The Greatest Gift Chapter 16

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Chapter 16~
Isabella rushed home to switch cars after her tutoring was finished. She hated driving Edward's car, but she loved riding in it...and more than that, loved to see Edward driving it! There was something about seeing him behind the wheel of the powerful car that she found incredibly sexy...Not that Edward needed any help in that department, she thought as she parked her car in the garage.

Thankfully, her wonderfully foresighted husband had had them get their things together during a very brief intermission between lovemaking sessions last night. Charlotte had dropped their bags off at the penthouse when she stocked the refrigerator earlier in the day for them so all she had to do was grab his extra set of keys, set the alarm, and head into the city. She was so excited about the weekend and the fact that Edward had gone to so much trouble to plan everything, all the way down to her dress.

He was so sweet and endearing...and just so Edward about the whole thing. Between seeing him with her father last week, the new bedroom surprise, and then the friendship bracelets, she still had a big stupid, goofy smile on her face whenever she thought about it all. She thought about how he had looked when he explained why he chose the colors he did and every time she did, she felt her heart swell...to the point she was sure it couldn't hold anymore.

Her phone chirped, alerting her to an incoming text message and once she hit the next red light, reached over and picked it up.

Getting ready to leave the office. Hope you're on your way to the penthouse. I've missed you today, Beautiful. Love you, E~
She sighed, one of those dreamy, breathless sighs and felt her stomach fill with butterflies. She had a feeling the weekend would be a magical one and she couldn't wait.

"Eddie, would you stop fidgeting?" Seth groaned when Edward kept bouncing his knee up and down in the back of the cab they were in on their way to the penthouse.

Edward threw his head back against the seat and closed his eyes, breathing in and out through his nose. He had been so excited about this weekend ever since he'd come up with the idea. It wasn't as if he was doing anything all that special or out of the ordinary, well for him maybe it was, but it really wasn't all that much. Sure, in the past if Isabella had went with him to the opera in the first place, it was unlikely they would have spent the weekend at the penthouse together. He knew for a fact, as painful as it was to admit, he wouldn't have been looking forward to introducing her to anyone and everyone. He damn well knew, if he had introduced her, it would not have been done with the overflowing love and pride he now felt.

"I'm really fucking nervous about telling her about Anna," Edward told the annoying angel person.

"No shit, I never would have guessed." Seth snickered and let his eyes twinkle when Edward growled at him. "Edward, knock it off. If you would have done this a long time ago like any normal person would have, you wouldn't be in this mess in the first place."

Edward huffed, pissed off that Seth was right...again. "Yes, damn it, I know that." He turned and stared out the window as the cab wove in and out of traffic. "She's going to be so disappointed in me when I tell her everything."

Seth sighed and shook his head. Even after everything Edward and Isabella shared, Edward still didn't fully believe how much she loved him and accepted everything about him, the good and the bad. "Boy, I swear you make me want to pull my hair out. Edward, she married you, gave you her heart and her body without asking anything in return. She's loved you every day since, even when you've been an ass. She doesn't know about your parents, William, what you heard Carlisle say, or anything else. She doesn't know about Anna and Sophie and yet, I dare say, she loves you more today than she did even yesterday. You have got to learn to trust her...completely, Edward Anthony. She deserves nothing less and she shouldn't expect anything less either if you want me to be perfectly blunt."

"I know," Edward said quietly.

"Look, let me just lay it straight out for you so you fully understand what I'm saying here. My friend, stop thinking you need to be perfect...you're not and you're never going to be. Ever. You've got more flaws than I can count on both my hands, and probably more than on both my feet, too. You're stubborn, difficult, scared of your own feelings, a bit on the arrogant side, and you've got the extremely annoying habit of being a supreme pain in my ass - just to name a few. You're going to make mistakes, Edward, plenty of them. She's not perfect either, as hard as that is for me to admit, and you need to take her off the pedestal you've put her on or else you're going to be in for a rude awakening when she makes her own mistakes," Seth said very seriously and made sure Edward was paying very close attention to what he was saying.

"But together, Edward Anthony, you are perfect," he went on to say, using the same words Isabella had told Edward last night.

"You were watching?" Edward hissed, furious that Seth would do that after he asked him not to.

Seth's ice blue eyes blazed brightly as he stared back at his charge. "Absolutely not. You asked me not to and I told you I wouldn't. I would never disrespect either of you that way, Edward. I can't believe you'd even think so," Seth huffed, hurt that Edward would believe he was capable of such a thing.

Edward shrank back in his seat, embarrassed that he even for one second thought Seth would do anything like that. "I'm sorry. Isabella just said the same thing last night during an...um very intimate and intense moment," Edward told Seth.

"Hmph. Smart woman though," Seth said, mollified somewhat.

"Unquestionably."

"You need to tell her tonight," Seth told him pointedly.

Edward felt his stomach churn but he knew he had to do it. "I will," he promised.

The cab pulled up in front of the penthouse and the doorman hurried to open Edward's door. "Edward, this is a huge turning point for you this weekend. I've left you alone for the most part about telling Isabella about your parents, but after this weekend, don't expect that to continue on. There is still much to do," Seth warned him.

"I know. It's not like you'd let me forget anyway. Let me get through this weekend and I'll work on the rest of it, okay?" Edward half-begged, half-demanded.

