Sorry (again) for the wait. I really am trying to get better with updating. I hope you all enjoy the chapter. It's taken me so long as I wasn't sure which story line to follow.
Strong hands gripped at her hip bones and pinned her down into the soft, plush mattress. A moan escaped into the still night air and pierced the silence. Her heart almost stopped and the delicious friction that had been radiating between her legs had also ceased.
"You need to stop moaning like that."
His voice came out in a painful husk as he buried his face into the nape of her neck. With deep breaths he took in her scent and instantly regretted it as it sent him on a tailspin into primal urges and unforgiving hormones. Resisting his desire to fully take delight in the gorgeous creature beneath him, he kept himself still and squeezed his eyes tight shut. Beneath him she lay; half of her screaming out for him to continue and the other half lamenting on how she had strayed so far from her path.
"I just need a minute." he said aloud when the silence became too much for him.
"Are you okay?" she asked, instantly feeling moronic for asking such a silly question.
Keeping his face nestled against the soft skin of her neck and her silky black locks, he lifted one hand and twisted it into the roots of her hair. In the same instant he ground his lower half into hers and let out his own frustrated groan.
"No. I… one minute. I just need a minute. I swear."
Grazing her hands over the stretched muscles of his bare back, she placed a tender kiss on his shoulder and spoke softly.
"Paul."
"Fuck. I just… Christ, I want to fuck you so badly."
"Nothing's stopping you. I'm all yours." she replied earnestly; almost frantic in her own desperation to have him inside of her.
"You don't understand. I can't."
"Why not?"
He wanted to tell her. He also didn't want to tell her. The right thing to do would be to confess all his lies and sins and beg her forgiveness. He could hope she would see past his despicable actions and admit to the feelings she had developed for him over the weeks that had passed, but experience told him that she would do no such thing. The longer he allowed the charade to go on, the worse the repercussions would be for him.
"You'd hate me if I did." he answered honestly.
"I really wouldn't."
"Trust me… you really would."
With a sigh, Paul lifted himself up and rolled over onto his back. Flinging an arm up to cover his eyes, he used the other to punch repeatedly on his upper thigh and muttered a string of profanities aimed solely at himself. The sound of squeaking mattress springs and the sudden feeling of pressure on his midsection had him snapping his eyes open. Her thighs, barely covered by the plaid shirt she wore that was half unbuttoned at the top, were on either side of him encasing his body. Automatically, his hands sought out her flesh and he clamped them down almost possessively.
"Stop being such a martyr and just fuck me."
Placing her own hands over his, she slowly raised them up passed her naked thighs and under the hem of the shirt. Each movement lifted the piece of material higher and higher until her entire midriff was exposed and the pads of Paul's thumbs were mere millimetres from caressing her breasts.
"Jesus… I'm going to hell."
"Good morning, sunshine." Rachel bellowed, throwing herself down onto Lydia's bed and extracting a growl of disgust from her younger sister.
"Go away."
"Oh no." she countered, tearing the bed sheets away. "You have some explaining to do."
Snatching the sheets back from Rachel, Lydia threw them over her head and hid herself away in her make-shift cave. The air was stuffy and made her yearn for the crisp, fresh air above the sheets but that would result in an awkward conversation with her only sister about her cosmically screwed love life.
"Go away, Rachel."
"Stop being such a child and talk to me."
"No."
"My god, I can practically hear you pouting. Get out from under there and tell me what the hell is going on with you and Paul Lahote."
"There's nothing to tell."
"Oh, so you just go around making out with every hot guy you see, do you?"
With an exasperated huff, Lydia shoved the covers away from the face and, blowing stray hair out of her eyes, she turned to face Rachel who was sitting up with crossed arms and raised eyebrows.
"It's complicated, okay?"
"You're telling me. The last time I was here I had to drag you off Paul. I thought you were going to kill him. Now I find you engaging in strange deals and making out with him on the porch."
Opening her mouth to speak, Lydia discovered that she had no reply. Even to her own ears every answer she could possibly think of seemed foolish and full of lies. The true nature of the Pack was unknown to her sister and she was forbidden from ever telling her the truth. How could she explain how her feelings regarding Paul were a mystery to her when she could not reveal how the two of them had come to be in the first place.
"I can't believe you won't tell me. I'm your sister!"
"I've already told you. There is nothing to tell! It was one stupid kiss and it will not be happening again. So drop it, understood?"
Giving Rachel a quick, half-hearted shove, Lydia jumped out of bed and stormed from the room. Quick on her heels, Rachel followed and continued to speak loudly even as she knew the younger woman would be actively ignoring her.
"Lydia Black! You can't just ignore me."
"I can damn well try." Lydia muttered under her breath as she reached the bottom of the stairs and crossed the short hallway and into the living room.
