So sorry for taking so long in between updates! Christmas time was hectic for me, as I'm sure it was for all of you. I received two unexpected invitations out of town from my family and friends. Both trips were too good to pass up- another snowboarding trip and a weekend getaway to a cabin in the mountains. I don't even want to get started on work… ugh.
So here is chapter 11, and I've made it a long one to make up for the long break. Again, sorry I couldn't get this out quicker. Thank you to those of you who sent me a message asking about the next update; it's very nice to know that people are enjoying the story so much!
Chapter 11 – Viable Options
JPOV
Sleep was awesome. Dreaming was even better. Nessie was definitely a lucid dreamer, and being in her dreams with her was hands down the most incredible thing I'd ever experienced. On second thought, being inside her was the most incredible experience of my life- but watching and participating in her dreams was a close second… almost. The fact that I was able to make love to her in her dreams really made it hard to choose, but ultimately there was no comparing being with her physically, even if she did have a vivid imagination that made it hard to discern if you were actually dreaming or not. Honestly, I could probably be convinced that I was dreaming when I'm actually awake and with Nessie; it all seems too good to be true. If somebody told me to list off every detail of my dream girl, I would just end up describing Nessie. I couldn't even imagine a girl as perfect as my Nessie. She was the sun in my sky, the air in my lungs, the blood in my veins.
She really had no boundaries when it came to her dreams; anything was possible. Whatever she felt like doing, the dream would morph to her liking. Most of the time I forgot I was actually sleeping and watching her dreams since I wasn't a lucid dreamer at all. In fact, I hardly ever remembered my dreams, and most times I didn't dream at all. The only times I would realize it was a dream was when she would do something superhero-ish or something beyond her normal capabilities, which was a little hard to tell considering she had vampire strength. The majority of the time it was very simple and relaxing. Something I picked up on though that I remembered from the last time I watched her dreams was that she often thought of the beach. We would walk hand in hand along the shore, our feet getting wet from the waves coming in, lapping at the shoreline. She always had a big smile on her face anytime she dreamed of it.
That got me to thinking about the last time she had been to the beach, besides LaPush. First Beach wasn't exactly a preferable beach; there was too much driftwood, the water was always cold, and the weather was not typical beach weather. Not that the temperature really mattered much to us since our bodies stayed warm, but it really would be nice to have better weather so she could enjoy herself and lie in the sun. Maybe I could surprise her and take her sometime.
Not long before I woke up the visions had stopped coming to me. I woke up slowly and stretched, not even bothering to open my eyes once I was awake. I smiled as I felt the familiar warmth next to me in bed. I reached over and pulled her closer to me, but it felt odd; for some reason her skin didn't feel as warm as it normally did. I wondered if she was cold, which might have made sense- it got pretty cold at night and the mornings weren't much warmer. Did I accidently hog all the covers? Thinking about it though, it really didn't make any sense for her to be cold, we could easily sleep without the covers or even go outside in just a t-shirt and shorts and not be chilled with our high body temperatures. I ultimately just forgot about it, it wasn't important. All that I cared about was that she was here in bed next to me.
I kept my eyes shut when I felt the sunshine flooding through the windows, not ready to deal with sore eyes and letting them adjust. I dipped my head down and nuzzled my nose into her hair while I slid my hands around her waist, trailing my hands up her ribcage and along the soft skin of her stomach, all the while inhaling her scent. My brows furrowed and my nose crinkled; something wasn't right here. Although her skin felt as soft and smooth as it normally did, she didn't feel the same and she definitely didn't smell the same. I had committed every single inch of her body to memory with just my fingertips alone; every curve of her body, the shape and tone of her muscles, and even the slight protrusion of her bones- this was not the body I remembered. And I certainly don't ever remember a time when I couldn't smell the distinct smell of her, even when she was younger and would come home covered in grass stains, mud, and whatever else she had been into.
Maybe she's just lying down awkwardly, I reasoned, trying to come up with some explanation for her body feeling different to me. I was still at a loss trying to explain her difference in scent. I knew I probably should have been concerned, but I was simply just too tired after having just woken up.
Just as one of my hands reached the top of her ribcage and the other past her naval she spoke. "Um, Jake," she said nervously, her breath hitching. My body stiffened at hearing her voice and I swallowed past the lump in my throat. It wasn't Nessie. It was Nichole.
My eyes flew open as I yanked my arms back and rolled away from her and off the bed straight onto my back. How the fuck did I get into their room… into their bed? "What the fuck? Jesus… sorry Nichole! How did- when- how the fuck- shit... I thought you were Nessie!" I stammered through my words while I stood up, my mind a jumbled mess. I looked around the room, which confused me more- I was in my room!
Her eyes widened and her lips curled into the start of a smile right before she started laughing uncontrollably at me. I jerked my head towards the door when it opened to see Seth and Nessie trotting inside, all smiles and laughter. My posture relaxed and I let out a big sigh of relief. Seth sat on the edge of the bed and pulled a still laughing Nichole into his arms while Nessie walked up beside me, wrapping her arms around my waist. I dropped my hands to grasp hers instinctively, "What the fuck is going on here?" I could hear people laughing from the hallway at my question.
Great. The whole family is in on this.
Nichole wiped at her eyes, apparently crying from laughing so hard. "Oh," she laughed again, taking a deep breath to collect herself. "You should have seen your face! I owed you."
I groaned and turned my body to face Nessie, tucking my head down into the crook of her neck. "Don't do that to me," I pleaded in a whisper. "I was starting to feel her up thinking it was you."
"Aw, I'm sorry baby," she crooned. "I warned her that you probably would. I guess we're lucky you didn't grope her boobs then." Cue my blush. It wasn't that I was embarrassed about the fact that I liked groping her in the morning, but I certainly didn't enjoy having everyone know about it. Nessie and I may have been sexually active for some time now, but after so many years of repressing those thoughts and avoiding any conversations about sex, my brain was wired to be uncomfortable mentioning it to other people- that kind of stuff was meant to stay private in my eyes. I knew it wasn't really a big deal, and that I was definitely unlike any other guy when it comes to that subject; most guys couldn't help but spew innuendos and gloat at any chance they got. Unlike most guys though, I had fallen in love with a mind reader's daughter. I certainly didn't need anyone mentioning that kind of stuff aloud with Edward around, especially when just talking about it would only bring images to my mind.
I buried my face further into her neck, hiding behind her hair. She wasn't subtle at all, and I'm surprised she didn't blush herself. Talk about being embarrassed. At least I didn't have morning wood.
"Yeah, thank God," Seth added with sincerity and a touch of humor. I almost laughed, thinking he was replying to my thoughts. I could tell just from the tone of his voice that he wasn't on board with the idea from the start. I looked up to him and shrugged with a grin. I knew he did the exact same thing in the morning when he woke up next to Nichole. He cocked an eyebrow at me like he was about to disagree, giving in after a second and laughing in agreement.
I brought my hand up to Nessie's chest and palmed one of her breasts in my hand then, exacting a little revenge of my own. She gasped and slapped my hand away, "Jake!" Her cheeks tinged pink and she huffed.
"You sold me out! And I wanted my morning grope!" I complained.
"You're insatiable!" She whined. There was no hiding the grin on her face though.
Seth and Nichole laughed at us. Nessie stared at them with narrowed eyes until Seth scooped Nichole up. "Come on babe., we'd better leave before Nessie kicks my ass. We're staying in the guest room downstairs if you guys need us," Seth said. He carried Nichole to the door while kissing her all over as she squirmed in his arms. Just before they left he turned back to us, "Oh yeah, Carlisle and Edward wanted to get everyone together to discuss… everything… now that we're all here," he informed us cautiously. "So whenever you guys are ready. Esme made breakfast too."
My stomach grumbled at the mention of food. "Thanks. Glad you guys made it here safely."
"Thanks," they said at the same time, both of them starting to laugh at the same time as well, which only caused them to laugh even louder.
Nessie sat on my bed while I scoured my room for clothes, pretending to fiddle with her fingers and trying to be sneaky about stealing glances at me as I dressed. I made sure to give her a good show.
She had already gone down to her room and changed. She looked beautiful as always wearing a pair of tight jeans, a long sleeved button up red and black plaid shirt, and black and white converse shoes with red laces to match her shirt. I loved the way she looked in red; it made her already gorgeous hair stand out even more. She let her hair flow freely today, which is exactly how I preferred. It had natural, soft curls and would bounce with her movements.
"You look beautiful today. As always," I said, spinning on my heel quickly to catch her staring at me. I grinned to myself, more than just a little smug that she couldn't keep her eyes off me. It made me want to do a happy dance, and I didn't even like dancing.
She smiled warmly at me and tossed her hair over her shoulder closest to me, creating a wall between us, her hand reaching up to run her fingers through it slowly. "Thank you."
I took the few steps between us, being careful to stay out of her line of sight behind her hair, and pushed her hair back behind her shoulder, tucking stray strands behind her ear. "You can look all you want, you know," I said as she glanced up at me. She laughed softly under her breath and her cheeks tinged the slightest shade of pink as her eyes took me in. It made me want to lean down and feel the warmth of her blush against my lips, but her reaction reminded me that I was only in my boxers. I settled for sighing and grazing my thumb down her cheek to her chin, just barely skimming the corner of her mouth and grazing her perfectly smooth lips.
I pulled on a pair of dark colored jeans and some socks and then headed over to the dressers to pick out a shirt. I actually took the time to look through the stuff Alice had bought me. It was all really nice clothes, and of course fashionable, but it all seemed really fancy for my tastes, especially since all we had planned for today was to lounge around the house. I would have put on one of my shirts that I'd packed if they didn't need to be washed or fluffed first. I'm terrible at folding clothes and they all ended up wrinkled when I unpacked them. I huffed in frustration and ran my hand through my hair, closing the drawer I was looking in. It was the last drawer I'd scavenged through.
"May I?" Nessie asked.
"Find me a shirt?" I smiled at the thought. I was more than willing to wear something she picked out for me because that meant she liked the way it looked on me. I definitely wanted her to like what I was wearing, even if it was childish to let someone else choose your clothes for you. "Sure."
She started with the closet, not bothering to look very long because all the clothes in there were collared shirts or dress shirts and dress slacks. She took her time looking through the drawers, laying out a few different choices she liked on the bed. Once she was satisfied with her choices she turned to the bed and brought her finger to her chin as she contemplated which one she liked best. Her eyes traveled from me, back to the bed, then back up to me, then back to the next shirt on the bed until she'd examined them all.
