It was almost sunset. Jacob and Bella had just finished riding Bella's newly refurbished motorcycles up at La Push. They had had an enjoyable time, and Bella's face was lit up with a smile. He was about to drop Bella off at home.
But as the sunlight began to fade, as did Bella's smile. They sat in Jacob's Rabbit on the way to her house, totally silent. Jacob watched Bella as she looked somberly out the window. Suddenly, her pale skin trembled.
"Are you cold, Bella?" Jacob asked.
"A little." She regretted saying it as a hopeful smile appeared on Jake's face. "But it's nothing!" she added quickly.
As if he hadn't heard the last-minute addition to her reply, Jacob lifted his thick, muscular arm and draped it over Bella's shoulders. Bella opened her mouth to protest, but then sighed as his warmth spread through her body.
"Thank you," she said awkwardly.
"No problem," he said with that usual friendly smile on his face.
"Jacob, you know that we're just friends, right?" Bella said carefully.
He frowned. "Well, um…"
"Jacob, I'm sorry but I don't like you that way! I can't forget, well, him," she said, her eyes reddening at the thought of that last word.
"Bella," Jacob said in a low, tender voice. "I will never leave you. I will never hurt you. I will never break your heart like he did. I promise you this."
"But Jacob! You can't replace him! I'm sorry Jacob, you are my best friend, and you've done so much for me, but it's not the same!" Bella cried as Jacob wiped the tears from her eyes.
"No Bella, I can't compete with him. He has looks, charm, intelligence, and skills that I will never possess. I can never be him." He paused for a minute, and then leaned toward her and whispered, "But I can love you like he did."
Bella looked at him doubtfully, her tears leaving a salty crust down the side of her face as they dried.
"Come up to La Push with me. My family owns a cabin up there in the middle of the woods, and I think you need to get away from all this for a little while," he suggested.
"But how will I get Charlie to let me stay with you?" she asked reluctantly.
"Tell him you'll be with Emily and Sam. He trusts Sam since he found you in the woods. And they're coming up for cliff-diving tomorrow morning."
"Wait, you want us to leave tonight?" Bella questioned incredulously.
"Yeah, why not?" Jacob smiled.
"Um, okay," Bella agreed.
"Ask Charlie, and if he says yes, call me and I'll be up to pick you up after supper."
"Okay Jake," Bella replied.
Later that evening, Jacob picked Bella up in his Rabbit and they drove off to La Push.
The drive down was silent. As they entered the cabin, Bella finally spoke.
"Wow, I'm surprised how spacious this is," she said.
"Yeah, it's got a bathroom, kitchen, and bedroom," Jacob replied.
"Wait a second, did you say bedroom?" she asked, putting the accent on "room."
Jacob looked nervous. "Uh, yeah. Room singular, as in one room."
"WHAT?!" Bella yelled, raising her hand to slap him.
"Bella, please don't freak out! I can sleep on the couch!"
"You better!" she scorned.
"Would you like a snack?" he asked, trying desperately to change the subject. "Emily made cookies, and I can make you a cup of tea or coffee or something if you want."
"I'll have a cup of tea, thanks," she said, and Jacob put the pot on the stove.
"So what have you been up to?" Bella asked casually, sipping her tea as if her outburst hadn't just occurred.
"Not much really. Just working on my Rabbit and school stuff. Not to mention being a full-time werewolf," he laughed.
"Does that 'school stuff' include girls?" Bella asked almost teasingly.
"No. The only girl I'd ever want to be with doesn't go to my school," he frowned.
Bella sighed. "Jacob, I want to say thank you. You have given me my life back. After," – she paused and gathered herself – "Edward left, I was nothing but a shell of my former self. You have brought me back to life. You mean more to me than anyone in my life right now, and you are the force that gives me reason for being now."
"That means a lot to me, Bella," Jacob said softly, a frown still crossing his dark face.
"Jacob, I've been thinking lately," Bella said cautiously. "And I think that even though I'll never truly get over Edward, it's time that I move on from this mess. I've become nothing but an empty shell."
"So what are you saying, Bella?"
"I'm saying that, well…" Bella struggled for words.
"Saying what?!"
"That…"
"SPIT IT OUT BELLS!"
