Sorry this took so long...

Chapter XIV

Harper's POV

Mia and I left the camper hand in hand. Both Jacob and Embry turned at the same time to look at us; smiling hugely.

My eyes locked with Embry's, and I didn't realize when Mia released my hand. I stepped close to Embry and he smiled down at me. It was really weird for me to have to look up that far to make eye contact, more often then not I had to look down, but not with Embry. It made me feel a little vulnerable, but in a good way. Kind of.

"Shall we?" He asked me. I nodded and he reached out for my hand, which I gave him.

We walked toward the spot where he and Mia had come from earlier. After we were a few paces into the trees, Embry stopped. I turned to him and he looked a little nervous. I knew exactly how he was feeling, I felt the same way.

"Well I was thinking that maybe you might like, well if you wouldn't be too scared, well…"

"Just spit it out Embry. It's fine."

"Well if maybe you wanted a ride." He said.

"A ride on what?" I asked slightly confused.

"Well on um… me." He stuttered. I gaped at him. What was he asking me? He couldn't be asking what that sounded like he was asking.

"Oh God. No not like that, that's not what I meant." He stumbled over his words worse in his embarrassment. "I meant that if I turned into a wolf I could give you like a piggy back ride. I can go pretty fast and it's kinda exhilarating, the speed. I thought you might enjoy that. Mia said you would. You don't have to if you don't want to though." I reached up and covered his mouth with my hand.

"Embry. Now in all that rambling I think you asked if I wanted a ride on you in wolf form in the literal sense of the word and not the sexual." I surmised. Embry nodded at me. I wasn't so sure about that though. Embry watched me carefully, his eyes held nervousness and hopefulness. His face was kind and open.

"I guess I could give it a try. You promise to take it easy on me? I'm still not entirely used to you being a giant wolf sometimes." I told him. Embry looked at me with intense eyes. He stepped closer and took my face in his hands. I was surprised I didn't flinch or pull away from his closeness, and even more surprising was I didn't want to.

Embry ducked his head down so we were eye to eye.

"Don't be scared. I promise I would never, ever hurt you" The sincerity in his voice had me melting into his touch. The corners of his mouth pulled up and he grinned. "Who's afraid of the big bad wolf?"

I smiled back at him. "Are you going to huff and puff and blow my house in?"

Embry's expression turned aloof. "Well…." He drawled. "I guess I could refrain from doing that." The sarcasm in his voice made me giggle.

"Well then I guess I'm not."

"Good. Now I'm going to change behind that tree. I have to take my shorts off and to be honest it isn't pretty when we change. So wait here. I'll be back in a minute."

Embry disappeared behind the trees. I waited patiently for him to finish. I was still a little scared, but not about being with him in wolf form. Part of me wanted to be afraid, but somehow I wasn't. I was all jumbled up from when he touched my face and made me that promise. I knew he meant it, I knew I could trust him. I had known I could trust him. And after all, Mia spent last night with Jacob in his wolf form, and she was perfectly fine. I wanted to get to know Embry and this was part of who he was. I needed to be ok with it, whether or not it was rational.

Wow, a couple of days with Embry and my thought process has taken a complete one-eighty.

Embry-wolf walked slowly out from behind the trees. He was as massive as I remembered him, and just as beautiful. It made sense that he would be beautiful in this form, because his human one was just as breathtaking.

He looked at me cautiously, trying to make sure I wasn't afraid. I smiled reassuringly at him. I walked forward and met him where he stood. He knelt down and looked from me to his back and then back to me. I understood what he meant without words.

I climbed up onto his back, trying not to pull any of his fur, so as not to hurt him.

"Ok." I said when I was settled on his back. He took off.

I threw my arms around his neck to keep hold. He was moving very fast. I could feel his body moving beneath me, his muscles contracting and stretching as he ran. He picked up speed and dodged trees effortlessly.

I lifted my head up out from his neck and let the wind play on my face and in my hair. I let go of everything in the world except Embry and let myself free. It was amazing. It was terrifying and exhilarating, and liberating, and wonderful. I felt connected to Embry in a way I had never been with any one else ever.

I felt his movements and let myself flow with them. I was reveling in the rush it caused to be moving this fast. It felt as though I was flying, with Embry as my wings. It was utterly magical; it was almost as though Embry and I had become one in a way.

I wondered briefly why the wind wasn't making me cold. After a while I realized it must be Embry, his body warming my body, his presence warming me inside.

Inside? Wait… where did that come from. I couldn't place it, but it was literally like a warm feeling from inside the core of me. I didn't know how else to describe it; all I knew was that Embry had caused it.

