Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
AN: Another beast of a chapter. Just a heads up for those who like to read in one sitting. :)
Suggested Listening: "Promise" by Ben Howard, "Dead & Born & Grown" by The Staves, "Prairie Girl" by Rah Rah, "A Perfect World" by Kodaline, "A Little Death" by The Neighbourhood, "Yet Again" by Grizzly Bear
Leaning against the counter in his small kitchen, Embry tightly clutched a cup of coffee between large hands.
His eyes were on his bed, even as he blew on the hot liquid, cooling it before it swept over his tongue. The sun was barely up, but there was enough light in the room for him to see it. To watch the person sleeping in it. She lay on her side facing him, the sheet pulled up to her waist. His eyes swept across every inch of bare flesh, her hair spilling across the cream-colored pillowcase and over her shoulder, ending just above her breasts. Her chest lifted and fell with every short, even breath.
Every second he watched made it that much harder to breathe.
In the best possible way.
It made him feel like some kind of voyeur - just standing there watching - but he couldn't not watch. He couldn't not take all this in...to soak it up. To catalog the image of Leah and every beautiful piece of her asleep in his bed.
Because she was home. She was home and she had come to him, kissing him like they hadn't missed a single day. Yet every bit of purpose behind each kiss confirmed she'd missed him every single second since he'd left.
He knew what that felt like...all too well, because now that she was here, Embry realized he hadn't truly taken a breath since he stepped on that plane. That he hadn't felt the respite of air in his lungs until she showed up outside his door.
It had been a long three weeks, to say the very least.
He knew it would be as soon as his plane left the runway, his eyes fixed on the city below him. Hanging onto it, Embry's heart pounded as the plane climbed higher and the buildings slipped away, giving way to empty fields and flat terrain. It took him away without all the words he needed, and without the certainty that maybe Leah felt as strongly as he did. Without a reassurance he could really hang onto, knowing no matter how badly he wanted it, there was no way in hell Leah would have given it to him.
But she had given him one thing - the thing he asked for. The only thing he knew was possible and that she was capable of in that moment.
She told him she'd come home.
Embry never doubted her. He worried at times, waiting for the uncertainty and doubt to resurface every time he talked with her on the phone. Preparing to soothe those fears, a part of him already knew he probably wouldn't have to. He knew it was time for Leah to take that step and so did she, and not once did he think she wouldn't actually show up.
Instead, he ended up reassuring himself more - that Leah coming home for a visit would be enough. For what, he wasn't sure. To help her remember. To see for herself she was neither unneeded or unwanted. To heal those wounds she'd always left open.
That maybe, if things went the way he hoped, it would be enough for them.
That, at the very least, it would convince her to keep coming back. That it wouldn't be another six years before he saw her again.
Because Embry knew...three weeks were going to be bad enough. He knew it the moment the plane touched down in Seattle, a part deep inside him burning - scratching, protesting - painfully aware of the distance. Knowing full well what he'd left behind…
Every single part of him already missing it. Needing it.
Embry didn't have time to think too much about it. Shuffling out of the plane, he walked through the airport in a daze. Collecting his luggage at the baggage claim, he knew no matter how he felt, there was work to be done and life wasn't going to stop without him.
Yet it was still on his mind, even when he found Brady outside the airport. It was still stuck smack in the middle of his chest, leaving him unable to form much for words even when the younger man rambled endlessly about things Embry couldn't bring himself to care about.
At least not until Brady made a noise in his throat, pulling Embry out of his own thoughts. He threw a skeptical glance across the truck's cab to find Brady already watching him.
"What did you say?" Embry asked.
"I said, I can tell you had a good time in Chicago…" Brady repeated, one eyebrow lifting knowingly.
"What the fuck are you talking about?" Embry muttered, giving the other man a venomous frown.
"Dude, you reek of sex," Brady chuckled, unfazed by Embry's reaction as he shook his head in dismay. "And believe it when I say that's a smell I know a thing or two about. Don't worry, though...I won't tell Jake that's what you did while you were pretending to work out there for two weeks."