She finally settled on a V-neck black muscle shirt that was particularly tight in the abs region with a plain dark grey, long sleeved, button up shirt to wear over it. I'd considered wearing it when I saw it although the thought of wearing a shirt under it never occurred to me. She buttoned it up halfway so the V-neck of my undershirt was visible and rolled up the sleeves to my elbows so my forearms were showing.
She took a small step back and eyed me from head to toe before nodding to herself. "You're arms are very sexy," she said matter-of-factly, taking a step forward to close the distance between us. Her fingers reached out to run along my forearms up to the inside of my elbow. "They're worth showing off."
"If you say so. Thanks." I pushed my hair off my forehead and then ran my fingers through my hair. Nessie noticed and reached up to replace my hand, pushing strands this way and that way. "It's getting pretty long. Honestly the last time my hair was this long was before I was even a wolf, and it was probably five times as long. I could use a haircut."
She shook her head slightly, "I like it like this. It's so soft."
Okay, never mind. Shaggy hair it is. My hair really wasn't too long in comparison to how long I'd grown it out as a teenager when Bella moved back to Forks. It wasn't long enough to put back into a ponytail like I'd once had, not even close. It was maybe four inches long, just long enough to cover most of my ears and fall across my forehead to touch my eyebrows if I didn't push it back. Ever since I'd become a wolf I'd kept it short, never letting it get longer than two inches. The length of your hair in human form reflected the shagginess of your hair in wolf form- and I was looking pretty scruffy as a wolf lately. But if Nessie liked it, then it didn't bother me one bit.
She continued running her fingers through it for a minute, tucking strands behind my ear and pushing it off my forehead. I closed my eyes, loving the feeling of her soft, warm fingers running across my scalp. I opened my eyes to look at her when she stopped, and she cocked her head to the side as she contemplated something. "C'mere," she beckoned, walking over to the bathroom.
I followed her over and she turned on the sink. She pushed against my chest and guided me to sit on the toilet seat. She wet her hands in the sink and pulled them out, realizing she had forgotten to pull her sleeves back. She faced me with her wet hands extended out towards me, "Could you roll my sleeves up?"
I nodded, unfastening the buttons at her wrist and slowly pulling her sleeves up to her elbow one at a time. I let my fingers trail slowly up her forearm, smiling when she shivered so subtly I hardly noticed it. She sighed in content, which came out a bit shaky as a small shiver ran up her spine. As the second sleeve reached her elbow, I leaned down to place a kiss on her wrist, snaking my tongue out just to have a quick taste of her skin.
She must have been ticklish on her wrists because she giggled and drew her hands back while squirming before placing them on my head. I closed my eyes again as her wet hands pushed through my hair, letting out soft moans whenever she used her nails to lightly scratch along my scalp. When my hair was damp enough, she grabbed one of the many hair products Alice had stocked the bathroom with, putting a glob of it in her hand and rubbing it into her palms and fingers. Whatever it was that she put in my hair was actually strong enough to tame it. When she pushed strands of my hair in a certain direction they stayed put. Normally it would just flop back into its original spot or end up looking messy.
She stood over me working her hands through my hair, pushing and pulling, twisting and twirling until she looked pleased with herself and dropped her hands. "It is not even fair how good you look. I wish my hair was this easy."
I scoffed at her, knowing she was just trying to flatter me. "Your hair is perfect just the way it is." I picked up her hand and kissed the back of it.
I turned around to look in the mirror and had to clench my jaw to keep it from dropping open to catch flies. It hardly even looked like the shaggy mess it normally did. It looked like I'd taken the time to get a proper haircut and style it. "Wow. You're really good at this." I turned my head from side to side, trying to memorize the way she had styled it so I could attempt to do it another time when I needed to look decent. "Now I just need to shave."
"No!" she cried out, pleading, immediately blushing afterwards at her sudden outburst. Her eyes dropped from mine for a second, her cheeks flooding deliciously with color.
I swallowed thickly, my mouth salivating at the sight of her blush. I love that. It was so damn adorable and sexy at the same time- I just wanted to eat her up. Literally. Get a fucking hold of yourself, Jake, I scolded my inner voice, reminding myself once again that Edward could be listening.
She looked back to me from underneath her eyelashes and rubbed the stubble along my jawline with the back of her forefinger to avoid getting anything on my face. "I love it," she whispered, explaining her outburst.
Okay. Not shaving either.
Her hand dropped from my face and she started washing the sticky hair product off her hands. "I'm tempted to go change." I looked at her questioningly, tilting my head to the side and willing her to elaborate. She dried her hands off and put them on her hips to face me with an amused look on her face. "You look better than I do!"
"That's impossible." I stood up and grasped her hands to pull her into my chest, hugging her and burying my nose in her hair on the top of her head. "Plus, I really like what you're wearing," I said while running my fingers along her collarbone. I dropped my hands and took a step back, beginning to unbutton the dark grey shirt she had picked out for me. "I'll take this off if it makes you feel better."
She stilled my hands and shook her head at me, buttoning it back up. "No, silly. I was kidding. I'm not that high maintenance."
"Who said you were high maintenance? I'll kick their ass," I said with mock anger. I returned my hand back to her collarbone, skimming along the soft skin until I reached the hollow of her throat. "You're not at all. You hardly ever even wear make-up, which I love by the way." I dragged my finger slowly up her neck, up and over her jaw to her temple, stroking downward to her cheekbone. I repeated the motion a few times before I spoke," Your skin is perfect just the way it is, you don't need to cover it up."
She shook her head again and smiled lovingly at me. "Thank you. That's very sweet."
"I'm not trying to be sweet, I'm just being honest. Really… the only time you take long to get ready is when you're getting dressed up to go out. Or whenever you let Nichole get her hands on you. But I can't complain about that- she has good taste." I said. My stomach rumbled with hunger, reminding me there was food downstairs. "Speaking of taste… ready to head downstairs? I'm starving."
She nodded. "You're always hungry."
"Hungry for you," I said with a wag of my eyebrows.
She rolled her eyes at me and grabbed my hand, leading me out of the room and down the stairs. We took a seat at the kitchen table next to Seth and Nichole. The table was full of all sorts of mouthwatering food. I ignored the odd looks from everyone in the kitchen, even though I understood why they were staring at me. I think this was the first time they had ever seen me do something with I'd ever had any sort of product in my hair in their presence.
Nichole whistled a catcall appreciatively in my direction. "Wow, your hair looks good like that, Jake," she appraised me, looking back and forth between Seth and me a few times. My hair was just barely longer than Seth's, and I knew she was wondering if she could do something similar with his hair.
"It was all Nessie," I said while stuffing my mouth full of bacon and eggs. Nessie slapped my arm, scolding me for talking with my mouth full.
Nichole's head continued to jump between the two of us until Seth cocked an eyebrow at her. "What?" she asked innocently. "It looks good. I was curious," she admitted sheepishly.
I sat and endured the compliments from the various Cullen's as they passed through the kitchen. Neither Alice or Esme could restrain themselves and had to touch it, which had them both offering their suggestions to Nessie. Emmett and Jasper snickered and whispered amongst themselves as they came in from the back door and walked to the living room. I was too busy eating to bother listening, and I could barely hear them over the sound of crunchy bacon in my mouth as I chewed.
"Oh you look just fabulous," Emmett teased in an over the top flamer voice, dangling his wrist in front of him. He turned around and disappeared into the living room, Jasper's laughter ringing out from around the corner and encouraging him.
"Ignore him Jacob, you look very handsome." Esme came over to the table to clear away some of the empty plates. "Would you mind joining us in the living room once you're all done eating?
Everyone acknowledged her. "Sure, sure. Thanks for the food, mom."
She beamed at me and leaned down to hug me. I knew she loved being called mom, and it didn't feel awkward at all to call her that. She really had become a second mother to me.
Nessie slouched a little in her chair and I could tell by her facial features that she was feeling nervous about the upcoming discussion. I understood her anxiety; she was worried that all of this centered around her- that Demetri was looking for her. No one had even mentioned anything about him since we'd been here, and I didn't really know if that was a good or bad thing. I knew we were waiting for Seth and Nichole to get here before we discussed anything, but I figured there would have been some mention of it. Then again, besides our talk with Edward and Bella yesterday, I'd hardly spoken to any of the other Cullen's and had spent most of the day away from the house.
I put my fork down and slid my hand across the table to lightly touch Nessie's forearm. It didn't take but a second until she gave me a small smile and weaved her fingers between mine. She relaxed in her seat and shook her head to herself to clear her thoughts. I rubbed my thumb in small circles on the back of her hand to silently reassure her that everything would be alright and that I was here for her. She kept her hand in mine while she finished off the rest of her breakfast and I rested on my elbow just watching her.
"Hey Jake?" Seth asked, distracting me from watching Nessie's mouth as she ate.
"Yeah?"
"Did you get a chance to talk to Emmett or Carlisle? Did everything go as planned?"
"Ah, crap. I didn't even think to ask. Sorry man."
"Don't sweat it," he said dismissively. I was about to let it go when I caught him glance nervously at Nichole.
"They didn't mention anything about it. I'd assume they would have said something if there was a problem."
"It's taken care of!" Emmett yelled from the front room. His footsteps drew closer until he poked his head into the kitchen. "Shit… have a little faith. You know I can hear you."
Seth's posture relaxed. "Thanks, Emmett," he said sincerely, reaching his hand up to scratch the back of his head and looking bashful.
"Nobody fucks with my friends and gets away with it. Especially my lady friends." Emmett replied matter-of-factly and beamed at Nichole.
"Thank you," Nichole mumbled so quietly it was hard to hear her from just a few feet away.
I looked over at Nichole, who was strangely quiet during this whole conversation. Pressing rewind in my head, I realized she hadn't said anything since Seth brought the subject up. Not only had she been quiet and timid, but she looked upset. Seth of course noticed and offered her some comfort before I had a chance to ask her about it.
"Babe, what's the matter?" he asked softly, tucking some hair behind her ear.
She shook her head to herself and looked over at him, "Nothing really. I wanted…," she trailed off and hesitated a moment, reconsidering her words. "I just hate that asshole for what he tried to do."
"I know. I'm sorry," he said sadly, his shoulders slouching. "What were you about to say? You wanted…?"
She bit her lip and dropped her eyes back to her empty plate. "I wanted him to pay. I wanted him to get a taste of his own medicine," she whispered like she was ashamed to say it. "And I wanted to be the one to do it." Seth threw his arm over her shoulder and pulled her into his side but didn't say anything. I knew he wanted the same thing. He wished he was the one who got revenge for her, although I'm not sure how he felt about giving him a little bit of his own medicine- Seth didn't swing that way.
