I hope everyone enjoys this. I'm sorry for the delay in updating, I was trying to get this to sound right.

You know, I re-read the first chapter of this story and honestly, I have to say that it sucked. Haha, I'm bagging on my own story, but seriously. I hope I've developed and grown as a writer from that first chapter. Ugh.

7 Months Later

BPOV

Spring blossomed in the state of California almost violently – flowers bursting in a myriad of color, leaves growing on tree limbs, animals awakening to a flurry of mating. Of course the heat was already unbearable but that was what air conditioning was created for.

Los Angeles remained much the same as it always was. But the events of the last half year had changed me. My mother used to say that you weren't truly an adult until you had regrets. Now, as I stared out mine and Edward's apartment window, I regretted the fact that I had not forgiven my mother before she died; I regretted that I had been so selfish as to not see the reason why she tried to kill herself so many times. Yet there was naught I could do to change the past.

The night of my twentieth birthday I had all but looked a child. The three weeks after the celebration had matured me. I no longer saw the world through rose-colored glass, yet I had not hardened my heart either.

Edward was gone to a photo shoot and the apartment felt all too lonely without him. Purposefully, I pulled on jeans and a light long-sleeved shirt, disregarding my jacket because of the already increasing heat. The car ride was long and filled with memories as I wound my way through LA and then over the California state line. I had been suddenly filled with a longing to see my mother even though the most I would gaze at would be a gravestone.

The cemetery was small but clean and well-kept. Alice had planted flowers over Renee's grave near the granite stone engraved with a name, birthdates and deathdates. I didn't know the names of the three kinds of blossoms but that hardly mattered now as I knelt at the foot of the gravestone, simply staring. The blooms were wide and open, colored white, periwinkle, and violet. I thought it only appropriate that mom had beauty now, in death, when she had so little of it in life.

I had long since stopped feeling sorry for myself and my burns. I accepted the fact that Renee was never coming back, that the flames that had haunted my nightmares for months was how she died. I had stopped my visits to the psychiatrist and I no longer had horrific dreams of fires and peeling, burning flesh. I no longer cried myself to sleep over her death. But the pain had never fully disappeared; it still lingered on the edge of my consciousness, creeping up on me when I least expected it, and I was forced stop whatever I was doing and push back the memory that assaulted me. The last day I went to the shrink, she said that I was doing exceptionally well and that she didn't think I needed therapy anymore.

"Good morning, mom," I said softly, smiling at the gravestone. My fingers traveled softly over the fragile flowers that grew at the base. Alice was surprisingly skilled at gardening, knowing exactly which flowers would thrive in what type of soil. "I love you."

I turned to the right to look at Charlie's gravestone. The sight of them both there, together at last, brought tears to my eyes which I hastily wiped away. Although life could be cruel, there was always moments of happiness, always beauty despite the pain.

I stayed at the cemetery for only twenty minutes before climbing back into my car and heading back to LA from Phoenix. I was proud of myself for not weeping the way I had the last time I had visited, about two months ago.

Rosalie was head over heels for Emmett and they were already engaged to be married the following year. Alice and Jasper had a quiet kind of bond that went down to the soul, understanding and love flowing from every gesture and glance they directed at each other. I rarely saw Alice and Jasper kiss or show any public display of affection, but a blind child could see how much they cared for each other. I had a feeling that they saved special physical moments to be shared privately away from prying eyes. I was happy for my friends, content that each of us seemed to be getting the happily ever after we had dreamed of for so long. And although Rose had always said she didn't need a man in her life, I knew that she would wither like a blossom after the first frost without Emmett.

I was already home when Edward walked through the door. I was studiously trying to memorize every word in a text book for an important test I had in a few weeks.

"Bella?" he called, the door opening to the apartment. "Bella? Are you home?"

Turning away from the Bible-sized text book, I met his appreciative eyes. I was dressed in something I had bought only the other day – a black lace panties and bra set. I had pulled on one of Edward's white button-up shirts, the black lingerie showing through the white cotton. I had hoped to surprise him with it.

