AN: Posting this today because my hubby is dragging me to Houston tomorrow to buy a car. Which means I have to drive home from Houston by myself. I hate driving...

This first scene (Jasper's POV) came about as a result of a Twitter challenge between myself, HappyGhost, GeezerWench, and jlove34. They will all be posting a pool/water sexytime scene as well, so check 'em out! HappyGhost's is called "Late Night Swim," and GeezerWench has hers as part of a short story like mine called "Prelude to a Sunset."

To my girls- here ya go, hope I did ya proud! Love y'all!

Jasper POV
I can't help but stare as she turns to face me. She rises up out of the water just far enough that the swell of her breast is exposed to the cool night air. The moonlight reflects off her pale skin, almost as strongly as it does my own, and I am lost.

Her face heats with a crimson blush, and the twin flames of her desire and embarrassment wash over me, heating my cold heart from deep within. I have no choice; I have to touch her.

She gasps when I move out of the shadows and into the moonlight. My skin doesn't sparkle as it does in the sun, but the light luminescence is still difficult to ignore, and it sets off my scars in stark relief. Of course, her desire increases instead of dropping; my sweet belle never stops amazin' me.

Despite our recent activities up in the room, she is still so self-conscious standin' bare before me. I know the water gives her some illusion of modesty, but she doesn't realize I can see her beautiful body as if I was lookin' through a sheet of clear glass.

I reach below the surface to take her hand in mine, pulling it free from where she has it tightly clenched around her tiny waist. She gasps in surprise at the feel of my skin- the heated pool water has warmed me so my touch is more comfortable to her.

Her eyes widen as I slide ever closer, moving through the pool without a ripple. Vampires are deadly in the water- much like sharks. Biting, however, is low on my priorities tonight. I need some more of her sweet brand of lovin'.

I know just what she likes now, and I press my body close to hers, groaning aloud at the feel of her, soft and warm against me. Her eyes roll back a bit and she melts into my embrace. "Oh, Jasper..."

She tries to pull back when I press my hard cock against the soft skin of her belly, but I just chuckle and hold her in place. "But, Jasper! What if somebody comes out?" she asks, her emotions a confusing swirl of lust battling with worry and insecurity.

"Don't worry, darlin'. I paid the hotel to close the pool. You don't think I'd let my mate go skinny dippin' where somebody else might get a chance to see?" I whisper my words against the shell of her ear, then dip my nose down to trace that delicious vein in her slender neck.

Her scent overwhelms me and I can't stop myself from running my tongue across her skin, tasting, before I suck lightly, pulling her tender flesh between my lips. I almost drown in the sudden spike of her arousal, and I grind against her as gently as I can, not wantin' to hurt her with a lack of control.

I kiss my way to her mouth, drawn like a magnet to those sugar-sweet lips. She tastes of Bella, with a hint of champagne and strawberries that only adds to her delicious flavor. The moan she gives me when I stroke my tongue against hers is all the reward I need.

Still charmingly shy, hesitant, she reaches down wrap her hand around me just where I want her the most. Her confidence soars when I growl and groan her name, and she tightens her grip, causin' my eyes to roll back in my head.

I'm ready to plunge right into her, but I know I need to take care of my little belle first. She whines when I pull away, and I give her a wink before I duck under the water. I'm gonna show my girl the benefits of bein' with a vampire that can hold his breath for as long as I need to.

Those soft hands of hers hit my shoulders when my tongue makes its first swipe, and I'm a bit disgruntled to find that the chlorine in the pool carries away a bit too much of her delicious flavor. I could lift her up out of the water, but I won't push her modesty too much just yet. Plenty of time for that later.

My lips caress her softest skin, sucking on that little bundle of nerves for a few seconds before my tongue takes its place there. I slide a finger inside her carefully; I know she is still a bit sore from our last encounter. She might get more pleasure from two fingers, but I can still be gentle and bring her to the brink with just one.

I look up through the water to see her head thrown back against the edge of the pool, those pert little breasts heaving as her heart races with the pleasure I'm givin' her. I speed the movements of my tongue, growlin' softly when she tries to dig her nails into my stone flesh. My finger inside her curls up, seeking, and with just a little pressure against that soft, spongy skin, she is gone.

Her lust has risen higher than she's ever felt before, and I groan as the bliss courses through us both, and her walls clench my finger impossibly tighter. I need to be inside her. I need to feel her grasp me from within.

She is still ridin' her high when I stand and lift her just enough to slide my aching cock into her incredibly tight heat. I can feel her still pulsing around me, and I have to lay my head on her shoulder and pause to get both our emotions in check. I'm overwhelmed, buried in the sensations she awakens in me. My mate. I am alive; I am complete.

Her hand combs through my wet curls, soothing me with her touch and her newfound love. I lift my head and watch her eyes as I begin to move within her, the water moving out from us in gentle waves of increasing frequency. I feel her- inside me, around me; she is everywhere. She is everything. She is my everything.

We climb higher and higher until I can't hold us back any longer. I share my love with her, capturing her cries with my lips. The humans in the hotel around us give and echoed voice to our shared ecstasy, and Bella giggles as her face flushes red with exertion and her embarrassment.

I grin at her as I lift her from the water, reaching for a towel to wrap around her shiverin' body. She is a confusin' mix of feelings now- elation, relief, pleasure, love, and timidity. I can't even begin to imagine how strongly she will feel when she is immortal. I just hope I can keep up!