I grinned at Seth and shook my head in disbelief, "She would be one hell of a wolf." Nichole laughed and played along. She lifted her arms into the air and flexed with a big smile, doing her best impersonation of a growl. Nessie and I both laughed while Seth just smiled at her approvingly.
By that time, Emmett had come into the room and sat at the table with us. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, nobody wants to be a stinky ass wolf," he said dismissively, smirking at Nichole with one eyebrow raised. "Would it make you feel any better if I told you I roughed him up a bit? I'm not really sure you'd be able to tell with all the bruises Jake already gave him though. I didn't give him a taste of his own medicine though; he wasn't my type." I laughed, glad somebody else was overanalyzing what she had said too. I quieted down after everyone looked at me funny. "He's going to be a registered sex offender though." He chuckled to himself and looked very pleased with himself. "I mean what kind of idiot gets so drunk that he passes out in an elementary school with his dick hanging out while wearing a backpack full of illegal drugs?"
He got through to her and Seth. Everyone at the table started laughing at the mental image. He continued, "Believe it or not, it was all Carlisle's idea to put his pants around his ankles. Even if he somehow avoided jail time his life is completely fucked. The charges against him will haunt him for the rest of his life. When and if that fucker tries to get any real job, the first thing his employer will see is his criminal record. If he tried to get a house or place to live, he'd have to get the consent of his neighbors because he's a sex offender. Nobody wants to agree to have a sex offender as a neighbor. I don't think that's enough, but for now that will have to do."
"Carlisle's idea?" Nessie asked skeptically.
"Just because he's an old man doesn't mean he doesn't have a sense of humor," Emmett laughed.
A small silver object flew through the room and crushed against the back of Emmett's head making a loud thud upon impact. The object fell to the floor as a mangled clump of shiny metal. "Do not call my husband old," Esme growled. I couldn't be sure, but I think it was a spoon.
Raucous laughter ensued, both at Esme's uncharacteristic behavior and at the thought of Carlisle pulling somebody's pants around their ankles. Nichole's stress melted away with her laughter and she thanked Emmett again along with Seth.
We kicked Esme out of the kitchen when she insisted on helping us clean up. She made us an amazing breakfast and she can't even eat any of the food she made, so why should she have to clean up afterwards? Nessie washed the dishes, I dried them and handed them off to Seth to put away, and Nichole cleared the table and washed it.
Nichole brought the last of the dirty dishes to the sink and leaned against the counter next to where Nessie was washing. "So… when will you find out?"
I had no idea what they were talking about.
"Um… he told me the results would be ready sometime today hopefully, tomorrow at the latest," she answered sounding unsure but still smiled.
Oh, the fertility test. Right.
"Well I'm sure everything is going to turn out just fine." As I watched them out of the corner of my eye, I saw Nichole give her a small, tight-lipped smile. "Are you nervous?" she asked under her breath.
"Not anymore, no," she answered confidently and nudged her head in my direction. She looked over at me with a smile. "Just a little anxious to hear the results."
For the second time today, I wanted to do a happy dance. She was nervous, but she had just admitted that I'd put her nerves at ease. My heart beat wildly in my chest, pumping warmth throughout my body that was similar to the warmth I felt when we touched. I yearned for moments like this; when I would do right by her. It made me feel like an unstoppable force, even if it was over something small like making her smile.
I ducked my head when I noticed Bella staring at me with her lips smashed together to hold in her laughter, but I couldn't wipe the smile off my face. She had obviously overheard Nichole and Nessie and noticed the look Nessie gave me. She knew me well enough to know how I would react to it, and apparently found it funny. I looked back up at her and shrugged. I wasn't ashamed to make Nessie happy. In fact, I was glad that Bella didn't want to sit us down right now and discuss it with us. That thought made me wonder if Nessie had already talked to her about it. Knowing their relationship and how close they were, I'm sure she had.
Good to know Bella is alright with the possibility of being a grandma someday. Wonder how Edward feels…
Once we finished the dishes we stood around the kitchen for a moment, knowing that once we went into the living room it would be a serious and possibly nerve-racking conversation. I was shocked when it was Nessie to suggest we get the meeting started. This would be the first time since we'd started our relationship that I was the one who was worried and needed reassurance- and Nessie didn't disappoint. I stood staring at Nessie, leaning against the sink with my sleeves rolled up from helping with the dishes. I was watching her face, looking for signs of distress. She turned away from Nichole to face me and frowned at my expression. After only a couple seconds she laid her hand upon my bare forearm, her eyes boring into mine. Jake? She asked with concern. I nodded, letting her know she had my attention.
She grabbed my hand and walked into the living room, using her ability to speak to me as she tugged me along.
I hate seeing you so worried, Jake. You said we would figure this out… don't fall apart on me now. No matter what comes our way we're going to handle it together, as a team. She sat down on the couch and pulled me down to the spot next to her, turning her body to face me. I know that you'll keep me safe. So as long as I'm with you, I have nothing to worry about.
I was amazed at the conviction of her words; she meant everything she said. I felt damn good knowing she had such confidence in me. My blood boiled, though not in anger- the warmth of her aura had simply surpassed its normal warmth and felt as if I'd burst aflame. Hearing those words from her left me feeling the most alive I had ever been. It was an indescribable feeling to know your imprint trusted you with their life. I had told her countless times that I would always keep her safe, and she had even told me that she believed me when I said it. But to have her tell me on her own, when it was unprecedented and not in reply to me telling her was fucking… astounding… flabbergasting.
She leaned into me and snaked her arms around my waist, snuggling herself into my body. I instinctively wrapped my arms around her in return to hold her tighter and tuck her into my chest, resting my chin on the crown of her head where her hair tickled my nose each time I breathed her scent in. As if she was reading my mind, as soon as my arms circled her she sighed in relief and whispered under her breath, "Safe."
My throat constricted and my eyes threatened to begin leaking, but I mentally told them both to back the fuck off. "Always," I whispered in fear of my voice cracking.
Edward called for everyone's attention when Carlisle entered the room with two manila folders from his study. The folders had me curious, but my curiosity was overshadowed by Carlisle's mannerisms. He was tense and seemed a little agitated. I had seen Carlisle in a cornucopia of moods, but I had never seen him look flustered. Even during the few times I had seen him angry he remained calm and collected.
"I've been trying to get into contact with our friends across the globe over the past few days." His voice confirmed what I already knew; he was clearly agitated. "I wanted to ask if anyone had any information in regards to the Volturi. The majority of them have yet to get back in touch with me… which is odd. Those that I have talked to have no pertinent information to give me about them, and they don't know what to make of our discovery of Demetri." He turned to Alice. "Alice, what can you see?"
"Every time I look for Demetri's future in regards to Nessie, Jacob, or Seth it goes blank, which makes sense since I can't see either of them. There's no future at all when I try to see Nichole. That has to be because he has absolutely no idea that she exists." She shook her head to herself. "When I try seeing him without them in mind, all I can see is that he's looking for something… or someone, but I can't see who, and I can't really tell where. The only thing I'm certain of is that he's frustrated because he can't find them."
"I thought you said that Demetri is some kind of all-star tracker?" I asked.
"He is, Jacob," Edward answered. "I've never seen him thwarted before. I'd suspected that he wouldn't be able to track Bella because of her ability. Maybe he can't find us because she shields us too. But it doesn't make any sense. You found his scent just miles from your house where Bella couldn't possibly have shielded you."
Carlisle's eyes widened and shifted in his seat to face Edward. "Do you think…," he trailed off.
"That's certainly a possibility. It would make sense," Edward replied.
"Hello? I hate when you do that. We're all here, you know," Bella said and narrowed her eyes at Edward and Carlisle.
"Carlisle had an interesting thought; he thinks that Demetri's ability doesn't work on Jacob or Renesmee any more than Alice's does. He's only able to track them as effectively as any normal person would, through word of mouth or public records and such." Edward turned back to Alice, "Alice, what about Aro or Caius?"
"Caius' future is too blurry. Too unsure. I have yet to catch a glimpse of him in any of our futures. And Aro…," she hesitated.
"And Aro what?" Edward snapped.
"I can't even see him. He's blocking me somehow. Maybe a new acquisition to their ranks?"
"Is that possible?" Carlisle asked.
"Honestly I don't see why it couldn't be. We didn't think it was possible to thwart Demetri, or Alec and Jane for that matter." Alice turned to face Bella and smiled. Bella ducked her head, still unable to cope with being praised.
Seth sat forward to look at Carlisle on the other end of the couch. "Carlisle, you mentioned last time something about his clothing. That it was something a high ranking Volturi would never wear. What exactly did you mean by that?"
"The material it's made of. The Volturi wear uniforms, believe it or not. Their clothing is based on their rank within the guard. It's been the same since I stayed with them all those years ago. It's similar to a military uniform; Aro wants his guard in uniform. It's not that he is trying to be fashionable, it's simply because it looks intimidating. The clothing you found isn't apart of any Volturi uniform I've ever seen. It leads me to believe that Demetri is somehow acting on his own, or perhaps that is what he wants us to believe."
"Could he have somehow left the Volturi? Do they even allow it?"
"Of course that is another possibility… but Aro would never let somebody as precious to him as Demetri go willingly. The members of the guard are there by choice, technically. They are invited to join the guard if they possess a talent that Aro finds useful. If one of them chose to leave but Aro valued his ability too much to let him go, they have ways of keeping them without making them feel like they're forced to stay. One of their members, Chelsea, has the ability to manipulate their will into believing they are bound to the Volturi. Then there are others who can trick him into believing he is happy staying with them."
Seth sat back in his seat, his eyebrows furrowed as he digested all the information.
"So… you don't think that he can track us?" I asked, needing to get some clarification. I didn't want to change the subject, but I needed to get an answer.
"We don't know for sure, but it sure seems that way," Carlisle answered. "It's the only explanation that seems plausible. I don't see how he could have come so close but not have been able to find you."
"But why is he looking for us?"
Silence.
"We didn't do anything," Nessie mumbled.
"Maybe he's looking for Renesmee because he thinks that's where the rest of us will be. It would make sense after what happen the last time we met," Esme said. "They probably think we wouldn't let her out of our sights after that. We assembled an army to stand up to them all for her."
Nice thinking, mom.
"But why wouldn't they just track one of you then? If he wasn't able to find Nessie, wouldn't he just try somebody else?" Seth asked.
"He wouldn't be able to find us if Bella was keeping us shielded," Edward answered.
"That would be his next step though. To track one of you. Bella can't keep you all shielded all the time," I pointed out.