"Hello, Edward," I said, walking to him. "Welcome home."

He raised an eyebrow, a smug smirk spreading over his full lips as his eyes ran down my body. "Planning something, were you?" he purred, pulling me tightly to him.

I blushed – something I had not learned how to stop. Edward's t-shirt was crisp and clean, the smell causing a smile to bloom over my face. It was a familiar scent to me now, the aroma left over by Tide laundry detergent.

I began to pull the hem of his shirt up but he caught my hands, stilling them. Confused, I glanced up into his face. "What's wrong?" I asked.

"Tonight, my Bella, I would very much like to be in control," he answered in a low voice that made the muscles in my lower abdomen tighten. I felt a thick wetness drip from my folds onto my lacy panties. And all from the eroticism of his voice. He ran his fingertips over the thin strip of lace on my hip, following the trail to my center. "Tonight, darling, you will be my plaything," he purred.

I was suddenly short of breath, my heart sputtering frantically as I looked up into his eyes.

"For tonight, you will be my sex toy." He winked before abruptly swinging me into his arms, carrying me cradled to his chest.

I yelped in surprise and then grinned.

I expected that he was going to take me to the bedroom and there we would make love, but without speaking he turned instead to the table we used as a dining room table. He had something special planned for tonight and from the way he carefully kept his eyes away from mine I knew that he had been planning it for a while.

Gingerly setting my legs down on the floor in the front of the table, he pushed me back so that the edge of the tabletop pressed against my ass.

"Now, Isabella," Edward began, using my full first name as he had only done a few times before. "You may only speak if I give my approval. Your only purpose is to submit to me and whether you like it or not, I will plunge my cock into you."

My eyes widened, my breath nothing short of pants for oxygen. He pushed my legs apart and drew off his belt slowly, making sure I was watching his fingers. "Edward?" I whispered tentatively.

Abruptly he slapped me hard between the legs, directly onto my dripping heat. I cried out in surprise and bit my lip hard to destroy my moan before it became sound. Oh God. Sharp spikes of pleasure shot up through my body from my wet folds.

"Enjoy that, did you?" he asked almost condescendingly, sliding the cold metal of his belt buckle along my thigh, watching as chill bumps rose along my legs. "And as much as I love these on you, they must come off." Edward yanked my panties down my legs, then held the scrap of fabric to his lips, sucking on it. I groaned at the sight. Fuck, he looked so sexy, moving his tongue over the black lace. Thick juices trickled down the insides of my thighs.

"These must go also, my pet."

Before I could responds, my bra and the white button-up of his I had been wearing lay on the floor in a tangled heap. The cool air in the apartment settled over my exposed breasts and stomach. The cool in the atmosphere tightened my nerves, causing each cell in my body to become ridiculously sensitive to the slightest displacement of air or the barest brush of his clothing against my skin. The only thing I wore was the sapphire necklace he had given me so long ago. I had grown used to the way the silver slid along the base of my throat and the slight weight of the blue stone that adorned it.

Then I felt something tighten around my thigh and I glanced down to see that he was securing the belt around my thigh and the table leg. He was tying me to the table while I was backed against it.

"But, Edward," I started, biting my lip.

Another stinging, knee-buckling slap was delivered to my hot, wet sex. "Another outburst like that and I won't be nearly so gentle," he warned. But there was something in his eyes that assured me he would never harm me. "Speak only when allowed, remember?"

I nodded, my breathing labored.

"Good girl." He caressed my breast, pinching my already taut nipple. "Now stay still until I return in only a few moments."

And with that he left me half tied to the table, completely naked. The moments alone like this were brutal as my mind went through thousands of possibilities of what Edward could be planning. The abundance of erotic thoughts dancing through my mind increased the flow between my thighs, and a tingling originated in my breasts from the nipples, slowly spreading through my body. It seemed like hours before Edward finally emerged from the bedroom, holding three belts of various shades of brown and black in his hands. My eyes widened and I tried to hide my anxiety. I knew he wouldn't hurt me, but the sight of the silver buckles shining in the soft lamp light made my heart speed.

