Chapter Thirteen

Previously:

“BELLA!” I shouted, blinking water out of my eyes. I looked everywhere for any sight of her, but couldn’t see anything.

“BELLA!” I shouted again. She’s gone, where is she? She’s gone… I could feel myself start to go crazy as another wave hit me against the cliff.


Chapter Thirteen

Day Twenty-Six Stranded continued

Edward

“Bella!” I called again, shaking the water out of my hair to keep it from getting in my eyes. I could barely see through the fog and the darkness. I looked around frantically, trying as hard as I could to see something, anything.

It suddenly occurred to me that she could be stuck underwater, and I quickly sunk my head below, digging my feet and hands into the sand under me to keep myself from being pulled away.

At first I saw nothing but water, and the salt and pressure stung my eyes. With the current moving me constantly, it was hard to really focus on anything.

I caught sight of large bubbles rushing to the surface of the water about ten feet away from me. What looked like a mass of brown hair swirled below them, going every which way.

My heart leapt, and without a thought, I rushed toward Bella’s limp body. She was being thrown everywhere with the waves from what I could tell, and my stomach dropped to my feet when I saw that she wasn’t fighting it. I was sucked back toward the cliff as another wave hit my body, but I kicked and pulled my arms up above the water, swimming freestyle toward my girl. The wave came back, and I was pushed toward Bella.

This happened three more times before I finally reached her. I took a hold of her lank limbs, one arm around her waist, and pulled her to the surface. It was important that I kept her face above the water, but it was extremely difficult, as I could barely hold myself above it.

One look at her face made me cringe. Unconscious, I thought, damn it! Her face was deathly pale, and her lips were turning blue.

Water in the lungs, I assessed. I had to get her to a flat surface and perform CPR quickly. She wouldn’t last long if I wasn’t careful. I gripped her tight, much like I had during the plane crash. Another wave pushed us, and I didn’t fight it, letting it take us toward the cave opening. When the wave retreated, I fought as hard as I could using all my body’s energy, swimming against it. It didn’t do much good, but at least I wasn’t being pulled more into the ocean.

I managed to keep Bella’s languid head above the water’s surface, even though my own face kept going under. I used my arms to hold her and my legs to kick. My whole body was exhausted, and I knew I was running off of pure adrenaline now, as my veins pumped blood at an alarming rate. I kept swallowing water, and if I wasn’t careful, I could drown us both.

Halfway there, another large wave hit us, and we were pulled under the water. I came face first with the sand on the floor of the ocean, and I felt my nose crack hard as I was forced into a flip. I went blank for a second, just staring at the blood leaving my face and floating away.

I was out. It was over. My body was screaming in protest at the thought of trying again. I felt like just moving one more time would kill me. I started to close my eyes in surrender. But just as my lids were about to shut, out of the corner of my eye I saw Bella’s long brown hair wave in the water, the strands all separated at the ends. I looked more left and saw the contrast of her white skin against her dark hair. She looked like a mermaid, or an angel, and as morbid as it was, it was the most beautiful sight I’d ever laid eyes upon. If this was the last thing I would see before my death, then that was okay. As long as we were together in the end, nothing else mattered. I smiled sadly, water entering my mouth as I did so.

Bella, I thought, mentally tracing her face, I love you.

Another wave hit me, rushing me forward once again, and reason flooded back into my mind. This is not the end, I determined fiercely. Images of Bella--full of life and complete with blushing red cheeks--raced through my head, and I felt strength come back to me. I looked up to the surface of the water, which was only about five feet away. I grabbed Bella around the waist with one arm and kicked up from the ground as hard as I could. I shot up, my head breaking the surface, and my lungs felt like they were leaping with relief. I took deep breaths and waited for another wave to push us toward the opening in the cliff.

The storm still wasn’t calming down, and it was nearly pitch black dark. My face was freezing from the water and strong wind. When the wave came back, I fought.

I did this over and over again, the whole time worrying that I wouldn’t get to help Bella soon enough. She was turning paler every minute, and I knew that I could lose her if I wasn’t fast enough.

Three feet away, two feet away, one foot…finally, I made it to the cave. My feet touched the ground again, and I lifted Bella in both arms, carrying her like a child. She looked so bad, but I tried to keep my anxiety under control.

I dove through the tunnel, and even though it was dark, I could still make out the rocks along the way and avoided hitting them. The water in the tunnel was calm, very unlike the raging storm outside.

When I finally got to the grotto, I lifted Bella out of the water and laid her gently on the sand. I plugged her nose with my fingers and spread her mouth open, shooting my breath into her lungs. Then I started compressions--one, two, three, four, five. Then I breathed into her again.

I’d never had to perform CPR on a drowning patient before, but I remembered the dummy and the embarrassing partner I’d had to work with.

“C’mon, Bella, breathe! Please, breathe for me!” I pleaded, continuing my efforts. I breathed into her again, and pushed my palms into her chest.

I felt her stomach muscles tighten, and her chest rose up with force. Water flew from her mouth in sputters, and her cough was like a sign from heaven. I tilted her head so she could cough all the water out, and her bloodshot eyes opened slightly with a groan. I could feel the giant smile on my face as she looked up at me slowly.

“Edward?” she rasped out. I nodded, for I couldn’t speak. I kissed her forehead, her cheeks, her nose, her chin, her eyelids, everywhere I could reach. I kissed her lips softly and looked up at her, my eyes swimming with tears.

“I thought I lost you. Those few minutes felt like forever,” I whispered. Her sweatshirt was soaked, and I could feel her shivering. Quickly, I pulled it up from the hem and removed it from her torso, revealing her little blouse. I leaned my forehead against her chest. The thrum of her heart calmed me, and I kissed the cool, wet skin above it, worshipping her.

“My back hurts, Edward,” she groaned out. I backed away from her to look at her back. There was blood on the sand beneath her, and I gasped. I turned her over tenderly so she was on her side. Blood lined her shirt in a few spots, and I ripped her shirt off to see how bad it was. I realized her scratches were from when we had been thrown against the cliff, when she had been ripped from me into the current.

I traced the cuts with my fingers, determining how bad they were. “They’re not deep,” I told her thankfully. “You’re going to be okay. You didn’t hit your head against the cliff, did you?” I laid her back on her back, my hands covering the scars so they wouldn’t hurt her.

“No,” she murmured, “I don’t think so.” I sighed in relief, and my heart finally started to calm down. Her eyes opened and grew more focused, her gaze locking on mine. “Edward, you’re bleeding,” she said sleepily.

I realized that she was talking about my nose, and bringing my hand to my face, I felt the warm blood coating it. It was very painful, but I’d forgotten all about it when I was saving her. It felt broken, so I grabbed it and yanked it the way it was supposed to be. Bella winced when she heard the muted crack.

My hands returned to her face, which was slowly gaining color again. I couldn’t stop touching her, a reaction from thinking I would never, ever do it again. Her eyes were drifting closed with exhaustion.

“Don’t sleep,” I pleaded. I didn’t want her to close her eyes again, but admittedly, I was tired, too. My whole body and mind were aching, begging me to just pass out.

She gave me a weak smile. “I feel really pathetic. You must be pretty sick of saving me,” she said. I chuckled.

“Never. But I think I may have to agree with you on one thing,” I said.

“Oh? What’s that?” she asked.

“You really do have bad luck,” I said, smiling. She laughed, and I could hear it echo around the grotto, even with the angry rain outside. The sound was Nirvana to my ears. I laid on my side next to her and watched her fight unconsciousness. I kissed her lips one more time and said, “You can sleep, Baby. I know you’re tired.” She didn’t seem to have a concussion, so I guessed it was okay. I just wished she would stay up with me so that I could be with her, assured, for a while.

“Love you, Super Edward,” she whispered, drifting off. “Thank you, again.” she said drowsily. I laughed at her absurdity, and put an arm around her waist as she fell asleep. I watched her for a little while, feeling as if I were drowning just from looking at her, before I found sleep myself.

Bella

It must have been a few hours later when I woke because the storm was still raging outside. I’d been through hurricanes before, living in Florida, but it had never been anything outrageous, just a category two or less, and I’d been inside for it. This was only a tropical storm, and I knew that we were actually lucky it wasn’t anything greater than that. When storms traveled over water, they gained more power and speed. Hitting land is the only thing that will slow one down. My mom had made me learn everything back and front about it when we moved to Florida.

Edward’s arms were still around me, covering the scars on my back and keeping them from getting dirty. His body was partially on top of mine, but I could feel very little of his weight. I looked down, and even through the darkness, I could make out every line separating his abdominals. Mmm, candy.

I wasn’t as cold as I had been, but my hair was still wet, and I was exhausted. My body felt as if it had been hit by a train. I remembered being pulled from Edward in the raging sea. I had been tossed about like a rag doll, not knowing which way was up or down, unable to fight it. It hadn’t been long before I had to take a breath, and the feeling of water entering my mouth and lungs made me faint.

It was terrifying to think that I had almost drowned. Edward was always saving me, whether it was emotionally or physically. We needed to get off this island. It was just getting more dangerous by the day. There was the possibility of another storm, one stronger than the one going on outside the cave walls. Who was to say we would survive the next one? Or the one after that? We couldn’t risk it, and the stuff we’d been doing to get noticed had been bullshit. We needed something that was bound to get noticed, no matter what.

I looked up into Edward’s sleeping face, thinking about everything he’d done for me. He risked his life again, just to save me. I couldn’t let that happen anymore. Plus, if he was the one who had been pulled into the current, I knew I wouldn’t have been able to save him. I would have tried, and probably would have died trying, but it just wasn’t possible for me.

We could have both died, and it was the scariest thing in the world. I shivered.

From the light coming through holes in the cave, I could see dried blood caked around Edward’s nose. His nose was not lined like it had been, either; I could tell it was still a little off. Water was coming through a few holes in the roof of the cave, dripping in the same spots, and there was sound of the wind whistling against the cave. I lightly pushed Edward off of me, and he laid on his side with a slight snore.

