preference. Compared to this woman, angels were harlots with corrupted souls. Compared to this high, amphetamines were candy, confetti for a dream.

There was no one in heaven or earth happier than I was right now. There would never be anyone happier for the rest of my life.

A life that I would now spend with Bella.

My immortal beloved.

I wanted to wake her. I wanted to wake her and take her and show her with my body what she had done to my heart. For she had done the impossible, the unthinkable, the exceedingly-above-and-beyond-anything-I-could-have-ever-asked-or-thought.

And she had done it all in one night.

It had been enough that Bella agreed to be my wife, more than enough that she had planned our wedding behind my back, effectively uprooting any doubts I might have invented about her acceptance of my proposal.

And despite the forgone inclusion of a honeymoon after a wedding, it was nothing short of amazing that she had willingly and wantonly bared herself in our marriage bed, holding nothing back as she gave her all.

But…

With a glow and a smile, Bella uttered nine little words that still echoed in my mind these several hours later.

"Edward, I want you to make me a vampire."

(Excuse me while I flat-line)

She had already taken me to heights unseen when she floated toward me wearing the very shirt I had married her in. The opaque cotton was no match for my eyesight, so I could clearly see the shape of her breasts beneath the white fabric. I could trace her areolas with a glance and had every intention of repeating the action with my tongue.

But when she proclaimed with her words and body that she not only wanted to be my wife and lover, but she also wanted to be my mate, to live with me in a frozen eternity as long as the earth remained…

I had not known myself until that moment.

Everything in my life, everything that I thought I knew dissolved into a shadow of nothing when I realized the extent of what she had done. She had committed to me with her hand, her body, and ultimately her life, a veritable hat trick of happiness.

And she did it all for me.

"Edward…"

My musing stopped when I heard that sound, the most leveling sound I had heard to date, the most beautiful sound I would ever hear.

My name, my name, cloaked in the intensity of Bella's desire.

"Edward…"

She was asleep, and I knew that, likely dreaming of our loveplay. But her passionate purring was stirring me up, my body dancing at her verbal exertions.

"You…mmmm…it's so good…"

I clamped my mouth shut as my manhood flinched between my legs. I was barely holding myself together, and if she uttered another syllable, I would have no choice but to roll her and ravish her, to bury myself within her and never come out.

But thankfully, accursedly, she pursed her lips and fell silent. A telltale popping sound signaled the death of another pillow, and I now understood why there were several dozen throughout the house.

Throughout the house.

A flurry of images bombarded my mind, and I decimated another pillow as the visuals became my itinerary: I wanted to see Bella arching beneath me as I took her on top of the piano. I wanted to hear her flesh slapping against mine as we rocked on top of the living room ottoman. I wanted to lick the sweat between her breasts and taste her tears as she climaxed. I wanted to touch her everywhere at once, to memorize her delectable body with my fingers and palms.

And that was just the start.

I wanted to make love to her on every surface in every room in every building I would ever enter from this day forth. I wanted her above me, below me, on her back, on her knees. I wanted to feel her, to learn her, to teach her, to know her. I wanted her moans and sighs, her curses and cries. I wanted, as Jasper had so aptly put it, explicit nudity, aggressive sexual contact, and every filthy sound her pretty little voice could make. And I wanted it every day for always, starting right now.

I glanced down at my love, and the steadiness of her breath suggested another hour's wait.

If the pleasure didn't kill me, perhaps the anticipation would.

I closed my eyes and tried to change the channel, but the mental montage of my night with Bella refused to be denied. Resigned to my fate, I let my perfect memory do its wicked work.

For every language I had ever heard spoken, for every word or note I had ever written or played, I was powerless to articulate even the smallest fraction of what I had felt, seen, and become by making love to Bella. For every image I had ever borrowed from the millions of minds at my disposal over the past eighty years, there nowhere existed anything remotely comparable to the wonder, the magnificence, and the sensuality of being inside that fascinating, tantalizing woman.

