We're walking next to each other on the way to Billy's. Quil called and let me know we were meeting at Jake's house, which is weird as fuck. Why not Sam's? Part of me really wants to reach over and grab her hand but Leah's not like that. I know this has to be on her terms, and if I were to make some caveman claim on her, walking into Billy's house with her hand in mine, she'd never forgive me. I'm drawn out of my thoughts by her voice.
"You really said that shit to him? To all of them?" She's still baffled that I spoke up for her. After we left the cliff and went back to my house, since my Mom was gone for the weekend, we fooled around a bit but mainly we talked. I told her what happened after she took off, how I called everyone out on their shit and told them how it was gonna be from now on. How I told Paul I'd end his ass if he was ever rude to her again. She cried a little, and I pretended not to notice, and ever since I told her she keeps asking me this same question.
"Yes Leah, I really said that shit to all of them. Every one of them was wrong for treating you that way, and I was wrong for not speaking up sooner. I have made up for that, just a tiny bit, by saying enough's enough, but none of them deserve your forgiveness baby, not one." Her breath catches when that little nugget pops out of my mouth like I developed Tourette Syndrome. Baby? Am I on meth? She's not my baby, we didn't talk about what is going on between us and I just fucked up, pretty sure. She lets me off the hook by speaking, ignoring my little slip.
"You're right. None of them do, but I'm not going to exhaust myself hanging onto shit anymore. And I didn't make it easier for anyone either. If they're willing to start over, so am I. Well, except for Paul, that little bitch should grovel. And Sam, there's nothing he could do to make me see him as anything other than Alpha. He will never be family to me." At this we arrive at Billy's driveway and our chatter ceases. The house looks strange. I grew up playing here, spending the night when we were young and running amok when we got older and it always seemed like a second home, but without Jacob it's lonely. The house looks as lonely as we all feel without him.
I take a big breath and walk to the front door, pausing for a second to wonder if I should knock for the first time in my life, and just push the door open. Everyone turns to look at me and shockingly, they all seem mollified. Leah walks in behind me and for a moment no one says a word. Then the dam breaks free. There are voices, too many to make out who's saying what, apologizing, explaining, trying to make it right to Leah and at the forefront is Seth. He has tears in his eyes as he holds up his hand for everyone to be quiet.
"Lee, I'm so goddamn sorry. I'm ashamed of myself, and Dad would be ashamed of me too. I was the small fry, the omega. I let my fear and the way they all saw me keep me from defending you, standing up for you, being the brother I was supposed to be. I will never forgive myself and I don't expect you to, but please, give me another chance. I need you sis, I love you." The kid is crying now, not sobbing, but tears are flowing down his cheeks and I smile when I see Leah walk up to him slowly and grab him by the shoulders.
"You are my baby brother, there is nothing either of us can do that will change that. We both handled things wrong, and while it hurt me, I can understand that you are only 14 Seth, and you have had so much thrown at you. I love you too baby brother, and you will always have another chance." She grabs him and hugs him and he clings to her and cries. They need this, and for once the pack is doing the right thing and allowing them their moment. Those two have had their whole lives ripped apart, so much worse than the rest of us. We stand there for a few minutes, allowing them to recuperate from that emotional scene when someone clears their throat. We all look up, Leah and Seth included and are shocked to see Paul standing with a pained expression. I look at him and he catches my eye giving me a nod to let me know he understands he better fucking toe the line. He looks back at Leah, making sure he has her eye and sucks in a huge breath.