"You like him. Just admit it."
Stopping in her tracks, she swivelled around and glared at Rachel; her voice full of desperation as she snapped back her reply.
"It's not real! Whatever he might think he feels for me… whatever I might feel for him… none of it is real. Why on earth would I give him a chance? The second I do he'll only go off with some skank like he always does!"
Wide eyed and open mouthed, the older of the two Black sisters stood rooted to the spot as she processed the new information and took in the sight of her sibling; lips formed into a tight line, brows furrowed, and arms holding herself protectively. It was as clear as day to her that Lydia held romantic feelings for Paul whether she admitted it or not. What surprised her, though, was not only the venom that lined Lydia's voice but the expression of complete vulnerability that radiated from her eyes as she voiced her beliefs regarding :Paul's inability to remain faithful.
"Lee… I…" stepping forward, she reached out for Lydia and felt a sting of rejection when the other woman backed away. "Is that why you hate him? Did something happen between you two?"
A knock at the door disrupted the two from their strained conversation and Lydia sent up a silent prayer of thanks to Gods for providing her with a well timed distraction. Turning her back on Rachel, she yanked open the door and let out an involuntary groan as she clapped eyes on the last person she wanted to see that morning. Before he even had a chance to speak, she slammed the door shut and felt its echo throughout the room as the ground vibrated.
Throwing Lydia a glowering look, Rachel closed the short distance to the door so recently shut and reopened it. Plastering on a smile, she welcomed Paul and moved aside to let him enter despite the rolling eyes of her sister.
"Good morning, Paul. Come in."
"Cheers." he said, careful to remain near the threshold. "Hey, Lee."
The smile he gave her was almost blinding and it proved only to sour Lydia's mood further. Keeping her distance, she eyed him with great suspicion and tried hard not to remember the sensations that stirred in her body from receiving his kiss.
"Leave."
"No."
Paul's blatant display of disobedience stunned Lydia, and she faltered momentarily before regaining her composure and choosing her words carefully as she reminded herself of her sister's presence and limited knowledge.
"I thought I made myself pretty clear last night. This has to stop."
"Oh, you did." Paul started, sauntering over to her and eyeing her with a glint in his eye. "But so did I. I told you I won't give up easily. Besides, you keep walking away from me and I'm getting pretty damn sick of it."
"Leave. Right now!"
"I don't take orders, baby."
The way he had called her 'baby' had Lydia almost panting; in lust or rage she wasn't quite sure. She felt so incensed at the term of endearment that she gave no thought to her actions before she pushed against his chest with all her physical strength. He barely budged and she screamed loudly.
"Why are you here?!"
"Because I wanted to be." Paul answered truthfully but declining to add any further information.
"Oh lucky me!"
"Why are you being such a bitch?"
It puzzled Paul as to why Lydia was reacting so violently and ruthlessly to his presence. A mere few weeks before and he would have responded in much the same way, but the progress they had made in their relationship left him feeling nothing but sad at the bitterness that faced him.
"Don't tell me you've suddenly developed human emotions? You should be used to this by now, Paul. After all, why fix something that isn't broken?"
Lydia turned her face away. She couldn't stand to look at Paul any longer. His chocolate brown eyes were filled to the brim with confusion and sadness and the foreign expression unnerved her. She dropped her head and focused on her bare feet on the wooden floor. There truly was no justifiable reason for her treatment of her wolf man but his sudden kindness and concern left her feeling off kilter, and she responded the only way she knew how.
"That's enough, Lydia. He only came to see if you were okay." said Rachel, rounding on the young woman and appalled at what she had witnessed.
"No, he just likes interfering."
A hand on her cheek and Lydia lifted her face to Paul's. Tucking a piece of hair behind her ear, he grazed her cheek bone with the tip of his thumb and paid no attention to his inner wolf's incessant whining.
"If you treating me like shit makes you feel better than fine. I've put up with it for the last three years, Lee. You want me to back off? It's going to take a lot more than you being your usual self."
"Don't you have a girl to go and screw?"
With a grimace, Paul let his hand fall away. One quick glance at the clock above the fire place told Paul what he already knew. He was late for patrols. The visit had been impromptu ad solely to ensure that his imprint was safe. The discomfort and agitation she had been feeling had caught his attention instantly and he had made the detour out of necessity. Now, he wished had not bothered. Barging past Rachel, he opened the door and pulled it shut behind him with a booming crash.
"Now are you going to stand there and tell me there's nothing gone on between you two?"
"I want a fresh start, Rachel. Is that too much to ask?" Lydia snapped, wishing with every single fibre of her being that her wish would become reality.
" Be careful what you wish for."
S'up, man? Embry asked as he and Paul circled their patrol route; careful to remain hidden in the thick trees of the forest and away from the prying eyes of civilians. Rumours of roaming wolves was the last thing the Pack needed.
