Title: Wishlist

Author: Amethyst Jackson

Rating: M

Summary: AU – Edward never left Bella, and their first Christmas together falls in the missing months of New Moon.

Dec 2, 2005

Our first Christmas together was less than a month away, and I knew Edward was busy thinking up extravagant gifts to get me – and furthermore, ways to talk me into accepting them. He kept pestering me, too, asking what I wanted. There was only one thing I really wanted – well, two things, but I wasn't going to press my luck – and I knew that wasn't what he had in mind, so even asking seemed hopeless. But Edward was nothing if not persistent.

"There must be something," he whispered against my ear, spooned behind me in my bed. Charlie was fast asleep across the hall, oblivious, and normally I would be asleep by this time, too, but even though it was a school night, Edward was happily keeping me awake.

"For the millionth time, Edward, there isn't," I sighed. His lips pressed into the sensitive spot behind my ear and then trailed down my neck. So he was going with that tactic again. I wasn't exactly opposed to his methods, pleasant as they were, but they had an increasing tendency to leave me frustrated. I was sick of going to sleep with an ache between my thighs.

"Please, Bella? Give me something. You're ruining all the fun," he wheedled. Even whining, his voice was ridiculously beautiful. It wasn't fair.

"Fine. I want a pony," I said dryly, slightly irritated with the way his finger had started to trace just under the edge of my t-shirt. Didn't he realize what he was doing to me?

"That could be arranged. I think Alice would like to have a pony." It sounded more like a threat than an offer. I rolled my eyes.

"Why can't you just let it go, Edward?" I tried to shift away from his touch, but he held me tight to him. "Can't you just be like every other oblivious boyfriend and buy me a scarf or something?"

"A scarf!" he scoffed. I could practically feel his eyes rolling. "I'd like to think I could do better than a scarf for the love of my life."

My stomach jumped at his words. I couldn't imagine a world where that could possibly be true, where I could be the one and only love of a life as long as Edward's, but if he really did love me that much, if he really wanted to give me what I truly desired, could I get him to grant my wish?

"There is…one thing," I said carefully, keeping my eyes straight ahead – I was afraid he would see right through me if I met his probing eyes.

"Yes?" His voice was eager, almost breathless. I would have laughed, had I not been so nervous.

"I don't think you'll want to give it to me," I said, biting my lip for effect.

"Why not? Is it expensive? Because you know that's not an issue –"

"No," I interrupted. "No…it wouldn't cost anything."

I felt his body tense as he grew suspicious. "Bella, if you're trying to talk me into changing you – "

"No!" He relaxed instantly, and I realized I'd found my opportunity. His guard was down now that I'd passed over the one thing he refused to give. "No, unless you've had a sudden change of heart, I'm not going to press the issue now."

"Well, then?" His lips were back at my ear, coaxing.

"I want…I want you," I admitted, my face flaming.

"You already have me, Bella." Was he being deliberately obtuse?

I turned in his arms, hoping that my pleading expression would help to sway him as I made my final bid. "That's not what I meant. I want to be with you, Edward."

His face contorted into a pained expression as he realized what I was hinting at. "You know why that's not possible, Bella. Anything else."

"But it's been almost a year, and we've gotten so much better at this," I argued. "We could do it, I know it. Please, Edward. When you're here every night like this, it's unbearable. Every time we kiss, it gets worse. It hurts, I want you so bad."

He frowned, eyes torn. "Maybe I should go…if this is hurting you."

"No," I said quickly, clutching at his arms as if that would do any good. "Please, stay. I can't sleep without you here."

He sighed, touching his forehead to mine. "I don't want this to be hard for you, Bella."

I felt bad, putting him in this position, but as soon as the words had come out of my mouth, I had realized – I needed to do this. If I didn't push the boundaries of our relationship, we would never get anywhere.

"I don't want this to be hard for you, either," I said, as apologetic as I dared to be. "Will you just…think about it? Please?"

"That's just the thing, Bella," he replied. "I have thought about it…more than I should have, and I want it more than I should. But I can't imagine that my control could possibly withstand that… I've overhead a lot of things – things that I never wanted to hear, but it's hard to escape them – and if it's anything like what I've understood from my family…I really don't think I could keep my head."

I didn't want to brush aside his concerns, but I thought he was underestimating his control. "You didn't think you could stop if you tasted my blood, either, but you did."

Edward winced at the memory. "Your life was at stake."