"There aren't any words Leah. Sorry's not even in the same fucking universe as what I owe you. I'm angry. I take my whole life out on everyone else. I've been an entitled, selfish prick and I don't deserve for you to ever acknowledge me again, but I swear to God Leah, I never stopped to think of what you were going through. Nothing I've gone through will ever compare to what you're dealing with and I had no right, regardless of the chip on my shoulder to single you out and say the things I said to you. And I want you to know I would be apologizing right now even if your brother hadn't lost his mind and kicked my ass until Sam commanded him to stop. Please Leah, let me try to be a better pack brother to you." If it was silent before you can hear a motherfucking pin drop now. I didn't know Paul knew that many words. I look at him and he's fighting back tears as well. I'm in another fucking dimension I'm pretty sure. I look to Leah who is dry eyed, but lacking that hard as stone look she reserves for the pack. She walks towards him slowly and I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing. She puts a hand on his shoulder in a somewhat friendly gesture.
"Paul, you are an arrogant, self-righteous, hypocritical infant of a man. But you just grew up a bit, and that's definitely a good thing. Maybe you ought to try seeing things from someone else's perspective before you judge them. I'm glad you see that now, and I hope you learn something from it. And as far as being a pack mate-"
"Brother Leah, you're my pack sister, not just some random person." Paul just cut her off, oh snap.
But then she shocks us all, not even raising her voice. "Let's get there slowly Paul, Rome wasn't built in a day. Let's try to be friends first, okay?" That's the Leah I know. She's not going to let everything go and forget, and she shouldn't, no one should. But she's not hanging onto it, she's not cultivating her hatred anymore, and it makes her that much more beautiful.
She turns to the rest of the pack and takes a deep breath. "If you have something sincere to say to me I will listen, but don't bullshit me, and please, one at a time." Now I'm shocked. I'm not even ready to forgive these bastards and here she is allowing them to make their peace. And like the good puppies they are they all line up, Sam, I notice, falls in line last. Mother. Fucker. I don't want him touching her. I shake my head, she's not mine and I can't stop anything. Let it go Embry. They all, one by one apologize and promise to be better pack brothers, better people. She hugs them all, starting with Paul and finally Sam is standing in front of her.
She huffs out her breath and before he can open his mouth she launches into speech. "There will always be distance between us. You handled everything poorly and had no respect for me or what was good for me, only your selfish wants. There is nothing you can say that will make anything in this situation right. I haven't handled things well either though, and while you should never expect my friendship, I will respect you as Alpha. That is as long as you act in a manner that warrants that respect. From now on, it's on you how things are between us. I can be civil if you can be decent, but if you aren't going to respect that or me I can't have you in my life, things will be difficult between us. And please, don't call me Lee-Lee ever again. It's not fair to me, and very manipulative of you." Her eyes are steady, no sign of the anger she has held for him for so long. She's making peace, but standing her ground and I want nothing more than to grab her, kiss her and hold her.
Sam looks torn. "L- Leah I understand. I wish things were different, but they're not. I know you think I was wrong, and I probably was, but things happened how they did and there's nothing I can do about it. I shouldn't let my personal feelings affect how anyone in the pack is treated, and I will do better in the future. I wish there was a way that we could all just get along, go back to my place and keep things how they were but the guys all insisted that they wouldn't meet and mine and Emily's anymore out of respect to you. I guess it's a good thing Billy offered his home or we'd all be out in the woods. I…I apologize for everything Leah, sincerely. Would you allow me a hug? Just this once?" Red. I'm seeing motherfucking red. For once the wolf in me and the man in me are in complete agreement, she is mine, I may not have told her yet, may not have asked but I'll be damned if I don't want to kill that bastard for even thinking about touching her. She sighs and nods and my stomach churns. For the first time I am feeling doubt. Doesn't she know what this is doing to me? I haven't talked to her about it out of respect for her situation, but she has to know, doesn't she? He walks forward and wraps his arms around her shoulders as she stands there stiffly, waiting for him to be done. My anger starts to fade, she's just placating him. I relax my posture, smiling a bit when I see him lean his head down to kiss her hair. What the fuck? Who does this prick think he is? I realize a second before he reacts what he's about to smell. Me. I'm all over her. She slept in my bed last night, wrapped around me, head on my shoulder. Fuck. He stiffens an instant before his lips touch her hair and takes a long sniff. He immediately releases her and his eyes shoot over to me, glaring daggers. Oh well, if he wants to go toe to toe two days in a row, so be it.
