Here goes Chapter 2.

Thanks to all those who read the previous one and mean to stick with me. It's not going to be much longer, since it's my first fic...

Characters still not mine but Stephenie Meyer's.

Chapter 2

BELLA'S POV

'Come on, Bella, you can totally do this!' I mentally screamed at myself, hoping that somehow it would help me.

It didn't.

Edward had stopped in front of some sunbeds, lying in the garden, beside the pool.

"So, what do you think?" he asked, gesturing towards the swimming pool and the other guys who were already playing in the water. His voice seemed relaxed, yet somehow huskier than usual.

"Great…" I whispered with a grin. I would have wanted to start talking about my opinions on war and death-penalty, to postpone the wretched moment in which I would have had to strip off my clothes.

"You getting in, then? I promise I won't let you drown…or let Emmet try to do you in with one of his silly jokes." He was smiling his most crooked smile. To think that I was starting to somehow feel calmer…Didn't he notice how hard it was for me not to jump on him right now?

I nodded.

He then proceeded in removing his shirt. Suicidal, Edward…Too much of a good thing!

I let out a gasp "Ah!" and he looked at me, sudden panic in his eyes.

"Bella? Are you ok?"

I lowered my gaze immediately, blushing furiously, trying as hard as I could to avoid watching this sculpture of white marble, which would have had Michelangelo go pale with shame.

"I…yeah…I am ok." I swallowed with difficulty.

I felt his cold hand grab my chin, gently forcing me to raise my gaze. I closed my eyes, afraid to lose my control completely.

"Bella? Love, you are scaring me! - he whispered – What's wrong?"

"I…I am not sure this is a good idea." I stuttered.

He sighed and grabbed my shoulders, his cold touch making me shiver as always.

"You are not feeling well. I'll bring you back home, now!" he said, determinedly, releasing me and reaching out to grab his shirt, exactly when I decided to open my eyes.

"No wait! – I hurried to say. He stopped and faced me again – I am ok, I swear…It's just that…it's just…" I felt blood rushing to my cheeks.

He moved to me again, his hands now resting on each side of my heated face. "What? Tell me, please!" his tone was pleading and tortured. As he spoke, is chest muscles rippled. This was difficult!

"I have never been so embarrassed in my entire life! I know it's ridiculous, but I feel so self-conscious and inadequate. And then you look simply gorgeous and I wonder how on Earth I'll be able to remember how to breathe with you in front of my eyes, let alone swim…" words came out in a flow.

"Oh, Bella…" he laughed, shaking his head.

"I know, I know! I feel so stupid." I did.

He hugged me, pressing his toned body onto mine. My knees did not support me anymore and I felt grateful for his strong grip. "You delicious girl! – he whispered on my ears – I wish I could tell you that this is all unreasonable, that you can't be serious and that this is absurd, but I can't, because I am feeling exactly the same way. I have contemplated murdering Alice for what she is doing to us. I am also very much afraid that I won't be able to keep my hands in check."

"I am sure I won't be able to, Edward! I find it hard already when you have your clothes on, let alone when you are gloriously half-naked." He chuckled at my stuttered words and then released me, leaving me some space.

He was smiling sweetly, his eyes darker than his usual colour, but tender.

"We'll have to get used to this somehow – he considered – let's prove each other's strength, shall we? We don't want to spoil everyone's sport, right?" he gestured with his head towards Alice, Jasper and Emmet.

He sat on one of the sunbed, never releasing my eyes, unbuttoned his jeans and took them off with his flip-flops.

His skin sparkled like the sun itself and seemed to send out a sweet, honey scent. I stopped breathing altogether, afraid that I might swoon, which would have been even more frustrating than drowning.

As he stood up, my face fell and he studied my expression most curiously.

"So bad?" he asked me, placing strong hands onto my shoulders.

"Even worse than I thought!" I whispered. He answered with a chuckle, his eyes still in mine.

His hands suddenly moved down my arms, to rest on my waist, where they grabbed my faded t-shirt and pulled it up my shoulders and head.

I lowered my gaze once again, afraid to see disappointment on his face, but he forced me to look at him again. He was smiling, adoringly.

"You are beautiful…beyond all I could ever imagine." His hands were now brushing the hollow of my back, sending shivers all over my body.

I somehow found the strength to unbutton my own shorts and remove them.

"Are you coming in, then?" somebody called to us. Probably Emmet, but I could not be sure: my mind was completely stoned.

Then it all happened in a blink: a naughty expression appeared on Edward's face and I felt him lifting me effortlessly in his arms. I barely had time to register the feeling which this skin to skin contact gave me, when he launched himself towards the swimming-pool, jumping in and dragging me under with him, splashing water everywhere.

"Very smooth, Edward!" Jasper's voice shouted out as we emerged.

"Yeah, sometimes I wonder if he's still a vampire at all!" Emmet added, teasing his brother and shaking his head.

"I knew it! – Alice said quickly swimming towards us – this bikini is made to fit you, Bella! Don't you think so, Edward?"

I saw a flicker of that killing stare which had once upset me during a biology lesson some time before. I was thankful it was not directed to Alice and not to me this time.

Alice swam away giggling wildly.

