Pairing: Jacob/Bella
Rating: M
Chapter Summary: Bella discovers something new while Jacob has the best twenty-four hours of his life thus far.
Disclaimer: Characters, world etc. does not belong to me- I am merely playing in the sandbox. The opinions expressed in this story do not necessarily represent the opinions of the Quileute Nation. Meyer wrote about a fictional tribe and put their name to it, so in writing this story I have had to do the same.
Thank Yous: I have had several beta readers throughout this story. People who helped me on this chapter were- Confettirainfall and thejmeyer.
Chapter Nine: Petite Mort
Jacob's house was eerily dark and quiet. He fumbled for the light switch in the living room just as Bella almost fell into him, tripping up on something in the hall. She swiftly came to the conclusion that it had been her own feet.
"You want a drink?" Jacob offered as Bella sat down on the loveseat, his jacket still slung over her shoulders.
"Sure, what have you got?"
He went into the kitchen. "Umm, milk, soda, water and coffee— instant," he called, his head in the fridge. He sniffed at the milk and recoiled. "Forget the milk. And the coffee, unless you like it black," he said, dropping the carton in the trash.
She settled on a soda, and Jacob brought it to her in a clean, tall glass.
"Hey, I'm pulling out all the stops tonight, remember?" he said with a grin, seeing Bella's vaguely surprised expression. She took the glass with a thank you as Jacob sat next to her on the small loveseat.
"Oh, almost forgot," he said, getting up again and fiddling with the nearby stereo. He picked up a channel playing something reasonably slow and contemporary, turning the volume low before sitting back down next to her. He raised his glass.
"To us?" he offered before grimacing. "Sorry, that was so cheesy."
"To us," Bella agreed clinking her glass gently against his.
She sipped at her drink before scanning Jacob's face carefully. "Are you okay?" she asked.
"Huh?"
"Did you get hurt?"
"Me? Nah, but I think I'll wind up with a few bruises tomorrow," Jacob admitted before taking a gulp of soda. He scrutinised her carefully. "Are you okay?" he asked, tucking his finger under her chin and tilting her face up to his.
"Huh?"
"Did you get hurt? He was… I still can't believe he said—"
"I'm fine," Bella insisted, leaning against the back of the loveseat and taking his hand in hers. She smiled uneasily. "I had a brave, strong man in my corner, right?" she said; half teasing, half questioning. Wondering just how he would react.
Jacob smiled but winced a little. "You know, I've not gotten into that many fights in my life."
"I can believe that," Bella replied. "It's something I like about you."
"Good," Jacob said, clearly relieved. "I don't want to be that guy who cracks his knuckles every time someone looks at you funny. It was just… that was too much." He affectionately squeezed her hand in both of his. "I really love you, Bella, and I guess I kind of want to protect you. I just don't want to be a dick about it, either."
"Jake, it's okay," Bella said. "I'll admit I was freaked out when you went all 'Hulk' on Paul." She sighed heavily. "But then Leah told me what he said. Is it wrong that I'm kind of pleased you broke his nose?"
Jacob sniggered. "Probably, but it's not as wrong as actually doing it, right?"
"So, I guess we're both in the wrong," Bella replied. "That's good. I like the equality we have in our relationship."
Jacob nodded, stood up and offered his hand. "May I have this dance?" he asked.
Bella grinned, and glanced towards the stereo. A very different song was playing compared to the previous one. "Seriously? To 'Rock You Like a Hurricane'?" she asked.
Jacob shrugged. "To be honest, I wasn't paying that much attention to the music."
Bella took his outstretched hand and stood up, stepping close to him and swaying as best she could to music that in no way fitted how they were trying to dance, intimate and tenderly, her small hand in his large one, her other hand gripping onto his shoulder. Jacob's other hand found its way to the small of her back, his fingers stroking the bare skin, tucking under the criss-crossing ribbon there.
Gently, he let go of her hand and trailed his fingertips along her arm, making her skin tingle deliciously before he cupped her face and leant in to kiss her, no words, just action. Bella let her free hand reach for his back and pulled herself as close to him as she could get, savouring his deepening kisses, the way he tasted on her lips, the groan of pleasure he made inside her mouth as her hand slid down and toyed with grabbing his butt.
Suddenly, as though a floodgate had just been opened, Jacob's hand slipped right down to her butt from the small of her back, and he squeezed her gently, pulling her closer, just as the hand at the back of her neck slid over her shoulder, down to her breasts. He soon gave up on that and pressed it to her back instead, crushing her against him.
"Bella," he murmured as his lips left hers and started to blaze a trail along her neck.
She heard herself sigh longingly as he nipped at a particularly sensitive patch of skin. Without thinking, she dug her nails into his left buttock.
Jacob pulled away, cradling her face in both his hands. He was pink-cheeked; his eyes glittered, but his expression was deeply serious.
"I want to make love to you, Bella." He said this so quickly that Bella had to get him to repeat it.
"I want to make love to you, Bells," he whispered carefully, his eyes on hers. "I want to undress you, touch you… everywhere. I want you to—"
He broke off and averted his eyes as though he had done something terrible by saying too much. Bella pressed her hand to his jaw, tilting his head up slightly and forcing him to look at her.
"I want you to," she whispered back, smiling. "I mean, we've got this whole house to ourselves; you're looking particularly hot in formal wear…" She trailed off, feeling blood rush to her cheeks.
Still cradling her face, Jacob pressed a delicate kiss to her lips.
"Give me five minutes," he said before rushing out of the living room.
"Why? What are you doing?" Bella called after him.
"Making my room a Bella-friendly zone," he shouted back as Bella heard dull, heavy scraping and clanking. More odd noises emanated from along the hallway while Bella paced across the living room, suddenly feeling a little nervous. She knew she wanted this; her body sang with it, and her head kept whispering, "Why haven't we done this sooner, Isabella Marie Swan?" because it used her full name when it chided her.
"Are you sure about this?" it also probed. "You know he won't think any less of you if you don't… but he might do if you go all the way."
"No, he won't," another part of her brain argued. "He loves her. He said so. Were you even there?"
"Of course I was there, idiot. But guys will say anything to get into a girl's panties… and brag about it afterwards."
"Please, Jake isn't like that, and you know it."
"Has he got condoms? Because I know she doesn't."
"Quil and Embry wondered where part of their sex ed stash had gone? Have you forgotten him talking about his trip to the drug store that took him on a two hour drive so he could buy them anonymously? Anyway, she's on the Pill!"
"You know no contraception is one hundred percent effective."
