Hey guys!! Here is another chapter from the liljen we all know and love!! Please read and review!!

* Chapter 4 *

*~*~The Exposed~*~*

*~* "I say I'm in love with her. What does that mean? It means I review my future and my past in the light of this feeling. It is as though I wrote in a foreign language that I am suddenly able to read. Wordlessly, she explains me to myself. Like a genius, she is ignorant of what she does." - Jeanette Winterson, "The Passion" *~*

*~*

One of the worst things about being a wolf was constantly having to deal with the pack mind, the fact that we were all strung together, that we could sense every emotion, every action of any member, all right there in front of you for the whole pack to see. The moment I got Seth out of that garage I saw everything…every kiss, every touch he'd walked in on, Jacob Black with his hands and other various body parts on my imprint, on my Bella.

Goddamnit, Seth! Please stop! I yelled at him, begging for the image of Jacob Black's hand on my imprint's breasts to go away.

I'm sorry, Sam. You know I can't help it. And why do you care anyway, you don't really even know Bella, Seth thought.

Every single thought about Bella I'd had since I met her yesterday, flowed out of my thoughts, exposing themselves for everyone to see. The way I looked in her eyes and the world stopped. How sexy her voice sounded to me, how much I wanted her and only her for forever, yearning to hold her, to marry her, to have my family with her. Every other girl I'd ever dated, kissed, or had sex with, any girl period, didn't exist anymore. All that mattered was Bella, my Bella.

Holy Shit! Where's Leah?! Embry thought. I showed them the scene, her running out of the hospital, not coming back. Do you think someone should go look for her?

No. I talked to Billy and he said she called Sue. She's staying in Seattle for a little while, I thought.

Damn! It was the one voice I most feared hearing in my head right now. So, what you're saying is that you are like tied to her, like she's your soul mate, Jake whispered in his thoughts.

That's what your Dad said. I'm sorry, Jake, I know…

Shut the fuck up, Uley! It doesn't matter what you say, right? I'm not allowed around her anymore, am I? Jake had moved on to the next stage of grief.

Of course, you can. You're her friend and I only want her to be happy. But what happened in the garage tonight, can't ever, EVER happen again, do you hear me? I ordered at Jake, feeling his thoughts drift to the garage, seeing Bella on the hood of his car. Hell, the thought of that was giving me a hard-on! Snap out of it, Black! That's an order!

And just like that the image disappeared.

So, I guess that means she won't be marrying me then? Seth asked with sadness in his voice. I felt bad, in the short amount of time it took for all this transpire, Seth lost his sister and the girl he thought would marry him.

I'm sorry, Seth. I can't help it, really, I can't. If I could…you know I don't want to hurt you or Leah or even you, Jake, I showed them what Billy said, that it was sudden and irrevocable, when it was done, it was done. Even if I had hated Bella to the core before, those feelings would never exist again. All I would ever feel for Bella was complete and utter devotion, love, and admiration. I would give her everything.

Yesterday morning I had woken up in Leah's arms and thought the world was as it should've been, but now, things were different. Poor Leah, I loved her, but not like I loved Bella, I couldn't.

Sam, she's out walking by the beach. You might go check on her, make sure she's okay, Seth, the sweet wolf, always the protector.

You're probably right, I sighed in my thoughts. I'm gonna phase back and find her.

It didn't take long. The moment I phased, I caught her scent headed up the beach, seeing her sitting alone staring out at the ocean. I sat down quietly near her, trying not to make myself too obvious but she turned and looked at me.

"Are you alright Sam, you sure do look awfully sad," Bella asked with a sincere tone. I could see though that she was nervous, confused, had a lot of emotions going on at once. I couldn't see her upset.

"How are you feeling, Bella? Your first day back you were in a car accident and now the fight. Are you alright?" I wanted to calm her, to ease her fears.

She smiled back at me. "I am fine. Confused but fine." Her voice was just a whisper and I knew that just saying that was a load off her shoulders. I started to wonder if she felt it too, if she felt the pull to be with me, like I felt with her.

"What is there to be confused about?" I whispered back to her, as she turned to look at me. The moment our eyes met, I felt complete, I knew, I knew she was my life, she was everything.

"A lot." She said, as the wind picked up and her beautiful brunette hair whipped in the wind. She closed her eyes, and I acted on impulse, taking her hand and holding it.

"Is there anything I can do to make it less confusing?" I started rubbing small circles on her hand, finding our hands fit together like puzzle pieces, perfectly. It was so right, like I could feel so much in one touch. Then, as she smiled, she asked the one question I was hoping to avoid with her in this situation.