She was heaven incarnate, the embodiment of paradise on a hot, sticky day. I would never remember her sweet heat clenching me without feeling unspeakable pain. She was my home now, my Eden on earth, and I ached to be inside her, longed to be inside her, and would never want anything more than the peace of being inside her.

But once I was nestled within her walls, I had faced a most confounding dilemma: I wanted to go deeper but was too content to move. I wanted to savor the sensation but was crushed by a need to claim her. My body surged with urges both primal and precious, and with Bella's safety on the line, I was trapped by their dueling demands.

But when I gazed into her confused eyes after a fleeting kiss, what I saw in her soul became my undoing. I saw for the first time the raw depth of her love, that the force of her need was as strong as mine. She wanted me to have her, needed me to take her, and in satisfying her, I would please us both.

So I nodded.

She sighed.

And together, we climbed.

Our union had been a fusion of firsts, an elemental exchange between granite and silk, the long-awaited skirmish between fire and ice. Created at the intersection of our hearts and hips, the love we had made was a phenomenon, the eighth wonder of this world or any to come. Sealed by a promise older than time, our love became a living thing, a treasured institution to be defended at all costs. She was my life, my mate beyond her present title of wife, and she was mine.

A fierce wave of possessiveness overtook me, and I could abstain no longer. I kissed Bella's forehead where it rested against my chest, and her sigh was a sonata in my soul. She arched her back as she cooed, slowly stretching like a kitten in the sun, and her breast popped out from beneath the sheet. I swallowed a groan as the rosy peak taunted me, my mouth salivating at the memory of its fullness. I leaned in, careful not to crush her with my weight, and curled my bottom lip around the blushing swell. I closed my mouth around her nipple and flicked its textured tip with my tongue.

The heat of her skin singed my mouth, and I gave gentle suck as she pushed her body forward. I brought my hand around the sloping curve of her back and laid her down on the bed. She sighed as I came to rest between her legs, and I met her sleepy eyes as they fluttered open.

"I thought…" Her tender heart was racing. "I thought I was dreaming."

"If you were dreaming," I licked her nipple, "so was I."

"Wait." Her eyes were darting around the room. "That wasn't a dream?"

I kissed my way to the other side. "Which part?"

"Was there a weddi—?"

Her voice trailed off as my lips made slow circles around her breast. "Yes."

"So we're….Oh god, yes…married?"

I chuckled at her phrasing. "Yes."

"And did you…" She groaned as my tongue finally swept across the hardened tip. "…did you agree to change me?"

"Yes."

"Oh…okay…"

She licked her teeth as I continued to lavish her breasts with my lips and tongue, her inquiries temporarily suspended. "Anything else?" I murmured into her chest.

"Yes…" She lifted my head and looked me in the eye. "Did you say 'Fuck' while I went down on you last night?"

I shuddered, both at the memory and the erotic sound of the word on her lips. "Yes."

She sensed the shift in our balance of power and raised an eyebrow. "Is that how you address your wife?"

"When she attends me like that, yes."

"I see." She advanced on me on all fours, causing me to fall back against the bed. "I take it, then, that you like fellatio with your fucking?"

I hissed through my teeth as she dragged out the last word.

"Not that I mind." Her breasts were inches from my face as she hovered above me, and I was caught staring. "See anything you like?"

I lifted myself up. "A couple of things, actually."

She retreated with a smirk, pushing me down. "Not so fast, Mr. Cullen."

"Woman, I swear." My needless breathing quickened as her lips brushed across my chest. "Being 'fast' is the furthest thing from my mind."

"I'm glad to hear it," she said as she licked my nipple. "Because you're the only item on my morning agenda."

My reply was soon lost as she kissed her way upward, my train of thought derailed by her closeness. Her body was still warm with the heat of sleep, and it gave me chills as she snaked up my torso. She was hungry, her swollen lips furious as they worked against mine. I had waited too long to be gentle, and our kisses were almost violent as our desires collided.