"You fucking son-of-a-bitch, who the hell do you think you are?" He yells as he stomps his way over to me. Fuck him if he thinks I'm scared, some things are worth fighting for. I have no clue where this side of me is coming from, but it feels like it's always been there, just waiting to be set off. If he thinks he can intimidate me, well he's lost his silly little mind.
"Embry Call motherfucker. What makes you think you have any right to be pissed off?" He's in my face in an instant, but I don't even blink. I call your bluff, bitch.
"So what, she's all upset and you think you're gonna make her feel better with your baby cock? Or maybe you thought you'd get some for playing the fucking hero?" I smirk at him, and I can't help myself. I look at Leah who looks back with a boat-load of emotions on her face. She looks furious at Sam, kind of embarrassed to have our shit out on front street, but also looks at me with kindness and affection, I hope that's her way of telling me she knows that's not true.
I wink at her, me, fucking winking at Leah like Don fucking Juan. "I don't know Leah, would you call it a baby cock? That's not what you were saying yesterday." That was either the smoothest shit ever or the last move I'll make as she may very well kill me.
She stares, wide eyed for just a split second and then smiles a devious smile. I'm still not sure who's gonna get it. "Definitely not a baby cock, baby arm maybe, but not a baby cock. And I would know a tiny cock from experience." She glares at Sam as she spouts of that last bit and I want so badly to piss myself laughing, or grab her and push her against the wall with my tongue down her throat, but now is not the time. Take that shit Alpha. He is stunned silent, you can almost see the gears turning in his head as he tries to figure his next move.
Suddenly his face breaks into an evil grin. "You think you're fucking clever kid, cause that's all you are, a boy in a man's game. You think I can't stop this? You forget what I am boy, I'm the alpha of this goddamn-"
Billy cuts him off quickly, which shocks me because I didn't even know he was here. He rolls out of the kitchen with a very pissed off look on his face as he addresses Sam. "Oh no Alpha, you're in the Chief's home now and if you think you want to interfere with your wolves' personal lives, I'll have the council so far up your ass you won't shit for a month. This is a quarrel between two men, not between an Alpha and a subordinate. And maybe you've forgotten, but there is another person involved here, and she's not an object. Don't make that mistake again Samuel." We are all shocked silent, everyone looking between Billy, Sam and me.
Then I hear Quil's voice. "Look Sam, don't do this man. You've got Emily, you're happy, right? Why shouldn't they be? Why shouldn't Leah be with him if she wants to be. Or whatever it is that's going on..." He trails off at the end and honestly, I can't blame him. It takes brass fucking balls to defend a friend against your Alpha, and truthfully no one, including me, knows what's going on between Leah and I.
Sam sets his shoulders and turns to glare at Quil when Jared speaks up. "Seriously, you know I've never blamed you for anything that happened, I've understood everything, even if it was shitty. But don't do this dude, don't make her be alone forever pining for you, just to boost your ego. Let her go, she's letting you go, give her the same courtesy." Sam falters, looking between Quil and Jared, shocked that they would side against him. He smirks slightly and looks at Paul, expecting to find his support and maybe a few digs against the two of us.
Paul adds his two cents in, "Don't Sam. Don't look at me trying to make me be the asshole I am struggling not to be. Honestly man, that asshole doesn't even want to back you up if this is what you are up to. You were wrong before, and it's alright, everyone's agreed to move past that. But why do you need to have her miserable so badly? Why can't she be with him, or anyone she wants? He's a good guy, he cares about her obviously or he wouldn't have taken on the whole pack like that. Why shouldn't she get some happiness too?" Holy hell. Well if Paul was trying to score brownie points with Leah it sure as fuck worked. She's looking at him like he's Jesus or some shit.