"You're probably right, Jacob," Carlisle agreed. "And no, Bella can't possibly keep us shielded all the time. There's times we're simply out of her range, like when we hunt or when I'm at the hospital."
"Then I want to get Nessie away from here." I studiously ignored all the funny looks from everyone wondering if I'd lost it. "If they're looking for her, I don't want them to find her, even if you're all here to protect her. They're going to eventually end up here… and then what happens if they find her?" I hugged my arms around Nessie just a bit tighter reflexively at the thought of them getting close to her. Her fingers squeezed firmly around my forearm in return.
"And take her where exactly?" Edward asked.
"Somewhere safe," I said instinctively. Everyone rolled their eyes at my vague answer.
I looked down at Nessie then, contemplating where would be a good place to take her. There was a ray of sunshine starting to shine through the window which made her hair shine. The sun also touched the edge of the couch where Esme was sitting, her arm caught in the light and shimmering like diamonds. I smiled to myself then, my mind formulating a plan without me even telling it to.
"I've got it!" I exclaimed. "Somewhere sunny. He's not going to try tracking us in the sun… he'll stick out. That cuts his tracking time down to nighttime only," I reasoned.
"But where?" Bella asked, cocking her head at me. "We don't want to be far away from her incase something does happen. It needs to be relatively close, at least within a few hours."
My smile broadened when I looked down at Nessie again. Maybe some good could come out of this shitty situation. With the sun shining through her hair like this, the only place that came to mind was the beach. I knew from her dreams that she had obviously been wanting to go, and now seemed the perfect opportunity. It had to be a sunny beach though… and somewhere relatively close. "The beach. California is the only place close enough with sunny beaches, even this time of year. Southern California to be more specific, it's closer to the equator and it's going to have more sun."
Nessie looked up at me then, the corners of her mouth twitching into the start of a smile, her eyes shining brighter than her hair. "Could we?"
"We can't just send you two off by yourself, that's no safer than having you here," Carlisle said.
"Of course not. Seth, Nichole?"
Nichole was already smiling at me and nodding her head in agreement so fervently that her shoulders shook. She looked to Seth who was watching her reaction. "I'm going anywhere you are, babe," he said simply.
"Okay, so that's two of us. I could always have some of the other pack members come too."
"That's fine, Jacob," Edward said cautiously, looking to Bella for confirmation. She nodded her head once, her eyes never straying from Nessie. "I trust you and Seth. We don't need to draw any more attention than necessary. But if we're going to agree to this then we're going to need a day or two to get everything arranged correctly. You'll have to use some fake identities- it will make it that much harder for anyone trying to find you."
"Bella, do you still have the-"
"Yes. Jasper has kept them updated."
"We'll need to get some made for Seth and Nichole too then, just to be safe. That's going to take a few days though," Edward added. "I'll get in touch with J today."
"Well, umm, I was thinking of visiting my family since we're back in the area. So maybe we'll get the opportunity to do that." Nichole leaned around Seth and looked over to Edward. "Will you need a picture of us? I think I might have a few of Seth and I."
Edward nodded, "Yes. The sooner I get them the sooner I can have them made."
Nichole rose from the couch and Seth stood instinctively beside her. "I think I brought some back with us from the old house."
"Hang on," Seth said, digging into the back pocket of his jeans and pulling out his wallet.
He sheepishly pulled out a picture of the two of them standing a foot or so apart, their hands joined together between them and smiling in the direction of the camera. He handed the picture to Emmett, who was sitting next to him, who handed it off to Rosalie, who gave it to Alice- the picture being passed down to everyone else between him and Edward. The girl's all let out their collective "Aww's" while the guys snickered at Seth, regardless of the fact that they probably had far worse pictures of their significant other in their wallets. I know for a fact that I did.
I winced and shook my head at that last thought, hoping that Bella was shielding me and that Edward didn't see the picture I was referring to in my mind. I'd been away from Edward for too long and was having a hard time re-adjusting. The funny thing was that I'd lived with them for over a decade and practically mastered the art of keeping my thoughts in check… or at least somewhat in control. Then after living with Nessie in Alaska for a handful of months, my decade worth of practice becomes useless.
Still, I thought of the picture anyway; it was one that Nichole took of Nessie when she had her trying on her new designs. Nessie was completely bare above the waist with her back to the camera and she was pulling her jeans off while looking over her shoulder at the camera, the waistline just halfway over the swell of her butt, revealing her pink lacy panties. Her lip was nestled between her teeth suggestively with her chin tilted downwards, tucked in front of her shoulder to partly obscure her face like she was a little embarrassed at taking the picture.
Now I need to hide that picture in case he heard me. Shit, now he knows I'm going to hide it. Definitely not going to hide it, or am I? Shit. Now I was confusing myself by trying to throw Edward off. I peeked over at him but he looked oblivious to my internal ramblings, prattling information to Nichole and Seth.
"We need to decide on a specific location," Alice announced. "If I'm expected to be looking into the future I need to know exactly where I'm looking. Southern California is a big area."
"That's up to Nessie and Nichole," I said with a shrug. "I mean… that is if Nichole and Seth want to go. I didn't mean to volunteer you into this."
Nichole shook her head quickly. "I don't see Seth abandoning you two, and after what you did for me Jake, there's no way I would let him." She turned to Seth and cocked her eyebrow, daring him to argue with her. "And I am not moving back home after having to leave school early. Even if we moved back into our apartment, it would be too boring without you two. Besides, who else would I rather have try on my new designs other than Nessie? Somebody's got to make my designs look good."
Nessie looked over to Nichole and sighed in relief, happy to still have her friend by her side. "I've never been to California, have you?"
"I've been there a few times. Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, and San Diego. I didn't really like Los Angeles; too much smog." Nichole cringed her nose at the thought. "My vote is San Diego."
"Okay, San Diego," Nessie readily agreed.
"You'll love it there, Renesmee," Esme said softly, smiling at her. "It's beautiful. Carlisle has some connections in the area, we'll see what we can arrange for you."
Nessie nodded at her and thanked her
"Thanks mom." I looked down at Nessie then, hugging her tighter to me and sighing. This couldn't have turned out any better.
My mind slipped off into fantasy land, imagining the sight of Nessie actually on the beach instead of being there in her dreams. She would have a huge smile on her face while she stood on the shoreline, the incoming and receding water lapping at her feet while she looked out towards the crashing waves and horizon. The breeze would blow through her hair and the sun would illuminate her skin. I would come up behind her and rest my chin on her shoulder, plant a kiss on her cheek and wrap my arms around her midsection to be greeted with the familiar tingling sensation as I came into contact with the bare skin of her bikini-clad body.
Oh fuck yes. Nessie in a bikini. This situation just got a whole lot better, I thought to myself smugly as I uncomfortably readjusted myself in my seat.
"We should have everything good to go within a couple of days." Edward's voice broke me from my thoughts. "Until then you should stay here. Seth, Nichole, you two are also more than welcome to stay. There is plenty of room for the both of you."
"Yes, please don't hesitate to make yourselves at home. I know it must be frustrating having been practically forced to leave the house up there behind," Esme sympathized.
"Well I think we'll go visit my family then, at least for a day or two," Nichole suggested. "Um, besides…," she mumbled, fidgeting with the ring on her finger and looking up to smirk at Seth. "That should be enough time to get everything situated right?"
Bella sucked in a quick breath from beside her and reached her hand out towards Nichole with a big smile. Nichole obliged her, placing her hand in Bella's to show her the ring. "Oh, Seth, it's beautiful. Congratulations!" She leaned over to Nichole to hug her lightly, standing up to pull Seth from the couch also.
The Cullen's took turns passing Nichole and Seth around for hugs and to take a look at the ring on her finger. I smiled at the scene before us, glad to see everyone happy for the two of them. Nessie sighed beside me, her smile rivaling my own. Seth and Nichole had become like brother and sister to us, and it was plain to see how happy Nessie was for her friend.
"Congratulations, Seth. We're all very happy for you," Edward said genuinely to Seth as he shook his hand, turning to face Nichole. "To answer your question; yes, Nichole, that should work out perfectly. I'll go ahead and make an appointment with J," Edward said, standing up to pull a cell phone from his pocket.
The chatter picked back up as Edward excused himself, a few leaving the room to continue on with their day. Bella, Carlisle, and Alice remained on the couch along with Seth, Nichole, Nessie, and me. Alice asked all about their wedding plans, begging them to let her plan it out for them. After finding out they weren't in any rush, Bella scolded Alice to let them be, turning the conversation back to easier topics. They asked Seth for all of the details; when he had bought the ring, where he got the idea for the inscription, and how and when he proposed.
I was mostly distracted listening to their conversation when I saw Carlisle pick up the two manila folders he had brought with him, once again capturing my attention. I had thought he brought them with him to possibly use during our discussion.
He looked over at Nessie and I before speaking, "Jacob, Renesmee, do you two have a moment to go over your results?"
"Yes!" Nessie exclaimed. She hid her face in my chest and laughed nervously afterwards, embarrassing herself with her outburst.
He leaned over to place the folders on the coffee table and slid them towards us, each folder having our names written on the visible tab.
"Geez, doc, you got this done fast," I commented, pushing Nessie's hair that hid her face behind her ear.
"It was relatively easy; there was nothing abnormal in the samples. I was expecting to have to do some research to be completely sure, but that wasn't the case."
I wanted to assume that meant good news, but I knew better than to assume. I wasn't about to get my hopes up.
I leaned forward and retrieved the two folders, handing Nessie's to her and opening mine up. It was full of medical jargon that made no sense to me. I might as well have been trying to read upside down and backwards. I furrowed my brows and looked closer, trying to find some information that made sense. I shook my head to myself and looked at the next page, scratching the back of my head when the information on that page made even less sense. Nessie's face mirrored mine, her eyes narrowed on the text in the folder.
"So…," I trailed off, hoping Nessie might be able to fill me in.
Carlisle laughed, reaching his hand out for my folder. I handed it over to him and sat back in my seat, crossing my arms across my chest and looking at him expectantly. "A lot of this information really isn't relevant to you, it's mostly just for my eyes. This," he said, pointing to a small portion of the text, "Is all you need to know. I just wanted to allow you to see everything, incase you might understand it."
"And what does it say?" I asked eagerly.
"There's nothing unusual about your sample. You don't have a low sperm count, and as I expected the 'wolf' gene," he said with finger quotations, "doesn't have any sort of effect on it. In fact it's not even present."
"Okay." I nodded, pretty confident that I understood what he was saying. I was like any typical male, despite being able to morph into a giant wolf.