My hands slid over her thighs, around her hips, finally coming to rest on her back, cradling her to me as her tongue slipped into my mouth. I could feel her arousal pressing on me, and I trembled as she slowly ground herself against me.

"Bella, please…"

She leaned in, and as our lips met, she slid her hand between my legs. The heat from her palm sent a shock through my body, and I gasped aloud as she began to stroke me.

"Dammit, Bella…"

She chuckled as she squeezed me tighter. "May I help you?"

"Please…" I was biting my lip to keep from breaking the footboard. "You…now…please…"

"Well, since you asked so nicely…" She angled her body against me, and with her eyes hooded with lust, Bella lowered herself and enveloped me in moist, deep heat.

The onslaught of pleasure overpowered me, and I gripped the bed for fear of crushing her. Bella closed her eyes, sighing with a grimace as I reclaimed my place. She was warmer than I remembered, slicker than before, and I took a moment to bask in my surroundings. Bella took her time as she began to rock gently, her brow furrowed in concentration as she undulated against me. I rested my hands on her hips, guiding her until she found her rhythm. She arched her back with the change in tempo, and I felt her yield another precious inch. I held myself back from pushing further still, determined to let her lead.

Bella was glorious as she rode me, her breasts high and proud as she sought her pleasure. This was different than last night when everything was new, her confidence and cadence increasing with each swivel of her hips. She slid her knees forward, widening her stance, and the deeper penetration made my eyes roll back in my head. I was truly in danger of hurting her now, and my hands frantically searched for something to destroy. Bella sensed my distress and guided me toward the bedposts, and I smashed them to kindling before returning to her waist. I slid my hands beneath her bottom, holding her close with greater control. Her name was my prayer as she rolled back and forth, my body taut with the need to release. I would wait for her, could wait for her, but from the expression on her face, I wouldn't be waiting for long.

Bella's eyes were closed, and she was biting her bottom lip as she quickened her pace. Her hands fisted in her thick hair before gliding down her face and over her neck, sliding lower toward her chest. The sight of her shameless arousal unraveled what little of me remained, and when she squeezed her breasts, I gave up the ghost. My hands gripped her hips as I thrusted, and Bella fell onto my chest. She wrapped her arms around my neck and cried out as passion pulled us to the edge. I sat up and held her to me as we strained together toward the crest of oblivion. And with her name on my lips and a final push, I tumbled forward, end-over-end, as a wellspring of pleasure washed completely over me, drowning me in her love.

—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—

Sometime later, after repairing the damage I'd done to the bed, I was leaned on my elbows, studying Bella's hip. "Love?"

She had just awakened after our morning rendezvous. "Hmmm?"

I stroked the promise symbol with my index finger. "When did you do this?"

"Two weeks ago," she said idly. Her sleepy voice was incredibly sexy, and I was trying my best to ignore it. "Why?"

"How could I not have realized you had a wound? And where did you get this done? And to whom did you grant so much access to my body?"

"Your body?" she asked archly.

"Yes, my body." I gripped her hip and gave it a squeeze. "You are my wife, and your body belongs to me."

"Does it now?" she replied. "I don't recall hearing that in the vows."

"You're changing the subject," I said with a minor edge to my voice. I didn't like the idea that someone, anyone had seen Bella's naked hip before I did. The very notion made me inexpressibly irritable.

"You are so cute when you're annoyed," Bella chided as she patted my head. "One, this is my body, and I'm just sharing it with you." I rolled my eyes, and she laughed. "Two, you didn't smell the blood because I did this during the right time of the month. And as for the odorless ink, you'll have to ask Rosalie about that because three, she's the one who did it. Any other questions?"

She was batting her eyes, teasing me with her tone, and I found it impossible to remain cross. I had no desire to waste any of our time alone in a less than euphoric state, and I was truly relieved by the revelation that Rosalie had done her tattoo.

So if Rosalie had done it…

"Did she understand its meaning?" I asked.