Then Seth pipes up and I know hell must have frozen over. "That's my fucking sister Sam. I'm the smallest, but don't forget what happened with Paul. You had to command me twice, TWICE, to back off of him before I killed him. Don't fuck with my sister. You may be bigger than me, you may be able to kill me but I'm taking a chunk of your ass with me to the grave. Don't you ever doubt that." Fuck me running Seth Clearwater done grew up. I've never heard that boy cuss until today, but I'm proud as hell of him. This should have been his attitude from jump, but he wasn't there yet. He's more than making up for it now.
Sam is pissed, his nostrils are flared, eyes narrowed and hardened, but his silence speaks louder than words. He knows they won't back him up. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath through his nose. Then another. All of a sudden his eyes fly open and he smiles. Not the smile of a happy man, but the smile of a man who thinks he has one up on you. He turns to Leah. "And what the fuck are you going to do when he imprints Leah? Since you love to hold that shit over my head constantly what are you gonna do when Embry leaves you too?"
Fuck this shit. Now I'm heated as fuck and ready to unleash. "Fuck you for preying on her insecurities. You don't know a goddamn thing about me Sam, and just because you were too weak or too selfish to fight the imprint doesn't mean I'm as pathetic as you. You don't know what I've dealt with in my life. It might not be easy but she's sure as fuck worth fighting for, no matter who or what it's against." I spit my words like venom and realize I've charged across the room and am in his face, forcing him to take a step back. I'm so mad I can't even see straight, but I realize there's something I have to say to Leah. I turn my head and look in her eyes, the fear is hiding in them, fear of abandonment, fear of letting herself care only to lose me. "You don't have to worry about that Leah. I meant what I said, you're worth fighting for. And I'll fight it to the death. Don't ever doubt me about that."
She releases the breath she's been holding and smiles at me softly. The fear disappears and her eyes are glassy with unshed tears. I'm pulled from her eyes at the sound of Sam's chuckle. I turn my face to him, waiting to see what bullshit he's going to come up with this time. It's sad really, the bastard is desperate and grasping at straws. I hope to fuck someone tells Emily about this shit.
His voice is so soft when he speaks. Better to deliver the words that slay me. "Aww, the pup's really soft for her. Alright hot shot, you're so fucking tough, stronger than anyone, we get it. But what the fuck are you gonna do when she imprints, eh? When she's done playing games with a boy like you and imprints on a real man, leaving your ass in the dust. What are you gonna do when she can't even remember what it was like with you because he makes her feel so fucking complete?" He's smiling like the fucking Cheshire cat and I want to punch him in his goddamn face but I can't, because I'm frozen. I'm sure I look like I just saw a ghost, because the terror I feel at his words is squeezing my heart until I feel like it's going to explode. And what's worse, Leah says nothing. Not a goddamn thing. I just laid it all out on the line for her and she can't even make an effort for me. Fuck. I should have known. She probably is biding her time with me, waiting to find someone better, her other half, something. Using me to get over her bullshit with Sam. I have to get the fuck out of here. I don't even care why we were called here in the first place.
I muster up every bit of moxy I can and look Sam in the eyes. "Fuck you." That's it. I'm not phasing, I'm not having anything to do with any of them, and Sam won't command me to either, not if he knows what's good for him. I turn and head straight for the door ignoring Quil as he calls my name. I wrench it open, remembering at the last minute I don't have the money to replace it and I slow my roll, walking through the door and shutting it. Once I shut it I close my eyes for a moment, trying to squeeze out all the hurt and anger. I open my eyes and break out into a run. I decide to run home and go to bed. Fuck this shit, I've officially reached maximum capacity. I have half a mind to go to the council and resign, tell them I want to go back to my people on the Makah res and leave this fucked up place behind me. They wouldn't accept, not with the fucking Cullens here and Jake gone. Jake. That's who I need to talk to right now. Damnit Jake, where the fuck are you?