Embry rolled his eyes. Driving or not, he fought the urge to punch Brady right in his smart fucking mouth. Inside, though, Embry's stomach still wrenched viciously. Feeling the panic crawl up his throat, Embry chided himself for not thinking about it sooner. He knew full well what happened between them wasn't going to be something Leah wanted broadcast to the whole world. At least not at that point.
Another part of Embry was thankful the younger wolf wouldn't recognize the scent on him, because he had yet to phase when Leah was there.
When Embry finally made it back to La Push, the first thing he did was head to the woods. He ran, needing it anyway - needing to phase and needing that release. Shielding himself beneath the cover of the trees, Embry was thankful for the silence and the fresh air, thick with scents that would wash away the ones still lingering on his body.
At one point though, he almost stumbled - a part of him fighting the sudden urge to phase back. To keep it there.
To hang onto any trace of her while he still could, knowing it might help him get through the days to come.
He could have used it.
Even though Embry threw himself into work, catching up at the La Push garage and helping Jake with the beginning stages of the the new one, that scratching was still there. Growing worse with each passing day, the wolf inside him making the human need worse. It made him edgy and anxious, reminding Embry of what he was being denied - of what he craved and what he wanted, even if it wasn't possible to have it.
Combining into a potent mix of emotions inside his body, it weighed him down while leaving him empty at the same time. More than once, his pounding heart woke him in the middle of the night, a cold sweat covering his clammy skin. It didn't matter how many breaths he took or how many lines he paced into the floor. He couldn't get rid of it - the excruciating fire inside every vein in Embry's body.
In those moments, it was impossible to breathe. To simply function the way he was used to.
He got through it, grasping for that shred of solace buried deep within a more human part of him. There was a light at the end of the tunnel, knowing in fourteen days - in thirteen, in twelve - Leah would be there, and the scratching, empty feeling inside him would be gone.
Now that she was there, Embry had the peace he wanted.
However, what he no longer had was a guarantee of time. It was like Chicago all over again, and no matter how much he tried not to think about it, Embry had no idea how he was going to let her go now that she was here. How he could be forced back into a life without her there - every fucking day - because Leah always had and always would have a choice. She could still deny this life she'd told him so many times she no longer wanted.
She could still deny him.
And no matter what he knew - no matter what happened between them - Embry still knew it was a possibility. What happened to her all those years ago - what he was - made it more than a distant one. It made the likelihood of it tangible.
Still, he didn't know...
How he could possibly let her walk away. What it would do to him if she did.
Still, Embry swallowed it back, knowing he couldn't waste time on thoughts like that. Knowing what he had to do.
For now, he would just fucking hold her - keep her there - while he still could. He would let Leah face what she needed to face. He would be there when she needed him, and when the time was right, he would ask. He would tell her…
What, he wasn't sure, but he would tell her - all the words, every feeling. All of it. He would tell her.
Anything, so long as she knew.
Embry jerked back to the present, eyes suddenly focusing on what he'd been watching before he drifted away. A smile pulling at his lips, he saw Leah's eyes were open, staring back at him this time.
It dissolved the tightness in his chest. It calmed the fire in his veins.
Everything about the way she was looking at him reminding him of why it was better now that she was here.
"Morning," he murmured, bringing the forgotten coffee cup to his lips and taking a sip.
Leah groaned quietly, rolling onto her back and stretching. "Were you watching me sleep?" she questioned, propping herself up on her elbows. One questioning eyebrow lifted, pulling her mouth into a smile. "That's fucking creepy, Call."
Embry chuckled, straightening and taking a step away from the counter. "Take a look around my apartment, Leah," he replied crisply. "No matter where I go, so long as I'm here, I'd be watching you sleep."
Tipping her head back lazily, she regarded him for a moment, letting her features relax. "Good point." With a sigh, Leah sat up slowly, not bothering to cover her body as she pulled her knees up to her chest, the sheet leaving little to Embry's imagination, even though there was little left for him to imagine.
Fuck, he needed to stop. He knew if he didn't, work would end up waiting. That he just might take Leah up on her offer of keeping her there for the next five days.
"You working today?" she asked quietly, leaning her cheek against her knee. Embry could feel her eyes on him, soft and relentless, as he crossed the distance between them, sitting his coffee cup on the kitchen table as he passed.