"She may have suspected something," Bella confessed. "But I gave her another explanation for that particular choice of number."

"And what was that?"

"You know…" Her hand trailed off with her words, but I just watched her blankly. She struggled to sit upright as I struggled not to stare at her breasts. "You do know what the number sixty-nine represents, right?"

"The astrological sign of Cancer," I said. "But you're a Virgo, so I doubt Rosalie would believe that."

"Edward." She raised her eyebrows in question. "Sixty-nine? Sixty…nine?"

I frowned, frustrated by my ignorance. But Bella merely giggled and fished a notepad and pen out of the top drawer of the nightstand. With a quick glance at me, she began drawing. "Okay, this is you and me while we're both upright. And this is you and me while we're both lying down. Now...if one of us turned the other way while we were lying down together, then we would look like this…" She raised her eyes to me, waiting for comprehension to descend.

I started to ask why we would do that when things suddenly came into sharp focus. I stared at the picture then gaped at Bella who tried to stifle her laughter with her hands. "You told Rosalie that you wanted a tattoo of a sixty-nine because it represents…"

"I didn't want to spoil the surprise." She blushed. "Besides, I think Rosalie found some respect for me that day."

"I'll bet she did." My mind flitted back to the Kama Sutra I had stashed under my mattress, and I recalled a photo from page twenty-eight. I lingered on the image and then bookmarked it for later. "What about Alice?"

"Well, that I couldn't help," she admitted. "She saw my intent when I was explaining the design to Rosalie. I threatened to snap the heel off of her brand-new Blahniks if she spilled the beans, but that was unnecessary. She wanted you to be surprised."

I nodded as my fingers found their way back to the slightly raised skin. "I still can't believe you did this."

"It's just a tattoo," she shrugged.

"No, love." I needed her to understand. "It is so much more than that. You made a rather permanent mark on your human body to symbolize your future commitment as my mate."

"It was the least I could do," she said. "I never want to be without you, Edward. Not for another unnecessary moment or reason. And as soon as my human life makes room for an escape, I will make good on my promise. I will become a vampire and love you until the end of time."

I took her hands and couldn't speak for a moment. "I don't have the words to describe how happy you've made me."

"You don't need words," she murmured. "You show me in other ways."

I cupped her face and tenderly pressed my lips to hers. My body responded to Bella's kiss as it forever would, but I was sensitive to her human limitations. As much as I wanted to be with her again, it was in her body's best interest to rest for a while.

I pulled away and rubbed her arms as I kissed her forehead. "You haven't eaten since last night," I observed. "Are you hungry?"

Her eyes danced as she replied, "I am hungry, but I would love to take a shower. Maybe you could make me something afterwards."

"Sounds good." I kissed her temple and then clasped my hands behind my back, forcing myself to leave her alone.

She chuckled at my obvious struggle and scooted off the bed. Her perfect naked form sashayed toward the bathroom entrance, and I prepared the images of Jasper and Emmett to bring me back down.

But just as her foot hit the ceramic tile, she turned around. "Coming?"

—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—o—

Every time I thought I had seen it all, another dimension presented itself.

Bella's bare body was a sight to behold. Bella's bare body writhing in ecstasy was a waking fantasy.

Bella's bare body dripping wet defied description.

"You know, for all of your help," she quipped, "you could have stayed on the bed."

"I'm sorry," I said. "But your beauty has rendered me quite useless."

She rolled her eyes with a smile. "Yeah, yeah."

Bella threw her head back as the water cascaded down her body, and my arousal tensed so forceful that I feared it would snap off. She was exquisite, a creature of inhuman loveliness, and as I watched her luxuriate beneath the shower, I marveled at the intimacy that we now shared.

When she first arrived in Forks, I couldn't even stay in the same state as she, fearing that my bloodlust would cause me to end her life. Then, by degrees, I built up my tolerance until I could withstand her scent within the confines of our classroom, then my car, and then her bedroom where I dreamed of her while awake.