I stood up shakily, making my way to the dripping water. I stood under it, as if it were a shower, and cupped my hand to catch some of the falling liquid. When my hands were full, I walked back to Edward. I washed the blood from his face carefully, making sure no water got into his nose. He didn’t even budge the whole time, but as if he could sense my presence, even in his sleep, his lips puckered and kissed my palm, making me giggle quietly. When I was satisfied his face looked less morbid, I walked back to the dripping water, standing under it again. It was cool and fresh, and I opened my mouth to drink some of it. It soothed my bruised flesh, and I took off my tattered shirt and bra so that the cold water could help the sting of my scars. I craned my neck, trying to see how bad the damage was. Blood mixed with the water made pink little droplets run down my backside. I had bruises on my arms in the shape of handprints, and I knew they were from Edward pulling me to safety.

Suddenly, I felt warm hands on my hips, and I jumped. Edward had crept up on me quietly. He kissed my shoulder, my back to his chest. I sighed at the contact. Without words, Edward took the water that was falling, and washed my back with it. His hands were rough and calloused, just as mine were, from living on the island, but he made sure I felt no pain. His touch was full of love, and I couldn’t help but moan. When his movements slowed, I turned to face him, the water hitting both of us like a heavy drizzle.

I dropped my arms, uncovering my chest and leaving me with nothing but my shorts. The cold water dripping down my body caused my peaks to harden, and he couldn’t help himself; his eyes darted down to my breasts, just like I knew they would. I smiled.

He cleared his throat and forced his gaze to return upwards. Taking a step forward, he closed the distance between us, grabbing my hips again.

“You’re so beautiful,” He whispered, bringing his lips to mine. We kissed softly for a moment before pulling away. He put his forehead to mine and simply looked at me, his eyes full of love. His hands trailed up my hips toward my waist, then slowly he cupped my breasts. “I thought I would never touch you again,” he said. I shook with his words, so full of meaning.

Bringing his head down, he kissed my neck, sucking on the skin a bit. I could feel him place open mouthed kisses along my jaw line. My breath came short, I was so aroused. He kissed his way back to my lips, hungry. He kissed me roughly, and his hands drifted to my jaw line, caressing the skin there and holding me in place. My mouth opened to his, completely of its own accord. My brain had turned to mush, my body feeling faint again. “I thought I would never kiss you again,” he said, his voice sad. I could feel tears threaten in the corners of my eyes. I didn’t know what to say to him to make him feel better. He was completely right; he’d almost lost me, and I him. So, I kissed him again, hoping to convey my thankfulness and love.

“I love you,” I said, “and I’m still here.”

“I’m never letting you out of my sight again, Bella. I promise,” he said. I shook my head at him.

“It wasn’t your fault, Edward. If I had listened to you and come to the cave before the storm got worse, none of this would have happened,” I told him, motioning to my bruises. He frowned, and I knew he was inwardly disagreeing, but he didn’t want to fight over it. The electricity was still humming between us, and I just wanted to get as close to him as possible. The water was still running down our bodies, and I was starting to get cold. The storm was probably going to last about another day, maybe less, so we weren’t going anywhere. Just thinking about it made me hungry.

I touched Edward’s chest, admiring the planes in it. “I love you, too, by the way,” he said, pulling me out of the dripping water. I led him to the damp sand a few feet away from the water, and laid him down, climbing on top of him. He still looked worried, but I could tell I was calming him. I put my head on his chest, my chin up, and bent my elbows in the sand, looking up at him. We heard a loud BANG against the wall of the cave, and I figured it was probably a tree branch that flew haywire.

Edward brought his hands up around my back and flipped us over so that I was under him. He kissed me passionately, throwing in a few bites for good measure. He ground his midsection into mine, and I could feel every bit of him. His fingers trailed to my bottom, and he quickly pulled off my shorts. The sand was uncomfortable, but I didn’t care at the moment. Edward kept a hand under me, around my shoulder so that the scars wouldn’t get full of sand. I undid the button of his ripped jeans and pushed them off with my feet. I always loved these moments with him. His sweetness and caring was always appreciated, and I loved him for it, but when he was rough and…manly, it drove me crazy. I never thought that I would become addicted to making love before I’d lost my virginity, but Edward was totally right--he’d created a monster. I knew it was just Edward, though. Had it been anyone else, I wouldn’t have fallen in love, and I certainly wouldn’t be kicking my underwear off twice a day.

His lips latched onto the wet skin of my neck, and he opened my legs with his own carefully. I could feel him at my entrance, teasing me. “You’re driving me insane, Edward. Please!” He chuckled at my impatience, and plunged deep into me, making me feel whole again. The feel of him inside me was one of pure ecstasy in itself. His chest skimmed above mine, putting little weight on me. He surrounded me, completed me.

He moved slowly, savoring every precious movement of our joined bodies. The heat coming from both our forms warmed me instantly, and I forgot all about the fact that I had almost drowned hours earlier. I felt every inch of him gliding against me, thrusting, joining our souls. I moaned as the now familiar burn in my belly started, and his movements quickened. His free hand grasped at the sand beneath us, squeezing the particles through his fingers as his orgasm threatened to take over.

Mine broke free first, numbing my mind and the pain in my back. My walls clenched around him hard, and he followed me to heaven on Earth. I touched my hand to his chest, reminding him of our little problem. I knew it wasn’t exactly safe, but it was the only plan we had to avoid pregnancy. He pulled out quickly with a groan, spilling onto the wet sand next to us. When he was done, he entered me again, still hard. I chuckled when he collapsed on me. He just couldn’t get enough of me, and having him inside me again after such an intense explosion made my insides quiver.

He sighed, putting his ear on my chest. I could feel my rapid heartbeat thumping next to his face. He listened to it for a few seconds before I felt him finally soften, and he pulled out again. I whimpered at the separation, wishing I could just stay attached to him forever. He brought his lips to mine, both of our mouths swollen from attacking each other. He kissed me softly, a reminder of the tenderness and love he had for me, the things that made my heart soar every time I thought about it. I really had the whole package; he was smart, he was funny, he was beautiful, he put up with my snarkiness, he was brave. And he loved me.

“I thought I would never make love to you again,” he said quietly. I kissed him again, assuring him that I was here, and he was here. We were together, and we would stay that way no matter what it took.




All pictures are taken from either Google or Deviantart.

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve

Day Twenty-Six Stranded

Edward

“Damn it. I hate this. Can’t I beat you at just one thing?” Bella exclaimed. We were playing a very heated game of ‘rock, paper, scissors,’ and Bella had only won three times out of the ten rounds we played.

“Best six out of ten?” I said, trying to cheer her up. I smiled crookedly, knowing how that made her blush. I hoped it was a good blush and that she wasn’t truly thinking “Oh, God, this guy’s a weirdo.” Besides, how would I know? It’s not like I smiled at myself in the mirror…often. But my grin had the intended effect on her; she turned crimson. Good blush, I thought.

She shook her head, as if to clear her thoughts. Yeah, she’s thinking about last night and the night before that and the night before that.

I had worried that after our first time making love, Bella would pull away from me or grow scared, and not want to do it again, especially after her nightmare. It was one of her traits I was beginning to notice--she was the type of person to overreact, and even the littlest thing could set her off. I overreacted eighty percent of the time, too, so I couldn’t exactly fault her. Our first time had been perfect, but lack of confidence and Bella’s unusual character made me worry she wouldn’t want to do it again.

Boy, had I been wrong. She actually had the opposite reaction. Like I had told her before we found the grotto, I had created a monster--a sex monster. And I loved every bit of it. She never tried to initiate the sexy time, though, but I was starting to think she knew how to get me going. She would give me this look, a look in which her eyes just turned this darker brown color with lust and her lips puckered up, as if she were dying to be kissed. She knew it drove me crazy, especially when one of her eyebrows shot up seductively. To me, it was like she was saying “Come hither, hot stuff” without actually saying it. Either way, I complied every time.

I was a very, very happy stranded man. The image of Tom Hanks in Cast Away with his volleyball ‘friend’ popped into my head, and I was so very thankful to have a human being by my side, especially Bella. If it had been anyone else, I probably would have offed myself by now, and if I had been alone, I may have lasted a week…maybe two. But now we were nearing the fourth week of our stay, and while I was still worried about my family and getting home, I certainly wasn’t miserable. And Bella wasn’t, either, as far as I could tell. She was just more worried after her nightmare.

“No. I don’t think I can take losing one more time. It’s really wounding my ego,” she said in disdain. She pouted at me, and I couldn’t help but laugh.

I opened my left hand out, palm up, and fisted my right hand, putting it on top of my left one, daring her to play again. She sighed, following my actions.

“Rock, paper, scissors,” we said together as I tried to ignore the way her hand moved up and down. I landed on rock, since she always chose scissors for some reason. But she didn’t have any of those; instead, her hand was fisted with her thumb poking straight up and out.

“What the fuck is that supposed to be?” I asked her. She smirked at me.

“It’s a bomb,” she responded. “Boom!” She let her hand out of her fist, spreading out her fingers quickly as if her hand had exploded. “It beats rock, paper, and scissors.”

“You’re so weird, Love,” I said, pursing my lips to keep myself from laughing at her absurdness. She giggled.

“You make me that way,” she said in a soft voice.

“Oh, I make you weird?” I asked, feigning hurt. I touched my hand to my heart, trying to look dumbfounded.

“No,” she explained, “you make me happy. And I’m…playful when I’m happy.” I smiled at her as her cheeks reddened. I’d seen every part of her, and yet she was still embarrassed around me.

“Why does that embarrass you?” I had to know. She looked up at me, her big brown eyes wide.

“It doesn’t really embarrass me. It’s just…” she drifted off, twisting her string ring unconsciously and looking down at her fingers. She never stopped touching that thing I gave her, and even though it was just a strand, it made my heart leap that she liked something I gave her. “I can’t even remember the last time I was really cheerful, and I don’t think I’ve even tried to crack a joke in, like, three years.”

I stared at her, sadness and joy both seeping though my body. Sadness because she had been so unhappy, and joy because I was the one to crack her misery. Her lips turned down in a frown, and her eyebrows puckered. This was her concentrating expression, and to keep her from dwelling on the past, I changed the subject.

“Tell me more about your work. That’s gotta be fun, working for a magazine company. My sister would be very envious of you,” I said. Bella rolled her eyes.

