The Painful Truth
Disclaimer; all characters and copyright belong to Stephanie Meyer.
A/N-thank you for the kind reviews!
Part Fourteen
"What did you say to her?" Billy sighed as he looked at his friend's sullen expression.
"I told her I didn't trust her." Charlie muttered.
Billy groaned and shook his head in disbelief. "Have you learned nothing you old fool." He chastised him.
"I had no phone call. Anything could have happened and I wouldn't have been able to do anything." Charlie replied defensively. "I had every right to be angry."
"Bella had Jake with her." Billy said testily. "It's bright sunlight out there. No vamp would be foolish enough to expose themselves here during the day."
"They didn't call like they promised." Charlie continued stubbornly.
Billy sat forward in his chair as he glared at his friend. Despite laying down to rest he already felt tired and stressed again. Charlie had barged into his room while he was sleeping and began to rant about their offspring. It took him a while to get Charlie to calm down enough to talk rationally. "You know I lost the twins because I refused to listen to what they wanted. I wanted Rebecca and Rachel to stay on the res with me, but all I did was drive them away by my constant nit picking. They had their dreams and they wanted to pursue them. I tried to stop them, and all I've achieved is radio silence. They refuse to come and visit and won't listen to my apologies. You on the other hand have Bella here. Don't make the same mistakes I did. Talk to her and listen to what she has to say before you drive such a big wedge between you that you'll lose her for good."
The muscle along Charlie's jaw flexed as he matched Billy's fierce glare. He understood what his friend was advising him to do, but he was still so angry at Bella. He thought he was in the right. He was trying to save her. Why couldn't she understand that? His knee bobbed up and down as he tried to calm down. It was a momentous thing Billy was telling him to do. He just wasn't sure he was capable of it. "I don't know if I can." He lamented.
"Oh, you can." Billy said bluntly. "If you don't then you can kiss goodbye to any relationship with Bella for good."
"There you go." Jacob passed Bella a tall glass of lemonade before joining her at the edge of the pool. He let his legs dangle in the water, just like she was doing.
"Thanks." Bella took a sip of the cold lemonade.
Jacob gulped his lemonade down. The cold liquid was refreshing. He glanced sideways at Bella. She was staring straight ahead, with a wistful expression on her pretty face. "You want to talk about it." He asked.
His question jolted Bella out of her stupor. She had been thinking about her childhood and the peripatetic life she had lived with Renee before her mother had settled down with Phil. Before that Renee had never stayed in one place for more than a few months. The exception had been when they had lived in Phoenix. But then Renee had met Phil and that was that. "Do you miss your sisters?" She questioned Jacob, taking him completely by surprise by the change of subject. He had assumed that she wanted to talk about her fight with Charlie.
"Not really." Jacob shrugged. "I was still quite young when they took off, and they don't really come home to visit or call much, so…." He left the rest unsaid.
"It's been you and your dad." Bella mused. She sipped some more of her lemonade. "Are you angry at them for leaving you to care for Billy all by yourself?"
"Sometimes." Jacob confessed, frowning. "But I'm just used to it."
"Yes, you are." Bella smiled weakly. "You are good at taking care of people."
"You are too." Jacob pointed out. He swirled his feet in the warm water of the pool, creating small ripples on the flat surface. "You more or less took care of your mom, and since you've been living with Charlie you stepped up and took over the domestic side of things." He looked at Bella fondly. "I don't think your dad had a home cooked meal until you came back to Forks. He always ate at the diner."
Bella studied Jacob carefully. He gazed back at her. Neither of them spoke for a moment. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence, more a thoughtful one. Bella was the first to break eye contact. "When do we get to take care of ourselves, Jake?" She said disconsolately.
"We take care of each other." Jacob reached out and grazed the back of his hand across Bella's cheek. She closed her eyes and leaned into his touch like she had numerous times before. She felt his fingers tracing warm circles on her cheek before he trailed a finger down the curve of her jaw until it reached her lips. "You're so beautiful." His voice was taut with emotion.
Bella opened her eyes and became captivated by the intense look on his face. "You are too." She whispered. Her heart began to thump loudly in her chest. She wondered whether he could hear the tempestuous beat.
Caught up in the moment, Jacob shifted closer to Bella so their faces were only inches apart. He heard her breathing become rapid as her gaze flicked from his eyes to his mouth and then back again. Jacob put one hand on the side of her face, using his thumb to tilt her chin upward. Bella gasped as her heart picked up its tempo.
"Jacob."
God, he loved the way she said his name. His dark eyes never left hers as he drew closer so their noses were nearly touching. He watched Bella swallow a few times before her eyelids fluttered closed. His did the same. He closed the gap and pressed his lips onto hers, the warmth from the contact making his blood pump faster through his veins and his skin heat up. The air was practically vibrating with electricity as his other hand cupped the back of Bella's head. The kiss started off soft and slow. Jacob didn't want to push Bella. They broke contact for a few seconds as Bella drew away, opened her eyes and gazed at him. Her eyes were glossy and slightly out of focus and her breath came in short pants. Jacob tensed as he expected her to brush him off, but to his relief, she closed her eyes again and slipped her hand around the back of his neck as she guided his mouth back to hers.