And it was in that room and mine also that my resistance increased, and I learned to kiss her, to touch her, to welcome her scent as evidence that she was alive and well and mine.

And after we recovered what we'd almost thrown away, I had improved to the point of Carlisle-esque immunity to the lure of her blood. Its perfume still aroused me as nothing ever would, but the lust it inspired was of a purely carnal nature.

But for all of that, even after she accepted my hand, my ring, and my last name, I had been terrified. For my thirst was only one battle to be fought. Second only to that major consideration was the issue of my strength. I could easily wound her—or worse—if I lost my focus for the merest second. My brothers had warned me about the intensity of the pleasure and provided surprisingly helpful hints on how to safely divert my energy before and during climax. Alice and Esme tactfully assured me that I had nothing to worry about, and my father's faith in me had been patently unwavering.

But until last night—until I had made love to her fully and without compromise—I had worried that I would hurt her. And as she drifted back to earth and fell asleep, I spent the night watching her for signs of stress: bruises, scratches, pain when she moved.

And I found nothing.

And as she slept the sleep of the righteous and justified, I realized the full extent of what I had done: I had given her a human honeymoon. I had risen to the rank of man by keeping my beastly side at bay. I had exercised supreme control over myself and become someone new. I was no longer the villain, for she had made me the hero, a conqueror returning from a most perilous crusade.

So I began to fantasize about new ways to love her, to think about things I hadn't felt myself worthy to envision. I wanted to please her in every possible way, to give her what she wanted and things of which she never dared dream. I might not have been able to read her mind, but her body lay before me as an open book where every line was written in a sensual script only my eyes could see. And until the day I was stricken blind, I wouldn't miss a comma, jot, or tittle. I would sample and suck her, love her and fuck her. For in the presence of trust, there were no limits. In the absence of fear, there were no boundaries.

No boundaries.

I came back to myself with lust on my mind and noticed that Bella's hair was wet. There were suds near the drain, and I could smell the strawberry of her shampoo.

How long had I been distracted? How could I have missed such an arousing performance?

Bella smiled knowingly at my inner monologue and began sudsing her lavender loofah. I stepped toward her and took it from her hands. "Allow me, Mrs. Cullen."

She smiled and leaned her head to one side as I started at her shoulders, lathering her skin in a circular motion. My eyes followed my hand as it moved toward her neck, promptly glazing over when the bubbles slid over her dripping nipples. With rigid resolve, I continued my ministrations to her upper body, lingering on her breasts much longer than necessary. I dropped to my knees to address her hips, buttocks, legs, and feet.

But as she put her right foot on the ground and I sat up to my full height, I was faced with a possibility that I couldn't ignore.

I rinsed the loofah and discarded it on the tiled floor of the shower. I felt Bella's eyes on me and heard the question before she asked. "What are you doing?"

"There's something I want to try," I murmured as I slid my hands up her legs. She parted them without thinking and gasped with my fingers slid toward the inside of her thighs. "Something I need to do."

"Edward…" Her eyes were wild, and she eventually fixated on the water pouring from the showerhead.

"Don't worry," I grinned as I looked up at her. "I can't drown."

Her harsh laugh was cut off as I leaned forward and nuzzled her. Her tight curls were slick with wetness, and I delicately separated them as I deeply inhaled. The musk of her fragrance was overpowering, and I licked my lips with anticipation. If her scent was this heavenly, I could only imagine the taste…

I burrowed further with the tip of my nose, slowly acquainting myself with her soft, thick folds. Bella had barely moved since I first touched her, but I expected that. In one of the only useful segments of my brothers' performance in the forest, I had learned that too much pleasure could actually be painful here, and I would take my sweet time until she was comfortable.

I slid my hands around the backs of her thighs to cup her bottom, squeezing with gentle assurance. I stroked her with the tip of my nose, and she parted her legs as she sighed. The subtle movement granted me greater access, and I opened my mouth in preparation. She tensed at my inhale, and I blew softly into her warmth in an attempt to soothe her.