"If you hadn't noticed, my life has always been at stake. That's probably why you've never managed to hurt me, as much as you doubt yourself," I argued.

His frown was thoughtful. "Bella…if anything happened to you while we…did that, I couldn't live with myself."

"I know, and that's why I know it would be fine. Edward, I wouldn't ask this of you if I didn't believe in you."

Edward blew a breath out softly. It muddled my head. "If…if I give you what you want, there have to be conditions."

"Of course." My heart thumped giddily at the thought – was he really, truly giving in?

"First of all, I'll only promise that we'll try. If I say we have to stop, we stop."

I nodded my agreement. "That's good enough for me."

"And you have to let me get you whatever I want for Christmas."

"But –"

"No buts," he said, placing two fingers over my lips. "You're getting what you want, and what I want is to spoil you. So let me. Please?"

It was impossible to resist those pleading eyes. "Fine, but nothing I would have a hard time explaining to Charlie, please?"

He considered that a moment. "Very well. I can be subtle."

"Thank you," I said, relieved. I didn't want to come home with a new car on Christmas. "When…?"

"I'll need some time," Edward said. "To prepare myself."

I nodded. "Christmas night? Maybe…we could sort of…work our way up to it."

Edward raised a questioning eyebrow. "Just what does that entail?"

I felt my face flame. "Well, you know what they say. Practice makes perfect and all. Maybe we should try some things first, before…you know."

Edward smirked. "I suppose we could do that. Maybe we should start by learning how to talk about it without stumbling over ourselves."

"So…we're really going to do this, then?" I said with a tentative smile, feeling anticipation swirling within me.

"Christmas night," he agreed, looking like he was fighting a smile himself.

"Can we start practicing now?" I eyed his lips, which had been engaged in too much talking and not enough kissing tonight.

"You need sleep," he chided, though his hand on my back brought me slightly closer to him.

I pouted. "You weren't so worried about that when you were trying to get answers out of me."

"Well, I wouldn't want to be a hypocrite, now would I?" he said before his lips met mine, moving in a gentle rhythm.

There was no more talking that night.

Dec 4, 2005

"Will you come back tonight?" I asked as I walked Edward out onto the porch, out of Charlie's hearing.

"Of course." His brow was furrowed. It was something of a silly question, considering he was there more often than not, and he always told me when he would be away.

"But will you come sooner? Before he's asleep?" I pressed.

Edward gave me that look he had whenever he wished he could read my mind. "All right. I'll come back as soon as I get the car home and extricate myself from Emmett. He wanted a PlayStation battle, but he can wait for another time."

"Oh," I said, a little deflated. "You don't have to stay, if you'd rather –"

"Oh, no," Edward chuckled, shaking his head. "I'd much rather spend the night with you, thanks. I'll see you in a bit," he promised, dipping his head to kiss me lightly before he left at a human-paced jog through the rain to his car.

I told Charlie I was going to bed and hurried up the stairs to get in the shower. If tonight was going to go the way I wanted it to, I wanted to be clean for it. And well-shaven. That was crucial.

By the time I had washed, dried, put my pajamas on (the nice ones), and returned to my room, he was there waiting on my bed, hair disheveled and eyes bright, looking like my every fantasy come true. My breath caught in my throat.

"Alice said you had plans for tonight," Edward mentioned in a very offhand tone as soon as the door was shut behind me. "She wouldn't let me see, but she said I should cooperate."

I blushed. "You should definitely cooperate. It will probably spare me a lot of embarrassment if you do."

"Oh?" His eyebrow went up in a perfect arch. "Come here, then, and tell me what's going on in that head of yours."

I sat carefully beside him on the bed. "I was just thinking, you know, that we should start…testing the waters."

The eyebrow didn't go down; I tried to avoid his eyes, lest my blush deepen. "What waters, exactly?"

"You're being obtuse on purpose," I pouted, seeing the hint of a smirk on his lips.

He laughed quietly. "I promise, I would do no such thing. I just want to make sure you're thinking what I think you're thinking."

"I am," I said, daring a glance at him.

Edward's lips twitched into a smile, and then he surprised me by lifting me easily into his lap. I swallowed heavily as my legs settled to either side of his, bringing us chest to chest and face to face.

"Will this do for a start?" he asked, his breath fanning across my face, turning my bones to mush.

