My hand temporarily forgotten, I walked back into the living room that housed the pack. With a determined air about me I grabbed Paul's hand, leading him outside. Luckily he followed willingly; I don't think I could have moved him otherwise.
I walked further into the woods away from prying ears, after a minute he spoke up. "Where are we going?"
"Somewhere we can talk without others listening." He nodded.
After we made it a safe distance from the pack, I turned to face him for a surely embarrassing conversation.
Taking a deep breath to calm my raging thoughts, "Paul you know that Embry and I have a past other than friends, don't you?
His head dropped, blocking my view of his face but the slight bob of his head confirmed my fears.
"It was a onetime thing and it was awkward as hell, well for me it was. I don't know what you saw in his head but he told me he had felt the same." I stood there in complete silence letting him absorb what I had told him.
His face was still hidden, making me even more worried.
In that moment I had to wonder if the imprinting was all some voodoo crap or if it only amplified the feelings that were already present because I felt like an emotional mess. How would that explain me feeling like I wanted to do everything in my power to make Paul happy. Ugh didn't I have enough issues to deal with?
"I don't hold it against you Bella, I swear. It's just that Embry's rubbing it in my face that he had you before me. Like when we phased all he thought about was sleeping with you, kissing you. It's driving me and my wolf crazy." I could tell being open was not his forte but I was happy that he was trying.
"Well then maybe he does deserve a couple of tongue lashings but not from you. I will tell you this now if he starts crap while you are phased you can kick his wolfy butt all you want or until Sam splits it up." I tried to lighten the mood but I was serious, I was going to lay into Embry for all his crap.
I was rewarded with a light chuckle and that sexy smirk back on his face.
"Now that's what I'm talking about, I like your smirk better than your angry face." His smirk grew as he stepped closer, our bodies so close but not yet touching.
A voice in the back of my head screamed at me to close the distance, to wrap myself around his body but with a lot less clothes. Whoa little voice needed to slow its roll.
A blush decorated my cheeks giving away my inner thoughts. He chuckled and it was so freaking sexy. My pink blush turned a deep shade of red at the direction of my thoughts.
Through his amusement, he reached out and caressed my face; I leaned into his hand savoring in the warmth of it. I can't believe how my body melted at the simplest of his touches.
During my internal musings I failed to notice how close his face was in accordance to my own, my heartbeat picked up giving away anxiousness.
My eyes darted from his darkening eyes to his perfectly sculpted lips. I knew we both felt the pull towards each other and man did I want to kiss him but maybe not this soon.
On cue Embry stomped over to us, "You guys were taking too long to come back." His agitation was evident, more like pouring off of him in waves.
Paul growled low, if I wasn't so close to him I may have not heard it. I laid my hand on his arm in an attempt to calm him.
"Paul why don't you head back Embry and I will follow shortly." I could tell he was pissed about it but he was trying to trust me. I had to wonder where his trust issues had come from but that would be a talk for a later date. Right now I had to deal with an ass of a friend who thought it would be cool to torture my imprint.
Embry had a cocky grin on his face and in that moment I wanted to smack it right off his face. I wasn't really a violent person but there was a protectiveness about Paul that brought out the worst in me.
As Paul faded from my sight I started in on Embry, friend or not he was being a complete dick.
"What gives you the right?" I asked with my arms folded over my chest.
His eyes widened, obviously he had expected alone time with me to go a different direction. For the millionth time I had to wonder if he had actual feelings for me.
My foot tapped against the forest floor making a soft thump, I was beyond ticked.
"Well?" He jumped on board with dangling our one night stand in front of Paul but has nothing to say to me?
"I-I…Bella-" I wasn't here to hear an excuse.
"No you were being a dick Embry and you know it. Don't try to cover it up with some half assed excuse. Paul imprinted on me and from what I gathered it's not going to undo itself so you need to get over it."
He at least had the decency to look ashamed of his actions but that wasn't enough, he had already been breaking down a relationship that wasn't even a day old. I had to make it perfectly clear that I was accepting Paul's imprint; nothing was going to change that.
"But Bella, I love you." He whispered, his eyes shining with unshed tears. I tried to look for any deception in his declaration but found none. He really did love me.
Oh shit.