"Where is Leah?"

I sighed, squeezing her hand and thinking of the best way to put it. "Leah and I are no longer together, so I don't really know where she is at the moment."

"What is this?" She raised our intertwined hands up.

I pulled them in, with a wave or courage, and kissed her hand, placing our joined hands in my lap. "Whatever you want it to be."

And I meant it. Whatever she wanted, I would be. Whatever she needed, I would be. She wanted to be friends, I would be the best friend she could ever have, I'd do manicures and pedicures and gossip. She wanted a big brother, I'd teach her how to play football and beat up boys. But, hopefully, if she wanted a lover, I would love her like no one else ever would.

Then Bella surprised me. I half-expected her to dismiss me and not want anything to do with me. What she said indicated otherwise, though. "I don't know want I want it to be Sam. All I know is that when you are around I feel different. Unlike anything I have ever felt before. I feel safe and I trust you with every inch of my being. But I don't know what to make of it."

I had to control myself, keep myself from grabbing her in my arms and kissing her senseless. I had to go slow and work this out with her. I knew she'd think it was odd, me falling for her after only knowing her for a very little amount of time, and the fact that yesterday morning I was cozy with her stepsister.

"It's a really long story, Bella, and I promise to tell you someday. I'd like you to get to know me better though, and there are so many things I want to know about you. Would it be okay…would you like to go on a picnic tomorrow? Maybe I could show you around LaPush?" I asked her. This was totally unlike me. Sure, I was the Alpha, but I didn't exactly have a suave air about me when it came to girls. Bella was different though. I had to make this good because I knew this was the last girl I would ever want, ever date, ever worry about satisfying.

I could tell she didn't know quite what to say. I knew she and Leah weren't particularly fond of each other, but I also knew that Bella loved Charlie enough not to cause any ruffles in the family feathers.

"I don't want Leah to hate me anymore than she already does," Bella said, looking out to the waves.

"Bella," the sound of her name drove me crazy, "I can promise you, Leah and I are not a couple anymore. I…I…want you." I couldn't believe I'd said it, and neither could she, her eyes large and fixated on me, now. "I know that sounds insane, but I can't help it. I need you to trust me."

And I saw her eyes widen. "I do, Sam, I trust you so much, and that scares me a little. I don't really even know you, but even with just the sight of you, I know everything is okay. I've never felt that before. Not with Jake, not with Seth, not with anyone."

I thought for a minute before coming up with a solution to the issue. "Here's what I think we should do. I think, you don't have to give me an answer about the date tomorrow. I'll be by at eleven. If you want to come, I'll be thrilled," and I smiled at her. "If you don't, I'll understand."

In all honesty, I don't think I would understand. I not only wanted Bella, but I needed her. The little time that I had been away from her, I ached to be near her. I had to be patient and understand that this was her decision.

"That sounds good," Bella said, looking behind her.

"Would you like me to walk you home?" I asked, sounding like a teenage boy.

She smiled at me, and my immature question seemed to have paid off. "Do you mind? I mean, I know how to get back, but these woods are always kinda scary," Bella said and I relished the thought of walking her home and keeping her safe. I nodded to her, keeping our hands interlocked.

"I would love to." I helped her stand, rubbing the back of her hand, catching her delicious strawberry scent.

"So, what do you do around here, Sam? Like do you have a job?" She asked.

I had to chuckle. "Yeah, I have two jobs. One I get paid for and one I don't get paid for. To pay the rent, I'm kinda a handyman around the reservation. Fix things that need to be fixed, that kind of thing."

"And what do you do that you don't get paid for?" She asked with a smile.

I couldn't very well tell her that I was werewolf that went around protecting the reservation from a coven of vampires in Forks. So, I turned the words around. "I do security around the reservation. Just keep an eye out for any changes or strange occurrences." It was as honest as I could come by at the time.

"Oh, well, that's very nice of you. I bet you're good at that, you seem like a good protector," she blushed and I couldn't help but know I was having such an effect on her.

"It's kind of a family thing. Our fathers did it, so we do it too. Jake and Seth help, pretty much all the guys you've met, are part of our pa—uh, crew," I corrected myself. My jealousy arose at the sound of Jake's name. "So you and Jake, are you guys like a couple?" I didn't really want to know if the love of my life was fucking Jacob Black, but in a weird way, I did want to know, because I wanted to know everything about her.

She giggled. "No, Jake and I are kinda…well, like friends with benefits, kinda but not really. I don't really know what we are. I mean, we're not a couple as evident by Krystal…" She stopped herself, turning to look at me. "It suddenly doesn't seem to matter."