Embry nodded, thinking he needed to stop where he was but not entirely surprised when his feet kept moving. "Yeah…need to do a quick perimeter run before I go in though." He knew why in his head, but wasn't going to tell her.
Reaching the bed, Embry turned, collapsing onto the mattress before laying back. A relaxed breath pushing over his lips, he let his head roll to one side to find Leah watching him with an amused smile on her face.
"You gonna try to talk to your mom again?"
Leah's smile faltered slightly. Her brow scrunched beneath the question, but she didn't look away. She'd eventually told him how the conversation with her mother went, the words coming easier under cover of darkness - with her body curled into his side, her head resting against his chest. Falling from her lips when his fingers traced gentle patterns on her back, doing what he could to take away some of the sting.
"Maybe," she whispered, anxiously worrying her bottom lip between her teeth. "I really need to find my brother first, I think."
"You should," Embry agreed, fixing his gaze on the ceiling and remembering something Jacob had reminded him of the night before. Something he'd almost forgotten about until that moment. "Not just because he should know you're here, but you have plans tonight…"
Embry looked back in time to catch Leah's skeptical eyebrow. "Plans?"
"Dinner," he murmured, watching her tentatively and not missing how her eyes blanked slightly. How her expression froze, waiting for him to finish the request. "At Jake's. He wants us to come over tonight."
"Dinner at the Alpha's," Leah muttered, a hint of amusement laced through her words. "Welcome home, Leah."
Embry chuckled, his hand reaching out across the comforter, finding her wrist and letting his fingers curl around it. He pulled softly, ignoring how Leah rolled her eyes in feigned dismay. Instead, a part of him warmed at how easily she gave way, moving on the bed until she was beside him, laying on her stomach. Still watching him, she was close enough he could feel her breath on his cheek.
Reaching up, Embry pushed a strand of raven hair from her face, watching Leah's eyes follow his hand as he tucked it behind her ear. "I think he knows what this took...for you to come," he continued. "I think he just wants to give you a night with people who know what it took for you to do it."
Leah glanced down, studying her hands as one picked at a fingernail on the other.
"Bella's cooking," Embry pressed, letting his eyes settle on the curve of her shoulder, trying to take some of the pressure off her. "It'll be worth it. You should see the stuff she cooks now that she's pregnant. It's all butter and cream and five courses."
Leah finally laughed, and Embry smiled.
"My ass is thanking her already."
Grinning, Embry found those eyes for a single moment before he peered over her shoulder to the alarm clock on the nightstand. Knowing he needed to get going if he was going to make it to work before the alpha in question.
"Tell you what," he reasoned, looking back to Leah. Finding her still watching him. "Think about it, then swing by the shop later and let me know what you decided."
Leah scoffed. "Now you're pushing it…"
Embry smiled anyway, knowing he somehow had to make this easier if she was going to consider it. "It's just gonna be me and Quil most of the day. Quil's not gonna give you any shit, Leah...you know that. Plus, I want you to see the garage."
Lips parting, Leah gaze faltered, settling on the bed beneath them. She took a moment, chewing on his request for several long seconds as Embry held his breath. As he waited, feeling her silken skin beneath his fingertips. As she glanced back at him, her face stoic but everything in her eyes contemplating it.
"We'll see," she finally said.
Embry released a deep, resigned breath, tracing the line of Leah's jaw. Fingers curling around her neck, he pulled gently, watching Leah's lips part as she lowered herself without a single ounce of protest. As he lifted his head from the mattress, meeting her halfway. Kissing her softly, slowly. Inhaling deeply through his nose, so he could take that scent with him.
He smiled against her mouth when she eventually pulled away. When he felt hers smile back.
Knowing it held his answer, even if she didn't say it.
"Fair enough," he whispered.
This easily could have been the worst idea Leah ever had.
Even if it wasn't her idea, the masochistic notion to actually go through with it belonged entirely to her. Still, as she walked down the main street cutting through the center of the reservation - ignoring the numerous stares thrown at her along the way - she hung onto what Embry told her.