"Lean backward, Bella," he ordered softly, leaning down to fasten a belt around my free thigh.

I did as I was told, leaning backwards onto the table top. The position was slightly uncomfortable and exposed my body more than any other position I had ever been in during the span of my short life. My breasts flattened slightly now that I lay with my back against the tabletop and my feet still on the floor.

"Uncross your arms."

Reluctantly, I stretched my arms out above me. Edward took both of them and fastened each with a belt, looping the end around the table legs on the other side of that small expanse of wood. I was completely naked and locked to the table by belts.

I had never been so frightened and anxious of what would happen in my life.

When he was finished and I was securely bound to the small dining room table, Edward smirked down at me, wickedness dancing in his forest-green eyes. "Mmmm, Bella, you are sinful. Any man would give his left arm to have you right now, spread out on that table, your juices dripping from your pussy." He reached casually down and ran his fingers from my belly button down to the curling hair over my core. "Do you know what I have planned for you?"

I swallowed audibly and shook my head. "No," I managed, my voice cracking. Heat flushed my face and I tried to look somewhere to dispel my embarrassment but the fact that I was tied up hindered that. So I simply stared up the ceiling.

He chuckled darkly. "Then I suppose I must show you." I felt the flutter of his fingertips between my legs.

EPOV

Damn did she look beautiful half lying on that table, her limbs secured with belts and her breasts heaving with the force of her gasps. Her dark hair fanned out around her face, giving her a dark halo. My angel.

Running my fingertips over her thighs, I leaned down to press my lips softly to hers in a kiss that belied her current position. Her mouth was as sweet as sugared candy and moist as the tender flesh of a strawberry. She was lovelier than any woman I had ever seen, despite the scars of her burns which had completely healed yet left her right arm marred from the elbow down.

The months after Renee's death had been especially hard on Bella. Many times I had held her as she cried, hating the way I felt so useless. There was no way I could take away her grief, and seeing the tears staining her cheeks tore a hole through my soul. Yet the days went by and each time she was less miserable than the day before.

My heart soared to see that silver chain around her throat upon which hung that sapphire pendant.

"I love you, Bella," I murmured into her ear, sliding my tongue over the tender skin, watching as chill bumps spread over her arms and neck.

"I love you too, Edward," she whispered, arching so that her breasts and stomach pressed against my abdomen as I leaned over her. A small smile spread over my lips as I stood up again.

Trailing my fingers to her core, I played idly with her slit, dipping my fingers a little into her before pulling out. She gasped loudly, writhing in the bonds that held her. Her hips jerked, the muscles alternately tense and lax in response to my hand.

A half-formed sob tore from her throat. Immediately I looked up into her face to be sure that I was not hurting her. Instead of pain, ecstasy was scrawled over her features. "Please," she gasped. "Just take me. Oh please."

Spreading her opening with my fingers, I glanced down to see that she was wet and red, aching for me. "How can I refuse you when you beg?" I muttered, quickly undoing my trousers. I discarded my shirt hastily and pulled down my pants and boxers a little so that my agonizingly hard dick sprang out, pulsing with desire.

Her eyes fluttered open, the brown orbs cloudy and unfocused. Then they settled on my cock and widened. A long, guttural moan filled the air around us, igniting a fire within my groin.

"Please," she whimpered, her voice like a tongue on the head of my dick.

My hands gripped her hips tightly – securely – taking care to leave her skin free of bruising. The last thing I wanted to do was to injure this goddess. I positioned myself at her entrance, accidentally grazing her. The moist flesh slid deliciously over the absurdly sensitive head of my member. My body sang for her, needing to fill the void within her.

Reaching up, I quickly undid the belts that held her by the wrists. I didn't want her bound when I took her. I wanted to feel her nails on my back and her legs around me. I wanted to savor the sensation of her body stiffening in pleasure as she neared her climax. Quickly, I undid the belts that secured her thighs.

Without waiting for her reaction, I plunged my cock into her up to the hilt, the entrance rough and causing my hands to shake from the immediate burst of ecstasy that assaulted me. She screamed, her nails digging into my hair as she brought my face to hers. Our lips fused together heatedly, my tongue stroking hers.

