A/N: I've gotta say, I LOVED reading your reviews to the last chapter. Most of you are really enjoying Eddie's frisky innuendos, and about three-quarters of you are ready to pop one of Jessica's silicones yourselves, LOL!
Anyway, I know a lot of you are wondering what Edward's real deal is. This story is only 16 chapters, so you won't have to wait too long to find out. :)
Ready for more DeepDiverWard? Here we go!
Betad by the lovely Michelle Renker Rhodes
Most characters belong to S. Meyer
Chapter 4 Private Snorkel Lesson
Once onboard the catamaran, I make my way to Rose and Alice. They've already laid beach towels out on the bow, and their cover-ups have come off. I remove my own large, plush towel from my beach bag and spread it out next to theirs.
"What. The hell. Was that?" Rose asks.
"What are you talking about?"
"You didn't tell us you spent the night flirting with that hot-ass guy!" Alice hisses.
As calmly as possible, I untie my sarong and sit over my towel. Then I fold the sarong and place it back in my bag, removing a water bottle, my straw, beach hat, sunscreen and Kindle. I'm severely tempted to roll the cold, water bottle over my flushed face and overheated vajayjay as an attempt at cooling off after my encounter with Edward, but Rose and Alice are eyeing me way too closely.
"I didn't spend the night flirting with him." I spray sunscreen on one arm, then the other. "We spoke for about five minutes, if that."
"Well those five minutes certainly seemed to have made an impression on him. He can't keep his eyes off of you," Rose says.
I snort and roll my eyes, handing Rose the sunscreen, so she can do my back and shoulders. "He's a flirt. He was flirting with Big Boobs there and a friend of hers last night, and then after they left, he figured he'd kick it to me."
"So?" Alice says.
"So…" I frown. "Only God knows how many women he sweet-talks on a daily basis, and I didn't come here for that."
"No. No, of course not," Rose says, massaging the sprayed sunscreen onto my shoulders. "Why would any self-respecting, completely single woman come to Key West and flirt with one of the hottest guys to have ever walked the planet? Much better to come here for the culture instead."
I roll my eyes again.
"And why the hell would you tell him you're married?" Alice asks.
"Because he's a player! I mean, look at him!"
All three sets of our eyes move behind us to where Edward is standing talking to Jessica – again. He must feel eyes on him because he looks up and sees us, and with that sexy, lopsided grin on his face, he winks.
My heart jumps.
"You see?" I say.
"Oh yeah, the guy winked at you. Let's throw him overboard," Rose says dryly.
"First, he didn't wink at me, he winked at us, and he knows that we're married. What does that say?"
"It says you're stupid if you think he's winking at us; he's winking at you," Alice says. "And you're even stupider if you think he buys that crappy lie of yours for a second," she chuckles.
I look back at Edward – who's still looking our way by the way - while Rose sprays the sunscreen on my lower back, spreading it around with the pads of her fingers, and for a second, it's his fingers I feel along the grooves of my spine, trailing lower…finger-action indeed...
Then Jessica lays a hand on his chest and throws her head back in laughter. Edward grins…
But his eyes are still on me.
OOOOOOOOOO
As we leave the marina, Edward struts to the front of the catamaran with the rest of his crew. The four of them hoist the sails, Edward in front, his muscles working and straining while he pulls and pulls.
"Oh God," someone squeaks behind me. When I turn around, Jessica is spread out on a towel, watching Edward and desperately fanning herself.
Edward welcomes everyone to Key West and the Eclipse - of which he's the owner and captain, of course. He claims that the Eclipse is 65 feet long, the longest catamaran tour boat in Key West, and then introduces his mates: Seth, Jared, Paul, and Tanya, the beautiful, blond female. He tells us that we'll be sailing for about seven miles to the coral reefs. During the trip, there will be refreshments available in the shaded lounge area below deck – non-alcoholic drinks are served as we sail to the reefs, but on the way back, once everyone is safely on board, there will be plenty of beer, rum and wine floating around.
Edward meets everyone's gaze as he goes through his speech. The breeze blows through his magnificent head of hair, but his eyes continually find mine, and his lips pout and twitch in that way of his. I hear whispers and murmurs all around me, from both female and male passengers; everyone is entranced by this man's body and velvet voice - and by the cocky look on his face, he knows it.