I looked back over to Nessie, her eyes still scanning the text. I reached my hand out to lightly stroke her forearm. Her eyebrows smoothed out and she peeled her eyes away from the paper to meet mine. She let out a huff and smiled at me, "Sorry, kind of got lost."
"May I?" Carlisle asked, handing me back my folder and extending his hand out towards Nessie. I noticed the way the corners of his lips twitched as if he was holding back a smile. I wasn't sure what to make of that, but I hoped it meant good news. I doubt he would be holding back a smile if it was news she didn't want to hear.
"Huh? Oh, right… sure," Nessie stammered, closing the folder and leaning over me to hand Carlisle her folder.
She sat there leaning over me with her hands resting on my forearm, staring at Carlisle intently as he flipped through the pages of her folder until he found what he was looking for. I heard her take a deep breath when he settled on a page and began scanning the text. I slid my arm behind her and rubbed her back, wanting to reassure her that the results wouldn't change a thing between us, other than possibly adding the bonus of someday being able to have children with her.
"This part right here, Renesmee," Carlisle turned the folder and pointed out the section he was referring to. He looked up at her and smiled warmly, "Just like I told you, there's no reason to believe you're not capable of becoming pregnant. The samples confirm your body is just like that of any normal female. You'll be able to have children someday. As for the compatibility of you two," he motioned between us, "I don't think you could ask for a better match. I still can't say how they would turn out in regards to being more similar to you or Jacob, but the two of you are definitely compatible. And seeing as how neither of you are aging, you should be able to conceive a child throughout the rest of your life."
Nessie's fingers dug into my forearm as she looked back and forth between Carlisle and I. Her lips were beginning to quiver, I think in excitement, making me want to lean over and still them with my own.
"What about birth control?" Bella asked.
"That's a viable option. Her body functions nearly the exact same as a normal human like Nichole's would."
Nessie let out a small squeak, her eyes welling up with tears. Bella and Nichole rose from the couch at the same time, both of them closing in on Nessie, Alice standing up last, smiling largely at her niece. I let out a sigh of relief and leaned down to kiss her forehead, wiping a tear off her cheek with the pad of my thumb. Elated didn't even begin to describe how I was feeling. I smiled triumphantly at her, happy beyond all belief that it seemed I would be able to give her everything she wanted someday.
When I tried to pull back from kissing her forehead, she grabbed the collar of my shirt and yanked me towards her, her lips crashing against mine. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her tightly into my body, meeting her tongue with mine. I couldn't have cared any less that her family was watching. This was our moment.
She pulled away from the kiss and released my shirt, beaming at me while her hands smoothed out where she had latched on. I returned the smile, losing myself in the sparkle of her eyes. We stared at each other until Bella tried pulling her off the couch and into a hug. She relented and turned into Bella's embrace, Nichole and Alice joining the two of them. Rosalie came into the room after hearing the commotion, and once Carlisle explained, she joined the rest of the girls. I stood from the couch and made room for them, taking a few steps back just to watch Nessie. I watched as the five of them practically jumped and squealed with excitement. I was glad she was able to share her excitement with them, especially since they seemed so happy for her.
Seth came up behind me and clapped me on the back. "That must be one hell of a feeling," he whispered to keep his voice low so the girls wouldn't hear them over their talking. I turned to him with my smile still plastered on my face and nodded. Only Seth or another imprinted wolf would really understand how I felt right now. It felt damn good to be able to give your imprint something they really wanted, regardless of the fact that she wasn't looking to have kids right now. Just the thought of someday being able to fulfill her wish was incredible. Seth shrugged at me with a knowing look on his face and smirked, "Imprinting." It only took one word to sum it all up. "Now you've just got to… umm… never mind." He shook his head to himself, "Sorry." I understood where he was going with his sentence; he was implying that I needed to propose.
Soon. One step at a time.
Thinking about proposing to Nessie had me wondering what the Cullens thought of the idea. Here I was standing in their living room, watching her mother and aunts swooning over the idea of her someday having a child. I could only assume that they would have to be on board with me marrying her then. That sort of thing goes hand in hand, at least in my book it does. So the females of the family were on board. What about the males? More specifically, what about Edward? He had said something about him preferring me marrying Nessie before we had sex, but was he saying it just to give me shit or was he actually suggesting it? There was only one way to find out; I'd be sure to get his blessing before I proposed.
I was brought back from my thoughts abruptly when Bella's body smacked into my chest. She wrapped her arms around me, trapping my arms on my sides and squeezed me tightly, lifting me off the ground. She may not have been a newborn anymore, but she clearly underestimated her strength still. It actually hurt.
"Ah, shit Bella! Too tight!" I barely got out. She was squeezing me so tightly that my lungs failed to draw in a full breath. "Put me down!"
"Aw, Jacob," she said happily, putting me back down and taking a step back. "Aren't you happy?"
"Of course I am!" I scoffed at her in disbelief. I couldn't believe she would even imply that I wasn't happy. "More than you would ever believe. Just look at her." I nudged my head towards Nessie, her smile never faltering as she chatted with everyone. "That smile says it all. I'd do anything to see that smile stay on her face."
She looked up at me with a grin, stepping forward to hug me again, softly this time. She laid her head against my chest and hugged around my abdomen. "I'm so glad she has you, Jacob. You really are everything she needs."
I hugged her tighter, a little speechless from her compliment. Bella was still one of my closest friends. Definitely my best female friend besides Nessie. It meant a lot to me to hear that from her, both as a friend and as the mother to the woman I lived for. But even though I was happy to hear it, I couldn't wholeheartedly agree with her.
"You're all wrong. I'm so lucky to have her… she's everything I need and so much more. You have no idea how good she is to me, Bells." She looked up at me and cocked her eyebrow suggestively. I scoffed at her playfully, knowing she was only teasing me. She would never insinuate that I loved Nessie only because of our physical relationship. Her face softened and she laid her head back against my chest. "That's not it at all. That's just a plus. I could never explain it right… the words to how she makes me feel don't exist. It's unreal." I closed my eyes and hugged her, "Thank you for bringing her into this world."
"Ahem," Nessie cleared her throat from behind Bella, startling the both of us. "Quit hogging my man," she teased.
Bella squeezed me one last time, turning around to hug Nessie again. "I'm so happy for you, sweetheart." Her voice sounded choked up, like she would be crying if she was still able to. "He's a keeper. Don't ever let him go," she whispered into Nessie's ear.
She looked up at me from over Bella's shoulder, looking like she thought her mom had gone crazy, but hugged her back nonetheless. "Never, mom." She spoke with such sincerity and conviction it left me breathless. "I love him," she replied, looking me straight in the eye, her eyes full of love and undiluted happiness.
Immediately after Bella had let her go, we both began to close the distance between us, meeting halfway. I bent my knees to lower myself down to her level and scooper her up in a hug around her waist, twirling her around in circles. I lost myself in her eyes as I spun her around, my smile growing gradually with each twirl until my face began to hurt from stretching too far. Her laughter rang out until I was simply overwhelmed by her happiness and brought my lips to hers. I set her down, never breaking the kiss, and placed my hands on her hips, her hands running up my back to settle at the back of my neck. I felt her smile against my lips before she pulled back an inch and peppered my face with sweet, hot kisses. I tried to capture her lips again and deepen the kiss, but she laughed as she dodged my mouth and continued kissing other parts of my face.
I gave up and sighed, resting my forehead against hers. I settled for staring into her beautiful eyes instead. She must have seen the wistful look in my eyes. "As much as I'd love to spend the rest of the day kissing you," she said sweetly, implying that kissing wouldn't be all we would be doing, "I'm supposed to go see Carlisle about starting birth control."
Cue massive boner, my subconscious joked. Sure enough, my cock twitched. As much as I wanted to kiss and taste her, feeling her smooth, satin lips against mine, my mind was definitely on board with her starting birth control right away. The thought of being inside of her again with no barrier between our bodies may have been the only reason important enough to keep me from shoving my tongue down her throat. Although, the fact that she was starting birth control on my account, so that I wouldn't have to wear a condom only made me want to kiss her more- only now out of appreciation. She was so selfless it was almost to a fault.
"You know… you don't have to do that for me. I can always just use a…," I trailed off, knowing she would understand. I had no idea if there were side effects to birth control, or if it was completely safe for her. I didn't want her taking risks on my behalf.
My concern for her safety must have been written all over my face or seeping through in my voice. She brought her hand up to my face and stroked from my cheekbone to the rough stubble at my jawline and spoke softly, "I know you can, Jake. I'm doing this for us." She pressed her palm to my cheek, showing me flashes of images of our one time together when I didn't have a condom. It was clear to me in that moment that she was doing this for herself too, that it felt better for her too. What surprised me is that it didn't just feel better to her, it felt right to her. She lifted her palm slightly, "There's no need to be worried, baby. I promise it's safe," she said with a reassuring smile.
She lowered her hand to my cheek again, showing me a conversation she had with Nichole. Nichole told her that she had been taking it, answering any questions Nessie seemed to have about it. The images slowly changed, Nichole being replaced with Carlisle. I let out a sigh of relief while watching the conversations play through my mind, glad to see that Nessie had already asked about its safety and effectiveness.
"Thank you," I whispered in her ear, kissing the soft spot just beneath it. She had to have known how at ease her visions would make me. My main concern was always her safety.
She pulled back to look me with a mixed look on her face, smiling out of happiness with her eyebrows slightly pushed together indicating she was curious about something. I cocked my head to the side, wanting her to ask whatever was on her mind.
"So…," she started, "can I ask you a question before I go see Carlisle?"
"Anything, Ness."
"Don't take this the wrong way, because I promise you that I really do love the idea," she cautioned, leading into her question. "But why the beach? I know you said something about it being sunny so that he couldn't track us during the day, but there are other sunny places too."
My face fell a bit, realizing that her dreams about the beach were just that, dreams. I knew I should have asked her where she wanted to go. I shouldn't have just assumed she would like my idea. I just thought that her constant dreams about beaches were some sort of indication that she wanted to visit one. Admit it, you suggested the beach for your own selfish reasons; to see Nessie in a bikini and make some of her sexier dreams come to life. "I'm sorry," I mumbled and dropped my eyes to the floor at my feet, my mind continuing on with its rambling.
Her small, warm fingers slid down my cheek to my jaw, running sideways through my whiskers to my chin. She twisted her wrist, placing her thumb onto the tip of my chin, her fingers applying light pressure under my jaw to tip my head up to look back into her eyes. "Jake," she sighed regretfully, putting a little more pressure under my chin when I refused to budge. "Baby, please don't." I surrendered to her pleas, allowing her to guide my eyes up to meet hers. "I just said that I liked the idea. I actually really like the idea. I was just curious is all." She gave me a sad half smile, her beautiful eyes locking onto mine.