"Yes," she cried, breaking away, her legs wrapping tightly around my waist in a vice grip. "Oh FUCK, YES!"

I pulled quickly out, gritting my teeth to hide the deep groan that threatened to turn lose.

BPOV

The wood of the table was slick against my back, my lungs burning from my gasps. My thoughts were half developed, scattered things that I could not concentrate on. Sweat was forming on his skin, causing our flesh to stick and cling together.

Abruptly, he slammed into me, making me scoot back along the table. Pulling me quickly towards him by my hips, I felt his balls slap against my ass.

"You're not getting away from me that easy, love," he growled in my ear.

I moaned deeply, my need building savagely within me. I was no longer sure we were two sane creatures. We were no better than animals in our desire. Yes, there was love, but the raw, primal need was strongest. Edward and I had not been together like this in days and I craved the taste of his skin now more than I had ever needed food. The hours at school and my new job I had acquired tired me and Edward still had his modeling job to do. When we were finally in a room at the same time, we only enjoyed each others company, maybe kissed or touched. But it had been long days since we had connected in this way, since we had sucked and bit and clawed with ecstasy.

"Fuck, Bella," he growled, his fingers tightening. I forced my eyes open so that I could see his expression, so that I could look upon his seraphic face. His eyes were clenched shut, his jaw taut and strained. The muscles in his arms flexed as he pulled his cock out of my swollen pussy, plunging it immediately back in.

"Edward," I cried weakly, my eyes closed tightly as I arched.

He paused, his member deep inside my cunt, stretching me. Edward's cock was hot and thick, rubbing along my walls. "God, Bella, I need you," he said through a jaw tight with pleasure. I ran my hands through his air, pressing myself up against him.

Unexpectedly he pushed me back onto the table, away from him. Confused, I sat up a bit, leaning back on my elbows. And then I watched Edward climb onto the table top, completely naked now. His hard dick was throbbing, his balls swinging slightly as he crawled towards me. I felt my heart rate spike dangerously as I watched him. His bronze hair hung a little over his brow and his eyes were dark with demanding lust. I suddenly felt like a virgin again – a virgin with a sex god crawling towards me, his cock hard and his body slick with sweat. My stomach flopped in both fear and anticipation.

"I hope you're ready, love," he growled, his voice deep and thick as he took me by the hips, his fingers pressing into my ass as he lifted my pelvis. "Because I'm going to fuck you hard."

My hands shook and my eyes widened as I looked up at him. He moved so that he knelt between my open legs, resting with his legs under him. Then, as my hands struggled to hold onto something, he raised up so that he stood on his knees and lifted my hips to his cock, impaling me onto him.

I screamed, the sound scraping my throat raw. My body seized with pleasure, tightening almost spasmodically and I threw my head back, hitting the wooden table. I should have felt pain, I should have cringed away from the roughness in his touch that was only slightly tinged with love. But I didn't. I wanted this, I wanted more. I wanted to have him beg me, to make him scream with the pleasure I was giving him. A slight smile spread over my lips when I realized that I had a lifetime to make him submit to me. Just as he had a lifetime to make me beg him to fuck me.

"Shit, Bella," he said gruffly, pausing with my body at that odd angle and his member deeper inside me than it had ever gone before. "You have no idea how hard your screams make me, Bella. No idea how they make my cock throb and twitch inside you." Slowly pulling my hips up and off him, he swirled the head of his member over my slit, my juices gathering.

In the beginning, our relationship was purely physical. I had been intimidated by this bronze haired man who knew exactly how to touch a woman, knew precisely what to do to send my body soaring over clouds. Yet memories and both of our pasts had encroached into the tiny world that we had created. Edward was no longer simply hired to be a sort of slave. Looking up into the emerald irises that were now all I ever wanted, I knew it was impossible to know the extent of my love. It was impossible to measure something that filled oceans and crossed continents.

