Edge of the Water

Belle had a different opinion when they were on land than when they were on the ship. When they set foot on land, all of their duties as employees basically evaporated. Sure, they still were representing the ship in the long run, so they couldn't go skinny dipping or something equally as revealing, but guests, she figured, were no longer off limits. Sadly, that included one Jonathan Toews.

It wasn't that Belle didn't like Jonathan. He was probably a fine gentleman. In fact, she liked Patrick and he had been jokingly crude since her very first class with him, while Jonathan had been nothing but a gentleman. It was just that he made her feel uncomfortable. He didn't hide that he thought she was pretty, and in all of his youthful exuberance, even had the audacity to basically state it outright. But hiking was one thing she was good at. Even in a sundress.

“Hey Zoey! How are you doing, Belle?” Brent Seabrook grinned up from his cellphone once the group joined them.

“I'm good! Thanks, Brent. How are you?” Belle smiled, staying a good distance away from everyone in the group.

“Excellent! You ladies coming with us for this hike? Think you can handle all of that hiking in a tiny dress?” Duncan Keith, the last hockey player in the group spoke up.

“I'm already thinking about complaining,” Zoey groaned. “But Belle will literally be there before all of us. She trains like a beast.” The girl winked at Belle who gave her friend a weird look, then let out a giggle.

“Oh really? Resident hiker all up in our business?” Patrick spoke up, giving Belle a once-over. “I dunno. Yoga may have given you amazing flexibility, but I think my legs could beat yours on a hike. At least Tazer's will.”

Belle turned to Jon. “I think your friend just challenged us to a race,” she said.

Jon chuckled. “Nah, I wouldn't want to...” he trailed off when she raised her brow at him. “You're wearing sandals and a dress!” he insisted.

“What's the matter, Tazer?” Seabrook taunted. “Afraid she might actually beat you?”

“Wha—no!”

“So, what are you afraid of?” Zoey questioned.

“Listen, women can beat men all the time. I just don't think we need anyone racing to our check point and hurting themselves!” he insisted.

“So, you're afraid of hurting yourself?” Belle questioned, twirling her hair around her finger.

“You want to race me?” Jon asked, a skeptical note to his voice. “I thought you didn't want to have anything to do with me?”

“Ohhh!” Keith and Seabrook elbowed each other and then Jon, staring at Belle for her answer.

“On ship, I don't want to have anything to do with you. On land, I'm off the clock and I'm a vacationer just like you. I can race you, Toews. And I can beat you.”

“And what makes you think that?” Jon asked her, finally okay with flirting a little since she seemed to at least not be adverse to it.

“Because, Toews.” She grabbed the map from Patrick Kane's hands. “I have the map.”

***

Ten minutes later, Zoey was complaining. “Why are Belle and Jon so far ahead? She has all that stuff with her and my feet hurt!”

“They're racing, remember?” Patrick chuckled, draping his arm across the girl's shoulders. “They sort of have a competitive soft spot for each other.”

“Belle has a boyfriend,” Zoey clarified for the men in the group walking with them casually.

“Is that why they haven't been sleeping together non-stop? I swear, all of that sexual tension...” Duncan trailed off as both Jon and Belle came jogging back, laughing.

“How you doing, Zo?” Belle asked, catching her breath as they stopped in front of the group.

“I'm hot, and tired. Why are we doing this?” Zoey complained, frowning at her friend.

“'Cause, according to this map, there's a little lagoon at the end! One second, I've got some water in here...” She pulled the bag from her back and Jon helped her pull out two water bottles which the group passed around happily as Belle yanked out sunscreen and squirted it on Zoey's arms before she had a chance to protest.

“Don't forget your face!” She grinned, taking back the water and with that, set back off with Jon hot on her heels.

“Does she even get tired? Ever?” Brent questioned.

“No. She gets sweaty, but never tired,” Zoey supplied, grumbling as she attempted to wipe all of the sunscreen onto her skin. “Doesn't complain worth shit and works out more than anyone else I know. Including all of the coaches at our school.”

“She doesn't look like a body builder...” Duncan pointed out.

“No, she explained it to me once. There's a difference between running every day and sprinting every day. Whatever. She's in shape. I wish she didn't take that water away...”

***

The lagoon was beautiful. Not that Belle had much time to appreciate it. She had enough time to drop her bag on the ground before Jon scooped her up in his arms and was running them towards it. To be fair, she'd made it into the opening before he had. So, in all honesty, she had won. By about two seconds.

“NO! NOT THE WATER!” she screamed. She was still screaming when he plunged them under and she came up sputtering. She wasn't big on water. An internal terror at being drowned tended to consumer her thoughts. But the lagoon, however deep, was cool and refreshing, and she didn't think Jon would drown her. Just in case, she was hanging out near the edge for an easy getaway.

“I can't believe you did that!” She glared at him.

“Hey, I lost. I figured I could be a sore loser,” he said, sticking his tongue out and swimming closer to her. “Why are you holding onto the side? Can't you swim?”

“Yes, I can swim.” She glared at him. “I have an irrational fear of drowning when other people are in the water with me.”

Jon chuckled. “I wouldn't drown you.”

“Not on purpose,” she pouted. “But say you're having a heart attack in the water, then you use me to try and save yourself and end up pushing me under the water and I drown.”

“I promise that if I have a heart attack, I won't seek your help while swimming in a lagoon,” he chuckled, swimming closer to her. “You won't drown with me around.”

He was close to her. Almost close enough to wrap her in his arms, so he watched the blush cover her cheeks at his protective tone.

“Zoey told me you have a boyfriend,” he said, moving closer to her and moving the wet strand of hair that was stuck to her cheek off of her face and behind her ear.

“Yeah,” she said looking down. “I do.”

He used her movement to his advantage, pulling himself closer to her. “It's a damn shame,” he told her, lifting his hand and running his thumb across her cheek and cupping her chin. He moved closer to her, running his thumb over her bottom lip. He wanted to kiss those lips, have her pinned to the wall of the lagoon and let him indulge in their wetness.

Her body was tingling everywhere he touched. Her heart was in overdrive. Her deep breathing was getting faster and faster as his hand explored her face and his body inched closer to hers. She shouldn't be doing this. She knew it was wrong, but his touch was so soft, and it made her body heat up in all the right places.

His face inched closer to hers.

“IS THAT THE CLEARING?!” Zoey's voice broke through the bubble they had been in and Belle pulled away from Jon, quickly getting out of the water.

“Yeah!” she called out. “Over here!”

She couldn't believe it. She had almost kissed Jonathan Toews. She wasn't sure what to think of it, but she was going to blame it on the physical exhaustion. She had no control over her thoughts and actions when she was tired after a good workout.

“Thank GOD!” Zoey burst through. “Can we have that water back?” She laid down on the sand, covered by canopied trees and waited for her dripping wet friend to do her bidding. “Wait, why are you wet?”