OOOOOOOOOO
"Enjoying yourself so far?"
I open my eyes. I'd almost been lulled to sleep by the wonderful, ocean breeze kicked up by the boat's movement.
Edward is stooped in front of me. He takes off his shades, and I take off mine before lifting myself up on my elbows.
"I am."
He makes no effort to conceal the hungry gaze of his green eyes all over my body.
"You're a very forward man," I reaffirm.
"You're a very beautiful woman," he grins.
I sit up and curl my legs under me. "There are many beautiful women on-board."
"There are, but none like you." Half his mouth quirks up, which leads to a return of the inner-thigh-muscle-clench.
"Like me in what way?"
"I'm not sure," he shrugs. "But there's something…maybe it's your eyes…"
"That such a load of crap," I chuckle.
He laughs. "It does sound like one, doesn't it? But it's not."
"How often do you use those lines? Weekly? Daily?"
He laughs again. I stare at the way the sun plays with his eyes, the way he bites his lower lip when his eyes fall to my breasts and bare stomach and legs. I should be offended, but all I am is super grateful that Rose and Alice made me join the gym with them to get ready for The Wedding That Wasn't.
"You like my eyes, huh?" I smirk.
He snorts. "Would you prefer I pretend I'm not looking at you?"
"Or you can just keep your shades on and check me out on the sly the way you were doing with Jessica."
He chuckles heartily, but doesn't confirm nor deny the statement. "So it's not my checking you out that bothers you; you'd just rather I do it on the sly."
I don't answer him because I'd be lying if I said I didn't want him to check me out, and I'd be lying if I said having him do it so openly isn't turning me the fuck on.
So instead, I say, "Like I said before, my husband wouldn't approve."
"And like I said before," he smiles, "if you're husband isn't doing his job, then I've got no problem stepping up." His lips twitch. "Keep sunning yourself, Beautiful Bella. We'll play this game your way: I'll keep my shades on and pretend I'm not looking…" – he leans into me, his nose skimming my hair while his warm lips ghost against my sensitive earlobe – "...but you know I will be."
And with that, he puts his shades back on and walks away.
OOOOOOOOOO
About an hour into our sailing, we arrive at our destination, which is a good thing because I need a distraction; my body has been on tense alert since I boarded this darn catamaran. Every time I look up and see Edward with his shades on, I swear I feel his eyes on me. He's messing with my head; I know he is.
And damn if it's not thrilling.
Edward orders the anchor dropped. The volume of the calypso music is turned down so that he can talk to us about the reef we'll be snorkeling around and remind us not to actually touch it. After safety precautions and an intro to the sea life we may encounter, he and Tanya go into a demo.
"Do we have any volunteers to demonstrate how to wear the life vests?" he asks, holding up a vest.
"I volunteer!"
Once again bouncing up and down, Jessica's right hand shoots high up in the air. Edward turns her around so that her back is against his chest, and then he holds the jacket open for her, so she can stick her arms through. He reaches around and buckles it for her, and some childish part of me finds myself imagining her left tit bursting. I'd bet my toes that she's already wetter than she's gonna get at any point in the ocean.
"Now this strap goes right between your legs." He drops the strap behind Jessica. "Reach down and grab that strap and buckle it in front of yourself."
I swear, when she opens her legs and reaches down for the strap Edward is holding behind her, she closes her eyes and shudders, her mouth forming a big, fat "O."
"There you go!" Edward grins. "Does anyone else need help with their life vests?"
About thirty hands go up.
OOOOOOOOOOO
Once we're all geared up, Edward and his crew drop a set of stairs from below deck that lead straight into the water – or we can go overboard, he says, whichever way we feel most comfortable.
"What do you say, Girlies?" Rose asks. "Stairs or overboard?"
"I'm gonna vote stairs here, Rose," I say, eyeing the steps with determination.
Then I feel someone's warm breath behind me.
"What's wrong, Beautiful Bella? Scared of a little jump?"
"She may need a bit of a prod," Alice says.
"Does she now?" he says. "I'd love to give her a good prod."
I turn around to say something smart, but I can't for the life of me remember what it is when I see Edward shirtless. Not even his jaw is enough to keep my eyes from trailing down to his toned and tanned chest. He's got a blond, happy trail disappearing into his red, board shorts.
"See, you can be forward too," he says, grinning impishly because of course, he sees where my eyes go.
