A/N: This is technically a continuation of my one shot from Edward's POV from Isle Esme (check it out if you haven't read it yet and let me know what you think!), but I'm uploading them separately because this will be rated M for lemons, but that chapter was easily T and I wanted more people to be able to read and enjoy it, even those that don't like the M stuff. So, here's the continuation of the honeymoon night – I hope you enjoy it! Also, I don't own any of the characters or universe – all copyright belongs to SM and no infringement is intended!

Edward POV

"Don't be afraid," her angel's voice was soft but distinct. "We belong together." I could hear her conviction in her tone and in the way she leaned into me. So trusting. I sighed softly, knowing once and for all that I would do my best to fulfill this promise.

"Forever," I surrendered. And I pulled her agonizingly soft body against mine and drifted with her into deeper water.

I felt the moment when her feet could no longer touch the soft, sandy bottom. My shoulders were still easily above water and I all but purred as Bella drifted infinitesimally closer to me, wrapping her slender arms around my neck to keep her head easily above the surface. I held my breath as, for the first time, I felt Bella's body press against the entire length of mine with no barrier of clothing between us. She was so unbearably warm and soft, her every curve molding itself to my marble hard form. My arms wound around her torso, settling in the small of her back to hold her gently to me. I could just feel the barest hint of the curve of the top of her bottom against my forearm and my hands clenched into fists as I resisted the urge to fill my palms with that tempting flesh and crush her to me.

Gently. Slowly. Control.

A hiss slowly escaped my lips as I chanted the reminder to myself. Bella's eyes dropped from mine to my mouth then as she heard the sound. Her lashes hid her eyes now, but I watched as her tongue darted out to wet her lips and I heard her heart pause then restart in a loud, slow pounding rhythm. I leaned in and pressed my lips to hers, just as I had a million times before, but this could have been the first time. The kiss instantaneously ignited every millimeter of skin that was in contact with her satiny smooth skin. I felt her gasp a bare fraction of a second before her hands were grasping the hair at the nape of my neck, twisting it in her tiny fists to hold me to her. Then without any further warning her legs were wrapped around my midsection as she did everything in her power to get as close as humanly possible to me.

My eyes flew open and I froze as I ruthlessly locked every muscle into place. I clamped my teeth together and locked my jaw as I immediately stopped breathing. It reminded me forcefully of that first kiss. Only this time, it wasn't the monster of bloodlust that was straining to break free of its chains. It was pure, unadulterated lust of an entirely different kind. My senses are capable of seeing, hearing, feeling, tasting, smelling a thousand things at once without even needing my full concentration. In the normal order of things this onslaught of sensation that would cripple a human's capacity for understanding barely registers in my mind.

Until now. Because suddenly it was all gone. As if someone had flipped a switch and turned off all my vampiric senses, I was blind. I was deaf. All I could feel was the searing heat that was currently pressed just below my navel. The core of Bella's heat and desire, which was open and so achingly welcoming was currently pressed up against my granite skin and I had never felt anything so glorious in all my years of existence.

I was completely and utterly lost in that singular sensation, and that was very dangerous indeed. Dimly I became aware that Bella had stopped kissing me and was holding nearly as still as I was. I blinked to try and bring her face back into focus and saw that she was blushing and biting her lip in chagrin.

"Oops," she whispered and her lips began to tremble with suppressed laughter. She started to shift away from me and I instinctively tightened my hold unable to bear the thought of having her move out of my reach. Mercifully she let her legs float back down to their original, more traditional and infinitely less enjoyable position.

"No," I said and immediately grimaced. My voice sounded all wrong. Hoarse. Embarrassing. I half smiled at her and continued, "You are unbelievable. I wonder if you'll continue to take me by surprise for the rest of eternity." Dear God, I hoped so. A smile broke across her face that was exactly like watching the sun dawn across a fantastically beautiful landscape.

"Hmm," she all but purred, "does that mean it's…bearable?" I laughed with her as we both remembered my words after our very first kiss.

"Yes, I suppose it is," I said after taking a moment to pretend to consider it seriously. "Bella," I breathed as I leaned in to inhale her scent just under her jaw line, rubbing my nose down the column of her neck and placed a kiss on her shoulder.

"Mmmmm," was her only verbal response. The things that one syllable did to me! I squeezed my eyes tightly closed and forced myself to straighten away from her warm and tempting skin.

"If this is going to work, we're going to have to take things slowly." Her eyelids fluttered open as she worked to focus on what I was saying. I let my hands, which had been anchored at the delectable curve of her waist, slide slowly up her torso, gliding to her back a bare centimeter before they would have brushed the sides of her breasts and ending on her shoulders with one cupping the back of her neck.

She lost the fight against her eyelids then as they slid closed again, anticipating my kiss. I was more than willing to oblige and sighed when our lips made contact. After no more than a minute, though I started floating the two of us back towards the shore. We quickly reached the point where Bella's feet once again could touch the sandy bottom and I ended our kiss so that I could finish my thought.

"Slowly, Bella. We have all night and…" I hesitated, not sure how to phrase what I needed to say and acknowledging that I was feeling a bit shy about saying the words aloud, "and if I'm going to be able to control myself, then I'm going to need your help."

Bella's eyes were solemn as she regarded me for a long moment, considering my words. "I trust you, you know. I meant what I said earlier, we do belong together. I will do whatever you need to make this perfect. For both of us. I want," she bit her lip again and her eyes slid away from my face for a moment before coming back determinedly, "I want this to be everything you've dreamed of. I have a lot to live up to, you know," she continued with a wry little smile.

My eyebrows drew together as I considered her words. After a moment, I shook my head baffled. "I don't know what you mean," I admitted. Would her mind never cease to be a frustrating mystery to me?

Bella laughed a soft, self-deprecating laugh that allowed some of her nerves to show. "You've waited over a hundred years for this! No pressure, right? Not to mention you've probably heard more in the thoughts of Emmet alone than I've ever even had a chance to learn about, um, about sex. Let alone the thoughts of every other person on the planet for the past century! And I'm just… well, I'm just me after all and –" I interrupted her flow of words when it became clear that she was working herself up to an anxiety attack.

"You're right," I said. The air whooshed out of her lungs at my words and her eyes widened. I smiled at her, truly amused that she continued to doubt the hold she had on me. I shook my head, exasperated. "Bella, even with living through more adolescent male fantasies in more high schools than I care to remember over the years, more, living with Emmet and Rosalie," I gave a theatrical shudder and was rewarded with a small smile, "even with all of that, I have never even considered making love with anyone until you. Not another human, not another vampire. No one but you, Isabella Cullen. My wife. My love. It is precisely because of how very desirable and irresistible I find you that I am terrified that I will forget myself and end up hurting you." My eyes begged her to understand this very real possibility.

"Slow sounds good," Bella said with a smile that would have brought me to my knees if I didn't know that I was holding her above water at the moment. "So, are we going to stand here all night talking about it?"

I let out a reluctant chuckle at her successful attempt to break me out of my own pending anxiety attack. "No, I have other plans for us this evening, actually," I admitted in what she called my dazzling voice. Her heart immediately kicked back into double time. I grinned at her as I reached out with a movement that would be too fast for her eyes to follow and lifted her into my arms. I was kissing her even as I walked just faster than human speed back to the house.

Oh, yes, I had plans.

A/N: Well, hope you all enjoyed it. If there's any interest I'll continue the story. I really would love to hear what you think so far. Do you think I have a decent handle on Edward's character? Anything I missed or was way off the mark? Hate it? Let me know and I'll start to work on the next installment if anyone is interested enough in what Edward's "plans" are!