I smiled down at her, closing the space between us, stroking her cheek and wanting so bad to lock my mouth to hers. As I started to lean down, a voice interrupted us.

"Bells? Is that you?" Chief Swan said from the porch. I hadn't even noticed that we'd made it the house. "Oh, hey, Sam. I didn't see you there. D'you walk Bella home from the beach? I worry about her wandering around by herself."

"I'm fine, Ch—Dad," she said, and I admired her confidence and independence.

"Well, that's all well and good, but you know what's lurkin' in those woods. Bears and wolves and deer and big, tall wolves," Charlie said, repeating wolves almost subconsciously, I think.

"I'll protect her, Chief," I said, then feeling like an idiot for opening my mouth.

"Yeah, well, it's a good thing you're here, cuz Sue wants to talk to you. When did you and Leah break up? Everything seemed," but I cut him off.

"Umh, I guess I should go see Sue. Bella, I'll see you tomorrow at eleven," I said turning to her, squeezing her hand before dropping it. "Charlie," I said as I walked around him to get into the house. I heard Charlie talking to Bella about me, about what was going on. She honestly had no idea what the plan was or why she felt like she did.

I decided to leave her with Charlie, as I walked in the kitchen to see Sue sitting at the table. She smiled widely at me, quite a surprise considering I'd run her daughter off, I'd stolen her son's future wife and I was eternally tied to her stepdaughter.

"Sue, is everything okay?" I asked her.

"Of course! I'm happy for you, Sam. Imprinting is a very rare, special thing. I'm not glad that Leah's upset, but she'll eventually understand. And, Bella, Bella will be good for you. And you for her, she needs someone like you, I think," Sue said, sipping a mug of tea.

I was actually rather surprised at Sue. I had prepared myself for anger, things being thrown, names being called. But she was a member of the council. If anyone knew the effect of imprinting, she would.

"So you don't mind if I wanna date Bella? Even though, I've run Leah off?"

"Leah will be okay, I think. She just needs time. I told her not to phase for awhile, give you two some space. But I think Leah will surprise us, or fate, one of the two. Either way, we'll be surprised," Sue smiled. "However, you might wanna ask Charlie before you start dating Bella. He's pretty protective."

"And how do I explain how I was with Leah yesterday, and now I want Bella?"

Sue chuckled. "I told him that you and Leah had kinda been having problems. The rest is up to you." She got out of her chair, patting me on the shoulder, as Bella came through the front door. "Hello, beautiful Bella," Sue said, wrapping her arm around her shoulder and escorting her upstairs. I could hear Sue talking to her, Bella asking questions about me, and I smiled.

"Uh-oh! I know that look, that's the look of a man in love! Do I dare ask?" Charlie said.

Hmmm…let's see, how do I ask Charlie, the man whose stepdaughter I dumped via a magical process that makes his daughter my soul mate?

"Charlie, I was wondering if you would mind if I take Bella out tomorrow afternoon. Just for a picnic. We wouldn't be gone long," I said, crossing my fingers under the table.

Charlie looked at me. "What about Leah? I mean, Sue said you guys broke up, but I don't know that I want Bella to be the rebound girl."

Charlie was now sitting across from me, beer in hand, eyeing me like a suspect in a robbery.

"I promise she won't be a rebound girl. I really want to get to know Bella, the real Bella. I promise my intentions are honorable," I said to him. Charlie and I had always had a good relationship and I wanted him to be okay with me seeing Bella.

He took a swig of the beer. "If Bella is okay with it then it's fine."

"Thank you, Chief," I shook his hand, feeling like I was about to jump out of my skin.

That night, sleeping in my bed was almost painful, I'd washed the sheets but Leah's scent lingered and I felt guilt for hurting her. I didn't feel guilt or remorse for loving Bella, I couldn't help that. And I couldn't help hurting Leah, but it didn't mean it didn't still cause my heart to ache. I knew she'd come back soon, and knowing she wasn't phasing was making it a little better, thinking that we wouldn't have to see into each other's minds for awhile. I had hope though that we would be okay. I selfishly didn't want to think about my life without Leah in it.

The next morning, I dressed in a black t-shirt and jeans, deciding on sneakers instead of the traditional bare feet we wolves usually keep. I put a blanket in the backseat of my trunk, driving to Forks to pick up sushi from a (very) small Asian grocer before heading to Sue and Charlie's to pick up Bella.

"Oh, it's you," Seth said as he opened the door.