"For a start," I managed as his hands cupped my face and brought my lips to his. It was a slow kiss that lit a fire low in my stomach and made my toes curl. I took the chance to do something I'd always wanted to do – I slipped my tongue out to taste his lips. The sweetness made my mouth tingle and my head swim. Edward didn't push me away, but his shoulders were tense under my hands, so I pulled away a little.

"Was that okay?" I asked.

He let out a breath and smiled weakly. "It was, but I don't like you getting so close to my teeth."

"Oh. Well, don't open your mouth, then," I said cheekily. Edward rolled his eyes.

"I wasn't planning on it. Come back here."

Dec 6, 2005

"You can move your hands, you know."

"But they're so cold," he murmured against my lips.

"I like it," I insisted, pushing his hands under my shirt.

"You're bizarre," he said, but his hands drifted up my torso, flitting around the curves of my breasts.

"Quit your complaining," I said breathlessly. "You like it."

Dec 9. 2005

If there was anything better than my hands on Edward's skin, it was the purring sound he made in response.

"Take your shirt off." For once, he didn't argue.

No, my lips on his skin were the best thing.

Dec 11, 2005

"This is perfection."

I agreed with him, but my mind was in no state to form coherent statements. Pressed together, chest to chest, it felt like we were the only two people in the world, such an intimate sensation.

"We should have done this ages ago," I said, my voice breaking as his fingers trailed down my spine.

"I think you're right," he said as he flipped us, trapping me beneath him on my back. I was too distracted to gloat.

Dec 14, 2005

"Do you think you'll be ready?"

His words vibrated against my stomach, "It's very…disheartening…that you're able to talk at all right now."

I rolled my eyes. "Answer my question."

He lifted his head, giving me a long-suffering look. "Yes, I think so."

My response died on my tongue as his lips closed around the peak of my breast.

Dec 15, 2005

"Edward?"

"Hmm?"

"I think maybe we should stop practicing for awhile," I said. I couldn't believe my own mouth, but everything we'd been engaged in since we'd come to our agreement was getting to be a bit…much. Meaning that I was going to spontaneously combust if I didn't get some release, and soon. And since Edward probably wouldn't cooperate on that front, it seemed better to stop altogether.

"Really? I thought you were enjoying yourself." He looked like I'd just stolen his lollipop. Maybe he'd been enjoying himself more than I realized.

"I was. I am. But…but we're doing all this and it isn't going anywhere and I feel like I'm going to burst," I blurted out, red-faced.

He stared a moment, then laughed. "Oh, is that the problem? I was afraid it was my technique."

I glowered at him. He knew very well how he affected me.

"I can try to solve that problem, if you like," he offered. His smile was alluring, but his eyes were nervous. My stomach did a somersault.

"Really?"

He smiled tentatively. "I meant it when I said I didn't want this to be hard for you. After all we've done…I think I can manage it."

I raised an eyebrow. "But not before?"

He shook his head. "You continually underestimate my self-control."

"The bloodlust can't be that much worse," I said skeptically. He laughed.

"I meant my self-control as a man, not as a vampire."

"Oh." I felt hot all over. He grinned, and his hand skimmed down my bare side.

"You're sure?" he confirmed, fingers hesitating at the drawstring of my pants. I nodded, a little too eagerly, and then I felt a gentle tug.

Dec 16, 2005

"Can we do what we did last night again?"

Edward groaned. "I've created a monster."

"I was always a monster," I argued, trying to kiss him.

"Must be why we get along so well," he said with a snort.

"Shut up and kiss me."

"A bossy monster."

"Edward," I whined, pressing myself against him. "Please?"

He sighed. "You're a dangerous creature."

Dec 18, 2005

"You haven't let me touch you yet."

Edward shrugged, avoiding my eyes. "I'm not sure that's a good idea."

"Why not?" I asked, rolling onto my stomach and effectively tangling myself in the sheet. "Isn't that the most important part to practice?"

That one eyebrow shot up. "You think that's the most important part?"

I shrugged. "That's the part where you seem to think there's going to be a hang-up, isn't it? Wouldn't practice help?"

He sighed, eyeing me speculatively. "If I say stop, you stop, okay?"

I agreed readily.

Dec 19, 2005

"You're trying to torture me, aren't you?" he groaned as my hands found their way to his zipper.

"The whole point of practice is that we do it more than once," I said. "Besides, I like the face you make."

"Bella."

"You did like it, didn't you?" I feigned a hurt expression. I knew he liked it; that was impossible not to see.

"Of course, Bella, I just – ah."

"Shut up and enjoy it."