"You can't put it off any longer," the otherworldly being said and then was gone.

"Damn angel," Edward muttered as soon as he'd gone. The doorman opened his door, greeting him by name.

Edward stepped on the elevator, punching in the code for the penthouse floor and took a few deep breaths. Isabella hadn't answered his text so he had no idea if she was here yet or not. He really fucking hoped she was.

The doors of the elevator opened and he let himself into the penthouse from the foyer. He dropped his keys and briefcase on the dining room table and went in search of his wife. He heard a noise in their room and headed toward it. Once he got there, he leaned against the door frame while he watched her.

Fuck, she was so damn beautiful.

She had turned on the iPod that was in the docking station and was dancing to the happy sounds of Jack Johnson. She was humming softly and had the sweetest smile on her face as she pulled her clothes for the evening out of the closet.

"Hmmm hmmm," Edward cleared his throat and chuckled when she whipped her head in his direction. "Hi, Beautiful," he said in a silky, sinful voice.

"You're here," she said on a breathless sigh. If the smile on her face was any indication, she was just as excited about the upcoming weekend as he was. There might be things he needed to talk about and people he was required to see that he'd rather not, but the prospect of spending the entire weekend with his wife was so enticing, he couldn't help but hope that the weekend turned out like he wanted it to.

He pushed off the door frame and sauntered over to her, stopping just in front of her. "So I am," he told her as he stared at her.

She had just taken a shower and had on a short, silk robe. Her hair was still wet and when he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, he realized that she was warm and soft and smelled like heaven.

"Jesus, you smell fucking incredible," he growled in her ear when he bent his head down to nuzzle the side of her neck, and because he went crazy whenever she was pressed against him like she was, he flicked his tongue out and licked up the side of her neck. "Mmmm, you taste good, too."

The second she felt his warm tongue against her skin, Isabella felt a flood of heat between her legs...and it had nothing to do with the shower she'd just taken and everything to do with the man that currently had his lips attached to the side of her neck. She threw her head back inviting him to explore every inch, feeling the wet tendrils of her hair against her back.

He walked them backward until she was pressed up against the glass windows that lined the entire wall of their bedroom. His hands slid beneath the soft, cool material of her robe and cupped her ass, hissing when he realized she was naked beneath the flimsy material. He moved his mouth from her neck to her lips, kissing her deeply.

After kissing her until he was dizzy he pulled back and rested his forehead against hers. He gave her a devilish, crooked grin and laid his hands on the window beside her head. "If we didn't have reservations for dinner, you do realize I'd take you right here, right now against these windows, don't you?"

Isabella gasped and felt her stomach tighten as she watched his eyes turn from their normal bright green to almost black. As his words seeped into her thoughts, she had to admit she wasn't sure she would mind that...not in the least. Eating was overrated anyway...especially when compared to having her husband inside of her.

Before she knew what was happening, he'd spun her around so that she faced the windows. He pressed himself tightly against her, letting her feel just how much he wanted her. He pushed the loose robe off her shoulders and immediately covered her naked skin with his mouth, kissing and nipping his way from left to right. "I think maybe, I'll take you, just like this, tonight. Looking out over the city, not knowing who can see us and who can't. What do you think about that, my Isabella?" he whispered in a dark, deep voice. He'd slipped his hand under her robe and splayed it across her lower abdomen. He could feel the heat from between her legs and it was all he could do not to plunge his fingers deep inside of her.

Isabella felt her nipples harden, felt the cool glass against them. Mixed with the steamy words coming out of his mouth, she tingled all over. She reached her hand back and dug her nails into the firm muscles of his thigh. "Oh...shit...ah..." she rasped when he rubbed his erection against her ass.

Edward chuckled, the sound velvety smooth, at her loss of control. Fuck if he didn't love watching her let go like that but he knew they needed to stop if there was any hope at all of making it to the restaurant. And honestly, as much as he didn't want to tell her about Anna, he knew he didn't want it hanging over his head either. He pecked her shoulder one last time and then very reluctantly slid his hand out from under her robe and covered her shoulders back up.

When she turned around and looked at him, her eyes were dilated and her cheeks were flushed a delicious shade of pink. It was a struggle to not give in and just make love to her, but he wanted the night to be perfect and it wouldn't be until he'd talked to her.

Damn angel, he muttered silently in his head.

He reached down and grabbed her hand, hoping she wasn't too upset with him. He smiled when he noticed her bracelet on her wrist, realizing she put it right back on as soon as she'd gotten done with her shower. That thought made him very happy indeed.

"I really want to take you to dinner, Beautiful. I promise to pick this up later, if you're still willing, when we get back," Edward said with a frown. He really hoped telling her about Anna wouldn't upset her...too much.

"Edward?" she questioned, immediately alarmed by the sudden change in the tone of his voice...and the frown.

The frown was quickly replaced with a sexy smile. "Let's just get ready to go and enjoy dinner. I'm starving. Besides, I can't wait to see you in that," he said with a wink when he pointed with his chin to the sexy dress lying on the bed. It was a deep, dark cranberry color...very short, very low cut dress and Edward was positive that as soon as she had it on he'd want to rip it off her. On the floor beside the bed was a pair of sinful silver strappy sandals and he felt himself getting hard just imagining her in nothing but the shoes as he made love to her against the windows.