"Yes, but plenty of people have protected sex all over the world, all the time, and they don't all get pregnant. It's got to work enough. Anyway, have you been paying attention for the past seven months? He's gorgeous! Are you honestly telling me you don't want to see him naked, touch all that unexplored skin, feel him inside—"
"Of course I don't. How dare you!"
"Liar." That particular voice was somewhat triumphant.
Jacob rushed into the living room, looking pink with exertion.
"Nearly ready, honey," he said, squeezing her hand. He stopped suddenly and looked at her with concern. "You okay?" he asked, stroking her face tenderly.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Bella replied, avoiding his gaze in the hope that her sudden attack of nerves wouldn't show.
Jacob smiled kindly at her. "Liar."
"Okay, okay," she conceded. "It's just… I don't know what I'm doing. I don't know if I'll change my mind—"
Jacob took one on her hands in his and cupped her face with the other. "You can back out at any time, right? Any time at all. Even if we're, you know, doing it already. Jacob Black's own special contract, in triplicate, signed in my own blood." He laughed gently. "I'm not saying it'll be easy once we're—"
"I know," Bella replied. "I want this, really." She looked at the floor. "I guess I just want to know where the emergency exits are."
Jacob grinned sheepishly. "Okay. In case of emergency, punching my balls generally makes me stop everything."
Bella rolled her eyes. "Well thanks, Jake. I'll be sure to bear that in mind."
Jacob kissed her lips gently but with some heat. "You know I love you," he said. "So, this means something to me. This means a lot to me, actually, so I want you to be happy."
Bella could only nod as what little doubts she had melted away.
"Alright," the tiny reluctant part of her brain huffed. "You've convinced me."
Jacob kissed her again, smiled and dashed to the kitchen, returning with three lanterns and some tea lights.
"What are they for?" Bella asked.
"I've been doing my homework," he said, blushing. "Candles are supposed to be good for setting the mood and all that. But being a household of guys, this is the best I can do."
"Homework?" Bella called, but Jacob had already ducked out of the room; the cacophony of clattering suggesting he was still hard at work. She took out her cell phone from the clutch bag she had discarded on the coffee table and dialled.
"Chief Swan," Charlie grunted down the phone.
"Hi, Dad."
"Hey, Bells. How was prom?"
"Good, thanks."
"Really? Wow, bet you weren't expecting that."
Bella laughed. "No, I wasn't. Listen, would it be okay if I stayed round Jake's tonight? I'm pretty beat, and Billy doesn't mind." She omitted the "because he doesn't know," part.
"No problem, kiddo. Is he there?"
Bella panicked. "Erm, he's kind of gone to bed," she lied. "I could get Jake to wake him—"
"Don't worry about it," Charlie replied; Bella could hear him stifle a yawn. "I'll see you in the morning."
"Night, Dad."
Just as she ended the call, Jacob bolted back into the living room, hovering next to Bella.
"You… You ready?" he asked nervously.
Bella took his hand. "Definitely," she replied, letting him lead her along the hall to his bedroom. She noticed, with some surprise, a small wooden bed frame leaning against the hallway.
"Jake?"
"I didn't think it was big enough for the both of us," he explained, gesturing for her to enter his room first.
The curtains were drawn, for Bella knew Jacob's bedroom overlooked public land. The lanterns were set up around the room with tea lights inside, throwing light against the walls that flickered softly and enhanced shadows. He had taken down all his posters that had girls anywhere on them. On the floor was what looked like a very low double bed, but Bella swiftly recognised it to be two mattresses wrapped in bed sheets with a large cottony quilt and pillows.
She felt Jacob lift her hand and bring it to his lips. "Shall I… should I shut the door?" he asked.
"Yeah, I guess so."
She heard the door shut quietly and turned to see Jacob carefully turning the handle as though any loud noise would result in chaos.
He stood there against the door for a moment before stepping tentatively towards her, hastily kicking some magazines towards the closet but not before Bella had seen the titles: 'Cosmopolitan', 'Marie Claire', 'Men's Health'.
So that's what he had meant by doing his homework. The boy had gathered every sexual advice article from the last five years, and Bella began to wonder what she was getting herself into.
"You look really beautiful," he said quietly, reaching for her hair pins. "Can I undo it?" he asked. Bella nodded, feeling as though she was holding her breath as he took out pin after pin, letting her hair cascade over her shoulders and down her back. He watched her, entranced, before dropping the pins onto his dresser and running his fingers through her hair, kissing her hairline near the temple.
He flinched suddenly, grimacing. "Ew, I ate hairspray!" he said, running his tongue over his teeth in an attempt to get rid of the taste.
Bella burst out laughing. "Sorry, Jake. It had to stay up there somehow, right?"
Jacob started laughing too. It seemed to break the tension somehow as once they had calmed down, he reached in to kiss her, deep and probingly, hands fluttering through her hair, on her back, touching her arms. It was careful and tender, just as Bella's gentle caresses across Jacob's back and neck were. He carefully unhooked her necklace, the one he had made her as a birthday present, and placed it on the dresser, resuming his exploration of her almost instantaneously.
"I… I want… I'd like to take that dress off you," Jacob managed to stammer out, between kisses, as they pressed against each other.
"I'd like you to take this dress off me," Bella insisted. "It's getting really hot in here."
She could feel him harden against her just as he reached behind her back and started to pull at the bow.
"It's a double knot," Bella warned him. He nodded and started to pull at bits of the ribbon with his fingers.
"Damn, who did this up, your dad?" he grunted. "It was definitely someone who didn't want me to get into it."
He stepped behind her and knelt down, using a combination of his teeth and fingers to prise the knot undone. Bella felt the bodice start to slacken around her as he deftly loosened the criss-crossing ribbon.
"Wow, it's like I'm unwrapping a present or something," he said, pulling down at it.
"There's a zipper at the back, too," Bella advised when she felt the fabric around her hips lodge.
"Oh. I see. Thanks," he replied, and Bella heard the scratching of metal against metal just as she felt the dress slip down her body. Instinctively, she grabbed it and held it around herself as Jacob got to his feet and stood in front of her.
"Bella," he whispered, reaching for her hands. "I want to see you."
Too nervous to do the job herself, she let Jacob take her hands away, and the dress fell to the floor, pooling around her feet. He stepped back momentarily, and Bella could feel him looking her up and down, drinking her in.
"Oh, wow," he breathed. "Wow." His hand reached to tuck her hair over her shoulder, trailing so gently down over the hollow of her throat, between her breasts and to her stomach that she barely felt it.