Dec 21, 2005

"I need to go on a long hunt if we're going to do this."

I didn't relish the thought of long nights without him after everything we'd done since making our agreement.

"How long?"

"A couple days. I'll come back on Christmas Eve."

I sighed. "Okay, then. How, um…how is this going to work?"

Edward smirked. "I thought you knew that part. You see, when a man loves a woman – "

"Shut up," I swatted him, much to my hand's detriment. "You know what I mean."

His smile fell just the tiniest bit. "Well, I thought since you're already bringing Charlie to our house for Christmas, you might as well stay that night on the pretense of a sleepover with Alice."

I blanched. "The rest of your family won't be there, will they?"

He laughed. "No, of course not. I don't particularly want them overhearing that, either."

"Oh. Good. …You know, I still think it's ridiculous that Esme is cooking a whole Christmas dinner for two people."

"Don't worry. All the leftovers will be sent to the hospital."

"So…since you're leaving tomorrow…"

"Let's call it the dress rehearsal."

Dec 25, 2005

I woke up early to make breakfast for Charlie, already buzzing with anticipation for what would come tonight. Charlie thought my excitement was due to the Christmas festivities, and for that I was grateful.

While we ate, Charlie presented me a store-wrapped package, which turned out to be a set of hard-backed Victorian novels, which brought surprising tears to my eyes – a reaction which made Charlie distinctly uncomfortable, I could tell.

Charlie was more than a little awkward about going to the Cullen household for Christmas, complaining that he felt like a charity case, but I knew he was looking forward to the home-cooked meal for once, so I mostly ignored him.

When we arrived, the house was decked out in elaborate decorations which I knew had to be Alice's doing, perhaps with help from Esme. The snowman in the front yard with plastic vampire fangs for a mouth had to be Emmett's doing. I was surprised Edward had let him get away with it. Maybe he hadn't seen it yet.

Charlie gave a low whistle. "They sure do know how to celebrate, don't they?"

I laughed. "Alice does, at least."

The interior of the house was even worse. The enormous Christmas tree reached the ceiling and took up a quarter of the living room, and it was decorated impeccably – no homemade ornaments here. The worst part, though, was the huge pile of presents under the tree. I winced, wondering how many were for me, and how many more were waiting in hiding. Edward had agreed to give me only half his presents in front of Charlie.

I, on the other hand, had only been able to buy one present for each member of the Cullen family, and I wasn't at all confident about giving any of them…especially Edward's. He'd been impossible to buy for.

Esme came bustling out of the kitchen with Carlisle in tow, bringing with them a waft of delightful smells and an aura of domestic tranquility. I could already see Charlie succumbing to it in spite of himself.

"Bella, Charlie! We're so glad you could make it. Bella, why don't you go upstairs and gather up the others? Charlie, maybe you'd like to have a cup of coffee with Carlisle and I in the kitchen…"

And just like that, Charlie was steered away and I was free to scramble up the stairs. I bypassed all the others' rooms, knowing they would have heard our entrance and would be making themselves known soon. I went straight for Edward.

He was waiting for me in his room, on…on a brand new bed. I blinked.

"You bought a bed?"

"Of course I bought a bed," he said, beckoning me over. "You didn't think I would let our first time be on a couch, did you?"

I shrugged, blushing, as I clambered up onto the huge bed. "I didn't expect you to buy this monster."

Edward just laughed. "Consider it one of your Christmas presents. Speaking of…"

I groaned as he handed me a small package. He gave me a stern look. "Remember, you promised."

"I did," I sighed, pulling at the neat red bow and removing the wrapping, revealing a long velvet box. Inside was a delicate necklace of interwoven strands of silver, making an intricate pattern.

"It's beautiful," I said, my stomach flipping with mixed emotions. On the one hand, no one had ever given me jewelry before, and I was a little afraid of how much I liked getting it from Edward. On the other hand, I was afraid of what the rest of his gifts would be.

"Let me put it on you," he said, lifting it from the box and moving behind me to clasp it around my neck. It settled easily into place, cool against my skin.

He smiled in satisfaction as he looked over the final effect, and then he took my hand.

"Let's go down, then, shall we? Alice is dying to get started."

Christmas passed in a whirl of eating (or lack thereof) and wrapping paper, though all the while I was painfully aware of Edward and the special purchase waiting in my overnight bag that I'd made while he was away in a secret trip to Port Angeles. Most of what I'd seen on that excursion to Victoria's Secret had made me blush just to see it on the hanger, but I'd finally found something modest enough for me to wear without dying of embarrassment.

