Fighting Temptation

Chapter 5: Poolside Bets

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of Stephenie Meyer. The original characters and plot are the property of me, Dobber17. I am in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

This chapter has been edited by casualcruelty, kitchmill, and CherryBerry12.

Bella Swan

"Edward!"

My eyes snapped open, and both Edward and I turned toward the sound, our lips grazing in the softest of touches. My lips tingled and my body demanded more. I inhaled a stuttering breath, blushing when I realized how we were pressed against one another.

"Edward! Uncle Edward!" An adorable blur of blond hair and blue eyes rushed over to where Edward and I stood in the pool. Though I was terrible at guessing ages, he looked around three or four years old. I snuck a glance at Edward and saw the excitement and happiness on his face, but there was no way to hide the twinge of sadness in his eyes.

"Hey, Lucas. You've grown since the last time I saw you, buddy. Where's your mom and dad?"

Edward asked, his hand still on my hip under the water.

"Daddy's over there." Lucas pointed behind him where Emmett was standing. It seemed Edward and Emmett were a lot closer than I originally thought. "He told me not to come over because he said you wouldn't forgive him, but Mommy said not to listen to Daddy unless he told me the same thing she would, like holding hands while crossing the street," Lucas said, a proud smile on his face.

Both Edward and I looked at Emmett who was holding his hands up, showing he was innocent. Emmett must have seen us about to kiss and tried to stop Lucas from interrupting. A million thoughts raced through my mind, but I didn't voice any, scared of what new words I might accidentally teach Lucas. It could have been a lot worse—I would gladly take Lucas and Emmett finding us over Coach Clapp.

Lucas turned to look at me for the first time. His eyes widened and he gasped. He looked between Edward and me a few times. "Uncle Edward, she's so pretty," he whispered loud enough for me to hear.

"Yes, she is," Edward replied. I felt him softly kiss the top of my head, and the butterflies in my stomach went wild.

"Daddy! Isn't she pretty?" Lucas' powerful little lungs yelled across the empty pool deck.

Despite Emmett's attempts to keep himself out of the situation, he didn't hesitate. He pumped both of his fists in the air. "Hell, yeah!"

Lucas gasped. I wanted to hide under the water in mortification.

"Daddy! You hafta…haf…have to pay the bad words jar. That one's two dollars." He held up three fingers.

Edward's hand slowly moved from my hip, reaching out of the water to put down Lucas' extra finger. "This is two, buddy."

Lucas giggled. "Right!"

"Why don't you tell Bella you think she's pretty?" Edward told Lucas in a whisper I was meant to hear.

Lucas looked back at me and smiled shyly, shuffling his tiny feet. "You're very pretty."

"Thank you, Lucas," I replied timidly, still embarrassed by the whole situation.

"Can I call her Pretty Bella?" Lucas asked Edward without taking his eyes off me.

I could feel more than hear Edward chuckling behind me. "You have to ask her that."

"Can I call you Pretty Bella?" he asked, his blue eyes so wide it was impossible to say no. I nodded my head, and Lucas smiled brightly. "Yay! Thank you, Pretty Bella."

"Luke-man, we have to get home before Mom starts to worry. Say bye to Uncle Eddie and Bella so they can get back to their… fun," Emmett said as he moved closer to us. I

glanced over at him, and he gave me an exaggerated wink.

"Bye, Uncle Edward! Bye, Pretty Bella! Will I see you again soon?" Lucas asked, suddenly his excitement nearly palpable.

"Yes, Luke."

He turned his attention to me. "Pinkie swear?" He held out his pinkie finger.

"Pinkie swear." I wrapped my finger around his.

He gave us one last toothy smile before he walked over to Emmett, meeting him halfway. Emmett scooped his son in his arms and they both waved goodbye as they disappeared from our view.

"He's so cute," I gushed. "He doesn't really look like Emmett though."

Edward chuckled and ran his hand through his hair. "True. He has his mother's looks and Emmett's personality."