But she felt it. Her body ached for more.
"You're so, so gorgeous," he whispered into her ear as he pulled her close to him. "And I'm so, so scared right now." He managed a nervous laugh at this.
"Scared? Why?" she asked, pressing her hand to his cheek. He held it there, looking deeply into her eyes.
"I don't want to disappoint you, Bella," he said, glancing away. "This is my first time, and I've been waiting for this, you know? I want to be good for you. So, I told you I did my homework, and it was mainly through my sister's old copies of... well, nothing at all to do with the stuff I tried to hide under the closet." He took a deep breath. "And it's all about G-spots and P-spots and multiple orgasms and blended orgasms and… and I could die happy right this second just because you're standing in front of me almost naked, you know?"
Bella pressed a kiss to his throat. "It's my first time. too," she replied. "I'm nervous. But as long as it's with you, I'm happy as well, okay?"
He hugged her tightly, and Bella felt hyper aware of the cotton of his shirt, the silk of his cummerbund, against her bare skin.
"See, this is why I love you so much," he said, kissing the top of her head and presumably avoiding any hairspray.
She smiled and ran her hands over his shirt. "Now we appear to have a problem," she said.
"Hmm?" Jacob looked at her, tickling her nose with his.
"Well, I'm standing here in my panties and stockings—"
"And heels. Don't forget the heels," Jacob added breathlessly. She smiled wickedly at his reaction.
"Right, but you've got far too many clothes on. You should be taking them off," she pointed out, untying his bow tie and sliding it away from his collar, tossing it onto the dresser. "Or, I should be taking them off," she added as her fingers worked at the buttons on his shirt.
"Maybe both of us could work on that," Jacob suggested, hastily undoing his cummerbund and throwing it over his shoulder. By the time Bella had got his shirt off and it lay on the floor with her dress, he stopped her.
"Hold on, Bells," he said. "I'd better sort out the sneakers and socks before they ruin everything."
Bella sat down on the makeshift bed, rolled onto her front and propped herself up on her elbows, watching as he bent down, untying his shoelaces and kicking off one sneaker, then another. He pulled his socks off quickly and stuffed them into the shoes before standing up to his full height and staring at her, leaning against the wall.
"What?" Bella asked, feeling a little embarrassed. Jacob smiled so widely she thought it might stretch past his face.
"You look like the best pin-up I've ever seen," he enthused. "I'm taking a memory picture of you."
"A memory picture?"
"Yeah. I wouldn't ask you for a real one; not that you couldn't trust me with it, but I'm kind of worried it could fall into the wrong hands, given how many people are round here sometimes. So, I'm taking a memory picture. I'm memorising every single tiny detail I can about you lying there, your hair over your boobs, the way your legs are kicking up in the air, your smile, your blush."
She could practically feel his eyes rake over her slowly, deliberately. It felt surprisingly good.
"And who told you to stop undressing?" Bella teased. "It sure as hell wasn't me."
"I'm glad to hear it," he said, his eyes still on her as he unzipped his pants and slid them down his legs, leaving them in the pile of formal wear on the floor.
"Everything, honey?" he queried, smiling.
Bella nodded slowly and bit her lip. "Everything," she reiterated.
"Damn, you're so sexy when you do that," he whispered, pulling his black boxer briefs off, exposing himself fully.
"I like what I'm seeing," she said encouragingly, pulling herself to a kneeling position as he crouched down to clamber onto the bed with her. It was no word of a lie, he was firm and muscular as she had expected, but he looked tactile, his skin was smooth and relatively hairless except for the more intimate areas, and although the hanging scrotum and rigid cock that seemed to follow her around like the eyes of a painting was going to take some getting used to, it was by no means a bad thing.
He knelt beside her and brushed her hair behind her shoulders, exposing her breasts, before leaning in to kiss her, his hands caressing every bit of flesh they could find. Bella undid the leather tie holding his hair in a ponytail, and his hair splayed over his back. She let her hands wander over his chest, around his back, across his shoulders, just enjoying the moment. She ducked her head and started kissing him all over, his breathless panting and fingers threading affectionately through her hair a good indicator that he enjoyed her meanderings.
"Hmm, it seems you're less naked than me now," Jacob mused after a while.
"So I am."
"We can't have that."
"Can't we?" Bella teased him by pulling suggestively at the hip band of her panties but shrieked with surprise and amusement when Jacob grabbed her by the waist and flipped her onto her back.
"No," he said, hitching her leg across his chest so her foot was pointing to the ceiling. She giggled uncontrollably as he unbuckled the strap of her heels, slipping the shoe off her and letting it drop to the floor.
Bella squealed and squirmed as he ran his thumb up and down the arch of her foot, unable to suppress her giggles.
"So, I'm not the only ticklish one, huh?" he mused playfully before tilting his head down and sucking her toes firmly, causing her to shudder and curl her toes involuntarily.
Then came the kisses, his lips stroking against the ball of her foot, the arch, her ankle, her calf, the crook of her knee, the inside of her thigh, stopping where the top of the thigh-high met flesh. All the while, his eyes hardly left hers.
He tucked the fingers of one hand under the top of her thigh-high and tugged at the toe end with the other, slowly peeling the nylon away before letting it fall out of his hand and onto the floor. His hand trailed down her leg back to her foot, before he let it slip back down to the bed, and he lifted her other leg, repeating the action unhurriedly. It drove Bella crazy.
"Stop teasing me," she moaned as her other thigh-high dropped to the floor. Jacob leant forward and kissed her hungrily on the lips.
"But, a horny Bella is my most favourite thing in the world," he protested, hands at her panties, sliding them off as she twisted her hips to make it easier. She felt herself blush as he took in her naked body, his hand stroking her face, then her belly.
"Jake…"
He kissed her lips, her neck, started lavishing attention on her breasts. She writhed on the bed as he ran his tongue around her nipples, sucked them and then blew cold air onto them as they glistened.
"Jake, please—"
"Say it, honey," he urged, his lips against her belly now. "I want you to say it. I love it when you tell me—"
"Make love to me right now," she demanded, surprised at the forcefulness in her voice.
His sinful smile made her stomach flip.
"Hold on, Bells," he said, getting up and fumbling in the bottom drawer of his dresser, unwrapping a condom as he knelt back onto the bed. Once the packaging was off, he examined it carefully.
"Okay, this looks the right way around—"
"Here, let me help," Bella offered, crawling onto her knees on the bed in front of him, feeling her thighs slick against each other.
