Chapter 4

I woke from the darkness and coughed up the salt water that was trapped in my lungs. I could have sworn I was leaving this world and this life when the darkness and warmth took me. It was always how I imagined death to be, an empty warmth before a great light. No great light came because I heard a deep, husky male voice whispering loudly 'Breathe, damn it!' It was almost like his words seemed to have the power to bring me back to life or maybe it was the CPR he used on me. It didn't stop the coughing that came and didn't seem to stop for five minutes straight.

I opened my eyes groggily at first and then widen with shock when I stared at a six-pack. Shouldn't I be staring at a chest or something? Usually when a person was cradling you, your head met their chest, not top of their abdomen. Without thinking, my hands came to touch what I was staring at and caressed the russet skin of my savior's chest till my fingers and eyes ran up to meet his face.

I gasped and fell back, putting space between me and the whole image of the tan giant god. Of course I made a mistake by doing that because the sudden movement of my torso led to my bikini top slipping off my chest. It had been ripped by the force of the cliff wall so the ties no longer worked. His dark brown eyes moved from my face to my exposed breasts.

I screamed and covered my chest with my arms. I freed one of my arms while still covering my boobs. I slapped him across the face as hard as I could for my weaken state. It ended hurting me more than him. His hand came up to his face and his black eyes bore into my hazel ones fiercely.

"WHAT THE HELL? What was that for? Do you usually slap the man who rescues you from the claws of death?" he asked in a sharp and pissed off tone. I watched and pulled farther away. His large mass shook almost uncontrollable and he looked like he was fighting against acting out. I couldn't believe that he was honestly angry with me. He was the one being a pervert!

"Yes I do! I do when the man who rescued me is a pervert and stares where he shouldn't. Only the man who is supposed to see me like this is my future husband or at least my future fiancée. You aren't either of those!" I snapped back. I was nearly yelling at the top of my lungs. I fought the urge to slap him again. I remembered how my hand sung from slapping him. It would only hurt me more than it would him.

Men! I pushed myself off the wet ground and ran to my belongings as swiftly as my legs could carry me. I knelt down by my bag then slipped my gray sweater over my naked torso. I took a deep breath of some fresh air and was getting ready to leave. I was even going to forget my boots. I didn't want to go anywhere near that man! I grabbed my messenger bag and jumped at hearing a rich, deep baritone voice behind me.

"What do you think you are doing? You honestly can't be thinking riding on that bike home to wherever you live. I didn't save you so you could let yourself get killed again. I'll take you to my place. At least you can change into some warm and dry clothes. Let yourself rest from your ordeal. I'll take care of you," he said in a kinder voice. I turned around to face him. This time I looked at his face longer than before. He was gorgeous and far better looking than any other man I have ever met.

I got stuck studying his face from a long time. I noticed how shaggy his short black hair was and that his full lips curled up a little at the corners of his mouth. His nose was set perfectly in the middle of his face, straight and strong and how his cheekbones were a little high. Then there were his amazing almost black eyes. I was sure that they were actually an extremely deep brown. I could be wrong.

"I'm fine. I'm a quick healer," I lied. I threw my bag over my shoulder and went to grab my bike. I caught myself beginning to sway a little as dizziness came over me. I didn't have any time to react. I usually tried to sit down to stop myself from fainting. I had no time. My vision blurred, going black and white before I passed out. My first fainting spell in Washington just had to occur in front of the hottest guy in all of La Push and Forks.

"Mother?" I murmured. "I had the weirdest dream. We moved to this little town in Washington and I ditched school to go cliff diving. I drowned and a bronze god saved me." I turned over onto my side and sighed. I began to fall back asleep, but there was a booming laughter that broke my sleep.

"I'm hardly your mother. Not even close, but thanks for calling me a bronze god. That's a good one. My name is Paul by the way. You fainted so I carried you to my house," a familiar male voice said. I groaned as it all came back to me.

Just my luck to faint after a near death experience and had to be carry to his house. I gasped. I was in a strange man's house. So what if he saved me? He could have done all kinds of things to my unconscious person.