"Seth, is that anyway to speak to your Alpha?" Sue said as I tried to stop her.

"I'm sorry. Oh, it's you, sir," Seth was obviously not going to be okay with this. "Future wife-stealer," he mumbled under his breath.

I felt bad for Seth, but part of me couldn't help but chuckle.

"Aww, here she is," Sue said as Bella floated down the stairs in jeans and a simple blue sweater. She floated until about the bottom step when she proceeded to trip over air as I ran to catch her, her small frame landing in my arms.

"Thanks," she whispered, her chocolate brown eyes staring at me.

"No problem," I said, pulling her up.

"Pfft…I could've done that," Seth rolled his eyes. Poor kid.

"Are you ready?" I asked, putting my hand out for her.

She nodded, taking my hand as Seth mumbled. I drove us out towards the cliffs, where there was a good view, laying out the soft blanket and helping Bella sit down on it.

"I hope you like Sushi," I said, setting out the simple California and Philadelphia rolls.

She nodded, using the chopsticks to pick one up. We were relatively quiet, I asked about her family and she told me about her step dad and her Mom. She talked about car shopping, her budget reduced when her step dad refused to pay for another car, Charlie deciding an old pickup would suit her. "Tell me about your family," she said.

"Well, it's always just kinda been me and my Mom. She died a couple years ago. My dad walked out when I was younger. Recently, though, the guys have been like brothers to me, so it kinda works out well," I answered, forgetting to mention the fact that Embry may or may not be mine, Jake's or Quil's brother or uncle.

"That's neat. To have a big family like that. I'm an only child. Except for Seth and L—" she stopped herself.

"You can say her name, Bella," I looked at her sincerely, trying to let her know that it didn't matter who I'd been with or what I'd been through, she was what I wanted.

"I know, I just feel bad, I mean, I know she hated me and now I'm stealing you from her. No, wait, that's not what I meant," she started waving her hands and shaking her head. "I didn't mean to assume that…" I grabbed her face, kissing her hard right on the lips.

Oh, shit! What had I done?! I couldn't pull away now. She didn't fight though, she softened in my hands, as I started moving my head. Bella licked my bottom lip and I opened my mouth letting her in and tasting every square inch of her tongue. This was more heavenly than I ever could have imagined. Then she moaned…I don't think she had any clue what she was doing to me! I was about to explode with the sensations.

She pulled away and looked at me, panting, trying to catch her breath. "That was intense," she sighed. "Why did it feel like that? It was like, tingly and fizzy, and…can we do it again?"

She didn't have to ask twice. My lips found her again, as the kiss got a lot more passionate this time, me pulling her to straddle me, while our tongues dance with one another. It was the most amazing feeling and I wanted to freeze time, never stopping. She pulled away again, trying to catch her breath. "Hmmm…" she groaned. Bella started to get up and walked towards the edge of the cliffs.

"Bella, I'm sorry…"she turned to me.

"Sam, the only person that I've ever been attracted to the way I'm attracted to you is Jake. And ever since last night, on the beach, I don't know what it is, but I almost feel something that I can't say yet…it's too early and I don't want to ruin this," Bella walked to me. Was it possible that she loved me? I knew without a shadow of a doubt I loved her, she was all I wanted.

"I feel the same," I whispered, pulling her into my arms. I held her like that, until Jake came upon us with a stern face.

"Charlie wants Bella home soon," Jake was frank and to the point, turning and walking the other direction.

"Jake!" Bella called after him. He didn't look at her or say anything and I saw Bella look down, sad and brokenhearted.

"Just give him time, Bella," I said, grasping her closer to me as she started to cry.

"I wanted him to be happy for me. I wanted him to understand," she sobbed.

"He will, he just needs time," I reiterated.

"But I didn't need time to fall in love with you, it happened almost overnight," and she threw her hand over her mouth, blushing.

"It's okay, Bella. I know, it's confusing, but I know," I hugged her again, picking up our lunch and heading to the truck.

I got in and she scooted right next to me, holding my hand with tears still in her eye.

"My beautiful Bella, please don't cry," I whispered to her, putting my chin on her head, hugging her and inhaling her strawberry scent.

She cuddled into my side as I drove, getting a final kiss from her as I walked her to the door. She felt something and I knew that now, but I still had one major problem. How the hell was I gonna tell her I was a wolf and a magical force picked her to be my soulmate?

Please Review!! Also don't forget to take a look at liljenrocks' Keep Your Hands to Yourself & the sequel Make Up Your Mind. It is sure to please and you won't regret it. The more love you show her the faster the next chapter will be up!!