LPOV - - -
I'm standing here, in Billy's entryway, we never really made it past that point, staring at the door that Embry just ran through. And Embry just ran through it because Sam is the world's biggest cocksucker and I'm the idiot who was too stunned to back Embry up. Fuck. He has no clue. I'm such a goddamn moron, but I never stopped to think this might be just as scary for him as it is for me. That's what stunned me into silence. I never thought of it from his point of view. And damnit, he's put it all out there. And it's good too, he thinks I'm worth fighting for. For the first time in my life I believe I am worth something to someone, as an equal and I have to go and fuck it up because of Sam's words. Sam. I'm raging right now, I wasn't even this angry when I found out he was fucking Emily. I turn my gaze on him and for the first time this evening his face shows fear and shame. Well too little too fucking late bitch.
"You son-of-a-whore, who the fuck do you think you are? You are nothing but a manipulative, conniving, selfish little bitch. Yeah, I said it. Boys, your Alpha almighty is nothing but a bitch. You think he's not worth fighting for either? Well it just goes to show you don't know the value of anything or anyone. And about forgetting how someone makes you feel because someone new completes you? News flash you limp dick mother fucker. He had me screaming his name to the gods the first time he went down on me. How many times did I scream your name Sam? Can't remember? Try never bitch. Keep your scarfaced whore and take your Alpha status and shove it up your fucking ass. I hope to Christ Jacob gets home soon and has found his nuts because you aren't worthy to lead a flea circus, let alone this pack of mighty wolves. You're a goddamn disgrace." And before he can respond I am flying out the door. I catch Embry's scent and run after him. God I've fucked up. I care for him, maybe too much too fast but I have to let him know. Right about now I'd be talking to Jake, asking him how the fuck to fix this, but he's not here. He's off chasing his Bella, and before now I would have mocked him for that, but I've found something worth fighting for too. Damnit if he isn't taking his dear sweet time though. Where the hell are you Jake?
New Mexico (Same Day) - - -
We finally pull off I-25 and head towards Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. It's quite unbelievable, after 8 days, we're finally here. All I see is road and more road. I keep driving, following Bells' directions. I see a building here and a building there. And where the hell are all the trees? The land is so different from home. Home is green and lush. New Mexico? It's all shrubbery where there seems to be more brown and beige than green. It's a bit hard to describe. I let my thoughts take me back to our little road trip that got us here.
We stopped in San Diego after leaving Anaheim. We visited the zoo which turned out to be a big bust. Seems like the smaller animals and the deer could sense I was a wolf. They would screech and holler whenever I would approach the exhibit. I finally got fed up and juts hung back while Bells oohed and ahhed over every little fucker. Then when we went to check out the tigers, those bad boys wanted to throw down and were practically hurling themselves at the glass of their enclosures. After a little more than an hour, we left. I was so dejected, feeling like a true monster, but Bells refused to let me wallow in it. She just suggested we head over to the ballpark and catch the late afternoon Padres Game. We stopped at a Target store to buy a digital camera because she was over disposable ones. Her reasoning? This was a vacation of sorts and that meant lots and lots of pictures. We had a blast and she took so many freaking pictures of me that after a while I should have charged her. At the game, I finally asked some lady to take a couple of pics of the both of us. Bells looked so cute with her baseball cap on her head that it nearly killed me to resist the urge to kiss her. Instead, like a good friend, I draped my arm casually over her shoulder as the lady clicked away.
We decided not to stay the night in San Diego and drove straight to Tucson. We checked into some hotel for the night because Bells wanted to show me around even though she had lived in Phoenix. She told me her mom loved going to Tucson on a regular basis because of their art galleries and museums. I could tell by the sound of her voice, she had really loved those day trips with her mom. We checked out some art galleries. I'm afraid to admit some of the stuff looked like a 2 year old did them but what the hell do I know? We ate at one of her favorite restaurants where we asked the waitress to take our picture. The waitress' comments had left me with a dead weight in the middle of my chest.