I hated that I was ruining what was supposed to be a happy moment for the both of us. I didn't want to make her sad. "You dream about it a lot. The beach, I mean," I said quietly. "You always looked so happy in your dreams when you dreamt of it." I couldn't help but smile then, thinking of the bright smile on her face in her dreams the night before, the way she seemed so relaxed and at peace. "I should have asked your opinion first."
"Oh, Jake," she whispered, standing on her toes to lean up and kiss me. She wasn't quite tall enough to reach my lips and I was slow to react, so she kissed my jaw instead. "I didn't think I was so obvious about it." There was silence between us for a minute while we gazed at each other, her hand never leaving my face. "I wouldn't have thought of a good excuse to mention it. I would have been too embarrassed to suggest it. The whole sunlight thing never even crossed my mind," she said sheepishly. "Thank you. I love the idea, Jake, really."
I closed my eyes when her palm flattened against my cheek and an image of us on the beach invaded my mind. It was the exact same scene from her dreams last night. She was focusing on our intertwined hands and the enormous smile on her face.
I smiled and leaned into the warmth of her hand, turning my face to kiss her palm. I opened my eyes as the vision ended, immediately reaching out to place my hands on her hips. I pulled her forward so she was up against my body and leaned down to kiss her. She melted into the kiss, her body relaxing against my chest as our tongues mingled and massaged one another.
She dropped her chin and pulled away from the kiss to catch her breath, resting her head against me while I placed my chin on the crown of her head, inhaling deeply. "I love you," I whispered, running one of my hands up her back and into her hair, holding her close to me.
"I love you too, Jake." She sighed and her arms wrapped around my waist and squeezed, pushing her body flush against mine.
I swayed our bodies slowly from side to side as we stood in each other's embrace, reveling in the tingling warmth we felt anytime we were connected. After a few minutes Nessie pulled her hands back to rest them on my waist, tilting her head up to look at me. I allowed her head to move but kept the rest of her body against mine, not quite ready to let her go. The look in her eyes mirrored mine; she didn't want to let me go either, but the look on her face was one I recognized. It was her 'I don't want to do this but I know I have to' look. I was familiar with this particular look, as it was one she used to frequently wear anytime she had to eat human food when it wasn't by choice.
I chuckled and nodded my head, "I know, hon." I waited for her to peel away from me, knowing that this would best be treated like taking off a bandage- just do it as fast as you can and without any hesitation and it doesn't hurt so bad. I stood there waiting, realizing she was waiting for me to do the exact same. She giggled at me when she understood the standoff we were in. "Well, since neither of us plans on letting go, how about I just come with you? Or would you rather have some privacy?"
She smiled and shook her head at me, "I wouldn't mind some company. I don't think Carlisle will mind." She stood on the tips of her toes again, craning her neck up and closing her eyes, meeting me halfway for a kiss. I lowered my head to press my lips against hers with enough force to push her down so she was standing flat on her feet. I didn't want her to be uncomfortable, because I planned on kissing her until she needed air or I turned blue from oxygen deprivation. When she pulled away from the kiss, she whispered to me through her pants, "Thank you, Jake. For everything. I can't wait for our trip."
I raised my hand into the air, my palm facing her and spread my fingers apart. She placed her hand against mine, palm against palm, finger to finger. I smirked at the difference in size, my hand was nearly twice as large. She smiled at me and laughed lightly, examining our hands together. With her palm against mine, she opened her mind to me, showing me a vision. She was showing me the differences between us, emphasizing on my size and how intimidating I looked but how gentle I was.
Once the vision ended, she wove out fingers together and pulled our hands down to her side, keeping her palm pressed against mine as we turned together and walked towards Carlisle's study. Nessie's beautiful voice rang throughout my head, singing softly to herself as we walked. I came to a stop and turned to face her, lifting our joined hands and kissing the back of her hand. She knew how much I loved and admired her musical talent; from her guitar and piano playing to her angelic voice when she sang. She dropped her eyes and smiled to herself as her singing came to a stop, looking back up at me after a few seconds and starting to sing in her head again, this time mouthing the words to me while cocking her eyebrows at me.
I laughed and bent down to scoop her up, causing her to huff in surprise, circling my free arm around her waist and hoisting her up so she was face to face with me, all the while still holding her hand. She smiled brightly at me and leaned in to kiss everywhere on my face; my cheeks, my nose, my jaw, my forehead. I continued on down the hallway while she continued to kiss my face, letting out a squeal when I set her down and pinched her butt just outside of Carlisle's door.
I turned to open the door when she caught me by surprise, reaching up from behind me to pinch and twist my nipple. I gasped and dropped my arms to my sides, flexing my fists over and over to try and occupy my brain from focusing on the discomfort. She laughed and twisted a bit harder, tugging downwards to the floor.
"Fuck, Ness! This fucking hurts!" I said through my teeth.
"Kneel before me," she said triumphantly, tugging downwards again. I complied, dropping to my knees in front of her to alleviate the pressure of her pulling on it- she was still twisting it pretty damn hard though. I could have escaped if I wanted by doing something equally annoying back to her, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. "Maybe next time you will think twice before pinching my butt when I'm not expecting it." For a second I thought I'd pissed her off by pinching her, but when I looked up to her face she looked amused and having fun at my expense.
At that moment, Emmett walked by, stopping just beside us and staring. I looked up to him in horror, knowing I'd never hear the end of this. His eyes flickered between mine and Nessie's face before he just shook his head, "I'm not even gonna ask." I was thankful he didn't start laughing and cause a ruckus, attracting the attention of every other Cullen in the house.
She released her death grip on my nipple and I gasped out in relief. The throbbing disappeared just a couple seconds after she let go. "Fuck. If I knew it hurt that bad I wouldn't ever do that to you," I whined, kneading the skin she had pinched as I stood up.
She huffed incredulously at me and shook her head. With a single finger, she trailed from my stomach up to my chest and rested it just beneath my chin, tipping it up to look at her. "Jake, I did that hard," she told me, like I needed the reminder. "It doesn't hurt when you do it. You do it perfectly," she purred. Yes, fucking purred- and my cock twitched at the sound of it.
Definitely going to get her back for this.
She dropped her hand from my chin and put both of them on her hips. "So, are you going to open the door or are you just going to stand there with your hand on the doorknob all day?"
I shook my head to clear my thoughts, but it didn't work at all. I was still reeling from her comment about me touching her nipples. All I could think about was how I really wanted to palm her breasts and capture her nipples between my thumb and index finger. Without making any conscious decision to do so, my hand reached out to do just that. She watched my hand move from my side and reach out to touch her, like it was moving in slow motion, batting it away and laughing at the last second. I tried a second time but she bat it away again, still laughing. I was going to have to settle for just staring at her boobs then.
She caught me by surprise and took a quick sidestep, bumping into me with her hips and knocking me away from the door. She glanced over her shoulder at me with a smug grin, opening the door and walking in, effectively ending my chances of touching or looking at her breasts. I wasn't about to ogle her chest or try to touch it with Carlisle watching. I sauntered in behind her and took a seat next to her on the sofa in his study. We took our normal position sitting next to each other, my arm slung around her to hold her close with her head resting on my shoulder.
Carlisle explained how the birth control would work. She would get a shot once every three months, with it taking 24 hours to take effect once the shot was injected. I didn't want to be a pervert, but I couldn't help but look at the clock in the room. I wanted to know exactly when it might be possible for me to be inside her, with nothing in between us. After making a mental note to myself, I turned my attention back to Carlisle.
Most of the information he was giving us was just for Nessie. After finding out when she last had her period, he recommended that if she was really considering birth control that she start it right away. Her body acts just like that of any typical female, with just slight variations. She only had her period once every few months, and since she had just ended her cycle a couple weeks ago, the timing would end up working for the better.
As expected, Carlisle came prepared. He had the shot with him, ready to be given if she was sure she wanted it. She didn't hesitate at all, nodding her head and rising from the couch. I watched from the couch as he prepared to give her the shot and asked her to pull her butt out. He didn't exactly say it like that, but regardless of the way he phrased it, the action remained the same. She unbuttoned her jeans, shimmying them down just enough to expose half of her butt, having to pull her panties down along with them because they were those sexy fucking boy shorts with the lacy edges. She looked over her shoulder at me then with her lip between her teeth, and I had to readjust my position on the couch to compensate for the massive erection I'd just popped. She looked so damn sexy standing there like that, looking at me over her shoulder opposite of the one she had her hair draped over, biting her lip with her thumbs hooked into her jeans while they were pulled down far enough to show the swell of her perfect butt.
She smiled mischievously at me with her lip still caught between her teeth when she noticed me unsubtly readjusting myself. With a quick glance back to Carlisle, who was on the opposite side of his desk preparing the shot and oblivious to us, she quickly flashed me, pulling her jeans down to the tops of her thighs and fully exposing her backside to me before pulling them back up just as quickly. She had pulled them down just far enough to be able to see through her slightly parted legs and catch a glimpse of the heaven between them. I dug the heels of my palms into my eyes to stifle the groan that threatened to escape my throat. Even with my eyes closed, the only thing I saw behind my eyelids was that same scene playing over and over again. I was afraid to look back up to her; I wasn't sure if I could restrain myself from crossing the room and tearing those pants off of her to bury my face in between her legs.
"I'm going to use the bathroom," I lied, standing up from the couch just as Carlisle was walking around his desk with the shot in his hand.
Nessie narrowed her eyes at me for a second before her face softened and she looked bashful. She reached an arm out to me. "Stay for a second?" Her eyes were pleading, her face full of apology for teasing me.
I groaned internally but relented, moving to stand beside her and grasp her hand. I stood in front of her so I wouldn't be tempted by her delicious backside. With my other hand I reached up and cupped her face, leaning my head down to kiss her forehead.
"Ready?" Carlisle asked.
"Yep," Nessie answered, squeezing my hand a little bit. I'd almost forgotten she hated needles. Since she was partially human, Carlisle insisted on giving her shots any normal human would get. Of course since she was half-vampire, a normal shot wouldn't work. Carlisle had to have custom ones made with needles made out of stronger metal so it wouldn't just break against her skin. She hated every single booster shot or immunization she had to get, and every time she had to get one, she requested that I be there to distract her.
With my hand that was cupping her face, I stroked from her temple down to her ear to tuck her hair behind it, trailing down to her jaw. Her eyes closed and face contorted a bit as Carlisle inserted the needle. I gave her a sympathetic look when she opened her eyes and leaned back in to kiss her, thanking her for doing this for me, for us, even if it meant she had to do something she hated.