He really hoped she didn't get upset with him.

Isabella couldn't help but giggle at him since she could see the conflicting emotions on his face. "You need to let me go, sweetheart, if you want to leave. Of course, we could always stay here," she teased as she ran her hand down his chest.

"Shameful temptress, I'm telling you," Edward groaned and then rolled his eyes at her. "I'm taking a shower...a very cold one. The reservations are for seven," he said before he kissed her and then went to go cool off.

He took as cold a shower as he could stand and tried not to freak himself out about the impending conversation. He recalled the words the annoying angel person told him earlier though, and they seemed to help. He knew Isabella loved him and he also knew he owed it to her to be completely honest with her, no matter how unflattering it might be.

Once he'd finished his shower, he wrapped a towel around his waist, smiling when he saw a glass of scotch waiting for him on the nightstand beside the bed...but no Isabella. He figured she was in the guest bedroom getting ready so he drank the scotch in one long drink hoping to settle his nerves. He pulled out a black suit and a dark charcoal gray dress shirt and found a tie that matched her dress. Cheesy? Eh, maybe, but he didn't care. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, tying his shoes when he heard Isabella walk in. When he looked up, he swore every ounce of breath he had whooshed out of him. He also felt his pants tighten and his blood race as he took her in.

"Fuck," he said on a long breath.

He stood up, never taking his eyes off her as his eyes traveled over her body. From her pin-straight hair down to the toenails that were painted the same deep cranberry as her dress. She was mesmerizing.

"I'm going to be the most hated man in the restaurant tonight, Isabella. You take my breath away," he told her in an uneven breath.

Her body reacted to his words and then she felt her heart stutter when she realized what he was wearing. His hair was the usual sexy mess on top of his head. The dark shirt and suit fit his body to perfection and the tie made his eyes seem even more green...or maybe it was just the way he stared at her.

"You're not so bad yourself, Mr. Cullen," she said and then bit her bottom lip.

Edward helped her with her leather coat and then slipped her hand inside of his. "We have to get the hell out of here, now, or else I can't be held accountable for my actions," he practically growled at her as he pulled her through the penthouse.

They decided to walk to the restaurant since it wasn't too far; though Isabella had to assure him numerous times that she'd be fine. Even though there were many world famous restaurants in Chicago he could have taken her to, Edward decided on a small, out of the way Indian place. Jasper had told him about it after taking Alice there one night, and he wanted to go somewhere they would have some privacy. Tomorrow night they were going to be surrounded by a lot of people, he wanted tonight to be quieter, more intimate.

The hostess showed them to their booth, tucked in the back corner. Edward ordered a bottle of red wine and once their waiter left with their dinner order, he poured them each a glass of wine and made a toast.

"Happy Birthday, my love. I hope you get everything you wish for," he told her softly as they tipped their glasses against each others.

"All I need is you, so I already have everything I could want," Isabella told him, meaning it completely.

Edward leaned over and brushed a quick kiss across her lips, careful not to smudge her lipstick. "I love you so fucking much," he whispered before he pulled back.

They sat as close as they could, whispering and touching until their food came and they had to separate...though neither was too happy about having to do so.

After they'd eaten for a few minutes, Edward said, "I can't tell you much I'm looking forward to tomorrow night."

Isabella wiped her mouth and nodded her head enthusiastically. "Oh, me, too! I love Faust and this rendition is supposed to be spectacular," she said and Edward smiled at how excited she truly seemed. "I suppose you'll have to do a bit of business while we're there?"

"Yes, I'm afraid so, although, we are meeting Jasper and Alice after the first intermission for a drink. Jasper said Alice is very excited to see you," he told her with a chuckle wondering if there was a time Alice Whitlock wasn't excited about something.

Isabella clapped adorably. "I can't wait to see her; it's been such a long time. Emmett told me Vincent Sinclair will also be there? Will we be seeing him?" she asked and Edward knew this was the opening he'd been waiting for.

"Yes...and yes, to answer both your questions. Isabella, before we go tomorrow night there is something I need to tell you and I know I should have done this a long time ago. Um..." he said and then blew out a nervous breath. "Vincent will more than likely be accompanied by Anna Davenport and while normally you wouldn't care about who was going as whose date, in this case you might."

Isabella could feel her eyebrows dip as she tried to understand what Edward was telling her. "Beautiful, Anna and I were in a relationship for almost two years...two really long, regrettable damn years to be honest with you."

She gasped once she comprehended what he was saying. She knew, of course, that there had been other women before her. He'd admitted that much when they'd had the required and very awkward sex talk when they first started dating. She didn't ask for details and honestly speaking, she didn't need them either. She didn't want names and dates and she certainly didn't want an exact number, especially for the casual relationships...but dating someone for 2 years was NOT casual. Looking the way he did and being the person he was, she was surprised and very relieved that he hadn't slept with half of Chicago before they'd gotten married.

But...Anna Davenport? Holy hell. Isabella was a very confident woman. She knew she was pretty and Edward certainly told her she was beautiful often enough...but still. Isabella had no problem standing beside Rose and Alice and they were the two most beautiful women she knew. Blonde bombshell... that was the first thought she had when she pictured Anna.

Once she'd gotten over her shock, she finally registered what he'd said...and how he'd said it. It wasn't a relationship he looked back on with fondness, that was obvious.