"I'm pinching the tip," he said, holding the sheath in place. Silently, Bella rolled it down the shaft to the base.
"That feels pretty secure," she said. "I think."
"Yeah, I think we're good to go." Jacob looked down at himself and laughed. "And I think I just killed the mood."
"No, you didn't," Bella breathed, snaking her hand around the back of his neck, tangling in his hair, kissing him as he held her and lowered her down onto the bed. She let her legs splay out as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
Jacob stopped suddenly, his hand resting on her thigh and his expression displaying mild bewilderment.
"Can you help me out here, honey?" he asked awkwardly. "I need to, you know, guide it in."
They both looked at each other and laughed, partly through enjoyment, partly through sheer terror. Then, in an action Bella couldn't quite believe she was doing in front of another person, she slid her hand between her legs and exposed more of herself than she had previously thought possible. Jacob's fingers brushed against her as he gingerly pushed inside her. She grabbed the quilt with her free hand as the sensation washed over her, then winced with discomfort. Jacob froze, as though he were playing musical statues and someone had hit the pause button.
"Honey? Oh, God. Are you okay?" Jacob whispered, his hand stroking her hair, his expression one of horror.
"Yeah, it just… It's kind of supposed to hurt the first time, I think."
"That can't be true, otherwise nobody would keep doing it," Jacob insisted. "Do you want to…? I'll try again."
He carefully pulled back, then went again more slowly. She hissed again as it stung her slightly, and he stopped dead.
"Bella, I'm so sorry!"
"Maybe it's the going slow?" she suggested, taking a deep breath. "Maybe you should just, you know, go for it."
"You sure? I don't want to hurt you."
"I'm a big girl, Jake. I can take it."
"That sounded like the worst exploitation porno ever—"
"I trust you, Jake. I know you'll stop if it doesn't work."
"Do you want me to, I don't know, count you in? Or should I go without warning you? Like ripping off a plaster?"
"On three, yeah?"
"Sure."
"One… Two… Three!"
Bella yelped in pain as he thrust deeply. He stopped, propping himself steady on his arms.
"Shit! Bells?" He withdrew instantly and looked scared.
"It's okay, Jake."
They looked at each other and managed to share a comforting smile.
"Do you want me to stop?" Jacob suggested.
Bella shook her head. "No. Damn it, everyone else in the world has sex!" she insisted, pouting like a child who had been denied an ice-cream.
Jacob took one look at her and burst out laughing. Bella found herself giggling at him in turn.
"Maybe we should try a different angle?" Jacob suggested once they had calmed themselves. "Try lifting your hips a bit."
Bella complied, and Jacob took one of the pillows and placed it under the small of her back.
"Lean back, honey," he whispered, as she sank into the soft pillow. He didn't tell her he was going to try again; he just slowly slid inside her.
This time, Bella was sure that was how it should feel. Like the funny lurching feeling in your stomach when the roller coaster makes a sudden drop, only deeper and hotter, an itch tantalisingly close to being scratched. She moaned with pleasure.
"That working for you, huh?" Jacob panted, his forehead etched with the creases of intense concentration.
"Uh huh," Bella managed to gasp as she bucked her hips to meet his thrusts, their lips meeting messily as they tried to synchronise rhythm and kiss at the same time, sharing giggles when they slipped up.
She gripped onto his back, feeling his weight press against her comfortingly and his hair tickling against her while he whispered formless words against her skin. Her glance wavered from his face, the flickering shadows intensifying everything about him, towards the mirror on his dresser. She could see their movements, the speed and force increasing every second, his buttocks clenching as she grabbed roughly, inexpertly, at them with one hand.
"Bella…"
Her eyes shot back to his; her stomach flip-flopped at the way his eyes glittered in the dim light, but she barely noticed as the friction started to build, every movement more intense as she began to slowly melt from the inside out.
Suddenly, Jacob groaned and came to a stop, his hips trembling. Bella recognised the look on his face; she had seen it before in the back of his Rabbit.
"Damn it! Sorry, Bells," he murmured, resting his head against the crook of her shoulder. "I'm so sorry. I tried really hard not to, but…" He trailed off, tentatively raising his head to look at her, his expression a mixture of shame and guilt.
"It's okay, baby," Bella reassured him, cradling his head in her hands. "It was good. It felt really good."
He kissed her gently, traced his finger along her nose tenderly. "I wanted it to be more than good for you, honey," he admitted.
She kissed him, doing her best to ignore the want she felt deep in her bones, when he smiled against her lips.
"We could try again, later," he offered, sitting up, his hands loosely holding hers. "I'm usually, you know, ready again pretty quickly."
"Sure, babe," she replied languidly, letting him trail his fingers up her arm and over the damp skin of her collar bone, as she reached out to stroke his hair from his face. He looked her up and down, her legs still spread wide and the kernel of an idea seemed to form, judging by the triumphant grin creeping across his face.
"Of course," he said huskily, "I'll have to keep you occupied until then."
Pressing heated kisses along her body, down to her belly, Bella stroked his hair, holding him tightly and drinking in the intimacy until she realised, in shock, he was right between her legs, his hands holding her thighs steady.
"Jake, what are you doing?" she asked, sitting up suddenly.
"Lie back down, honey," he said soothingly. "Let me take good care of you."
She flopped back against the bed, covering her face with her hand as she giggled nervously. "I can't believe you're just staring at my… bits," she exclaimed, squeezing her eyes shut for a moment.
Jacob looked up and beamed. "They're lovely," he insisted. "I like staring at them."
"Jake! You know that's really weird-"
Then Bella felt his lips, his tongue, teasing against her, and she thought she might just die on the spot, aching for more when he pulled away.
"Was that-?"
"Oh, God, don't you dare stop!" she moaned, fisting his hair in her hands.
She heard him chuckle as he caressed the insides of her thighs with his thumbs. "Thank you, 'Cosmo'," he enthused before returning to his original task with gusto, driving Bella out of her mind as the ecstasy started to build deep down inside her. She involuntarily ground her hips against him, hazily wondering why the centre of the universe had suddenly positioned itself between her legs as she slipped them over his shoulders. He grinned at that, and she felt it; she felt every tiny thing he did against her.
Suddenly, he pulled away, and Bella heard herself moan, a two-syllable noise of disappointment.
"I'm here, honey. I'm here. I'm just going to try something," he soothed, brushing his thumb against her in those familiar delicate circles while leaning over and grabbing another condom. Her fingers slipped out of his hair, and she ended up sliding her hands against the covers, feeling the fabric against her skin. She watched through half-closed eyes as Jacob tried to get the packaging open with one hand. Wordlessly, she propped herself up a little on one arm, a little sigh of pleasure escaping her lips as she shifted position against his ceaseless touch, offering her trembling free hand in assistance.