"How old is Lucas?" Emmett looked to be in his early to mid-twenties, meaning he would have become a father when he was fairly young.

"Lucas is almost four. Emmett is twenty-six. Rose, his wife, is twenty-five.

I nodded. Emmett was a little older than I thought, but not by much.

The air felt heavy as Edward and I stood in silence. My mind kept wandering back to our almost kiss. It was almost too surreal to imagine. Edward initiated it, which had to mean something— unless he was just caught up in the moment and didn't realize what he was doing. A feeling of dread trickled up my spine when I realized that was probably it. My stomach rolled as my earlier insecurities came crashing back at full force.

Edward got a familiar look on his face, the one that appeared when he was trying to figure out what I was thinking. His face started to fall and his sculpted lips turned down at the corners.

"Let's swim. I haven't been swimming in ages," I told him as I swam toward the deep end, needing some distance to shield my face and clear my head.

He smiled, all traces of his previous sadness gone as he gracefully swam over to me. He reached me in three long, effortless strokes and grabbed me around the waist before I got too far. "I know. I remember you telling me a few weeks ago that you missed going swimming, so that's why I asked you earlier if you wanted to."

"Edward…I…" I was speechless. He was so amazingly sweet and I had the overwhelming urge to kiss him. Before common sense came crashing back, I turned in the water so we were face to face once again. He wrapped his arm around my waist and I placed a hand on his strong stomach, my eyes following its movements as I slowly trailed it up his chest before holding onto his shoulder. My eyes flickered to his face. His lips were slightly parted, and his eyes slowly moved from mine down to my lips.

"Bella!"

Edward and I both jumped at the sound, pulling away sharply as we saw Mike and Tyler entering the door to the pool. Mike shot Edward a death glare just before attempting to check me out through the water.

Oh, joy.

Tyler and Mike opted to do cannonballs in the deep end before swimming over to where Edward and I stood near the edge of the pool. We floated in an uncomfortable silence for a minute before Tyler broke it. "Do you guys want to go in the outdoor pool?"

We quickly agreed and swam under the wall that separated the indoor and outdoor pools. Though I didn't detect a change in the water temperature, it certainly felt cooler outside with the winter breeze swirling around our exposed upper bodies and a thin layer of snow around the outside of the pool.

Mike swam so he could wedge himself between Edward and me as we stood in the water. He crossed his arms over his chest, doing his best to flex them. I was convinced he was doing it to impress me, but I was surprised when he turned to face Edward.

"Cullen, I bet I can hold my breath underwater longer than you."

I snorted. I was wrong. Mike wasn't directly trying to impress me—he was being a testosterone-fuelled guy wanting to compete.

"Good to know, Newton," Edward told Mike in a monotone voice though he looked around Mike to shoot me a wink.

"You afraid to find out?"

It was all I could do to hold back my laughter. Though I didn't have any past experiences to compare this to, my gut told me Edward would win.

Edward rolled his eyes and moved so he was squatting in the pool, the water hitting him just above his shoulders. Mike took that as his cue and mirrored Edward's position. Edward looked to me and nodded. Apparently I was going to be the referee.

"When I say go, you have to go under right away. No waiting until the other person goes down first, okay?" Once Edward and Mike nodded, I counted them down from five. As soon as I said go, they disappeared under the water.

"Who do you think will win?" I asked Tyler as we watched the two still figures underwater.

"Honestly, I think Edward will. Mike is trying so hard to impress you that he's turning into all talk. When he loses, he'll keep making stupid bets with Edward to prove to you he's better than Edward at something." Tyler rolled his eyes.

I was surprised at Tyler's honesty. I looked at Edward's blurred shape. Knowing Edward and his track record of being competitive, I knew we were in for a long night.

We could see a bunch of bubbles coming from where Mike was. He was close to losing. It didn't take long before Mike emerged, gasping for air. I trudged over to where Edward was and tapped his head, signalling him to come up. He emerged with a smile on his face.