“I hate my fucking job. What I really wanted to be was a publisher, but there was just nothing available at the time when I finished college. So, I tried what I thought was the next best thing,” Bella said. “The only thing I’m good for is correcting all the articles’ grammar. I’m not good with hair and makeup tips or what to wear on each day of the week. I remember Mike once asked me to write an article on ‘how to tell if your boyfriend is cheating’ and I tried; it was a complete disaster.”

The only word I seemed to hear was ‘Mike’. “Who is Mike?” I asked, trying to keep the curiosity out of my voice. It mustn’t have worked, however, because Bella looked up at me, and I could tell that she was trying to read my thoughts.

She looked back down at the sand as she spoke. “He’s my boss.”

I’d never felt such jealousy in my life. The only time I could think of was when Emmett got a brand new mountain bicycle for Christmas from our folks, and I had to watch him ride it as I played with my toy car. No, that moment didn’t even come close to the jealousy I felt now.

“He’s also an asshole,” Bella continued. I could see her smiling out of the corner of my eye. She knew how I felt.

“You work for a girly magazine company, and your boss is a man,” I clarified. “Is he gay?” I asked hopefully. Bella snorted.

“I don’t know. Now that I think about it, maybe he is. Maybe he just hides it by flirting with me all the time,” she said. I growled, and she batted her eyelashes at me innocently. “But I don’t date, as I’ve told him many times,” she went on, rolling over onto her back. Her breasts bounced with the movement, and I was distracted momentarily from my jealous mood.

“Oh, you don’t, do you?” I asked, licking my lips. She chuckled.

“Nope. I just fall in love with half-naked stranded men,” she said. Her eyes were closed, and the angle of the sun made her eyelashes create a shadow against her cheeks. It was so sexy, and I could feel myself harden.

I cleared my throat, trying to get it together. I failed, of course, giving up and just attacking her into the sand, our limbs flying everywhere. I pulled her face to mine and kissed her roughly, grinding my midsection into her own.

“Just one stranded man,” I corrected her, “and you’re mine. Always.” I kissed her again, her sweet taste coating my taste buds once more.

“Always,” she said with conviction, kissing me back. I reflected on our words, and I swore to myself that she would not have to go back to work for Mike once we were home. We could move in together, anywhere she wanted. I could finish my internship elsewhere, and we wouldn’t have to worry about ever being apart.

* * *

I tossed a banana at Bella, which she almost caught, holding her hands out awkwardly. A smile lit her face when her fingers skimmed the flying fruit, but then she fumbled and dropped it, and her smile turned to a scowl, looking at it on the ground. I couldn’t help but laugh as she looked at me, hoping for another one. I walked up to her and held another one out to her.

Just as she reached to grab it from me, I whipped it high above my head, out of her arms’ length. “Edward!” she whined, reaching for it, but I was much too tall for her.

“You’ve gotta be fast, babe,” I chuckled. She narrowed her eyes at me and smiled mischievously. Her leg came up and she kneed me in the groin. I fell to the ground, grasping my stomach. She took the banana from me as I fell.

“Fuck!” I rasped out.

“Fast enough for you, babe?” I heard her ask, satisfaction coating her voice. I looked up and saw her taking a bite out of the damn banana.

“Mmmm,” she moaned, taking another bite slowly.

I got up from the sand slowly, the pain subsiding. I leaned into her ear and whispered, “You’re going to pay for that,” as huskily as I could. She looked up at me from behind her lashes and crinkled her nose. I touched my lips to hers, sucking on her bottom lip hard. I bit down on it softly as I retreated my face from hers, and her eyes opened slowly, gazing at me with lust. It was that look again, and I sure as hell wasn’t going to complain. Well, my poor, beaten shaft might, but I wouldn’t.

“You’ll have to catch me first,” she whispered, and the next thing I knew, she was out of my hold and running away from me. Her white little legs flew around the trees as she bolted.

She had taken to wearing one of the shorts from the suitcase lately, so that she wouldn’t be so hot all the time. The only thing I had was my boxers, since the woman’s suitcase only had female clothing, and I felt kind of stupid running around in my underwear, so I just ripped my jeans to make shorts. It was a lot better, not to mention comfortable.

I ran after her, but since she had gotten a head start, I couldn’t find her right away. I shook my head, smiling at her playfulness.

Figuring she was just hiding behind a tree, I tried to keep my footsteps quiet, which was next to impossible due to all the twigs and leaves on the ground. I kept hearing noises, thinking it was her, ready to jump out and scare her, but it was just the jungle playing tricks on me.

I looked for nearly ten minutes before I finally got frustrated.

“Bella, this isn’t funny anymore. Please come out,” I said loudly.

I was met by silence, and groaned.

“Bella, come out now, or I won’t have sex with you for a whole week!” I yelled. I heard a twig snap behind me, and whirled around. I could see her long hair behind the tree. She must have thought it was covering her, though, because she made no move to get away from me.

I smirked like the Cheshire Cat and tip-toed toward her. I went directly behind the tree and held my breath so she wouldn’t hear me. As fast as I could, I jumped in front of her and grabbed her waist, falling to the ground with her. She cried out in surprise, her eyes wide with astonishment.

I leaned up on my elbows and kissed her neck. “Your hair gave you away,” I explained. She rolled her eyes, bringing her hand up and swishing her long tresses behind her shoulder.

“It’s getting so long. Just like your beard,” she said, giggling. She traced my jaw line, scratching the facial hair that now lined it. “You were joking about the no sex thing, right?” she asked, a worried look on her face.

I smiled at her and put my hands behind my head, laying back. She shivered as the wind blew, and when I looked up at the sky through the treetops, I realized it was about to rain. Angry clouds raked the sky, and I heard faint thunder far away. Bella heard it, too, and her eyes grew wide.

“That doesn’t sound good,” she said. I shook my head in agreement, and I lifted her up to her feet as I stood.

“If it starts to get bad, I think we should move to the grotto,” I said. She nodded reluctantly, and I knew how she felt about it. Bella didn’t trust the grotto. I didn’t, either, since it looked as if it could cave in on us, but it was safer than staying on land, chancing the wind and waves.

I prayed this storm wouldn’t be as bad as the last one, but now that we were in the middle of hurricane season, it was likely that it would be worse.

We walked to the shore, and sure enough, twenty minutes later, it started drizzling and the wind picked up. I walked over to the suitcase and collected warmer clothes for Bella. Leaves were flying everywhere, and our fire had gone out again, the ashes drifting in the wind. The only warm garment was a pullover, and I handed it to her. She put it on, and I could see goose bumps on her skinny little legs. I frowned and looked toward the far end of the island where the grotto was.

Bella followed my line of sight, and she said, “No, Edward. I think we should wait. Maybe it isn’t even bad. Maybe we’re just on the outskirts of the storm.”

A tropical fucking storm. Just our luck.

I looked at her and nodded, agreeing with her for now. If it got any worse, we were going in that cave. Bella would probably just blow away with seventy mile per hour winds, and I didn’t care what she said. I would drag her kicking and screaming if it meant keeping her safe.

I could just be overreacting, though. Maybe it was just a little storm, no big deal. After all, just this morning it had been warm and mostly sunny. And she probably knew more about this stuff anyway. She was from Florida, where hurricanes frequented, and I was from Chicago. The only natural disaster we ever had was blizzards.

I followed her to our spot in silence.

* * *

Thirty minutes later, I was debating my decision to listen to Bella. The wind had picked up even more, and Bella and I were completely soaked. Her white pullover had turned a murky gray color with the water, and I kept fighting my hair to keep it out of my face. The rain was coming in sheets, hard and cold like diamonds, much worse than the last time.

The wind was blowing so hard that I could barely hear myself as I told Bella we should move before it got even worse.

“We won’t have light for much longer, and then it will be impossible to get in the cave,” I shouted to her. Her beautiful face was scrunched from the wind blowing so hard. She looked toward the rocks on the other end of the island, her expression one of indecision. The tops of the trees were bent enough to where I thought they would break with the pressure.

“Please don’t tell me you want to try to stick through this,” I yelled to her. Her eyelashes were watery when she looked back at me.

“I don’t know, Edward. The waves! We have to go through the waves to get to the grotto. It isn’t safe!” she yelled back. I sighed. She was right.

Suddenly, a flash of light littered the sky and blinded us for a second. The lightening was so close. Then we heard, more than saw, the tree fall before us, struck by lightening. I pulled Bella quickly out of the way before the tree toppled onto us. The thunder shook the ground beneath us with its force. We both looked at the stump of the tree that had been hit with lightening, and it smoked for a few seconds before the rain put it out.

Bella turned and looked up at me, fear in her eyes. “Let’s go!” she shouted, taking my hand. I put my arms around her waist and her shoulders, leading her across the island.

Running as fast as we could, it took us about ten minutes to get to the other side. I shook my hair out of my eyes and took in the frightening sight that was the sea before us. Waves were crashing against the sand like angry fighters in a wrestling match.

My idea didn’t seem so great anymore. The cliff was all rock, and the only way to get to the opening of the grotto was to swim around the rocks. We wouldn’t have to go far in the water, but it was still dangerous, especially with the mad current. And I knew we couldn’t fight what was happening on land.

“Edward…” Bella trailed off, taking in everything. My eyes shot to hers, and she was facing the same dilemma as me.

“C’mon,” I said, gripping her hands and leading her to the edge of the shore before the waves struck again. She ran with me through the water, and soon we were deep in. The water had risen with the wind and current, so it was deeper than it should have been.

I knew my swimming skills were near perfect, and my legs were as strong as they were when I was in high school, but I also knew those things didn’t matter when put up against nature.

“Hold on tight!” I yelled, and was instantly reminded of the plane crash when I had told her to hold onto me. I wasn’t sure which situation was worse.

We had to fight the waves, and I lost my footing under the water many times. We finally neared the rocks, and I was already exhausted. My main goal was to put one foot in front of the other and pull myself to my destination. Swimming was impossible with the current, and it kept trying to suck us farther into the sea. I was up to my shoulders in water, and Bella could only hold onto me since her feet didn’t touch. Each wave that hit us was harder than the last, and I kept feeling Bella get pulled from me. She held on tight, though, and it was what kept us together. I couldn’t hold onto her anymore; I had to use my whole body to fight the current.

I reached the edge of the cave opening finally, but wave after wave crashed over our heads. I had nothing to hold on to, just my feet in the sand beneath the water.