Between them, they guided each other together again, Bella sinking into the feeling as Jacob leant forward and pressed a messy, odd tasting kiss to her lips.
"Is this good, honey? It seems like it is—"
"Oh, yes. Oh God yes!" Bella hooked her right leg around his hip, pulling him closer, the other slipping off the bed, her hands busy roaming every square inch of Jacob's bare flesh she could find, fisting his hair. He moved his hand from his endless circling, lifted her leg back up.
"Jake!"
"It's okay, honey, I'm back," he gasped, moving his hand back to that familiar rhythm of increasing intensity while they thrust together, messily, asynchronously, then matching pace, matching each other.
"Honey," he panted loudly, over and over. "Honey, you're amazing…"
When it happened, Bella screamed, actually screamed words she couldn't recall and didn't care about as her whole nervous system, after coiling up and coiling up, seemingly snapped, spiralling out into loose threads she didn't want to pull back together. Not yet.
She pulled his hand away from her, unable to take the pressure of his circling thumb anymore, and interlaced her fingers with his, the slickness of her body sticky against her hand as he pressed it gently against the bed. They kept crushing together in the midst of her afterglow, her body slow burning from the sensation until, shuddering and with a primal moan, he collapsed onto her.
He held her, she held him, wrapped tightly in each other's arms, quivering against each other.
"Wow," Jacob managed after gazing into her eyes for forever. "Wow."
"Yeah," Bella replied, which took her the kind of effort debating health care might have. Her hands caressed his back, damp with sweat, just as he brushed her wet hair away from her face with his hand.
"That was…" Jacob laughed. "I'm shaking!"
"Me too," she replied, giggling as he disengaged and discarded the second condom of the evening before lying on the bed with her, side to side and facing each other. Without a word, he pulled her into his arms, and the two lay with their noses pressed delicately against each other, sharing weary butterfly kisses.
Jacob grinned against her lips.
"You're really loud."
"Huh?"
"You sort of screamed back there."
Bella giggled, feeling herself blush. "Sorry."
"Don't be sorry, honey. I like it. It's cool. It's more than cool; it's awesome. Totally awesome." He paused thoughtfully. "It's probably good I don't have neighbours that close. We'd have some awkward questions tomorrow."
She jabbed at his arm, unable to process any sort of witty retort. He propped himself up on his elbow and looked at her, an expression of pure joy on his face as though he were seeing her anew.
"You want to get under the covers, honey?" he asked.
"Sounds good. I'm sleepy."
"Me too. You wore me out." Another kiss, fingers threading through her hair, before they found the energy to lift themselves enough to yank the quilt and sheets down past their feet and over themselves.
"Talk to me, Jake," Bella said, snuggling up against his chest as he lay on his back, wrapping his arms around her.
"Sure," he replied, pressing a kiss to her head. "About what?"
"Anything."
"Okay. I love you."
"I love you, too."
"That was amazing."
"Sure was."
"We need to make my dad spend more nights bonding with the Makah chief?"
"I concur."
They lay against each other in comfortable silence.
"I'm all sticky," Bella yawned out.
"I love you sticky," Jacob replied, stroking his fingers across her damp skin. He paused. "I love you. Did I say that already?"
"Yeah, but it never hurts to say it again."
"I love you." He traced his thumb and forefinger around Bella's wrist, fingering the promise bracelet there.
"I guess tonight didn't go too bad, huh?"
"I'd say you more than kept your promise, Jacob Black. This is the absolutely the best night of my life." She put her arm around him and kissed the part of his chest next to her lips before languidly running her hand up and down his body.
"Christ, Jake!" Her hand had strayed close enough to his thighs to notice he was starting to get hard. Again. "You're like the Duracell bunny!"
"Relax, Bells. I think I'd start to wear it out." He grinned. "At least give me half an hour."
She smacked his stomach lightly with the palm of her hand.
"Wow. All that stamina. The pros of dating a younger guy, huh?"
"Well, why wouldn't I want to continually worship at the altar of Goddess Bella?" His hand rested against her head, played with her hair.
"Hmm. Good point. Well made."
They didn't say much more. Bella felt herself drift off to sleep in his arms, and didn't try to fight it.
Bella woke up, the sun streaming in through the window. She wondered why it was open when Jacob had specifically closed the curtains last night to prevent anybody wandering past the window from looking in. Then she remembered waking up early in the morning, feeling Jacob's gentle, languid kisses against her back and neck as he cuddled her from behind. She remembered her desire to see the sunrise and his assurance that nobody would be walking past at four in the morning. Then she remembered her thrusting a condom at him as he laughed, admiringly calling her insatiable, before they languidly made love in the spooning position, which had been a lot more clumsy than when people did it in the movies.
Blearily, she groped at the space by her side, where she felt a warm patch but no Jacob. She briefly wondered where he was until she heard clattering coming from the kitchen.
Sitting up, she noticed their formal wear hanging up on Jacob's closet, her dress neatly laced up again. Jacob's shirt was on the bed. Bella noticed there was a note pressed to it.
Morning, honey. Am making breakfast for us, left this in case you wanted to use the bathroom without getting too cold- x
Bella couldn't help but smile and pulled herself out of the warm, comfortable bed. She slipped the long shirt over her slender frame and buttoned it up; it hung down past her thighs. It smelt of him: shower gel, shampoo, antiperspirant and whatever quirks of biology made him. She lifted the fabric to her face, inhaled and hugged his shirt to her, basking in just being surrounded by him and…
When the hell did she get this soppy?
It didn't matter. With a happy sigh, Bella padded out of Jacob's bedroom and into the bathroom.
Washing her hands, Bella peered at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. Did she look different? Did she feel different? She felt exhausted, in the best possible way, and she couldn't wipe the smile off her face however hard she tried. Her hair was a mess, she was sweaty, but her eyes sparkled and the low-grade ache between her legs felt oddly good.
Bella leant against the basin and stifled a joyful giggle, stamping her feet in an effort to stop herself from opening the door and skipping to Jacob in the kitchen.
Then she realised there was no need to stop herself and undid the latch, practically dancing to the kitchen towards the smell of frying bacon, towards Jacob's half-naked form, jeans slung low as he frowned in concentration at a frying pan, poking it with a spatula.
"Morning, lover," she crooned, slipping her arms around his waist and standing on her tiptoes so she could press her face against his shoulder. Jacob all but dropped the pan in his rush to gather her up in his arms.