It's just gonna be me and Quil there most of the day...
Plus, I want you to see the garage.
Embry left only minutes after he'd asked her, telling Leah to go back to sleep if she wanted - to not hurry and make herself at home. Still, once he was gone, Leah didn't go back to sleep. Wide awake, Leah stared at the ceiling for the better part of an hour, reminding herself of all the things she needed to do that day - all the people she needed to find. Asking herself if she was really ready to do what Embry asked. If she was ready to face those people before she'd even seen her brother.
Eventually getting up, Leah shuffled around Embry's apartment, making herself a very strong pot of coffee and drinking three cups while attempting to check emails on her phone. It was a pretty pointless task considering where she was at. When it came to cell phones, calls and text messages were about the only services available due to the limited reception. Giving up eventually, Leah took a long shower, spending entirely too much time trying to let the hot water wash away her reservations.
Trying to decide what she wanted to do…
In reality, Leah knew she was only prolonging the inevitable. No matter what order she did things in, all the confrontations on her mind would happen eventually - and it would probably be a wise idea to get them out of the way before Saturday and before the wedding.
So she sucked it up, getting dressed and giving silent thanks she'd packed a pair of jeans in her carry-on - that a part of her remembered in advance how mild the summers were on the Olympic Peninsula, and how they didn't come with the heat and humidity she'd gotten used to living in the Midwest.
Running her fingers through her damp hair, Leah stared at her reflection in the mirror.
Telling herself, for probably the hundredth time in the twenty-four hours leading up to that moment, that she could do this.
And another part of her wanted to, one from not-so-deep down curious to actually put tangible proof to the life a majority of the men she used to call brothers built for themselves. To see with her own eyes what Embry was working toward, and what his - and the rest of the pack's - future held.
Still, Leah pulled her phone from her pocket before she left, scrolling through the numbers until she found the one belonging to her brother. Pulling in a sharp breath, she let her fingers fly over the keys, doing what she needed to extend another olive branch. To let him know, even if he had no idea she was there, that she still wanted to talk to him.
Leah waited close to twenty minutes, each second passing without a response.
It was well past lunchtime by the time Leah left Embry's apartment. A part of her was angry with herself for wasting so much time, while another part tried to ignore the nagging ache in her gut. Cautious eyes swept over the front steps and parking lots she passed, focusing instead on the gratitude Leah could feel when she turned the corner of the block on which the garage was located. Realizing maybe she did herself a favor by leaving when she did, because she felt a ridiculous amount of gratitude in her veins when it was clear she'd missed the noon hour - a time when many more bodies would have been on the street.
Still, it hadn't eliminated everyone. She could feel random sets of curious eyes trained on her retreating back. Her family was well known in La Push - prominent even. Important. Generations had called the small reservation home. Her father had been on the Tribal Council until his death, and after he was gone, her mother stepped up to take his place. Her family had always been deeply rooted in the Quileute culture, its government and its history. Just as much as Jacob's, and just as much as Quil's. They were as recognizable in La Push as the ocean that lapped at its beaches.
Which is why Leah's imagination ran away long before she could put a leash on it. She could only wonder what all these people she'd known her entire life must be saying about her. The questions they probably asked each other, wondering where she'd went. Why she'd stayed away so long. Judgmental eyes prying, not quite masking the rumors they'd probably made up to explain her absence, wondering what the hell this meant now that she was back.
She could have listened, had she wanted to.
But she didn't, because Leah didn't want to hear their stories when she needed every bit of focus she possessed on revising the only one that was true.
Black & Brothers Automotive sat by itself on its own block, a large warehouse structure just down the street and around the corner from the tribal Rec Center. Her feet suddenly leaden, Leah's eyes swept over the modest sign hanging above the three, prominent garage doors lining the front of the building. Shifting anxiously, Leah took a deep breath, allowing her gaze to trace the faint outline of the pack crest - the same as the tattoo she wore on her right bicep - set behind the letters of the garage's name. It appeared like it was meant to be an afterthought, but it was still prominent enough to be noticed. To be a part of what it represented.