"I'm taking the stairs," I say, turning back around to try to hide the tell-tale flush on my face.
"Bella, come on!" Alice says. She runs to the open side of the boat and jumps, calling my name as she falls.
"Bellaaaaaa!"
Rose laughs and follows suit.
"Bella!" They chant from the water. "Bella! Bella! Bella!"
I laugh and look back at Edward.
He lifts a brow. "I promise I'll catch you."
"Is that supposed to encourage or deter me from jumping?"
He snorts, and before I can decide either way, he runs to the side of the boat and dives in headfirst, lean, toned arms straight out in front of him, palms pressed together and pointed, like someone who's done this a thousand and one times. I look over the side, and when he resurfaces, he shakes the water out of that glorious head of hair, and I swear, the entire boat cheers as if he just saved a whale.
With a cocky grin on his face, he looks up at me, and I laugh again despite myself.
"Come on!" he calls out. Rose and Alice swim nearby, echoing his words. "I'll catch you!" he repeats.
I'm about to jump, really I am, but someone shoves me out of the way, and the next thing I know, Jessica is falling and landing right into arms that were supposed to be waiting for me.
"You caught me, Edward! Ooh, you caught me! That was so much fun!" Jessica squeals. "Let's do it again!"
I look down at them and can't really hear what Edward responds.
And then I turn around and take the stairs.
OOOOOOOOOO
It's beautiful out here; aqua blue waters so clear you can see straight to the bottom.
Alice, Rose and I make our way around the surface, our masked faces in the water and snorkels in our mouths. Colorful schools of fish swim past us, and though we're enjoying them, I'd love to go deeper and get a better look at the coral reefs I can see further down, but I don't dare, and neither do Rose or Alice.
The crew has put out a few floats, and after more than a few fish sightings, the three of us grab a float and just chill, drinking the virgin punch Jared handed out and kicking our legs lazily behind us.
I close my eyes again, and it's like he can hear me thinking of him.
"Want to dive closer to the reefs?"
I turn around. He's floating vertically right behind me.
"I'm just a beginner snorkeler," I say.
"That's alright. I won't let you drown. Promise." His lips twitch.
"You promised you'd catch me before too," I tease him.
"I would've," he nods, "if you would've jumped."
"You seemed to have your hands full." I want to do the Heavy Tits palm thing again, but I'm holding the float with one hand and my drink with the other.
He gets my meaning though, chuckling. "So…coral reefs?" he repeats.
I'm not sure why I hesitate. Like Rose and Alice said, I'm on vacation, and the most gorgeous guy ever wants to flirt with me.
"Just take her, Edward," Alice answers for me. "She was just saying how she'd love to see the reefs."
His grin widens.
"Okay, okay," I smile. "Coral reefs sound fun."
OOOOOOOOOO
When Edward tells me I've got to take off the life vest, I balk.
He laughs. "It'll keep you floating-"
"I know!"
"-and we're going down, Love."
I sigh heavily, my eyes on his while I unbuckle my life vest. He helps me out of it, and then whistles loud through his teeth. Seth appears at the side of the boat. Edward throws my life-vest up and Seth reaches out and grabs it.
"Ready?" he asks me, reaching out for my hand.
I draw in a deep breath. "Ready."
We swim away a few yards, with me in front and Edward right behind me. Every time I turn around, he tells me "keep going." The music and everyone's voices begin to fade. Pretty soon, it's all just background noise. I hear me breaking through the water; I hear Edward's smooth laps behind me.
"Alright, stop," he says softly.
I stop and paddle my fins wildly underwater to remain afloat and swallow thickly when Edward's arm snakes around my waist underwater. He holds me against his chest. It's wet and smooth and hard all at once. I'm sure he can feel my heart tripping over itself.
"Stop kicking; I'll hold you up. You're going to need your strength to dive down."
"How far are we going?" I ask warily.
"That's up to you, Beautiful Bella."
At this point, I'm honestly not sure if everything he says has a double-meaning.
He smirks. "If you were a certified diver, and if we had proper diving equipment, we'd be going a lot deeper. As it is, we won't go too deep at all. Are you good at holding your breath?"
"I'm alright, I suppose."
"Okay, I'll only keep us down for about twenty seconds at a time. That sound good?"
I shrug. "I guess, but how much can we actually do in twenty seconds?"