One wave hit us extra hard, harder than the others, and I was thrown into the wall of the cliff hard. I could feel my shoulder get cut and scraped against the rocky edge. We were only about three feet away from the opening, but it was getting harder every second.

“Edward, I’m scared!” Bella cried as the water retreated and sucked us away from the cliff. I braced myself and tried to dig my feet into the sand beneath. She coughed water up and tried to wipe her eyes with her left hand.

“No!” I shouted. “Don’t let go of me!”

But it was too late.

The next wave hit us with so much intensity that I was thrown into the rock wall again, harder than the last time. My bare back met the rocks, where Bella had been. I felt the absence of her arms around my neck, and everything went blank for a second until the water retreated again, pulling me forward. I looked around frantically, searching for her.

“BELLA!” I shouted, blinking water out of my eyes. I looked everywhere for any sight of her, but couldn’t see anything.

“BELLA!” I shouted again. She’s gone, where is she? She’s gone… I could feel myself start to go crazy as another wave hit me against the cliff.


All pictures are taken from either Google or Deviantart.

Chapter Eleven

Day Twenty-Two Stranded

Bella

I woke up in a dazed state, looking around. The first thing I saw was the emerald eyes of my love looking down at me with devotion, love, and lust. I couldn’t feel the sand beneath me, couldn’t smell the usual salt and humidity in the air. The sky was still dark, and I felt as if I were swimming with the stars, they were so bright.

“Bella,” Edward whispered huskily, his honey breath hitting me straight on and taking over my senses like the sweetest drug. His voice seemed to echo, which was strange, but in my daze I couldn’t really seem to focus on it enough to question it. His eyes were clouded and half closed, making him the pure image of hot. He looked down at my body and growled animalistically, turning me on more. I moved my hands up to touch his face, and sand came off my fingers, floating into the air as if there were no gravity. Again, I did not question it, as Edward’s lips were begging for my attention. I kissed him softly at first, our lips molding together perfectly as they always did, and he deepened it, tracing his tongue around my mouth, asking for entrance. I gave it to him.

All of a sudden, I was under him in the sand, caressing his back muscles and arching my back in hopes of getting closer to him. He pulled back and smirked at me, trailing his fingers down to my breasts. Memories of our previous night came back to me, and the sensation of his hands on me now was even better than I remembered. There was no noise around us; all I could hear was the sound of Edward’s breathing. His fingers traced the peaks of my breasts until he replaced his hands with his mouth. My fingers wove into his bronze locks, and I wanted so badly to moan, but I didn’t want to disturb the silence. I was reminded of one of those silent birth things, but quickly jumped out of those thoughts. I definitely did not want to compare my intimate moments with special birth options.

Edward separated my legs with his knee, and in one swift thrust, he was inside me once more. He moaned above me, breaking the silence.

“You’re so perfect,” he murmured as he started a steady rhythm, worshipping my body in the sand. I could feel myself throbbing and my head spinning as he continued to give me pleasure and take pleasure in return. He filled me so perfectly, the missing piece to my puzzle.
Before long, I could feel my insides coiling up, tightening in the most sublime way. I let go, and my climax was so powerful I could feel myself nearly shaking. My peak triggered Edward’s, and he repeated my name over and over as he emptied himself into me. He collapsed onto me, holding himself up by his elbows just slightly. I tugged on the hair in the back of his head, playing with the strands.

“Mmmm,” he sighed. I giggled, and he lifted his head, giving me a giddy, accomplished smirk. I laughed more.

Suddenly, everything around me changed, as if I had switched from one vision to another.

We were scrounging for food again. Edward was smiling down at me from one of the trees on the island, and I was on the ground. The height at which he was perched frightened me; I reached toward him, but he only seemed to grow farther away from me.

“Edward!” I yelled in alarm, “Get down from there!” He chuckled at me.

“Bella, you don’t need to worry about me!” he yelled. As if fate was trying to spite him, the next step he took broke the branch beneath him, and I yelped as his body came tumbling down at my feet. I closed my eyes in horror.

When I opened them, there was no whimpering, no sound coming from Edward like I expected there to be. I looked around and saw him lying just a few feet from me, unmoving. Something was strange about the way he was positioned, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. I ran to him, fighting the urge to hyperventilate. Once I was close, I realized it was his head bent at an odd angle.

“Oh, God,” I whimpered. His neck was broken, his body lying lifeless. I checked for his pulse, ignoring the way his eyes stayed open eerily. There was no pulse. “Edward!” I cried. I yelled his name over and over. Come back to me.

“Come back to me, Bella. Wake up, Love.” My eyes snapped open. Edward was sitting above me, concerned. He rubbed my face. “It was just a dream, baby. Shh, it’s okay,” he said. I let out breath in relief--he was okay. I was in a cold sweat, and Edward wiped tears from my eyes. I simply stared at him, never wanting to look away from his face. I could feel his strong arms underneath me, holding me, and I never wanted him to let me go again. I never wanted that nightmare to become a reality.

“You nearly gave me a heart attack! One minute you’re moaning my name in your sleep and the next you’re screaming bloody murder,” Edward said. It was just a bad dream, but I couldn’t get it out of my head, couldn’t let it go. I sat up quickly and threw my arms around Edward, caressing his back and gripping his hair. His stubble scratched against my shoulder, and I had never welcomed the feeling so much. Edward held me tight, and I knew I must have been freaking him out. “You wanna talk about it, Bella?” he whispered.

“Oh, Edward, it was horrible. You were in this really high tree, like thirty feet high, and you fell head first and you broke you neck, and I couldn’t save you. I couldn’t save you..” I trailed off. The tears came in full force and my shoulders shook with my sobs as I remembered Edward’s body crumpled on the ground. It was so realistic, and the fact that it could really happen scared the hell out of me. “We need to get off this island, Edward. What if one of us gets sick? What if one of us gets hurt?” I cried into his shoulder.

Edward ran his fingers through my hair gently, trying to calm me down. “We will, Bella, I promise. We won’t be here much longer. A plane or something is bound to pass close sometime, and nothing is going to happen to either of us.”

I leaned away from him, taking in the sincerity in his eyes. His loving and serious expression didn’t waver for a second, and my tensed muscles relaxed. I looked down to his chest and traced the valleys between his muscles. “Staying here isn’t as appealing anymore after that dream,” I muttered. I could almost imagine the frown that graced his face at my words, but I refused to look at him. He sighed.

“I know. We really can’t live in our little bubble here forever. It would be nice, though,” he said. I looked up at him, surprised that he was agreeing with me. I was all prepared for him to give me a speech on how he could take care of me and not worry about everything else. I raised my eyebrows at him. “We’re kind of like Adam and Eve, eh?” He nudged me, the cute, lopsided smirk plastered on his face again.

I laughed and said, “Oh, yes. Adam and Eve indeed. Where’s that forbidden apple?” I looked around playfully, pretending to look for an apple tree. Edward snorted.

“I wish you were Eve,” he said huskily, giving me a look as if I were his prey.

“And why is that?” I asked, curious.

“Because then you would be naked all the time.” My jaw dropped at his words, and memories of the night before and the beginning of the dream filled my dirty little mind. He chuckled and kissed me chastely. “Speaking of nakedness, how are you feeling? I’m sure last night had to be, uh, different for you,” he said, slightly blushing.

“Last night was perfect, Edward. I want many more,” I whispered the last part. Edward’s eyes widened.

“Oh. It seems I’ve created a monster. Or maybe a vixen,” he said. “But all joking aside, how do you feel?” I was a little sore, honestly, but it wasn’t bad in any way. The slight discomfort in my limbs was a reminder of our lovemaking, and each time I moved and felt a little pain, I wanted to smile. Call me a masochist.

“Sore. And happy.” I kissed him deeply, biting his lip and tracing it with my tongue when I pulled away. Edward cocked an eyebrow at my sudden forwardness, then looked down at his lap. I followed his gaze, and saw that my ministrations were exciting him.

“Yep,” he laughed, “definitely created a monster.”

***

“Let’s go swimming,” Edward suggested after we ate lunch. I was busy tracing the small string around my finger, the one Edward had given to me the night before. I loved it already, even though it was just a string. Edward had given it to me, and I knew he had probably been thinking of a real ring when he tied it around my finger. The thought excited me, and I couldn’t stop admiring the strand.

“I’m not a good swimmer. I thought you realized that when we swam to the island,” I said, embarrassed.

“I won’t let you drown, Bella. Please?” I couldn’t deny that face of his, especially when he wanted something.

“Alright,” I huffed, “let me change into one of those bikinis from the suitcase.”

Ten minutes later, I was on Edward’s back, floating and clinging onto him as if my life depended on it. I was terrified and trying to hide it from him. When we were swimming toward the island almost a month ago, I wasn’t as scared, only because I was so focused on finding land. Now that we had found it, and it was only about fifteen feet away from me, I never wanted to go in deep water again. Ever. But here I was, fighting my fear in an attempt to make Edward happy.

Every little touch or caress to my legs under the water had my heart rate up and my anxiety level going crazy. I was sure my blood pressure had to be really high with my paranoia. I could see Edward’s face, too, and he was smiling like a boy with an entire cookie jar. He was breathtaking.

“I don’t want to go far, Edward,” I said nervously. That was where I would put my foot down. He turned his head to look back at me.

“I won’t, Bella. And you’re stiff as a board. Relax a little,” he said, turning around again. He swam with me on his back for a little longer before putting me down. We were up to my neckline deep, and I was glad that I could see everything through the clear water.

“Hey! Look, a shark!” Edward said loudly, pointing to the right of me. My heart shot into my throat, and I darted to Edward’s side faster than the speed of light. My eyes searched furiously for the offending sea animal. I couldn’t find it, and I froze and started screaming.

Edward clamped his hand over my mouth, halting my shrieks. “Bella, it’s just a little nurse shark. It’s not going to hurt you.” He pointed again, and I could make out the outline of the shark. It was small, only about two feet long, and under the water. It swam past our legs sluggishly, and I calmed down as it moved farther away from us. I looked up to Edward in apology, and I was feeling stupid for being so scared, but when I saw the expression on Edward’s face, I could feel my cheeks heating up with anger and embarrassment.