And now, as we took each other almost savagely, my need as strong as his, I clung desperately to him. He plunged into me, again and again, our skin slapping and our bodies melting together so that I could no longer discern where I left off and he began.

I was falling farther and father into ecstasy, gasping and moaning his name. His hands cupped my breasts, running his thumb over my nipple.

"Faster, please Edward," I begged, shameless in my lust for him.

Without answering, he began ramming into me at a dizzying speed. My nails scoured his back brutally and I felt a small twinge of satisfaction when he hissed in pain. He was mine and I wanted to mark him that way, to show everyone that this long-lost Greek god wanted me and that I would never give him up.

He was driving me farther and farther towards the edge. I moved my hips in frantic circles as he thrust so deeply into me I could have sworn he touched my heart.

"Scream for me, Bella," Edward growled in my ear, lifting my ass in his hands and jerking his hips to inch deeper. "Cum, my love. Cum as I take you."

Before I could do anything but gasp, he began to rub my clit, pinching it lightly. My eyes snapped open, my fingers clutching at him wildly as I arched against his chest.

"Oh God," I cried out desperately. "OH FUCK!"

With all the force of a brick wall, my orgasm slammed into me and I screamed, my mind turning off like a light bulb switched off at the end of the day. His hands, searing and on my waist, tightened as a guttural groan left his lips.

I felt his hot release inside me as he climaxed.

EPOV

As she lay on our dining room table, her skin covered in a sheen of sweat and her hair tangled, I couldn't keep my eyes from roaming her body. She was glorious, so much more than she could ever know. I moved so that I lay beside her, stroking the bare skin of her upper arm.

"Edward?" she breathed, her eyes opening, still hazy from the bliss that always come after couplings such as ours.

"Yes, love?"

She turned to me, resting her head on my chest, gazing up at me with eyes full of joy. I was once again struck with just how much I cared for her. In my arms was the one thing I could not exist without.

"What would I do without you?" she murmured, pressing her lips to the center of my chest in a tender kiss.

I smiled and pulled her on top of me so that she straddled my stomach. "Live happily ever after with whoever you want," I answered, brushing my fingers over the sides of her breasts.

"But don't you understand?" She looked down at me seriously. "There is no happily ever after without you, Edward. However, if you ever want someone else . . ."

"Bella, you are all I want, all I need." I took her right hand – the hand that was marred by burn scars – and brought it to my lips, kissing the knuckles. "You are my fairy tale, Isabella Swan, and I could never be happy without you." Then I turned her hand and kissed the palm. My eyes settled on her left hand that rested on my stomach, and on the naked ring finer. She had such beautiful fingers, pale and elegant.

And very soon there would be a diamond on her left hand – one that I had bought scarcely a week ago that I intended to present to her at the right moment.

"I love you, Cinderella," I murmured.

"You are my life now." Then she smiled almost childishly at me. "Ready for round two, Prince Charming?"

I laughed, my heart lighter than it had been for years. "Why, of course, you insatiable little thing."

To answer a few questions . . . . . . .

NO, there will not be a sequel. Simply because I have so many ideas running around my head that I want to get down on paper.

YES, Bella was on birth control in this chapter.

YES, Edward was talking about an engagement ring.

I wanted to end this story correctly. Bella has grown as an individual and is no longer as selfish as she was. She has learned to forgive her mother and to move on with her life. Bella has also grown up from the child she was a the beginning of this story. Edward, also, has changed. He, along with Bella, has learned to let go of their past and - although no one can really escape their past - learned to deal with the memories. This story has been a sort of therapy for me and has made me cry and giggle while writing it. I hope that it has been as entertaining to others.

And if anyone wants anything to read now that this is over, I would recommend either my story Dark Whispers (a dark Bella/Jasper fic that I LOVE) or either Assassin or The Black Forest (both Edward/Bella but only have 1 chapter as of today).

**BY THE WAY! The LAST day to vote for "The Black Forest" in the Off The Page contest is AUGUST 7TH. I would GREATLY appreciate it if you guys could vote for it if you like it. It means so much to me. thank you.**

As always, Reviews are loved. :D

-Oriana de la Rose