EDWARD'S POV

'Ok, just keep walking, Edward. Be sensible and walk.' It seemed like I had to remind myself to just put a foot in front of the other, instead of stopping, turn to face Bella and hold her tight until I felt it bearable to let go. As if letting her go in any way could ever be bearable to me…

I felt Bella's heart start beating at a quicker pace and I suddenly realised that I was supposed to be the one to make it better and easier. She had already done her part and accepted a lot. Like the fact that I was a vampire, that I could read minds, that I did not sleep…oh, yes, and that I risked to break her with every move, or worse, to kill her.

No. I would never do that. 'I will never do that! Because I love her…Get a grip, Edward. You can do this!'

For the very first time in my long life I risked smashing onto something: the sunbeds Alice bought for the occasion.

"So what do you think?" I asked casually, trying very hard not to ask "So what about moving back inside and forgetting the world is turning?" instead.

"Great…" she answered. I got completely distracted by a black-gingery lock of her hair caressing her cheek.

'Dam it, Edward!' I muttered, so that she could not even perceive my lips movements.

I heard Jasper's thoughts calling me out: 'Edward…Edward, please. Try to calm down a bit…You are sending out sparks!'

Easy for him to say! He could let himself go anytime he felt like it, sure that Alice would never ever dream about saying no. And I was the one who reluctantly HAD to say no here.

Still, I felt Jasper's calming effect act on me immediately.

"You getting in, then? I promise I won't let you drown…or let Emmet try to do you in with one of his silly jokes." Let him try, I hoped! At least I will have something to distract me with…And trying to physically hurt Emmet required a certain amount of focus.

Bella nodded.

'Edward – Alice's amused voice came into my mind – if you don't want to stand there for the next century, it's better if you take the initiative. Do something!'

I so will make her pay for this, if it's the last thing I do!

Ok. My shirt, then. I removed it quite slowly, no need to rush. I would have stripped off my jeans as well, had I not heard Bella's heart flutter and her strangled "Ah!".

What if she had forgotten to put on the upper piece of her bikini?

'Edward! Stop it!' I blurted out, silently. Being in my own mind was starting to get uncomfortable!

No panic. "Bella? Are you alright?" I asked, genuinely worried.

She did not answer, but I could clearly see her blushing. Oh dear me. Blushing should be made illegal.

"I…yeah…I am ok." Sure, Bella. I can't read your mad head, but I am not silly.

I grabbed her chin and forced her to look at me, but I found her eyes closed and felt her breathing break down a little. My little, scared, sexy kitten.

"Bella? Love, you are scaring me! What's wrong?"

"I…I am not sure this is a good idea." She managed to whisper.

That makes two of us, actually.

What the hell was I thinking? Swimming afternoon…Next time a museum visit and a quiet, lovely, safe conference on deforestation!

"You are not feeling well. I'll bring you back home, now!" If I can…

"No wait! I am ok, I swear…It's just that…it's just…" There goes my determination to do the right thing...

"What? Tell me, please!"

Her answer did not surprise me at all, but it was still painful to see her in such a state. In the same state I was in. I supposed swimming was going to be quite difficult for me too.

"Oh, Bella…" my little, scared, loving, sexy kitten!

I could not physically restraint myself form hugging her, embarrassment or not.

"You delicious girl! I wish I could tell you that this is all unreasonable, that you can't be serious and that this is absurd, but I can't because I am feeling exactly the same way. I have contemplated murdering Alice for what she is doing to us. I am also very much afraid that I won't be able to keep my hands in check."

"I am sure I won't be able to, Edward! I find it hard already when you have your clothes on, let alone when you are gloriously half-naked." I had to smile at this and thanked whatever it was that was looking after me that Bella had not seen Emmet's half-naked body. That would have been scary…

"We'll have to get used to this somehow…let's prove each other's strength, shall we? We don't want to spoil everyone's sport, right?" I couldn't care less about my siblings' sport, but I had to try and bring this little tragedy into perspective.

I sat on the sunbed and stripped off the rest of my clothes and then I stood up, feeling Jasper's good vibrations envelop me again. I made a mental note to thank him later.

Still, it seemed like Bella could not feel any benefit.

"So bad?" I teased.

"Even worse than I thought!"

My hands roamed on her waist, where, without me commanding it, they grabbed and removed the offending faded t-shirt, only to discover her smooth, pale, warm and fragrant skin.

"You are beautiful…beyond all I could ever imagine." And I meant it. She was simply the most stunning sight I had ever enjoyed. Nothing could even get close.

I barely noticed when she removed her shorts: my eyes were trying very hard to tell her how much I loved her and how much it meant for me that she had accepted me in her life so eagerly.

"Are you coming in, then?" somebody called to us. Probably Emmet, but I could not be sure: my mind was completely stoned.

'No, Edward… - Alice's voice entered my thoughts – don't you dare. Oh, you are such a child!'

But it was to late for her warning...my mind was set.

I grabbed Bella, as delicately as I could, ignoring the strange pangs in my stomach at the touch of her warm skin on my own and jumped in the pool, hoping very much that it would help extinguishing the fire in my body.

The water did help me a bit, as did my siblings' thought.

'Great, kid!' was Emmet's reaction to my silly stunt.

'He's loosing it!' was Jasper's enjoyed mental flow. "Very smooth, Edward!" he added loud enough for vampire and human ears to catch.

"Yeah, sometimes I wonder if he's still one of us at all!" Emmet added. Sometimes I wished so bad I weren't.

Alice's approach caught me slightly off guard.

"I knew it! – she teased…the little devil! – This bikini is made to fit you, Bella. Don't you think so, Edward?"

I shoot her a very nasty look, since I was trying very hard not to think about the wretched bikini at all…