His lips were pursed to keep himself from laughing at me, and his eyes were full of amusement. I slapped his chest, effectively breaking the dam for his laughter. I scowled at him.

“You should have seen your face!” He chortled out. I crossed my arms.

“You shouldn’t have said ‘shark.’ You scared the hell out of me,” I complained. I bit my lip.

Once his laughter died down, Edward took me in his arms. “I’m sorry I scared you. Forgive me?” he asked. I nodded, knowing there was no point being mad at him. It wouldn’t last long anyway, and I had to admit…it was kind of funny. Edward smiled and we walked in the water to the other side of the island, a relatively unknown place to us.

There were lots of rocks on the other side, and there was a little cliff about fifteen feet high. The rocks blended into the trees, so it was hard to see where the cliff started, but I could tell it was on land.

“Look at that big crevice,” Edward said, pointing toward the cliff. Sure enough, there was a large opening where the water met the cliff, and it looked like a cave. Edward started swimming toward it, dragging me through the water with him.

“Oh, no, I don’t think so! You’re not getting me to go in there!” I said, pulling back. It was dark and unknown, threatening. Edward looked at me, then back at the cave, and then back to me, weighing his options.

“You want to wait here?” he asked me. I looked around, shaking my head. “Well, how about you go on the beach and wait for me there. I’ll come right back; I just want to check it out.”

I internally sighed. “No, I would much rather if we just go back to the shore. Together.” I looked back at the crevice. It looked kind of scary.

Edward’s shoulders slumped. I knew he didn’t want to leave me alone, but he still wanted to see the cave. I gave I.

“Alright. I’ll go with you,” I said, defeated. I knew I could have gotten away with him coming back with me, but I didn’t want to do that to him.

He frowned. “Bella, I don’t want you to do anything that you don’t want to do. If you’re scared, I understand, sweetheart.” Oh, now he’s pulling the sweet name calling trick. That means he’s actually very happy I’m agreeing.

I think I’m starting to know him like the back of my hand, I thought. “No, really,” I lied, “I want to go.” I just had to grin and bear it. “Just don’t let go of me. I’m scared of the dark, too.” I looked at the opening again. It looked extremely dark. We wouldn’t have any light.

Edward smiled and took my hand, swimming to the crevice. Once we reached it, I realized it was much bigger than I thought it was, and it was filled with water. There was only about two feet of space for us to keep our heads up to breathe. My feet barely reached the sand at the bottom, and even Edward had trouble keeping himself upright with his six feet and two inches height. He held onto me as we floated inside. There was enough light to see toward the end of the cave, but when we got to the end, I realized it wasn’t truly the end of the cave; it was just the end of free space. The roof of the cave turned in and met the water in front of us, and to go any farther, we would have to swim under. Edward dipped under to see, and when he came up, he turned excited.

He gripped me by the shoulders and brought me to the left side of the cave so I could hold onto the stone wall. “Wait here,” he said. “The cave goes on, and I can see light at the end. I think it might lead to the island, but I want to make sure. I don’t want you to come in case there isn’t an opening.”

I gaped at him incredulously. “And if there isn’t an opening? What if you run out of breath? Edward, you’re crazy!” I cried. But he was already swimming away from me.

“Don’t worry, love, I’ll be right back.” And with that, he went under and I could see his form swimming through the hole.

“Edward!” I called. My dream from earlier came back to me. Was it a sign? Edward had been doing something dangerous and stupid in my dream, and now he was doing something dangerous and stupid in real life. I wasn’t usually superstitious, but I had a bad feeling about this cavern. I hoped he came back soon, and when he did, I was going to give him a piece of my mind.

Five minutes passed. Then another ten minutes passed. I was growing extremely antsy, and I could feel tears of horror threaten to spill over.

Edward, come back to me, I prayed. I kept dunking my head under the water, trying to get a glimpse. Fifteen minutes was way too long for a human to be under water, even a human who had been the star of the swim team in high school. I made a deal with myself: if he wasn’t back in five minutes, I was going after him.

I counted in my head. I got to one hundred twenty seconds and decided that this was long enough. I was going find him, and he’d better be okay, or I was going to lose it.

I swam to the opening under the water and put my head below so I could see. Edward was right--there was a little light coming from the end, so there had to be an opening somewhere. I rose up, took a big gulp of oxygen, and plunged into the water with open eyes. Big green orbs met mine as soon as I was under the water. I shrieked, my breath leaving my lungs in large bubbles, floating to the surface. I shot back up, grabbing my racing heart.

“Edward!” I yelled. He came out of the little tunnel under water and shook his hair out. “You scared the shit out of me! I was so worried!” I slapped his chest and arms, everywhere I could reach. “What took you so damn long?” I demanded. He merely grabbed me around my waist and pulled me back where he came out from.

“Bella, you’ve got to see this. It’s so amazing,” he spoke quickly and vehemently.

“What is it?” I asked, still annoyed. He had no right to scare me like that.

“You just have to see. Can you hold your breath for forty seconds?” he asked. I nodded, and he told me to do it. I did as I was told, and we both plunged into the water. He pulled me through the water, through the cave. I was extremely nervous, knowing I couldn’t go up for air. I tried to help him out by kicking my legs.

I was growing claustrophobic, holding my breath and waiting for an opening. There was barely any light, and that terrified me, especially while being in water. It reminded me of the times my electricity would go out while I was in the shower and I would get so scared, I would just get out and wait for the lights to come back on, suds in my hair be damned.

Eventually, in thirty seconds, I felt Edward rise up in the water, taking me with him. We floated to the surface, and I took a deep breath as my face hit air. I looked around, and Edward was right--it was fantastic.

“It’s a grotto,” Edward explained to me, “isn’t it beautiful?” We swam to where there were sand and rocks, and I stood up as soon as my feet could reach the bottom.

It was made completely of rock, with a breakage in the roof that let the sunlight in. It was only about ten feet in height and about twenty in width, but it was gorgeous. There were vines along the walls of the grotto, and I could see little fish in the water. There was a tiny waterfall on the left wall, and it made the most beautiful sound. The sand wasn’t as white as on the shore, and it was clumpy and moist, but it was solid and just perfect. There were plants and sea shells everywhere, giving it the most natural effect. Stalagmites and stalactites lined the roof and floor corners. I could feel my grin from ear to ear.

“I knew you would like it,” Edward said, taking my hand.

“It’s gorgeous,” I said, all anger for him gone completely. I leaned into him, looking at his lips. He crushed his to mine, and I opened willingly, tasting his sweet, cinnamon flavor. He brought his hands to my face, holding me in place as he pulled away and returned his mouth to my throat, nibbling there.

“What took you so long?” I asked shakily, trying to keep a hold on my sanity as he nipped along my neck.

“I wanted to make sure it was safe,” he whispered against the heated skin of my collarbone. I gave up talking, as I knew if I tried to speak, it would just come out as mumbo jumbo in my state of being. My breathing turned ragged when I felt his kisses drift to the top of my breasts.

With one last open-mouthed kiss above my heart, he pulled away. I looked at him, and he laughed. “You’re blushing like fire now,” he said. He traced my cheekbone with his fingertips.

I walked into the water again.

“It’s warmer here than the rest of the water out there,” I mused, “Or did you just pee?” I joked. Edward snorted.

“No. I think it’s because sunlight comes through there,” he pointed at the holes in the roof, “and the heat is trapped. It probably cools off at night, though.”

“Well, I don’t want to stick around to find out. I hate the dark. At least out there we have the moonlight,” I said.

“Yeah, but now we have a place to go if there is a storm,” Edward said. I nodded, remembering how miserable I was during the last cold storm. I shivered at the thought.

Edward sat in the sand, and he looked so yummy sitting there, I had to join him. This place was so beautiful, everything on the island was. And I knew as perfect as everything was, we couldn’t stay. It made me sad.

We stayed in the grotto for hours talking and kissing and touching. Edward told me more about his high school and college years, and I shared the same information with him. He couldn’t believe that I had only ever really dated one guy, and I couldn’t believe he had actually tried cocaine.

“I was drunk. I don’t even remember it. One of my friends told me I had the next morning,” he explained. “It’s like I always say: “I’m never mixing tequila with Jack Daniels again.” The waterfall was our only other source of sound, and we had to talk loud over it to hear each other.

And never once did we hear the plane flying above us.




All pictures are taken from either Google or Deviantart.

Chapter Ten

Day Twenty-One Stranded

Edward

I probably looked like an obsessive, crazy-stalker boyfriend, but at the moment I couldn’t bring myself to care. I guessed it was about eleven in the morning--I had been getting better at reading the position of the sun to tell the time--and Bella was still sleeping. I watched her as usual, caressing the skin of her collarbones. It was the softest skin on her body that I had tasted so far, and my favorite for now. Even in sleep it was like her soul responded to my touch; I watched as her ivory flesh blushed at my fingertips.

During the night, I couldn’t keep myself from imagining this girl--this angel--as my one true love for all eternity. There was no way I could ever go back to how my life used to be; I would be miserable.

I picked up her left hand, kissing all of her fingers, lingering on the one that I hoped she would one day let me occupy with a ring. I knew that I would marry this girl. I pictured her in a big white dress walking towards me holding a bouquet, her hair fixed and her face radiant with happiness for what was to come. My mind latched onto the image, creating many more fantasies. I tried to picture the face of the man who would hand her off to me, her father. Was she one of those children who looked like her father or her mother? Or was she one that was a perfect mixture or one who looked like there was a mix-up at the hospital after her birth? I wanted to know everything about her, and I knew so little despite all the things we had shared with each other. But I knew that if she gave me the chance, I would have forever to discover every detail about the woman who’d stolen my heart. I was officially whipped and I didn’t even care.

Her eyelids fluttered open at my movement on her hand, and she gazed at me lovingly, her eyes tired.

“You slept longer than usual, love,” I said. I couldn’t help the pet name, it just came out without permission from my brain. “Had any good dreams this time?” She smiled, cupping my cheek.

“You read my mind,” she mumbled sleepily, “Did I say anything interesting?”

I debated telling her what she said to me last night in her sleep. I didn’t want to embarrass her, but I wanted to know so badly whether she loved me or not. I decided to be truthful.