"Morning, honey," he whispered into her hair, pressing kisses to her cheeks and lips.
"What's for breakfast?" she asked. Jacob let go of her momentarily to turn down the heat, put the bacon on plates and pour in some beaten egg.
"Bacon, scrambled eggs and toast," he declared with a smile. "Hope you're hungry. I kind of went overboard."
"I'm starving," she replied. "Somehow, all my energy reserves seem to have vanished." The smile painted across her face when she said this was loaded with meaning.
"We'll soon fix that," Jacob replied. "It was all kinds of fun using them up." He gestured for her to sit down at the small breakfast table, where he had put a flower in a tall glass of water and the morning's mail.
"Do you want some water, babe?" she asked, grabbing two tumblers from a nearby cupboard.
"Thanks, honey."
Bella poured them both water and set the tumblers on the table, sitting down just as Jacob placed a plate laden with food in front of her, followed by cutlery.
"Wow, all that and my toy-boy cooks me breakfast?" she teased.
Jacob set his own plate down and kissed her full on the lips. "Hey, nothing but the best for my favourite cougar," he joked back, sitting down.
She interlaced her fingers between his. "Promise you won't rat me out to Daddy?"
He kissed her again, raised an eyebrow. "Well, that all depends on what you can do to persuade me."
Bella reached forward and tugged at his hair, wrapping it around her fingers.
"Since when did you get so full of yourself?"
"Since you begged to be my sex slave last night," he answered without missing a beat.
Bella let go of his hair and his hand but kissed the latter before doing so. "When did I do that?"
"This morning. You talk in your sleep, you know."
Bella felt herself blush. "Oh. That."
Jacob grinned at her. "It's cute. You said, 'Oh Jacob, my Jacob…' something, something, 'pleasure you for eternity…' something, something, 'I'll be your best slave, I'll be such a good girl…' and then it sounded like you were having fun."
Bella covered her face with her hand, Jacob gently prised it away. "Then you called out, 'Shopping carts have eyes!' muttered something about a beach ball and didn't really say anything else."
He was still sniggering as Bella sighed loudly.
"You're never going to let me forget this, huh?" she replied as she started on her food.
"I'm sort of hoping to hold you to the 'pleasure you for eternity' thing," Jacob said, with a wicked, teasing grin.
They ate while playing footsie under the table and peppering the act with conversation.
"I'm going to miss this," Bella said sadly.
Jacob dropped his fork. "What do you mean?"
"You know, when I go to college in the Fall." She sighed heavily. "I almost wish I'd deferred. Or gone to the community college—"
"Hey." Jacob's hand was covering hers. "Washington Uni isn't that far away. I can come and visit. We have phones, email, letters. You've been working hard for this, Bells. Don't think like that. It's four years—"
"Five with the teaching qualification."
"Whatever. It'll fly by, and I'll still be here, waiting for you. Okay?"
Bella nodded but stared at the table.
Jacob reached over and tilted her head up, making her look at him. "Okay?"
"Okay." She stroked his hand again. "It just sucks… It sucks you aren't going, too. You're so smart."
Jacob shrugged. "I'm going to the community college," he reasoned. "There's just no way we could afford it."
"That's what sucks. It's so unfair."
Jacob kissed her gently. "Life's unfair. I kind of had to learn that the hard way," he said quietly, his expression solemn. Then he smiled his usual brilliant smile. "But hey, I got you. That pretty much makes me the luckiest guy in town, right?"
Bella reached across the table to kiss him, properly and openly, before breaking away and glancing at the post. She picked up one of the letters; it had some sort of logo on it.
"Hey, this one's for you."
"Really?"
She handed the letter to Jacob, and he turned a little ashen.
"What's the matter?" she asked.
"It's from..." Jacob trailed off and instead quickly ripped the letter open as though he were ripping off a sticking plaster.
"Is it the school board?" Bella prompted. "It's a bit early, isn't it? School's only just let out for summer." She chewed her lip nervously as she watched him scan the letter, other pieces of paper falling out onto the table from the discarded envelope. His expression darkened then switched to utter confusion.
"I… I don't believe this… I figured it would be a waste of thirteen dollars."
"What would, baby?"
He said nothing, merely handed her the letter.
'Dear Jacob Black,
I am writing to inform you that your PSAT results of October 14th have placed you in the 98th percentile in the Washington State area. This is a great achievement and an excellent indicator of future performance.
On behalf of the Native American Flexible Schooling Scholarship Fund (NAFSSF), we would like to extend the offer of a place on their scholarship scheme. The scheme allows able students with extenuating circumstances the chance to obtain full funding for an honours degree, providing they fulfil the following criteria:
You are a Native American, and can prove with legal documentation (see enclosed leaflet for details of recognised identification) you are born to, or adopted by, NA parents who reside in a tribal reservation recognised by the United States Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA).
You are either:
An independent student (emancipated minor, over the age of twenty-five or otherwise without a legal guardian)
The parent, legal guardian or custodian of one or more children under the age of eighteen
A primary caregiver, as recognised by the relevant local authorities
Have a recognised disability (see enclosed leaflet for details)
Gain an offer from one of the participating universities (see enclosed leaflet for details).
Successfully obtain the necessary GPA and credits to enrol in the offered course.
Please complete the enclosed form and return it to us promptly. Your school will be contacted in due course.
Once again, may I offer my congratulations and hope you choose to accept this wonderful opportunity.
Kind Regards'
There was a scribble and a name, but it didn't matter.
"Whoa," she said, beaming. "This is incredible!"
Jacob took the letter from her and stared at it again, holding it up to the light. "Are we sure this isn't some kind of scam? It sounds too good to be true."
"No, it isn't," Bella explained. "They cream off the highest scoring applicants, and they get offers from specific scholarship funds— Angela got one from some LCA sponsored fund, because her dad's a minister. She didn't get a conditional offer like this, though; but then she wasn't placed in the 98th percentile."
She leapt up from her seat and sat on his lap, throwing her arms around him. "Congratulations," she whispered against his ear before frowning at him. "Why didn't you tell me?" she asked, itching with curiosity. "I always knew you were smart, but I didn't realise you were this smart!"
Jacob blushed, but still managed to flash a cheeky grin. "Yeah, well. Got to maintain some mystery, right?"
He then looked up at her solemnly. "I didn't think I'd get it. I didn't want to tell you about it, only to have to tell you when it fell through."
"Jake!" Bella gasped. "I'm your girl, you can tell me this kind of thing!"