Instead of screaming and doing something sane like run, I said the stupidest thing. "My boots!" I shouted like it was life and death. It caused Paul to give a belly laugh and leave the room. He came back of course with my boots in his hands. I smiled sheepishly. I didn't dare attempt to grab them from his hands, but he set them down next to me.

Then I realized that I wasn't on my bed at home but in his bed in his house. I was horrified and jumped off the bed, taking the sheets with me. At least I was still in the clothes I fainted in.

Though the sudden movement of jumping off the bed left me a little dizzy and I began to sway. Before I could sit down to undizzy myself, a pair of strong and extremely warm arms picked me up and settled me down on the mattress. It had been awhile since I slept on a real mattress.

"Be careful. I don't want you fainting on me again. I know I'm a gorgeous bronze god, but really twice in one day is over doing it. Just a little," said Paul with a cocky smirk on his perfect lips. I stopped myself from staring too long on his lips and came to stare at his eyes. I glared at him as best as I could.

There was something about him that made me crumble and I hated him for it. I promised myself once in the fourth grade that I would never let any man get the best of me. I was going to be strong and fearless. I would make men fall to their knees in awe of my power. This was just the opposite of what was happening.

"I didn't call you a gorgeous bronze god, just a bronze god!" I groaned at that stupid reply. "I have low blood pressure. I faint easily especially when I haven't eaten," I added weakly. I stared at the wall, away from his face. It was my only safe bet. Don't look at him and I would be okay.

I wasn't okay though. I was tired and weak from drowning. I was hungry as well. Not to mention that I was in some hot guy's house… alone. I wasn't even wearing the most modest clothes. I didn't have a bra on! I squeaked and covered myself up with the sheet more. It was stupid to do so because it was hot in this room.

I slowly looked at Paul and my eyes widen. He was what was making the room hot. He was boiling hot literally. With his arms still around me, soon I was going to start sweating away all the water in my body. That led to another thought that wasn't PG what so ever. No! I gasped, sick with myself. I pushed him away from me. I tried to until he figured out what I was trying to do. Paul let go of me and took a few steps back.

"Can I get you something to eat then… um… uh… what's your name?" he asked almost in a timid way. I didn't think him to be the timid type, more like arrogant and angry. I mean he has been cocky this whole time even after he saved me. I think. My memory was a little fuzzy after the drowning event. I shook my head and focused on the question now. I started to raise my hand to tap myself on the head to focus. I stopped myself and sighed deeply.

"Taelore. My name is Taelore," I answered. I fell back onto the bed and wrapped the sheet around me more.

"What kind of name is Taelore?" Paul stared at me with an arched eyebrow. The ideal puzzled look, but it really pissed me off. I sat up straight and glared at him. My hazel eyes turned fierce against him and I saw him maybe jump back.

"What kind of name is Paul? Did your mother have a thing for the apostles?" I shouted at him. I turned away and grabbed my boots. My socks were still inside them. Amen to that. I put on my socks and began to slide my foot into one of my boots.

Two huge hands grabbed mine and I went still with shock. The warmth of his strong hands took me by surprise. I was dumbfounded by what he was doing. He held my hands with one of his while his free hand grabbed my boots. He tossed them gently a few feet away. I pouted and stared after them.

"Stay put, will ya! The last time you ran away from me, you fainted! Now I'm going to make you something to eat. How does a grilled cheese sandwich sound?" he asked angrily. Paul gave me this firm and 'no buts' look. I couldn't say no to him. I found myself captured by his gaze.

I felt my jaw drop and I couldn't say anything. So I just nodded my head yes. It wasn't really an answer because his question wasn't a yes or no question. It made me blush. I stared away from him quickly. I never blushed! Stupid, sizzling hot guy!

Paul freed my hands and walked out of the room like the big bad wolf. He looked ready to huff and puff and blow the house down. I sighed and crossed my arms under my breasts. I watched him leave and walk down the hall before I stood up. I wasn't sure what I was going to do, but I wanted to change out of my clothes. At least I could change out of my sweater that didn't show how braless I was.

I opened his closet doors and found more cut off jeans and sweats than shirts of any kind. I sighed and grabbed the first object that looked clean enough to wear. I put a University of Washington sweatshirt. It was huge! I laid it up against my body and giggled. Paul was so big and muscular. Something about that made her giggle. I only giggled about books and movies, not people.