“Yeah,” I told her, smiling from the memory of her voicing her feelings, even if it was in sleep. “You told me you loved me.” She froze in my arms, and I could practically feel the blush on her cheeks. I panicked slightly from her reaction. Did she not really love me and not want me to get the wrong impression, or was she just uncomfortable with me knowing? I hoped it was just the latter. Or worse, was she afraid that she would scare me off with telling me her feelings, like my problem?

“Bella,” I said quickly, “calm down. Please.” I kissed her lips softly, glad when I felt her relax slightly.

“I-I’m sorry,” she said, taking her face in her hands. I took her hands away, but she wouldn’t look at me. Well, here goes nothing.

“Don’t be sorry You don’t know how long I’ve wanted to hear you say that to me.” She opened her eyes at my confession, her gaze lifting from my chest to my face until our eyes locked, both pairs full of questions and uncertainty and determination.

I thought of all the times I’d heard my parents say it, focusing on how happy they were and hoping it would help me to grow the guts and come out with it.

“I love you,” I said, the surest words I had ever spoken, hearing them echo in my brain as I said them; my mind probably wanted to store this special memory, playing it over and over in my head and feeling strange because I’d never in my life said them to a woman this way before. “I do, I mean it. I love you, Bella.” Her eyes looked glassy as if she were holding back tears.

She raised her fingers to my mouth, tracing my lips. “You don’t know how long I’ve wanted to hear you say that to me,” she used my words, smiling brilliantly now. “I love you.” Hearing her say it again made me want to throw her on the ground and ravish her. She replaced her fingers with her lips and kissed me passionately. One of my hands gripped her hip while the other drifted into her long hair, feeling its soft tresses. Her hands gripped my own hair and my neck, and without breaking our heated kiss, she climbed onto my lap. I was surprised she took our intimacy this far, as I was the one who always started. My heart escalated as I felt the heat pouring from between her legs to mine, coupled with the small whimpers coming from her throat. I ran the hand that was on her hip down her silky leg. Normally, feeling hair on the legs of a woman would gross me out, but everything here was natural; not one thing on or about Bella was fake, and I wouldn’t want it any other way. It was strangely erotic--there was nothing in our way. There were no neighbors to make any noise to disturb us--or complain we were disturbing them, I thought cheekily--no television blaring anywhere, no aggravating city lights or car horns to ruin the moment. It was just us, and it was perfect. If we were going to make love, however, I didn’t want it to be right that second. I wanted to hear the waves crashing against the shore and see the moonlight hit Bella’s body in all the perfect spots.

So, I knew if we didn’t stop now, my fantasy of our first time wouldn’t come true. I slowed my groping hands, moving them back to her waist. Her eyes were full of love and lust, and for a minute I almost decided to screw the fantasy, but then she buried her head in my chest, planting a kiss on my heart and telling me she loved me.

After a while, we returned to the spring and took a few sips, lying in the surprisingly cold water. Bella said she wished there was baking soda to go with the water, complaining that her breath smelled.

“I think you taste wonderful,” I said. She scoffed, walking away toward the waterfall. I watched her hips sway, the water making her clothing stick to her gorgeous body like glue. The water cascaded over her shoulders slowly, down her breasts and over her navel. I tried looking away, but it was impossible. How long has it been? A year? I haven’t wanted to sleep with anyone in a year, and here she is being all seductive and beautiful. And she probably doesn’t even know what she’s doing to me. That’s the sad part. I managed to tear my eyes away.

I had begun to notice how little self-esteem Bella had. She was not confident about anything she did. I didn’t understand it; she was brilliant and had every reason to believe she could do anything. I wondered what could have happened to make her so critical of herself.

***

I was walking along the shore looking for fish for dinner when I saw a large black thing floating in the water some ways out. I tried to make out what it was, but there was really no telling. We were still finding things along the shore, but most of it was broken. I walked toward the thing, taking in its size. The only useful item that had washed ashore was a piece of the mirror that had been in the plane’s bathroom. It was just a small piece, the mirror having been shattered, but it was sharp and came in handy when I had to cut something. It didn’t look like we were getting off the island soon, and I was getting worried about our resources, as the food we had wouldn’t last forever. It was vital that we find objects from the plane.

When the black box came nearer, I walked through the water toward it. I finally came in contact with it, turning it over and seeing the zippers, realizing it was a discarded suitcase. It was soaked and filthy, but otherwise looked in good condition. I dragged it to shore, excited. Bella saw me pulling it onto the dry sand, and came to me hurriedly.

She reached me and looked over my shoulder just as I was unzipping the suitcase. The first thing I saw was water, as it had been drowned, but we both started digging and our fingers touched clothing.

I felt extremely soft fabric and pulled it out curiously, the water dripping off the article. The color was murky and ugly, probably had once been white, but because of the water, now it was a blackish green color. Then once most of the water was wringed out, I noticed what the garment was and laughed, showing Bella.

“Is that a thong?” she asked, leaning closer to get a better look. I laughed harder at the blush on her face. I started looking frantically in the suitcase.

“Oh, here’s the other piece!” I said, holding up a lacy bra that matched. I wiggled my eyebrows in suggestion. “You’ve been complaining about having only one pair of clothes, well, here you have it! This is perfect, babe!” I said jokingly. She blushed a deeper red.

“Edward, I am not going to wear a dead person’s clothes, especially a dead person’s lingerie!” Bella huffed. I knew she wouldn’t go along with it; she was too shy, even though I had seen her in underwear before. Still, imagining her in the clothing I held in my hands gave me a nice picture to burn into my mind.

I smiled at her to let her know I was only joking, and we started digging more. The suitcase was mostly filled with lingerie, but there were a few jeans and tank tops.

“Wow, this woman must have been a prostitute or something,” I said, picking up a faded red bra. “I’ve never seen so much matching underwear in my life.” Bella found something white and held it out to me, giggling. I saw that it was a mug and it had red writing on it. It said #1 GRANDPA in bold. What the fuck?

I looked at Bella and we started laughing our asses off, only calming down when I put the mug to the side for later. Bella wiped the tears from her eyes while I drained the suitcase of water.

“Looks like that’s it,” I said, seeing that the case was now empty. “And not even one shirt that will fit me. You get loads of underwear and I get jack shit.” Bella laughed, picking up some of the less revealing undergarments.

“Some of these still have the tags on them. That makes me feel a little better; no one ever wore them,” Bella said, showing me a blue modest-but-still-sexy panty and bra set. I groaned, imagining the dark blue color against her pearl skin.

“Hear me now, Bella Swan, you will wear that at least once before you are off this island.”

***

Bella and I ate dinner as the sun went down. I’d lit another fire to cook the fish, and we were sweating, but neither of us wanted to move. I was sitting cross-legged, Bella’s head in my lap as I stroked her hair back from her face. The flames’ shadows licked at her feminine features, and I fought myself from growing aroused. She looked deep in thought, her eyebrows crunching every few seconds as she stared at the fire.

“What are you thinking about?” I asked, my voice a bit hoarse from not using it for almost two hours. She turned her head and looked at me, smiled, and then looked back at the dancing colors of red and orange.

“I was just thinking about how much I don’t want to leave. If it weren’t for our families, Edward, I would never want to go back,” she whispered, “Is that wrong of me? Is it stupid?”

I could see conflict on her features. “No, Love, I feel the same way.” I thought about it for a second, considering. “There are a few things I would like to see happen in the real world, though.” Like you in a wedding dress, promising to always be mine. That can’t happen here.

She looked back up at me, twisting her body so that she faced me fully. She sat up and kissed me, catching me off guard. “I’m so scared, Edward. What will you do when you’re not stuck with me always? What will happen to us? I can’t lose you, not after I’ve finally found you.”

Her words made me sad, and I wished that she wouldn’t worry herself over the future. Our future. I kissed her lips and put my forehead to hers. “Bella, believe me when I say that I love you. And I want to be stuck with you always. I can’t even imagine forever without you at all anymore.” I took her small hands in my own and caressed them. I brought her left hand to my mouth and kissed her palm as an idea occurred to me.

I fumbled with the frayed bottom of my jeans, ripping a thin piece of denim that was hanging off. I’d heard of the knot that was impossible to untie, the ‘untieable knot’. My father had showed me one day when I was younger how to tie it, and he told me to try to untie it. I couldn’t, and he couldn’t either. I didn’t know if he was just pulling my leg, trying to entertain me, and I wasn’t sure if there even was a way to untie it, but it came in handy now. The only way to undo it was to cut it. I took her fourth finger and wrapped the denim string around it, trying to remember how my father had done it.

It came back to me in perfect clarity, the memory of how to do this. I tied and tied and Bella watched my fingers, probably wondering if I had gone crazy.

When I was finally finished, I gave back her hand and as she examined it, I said, “This is the ‘untieable tie’. The day that it comes undone will be the day that I stop loving you.” Which will be never, I thought. She looked down at the giant knot I had formed, and I wished that I could put something real--something beautiful--in its place. Tears swam in her eyes as she looked back up at me.

“It will never leave my finger,” she whispered with so much emotion, it made her voice shake.

Some while later, the fire started to die, and I was about to go under our little canopy to sleep as we had done every night, but Bella stopped me, saying she wanted to stay up a little longer and watch the stars. I agreed and left to find more firewood.

We didn’t have much small wood left, and I had to search on the outskirts of the ‘jungle’ for some to burn. Bella was only out of my eyesight for five minutes, and when I came back, I was shocked to see that she was not next to the fire where I had left her. I looked around frantically, the twigs in my hands forgotten, falling to the white sand. I looked around and caught sight of her jeans and shirt right next to the shoreline, but no Bella. I looked out at the ocean, confused. Why would she take her clothes off?

Finally, I spotted her. She was waist-deep in the water, her body turned sideways so that I could see the outline of her silhouette. She was beautiful, and I felt like a magnet was in my heart, dragging me to her. Without even thinking, I started to walk toward her, my feet barely registering the combination of water and sand. Her hands were up in her hair, and I could see every curve of her body, the moon making the water look white and Bella’s figure was only a shadow. I seemed to be in slow motion, as if it was another one of those times in which my mind wanted to remember everything that was about to take place. My heart was beating fast and my eyes couldn’t seem to blink, but my legs worked on autopilot.