"Thanks," she whispered.
"Anytime."
"Okay, all done. Give it at least 24 hours to take effect," Carlisle reminded her, giving a quick look to me. I think the reminder was mostly for me to be honest.
By the time we were finished it was nearly the afternoon. Nessie and I lounged around in her room for a bit until she suggested we go and do something with Seth and Nichole. When we went down to their room we found them doing exactly what we had just been doing, laying around lazily and relaxing. After a little discussion, we all agreed to go on a hike during the afternoon and then head out in the evening to grab a bite to eat and maybe see a movie. The two of them were leaving in the morning to go and visit Nichole's family in Portland followed by a visit up to La Push to see Seth's family, so they were all too happy to spend some time with us before they left. We most likely wouldn't see them again until we were in San Diego, as long as all of the arrangements to get new identities went smoothly. Since it was our last night together, I suggested that we go all out and head into Portland, disregarding the fact that Seth and Nichole would be coming back here the next morning. I told them that they could pack their bags tonight and get a hotel room to sleep in once our night was over, that way they wouldn't have to make the trip to Portland in less than 24 hours, but Seth just ignored me, telling me he didn't mind driving.
Nessie and Nichole enlisted the help of Alice to help get ready for tonight. We hadn't had the chance to do any laundry since we'd been back and Nessie didn't want to have to spend any time ironing and getting the wrinkles out of her clothes. She also wanted to please Alice by playing life-sized Barbie, much like she did with Nichole. I knew that if Alice had anything to do with helping them pick out an outfit that they were bound to look stunning. Alice wouldn't settle for anything less than perfection.
Our hike went by a lot quicker than we anticipated. Nichole got tired towards the end so we decided to turn around and head back to the house to let her get in a nap before we went out tonight. We hiked to the clearing that Nessie and I had spent the day at when we arrived and laid out a blanket, relaxing and enjoying the nice weather.
While Nichole took her nap, I spent my remaining time with Nessie before she would undoubtedly be held hostage by Alice for a few hours. I still wasn't any better at spending time away from her. Anxiety would bubble up in my chest the longer I was away from her, even if I knew exactly where she was and what she was doing. Luckily just a few hours was tolerable, but if I had to spend any longer I would be miserable. I needed to be near her, to be able to see her and feel our connection. It was without a doubt the worst and best part about imprinting; I fucking hated being away from her but at the same time I didn't mind having to rely on her presence in order to feel complete at all.
I was eventually kicked out of Nessie's room when Alice came to fetch her. I held her hand and followed her like an obedient dog until she reached Alice's room and I was forced to let go. She smiled up at me with an amused look on her face and stroked my cheek, telling me that she felt the same way and reassured me that it was only for a couple hours. I nodded regretfully, unable to keep the scowl off my face, and turned to head back down to my room.
She surprised me by grabbing my hand as I turned and spinning me back around to face her. She placed her hands on my shoulders and tugged me down to her level, kissing me with enough force to literally knock me on my ass. We kissed until I was dizzy, and if it weren't for her hands gripping my shoulders I would have fallen down from lack of oxygen. For once it was me who had to break away from the kiss to catch my breath. Her eyes were still closed when I pulled away. She was panting and licked her lips slowly before opening them to reveal the lust in her eyes. I committed that look on her face to memory; making sure to satisfy her later tonight. I hated that I had to leave her now after seeing that look in her eyes; I never wanted to leave her wanting for more.
I trotted down to my room where Seth was waiting for me with a little pep in my step after our kiss. The look on my face must have given me away, because as soon as I walked in Seth started laughing at me.
"I know that look." I just shrugged my shoulders at him. I wasn't ashamed in the least. He shook his head at me and clapped me on the back, walking past me and into my bathroom.
I walked over to my nightstand to put my cell phone on its charger, noticing the two piles of neatly folded clothes on my bed. I rolled my eyes. Alice. I should have known she would have insisted on picking out our clothes too.
I picked through the clothes, scoffing at how dressy they were. The restaurant we were going to was a fancy restaurant, so I knew I'd have to wear a collared shirt so I didn't stand out and look too casual- but these… they looked like I was going for a business interview or something. I looked over the two piles, immediately recognizing which pile belonged to me based on the colors. His collared shirt was beige, Nichole's favorite color on him, while mine was black, seemingly Nessie's favorite color on me. The only reason I knew it was Nichole's favorite color on him was because the last time Seth and I had gone shopping with Nessie and Nichole, almost every shirt he picked out was beige or a shade of color close to it. I asked him about it, to which he embarrassingly admitted it was her favorite color on him. She said it brought out the hazel in his eyes. Even as a guy I could admit that Seth really did have some cool eyes; they were hazel colored, with just a slight bit more green than brown, but they had the oddest glimmer to them that was almost metallic. He also had a smile that looked like he had just won the lottery or something. I used to be envious of it, and while Nessie agreed that he had an incredible smile, she said that mine was even better. Stunning, she called it.
I started to toss of my clothes and grabbed the undershirt from the pile. I slid it on over my head and grabbed the fancy black, long sleeved, collared shirt. I took a deep breath as I slid my arms into it, catching just the slightest scent of Nessie in the air. While I buttoned up the shirt I searched around me, looking for the source of the scent. I ended up tracking the scent down to the pillow on my bed. I picked up the pillow, looking back towards the bathroom to make sure Seth wasn't watching, and brought it to my face, inhaling deeply. I was a little disappointed to also smell Nichole's scent mixed in with Nessie's since she was in my bed to prank me this morning. It wasn't that Nichole didn't smell good or anything, but she wasn't my girl, and nobody could ever compare to Nessie's scent- not by a long shot.
I buried my face in the pillow, inhaling as deeply as I could like I had been held underwater for minutes and then finally let up to the surface to take a breath. My eyes rolled in the back of my head as her scent invaded my nostrils. Fuck, I internally moaned, the smell of her is almost as good as the taste of her. I hugged the pillow harder, practically trying to shove the pillow up my nose. I groaned aloud, let out my breath, and inhaled deeply through my nose once again. I debated sliding in under the sheets in the spot she laid last night, knowing her scent would be more concentrated if I did.
I let out my breath and inhaled a third time, groaning again. I tossed the pillow back on the bed and was just pulling the sheets back to climb in when Seth scoffed at me from the entrance to the bathroom. "You've got to be shitting me right now!" He shook his head at me, looking like he was about to start laughing. "Please… please tell me you're just kidding right now. Just lie to me and tell me you were making the bed or something."
"I was just making the bed," I said sheepishly, pulling the sheets back up to re-make the bed. "Just don't… don't say any- anything to Nessie," I said, tripping over my own tongue. "She'd think I was pathetic."
"My lips are sealed, O fearless, pathetic leader," he laughed and turned back into the bathroom.
I dressed myself slowly, embarrassed at being caught. I was going to have to go into the bathroom and finish up getting ready, but I didn't want to have to deal with seeing the funny looks he was bound to give me. Once I finished dressing I sat on the bed for a good ten minutes, allowing some time to pass and hoping that Seth would finish up in there so that I could get ready without him in there.
He eventually popped his head out of the bathroom, noticing the embarrassed look on my face. "Hey man, you don't have to avoid me." He waited for me to reply, but I didn't have anything to say. If anything I felt more awkward at having him notice I was avoiding him. "Would it make you feel any better if I told you Nichole has caught me doing the exact same thing? And not even once… but multiple times. Like… five or six times, to be completely honest. I just thought I was the only one who was so helpless." He paused for a second, his voice lowering to avoid eavesdropping vampires, "Now instead of washing her pillowcases when she changes the sheets she puts them on my pillows."
I let out a laugh then. It made me feel a lot better knowing I wasn't the only one to be so infatuated with my imprints scent. I'd never seen any of the other wolves doing that before, so I felt a little weird having been caught. But if Seth also did it, I definitely didn't feel so strange doing it. Seth may have looked up to me as a role model sometimes, but I often found myself looking to him for guidance. He was the most genuine, easy-going, and loyal person I knew. He was a spitting image of his father.
"Thanks Seth." I stood up from the bed and head for the bathroom.
It took me a whole fifteen minutes to finish getting ready. I grabbed the small green and white container that Nessie had used earlier today and did a little touch up on my hair, which was for the most part still how she had left it- which amazed me. My hair was such a pain in the ass most of the time. It was thick and heavy, and I'd given up trying to use hair products a long time ago because they never seemed to work.
Once Seth and I finished, we went downstairs to join Emmett on the couch to watch television. Emmett challenged Seth to a video game of his choice. Emmett huddled in front of the television with his back to us, going through the list of potential games. When he mentioned football, Seth looked over at me and smirked, telling Emmett to put it on. Every time I played Emmett he would always win, but I was sure that Seth would beat him.
I'd never personally owned a console gaming system, and the only times I ever got to play was when I was in Alaska or here at the Cullen's house. Seth, on the other hand, was really good. He used to play all the time up in Alaska with Nichole, and sometimes Nessie. Typically if I ever played it was with Nessie, we were about the same skill level and she loved to be competitive, but most of the time we opted to play cooperative games.
Believe it or not, the only reason Seth owned a gaming system was because Nichole loved to play games too. They went out and bought the system together, and I couldn't tell you how many hours they spent in front of the television playing games together. Nichole would sometimes challenge Emmett when she was here to visit, and would occasionally beat him, although most of their games turned out to be really close. As feminine and sweet as she was, she could just as easily fit in with all of the guys. It was just one more reason that Nichole was so awesome.
Seth ended up beating Emmett by a long shot the first game, having beat him by three touchdowns and managing to get four interceptions. Emmett "demanded a rematch, which Seth was more than happy to accept. At halftime of their second game, Seth was up by two touchdowns and had already forced a safety on Emmett. Seth kicked off to start the game and was due to receive at the start of the second half, which Emmett was not thrilled about. I'd never seen Emmett so riled up over any of his games. His rowdiness attracted the attention of Jasper, who sat beside me and laughed along with me every time Emmett would yell or cuss. He even had some fun at his expense, teasing Emmett and using his ability to rile him up even further.
At the end of the third quarter I heard the sound of stilettos walking across the hard wood floor of the hallway. I stood up excitedly and made my way over to the base of the stairs, just so that I would be that many steps closer to Nessie when she came down them. I registered my jaw dropping as her and Nichole came into view, but I couldn't force it back into place. Nessie giggled at my reaction, looping her arm through Nichole's as they began their descent down the stairs.