Edward gave me a series of very tame gifts under Charlie's watchful eye, things that would seem innocent enough. There was a scarf, but it was cashmere; a leather-bound journal, several books, a pile of homemade CDs, and the like. I was glad that he had seemed to restrain himself somewhat.

I was nervous, handing Edward his gift. He opened it with careful eagerness, and his boyish excitement left my stomach fluttering – but that was nothing next to the smile on his face as he looked at the antique composition book, preserved from the Edwardian period. His eyes were full of emotion as they met mine, and I knew nothing could go wrong when he could look at me like that.

The others, too, gave me presents – clothes from Alice (with Jasper's name added onto the tag, but I had a feeling he'd never seen any of it before), a set of earrings that matched Edward's necklace from Esme and Carlisle, and a huge teddy bear from Emmett that was ridiculously appropriate, I thought. There was nothing from Rosalie, but I didn't mind that. I didn't want her to feel obligated to do anything for me – I knew her feelings on my presence in their lives.

They all exchanged gifts amongst themselves as well, and had a huge pile for Charlie, which made the gift-opening last for a ridiculously long time.

Finally, though, the sky began to grow dark, and Charlie dragged himself away from the football game he was watching with Emmett and Carlisle in order to make the drive home.

He was clearly reluctant to leave me there with my boyfriend so near at hand, and for once, he was right to worry – but I told him that Alice had no intention of letting Edward interfere with our "girl time" and sent him on his way.

The others left soon after, Esme and Carlisle to visit the hospital, and the others went into the woods to begin what was evidently an annual, all-night snowball fight.

And suddenly, we were alone.

I looked to Edward, where he stood across the room, face glowing under the Christmas lights. He smiled.

"Let's go upstairs, shall we? You have more gifts to open."

I made an involuntary face; I'd forgotten about that part.

Still, as he led me up the stairs, my heart was pounding. It wouldn't be long now. My mind was a jumble. Would we be able to do this? Would it end badly? Would I be good enough? Would it be the best thing I'd ever felt?

"Sit," he ordered, leading me to the bed. I did, waiting for the deluge to begin. I soon realized, as I began unwrapping, that Edward had saved a different kind of gift to give me out of Charlie's sight. Out of these boxes came silk pajamas, fancy bath products, underwear sets, and –

"Is that what I think it is?"

Edward rubbed the back of his neck, a sure sign of nerves. "That's Alice's fault. She said I should get you one, you know…for when I'm not around."

I gawked at the plastic device, blushing to my ears. "You went into a store and bought this?"

"Oh, heavens no," he said quickly. "I ordered that online."

A giggle escaped, and he was soon laughing with me.

"I shouldn't have listened to Alice. I feel ridiculous."

"I'm just glad that didn't end up in the pile downstairs," I said, imagining the look on Charlie's face with horror.

A strange, uncomfortable quiet fell over us, and I glanced over at Edward to find him watching me.

"Is that the end of the presents, then?" I asked hopefully.

He smiled. "Yes…save the one."

"Right." My throat was suddenly dry. "Should I…get ready, then?"

He nodded, face unreadable. "I'll be waiting."

I went with my overnight bag into the bathroom and freshened up quickly before changing into the nightgown, a white knee-length satin garment with spaghetti straps. Innocent enough, but, I hoped, appealing as well.

It seemed a very long walk back to the bedroom. When I opened the door, I found it transformed, lit with flickering candles, the bed turned down. Edward had been standing out the window, looking out, but he turned around at my entrance. He'd unbuttoned his shirt and removed his shoes, and his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows. He looked delightfully unkempt, and suddenly I had to stop myself from running to him.

His eyes raked over me, and I marveled at how he could make me burn with just a look. It wasn't fair.

Edward crossed the room slowly until he was painfully close, and then he reached past me to shut the door, closing our little bubble. Then his hand was in mine, and he led me over to the bed, pulling me down with him.

"You look lovely," he murmured as we lay face to face, fingers ghosting over my exposed collarbone. "I like seeing you in white."

I sidled closer, aching for contact. "It was the only respectable thing I could find."

He chuckled, lowering his lips to mine. "It's perfect," he said before his hard mouth met my soft one, and it was like the first time, but better, with all the electricity between us being channeled to its proper place, setting my body aflame.