"I'm sorry, Bells—"
She cupped his face in her hands. "Next time, don't keep it to yourself, okay?"
Jacob nodded and kissed her gently on the lips. "Okay."
He started to smile. "So, there was a fun prom, spending all night making love to the most incredible woman in the world and a scholarship, all inside twenty-four hours?" He frowned. "Where's the bad thing to balance all this out?"
There was a sudden knock at the door. Bella and Jacob froze and looked at each other.
"Is that your dad?"
"I don't… Wait, he'd have a key, Bells!"
The knocking continued. Bella got up out of Jacob's lap. "You'd better answer it," she replied. "I'll go and hide in the bathroom."
Trying not to giggle, Bella hid behind Jacob as he walked to the hall, slipping away to the bathroom as he continued to the door. Shrouded in darkness, Bella held her breath and listened as Jacob opened the front door.
"Jesus, you scared the shit out of me, Quil!"
"What, you not used to me knocking?" Quil's voice was both weary and elated. The door shut again.
"It's okay, Bells," Jacob called. "It's just Quil."
With a sigh of relief, Bella crept out of the bathroom, only to be met by Quil's wild stare. He switched from her to Jacob and back again, coughing nervously.
"Right." He looked down at the floor for a moment before lifting his head and grinning. "And I thought I had the big news to brag about—"
Jacob glared at him. "Not a word, dude. This is private, okay?"
"Alright, calm down. You know I'll keep it zipped." Bella felt he directed this more at her than Jacob.
"How do you know there's anything to tell?" she asked.
Quil raised his eyebrows at her in rebuke. "Please, I'm not a moron. You're wearing his shirt, you've both got stupid grins plastered over your faces and you both have serious JBF hair."
"JBF?" Bella queried.
Jacob sighed. "Just been—"
"Okay, I get it!"
It was around then Bella suddenly noticed Quil was still in his formal wear, albeit very dishevelled, his bow tie undone and hanging loosely around his neck, shirt unbuttoned to the waist, jacket covered in sand. She also noticed he was covered in lipstick marks. Several different colours of lipstick marks.
"So, I take it you've got a story to go with that look?" Jacob asked, winding his arm around Bella's waist. She rested her hand against his, holding him in place.
Quil merely held his hand aloft and tucked his thumb behind his palm, splaying out four fingers. "Four girls," he said as though in prayer. "Four really hot girls who were happy to share Ateara Junior here." He grinned and punched the air. "Second base never felt so good. I got their numbers and everything. Turns out they dig a sensitive guy who sticks up for his buddy's girlfriend and dances a toddler to sleep."
Bella stifled a giggle. "Seriously? Four girls at once? And they… they were cool with that?"
"Hell, yeah. Apparently they do everything together, and it'll take more time than you guys are willing to spare right now explaining how difficult that is to keep up," Quil admitted cheerfully.
"How's Embry?" Jacob asked.
Quil shrugged. "I haven't seen him since last night. This morning. Whatever." He laughed. "Last I saw he was trying to woo Emily—"
"What?" Jacob burst out laughing at this. "Dude's got balls; you've got to give him that."
"Well, I saw him sit next to her when she was looking kind of down— guess she got fed up doing Sam and Leah's job while they macked out. I didn't really catch that much of it, but he did pin the flower on his lapel to her dress, and he did kiss her, but I think he only went for her cheek."
"Was she mad? Did she slap him?" Jacob asked.
"No, she seemed kind of flattered." Quil shrugged. "I'll catch him later, get him to spill. What are you guys up to today?"
"Not much," Jacob said. "What about you, honey?"
"Mom and Phil are visiting today; they're on their way to some baseball tournament," Bella explained. She looked up at Jacob shyly. "It'd be really nice if, you know, we could all spend some time together—"
"All including me, right? Are you sure they'll be cool with that?"
"They're really nice, Jake, and they'll love you." Bella walked her hands down his chest and onto the waistband of his jeans, twisting them gently. "We're serious now, right?"
"I thought we'd been serious for ages, Bells."
"So, part of that means I want you to meet my mom."
Their hands found each other, fingers interlocking. In some ways, this was scarier and deeper than anything they had shared last night.
Quil shrugged. "I was going to ask if you guys were going to shoot the breeze with us down at the beach later?"
Jacob looked at Quil apologetically. "Another time, man? I mean, I see you guys all the time, and I've never met Bella's mom."
"I understand, bro," Quil replied before mouthing something at Jacob that ended with 'struck' and resulted in Jacob raising his middle finger at him.
Quil just laughed. "You know, if you're going to meet the folks, Jake, you might want to take a shower," he hinted. "You too, Bella. Your mom might not like him so much if he takes you home looking like a chick from a Trojan commercial."
The drive back to Bella's house was oddly calm. Bella stretched out in the passenger seat, her dress carefully laid out across the back seat. She was wearing a pair of Rebecca Black's old Lycra pants and one of Jacob's plaid shirts with one of his belts attempting to cinch it in but in reality sitting on her hips even when fastened on the first button hole. The car window was rolled down, and the wind whipped through her damp, freshly showered hair. She sighed happily, running her hand casually through her long dark locks.
"You okay, honey?" Jacob asked, one hand on the steering wheel, another reaching for her hand.
She grabbed his outstretched hand and pressed it to her lips. "I'm very okay, babe," she replied languidly, kicking her heels off and curling her toes against the floor of the car. "Very, very okay."
They had taken Quil's advice and had a shower. True, he hadn't suggested the sharing part, but Jacob had, and Bella was all for creativity. She barely had to close her eyes for the memories to flood in: carefully washing each other's hair, lathering up and sharing a loofah, him gently scrubbing her back, his wet hair against her thighs as he sank to his knees, exploring her, the water battering down on her skin only heightening the sensations. Carrying her to his bed and rubbing lotion into her wet supple skin, her doing the same to him until they were sliding around in each other's arms, kissing and cuddling, her deciding she wanted to do some exploring of her own, using her mouth in new ways that made him moan her name.
She was definitely okay.
"This is going to be tough," Jacob confessed. "A day of not being able to touch you? I'm going to just about explode… I can hold your hand, right? You mom won't freak if I do that?"
Bella laughed. "Jake, it takes a lot to freak my mom. Trust me. Hand holding is totally fine. In fact, it's expected of you."
"Oh, really?"
"Yes, really." She smiled and kissed his hand again. "I love you."
"I love you too, honey."
Bella could see Phil's SUV as they pulled up next to her house.