I finally reached the goddess and she smiled at me as if she had been waiting a long time. My hands came out to touch her, and I noticed that she was wearing the blue lingerie. She hadn’t even bothered to pull the tags off. She was darker in this moonlight, but I could still see how the color reflected off her skin.

“You’re so beautiful,” I said, skimming a hand along her jaw. She stared into my eyes, her own big and bright.

“Show me,” she murmured, “I’m yours.”

****(Lemon Alert)****

I looked at Bella questioningly, but I knew that she was the type of person that when she made up her mind, she wasn’t changing it for anything. With her eyes, she showed me nothing but love and determination. I licked my lips in anticipation, really scared for the first time since I had been here. I took her hand, the one I had claimed with the string, and kissed it, forcing her to remember what it meant. I love you.

I kissed her forehead, and then kissed her lips softly at first, then put more passion into it. Bella started to run out of breath, and I could feel her heart racing against my own. I could feel the curve of her breasts against my chest and the soft skin of her waist just below my own. I kissed her once more chastely before I picked her up from her hips and laid her out on the water. Her whole torso floated above the water with my help, and I parted her legs and wrapped them around my waist. My eyes skimmed her body from her silky legs to her navel to her chest and finally to her face. Her gaze was fixed on the moon, and I could see the light reflected in her irises. Her long eyelashes created shadows on her cheeks, and it made her so beautiful that I felt unworthy of even being here in her presence.

She looked at me, love evident in her eyes, but I could also sense a little fear coming off of her. I leaned over her, keeping one hand under her back to hold her above the water, and her hands came to my chest, tracing the planes of my abs. “You’re the first for me, Edward,” she confessed. I was pleasantly surprised, even though I had considered this to be true. She always seemed hesitant when we kissed, as if it had been a long time since she had been that close to anyone or as if she had never gone far intimately. Happiness and pride rushed through me, knowing that I was the only one she trusted enough to ever claim her. I briefly considered asking her if she was sure about this, but I knew she wouldn’t do anything without making up her mind first. But she did need to know what she was getting into.

“Love, I don’t want to hurt you, but it’s inevitable. You may be in pain for a little while.” She smiled and shrugged.

“I know. Edward, I’m a virgin, not an idiot,” she said, chuckling. I touched her neck, feeling the soft wet skin there. I spread her hair out so that it made a halo around her head, floating on the surface. She traced my face as I did hers. “You’re so perfect.”

I kissed her lips first, trailing them down her neck and to her chest. I reached under the water and unclasped the dark bra, freeing her breasts. She sank a little, causing water to fill the valley between them. I lifted her more, watching in awe as the droplets cleared from her. Returning my lips to trailing down her chest, I kissed her heart and ran my hands over the glowing mounds of flesh. I licked her navel when I reached it, and she moaned lightly. I straightened up again so I could remove the blue panties, and I could feel my heart beating crazily as I got closer to being one with Bella.

I lifted her legs against my chest with one hand and tugged the strings of her bottom down, caressing her skin as I pulled the cloth off inch-by-inch. When the final piece was gone and forgotten, floating a foot away from our bodies, I took in the view of my love, nude and breath-taking and spread out before me.

I’ve never been this nervous in my life, I mused, And also never this determined. I stared at her in awe and admiration, reminding her that she was beautiful.

“I’m yours,” she said again, and I saw her eyes dart briefly to the string on her finger. I pulled my soaked jeans down, never taking my eyes off her. I traced my fingertips over her ribs to the peaks of her breasts, and her eyes closed in pleasure at my ministrations.

She pulled my face to her lips again and kissed me roughly. I knew it was time, and no amount of foreplay was going to make this moment more perfect. I drifted a hand to between her legs, and found that she was definitely ready, even with all the water getting in our way.

I kissed her one more time before lining myself up with her entrance. I looked down into her shining eyes as I pushed in little by little, claiming more and more of her. I could not help but think the words this is mine, this is mine and this is the best moment of my life over and over as I went.

I love this girl.

I met her resistance, and decided prolonging the pain wouldn’t help at all. I gripped one of her hips and my other hand took hold of her cheek as I pushed all the way, breaking her hymen. She gasped in pain, and I looked to her face, praying that it wasn’t terrible. She clenched her eyes, and said, “Give me a second.”

She felt wonderful, and I fought the urge to thrust like a maniac, obliging to her wishes. I leaned over more and pressed my forehead to her heart, waiting. I felt the strange sensation of being home, like I had always belonged here. Bella was my other puzzle piece, my perfect half.

After a few seconds, she gave me the green light, gripping my biceps and digging the heels of her feet into my back. She smiled at me, and I smiled back, knowing that I was the luckiest man in the world. I started a slow rhythm, enjoying the feel of her for the first time. It was as if she were made for me.

She was enjoying our lovemaking, too; I could tell from the beautiful sounds she made and the quiet whispers of my name that fell from her mouth. We needed more, and I quickened my pace, getting us both closer to ecstasy. She started to meet my thrusts, quickly becoming a natural at this.

“Do you,” thrust, “feel that?” I asked her, wanting to know if she could feel how perfect we fit together. She had no experience to compare it to, but it was possible that she could just know.

“If you mean,” thrust, “how perfect you feel,” she moaned, “to me…then yes!” I smiled at her lovingly, feeling my orgasm near. Hers came first, and I gazed at her blush-red face as she fell apart. Her orgasm triggered my own, and a big warning went off in my head. Thankfully, I pulled out of her quickly, as hard as it was to leave her body in a state of perfect-being. I moaned in pleasure, even though I knew it would have felt even better had I not had to leave her haven. I saw stars in my bliss and thought I was just imagining things after the best sex ever, but then I realized they were real stars. We were outside, after all.

When I came down from my high, I looked at Bella’s face. Her legs were still wrapped around me, and her body just floated easily, like an angel treading water. She was looking at me, a fierce blush on her face. “I love you,” she said. “That was the most perfect moment of my life. Thank you.”

“You don’t need to thank me, Love. I love you as much as this sky is big, and I promise we will have more perfect moments like this,” I assured her as I motioned to the stars and moon above us. I kissed her softly, and I could see her eyes drooping. I picked her up bridal style, my hands drifting under the water to her body, and carried her to the shore. She tucked her head into my chest as I walked, and by the time I reached our little canopy, she was sleeping. I laid her down next to me, the both of us still naked. I had grabbed our garments that we removed in the water and placed them over the dying fire to dry. I wrapped my arms around her and fell asleep, counting day twenty-two.




All pictures are taken from either Google or Deviantart.

Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

Day Eleven Stranded

Bella

I splashed water onto my face again, trying to soothe my awful headache. Ugh, it hurt so much. I’d thrown up twice already and I still felt like shit. I should have paid more attention to how much I was drinking last night. When I woke up, Edward already had his wet tee shirt in his hands, waiting to put it on my forehead. Then, to my utter embarrassment, I felt the vomit coming up my stomach and into my throat, and I quickly turned my head to wretch onto the ground. I had looked at Edward apologetically, and he chuckled, putting the wet piece of clothing back over my face. An hour had passed since then, and it was just my luck to have a horrible hangover the first time I got drunk.

I looked back over to Edward, who was sitting in the sand watching me. I could make out his crooked-yet perfect-smile all the way from out here. ‘I love you!’ I wanted to yell. Instead, like the coward I was, I whispered the three words under my breath, as if he could hear me. And I knew they were true. I was in love with him, probably from the very start, but now that I was allowing him to break my guard down, I was starting to see it.

I’d never been in love before, but I knew this was it. And I didn’t want to fight the feeling or slow it down, because that was what old Bella would have done, and old Bella had been miserable. But even though I didn’t want to fight them, I didn’t know how to go about my feelings. What if I told him I loved him, and he thought I was crazy? I wouldn’t be able to take that. No normal person falls in love in just over a week, but this was definitely not a normal relationship. I mean, the only reason we met was because we got stuck together, the only two survivors of a plane cash.

Yeah, not normal at all.

We had been here with no one but each other, learning one another. I depended on him just as he depended on me. I had fallen in love with him after all of that, but what about Edward? Just because I felt that way didn’t mean he did, too.

I looked down at the water in front of me, reaching my waist. I could see my reflection, surprisingly clear. It seemed as if I had lost weight, but maybe it was just the water tricking me. My face looked slightly thinner, and my cheekbones seemed more prominent. My eyes were full of happiness, but confused at the same time.

It wasn’t too hard to figure out what that was from.

I looked back at Edward, blushing and smiling when I saw that he was still watching me.

What about when we got off the island? All these feelings of needing each other dependability could disappear, along with any love he could possibly have for me. In the real world, he wouldn’t need me, so who was to say he would still want me? Did he think this was just a fling for our time here, something just to pass the time, and once we were back on American soil, it would be as if it had never happened? I hoped not. I could see myself being with him, possibly even after we were saved. Possibly forever.

I shook the thoughts out of my head. If we were meant to be, we were meant to be. I was never much of a believer in fate, but now it seemed like my best option.

I walked back to the sand, back to Edward.

“Day eleven?” he said cheerfully?

I smiled. “Day eleven.”

***

Days passed in the same fashion, and I was unbelievably enjoying myself. Edward and I had a blast every moment we were together, and there was never a dull moment. We kissed and flirted like teenagers, and I was starting to grow more confident that Edward may love me back.

Maybe it was hopeful wishing, but something about the way he looked at me made me just know he loved me. He seemed to be so fascinated with me, which baffled my mind. I had never shared so much with someone before, and I had spoken more in the last twenty days than I had in my entire life. Edward was so full of energy, and his jokes even got me rolling in hysterics now, instead of scowling at him like I usually did.

Every time I wanted to tell him how strong my feelings were, I chickened out. I was starting to hope that he would say it first, seeing as he was so confident and outspoken, but he never did.

“What are you thinking?” Edward asked, pulling me out of my thoughtful trance. It was midday of our twentieth day here, and it was so nice, I just wanted to lay with him on the beach. He had been silent for so long, I thought he was sleeping. I rolled over onto my stomach closer to him, and we faced each other.

“I was just wondering…” I tried to think of something, buying time by rubbing his shoulder gently, “what we’re going to do today.”