Everything melted together perfectly. My hands roamed over his chest while his fingers danced up my thigh. When his kisses trailed down my neck, I pushed the shirt from his shoulders. His arms formed a cage around me that I never wanted to escape from.

His quick fingers pushed the straps from my shoulders, and his lips followed their path. I realized my hands were shaking and pressed them into his back to keep some kind of control. And then his hands pushed the gown up my legs; his hands sent a slow burn up my thighs to my center, and I found myself moaning already.

The gown went over my head, leaving me in the white lace panties I'd bought to match. His eyes were scorching, roaming over my nearly-naked form. I'd never felt this exposed before, not in the darkness of my bedroom where there was no flickering candlelight to illuminate my every flaw. But then, I'd never been able to see the look in his eyes before, either, and it was blistering, soul-piercing. If he was my Adonis, his gaze finally made me feel like Aphrodite.

"Please," I whispered, drawing him back to me. His hands were gentle as they traced over my skin, running up my thighs, spreading over my stomach, and finally cupping my breasts. I arched into him, reaching blindly for more. My hands gripped his shoulders as his lips met my breast. The soft scrape of his tongue made me cry out, and I wondered how I would survive having him inside of me, how my body could possibly hold that much feeling.

As his lips skimmed lower, his fingers dipped inside the waistband of my panties, dragging them down my legs while I waited with breathless anticipation. His hands parted my legs gently, and he surprised me by lowering his head between them. In all our nights together, he'd only used his hands on me before; this was something entirely new.

A sharp gasp left my throat as his mouth touched my sensitive flesh. His tongue moved as if strategically designed to drive me insane, and all I could do was clutch the sheets as wave after wave of drugging pleasure washed over me. He didn't stop until I peaked, teasing me into a round of aftershocks that left me weak and limp as he crawled back up my body.

"You've been holding out on me," I panted, still acutely aware of his fingers dancing around my navel.

He shrugged. "I wasn't sure I could, until now. But seeing you like that, because of me, is enough to make everything else irrelevant."

"Thank you, Edward, for giving me this," I said, turning my body into his. "Even if it turns out we can't…well. This is still incredible."

"It is that, isn't it?" he said, burying his fingers in my hair as he leaned in to kiss me again. "I feel as if I should be thanking you…this is so much more than I ever thought it could be."

I responded with my lips, doing my best to communicate with my body what I didn't know how to say in words – how much I loved him, wanted him, needed him. And I felt him say the same as he pressed me gently back and settled between my thighs once again. This time, I could feel the pressure of his hips against mine, could feel the prominent erection against my aching center. Nothing could ever quench that need but him.

I reached for the button of his slacks, somehow undoing it with my fumbling fingers. The zipper was easier work, and then it was simple to push the slacks and boxers together off his hips, leaving him to do the rest of the work.

I couldn't resist a look at his naked body in the candlelight. It had always been just dark enough in my room that I couldn't quite form an adequate mental image of him, but now his body was completely revealed, a perfectly sculpted figure of marble, living and breathing here for me.

"Bella…" His voice was shakier than I was used to, tinged with nervousness and anticipation. "You need to tell me if I hurt you at all."

"I will," I promised, though I knew it would be unnecessary. There was no pain in his arms.

Our eyes locked as he entered me. I felt the sting of my breaking maidenhead and the strange stretching sensation, but that was all somehow secondary to the boiling need in his eyes, a little distraction in the background.

As he began to move, all I could feel was the incredible fullness, the absolute completion of being joined with the one who possessed my heart. I gave him all of me, and he gave himself in return – just as he was, and just as I wanted him.

Time suspended, and everything was a blur save for his face above me and the heat emanating from our joining. It grew and grew into a blazing inferno, encompassing everything until I finally burst, clinging to him as my anchor to the world – or maybe he just was my world.

I heard, through my colorful, pleasured haze his cry of my name, echoing through the air, and I felt his final, sharp thrust reach deep within me.

He took me with him as he collapsed onto his back. I floated in the afterglow, content to press my overheated face against his chest and feel his strong arms locked around me. This was all the heaven I would ever need.

"Are you all right?" he finally asked. I looked up to his assessing eyes as if waking from a dream.

"I'm perfect," I said, burrowing closer to him. "You're perfect. It was all perfect. Can we do it again?"

He laughed, bringing the blankets up to cover us. "Sleep first. We'll have plenty of time for that."

"Forever?"

"Forever," he sighed, pressing his lips to my hair.

That was all I needed to hear.

The End