"Congrats," I told him in a whisper, surprised I was able to say even that much. Wet Edward was definitely a satisfying sight. Water seemed to be the only thing that managed to tame his unruly hair, but one run of his hand through it made it defy gravity once again.

"Do I get a prize?" Edward joked.

"Absolutely. You get the prize of having Mike make more bets until he finally wins one."

To my surprise, he laughed. "I sort of figured that would be the case."

"Ready for more bets?" I asked in a fake, enthusiastic voice. He rolled his eyes and grabbed my hand in his, tugging me to where Mike and Tyler were standing.

~!~FT~!~

Tyler hopped aboard the testosterone train after a few rounds. The bets started off being competitions, like who could swim the fastest, but they were becoming more and more ridiculous, like who had the longest armpit hair—Tyler, and it was disgusting—or who had the nicest fingernails—Edward, by a landslide.

I was getting tired, hungry, and pruned while the guys continued with their bets. Being the referee was only fun and amusing up to a certain point… and that point was long gone. I noticed Edward was starting to get bored and annoyed with Mike with each new bet, and Tyler was struggling to contain his yawns despite his afternoon nap. Mike was the only one still pushing the bets, but Tyler and Edward weren't saying anything.

I decided to step up and put an end to everyone's misery. "Okay, guys, final one. I'm getting hungry."

Tyler, Edward, and I looked at Mike, waiting for what the final bet would be. Mike looked deep in thought for a while before he finally turned to face me. "Bella, I bet I can stand in the snow longer than you can. The only rule is you aren't allowed to touch the pool. Like you can't dip your feet in the pool to warm them up."

"Okay," I agreed. I knew I was taking one for the team, but I was also secretly excited I was able to participate for once, and not just as the referee. Ignoring the fact I was clad in only a bikini, I tried not to feel self-conscious as I hopped out of the pool with Mike. Tyler counted us down, officially starting the bet.

We hadn't even been standing in the snow for a minute when Mike spoke. "Want to make this interesting and actually bet something? Take this up a notch from bragging rights?"

Not sure what made me feel so confident, I nodded. "Sure."

Mike barely paused. "If I win, you have to go on at least three dates with me."

I felt my heart sink a little in my chest. My eyes roamed to Edward on their own accord. I wanted three dates with him, not Mike. Edward caught me staring, raising his eyebrows with a sexy smirk. If anything made me more determined to win, it was that right there.

"Bella …" Mike's voice cooed, bringing me back to the moment at hand.

I struggled to think of something to bet if he lost. I blurted out the first idea I could think of. "If I win, you have to shave your legs … and armpits."

"Deal." Mike held out his hand and we shook on it.

It didn't take long for my confidence to crumble. Within the thirty seconds my toes were so numb it was starting to become painful, and my feet felt like two gigantic ice blocks. All it took was one glance at my pink-tinged feet before my body started shaking.

Edward picked up on it right away. Ever since I got out of the pool, he had been alternating between keeping a close eye on me and glaring at Mike. "Are you okay? Where are you the coldest?" Edward asked, his velvet voice thick with concern.

"My feet are numb, but I'm okay," I assured him as a violent shiver wracked my body. Good Lord, it was cold when the wind picked up. The water was deceiving, making it seem like the outside temperature really wasn't so bad. I was dumb to agree to the bet, but it was too late now. I really, really didn't want to go on a date with Mike, let alone three dates.

"Bella, just get back in the water, okay? This was a stupid idea Mike had," Tyler called from the water. Although we had our odd and uncomfortable moments after he almost hit me with his car, Tyler really was an all around good guy.

"No, no. I'm good." I was stubborn—something both Edward and my father liked to point out to me.

Tyler shook his head and turned his attention from me to Mike. "Jeez, just call off the bet, Mike. Look at her. She doesn't have insulation like you."

"Nah, man. A bet's a bet," Mike replied. "She's more than welcome to jump in if she's too cold." I caught Tyler's scowl as he looked at his friend.

It only took another minute or so before it looked liked Edward was going to drag me back into the pool, whether I liked it or not. I was beginning to sniffle, but it was nothing to be concerned about.