It was Bella's first proper kiss. Edward's cold, chaste ones didn't count. This kiss was something else altogether. Bella felt like she was coming apart at the seams and it was only Jacob's strong hands holding her together. Her skin hummed wherever Jacob's brushed against her. His shoulder bumped hers and she was certain her nerve endings got a shock from the brief contact. When his tongue slid between her eager lips and touched hers, a small moan escaped. She should have been embaressed, if it had been Edward she would have been apologising. But not here, not now, not in this moment! His taste exploded in her mouth as the kiss intensified. Bella now had her fingers fisted in Jacob's silky hair as she shifted closer to him. It was awkward sitting as they were on the edge of the pool. Their legs were still dangling in the water.
Jacob made an irritated sound in the back of his throat when their mouths pulled apart when Bella lost her balance. He caught her before she tipped into the water and hauled her onto his lap. They both stared deeply into each other's eyes, their breath mingling in the heated atmosphere. Jacob's fingers slid down the curve of Bella's spine. She could feel the heat from his touch through the thin material of her tank top. Again her skin tingled where his fingers touched. She had never felt anything like it. The sensation was almost too much to bear. She dug her nails into his shoulders as she tried to contain her reaction. Bella bit down on her bottom lip and gasped when Jacob suddenly crushed his lips onto hers and kissed her passionately.
Bella wound her arms around his neck as she felt his fingers dig into the small of her back before sliding further down to cup her ass. His other hand tangled in her hair and Bella found herself pressed against his taut body, she could feel his muscles moving fluidly under his tanned skin when he moved. He was so hot. She revelled in his heat and gasped when his lips left hers and he began to trail hot kisses down her throat. She let her head fall back, her eyes still firmly closed as she gave into her passion for him.
"You're so beautiful. I love you so fucking much." Jacob mumbled as his mouth reached the nape of her neck and he began to suck the skin gently into his mouth.
Bella's eyes flared open again when she felt his fingers glide under her tank top and slowly skim up her back, and she quivered in his embrace when he released her skin from his mouth with a slight pop after leaving his mark, then began to place hot kisses down her throat until he reached the valley of her breasts. Her fingers dug into his skin, his muscles moved under the palms of her hands as he hesitated a moment. He suddenly raised his head and looked at her, his eyes roaming her face as if seeking permission. Bella looked back at him, they were both breathing heavily. She could feel the slight tremor in his body as he fought to contain his passion and slow down.
"Bella." He said huskily.
Bella emitted a soft sigh as she leaned in and captured his lips in another heated kiss. Jacob crushed her against him before they suddenly tumbled back into the water. The shock made both their eyes pop open. Jacob quickly used his feet to propel them upward. When they broke through the surface, they gasped. Bella held onto Jacob's broad shoulders, her hair was plastered to her head and water droplets sparkled on her pale skin.
Jacob ran a hand through his wet hair, making it stand up in spikes. "Shit, I didn't mean for that to happen. Sorry." He apologised with a smile.
"Maybe we needed to cool down." Bella laughed nervously. She couldn't believe she had gotten so carried away. That they both had.
Jacob's expression became tender as he touched her face reverently. "You're not regretting what we just did, are you?"
Bella heard the worry in his voice. She drew nearer to him again so their noses were almost touching. "Did you hear me complain?" She teased.
Jacob was still serious. His dark eyes roamed her face warily. "What does this mean?" He asked.
Bella felt him tense up. She massaged his shoulders before placing a soft kiss on his collarbone. "It means I can't be your friend anymore." She murmured.
"What?" Jacob misunderstood what she was trying to say. The devastation on his face nearly pulled Bella asunder.
"Hush." Bella put a finger to his lips before gently tracing the curve of his pout.
"Just give me a straight answer, Bella." Jacob took her hand away from his face and made her look at him properly. "What does this mean?"
"I don't know what it means….but I'd like to explore what could happen." Bella fumbled for the right words but failed.
"And him?" Jacob demanded.
Bella frowned. She didn't relish being reminded of Edward. Guilt swamped her as the full import of what she had done suddenly sunk in. She had betrayed him, cheated on him behind his back. She was a horrible person. She emitted an aggravated sigh as she pushed Jacob away and placed her hands on the side of the pool to climb out. But Jacob wasn't going to let her go that easily, not now. He yanked her back into the water and twisted her around so she was facing him again. Bella got lost in his eyes as he cupped the back of her head and kissed her, slipping his tongue into her mouth as he wound his other arm around her waist and clamped her to him. Bella was left panting when he abruptly ended the kiss and released her.
"Don't let your guilt over hurting him stop you from moving on with me." Jacob said firmly. "When we get back home you need to tell him it's over." He held his breath as he waited for her response. It seemed like an eternity before Bella reached out, touched his face, and gave a subtle nod of her head in agreement.
Finally Jacob could breathe…
A/N-thanks for reading!