"What happened?" she asked as she scooted closer to him, needing to be as close as possible.

"Judging from your reaction you obviously know who she is, yes?" he asked and when she nodded he began. "Isabella, before I go any further I need you to know that you are the only woman I've ever loved, the only one I will ever love. You believe me, don't you?" he asked.

"Of course I believe you, Edward. Now, tell me about Anna," Isabella said and reached up on the table and covered his hand with her small one. He turned his hand over and laced their fingers together, feeling so much better being connected to her.

"Love, I don't really know how to explain it, so that it makes any sense. We met at some charity thing Grandfather made me go to. He was pushing me to get married, kept telling me that it would be good for the company. Anna's father and grandfather are well-known attorneys and Grandfather thought we would be a perfect match. He introduced us and one thing kind of led to another. I can't lie and tell you she's not a beautiful woman, because she is, but that is all there is to her. I knew from the get-go that she didn't have any real feelings for me, other than what my name meant and what I could do for her.

"A few dates turned into a few months until before I knew it, she was living with me. I know that doesn't sound at all like me, especially knowing what you do now, but that is what I meant when I said I wasn't sure I could explain. I know having her live with me kept Grandfather off my back because to him the next logical step would have been to get engaged and get married. I know it helped keep up the facade. In all honesty, I didn't mind so much, especially since I spent even more time at the office and traveling when Grandfather was alive than I did when we first got married. Anna didn't seem to be too bothered by it, after all once she'd moved in, she had access to limousines, private jets, and all that supposedly comes with being Edward Cullen's girlfriend," he said with a scoff.

"I knew she was using me...but I used her, too. With the way I was, it was so easy being with someone I didn't have to worry about hurting, or getting hurt myself. Grandfather seemed to approve, Anna and I made appearances when we had to, but we allowed each other to do our own things. Apparently for Anna doing her own thing meant doing Vincent Sinclair...in my own bed if you can believe it."

He squeezed her hand and then got to the crux of it all. "I know I shouldn't have been surprised, but I was and to be perfectly honest, it really fucking hurt, too. I might not have been the most pleasant of people to be around, I can admit that, but I still at least tried to be amicable. We might have been using each other for our own reasons, but I did try to be at least respectful. I never cheated on her, if you could even call it that. And then to have her do that to me...with him especially, it really fucking pissed me off and as much as I tried to not let it affect me, it did."

Edward picked their hands up off the table and turned them over so he could kiss the back of her hand. "Beautiful, I know I haven't told you a lot about my birth parents or what my life in Ireland was like before Carlisle and Esme took me in. I'm working on changing that, I promise, but know this; from a very early age I learned that I couldn't really rely on anyone but myself. I learned that I couldn't trust anyone because when I did, I only wound up getting disappointed. I learned that it was better not to try to love anyone because when I did, I was the one that got hurt. I didn't love Anna, not even close, but for her to just disregard me that way sort of just reinforced everything I already felt. That I couldn't trust anyone, that I couldn't allow myself to get close to anyone...that I couldn't love anyone because they wouldn't love me back. I don't mean to sound like one of those emo kids or whatever the hell you call them; you know the ones that think their lives are so terrible and no one else's could possibly be as bad as theirs, but shit, Isabella...until you came along and knocked me on my ass," he told her with a grin, "I never even wanted to try to love anyone. Getting hurt again just wasn't worth it to me, wasn't worth risking it...until you.

"Even though I acted like a bastard and I hurt you, I couldn't let you go. I couldn't stop thinking about you and even though I was terrified of getting too close to you, you owned me from the very first moment," he finished softly. "I've loved you for over five years now Isabella Marie, every day, and you're the only woman I'll ever love."

Isabella stared at her wonderful, amazing, incredible...and a whole slew of other superlatives she couldn't even think of husband, wishing she could crawl in his lap and never move. In the next instant she damned one Anna Davenport to the fiery pits of hell for treating him in such a horrid way.

Bitch.

"Anna and Vincent have been together all this time?" she asked, the question popping out before she could stop herself. Oh, she wanted to address everything he'd told her, but instantly knew it would be better to do so in private.

Edward blew out a tense breath, still unsure of how she'd taken everything. He took a swallow of his wine and then answered her with a shrug of his shoulder. "From what I've heard over the years is that ah...shortly after our...mutual disentanglement or whatever you want to call it, she left town for awhile. I didn't really care as I'm sure you can understand, but I've had to deal with Vincent plenty over the years so I knew at some point in time they crossed paths again and have been together ever since. I imagine, knowing both of them like I do, they find it somewhat mutually beneficial to be together. He gets someone nice to look at on his arm and she gets to do whatever she wants with someone else's money. A match made in heaven if you ask me," he said, sounding somewhat harsh about the whole thing.

"We'll be seeing them both, tomorrow night?" Isabella questioned, trying to sound innocent as she ran her fingertip around the rim of her wine glass.

Edward chuckled when he heard the bite of her voice, though she didn't try to hide it very well he thought. "Yes, love. Vincent never misses the opening performance, especially if he knows I'll be there. For some reason the man is under the delusion that I give a shit what he does in his private life and who he does it with."

"I thought I was looking forward to tomorrow night before, now I really can't wait," Isabella said with a growl.

