Falling for Royalty

Chapter 12

Bella

The gentle rocking of the boat continued as I sat comfortably between Edward's legs with his arms wrapped securely around my waist. He trailed his lips from my collarbone all the way up to my neck as I distracted myself by toying with his long, slender fingers.

"Bella?" he called lightly, his voice sounding slightly husky from the lack of use.

"Hmm?" I answered, preoccupied with twiddling with his fingers, before coming to, and turning around to provide him with my full attention.

"Would you like to go for a swim?" he asked, his eyes slightly nervous as he motioned to the blue-green sea around us with his head, since I was currently holding his hands captive.

I pondered the idea for a bit, actually entirely interested in diving into the open waters. But then my eyebrows rose, realizing something with a laugh, "Wearing this?" I looked down at my summer dress and then over at his shirt.

Edward chuckled, seeing my point, "I should've clarified, sorry," he shook his head, "No, actually, Alice took care of that problem."

Oh, of course she did. She was Alice. She was gifted with the ability to know whether or not we would want to swim before we even knew it ourselves. I mentally rolled my eyes at the girl I had quickly come to think of as a bubbly older sister of mine.

On the outside, I grinned, "Well then, I don't see why not." I gave Edward's hands one last squeeze, before standing up – apparently, more swiftly than I probably should have. My legs felt like jelly having being seated for so long, and Edward, noticing that I was having trouble with my balance, easily steadied me by my shoulders with a chuckle. I instinctively smiled at the sound.

Honestly, I could have been having the worst possible day of my life, but the sound of his laugh could turn that all around in an instant.

He released me after I gave him a nod that I was fine, before tugging on my hand and leading me to the small bathroom located on the left side the yacht. Sure enough, there were two shopping bags lying on the counter – one with a two-piece, and another containing a pair of black swim trunks. Edward picked up his bag, heading to the bedroom to change, and leaving me to my devices.

As the door closed shut behind me, my eyes peered curiously into the bag, hoping and praying that the outfit my dear friend had chosen wasn't too revealing.

I breathed a sigh of relief as my hands grasped a neon blue halter-style top piece, which was padded, and covered everything that I wanted it to cover.

The bottom piece was plain black, and thankfully, only slightly cheeky, keeping the majority of my behind clothed.

Overall, I was extremely pleased with the choice of swimsuit, and I knew I'd have to remember to thank Alice once we got back. Her intuition came in handy at times.

Once finished getting everything tied up and fitted correctly, I scanned my reflection in the mirror, taking a deep breath before letting it out. My nerves were beginning to kick in, having yet to show this much skin to Edward.

As my eyes travelled down, I took note of the few minor scars I'd accumulated over the years, still fading, localized to the arm region. Having undergone a rigid training regimen to prepare myself for fights, my body was pretty toned, especially leg and arm-wise. My core was strong as well, though not strong enough to have a six-pack.