I took off my wet sweater and pulled his sweatshirt over my head, sliding my arms through the sleeves. I took a deep breath and I found myself liking the scent of him. The scent of his sweatshirt smelled of pine, ocean water, earth, and whatever the cologne he owned was. God his clothes smelled so good. This was how he smells all the time.

I shook my head. I was not going to fall for a guy I just met. I swore to myself I would never fall in love and I especially wasn't going to do in this miserable small town. I growled angrily at myself and stormed out of the room, heading toward the kitchen. At least the distraction I thought it was the kitchen.

"Paul? Where are you?" I asked as I wandered down the hall. I located a few more rooms and the bathroom but not the kitchen. I cursed and headed down the other way. This house didn't even seem that big, but I managed to be turned about. I growled because I was annoyed with myself. He seemed to somehow hear that and I followed the roaring laughter.

"In here Taelore," Paul said with his booming voice. I could still hear the laughter in his voice. That pissed me off. I took a deep breath and tucked away my pride. After all I was going to be walking into his kitchen in his sweatshirt. I lost most of my pride a long while ago. The whole jumping off a cliff and almost dying really wounded the pride and ego.

I came to the end of the hallway and discovered a wide-open space that had to be the living room. Right next to the living room was the kitchen with its open, no doors entrance. I inched toward it and stood ill at ease. I leaned against the white painted wooden frame. My arms were firmly crossed and stared at him. Paul was actually making me a grilled cheese sandwich… without his shirt on.

Was he always half naked? If he was, why didn't I notice before? Right, I know why. I was too distracted by his conceit and quick temper. He was always throwing me off my game. Paul the Ass. So what if he saved me? He was making feel like the fool here. I have an I.Q. of 150! ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY! 50 points above average which had to be better than his I.Q. of 60. Sure I didn't always act like the brightest person around. I'm only human. I'm hardly God.

My concentration broke when I noticed that he was talking to me. "What?" I asked. My voice sounded sleepy and dazzled. I wasn't sure if I was really over my fainting ordeal.

"That sweatshirt looks good on you. You can keep it if you want. I don't really wear it often. I only went for one year, then I came back to where I belong."

"Um... Thanks." I didn't have a clue what that all meant. There was something about his words. It didn't settle right with me, but my stomach was settled enough for the grilled cheese sandwich. I could see and smell the melted cheese of heaven. I was so hungry. I was never going to miss breakfast again.

"Okay, okay. It's almost done. Tell your stomach to hold on," he said with a rough chuckle. I gasped and stared down at my flat tummy in shame. He heard my stomach growl when I barely even noticed until now. He had ears like a bat. This was going to get embarrassing if he continued to pull stuff off like that.

"Freak," I muttered quietly and went to sit at the table with what little pride I had left. Paul had better make one hell of a grilled cheese. I sighed and waited for my meal. It wasn't a long wait at all. Because the next thing I knew, I was eating my fill of a heavenly tasting grilled cheese sandwich and drinking down a glass of milk. It looked like I never had food before with the way I was eating. I just didn't know I was so hungry. This sent Paul into a roar of laughter.

"Do you want me to make you another one?" he asked with a wide grin. My eyes flickered up from my plate to his face. I nodded my head sheepishly and finished my chewing. I was wolfing down this sandwich. The cheese was melted so perfectly and the bread toasted to the standards of the saints. I bit my tongue hard and wanted to groan in agony. He would just love that though.

"You know I hate you, right?" The words left my mouth without a second thought. I didn't even care if he was offended or not.

"Yes, but it's the beginning of something more." Okay… that surprised me. I opened my mouth to have him explain, but a bite of my sandwich came instead.

Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight, New Moon, and Eclipse as well as all the characters in the saga. I own only my original characters and the plot.

A/N: I'm sorry, but this chapter took a very long time to write. It's finally here though. I also apologize ahead of the spelling and grammar errors that are most likely in this chapter like there were in the past ones. I didn't have time to proof read my work or have someone else do so. Please enjoy and please read and review. I love reviews!