No one treated her Edward that way and got away with it. Vincent Sinclair and Anna Davenport were about to learn that the hard way if she had anything to say about it.

"Down, tiger," he said and kissed the side of her head.

Isabella turned and held his face in her hands. "Edward Anthony Cullen, let's get something straight, shall we? Our marriage hasn't been perfect, we both know that, but I love you and you love me. You're my husband, my Edward and I'll be damned if I let anyone treat you like you're unworthy or beneath them. You may have used Anna, but you didn't lie to her. She knew perfectly well what she was getting into. For her to think so little of you that she could do that to you just shows what kind of woman she is...a heartless bitch. Don't even get me started on that bastard Vincent Sinclair. He can't hold a candle to you and he knows it. He's done everything from trying to steal your supposed girlfriend and sleeping with her in your bed to doing underhanded and unethical things to steal your clients. As Alec would say, fuck him...as a matter-of-fact fuck them both," she huffed and blew her hair out of her face.

"Ignorante scopa pezzi di merda tentando di ferire la mia Eduardo, io farò vedere!" Fucking pieces of shit trying to hurt my Edward, I'll show them

Hearing her fierce words coupled with the Italian she just muttered sent Edward over the edge. "Fuck, Isabella," he groaned and then crushed his mouth against hers, hungrily.

"No one has ever done that for me before," he whispered, sounding almost like he was in pain, when in all matter-of-fact he'd never felt so good.

Fuck that, he felt like he was Superman.

"I need you...now," he ground out doing everything he could not to throw her on the table and take her right then and there.

"Take me home, Edward."

He waved the waiter over and paid the check, leaving a huge tip since they had cut their dinner short. He helped her put her coat back on and then hung onto her hand as they walked back to the penthouse. Neither said anything; they didn't need to.

Once they reached the penthouse, they rode the elevator up to the penthouse in a charged, electricity laden silence. While Edward could think of nothing except the way she'd defended him, Isabella could think of nothing except how alone Edward had been all his life it seemed. Even when he'd been taken in by Esme and Carlisle, he held himself back.

Never again, she vowed.

They entered the penthouse, completely silent except for their breathing and stared at one another for countless moments before they each gave into the irrepressible need they felt. Her coat was flung across the room when Edward slid it down her arms, followed by his suit jacket. Isabella loosened his tie and then pulled it over his head. He stepped out of his shoes while her shaking fingers fumbled with the belt on his pants. He frantically ripped his shirt, not caring in the least when he heard the buttons skid across the floor. Off came his boxers and his socks and he watched with lust-crazed eyes when she let her dress fall to the floor.

She bent over, intending to take her shoes off when he said in a voice that didn't sound at all like his own, "The shoes stay on."

With that, he picked her up, feeling her wrap her legs around his waist and he walked her toward the windows he promised to take her against just a few hours ago. When he had her pressed against the glass he plunged his hands in her hair and attacked her mouth with his, letting her feel every bit of his possessiveness, his need, and his overwhelming love for her.

"You have no fucking idea what you do to me," he hissed as she shifted against him, rubbing his aching and very hard erection. "How you absolutely own me. My heart, my body, my soul, every piece of me belongs to you, Isabella," he managed to say between kisses.

"No one has ever loved me the way you do, no one has ever protected me and believed in me like you do," he said as he moved his mouth to her neck, biting her none to gently on her pulse point. "No one has ever meant as much to me as you. You're my everything, my reason," he breathed and then moved his lips tantalizingly, slowly across her collarbones.

"La mia ragione," he whispered against the swell of her breast when he pulled the delicate fabric of her bra down.

Isabella leaned her head back against the window as Edward's mouth, lips, and tongue were doing wickedly delicious things to her body, but when she heard the Italian escape from his lips, she snapped her head up. She gasped as she stared at him.

"La mia ragione," he whispered again, staring deep into her eyes. "I mean it, Isabella...with all that I am."

He leaned forward again and kissed her, no less passionately but less frantically, so that he felt every bit of her tongue, felt her hard nipples against his chest, felt the heat from between her legs seep through her panties. He set her down on her feet and slowly slid her barely there and quite ruined panties down her legs trailing his fingers across her skin as the skimpy undergarment fell to the floor. He ran his hands back up her legs, skirting the place he wanted to touch more than anything and rested his hands on her waist. "Turn around, Beautiful," he told her softly.

Isabella turned around, staring out into the night. The lights of the city twinkled beyond the glass, shining almost like stars. She could faintly see Lake Michigan, though she wasn't trying real hard either. She felt Edward step behind her, the heat from his body emanating outward. He ghosted his hands across her back and undid her bra, pushing it off her shoulders. He reached down and grabbed her hands and raised them above her head, laying them flat against the glass. "Leave them here," he ordered. She bent her head down and he placed a finger beneath her chin and lifted her head until her eyes found his in the reflection in the glass. "Watch," he breathed out.

He grabbed her hair and swept it over her right shoulder and then immediately ran his nose up and down the side of her exposed neck. He opened his eyes and found hers, following his every move. "Good girl," he praised and then curled his tongue around her earlobe. He pressed his erection against her ass and his hands moved to cover her breasts. "Do you see us, Isabella? Do you see how fucking perfect we look together?" he questioned, holding her gaze until she nodded her head wordlessly as she let an uneven breath escape her lips. He was so damn hard, painfully so, and he felt like if he wasn't inside of her soon he would go mad, but the torture of waiting was so sweet.

