Once freed from the garments his lips found mine in a gentle kiss that transformed quickly to incorporate every ounce of passion and desire in our bodies. I leapt lithely from the ground and wrapped my legs around his waist as we continued our exploration of each others mouths. When he grew tired of standing he lowered us to the ground. Without breaking the kiss once, we undressed each other quickly.

“The way you kicked Jane’s ass today and told Jacob off really turned me on.” He groaned against my lips.

“mmmmm.” I responded. “I guess I will just have to assert my independence more often if this is how I will get rewarded.”

He lowered his head and placed a light kiss on my hipbone before tracing a line with his cool tongue all the way up to my jaw. The sensation was magical. My toes curled under and my back arched gracefully as I whispered his name unconsciously.

The wind blew through his hair gently as he resumed his attention at my lips.

“I need you.” I whispered against his cheek.

“You have me for forever.” He promised. “I will always be right behind you.”

“No,” I corrected, “I prefer you to be beside me.”

“As you wish, Mrs. Cullen.” His icy cold breath tickled my ear and sent a chill down my spine as he plunged easily within me. He smiled my favorite half-smile as I inhaled sharply and spoke his name again.

The crickets sang a different lullaby that night as we lay tangled in each others arms, breathless and exhausted. The cool breeze swept over our bare bodies and the moon silhouetted us in a pale light. Again, just as the last time, we stared contentedly into each others eyes. When the sun finally began to rise, Edward pulled me upright and into his lap. He cradled me to his strong body as we watched the first rays of sunlight creep over the tree tops and struggle against the always present rain clouds. I held out my hand and grinned as the light bounced off of my skin and shattered into a million fractionated beads of light. He chuckled softly at my amusement and kissed my forehead. I leaned back against him and surrendered myself to the serenity of the moment until the sun had risen entirely over the tree’s and fought to warm our icy skin. The evening with Edward had given me the calm that I needed to get through the next few days.

In the distance, thunder rolled and threatened the morning sun’s presence. A storm was brewing, that was for certain. All that was left now was to grab an umbrella and face it as positively as possible.

One look at Edwards smiling face was all I needed to know that I would get through this.

I had to.