After a while I buried my face in the soft grey fur of his neck. As much as I was enjoying this ride, and never wanted it to end, I was getting a little stiff and hungry. Embry seemed to sense this and he slowed down.

I felt his body lower to the ground and I figured that meant it was time for me to get off. He stood back up and looked at me, telling me with his eyes to stay here while he changed. Embry trotted out of view and, was soon after standing next to me again, fully human, in his shorts.

Embry reached out and took my hand as we walked.

"So…?" He said, looking at me intently.

"So what?" I asked, smiling contentedly and leaning my head against his shoulder.

"So, what did you think?" he said pulling my hand across his body so he could hold it in his other one and drape his arm around my shoulders.

"About the ride? I thought it was wonderful, and magical and absolutely beyond words!"

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself. I was kinda worried that you'd be scared or something." He told me.

"I was a little at first, but more about the idea I guess. Once we got going it was perfect." I sighed slightly, thinking about the ride. It really had been perfect. "where are we going?" I asked when I realized we weren't heading back to the camper.

"You didn't really think I spent all day setting up trees to run through, did you?" he asked, just as we stepped around a tree into a field of wild flowers.

I gasped. It was beautiful. And a few feet ahead of us was a picnic blanket and basket.

"Do you like it?"

"It's beautiful. How did you find this place?" I asked Embry.

"I could smell the flowers. So I just fallowed my nose." He gave a self satisfied grin. "Do you want to eat?"

"YES! I'm so hungry!"

Embry grinned and pulled me by the hand over to the blanket. I sat down next to him and he began to unpack the basket.

I laughed when I saw the food that was being taken out. There were carrots, celery and ranch dip. Gram crackers, canned whipped cream, and raspberries. And about eighty heart-shaped mini sandwiches.

Embry was looking at the food quizzically as he took it out of the basket. He looked into the basket again as if expecting something more.

"Let me guess, you asked Mia to get the food together?"

"Yeah, actually I did. Remind me to eat before I go to any parties catered by her." He said shaking his head. "I can't believe she cut the sandwiches into hearts."

"I can. It's exactly the kind of thing she'd do. She's of the opinion that food you can dip in something, is the best. I'm not sure why, but she likes sauces and stuff. So this was probably all the dipping food in the camper. And the sandwiches, well that would be her idea of a joke. She thinks its cute but she knows that it just makes me laugh." I said. Embry was looking at me.

"She is quite a character." Embry said chuckling.

"Yes. But she's my character, so….shall we dip?"

Embry opened the plastic container of veggie dip and the little separate baggies of celery and carrots. Again, Mia. I swear that girl used more sandwich baggies then a soccer mom.

We ate and laughed about the weird things our friends and families did. Inspired by Mia's catering services.

"My mother is nuts." I told him. "She's a complete control freak and likes to be in every aspect of my life. When I was a teenager she used to try and make friends with my friends and be the "cool mom"" I said using finger quotes. "She was more embarrassing then anything. Now she's setting me up on blind dates, and she calls on a daily basis and its impossible to get her off the phone. That's why I wanted to get away, that and I had to get Mia away for a while. But I have to keep my phone off while we're out here, because my mother literally called ten times during that twenty hour car ride out here."

Embry grimaced and nodded in understanding, then his eyebrows pulled together in confusion. "What did you have to get Mia away from?"

"What? Oh Mia. She's dwelling, I figured a change of scenery would help her clear her head and get a new perspective."

"What's she been dwelling on?"

"Just some incident with an audition. I guess she got called back for a role she really wanted, and the director told her that she and another girl were both in the running for that part, and the other girl was most likely going to get it. Then he told her that if she slept with him, he's make sure she got it. Of course she said, 'no'. Well actually it was more colorful language than that, but that was the basic point." I explained shaking my head. "Since then she's decided that her whole career is a sham, and the only reason she's ever gotten any part was because she had big boobs and putting them on stage makes them easier to ogle."

Embry stared at me for a few seconds, and then shook his head again. "Well that explains some things."

"What things?"

"Just some things I noticed today." He said shrugging. "Hey, do you want to play cards?"

"Yeah. What did you have in mind?"

"I don't know anything. Poker?" He said.

I raised my eyebrows. "And what are we using to bet?" I said eyeing him.

"Um, well normally I'd say strip poker, but seeing as you are wearing multiple layers and I'm only wearing shorts I'd say the odds are slightly in your favor. We can do that another time. How about we use these heart sandwiches?"

"Ok, I'll take that rain check on the strip poker, and I'm ready to take all your sandwiches. Trust me. I am the poker queen." I said confidently.

"Is that so? Well it just so happens I am the poker king."

"Bring it."

"Oh it's brung."

I laughed and the game began.