He kneaded her breasts, pinching her nipples between his fingers. His mouth, teeth, and tongue continued to ravage her neck, her shoulders, the spot behind her ear. He lowered one hand and slid his fingers through her slick folds, before finding her bundle of nerves.

Isabella couldn't help but close her eyes as her body reacted to his touch. She felt like she was floating but she could also feel him...everywhere. He completely consumed her until she wasn't sure where she ended and he began. He stilled his exquisite teasing and she whimpered.

"Open your eyes, Isabella. Now."

She again picked her head up and stared at him in the window. Even in the reflection she felt like she could see straight into his soul his eyes burned so intensely. "Watch as you come for me...because of me," he said in thick, rough voice. He dipped his middle finger down and pushed it deep inside of her while circling her most sensitive flesh with the pad of his thumb. With his other hand he pinched her pebbled nipple and he sucked at the skin of her neck.

"Edward, oh..." Isabella cried out, feeling too much at one time.

"Come for me, Beautiful," he commanded, soothing the burn of his teeth with his tongue. "Watch and let go."

Isabella stared at him, her mouth forming a perfect 'o' as she felt the coil twist tighter and tighter deep within her. "Oh, God," she panted as her body continued to climb and climb. She curled her hands into fists, but didn't move them from over her head. "Edward...yes...oh fuck..."

Edward got even more painfully hard at the word, but still he went on. He needed to watch her fall apart, needed to feel it as she came. "Come, Isabella. I want to feel you come and then I'm going to be buried so deep inside of you, I'll touch places you've only dreamed about," he rasped in her ear.

His words sent her spiraling and when he pressed down...hard...on her swollen pleasure point, she exploded, coming so hard her legs shook. But still...she kept her eyes focused solely on his in the window.

"Fuck, do you see how magnificent you look when you come?" Edward asked, almost to himself. He continued to move his fingers in perfect concert with each other until she came again. "Perfect," he praised.

He lined up his straining erection with her entrance and slid deep inside of her in one stroke. As soon as he felt her warm heat completely engulf him, he groaned, thinking that he had never felt anything as good before in his life. Each time they made love and he thought it couldn't get any better, he was proven wrong...but this time, he was sure it had never felt quite like this. "Do you see what I see, Isabella? Have you ever seen anything so fucking incredible in your life?" he questioned. "The way we look together, the way we are a part of each other." He looked down, enthralled while he watched himself slide in and out of her. It was the most erotic, sensual thing he'd ever seen.

He raised one arm and laid it over hers, uncurling her fingers so he could weave their fingers together. With the other hand he laid it over her stomach pulling her back into him. He kept up his steady motion, going deeper and deeper inside of her. "La mia ragione," he whispered again.

"Il mio cuore e l'anima appartiene solo a te," she said back, her brown eyes filling with tears. My heart and soul belong to you alone

"I love you," Edward choked out, overwhelmed by all he was feeling.

"Ti amo con tutto cio che sono," she said back. I love you with all that I am

He might not have understood what she said, but he knew what she meant. He felt himself grow impossibly harder inside of her and he suddenly needed to feel her fall apart again. "I'm so close, baby. Come with me, please?"

He bent his knees and thrust hard into her and he felt her muscles squeeze him. "That's it, Isabella. Come."

She couldn't wait any longer and let go, feeling her body reach a level of ecstasy she didn't even know existed.

"Jesus...oh fuck...yesssss..." Edward moaned as he released in a powerful burst inside of her. He felt her squeeze and pulsate around him as she came again.

He stilled his movements, feeling the aftershocks as her body shuddered around him. He lowered her arms, rubbing them since he was sure they were sore from holding them in the same position for so long. He wanted to say something, but he was at loss to come up with the words that could add anything to what they just shared.

Isabella stared at her husband in the reflection of the glass, feeling her arms burn, but having Edward's hands rub them up and down made her forget all about it. She was afraid to move, afraid to speak for fear of ruining what was, without a doubt, the most intense, amazing thing she had ever experienced. She couldn't really even comprehend it all.

Edward was always a very passionate lover, but what they had just shared was on a whole different plane. Fierce, controlling...but not domineering. Intense, powerful...all the things that she absolutely loved about him. She loved her husband, madly, and he was as sweet and vulnerable and romantic as he could possibly be...but there were times he let that persona crack and out came the Edward she'd just experienced. She really loved that Edward, craved him sometimes. The one that could control her entire body with just his voice or with his touch.

He slid from her body, loathing that loss of connection. While it might have been possible to stay in their current position for the rest of the night, for he surely did not want to move, he knew she had to be exhausted. He glanced down and stared at his hand where it rested on her waist and was once again reminded of how perfectly she fit against him.

He swept his hand down over the curve of her ass and whispered, "So damn perfect."

Isabella finally turned from the windows and looked at him. When he met her eyes with his own, she felt as if they were the only two people in the world, as if nothing else existed or mattered except for them. She reached for his hand and then stepped closer to him. With her other hand she ran her fingertips down his cheek. "Now you know what I've known all along, Edward," she told him softly.

He nodded and then bent down and picked her up. He carried her to the bathroom where he set her on the counter, chuckling when she shrieked when the cold marble touched her heated, naked skin. He reached in the shower and turned on the water, and the bathroom filled with steam. He groaned when he leaned over and undid her sexy shoes.