"Well, here goes," she said as Jacob cut the engine. He leant forward and kissed her softly on the lips. She responded passionately.
"Oh, Jake, I'm never going to leave this damn car if you keep doing that," she moaned.
He grinned against her skin, stroking her hair. "So I have to be the strong one, huh?"
Bella pulled away and opened the car door. "I can be strong, too," she declared, climbing out of the car. Jacob followed, grabbing her dress from the back seat.
"Thanks, baby," she said, tucking her arm around his as they walked slowly up to her house and she found the key.
Bella heard the excited squeal as soon as she turned the handle.
"Oh, here they are!" Renee's familiar voice sang out, putting down her coffee mug and rushing to greet them.
"Bella, it's so good to see you, sweetie!" she breathed, crushing her into a hug.
"Hi, Mom," Bella managed to choke out. Phil stood by, looking a little uneasy.
"Hey, Bella," he said.
"Hi, Phil."
"So, who's the fella?" he asked, looking at Jacob with interest as he put her dress down on the sofa.
"Oh, Phil, this is Jacob. Jake, this is Phil."
They shook hands and shared a casual greeting as Renee's eyes raked over Jacob.
"So this is the famous Jacob Black, then?" she said, excitement in her voice.
"Famous in a good way, I hope," Jacob replied, flashing the sort of charming smile Bella was sure had been responsible for Mike Newton's mother showering him with affection and cookies.
"Jake, this is my mom, Renee—"
Renee was one step ahead, hugging Jacob like a long lost son. "Oh my… Last time I saw you, you were this big!" She indicated with her hands a space roughly the size of a six month old. "You've gotten so tall!"
"Where's Dad?" Bella asked.
"Oh, he's on the phone." Just as Renee said those words, Charlie walked into the room. He did not look happy.
"Hi, Dad—"
"Guess who I've just got off the phone from?" he demanded, eschewing pleasantries as he glared at Bella, then Jacob, then Bella again.
"I—"
"Your father, Jacob," he continued without waiting for a response. "He asked me if there was any gossip about the prom he ought to know about before he got home. I told him, 'Well, Billy, surely you'd know, after all, Bella stayed over last night with you in the house.' He sounded very surprised to hear this. 'Really? Because I was over at the Makah reservation last night. All night. Jacob didn't mention anything about Bella stopping over.' I think you can guess the rest."
Bella felt herself blush to the roots of her hair. Jacob's hand found hers and squeezed it. Phil suddenly developed a nasty cough, one which on occasion sounded curiously like laughter.
Charlie looked at the two of them and made an odd angry clucking sound with his tongue before demanding, "What do you have to say for yourselves?"
Bella stared at the floor, her cheeks burning even more brightly.
A pink flush crept over the apples of Jacob's cheeks, but he met Charlie's eyes. "Umm, busted?" he offered submissively.
Phil started coughing so much his eyes began to water. Bella glanced at her mother who was staring at a fixed patch on the wall, her chest heaving a little as she bit her lip, trying to stop the smile that kept creeping across her face.
"Outside, Jake. I want a word with you," Charlie said, his expression deadly serious.
"Dad, leave him alone!" Bella exclaimed. "I was the one that lied—"
Jacob cupped Bella's face in his hands. "It's okay, Bells. I've got this," he said, kissing her gently on the lips. She felt her eyelids flutter in response. They squeezed hands again before Jacob followed a very stern looking Charlie out through the front door.
Phil suddenly burst out laughing.
"Oh, stop it, Phil," Renee insisted. "You'll set me off."
"That kid's got some cojones," he commented between chuckles.
"Phil, darling, why don't you go and take a look at the back yard?" Renee suggested.
"Why would I…? Right. Sure. Of course." He looked a little uncomfortable. "I'll leave you two ladies to it."
When the back door had shut, Renee gestured for Bella to sit down on the sofa. "Well, go on," she insisted. "Tell me everything!"
"Mom," Bella replied wearily. "I'm not about to tell you everything—"
"I can't believe he's grown into such a handsome boy," she enthused. "I mean, he wasn't an ugly baby, but he wasn't all that pretty either."
"Mom—"
"His hair is to die for. I'd kill to have hair like that!"
"Mom!"
She sighed, taking Bella hands in hers and rested them on her lap. "Well, were you safe?"
"Mom, we didn't—"
"Don't lie to me Bella," Renee said gently. "I could tell the moment you walked through the door. You might as well have been wearing a sandwich board proclaiming it."
Bella bit her lip and felt herself flush all over again. "Yes, we were safe. Very safe." A rush of indignation overtook her. "It's not like it's a crime!" she paused, biting her lip in worry. "Well, not in Washington, anyway-"
Renee hushed her. "Sweetie, as long as it's what you both wanted, and you were safe, then I've nothing to worry about."
Bella said nothing, but Renee filled in the gaps. "And I can tell it's what you wanted. You're so damn happy," she said with a gentle laugh, nudging Bella.
"Yeah."
"So, what was it like? Was he gentle? Did he know what he was doing?"
"Mom, we are not having this conversation!" Bella retorted, her eyes as wide as dinner plates.
Renee merely smiled wistfully. "Come on, Bella. I remember the excitement, and the nerves, of that first time. Even when me and Phil first made love, it was different than it was with your father—"
"Mom!"
"What? I'm on your side here!"
"Mom, I don't want to hear about… you know… that!"
"Sweetie, you know I've had sex, how else did you happen, hmm?"
"Yeah, I know, but I don't have to be told about it!"
Renee smiled as Bella slumped her head against the back of the sofa. "You look exhausted," she said simply, and Bella turned bright red.
At that moment, Jacob and Charlie returned from outside, chatting amiably between themselves.
"So, you two sorted things out?" Renee queried, winking at Bella.
Charlie merely clapped Jacob on the shoulder. "You know I like Jake," he said as Renee jumped up.
"Here, you should come outside and meet Phil," she said to Jacob, slipping her arm around his and guiding him away.
"Told you they'd like you," Bella said with a smile.
Once they were gone, Charlie sat next to Bella. His expression was serious but not angry.
"Dad, I'm sorry about last night," she began, but Charlie stopped her.
"Bells, don't tell me. I don't need to know, and I really don't want to know, you understand?" he said sternly.
"Loud and clear," Bella replied.
Charlie smiled a little and squeezed her hand. "Just don't break that kid's heart, Bells," he insisted. "He really loves you."
"I really love him, Dad," she replied, and the look on Charlie's face was one she would never forget.
It was the look of someone who had just decided they had lost something that they would never get back.