"Bella! You're going to get sick!" Edward exclaimed after I refused to get back in the pool.

"No, I won't."

He shot me a disbelieving look.

"I have a kick-ass immune system," I elaborated, doing my best to hold back another sniffle. It didn't work, and I snorted back snot in the most unladylike way.

He rolled his eyes and smiled, though it didn't reach his eyes. "You're one of a kind," he murmured.

I tried to smile, but everything felt sore. Even if I wanted to get back in the pool, I wasn't sure my muscles would listen. Mike didn't look like he was faring any better. He had his arms crossed over his chest, his hands tucked in his armpits for warmth while he hopped from foot to foot to keep his blood flowing.

"Loophole!" Mike exclaimed. "Tyler, throw water at me so I can warm up. I only said that Bella and I aren't allowed to touch the water, but nothing is stopping you from doing it for me."

"Are you kidding me?" Tyler said soft enough so Mike couldn't hear him.

"Do it," Edward muttered to Tyler before turning to face me. He had a glint in his eyes as he bit down on his lip.

"What?" I asked. My teeth chattered loudly as another shiver made its way through my body.

He released his lip and he smiled as he spoke. "You're going to win."

"How?"

"The water will only serve as instant gratification; it will actually make him colder when the wind comes." Though Edward was making an effort to keep his voice down, he didn't need to. Mike was doing some sort of dance on the snow covered pavement to distract himself from the bitter pain of the cold.

It was over in seconds. A nice gust of wind came, causing Mike to squeal and jump in the pool before he could stop himself. When he resurfaced, he looked confused before realizing what happened. A string of profanities left his mouth, and I couldn't help but chuckle.

"Be thankful. I could have said you had to get a bikini wax, so be happy you just have a little bit of shaving to look forward to." I laughed at the horrified expression on Mike's face.

"All right, champ. Into the pool and out of the cold, please," Edward said as he wrapped his warm hands around my toes.

A small gasp escaped my lips at the temperature shock. My toes felt like they were burning as Edward's hands slowly thawed them. Climbing back into the pool didn't help matters as the slightly painful burning feeling spread throughout my body. At my wince of pain, Edward wrapped me in his arms. I pressed my hands to the small of his back, basking in his body heat. Edward jumped at the contact, and it took all I had not to laugh.

"Jeez, Bella. You're freezing," Edward stated. He moved one strong hand from around me and started rubbing my arms and back with firm, long strokes.

"Sorry," I mumbled, yet made no effort to move. It felt too nice in Edward's arms to move just yet.

I looked over to see Mike and Tyler heading back toward the indoor pool. Tyler was pushing a reluctant Mike forward, muttering something about "let them be."

"No need to apologize," Edward said, giving my shoulders a squeeze as he slowly moved his arms from around me. "Let's get you warmed up."

He pulled me behind him as we made our way back inside. Mike and Tyler were already out of the pool and drying off.

"I know you said you were getting hungry. Did we want to hit up the twenty-four-hour diner attached to the hotel before Mikey here loses some hair?" Tyler asked.

We all agreed—Mike reluctantly so after he realized there would be no way to avoid his punishment. There were some fast-food chains not far from the hotel, but none of us felt like going back to the room to change and layer up first. I was also done braving the outdoors for one evening.

Edward casually grabbed my hand as we wove through the halls, trailing a few steps behind Mike and Tyler as they followed the signs to the diner. In one day, Edward was being more affectionate than I ever remembered him being. He brought the hand he was holding to his mouth and slowly kissed each of my knuckles. It felt like a promise, and my breath caught in my throat as my body heated up.

He smiled his adorable lopsided smile at me. "Breathe, Bella," he whispered. I took in a ragged breath and continued walking as he tugged me forward.

There was no denying it. There had to be something between Edward and me, something we both felt. I wasn't sure what it was, but I could feel it bubbling under the surface, and it was only a matter of time before it burst.

A/N: Progress is progress ... even if it's a slow burn. Drop a review and let me know what you think!