She takes the picture and decides to take two more. Bells lays her head on my shoulder, her hair spilling down my back. The waitress sighs, mumbling something about "how cute our kids are going to look." She of course rushes on, telling us not to rush and enjoy this time as young lovebirds. I can barely swallow or speak. Bells just nods as the waitress walks away but I can see the faint blush reddening the top of her ears as she pushes her hair back. We leave barely saying two words to one another. Left to our own thoughts and feelings.
So now we're back to that weirdness from before our almost kiss in her kitchen. The almost kiss that her fucking dickhead of a fiancé interrupted. But I'm trying. Trying real hard to stick to the friend bit. I know it's not easy for her either. I can tell by the quickening of her breath when she thinks I don't know she's staring at me. I can tell at night when she rolls around her bed, moaning my name, not his, leaving me no other choice but to go whack off in the bathroom as her arousal fills my nostrils. Is it a bit perverted? Sure, but I never claimed not to be one. Plus, how "cool" would it be to wake her up so she can stop sex dreaming about me? I don't know about any other guy, but if the real me ain't getting any, then a dream version of me sure as hell can. Fuck me, though because I'm mad jealous of dream me.
Finally, after what seems like forever, the semblance of city appears. There are more buildings and I'll admit it's cutesy. The colors are different from La Push. There the colors are more earthy, dull even. Here? There's coral and turquoise to go along with the soft earth tones of some of the buildings. Bells looks at me, "We have to pick a place to stay at. I really want to stay somewhere that has hot springs. My mom always said they were amazing."
I roll my eyes, "Yeah, because I need something like a hot springs bath." While driving, Bells explained that hot springs water reaches temps over 105 degrees. If she wants to surround herself with water that hot, why can't she just ask me to keep her warm? Hell, I'm about that temp all the time. I can see her pouting so I shrug my shoulders, "It's on you Bells. Pick a place. Or do you want me to drive around for a bit?"
She flips her hair. God, there's a reason why that move is a classic. It's like in slow motion for me. I shake my head barely hearing her tell me to just drive. I blow out a breath between my lips as we check out Truth or Consequences. Then I see it as I make a right turn onto Broadway. "Bells, that's it. We'll stay there."
Her head follows to where my hand is pointing. "Fire and Water Lodge?" I nod. She smiles, "Well okay then." I park quickly and hop out, desperate to stretch my legs. I glance around, laughing. Bells turns to me with questioning eyes. "What?"
I point to the deli that's right next door. Happy Belly Deli. "How could we not stay here? Come on, let's grab something to eat before checking in. I'm starved."
She takes my offered hand making me wish that she would take my offered heart just as easily. I try to bank down those feelings. Her voice is light when she speaks, "When aren't you starved?" We head inside, relieved to see they have some sit down tables. We head over to the counter to order. Bells orders first, settling on a Greek omelet. I tell the guy that I want 2 Happy Belly burritos with guacamole on the side, a green chile bagel with lots of butter and a slice of that awesome looking chocolate cake. Dude, better make it two slices of cake as my stomach grumbles. The guy just gapes at me. I also order the largest Coke they have while Bells orders a lemonade. We go sit down to wait for our food.