"You will wear those again," he ordered and grinned when she snorted and then nodded her head. He rubbed each of her feet once they were freed from their confines and Isabella couldn't help but moan in appreciation.

She let him help her stand up, grateful when he wrapped an arm around her. Her legs were still wobbly and to be honest she was a tad bit sore.

"Shit. I didn't hurt you did I, Beautiful?" Edward questioned nervously when he noticed the wince on her gorgeous face. He anxiously ran his hands over her body, trying to soothe wherever he'd hurt her.

"Edward, stop. I'm fine…absolutely and blissfully fine," she told him, stilling his hands.

"Yeah?" he asked with a crooked, wicked grin.

"Yes. As if you didn't know that already."

"Come shower with me, and let me see what I can do about those sore muscles, my love," Edward told her as he led her into the huge shower.

They lovingly touched and kissed and washed each other until the water turned cold. He wrapped her in a soft fluffy towel and then tied one around his waist. They climbed into bed having said very little. Words weren't necessary. They were so in tune with each other, both riding a wave of intimacy so deep and meaningful there wasn't a way to describe it even if they'd tried.

Edward settled himself against the headboard and pulled Isabella up on his chest. He ran his fingers through her hair and over her back. "I'm sorry I waited so long to tell you about, Anna, love," he whispered after a few minutes, shaking Isabella out of the dazed state she was just in.

She squeezed him with the arm she had draped over his chest. "Well, I wish you would have told me sooner, but I understand why you didn't. I'm just sorry you were hurt the way you were by her," she said and couldn't stop the tiny rumble when she thought of the vile woman. In all actuality she was a bit miffed that he'd never told her about Anna before, too, especially since it would have explained so much, but she'd told him they weren't living in the past, so she had to take her own advice.

He reached down and tipped her chin up so she could look at him. "Isabella, it's not okay that I didn't tell you a long time ago about Anna. I know that and it's fine for you to tell me it's not okay, too. I'm well aware of what I was like when we first got together and then when we got married. I owed it to you to be honest with you, and I wasn't. For that, I really am sorry."

"You told me now, Edward, that's all that matters. Would it have helped me understand you better? Of course it would have, but we can't go back and change it. I'm just happy you trust me enough to let me in, to share those things with me now. It's all I've ever wanted," she said softly.

"I don't deserve you but I'm so fucking happy you've put up with me all this time," he told her as he brushed her hair back over her shoulder.

"I love you. It's not a matter of putting up with anything. I can't be without you; it's as simple as that. You're a part of me, Edward, and you always will be," she told him and then tried to hide a yawn.

"Let's get some sleep, Beautiful. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow," he said as he scooted down in the bed and wrapped his arms tightly around her.

She hmphed. "You still won't tell me where we're going in the morning?"

He laughed at her adorable pout and kissed the end of her nose when she looked up at him with her bottom lip sticking out. "Nope. You'll just have to wait and see."

"Fine. You just wait until it's your turn and I get to surprise you, then we'll see how much you like it," she growled and then giggled when he raised his eyebrows at her.

"Are you challenging me, Mrs. Cullen?"

"You bet your ass I am," she said and then yawned again.

He leaned down and kissed her deeply and then tucked her head beneath his chin. "We'll continue this in the morning. Sleep."

"Ti amo, mia Edoardo," she said sleepily.

He smiled, he might know very little Italian, but he did know that. "Ti amo, mia Isabella. La mia ragione," he whispered and then heard her soft, steady breaths as she fell asleep.

He held her for untold minutes, continuously running his fingers through her hair. He'd moved slightly so that he could see her. The moonlight bathed their bed in a soft light and he couldn't stop staring at her. After a bit longer, he was restless and not wanting to wake her, he kissed her gently on the forehead and then slid out of the bed. He put on a pair of sleep pants, figuring the angel person would be making his presence known any moment now.

He poured himself a stiff glass of scotch, not caring that it was after midnight and he had a long day tomorrow. He stood in front of the widows alternating between staring outside and then back at his wife on their bed. He couldn't shut his mind off, not that he had really wanted to anyway. The events of the night played on a continuous loop in his mind and he felt his stomach clench when he thought about how she looked pressed up against the windows in nothing but those damn, sexy as hell shoes.

Yeah, she'd definitely need to wear those again.

"You doing okay?" Seth asked as he materialized in the chair in the corner.

Edward scoffed to himself. He was really going to have to see about changing the furniture in his bedrooms. He wondered if somehow, the annoying being wouldn't just bring a chair along with him...from wherever he came from.

"I'm spectacular," Edward answered, staring him straight in the eye.

Seth let his gaze burn brightly as he tried to discern if Edward was hiding anything. After a few seconds passed and Edward's gaze never wavered he said, "You really mean that, don't you?"

Edward turned and faced the pushy seraph, crossing his arms and ankles as he leaned against the windows. "Did you see her tonight? Did you hear what she told me? Did you see the way she defended me, got angry because someone had hurt me? How could I be anything but spectacular?" Edward asked incredulously.

"No one has ever, fucking ever, stood up for me the way she did. I'm half-scared and half-turned the hell on trying to picture what it will be like at the opera when she sees Anna and Vincent," he said with a chuckle.