"You'd be surprised at how much we can do in twenty seconds," he says, smiling. Of course my brain turns it into something else. However, I forego a return comment because my chest is heaving excitedly, both for what we're here to do, and for how tightly Edward is holding me, and my nipples rubbing up against his is kind of too distracting to encourage a plethora of words.
"Put on your mask, and hold on to me, okay? I won't let you get hurt. Promise."
I nod, wide-eyed and put on my snorkeling mask. He adjusts my straps for me before putting on his own mask.
"Ready?"
Once more, I nod, and Edward grabs my hand and dives headfirst, pulling me down with him.
We kick our legs and dive down, and though my heart is in my throat, there's also a smile on my face because it's like I'm in that Disney movie with the orange fish and blue fish and their colorful underwater world. We swim through peach-hued corals and yellow sponges and blue anemones. Then we swim back up for air.
"That was kick-ass!" I exclaim breathlessly.
He laughs. "You okay with the breath-holding?"
"Yeah," I say excitedly. "I could've gone a little longer."
"You sure?"
"Yeah."
"Alright, I'll keep us down for an extra ten seconds then. Ready?"
We dive down again, and this time, a school of Nemos swim by, and I'm fascinated. On our next dive, Edward takes us around a bend of underwater plants and points at a school of large, pink jellyfish swimming towards the surface; their long antennas are waving in the water. A sea turtle passes and Edward swims us close to it, taking my other hand and pressing it to the turtles back. I laugh aloud as the turtle scurries away slowly, and I hear Edward laugh in response. He guides us back up.
My heart races. I'm not sure if I've ever experienced anything as spectacular in my entire twenty-six years on this planet.
"You still doing okay?"
"Come on! Let's go again!"
He chuckles. "Alright, here we go."
I'm not sure how long we're out here, diving down for half a minute or so before resurfacing for air and going down again. All I know is that I'm exhilarated beyond belief. Every time we surface, Edward explains to me what we just saw. After a few times though, when we resurface, I'm breathing really hard and can barely catch my breath. Edward grips my hips tight, and I hold onto his shoulders, acutely aware of his long fingers on my bare thighs, of my hands on his strong shoulders.
"Had enough?" he asks.
"My legs feel like jelly."
He laughs. "There are plenty of caves and even a couple of sunken ships I could take you to if we were really diving."
Silence.
"But now, I guess it's time we head back," he says.
Still, instead of heading back, we just float there, drops of water trickling around us, the reggae beats far off in the distance.
"What ocean is this, anyway?" I ask. "Atlantic or Caribbean?"
"We're between the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico," he says. "The Caribbean Sea is further south."
"Oh." My mouth puckers around the word. Edward's gaze falls to my lips; his thumbs rub small, almost indiscernible circles around my thighs, around the strings on my bikini. I'm mesmerized by the droplets of water falling from his hair onto his nose and mouth and jaw.
"I should get back to Rose and Alice." The words come out as barely a whisper.
He looks back to my eyes. "Alright."
We swim back to Rose, Alice, the boat and everyone else, and honestly, I feel about ready to pass out. I can barely feel my arms and legs. When we're still a few yards from the girls, Edward reaches out and pulls me along, saving me from a few laps of swimming.
Rose and Alice look at me and grin, and I know I'm going to get the third degree in a few.
"Did you have fun?" Edward asks.
"I had…" – I'm panting – "…the best time. Thank you."
"Still gonna stick to that 'husband' story?" he asks lowly.
"I…the snorkeling trip is over. We're heading back to the marina now."
I'm not even sure what that has to do with his question.
He reaches out and smoothes a few strands of hair behind my ear, watching the way his fingers run down the rest of the wet length.
His eyes meet mine, green as bright as the sea.
"How much longer are you in Key West, Beautiful Bella?"
"Eight more days after today."
There's a beat of silence.
"Then we still have time."
I'm about to ask time for what exactly, when one of his crew members calls his name, then another person calls him; and then Jessica spots him and starts swimming our way.
"Edward! Edward, where were you? Ehhd-ward!"
And with a wink at me, Edward swims away.
A/N: Thoughts?
One more update tomorrow, and then we'll start again on Monday!
And Happy, happy Birthday to my good friend Love Potions Brewer! Have a great day, BB!
See you all tomorrow!
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