"You saved me, you brought me back to life! You are kind and sensitive! Your laugh is like a melody that warms my cold soul whenever I fall back into the depression that he put me into! Your warm chest and dark hair is like a sanctuary for me! I love you Jacob Black!" she said, tears welling in her reddened eyes.
"Oh Bella," Jacob cooed tenderly, rubbing her shoulder as the tears cascaded down her cheeks. "I love you so much."
"I'm sorry Jacob, for being so difficult," Bella sobbed. "I'm sorry! It's just so hard!"
"I know Bella, I know that it's hard. I can't even begin to imagine what you've gone through, and how hard it was for you to deal with it."
"You don't have to, Jake. All you need to do is be there for me."
"You know that I already am," Jacob said in all but a whisper, standing up and leaning over the small kitchen table. He took her cheeks in his hands and kissed her soft lips, tasting the sweetness of the tea she had just been sipping. Tenderly, she kissed him back and felt his warmth seep into her mouth. Their lips parted, and silence followed.
"Would you like to watch a movie?" Jacob asked, breaking the tension.
Bella smiled for the first time since they had arrived. "I'd love to."
They lied on the couch in each other's arms and began to flip through the channels, finally finding "The Notebook" and agreeing on watching it.
Throughout the movie, they cuddled together, the supernatural warmth emanating from Jacob's body keeping them from needing a blanket. Then, when the characters reunited after years and shared a passionate kiss in the rain, the two engaged in a frenzy of passion.
Jacob caressed Bella's soft, pale skin and entangled her lips in his. Bella's eyes widened in surprise and delight. She responded by inserting her warm, wet tongue into the darkness of Jacob's mouth, happily embracing his own tongue as they danced between their lips. A low growl of pleasure like a bow against cello string rose from the depths of his chest, and he felt a dull pain grow in his groin as Bella's body caressed his. As the voices of the characters on the TV faded into in audibility, Jacob parted from Bella's grasp and shut off the television.
Picking Bella up in his huge arms, he smiled and remarked, "Damn Bells, I didn't see that coming!"
Bella giggled. It was so nice to see her happy again.
He carried her to the bedroom and laid her on the neatly made bed. "I think it's time for bed," he said in a mockingly serious tone.
"And I think you need a reality check!" she said, beginning to remove her clothes.
"Bells, what are you doing?" Jacob asked as her jeans hit the floor.
"You'll see," she said, and she ripped off her bra. Jacob's mouth fell agape at the sight of her bare chest.
"Bella, I –" Jacob started.
"Be mine forever?" Bella asked, interrupting.
"I – I – what?!"
"Let me answer that for you," she said, her arms slithering beneath Jacob's t-shirt and pulling it off over his head. He then unbuttoned and removed his torn jeans. Bella's eyes were transfixed by the sight of his muscles, now free from the bondage of his clothing.
"Let's do this," Jacob whispered, and the two removed their last articles of clothing and crawled into bed, the low glow of the lamp shining off of Bella's pale skin.
Jacob bent down and kissed Bella once again, planting each one with tender care across her glowing complexion; across her breasts, upon her neck, and finally on her lips, his tongue entering her mouth as his hot breath filled her lungs. He could feel her heart accelerating at an exasperating rate. He put his face against her chest and breathed in heavily, at it seemed her firm nipples almost punctured his cheeks.
"Are you ready?" Jacob asked.
"Yes!" Bella cried.
Her breathing became irregular and labored as his hot sword punctured her, sweat rolling down her forehead in crystal beads. The pleasure built inside them both, rushing through their veins like a drug. Bella's lips unlocked and set free her bliss that had manifested itself in the form of a low moan. Jacob growled as the wolf in him broke free, the sensation slithering through his body like a serpent.
"Rawr!" Bella giggled teasingly as Jacob finally burst. Then, with one final long sigh, he retracted himself from her core.
"Wow," Bella sighed softly, exhausted.
"That was amazing," Jacob said almost drunkenly.
"I really do love you, Jacob," she confessed.
"As do I, Bella. You are everything to me now."
"But Jacob?" Bella asked in an almost frightened voice.
"What?"
"You wouldn't ever leave me, would you? You know, like he did?"
"Of course not, Bella. It would cause us both too much pain. Not for anything in the world would I leave you. And that is a promise."
A smile snaked across Bella's now rosy cheeks. "Now let's do that again!"