My cool breath had the opposite effect, and Bella shuddered. Her fingers scratched my scalp, and her breathing quickened. From my intimate position, I could feel when her thumping pulse accelerated, and my curiosity could no longer be helped. With the greatest possible caution, I pressed my lips to hers in an open kiss, licking her lightly with a gentle pass of my tongue.

I was wholly unprepared for what the raw taste of her would do to me, and I groaned as her exotic flavor tangoed on my tongue. It was pungent, luscious like an unblemished sliver of heavenly fruit, and I wanted to engorge myself on its succulence. But patience in pleasing Bella was my purpose, and in a fraction of a second, I recovered my faculties. She hadn't noticed my retreat, and I couldn't let my nerves get in our way. I licked her again more slowly, moaning into her mound as I ingested her taste. My teeth were a liability even without the venom, and I proceeded gingerly, feasting on her outer labia.

Bella's ensuing cry echoed in the shower chamber, and I felt increased pressure as her hands gripped my head. Encouraged, I sampled her again, my mouth wide and wanting. And when my flat tongue swirled around her most sensitive part, she lost her footing. I pressed my hands against the shower wall, inviting her to rest against my arms as my tongue continued its sweet work. She was writhing wildly, trying to escape. But I knew what she wanted, and I was determined to give it to her.

"Relax, love." I kissed her tenderly. "Just relax."

"It's just so…" Her voice was a whimper as she tried to explain. "I've never…"

"I know, honey." I purred into her plumpness. "Just let go…"

She mumbled unintelligibly as her legs infinitesimally relaxed.

"Déjame amarte, Bella," I murmured. "Déjame entrar para que yo pueda amarte."

As my soft Spanish pleading continued to caress her ears, the tension in her body began its recession. I coaxed her further with my language and tongue, tasting and teasing with greater ardor. She grew increasingly limp as I kissed and licked her, and as I blew across her skin again, Bella fully relented. I bent her legs at the knees and put them on my shoulders. She was completely exposed to me now, and I was so very thirsty…

My tongue was slick and seeking as I explored her more deeply. I lapped against her in slow circles, stroking and savoring her swelling folds as my hands reached for her breasts. As I pinched her nipple, Bella began rolling against my mouth, and I nearly cried at this sign of her ultimate trust. This was an intimacy more precious than coitus: baring her most sacred place to my keen senses of sight, smell, and taste. I took nothing for granted as I made love to her with my mouth, painting my passion across her fleshy sex with the most delicate of brushstrokes.

Bella was crowning, the pulse between her legs becoming frantic against my lips. Her strained voice bounced around the shower like a sensuous symphony as I played maestro to her most sensitive spot. She tried to escape as I pushed her further, swirling my tongue all around her exquisite softness. I licked and flicked her with vampiric speed and precision, and she clutched and clawed at me as her hips rocked harder against my mouth. I would not be moved, would not be delayed, and when I felt the trembling of her inner walls, I held her hips in place and sucked the tightening bud.

A sacrilegious chorus of "Oh, god" and "Oh, shit" filled my ears as Bella cried out, her labored breathing signaling the advance of her climax. I swallowed greedily as she came, her ripe nectar flooding my mouth. I didn't move an inch, didn't miss a drop, lapping up her appreciation as she baptized me in the holiest of waters. We were truly one now, unified by the apex of sexual communion.

I lifted her up, wrapping my arms around her quivering body, and she clung to me as we exited the shower. I dried us quickly and tucked her into bed, turning up the thermostat and adding a blanket to her covering. Bella curled up next to me as I joined her, resting her head against my chest. And as her eyes began to close, she laid her hand atop my silent heart.

"I love you," she whispered.

I kissed her forehead and pressed her closer. "As I love you."

Well… I need to go find my husband, STAT. Please review this chapter and tell me how you liked the view from Edward's POV.

ps - In Spanish, he said, "Let me love you, Bella. Let me in so I can love you."