“Liar,” Edward chuckled, calling me out on my fib. He traced his fingers along my jawbone, and I felt my face grow hot, even after all the times he had touched me. “You’re so beautiful, but you’re other-worldly when you blush like this. I wish I could make you blush every minute of every day for forever.” His words merely made me do it more, and at his mention of ‘forever’ I felt my face light on fire. I looked down in embarrassment.

Edward pulled my face back up and kissed me softly. I wanted to moan in pleasure. Just one kiss of his did this to me? Imagine if he made love to me. I would probably end up as a pool of Bella jello if we did go that far.

Edward retreated his face from mine, and laughed at my reluctant expression. He kissed me again, adding more passion this time. I tried to hold in giggles as his growing facial hair tickled my chin, but I failed, and I felt Edward smirk mischievously against my lips when he saw what he did to me. He paused for a second, and I wrongly thought he would have mercy on my face. Before I could pull away, he started rubbing his now thick stubble all over my face, making me break out in hysterical laughter.

“Stop! Stop!” I yelled. He laughed along with me as he tickled me, and finally stopped when I had trouble breathing.

“Edward!” I chided him, slapping his chest, then forgetting everything when I saw his pecs flex. He snorted loudly.

“Your face is all raw now,” he laughed, rubbing his stubble. I personally liked the scruffy look on him, but he probably looked good no matter what happened to him. He could wear a garbage bag and make it look good.

I rubbed my burning face, trying to soothe it, but my palm was so rough and sweaty, only making it worse.

“I’m sorry,” Edward said, pulling me into his lap and peppering my face with kisses. It felt nice until his stubble got in the way again.

“That’s going to become a problem, isn’t it?” he asked, smiling against my cheek. I didn’t answer, for his actions were filling me with desire again, and I didn’t want to show it. Edward must have noticed, though, because he tilted my head back slowly, gaining access to my neck. I closed my eyes unwillingly, giving in to the feeling of Edward trailing his lips across my throat.

I swallowed in anticipation. His hands came up around my ribcage where he stopped, probably unsure of how far I would let things go. I felt him kiss my collarbone, and nearly lost it when I felt his hot breath on the hollow of my throat. Then he licked around the bones and blew, eliciting a low moan from me. He must have realized that I was okay with this, because his hands finally came up to cup my breasts.

Then a stupid bird hooted loudly, and the moment was over. Edward’s hands fell to my hips again, his mouth leaving my heated skin.

Bastard bird, I thought, it seems that all the creatures on this island don’t want me to lose my virginity. I looked up at Edward, whose face looked apologetic.

“I’m sor-” he started to say again, but I cut him off with my fingers on his lips.

“Don’t apologize.” I wasn’t going to let him feel bad or regretful, especially when I was having the time of my life. He winked at me, and I removed my hand from his mouth.

“What do you want for dinner?” he asked as he removed my body from his lap carefully. I stood up and helped him to his feet, brushing sand off his waist.

“What do I want? I want a nice, big juicy steak and a stuffed baked potato,” I said.

“Okay, it shouldn’t be too hard to find a cow around here,” Edward joked. “Maybe there are some animals somewhere on the island.”

“I doubt it. We would have seen them by now if there were any wildlife,” I countered.

“Hey, you never know. We never really explored that much. We haven’t even been to the other side of the damn thing, and it’s already been three weeks.”

“Okay, smartass. Why don’t you go look for animals?” I asked, walking back into the shade. I was expecting him to answer me, but he stayed silent, and I looked up at him. He was smirking.

“Edward?” I stopped walking and he finally looked at me. “Mind telling me what’s so funny?”

“Sorry. What you just said made me remember something that happened to me when I was younger,” he said slowly.

“What was it?” I asked, curious. He sighed, pursing his lips to keep from smiling.

“When I was little, about five or six, Emmett used to always pick on me. He always called me smartass because I could read a whole book by first grade. One time we went to a horse stable and paid for a whole day of riding. So, when we were about to leave, Emmett and I ran into the barn and there was this stalled horse named Crazy.” Edward shuddered and continued. Well, the horse was crazy, you could tell just by looking at it. Emmett bet with me, saying he would give me five bucks if I went in and petted the horse. So, naïve like I was, I went in. The horse threw a fit that I had stepped into his stall, but I was determined to get that cash.” I gasped-he could have been badly hurt.

“What happened?” I asked anxiously. Edward grimaced.

“I went to pet Crazy on the nose and it bit me between my neck and my shoulder. That hurt like a bitch, too. I ran out crying, and I had a huge bruise for a whole two weeks. Emmett called it a horsy hickey.” I burst out in giggles. “I’ve been afraid of farm animals ever since. Talking about getting you a cow made me think of it.”

“Did you get your five dollars?” I asked. Edward scoffed.

“No, I didn’t! I’m going to have to remind him of that one day!” Edward said, laughing.

“So, I’m guessing you want me to go with you, since you’re scared?” I tried to clarify. He shook his head.

“Of course not. I’m just scared of horses. And there aren’t any on this island,” he said. “You just go sit and look pretty. I’ll go try to find something.” He kissed me quickly, turning toward the “jungle,” as we had deemed it.

I marched to the shoreline, wetting my feet, trying to burn time until Edward got back. I would have insisted on going with him, but I knew that we shouldn’t spend all day every day together so much, or we would either get sick of each other or drive each other crazy.

My face felt so dry and my mouth tasted disgusting. I didn’t know how Edward could stand kissing me-my breath must have been horrible. Edward’s wasn’t, though; he always tasted good, like honey and cinnamon and fruit. I wished I had some soap or at least a toothbrush.

I went back to the shade once again and took a nap.

I was woken from my sleep about an hour later by Edward calling my name and touching my face tenderly.

“Bella, I have something to show you!” I groaned, not wanting to wake up from my wonderful dream in which Edward had not stopped his ministrations on my body from earlier.

“Come on, Babe, you’re going to love it!” I groaned again-such a good dream. Suddenly I felt my body being lifted from the ground, Edward having picked me up.

“I can walk,” I said, looking up into his excited face.

“Silly girl, I know you can, but this is a surprise, and you need to keep your eyes closed. I’m afraid you can’t even walk straight with your eyes open, so there’s no way I’m letting you do it blind.” I scowled at him, but closed my eyes all the same.

“I hate surprises,” I muttered.

Edward chuckled. “No peeking.”

He traveled with me in his arms for nearly twenty minutes, still not giving me a hint as to where we were going.

“It’s at the heart of the island,” was all he would say.

“I hope you didn’t find a herd of monkeys or something,” I said dryly. “Because that wouldn’t really be a good surprise.”

“No, it’s nothing like that,” he said. I could hear the smile in his voice.

“How much longer?” I groaned.

“About ten minutes. This island is bigger than I thought. Still not big enough to build anything, though. Maybe a summer home at the least.”

I waited another ten minutes, counting in my head.

“It’s been ten minutes, Edward.”

“Bella, we’ll get there when we get there. It’s not much longer, petulant child.”

A few more minutes passed until finally Edward told me to keep my eyes closed as he set me down. I could hear a strange noise, and I got soaked as Edward lowered me.

I sputtered and tried to open my eyes, shocked that he was putting me in water. He covered my eyes with his hand so that I still couldn’t see. I spouted his name off, worried.

“Calm down, Bella,” Edward said soothingly. I felt my butt hit ground under the water, so the water wasn’t deep. Edward removed his hand from my eyes and I looked around.

It was a…creek? I looked down at the cold water around me, and it was clear and beautiful, floating over the packed gravel. I splashed it over my face, and licked my lips, gasping.

“It’s fresh water!” I looked at Edward, who was watching my reaction. He nodded and splashed water into his face, too. I turned to where the noise was coming from. It was a mini waterfall, the water cascading into the little stream I was in.

“It’s a spring,” Edward told me. “I can’t believe the island has one. And look what I found!” Edward pulled something from his pocket and showed it to me, palm up. It was a coin, and it looked gold and beat up.

“Do you think it’s real?” I asked, taking it from him and examining it closer. I could just make out the carving of a person, but I couldn’t tell if it was a man or a woman, it was so packed with dirt and grime.

“I don’t know. You think pirates hid gold here a long time ago? Seems pretty exciting, huh?” Edward said, taking the coin back from me. I nodded. “You want to go on a treasure hunt?” I laughed at his happy face; he looked like a little boy on Christmas morning.

Edward laid back in the water, causing little ripples to float my way. I took a few sips of the water, feeling fully satisfied after being without fresh water for twenty days. I laid back on Edward, and he hummed the beautiful melody he had made up. We watched the sky through the trees as it darkened and the stars came out, shining brightly.

“You want to go back before we fall asleep here?” Edward asked after a while. I got up and we walked back to our little sanctuary. I yawned.

“My back is starting to hurt from laying on the ground every night,” I told him.

“Yeah, mine, too. I’ll have to do something about that.”

I buried my head in his chest once we reached our sleeping place, falling asleep quickly. The last thing I felt was Edward’s lips kissing the top of my head.

Edward

I watched Bella sleep as I drifted off. She started mumbling, which was strange because she normally only talked early in the morning, when she was about to wake up. I heard my name a few times and a couple moans which were really hard to ignore. I remembered how far we had gone earlier and felt my jeans tighten. This woman really would be the death of me. I didn’t want to ruin everything by going too far, but this waiting and watching her body all the time was driving me crazy. Why is it that when you don’t love someone, it’s so easy to not care and you have all the confidence in the world, but when you do love someone, your ego goes out the window and you never want to take a chance at messing things up? I never thought being in love would be this hard.

I ran my hands over the swell of her hip, enjoying the satin of her skin on my fingertips. Why couldn’t I do this when she was awake? I knew why; I was afraid she would reject me. I was afraid she didn’t love me, or at least didn’t love me enough to let me make love to her. But she didn’t complain earlier, a voice in my head said.

I shook off the thoughts. Maybe I would just know when she was ready, like how I just knew when I loved her.

I wrapped my arms around her little body, enjoying the warmth of her. She sighed happily in her sleep, still mumbling.

“Edward,” she said, “love you…” I looked at her in disbelief. I could almost feel my eyes bulging out of my head. She smiled lightly, obviously dreaming about me. Oh, how I wished she would say that while awake. I snuggled closer, beaming.

“I love you, too, Sweetheart.”




All pictures are taken from either Google or Deviantart.

polyvore for the characters' outfits