Bella POV
I am burning. Every cell in my body in being systematically and relentlessly consumed. I know Jasper tried to warn me, but there is nothing that could have prepared me for this. I'm begging him to just kill me and get it over with, when I feel a wave of pain wash through me that has nothing to do with the venom.

By sheer force of will, I clamp my mouth shut. If my thoughtless words are causing him pain, then I will choke back every cry until this endless torture is finished. My beautiful cowboy deserves so much better than that.

"I'm so sorry, my belle. Please, just hold on for me." His voice finally works its way into my consciousness, and I grab onto it like a lifeline. As long as he keeps talking, I won't lose myself.

"Does that help, darlin'? My talkin' to ya? I'll talk you straight through this if it helps you out, my belle. I love you so much."

Another voice, familiar and friendly, if not quite as comforting, appears to my right. "Hey there, Sugar. You ain't gonna make me listen to him yappin' for days, are ya?"

Peter is nothing like what I had thought he would be. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, maybe someone similar to Jasper I guess. But while their faces are near carbon-copies, Peter's straight hair is shorter, and he talks twice as much. I honestly don't know how Charlotte can stand to put up with him.

Charlotte is an angel, and I know she and I will become great friends. She had venom tears in her eyes when she hugged me tight, and she whispered that she was so happy Jasper finally found his true mate. She never had liked Alice.

I thought I got to know Jasper pretty well over our four-day road trip to Texas, but as soon as he stepped out of the truck and into his brother's arms, he became a new person, a new vampire. He smiled more easily, stood up straighter, and was generally just more relaxed. He was home.

The sun came up not long after we arrived at Peter's house, and I finally got to see what they looked like in the sunlight, though Jasper didn't appreciate it when I cracked up laughing and compared him to a disco ball. It was just another example of my thoughtless words getting me into trouble. I didn't know he was sensitive about it because the scars made him "shinier" than an average vampire.

Thinking of my new family reminds me that there are other memories I'm supposed to hold onto. I see a woman with blonde hair and blue eyes, but her name escapes me as she dances off into the sunset. A man with brown eyes and a twitching moustache hands me the keys to an old red truck. I know they are important, but still they drift away like a mist when my Jasper speaks.

"Just a few more hours, my belle. You're doing so great. I love you." Jasper's voice sounds clearer, and I wonder if my hearing has already improved. I try to open my eyes, but they feel glued shut. I guess the venom is still working on them. I can't wait to see my mate with new, perfect vision.

I feel a bit of relief on my skin, and realize Charlotte is helping Jasper to bathe me and change my clothes. I must have been covered in sweat, so I appreciate the gesture. I just hope Peter isn't anywhere nearby...

Oh. That's getting much hotter. I can't think of anything but the fire. I lose track of Jasper and begin to panic. My heart is racing, pounding, trying to beat its way straight out of my chest. Something must have gone wrong. It can't be possible to live through this much pain.

The frantic thudding of my heart is all I can hear, and the searing flames are all I can feel. How did I get here? Why am I being punished this way? How can I put this to an end? Thump thump thump thump... thump thump... ... thump... ... ...thud.

Silence. But more than silence, there is also relief. Blessed relief from the fire that consumed me, and the pain that was the death of me. Oh! That's right! My heart has stopped, so how am I still thinking?

I take a deep breath and my eyes fly open in shock. There is so much to smell! Scents, both familiar and new, swirl around me in a confusing fog of sensation. One is closer, stronger, and I lean toward it desperately. I need this scent.

My eyes find the source, and I move without thought. Jasper. My Jasper is here after all. He didn't leave me, and I wasn't actually burned to a cinder.

I hold him tightly, breathing in his familiar, comforting fragrance of tobacco and leather, and I finally recognize the third scent. It's hay, freshly cut. He smells like summer. "Um, Bella? My belle?" Jasper's voice is strained, and I draw back so that I can see his face. Something is wrong.

His hand comes up to cup my cheek, and that beautiful smile stretches his full lips wide, revealing those gorgeous dimples. He's so perfect. So mine.

"Yes, darlin'. I'm yours. But, uh, you're kinda squeezin' me a little tight there, Belle. You're a bit stronger than me at the moment." Oh! I pull my hands back in shock, followed quickly by chagrin. How many ways can I hurt my darling mate? I'm a horrible person.

"No, ma'am. Don't you start that shit again." His voice is hard as he pulls my face back up to meet his eyes. "Look at me, Isabella. I love you, my belle. You didn't hurt me, okay? I'm just fine, see?"

He releases my chin so I can look him over, instinctively running my hands over his skin to check. I get frustrated when his shirt is in the way, and, to my shock, I rip it off in pieces when I try to pull it over his head.

Wow. I was wrong before. He's not just beautiful. He is absolutely gorgeous! His muscles are the perfect size- not too big, and not too small. I can see his scars better now, but all I can think is what a strong, victorious mate I have. My pride swells with the knowledge that this vampire is MINE!

Jasper is looking at me like he's never seen me before. His mouth hangs open in shock, and I realize after a beat that he has been carefully reading my emotions. His eyes move rapidly between mine, searching for something. I know when he finds it, because he pulls me back into his arms and covers my lips with his.

His taste consumes me, a hundred times more potent than when I was human. My lips don't conform to his any longer; they hold their own. His hands, warm hands, travel my new body, taking inventory of every dip and curve. I can feel his love, his passion, burning into my skin from his touch. I am burning again, changing once more, claiming, even as I am claimed.

He is mine. I am his. He is all I need.