She looks at me, playing with the straw in her drink, "Happy Belly Deli?" I nod. "We're staying at this place just because of a deli? Who can argue with that kind of logic?" We chit chat about calling our dads last night. Boy, were they pissed. Thankfully, Charlie was there so my dad couldn't go on and on about how I'm neglecting my duties. But I could hear the heat behind his words. Then Charlie got on the phone. He had some choice words for me before asking me to put Bella on the phone. I guess he got even more annoyed when she wouldn't tell him where we were. She let him know that we were safe and having a good time. No details. All superficial mostly. At the end, Charlie must have grumbled a goodbye because Bella sadly handed me the phone back. I heard a door slam and my father sigh in my ear. He told me that Charlie just had to go, furious that his daughter wouldn't tell him where we were at. Billy assured me that Charlie really wasn't angry, more worried than anything. I heard their whole conversation. I knew what ticked Charlie off was Bella's inability to give him a straight answer about Edward and her upcoming nuptials. Hey, I'm with you Charlie. She seems no closer to any sort of decision than when we left Washington. I spoke with my dad a little longer, feeling immense guilt when he told me about the high tensions running through the pack. I just told him I would be home when I got there. We hung up after I let him know that we would call again in a week.
Bella sighs, "My dad's really trying to be understanding but he's mad. I can't blame him for that. I'm being totally irresponsible right now. I have a wedding in..." Her voice trails off when she notices how still I get at the word wedding. Her tiny hand covers one of mine. "I'm sorry Jake."
I pull away, not bearing her touch right now. How can she still not realize that marrying that fucker would be wrong? I just shake my head, trying to place a smile on my face. It feels forced and she knows it. "No worries Bella. Just do what you need to." An awkward silence ensues until I see the waiter. "Food's here."
We eat in a subdued silence. I really have nothing to say. I admit to being afraid to open my mouth right now because the only words that will come out are ones of love and needing her. So I bite my fucking tongue. Finally, we're done and I can use a shower.
We head back to the car to grab our bags. I hold open the door for her. She mumbles a shy thanks. I just nod and follow behind her as she makes her way to the counter. There's a short lady back there packing some serious junk in her trunk bent over some boxes. Her hair is pin straight, a medium brown just reaching past her shoulders. Nowhere near as thick as Bells' but has some highlights that let me know she spends some time in the sun. She has her back to us but must hear us approaching. She turns around and my eyes fall to her very ample and quite delicious cleavage in the very low-cut tank top she has on. She's cute but there's just something about her that has me knowing she could fuck a dude up if they tried anything with her. She's curvy in ways Bella or Leah will never be. I take an appreciative look over. Damn, those hips make a man want to lick his lips in approval. The lady looks amused. I turn to Bella who's staring angrily at me. Like holy shit does she look pissed. What? She has a fiancé. Remember how she kindly mentioned him in the deli? What the hell does she want from me? Wants me to play dead like Edward?
I glare right back. She has some freaking nerve. She doesn't want me. So I'm just supposed to pine for her for the rest of my days? Give her and Eddie Sparklenuts something to giggle about? The anger leaves her eyes, quickly replaced with hurt. That I understand because that's what I look like every time I leave her with that dickhead. That's what I look like every time I miss her or think about her. Bella turns back to the other woman. "Um, hi. We need a room."
The lady looks us both over. I can literally feel her eyes dance over my skin. She speaks, her voice has a kind of singsong quality to it, "I see. For how many nights?" Her fingers fly over a keyboard.
Bella mulls it over and decides on a week for now. Maybe add some more nights but we're not sure. No babe. You're not sure. About a damn thing. Bella hands over her ID and a cash deposit. The lady is typing as she speaks, "All I have available for that duration of stay, and any extra nights if needed, is the Palms Room. Has its own hot mineral tub plus shower in suite. That'll do?"
I answer her, "Yes, that's fine. Thanks." She looks at me curiously before finishing up on the computer. She squats down and comes back up with a key. I hold open my hand so she can drop it.
She lets the key dangle while looking at me. Okay, this is kind of weird. It's like she's looking into me rather than at me. Then she blows me out of the water when she asks, "Now can I inquire, young Alpha, what you're doing here?" With that the key hits my palm.
The first part of the chapter is written by my lovely beta, Shelby Sue. Baby, you rock and you're in my prayers. I wrote the Jake/Bella part. We hope you enjoyed it. I now know where I am going with this and hope you all are looking forward to it.