I let my eyes roam over her body, starting from her visible toes, up her long, denim clad legs, up to her slightly visible cleavage, and finally settling on her big, brown doe eyes. She was stunning. She was wearing a pair of black strappy sandals with heels on them, a pair of dark colored, tight jeans, with a billowy red halter top that just let her cleavage show a little. I loved that the top she was wearing exposed her arms- I was dying to see some of her flawless skin. She wore a few accessories on her wrists, and wore a necklace with a pendant that rested just above her breasts. She had let Alice tame her curls a bit, and while it wasn't completely straightened, it looked a lot less curly. It could almost be considered wavy instead of curly, but it still retained just enough of its normal craziness that I loved. I couldn't even be bothered to notice what Nichole was wearing at the moment, because my girl looked absolutely gorgeous. The only thing I could tell you was that she had on a skirt.
I scooped her up into a hug as soon as she reached the bottom step, twirling her around to set her on the ground. She smiled up at me from underneath her eyelashes, her hands coming to rest on the area right between my chest and stomach. At that moment I realized I had been so caught up in ogling her that I hadn't even complimented her on how amazing she looked.
"Wow, Nessie. You look… just… wow," I shook my head slowly from side to side, smiling brightly at her and wondering how I got so damn lucky. "Fucking phenomenal."
She smiled wider in return and tipped her chin up to look straight at me, giving me a clear view of her face. She wasn't wearing any makeup, which I was happy about, she had a natural beauty that should never be covered up. She only applied just a little mascara to make her already beautiful eyes stand out further, and a very subtle shade of red lipstick that complimented her peachy skin perfectly. God, she is so beautiful. My heart was beating erratically at the sight of her.
"Thank you. You're looking very handsome," she replied, her hands sliding upwards over my shirt to my collar, where she fidgeted with it and straightened it out. "Would you be offended if I said you looked gorgeous?"
I smirked at her and leaned down to kiss her softly on the lips. She moved to deepen the kiss, sliding her hands down from my collar to the top of my chest, her hands still hooked inside of my shirt. I grabbed her hips and pulled her closer to me, positioning one of my legs between hers. I felt her shiver as our bodies came into contact, which made me smile against her lips.
She pulled back from the kiss and seemed to stare at my lips for a second before letting out a little giggle. She rested her cheek against my chest, wrapping her arms around my waist and looking over to Seth and Nichole, who were looking over at us in a similar embrace.
"Do you want me to drive, or do you want to take your car?" I asked.
Just as Seth opened his mouth, Alice interrupted, "I'm sorry but girls that look as good as this can't be expected to show up in a regular car. I reserved a limo for you, it's outside waiting for you."
I looked down at Nessie, whose surprised face mirrored mine. "Did you know about this?"
She shook her head, "I had no idea." She peeked her head around my body to look at Alice, "Are you serious?"
"Would I lie to you?"
Nessie clapped her hands excitedly and rushed over to hug her aunt, thanking her in the process. Nichole followed suit, hugging Alice and telling her how "badass" she was. I had to laugh at that, Nichole just had a way with words.
"Thanks shorty," I said to Alice as Nichole untangled from her.
She rolled her eyes at me, "You're welcome. And thank you for not ignoring the clothes on your bed. I'll have you know that your girls picked those outfits out for you. I was just the one to put them on your bed."
I looked down at Nessie just as she grabbed my hand. She ducked her head before glancing up at me, unsure of how I would react to that. I leaned down and kissed her forehead, "Thanks, beautiful."
"You don't mind? I just figured after this mor-"
I cut her off by putting a finger over her lips. "Of course I don't mind. I like anything you do for me." I leaned down and replaced my finger with my lips.
She seemed to be staring at my lips again when I pulled back, and she let out that same little giggle. I started to wonder if there was something on my face and raised my hand up to wipe my face when she caught my hand and stilled it. "Don't! Hold on. Alice do you have a tissue or something?"
Okay, I definitely have something on my face. I tried to raise my other hand to wipe whatever it was off but she caught my other hand and held it tightly, giggling some more at me. Alice handed her a tissue, which she had to let go of my hand to grab. "Stay," she ordered, looking me straight in the eye sternly.
I must have scowled like the little kid I felt like at that second, because Nessie giggled again at me as she wet the tissue with her tongue and brought it up to my face. She wiped the moist tissue across my lips a few times, bringing it back to her mouth to wet again before returning it to my lips. What the hell do I have on my lips? I hadn't eaten anything since lunch, and I had kissed her earlier we ate and she didn't laugh at me then, so I definitely didn't have some sort of food on my lips. After a few more swipes across my lips, she pulled the tissue away and I noticed a red coloring on the tissue. Oh, right, lipstick. I didn't really cherish the thought of having to avoid her lips because of the lipstick.
"You might want to bring a few extras with you, if it's going to end up all over my lips every time I kiss you," I said suggestively.
She rolled her eyes at me but sure enough took a few extras from Alice, stuffing them into the pocket of my jeans.
We were just about to head out the door when Bella called from the top of the stairs, "Wait!"
She came down the stairs with Edward at her side, a camera in her hand. I groaned aloud, shaking my head at her. Bella hated to be in pictures, but sure enough she didn't mind taking them.
"Oh, come on Jake. You all look great tonight, just one good picture and it will all be over."
I pulled Nessie into my side, draping my arm across her shoulder and tucking her into my chest. She turned to press her body against my side, placing her hand over my heart and facing the camera. Seth and Nichole stood next to us, Seth standing behind Nichole with his arms wrapped around her waist and his chin resting on her shoulder. Nichole placed one hand over his, reaching up with her other to cup his cheek.
I put my aversion to pictures aside for Nessie's sake and smiled widely. I knew that Nessie loved to have pictures to document her memories, even if she did have perfect recall. She liked being able to show other people, even though she could just as easily place her palm on them and show them in a much more vivid way. The camera clicked nearly twenty times in just a few short seconds, or at least that's when I gave up counting. I gawked at Bella, not realizing that she was using some fancy camera that takes multiple pictures so quickly, but really should have expected it. Bella was finally coming around to allowing Edward to spoil her every now and then. She had started investing money in the stock market years ago and had a pretty impressive portfolio, so now that she wasn't relying on the Cullen's hoard of money and could contribute some of her own, she didn't feel so bad accepting gifts. You just had to expect her to give you one right back if you decided to give her one, even if you didn't want one in return.
"One picture? That thing just snapped about twenty," I complained.
"Well if the first one didn't turn out good, one of the other nineteen are bound to," she quipped. "Have fun tonight, sweetheart. Seth, Nichole, make sure this one," she pointed to me and narrowed her eyes, "doesn't get too out of hand."
They all laughed. "Sure, sure, Bells. I'll be sure to start a fight just for you. Maybe we'll bump into Newton puking his brains out at the theater again."
Edward huffed at the mention of Mike Newton, still holding a grudge against him for his attempts to woo Bella. He looked to her questioningly, raising his eyebrows. She obviously hadn't told him that story, although now that I think about it, it was during the time he had left her. I didn't suspect they talked much about anything during that time. He winced at my thoughts, hating the reminder that he had once abandoned Bella, leaving her heartbroken and empty. My thoughts about that must have struck a nerve because he came up behind her and hugged her into his chest, smiling at his daughter over her shoulder.
"Enjoy yourselves tonight. Be safe." He scowled at me then, "And please behave."
I rolled my eyes at him. Puh-lease, Edward, we're going out for dinner and then maybe seeing a movie afterwards. Just because we're playing it by ear doesn't mean I have any intention of…, I stopped my train of thought there before I dug myself into a deeper hole. I gave him an apologetic smile. Sorry, I didn't mean to get under your skin there, that was uncalled for. I was sincere about it; I didn't have any reason or need to get on Edward's bad side. I really wanted to put all of our differences aside and move on from everything in our past. It didn't make any sense to me to have an uneasy relationship with the father of the woman who meant everything in the world to me.
His scowl disappeared and he nodded, accepting my apology. I turned back towards Nessie, squeezing her shoulders just a tad and tucking her into my chest a little further. I kept my eyes trained on Nessie's face as we walked out to the limousine, feeling my heart do flips inside my chest as her lips curled into an enormous smile and she bounced a bit as she walked. She looked up to me with excitement in her eyes and slid her hand down my forearm to intertwine her fingers with mine.
Our driver held the door open for us as I extended my arm in a gesture to let Nessie and Nichole know they should get in first. Seth followed closely behind Nichole, stopping just as he reached the door. I cocked an eyebrow at him, waiting for him to get in.
"Ladies first," he laughed, mimicking my pose.
"By all means then," I joked back, giving him a push on the back into the limo.
As soon as I climbed in, I saw Nessie fidgeting with something with her back turned towards us. I could hear some sort of foil ripping. Not more than a second later there was a loud pop, and she became very still. Worried, I started sliding down the seats towards her, not knowing what the hell she had just done. I was just a few feet from her when she turned around with a big grin, holding up a bottle of champagne in one hand, a few glasses in the other. Nichole clapped her hands excitedly, reaching out to grab a glass from her.
I let out a guffaw and shook my head. Nessie couldn't even wait for the limo to start moving before she popped the bottle, and I'd never seen her show any interest in drinking before. And with Nichole encouraging her, knowing how their personalities became much more energetic when they were together, it didn't take a genius to figure out where tonight would take us. I was a little apprehensive, worried that things might get out of hand, but I was just as equally happy. Nessie never got to let loose and just enjoy life- maybe tonight would be exactly what she needed. After thinking about what happened the last time we all went out like this, I was glad to have a chance to replace those bad memories with better ones.
"Here," Nessie said, offering me a champagne glass filled all the way to the top.
I blew a deep breath out my nose and ran my hand through my hair before reaching out and grabbing the glass, knowing tonight was more than likely bound to be a wild one.
Oh… that Nessie. She is a handful of trouble sometimes.
Is it weird to be a little envious of him? He's taking his girlfriend away to one of the most beautiful cities in the U.S. that has great weather all year round. Plus, you know that if the Cullen's have anything to do with their travel arrangements that they're bound to be staying somewhere amazing.
On top of all that, Nessie is on birth control now. Can I get a collective cheer for Jake? He's got to be excited, I know I would be- now he won't have to worry about forgetting condoms. He can't seem to go even a couple hours without pitching a tent, and now that they'll be going away together the poor guy won't have to hide his erection in the waistline of his pants all day. I don't know what he plans on doing if he gets an unexpected erection if all he has on is his swim suit.
Again, sorry for the long delay in between updates. I will do my best to get the next one in a timely manner.
See you then,
Kaputt
