Chapter 9- Reflection
Jared left Bella's house fuming under Sam's order. He really hated the way the older wolf sometimes treated him like a child. He was two months older than Paul, but he was coddled and patronized in a way the volatile wolf never was.
As he drew closer to his house, he sighed with guilt. He knew the biggest difference between he and Paul were their home lives. Where Jared had a loving, attentive family, Paul had a missing mother and an absentee father. Of course Paul grew up faster.
Slipping on his shorts, he sniffed the air behind his house appreciatively. His mom was making meatloaf—his favorite! Bracing himself for the lecture that was surely coming, he wiped his feet on the mat and stepped silently through the back door.
"Jared? Is that you? Don't be tracking mud in this house, and you better have a shirt on before you come in this kitchen!" He couldn't hold back his grin at his mother's familiar admonishments, and he hastily scraped his feet once more before tiptoeing into the house.
"Yes ma'am!" he called as he stepped carefully back to his bedroom. He was loath to wash off Bella's scent, but he knew he was a little dirtier than usual after his furious sprint through the forest.
Thoughts of his girl filled his mind as he soaped up his body under the lukewarm water. He remembered the soft feel of her lips, how she kissed him hesitantly at first, then with more fervor. He could imagine how her breasts felt pressed against him, and he reached down to stroke himself as her flushed face danced behind his closed eyelids.
In his mind, his own rough hand became smaller, softer, and he bit his lip to suppress his groan as the heat built up quickly. He braced his other arm against the shower wall, holding himself up as waves of pleasure crashed through him, and her name was a whispered prayer as his seed spilled into the drain. "Bella."
He turned off the water and dressed quickly, grateful to find a clean pile of laundry waiting for him on his neatly-made bed. Another pang of guilt hit him as he thought about the relative squalor of Paul's tiny cabin. He hated fighting with his friend and hoped they could patch things up quickly.
His family was already seated when he finally made his way to the table, but he leaned over to give his mother a kiss on the cheek before sitting at his usual spot. "Smells great, Mom!"
His mother's smile was strained. She loved her son, but she wasn't happy about his association with Sam Uley and Paul Lahote. She didn't buy the elders' assurances that the boys were doing tribal things, and not gang-related activities.
She watched her son tuck into the meal with gusto, noticing that he had a constant smile on his face as he chewed. He was gazing out the window finishing off the last of the pie when she finally decided to speak up. "Jared?"
He was startled from his daydreams and looked up to meet his mother's bemused smile. "Yes ma'am?"
"Is there anything you want to talk about, Jared? You seem awfully distracted tonight," she asked.
He felt his ears heat with embarrassment. Could he tell her? His wolf wanted to howl to the whole world. "Well, Mom, I met this girl yesterday..."
