Author's Note: Here's the next chapter!
I took off my flip-flops before I stepped out of the cabin and let the heat of the sand warm my feet. The wind ruffled my hair and swept it back dramatically. I stepped out from the shade and my skin burst into sparkles which I instantly dimmed to a mere glow. The blue water crashed against the beach about 20 feet from me. I sighed happily. This is a true paradise.
The wind picked up slightly and threw pieces of sand at me. I heard footsteps behind me and turned just in time to see Emmett charging at me. I smiled, amused, and moved to the side a millisecond before he reached me. He missed me and fell headfirst into the water.
"Emmett, you are such a klutz!" I laughed. His head popped out of the water a second later, his hair dripping with sea water.
I found that I really liked Edward's family. They were all very kind and accepting. Perhaps that was why Edward was so wonderful. Rosalie was a whole other story. She hasn't uttered a word to me and seized every opportunity to throw deadly glares my way.
"How did you move out the way so fast?" Emmett demanded, dragging himself back onto the beach.
"I don't know what you're talking about," I mused.
"Bella!"
I turned to see Alice and the others coming toward us. Behind her were Edward and Alex – who was carrying the jet ski on his right shoulder – walking side by side. I forget about the whole jet ski thing. Everyone was in swimming trunks and ready for a day at the beach. Their skin was almost blinding in the direct sunlight, so I did everyone a favor and repressed the shimmers to a minimum.
Alice was in a sleek black one-piece suit and Rosalie was in a fire-red two-piece. Esme sported a soft peach dress with a white hat, and Carlisle, a blue and white Hawaiian shirt with white shorts. Alex wore black and white swim trunks while Edward wore tan. Neither of them had shirts on and it was very distracting. I tore my eyes away from the two of them and walked over to Alice.
"Sorry, guys. Emmett couldn't wait for you," I joked pointing to their soaking wet brother.
I felt the stares coming from Edward and Alex and tried with great difficulty to ignore it. I had actually tried to cover up by skimpy bikini with a matching blue and green sarong.
Emmett towed Rosalie back to the beach with him and Jasper swung Alice over his shoulder and followed them to the water. Carlisle and Esme went for a walk along the beach leaving me alone with Alex and Edward. I sighed and forced a smile on my face.
"Okay, what do we do first?" I said trying to be enthusiastic.
"I'll take you on a ride on the jet ski," Alex said, the suggestion sounding more like an order.
I was relieved to hear he said ride and not drive. I glanced at Edward; he wasn't looking at me or Alex. He was looking out to sea, but I didn't think he was seeing the water either. What is he thinking now? Someone grabbed my wrist and pulled me forward.
"Let's go, Bella." I kept pace with Alex and he dropped the jet ski into the water. I pulled off my sarong and let it drop to the sand by the shoreline. Alex got on and offered me a hand. I grabbed it and pulled myself up behind him. "Hang on Bella," Alex said, bringing the engine to life. I wrapped my arms around his waist and the ski jerked forward. I swore that I heard a low growl right before we pulled away from shore.
Alex was reckless with the jet ski. He always headed straight for the waves and went at top speed. With the sea water splashing and the bumping of waves, it was difficult to cling to him. Alex took every turn sharply which made me think that he was trying to knock me off. It was thrilling for the first five minutes, but his antics soon began to annoy me.
"Alex, we should go back now!" I screamed. I knew that I could probably have spoken normally and he would have heard me, but I really wanted to get off this thing.
He turned back abruptly and the ski lost its balance. It turned to its side and both of us slid off into the water. The engine cut off when the key attached to Alex's wrist was pulled out. I instinctively held my breath when I fell into the water and kicked my legs to resurface.
I took in a deep breath of air and opened my eyes. My hair was dripping wet now and stuck to my face. What a joy that was. The jet ski was floating a few feet in front of me and I saw Alex's head right behind it. I tucked my hair behind my ears and swam toward the jet ski.
Alex had already pulled himself back onto the seat when I got there and was grinning hugely. He thought that was fun He helped me up and started the engine once more. He had actually seemed to enjoy falling off a jet ski. I clung to his waist while we rode back to shore. The ride back dried my hair and bikini but left the salt clinging to my skin.
Alex drifted to a stop and I jumped into the water preparing to swim back. A hand grabbed my leg and pulled me down into the water. I sucked in a breath just before my head went under. The hand pulled me deeper and then suddenly let go.
I searched my blue surroundings and caught sight of a grinning Edward. I smiled and swam toward him. A game? He didn't swim away from me. He reached out and grabbed my wrist, pulling me to him as soon as I was in reach. I let out the breath of air I was holding in surprise. He held my waist with both of his arms and his eyes bored into mine.
I completely forgot that we were under water and the fact that there was a world outside of here. He leaned closer slowly until his lips met mine lightly and tenderly. I closed my eyes and wrapped my arms around his neck.
The kiss lasted less than a minute before Edward pulled away and flashed me a crooked smile. He swam deeper and away from me, in seconds traveling to the other side of the beach. What was that? I kicked hard and swam back up to the surface. My head popped up from the water and I wiped my face with my hands.
"Bella, are you all right?" Alex asked. I grinned and nodded before flipping over to my back and swimming to shore. I was quite sure of my choice now I realized as I left the water. I grabbed my sarong on the way in. I shook the excess water off myself and strode toward the trees to the cabin. Edward Cullen, you are very clever. He didn't show any signs of jealousy but he still made a move ahead of Alex. Tonight, I will get to know him a little better. I laughed freely and kicked my cabin door open.
Author's Note: What is Bella planning? Only this author knows so review if you want me to share it with you.