Chapter Thirteen

After the freak out over of Peter, Bella had been a little quiet, but she loved what her friends were trying to do by not letting her dwell on it. What she didn't expect, was how they didn't treat her like the others from her school or tiny town. The guys and Angela tried to pull her into conversations and activities, not allowing her to spend too much time in her head.

She appreciated them for it all, but she hadn't had a chance to talk privately with Edward since she told him about Peter. She wasn't sure what kept him at arm's length, and she hated it. Was he doing it for her benefit or his? She wanted to roll her eyes at herself.

It was shady where she set up her towel on the beach, hoping to take a little nap. After spending the day before surrounded by friends and good conversation, she had hoped for a better night's rest than she had in the past few nights. She barely caught a couple of hours, and it'd been restless.

"Hey," Edward said, shaking off some water along with Riker. His dog came by long enough to say hi to Bella and lick her arm before going back to play with the tide. Edward sat beside her as several of their friends set up a volleyball net. "You okay? You've been so quiet."

So have you, she wanted to say, but settled on a tiny shrug. He looked worried, but she couldn't think of what to say to make him feel better about her.

He pulled his knees up, his khaki board shorts wet from the water, his shirt long forgotten somewhere. His eyes were especially green that afternoon after their golf excursion, but the bags beneath them worried her. His hand rose from the sand stretched toward her, but hesitated just out of reach. "I really miss you."

Tears formed in her eyes as she mimicked his position, wrapping her arms around her legs and settling her cheek on her knees to look at him. "I miss you, too." Taking the first step that he seemed to need from her, she slipped her hand into his. "I don't know what's going to happen, Edward. But maybe we can go back to the way it was before we fought."

"There's no going back, and I wouldn't want that." As if he saw the hurt that she felt fill her eyes, he was quick to clarify. "You didn't talk to me freely, Bella. You were so careful about everything you said, and yeah, so was I. But if I didn't find something to talk about, you'd say nothing until I found another topic. Now that I know what happened, what held you back, I'm hoping you'll be willing to talk to me. I want to know everything."

She offered him a soft smile and hooked her pinky around his. "I want to know everything about you, too." His answering grin was infectious and they laughed together. After kicking ass in golf, she changed into a new blue bikini that made her sun kissed skin glow.

They talked for a little while, though nothing important that they wanted to save for later, when they were truly alone. Their friends were all over the beach, some playing a game of volleyball, the others tossing a football around. It wasn't long before Bella used her free hand to cover her mouth as she yawned.

"You're exhausted," he said, moving a little closer and slipping a few curls behind her ear. She touched the dark circles beneath his eyes. "And so am I." He gestured toward her blanket, lowering back and taking her with him. She sighed as she settled her head on his chest. Lying beside Edward, with the sound of the ocean and her friends nearby, it didn't take her long to fall asleep.

.

.

.

Something kept tickling Edward's cheek, so he swept it away, thinking it was Bella's hair. It kept coming back, and that time he slapped it away. Someone snorted and poked his forehead, so he turned a little to avoid it. Maybe he'd been dreaming of falling asleep with Bella on the beach. If he had been, he wanted to go back to sleep.

That time, something prodded his back, causing him to arch away. "Fuck you, assholes. Let me sleep." The guys laughed but he heard the distinct sound of Bella moaning, and felt her thigh slide along his. He cracked an eye open, ready to tell them all off for waking her.

"Looks like you all need a cold shower," James said, fist bumping Alec and holding up a cooler.

Edward's eyes nearly bugged out of his head as he realized what they were about to do. He rolled and pulled Bella beneath him, and cried out when ice-cold water hit his back. Bella looked shocked under him, staring at him with wide brown eyes. Soon she started to shake and he wondered how much cold water she'd gotten blasted with, until he realized she was giggling.

He glared at her, kissed her lips quickly, running after James and tackling him into the softer sand. "What the fuck, asshole!"

James laughed and managed to get away. "I was saving you from embarrassing yourself. You were ready to set up camp." Alec and the guys were laughing so hard, some landing on their knees and pointing fingers. "I was afraid you'd hurt Bella with that thing."

Edward groaned, sprawled in the sand, arm draped over his eyes. Quicksand would have come in handy at that moment. He looked to where he left Bella sitting up on her towel; appeared thoroughly amused, though trying not to show it. Then she winked at him.

Why is she winking?

"Aw, it sounds like someone is jealous because all he has is a pup tent while Edward's up and ready in sixty seconds."

The guys went silent for a few seconds, and then started cracking up with tears in their eyes. Angela tried hard not to snort and laugh, but failed. James faked being shot in the balls, his eyes rolling back as he fell back beside Edward.

James looked at him and shrugged. "I had to do it, trust me. You two were practically putting on a show, I was afraid someone was going to pull out their phone and record it. That must have been one hell of a dream you two seemed to be sharing."

Edward groaned again and shook his head. "I'm never going to live this down, am I?"

"Not for at least ten years, but at least she didn't put you in your place." James chuckled, jumping to his feet and offering him a hand up. "That girl has more fire in her than the fucking sun. She's a keeper."

"Thought I'd never hear something like that from you," Edward said, dusting off some of the sand. "I thought you hated the idea of monogamy."

"For me, yeah, sure, but that's never been you. Now, let's cool off with a game before we head inside for dinner." James ran over to the current game of volleyball with the others.

Bella walked over, helping him with the sand all over his chest. It didn't help much. "It looks like someone needs another dip in the ocean."

He waggled his eyebrows. "You care to join me?"

"Lead the way, Cap."

Fuck me, he thought; he loved that she called him that. "Trust me?" he asked, waiting for her answer.

Confusion furrowed her brow, but she nodded. "Wh—" She screamed as he tossed over his shoulder, kissed her thigh, and ran toward the water. "Oh my God, Edward! Don't you dare!"

He dared.

The water was fucking cold after lying out on the sand for the last hour. He almost backed out from tossing Bella in the water, but she smacked his ass. Shocked and oddly turned on, he told her to hold her breath and dove into the water. He felt around and his fingers threaded around hers before they bobbed to the surface. She wiped away water, sputtering and shaking her head.

"I changed my mind," Bella said, pouting and placing her hands on his chest. He slid his thumb along that beautiful bottom lip, his other hand on her hip as they treaded water. "You don't fight fair when you look at me like that."

He smiled at her, making her playfully huff. "I never said I did."

Her hands slid down his sides, pulling him just a little closer. Soft fingers danced up his arms, to curl into his hair and then pushed his head down, dunking him beneath the water. By the time he surfaced, she was already running onto the beach. The second she saw him coming after her, she screamed and tried to zigzag in a poor attempt of escaping. It wasn't long before they tumbled onto her towel, both wet and unable to stop smiling.

"Should I get the other cooler?" Ben asked from somewhere nearby. Edward couldn't care less; not when Bella's lips were on his, her arms wrapped tight around him. The rest of the world fell away. Nothing mattered but the feel and taste of her mouth, the warmth she seemed to radiate, even after having been in the water. She really was fire in his arms, beneath his touch, and he wanted more.

That was until Riker licked their faces.