What do you think? he replied rolling his eyes. She drives me nuts!
Want me to talk to her? It might help.
No offence, Embry, but the last time you tried to help my imprint nearly ended up dead.
Cringing at the memory, Embry let out a whimper and pawed at the ground.
Dude, cool it.
What has happened to you? pondered Embry, not fully convinced by Paul's unusually calm aura.
What?
Paul, usually you'd have bit my head off by now. I don't know, man… it's just ever since you accepted the imprint-"
Who the hell said I'd accepted it? That girl is a goddamn pain in the ass.
Yeah… but you've got to admit that you've changed lately. Face it. You've accepted it and now you're just pissed because Lydia is still fighting against it.
I can't believe this is happening. Paul muttered to himself in spite of knowing it would never truly be private with Embry there,
I can't believe Jared was right.
Before another exchange could be made between the two male wolves, Leah came bounding through the trees; her fur flying everywhere in the wind. Halting abruptly, she panted with the effort it had taken her to run and her voice instantly filled Paul and Embry's heads.
Paul, go now.
Why are you here? What's going on?
Jesus, stop asking questions. You need to get to Jake's house right now.
As if by magic, an image of Lydia blew up inside of Paul's mind. Without a doubt he knew that this was a memory that belonged to Leah. There she was, his imprint, unconscious on the floor in the room where he had left her less than an hour ago. Not having to be told twice, Paul commanded his body to return to its human form and half ran through the trees as he attempted to pull on his denim cut offs. He had just reached the edge of the forest when he saw Sam leaving the Black household. Racing forward and meeting his alpha in less than a minute, he instantly began bombarding the older man with questions.
"Is she okay? What happened? She was fine when I left her!"
"Paul, calm down!" Sam demanded, clutching his fellow pack member by the shoulders. "Lydia's fine… physically speaking."
"Physically speaking? What the fuck does that mean?"
Scratching his head, Sam wondered where to begin. He had limited answers and he was certain they would not sate Paul's anger or curiosity.
"She collapsed. Rachel called Billy and he raised the alarm. They've had a doctor out and she seems okay. Probably just fainting brought on by low blood sugar."
"But? I can sense a 'but' here. Leah was practically rabid when I saw her."
"But… it seems she has some unexplained memory loss."
Running past Sam, Paul bounded up the steps and through the still open front door to the home Lydia lived in. He did not bid hello to anyone; forgoing any pleasantries as he spied his imprint sat up and talking in a low hush with both of her siblings. Prevented from going any further by the appearance of Billy, he stopped only out of sheer respect for the elder man but did not attempt to hide his disdain.
"You can't see her."
"What? She's my imprint, Billy!"
"And she's my daughter." he counter argued, concerned about the effect seeing Paul would have on his youngest daughter. "I have to put her welfare first."
"I'm not going to hurt her if that's what you think."
"I don't think that… but she's very confused right now and seeing you will only make things worse for the both of you."
"What are you-"
Lydia called out. It had taken her a minute to realise that Paul had entered the room and the second she had done so he pulse had begun to quicken and her breathing halted. The only breath she let out was the one that formed the syllable of his name. She wondered if he could tell how much he affected her.
Making to bypass Billy, Paul was stopped by the man's hand on his arm and he listened as he stared intently at Lydia who had now stood from her seat and was heading towards him.
"She doesn't know about the Pack." Billy rushed and flinching when he saw how Paul's features had contorted into a mask of surprise and pain.
"She doesn't know about the imprint?"
"No."
The two men fell quiet as Lydia met them. Still reeling from the sudden and unexpected revelation, Paul studied Lydia's face - a face he had spent three years hating and the past week lusting after - and sucked in a breath when he realised she looked happy to see him. It was a complete novelty to him. In moments of privacy he had seen Lydia smile but that dazzling, heart-stopping smile had never been directed at him. Yet there she stood, brown eyes glowing with affection and a smile so wide that he physically struggled to catch his breath.
"I'm sorry for fighting this morning."
"Uh…"
Raising a hand, Lydia cupped Paul's cheek and stood on her tip toes. He was so tall that it was still somewhat difficult for her to reach him as she placed a chaste kiss to his soft, pink lips. Pulling away, her concern rose as the man in her embrace still not respond. Whipping her head around, she noticed that everyone in the room had fallen silent and anxiety began to gnaw away at her in the pit of her stomach.
Stealing his daughter's attention away, Billy approached her with caution and let his words come out slowly.
"Lydia, who is Paul to you?"
Puzzled by such a strange question, the young woman took a long moment to answer but did so with unwavering confidence in her reply.
"He's my boyfriend, Dad."
So what do you think? Reactions? What do you think/want to happen next? :)