Feisty Isabella was all kinds of hot and sexy, there was no doubt about it.

"Well your lovely wife certainly has a temper, that is for damn sure," Seth agreed with a grin. "But seriously, Edward, you can't be too shocked at her reaction."

Edward thought for a bit and realized he really shouldn't have been too surprised at all. Hell, the woman had been by his side for more than five years now; he'd just been too big of a chicken-shit to lean on her when he should have. "No, I suppose not." Edward took another drink of his scotch, trying to muster the courage to ask a question he'd been dying to know the answer to. He knew what he wanted to ask...he was just afraid of the answer the angel would give him.

Seth laughed silently as he watched Edward wrestle with the question he knew was coming. He'd been waiting for awhile now to get to this one, and though it was incredibly tempting to watch him suffer while he fretted and stewed, he decided to put the poor guy out of his misery.

Edward really did have a hell of a night, and surely not in a bad way. While the conversation about Anna hadn't been pleasant, the end result was well worth it, he supposed anyway. Seth hadn't witnessed their interlude when they got home, but judging from Isabella's incredibly serene and content sleeping form and Edward's mostly relaxed state, it wasn't hard to guess what had happened.

"Can I ask you a question and you give me an honest answer, without you being a smart ass?" Edward finally asked after they were both silent for a few moments.

The smug angel rolled his eyes but nodded his head and motioned for Edward to go on.

"It scares me sometimes that I feel so much when Isabella and I make love...like I might fall apart, or burst into song...or start crying and never stop. I want to possess her and consume her, but I also want to love her and kiss her and just hold her. I have a hard time differentiating between the two sides and I always worry that I'm going to hurt her somehow," Edward said quietly.

Seth waited to see if Edward would go on and when he didn't he said, very seriously, "Edward, you haven't asked a question yet. Ask me what you want to know."

"She and I are really soul mates? There really is such a thing?" Edward asked so softly that if Seth didn't possess the extraordinary hearing he did, he might not have heard him.

Seth rose from his chair and floated and stopped in front of Edward. "Edward Anthony, you already know the answer to that...you feel it every time you touch her, or look at her, or make love to her."

"Would she have found her way to me without you and your kind's guidance or whatever the hell you did?" Edward asked, terrified of the answer. The thought of going through his life without her in it seemed as horrific of a thing as he could imagine.

"Does it really matter, Edward?" Seth questioned.

Edward looked toward the bed at his sleeping wife and felt his mouth lift in an instant smile. He knew it didn't really matter because she did find him. He really didn't care about the how or the why...not really, only that she did. "No, I suppose it doesn't."

The angel lifted his hands and laid them on Edward's shoulders and told him, "Edward, every time you and Isabella are intimate with one another, you are sharing a piece of your heart, your soul, your very essence with the other. It doesn't matter if the intimacy comes in the form of holding her hand, or giving her a kiss or even when you are desperate and frantic in your need to be with her the way a husband and wife are meant to. The way you two love and yes, crave each other, is what being soul mates is all about. Don't be scared of hurting her, at least not by needing her as much and how you do."

Edward looked from Seth to Isabella and whispered, "She really is my reason, isn't she?"

"Yes, Edward, she is."

"I love her so fucking much," he said passionately.

"I know that, too, Edward. So does she. You've done so well in letting her see that. Be proud of that, because I am," Seth told him.

Edward yawned and Seth, being in the generous mood he was because his two favorite humans were so wonderfully happy, decided to ensure they were both well-rested for the rest of the day.

"I'll help you sleep, my friend. You're going to need all your faculties tomorrow," the angel said with a devilish chuckle. He had to admit, he was rather looking forward to seeing how the events played themselves out.

"You just want to see Isabella get all dressed up and then give Anna and Vincent a piece of her mind...and probably in Italian, too," Edward growled.

The angel person didn't fool him at all...not for one damn minute.

"Oh come on, Eddie, can you blame me? Your wife is something else on a daily basis, but when she's mad she's..." Seth sighed and Edward huffed and rolled his eyes and supplied, "magnificent."

Seth's ice blue eyes twinkled brightly and he nodded. "Exactly."

Edward crawled into bed and immediately pulled Isabella against him. She sighed and then settled against him, a happy smile on her face. "Edward, if that doesn't tell you everything you need to know, I don't know what would," Seth told him as he stood beside the bed.

"I know. Are you going to stare at us all night or are you going to help me sleep?" Edward grouched, ready to stop thinking and just sleep, wrapped up in his wife.

"Fine, fine." Seth sighed, trying to appear put out with the whole thing. He waved his hands over his two favorite human's heads and said, "Sleep well, you two. Tomorrow is a big day."

Edward succumbed immediately to the angelic mumbo jumbo and settled against the pillows, holding on tight to Isabella.

Seth watched with pleasure as Edward fell asleep. He bent over, kissing them both on the foreheads. "You deserve to be happy, my friend, never forget that and never forget what that woman beside you has given you."

The warmth that Edward had gotten so used to surrounded him, and Edward muttered, "I'm learning and I know. Damn pushy, smug, amazing angel."

Edward missed the brilliant smile that graced said angel's face before he disappeared, muttering a very quiet, "There might just be hope for you yet, Edward Anthony Cullen."

~~~~OOO~~~~OOO~~~~