We played until it got too dark to see the cards. It turned out he really was very good, but in the end I was the winner, I had two more sandwiches then he did. After we had packed most everything up, we laid on the blanket together looking at the moon.

"Harper?"

"Yes Embry?"

"I need to tell you something."

My head was on his arm, and I turned to look at his face. "Go ahead."

"Well, remember the other day? When we were telling you about being wolves?"

"Yes."

"Well, remember when we told you about imprinting?"

I smiled. "Yes."

"Well, Harper. I mean, I don't want to freak you out or anything, but You are my imprint. I knew as soon as I saw you, which is how it works actually, but I could feel it. You are the one, my imprint."

"I know."

"You know?" Embry asked looking taken aback.

"Yeah. I figured it out. It was the only thing that made sense for how strongly I feel about you so quickly and how drawn to you I am." I explained.

"You're drawn to me?" He said, smiling.

"Very much so. But, what does it mean exactly?"

"It means we're soul mates. We were made for each other. It means I've loved you since the moment I first saw you and I will do everything in my power to make you happy, and to protect you."

"You love me?" I asked, I could hear the awe in my own voice.

"Very much so." He mimicked.

I bit my lip. Was I supposed to tell him I loved him too? I wasn't sure if I did even. I mean, being with him made me feel happy and at peace. It felt like I was supposed to be here, in his arms everything felt right. I still had that warm feeling deep the core of my being, and my heart seemed to burn for him. Was that love? I didn't know what else it could be, but love could be dangerous. Especially since I'd only known Embry a few days. But what else could it be? And he said I was his Imprint, which was what I had figured anyway. Maybe it was okay to be in love so quickly, because it was meant to be. Because we were soul mates, and because he imprinted on me, the same rules didn't apply.

"I think I love you too." I told him. "Actually I'm sure I do."

His smile grew huge and I noticed that his lips were only a few inches away from mine. As we stared at each other he seemed to notice this too, and his gaze became fixed on my lips. He inched closer, until his mouth covered mine. His arms snaked around me, pulling me tighter to him as we kissed. I loved how warm it was pressed against his body. The heat and the passion in the kiss grew with each millisecond. I felt his tongue lick along my bottom lip, and I opened my mouth to allow him entrance. Our tongues danced lightly together, and we had rolled so he was hovering over me. It seemed to last for eternity and yet only a moment. It was the best kiss I've ever had in my life, and possibly the hottest. Both figuratively and literally. Every second it got hotter and hotter. But it all came to and end. Embry pulled away when he began to get some blood flow problems.

We were both breathing heavily. I smiled up at him and he grinned back.

"Maybe we should stop so you can deal with your little problem." I said moving away from him slightly.

He pouted at me, and I had to agree that I much preferred being in his arms. He reached forward to pull me close again but I dodged him. "I'll make you a deal. We relax for a little bit. And then when we get back, I will sleep in my own bed." He gave me a confused look. "It is a double after all, I'm sure we'll both fit." At this his smile got so big I thought his cheeks might break.

"Deal." He said laying back, continuing to watch me. We stared into each other's eyes for a few minutes before I gave in. I scooted closer to him, and snuggled into his side. His arms immediately wrapped around me.

"No funny business." I ordered.

"Of course not, my dear."

When we got back to the camper, Mia and Jacob weren't back yet.

I changed into my pajamas. Short shorts and a cami. I figured anything more and I'd over heat with Embry so near. I gave Embry a pair of large boxers that I sometimes wear for sleeping in, so he could change out of his dirty shorts.

"Do you ever wear these? They look like they're about three sizes too big for you."

"I liked the pattern and they only had them in a large. So I bought them anyway. And yes, sometimes I sleep in them."

Embry looked at the flying pigs on the boxers and excused himself into the bathroom to change.

I sighed and crawled into bed. After a few minutes I felt the blanket being lifted slightly and warm arms wrap around my waist pulling me close. Embry buried his face in my necked and let out a contented breath.

"Goodnight." I said snuggling as close to him as I could get.

"Goodnight, I love you."

"I love you too." I said. And the funny thing was, when I said it, my brain and my heart seemed to have finally agreed.

AN: Ok, that was Embry and harper's date. (Duh). Was it what you expected? better? Worse? Let me know!

Also, what do you want to see happen on Jake and Mia's date? Should it run smootly or should there be some problems. Although I think I'm leaning toward smooth sailing for the date (because i love fluff) and bringing in some drama curtesy of Chicago. smiles What do you think?

Sorry if that kiss wasn't very realistic. I'd um.. cough...em... uh cough.. don't really have any expericene in that matter...coughatcoughall. Looks away embarassed

Much love, Bridget