Fuck, it did something to her insides - a pressure building in her chest, an emotion she couldn't describe welling up in her throat. She tried swallowing it back, fingers lifting and brushing the flesh of her neck. Still, she couldn't because it was too thick, layered with a hundred different things - pride, nostalgia, regret that she'd missed all this. That she hadn't been there to watch them build it.
For a second - just a second - she peeked over her shoulder. Wondering if she could truly do this.
Wondering if anyone had seen her…
But something pulled her back, urging her to turn around. A strange sensation, like insects crawling across her skin - like she was being watched. Shifting slowly, Leah glanced back to the garage. Her body freezing, every ounce of blood in her body turning cold - realizing no matter how badly she may have wanted to, it was too late to turn and run. To put this off any longer.
Because she'd already been seen.
Quil Ateara wasn't moving, but his eyes were very clearly on Leah. His stare was filled with a crippled shock, regarding her warily from his spot several feet away. His body was still half-inside a car, and Leah realized she had seen that car pull out of the garage when she'd first rounded the corner. That she hadn't really paid attention to it when she approached the building.
Holding her breath, Leah fought the urge to look at the ground, assessing Quil instead. Battling that fucking fight-or-flight instinct inside her for everything she was worth.
At first glance, he had changed even less than Embry and Jacob when she'd first seen them. He still had a boyish immaturity to his features, topped with a mess of unruly black curls. His short, stocky build was exactly how Leah remembered it, and in that moment, the only thing she could recall was how she used to tease him about his height. How she always told him he'd definitely drawn the short stick when it came to the werewolf gene lottery. How he'd come back, telling her it was easy for her to say, considering her stick came with bigger boobs and fuller curves…
Leah blinked, the movement slow and entirely too sluggish, but doing what she needed as it cleared her head in time to see Quil move. To catch him half-stumble from the car, slamming the door behind him, his eyes never leaving hers.
Taking a deep breath, Leah willed herself to move, shoving her hands deep in her jeans pockets as Quil took his turn. As he appraised her back - brazen, wide eyes raking down her body and back up again. His head shaking in disbelief, a gesture similar to the one she received from her mother the night before.
Bracing herself when Quil's lips parted to speak.
"Holy fucking shit…"
Closing her eyes and letting the smallest of smirks pull at her lips, knowing she should have expected that, too.
Quil took a sudden step forward, throwing his arms out in front of him, palms facing the sky in awestruck confusion. "I mean...holy shit!" Arms still outstretched, Quil took off, staggering towards her as Leah found herself wondering if it was possible for a person's eyes to actually pop out of their skull.
Taking what felt like her hundredth deep breath, she decided to break the ice first.
"Six years, Quil, and that's really the best you could come up with?"
Shaking his head, Quil let out a boisterous laugh that made Leah jump in surprise. Finally letting his arms fall, he wiped his greasy hands on already-soiled jeans.
"And you actually thought I'd form a coherent thought?" Quil questioned, a sloppy grin spreading across his features. "Shit, woman, I can't do that on a regular day let alone when you decide to come back from the dead."
Leah tried not to wince, but failed.
"But seriously…" Quil closed the last bit of distance between them, not acknowledging her expression if he noticed. Reaching out, he squeezed her shoulder - softly, like a pinch, almost like he was trying to eliminate the fact that maybe he'd caught himself in some twisted dream. "Hell musta froze over and I missed the memo because, jesus, Leah...you're here!"
Nodding, throwing a glance toward the open garage doors. Searching for another sign of life - that maybe someone else was in there besides Quil. Someone who could come out and maybe take some of the attention off her…
"I'm here." The words fell from her lips when she realized there was no one there. Not yet.
Quil leaned forward a bit, eyebrows arching high as he tried to capture her gaze. A ridiculously rapt expression was plastered on his face, and Leah could only imagine what gem was about to spill from his mouth.
"Shit, do you hug now?" he murmured sincerely, eyes widening again. "Can I hug you? I feel like I should hug you…"
Leah ground her teeth together. "No."
Regardless, Quil's grin practically reached his ears. "Oh, yeah. You're really here." Taking a wide step, he suddenly tossed one beefy arm across her shoulders, pulling her into his broad body that smelled of sweat and motor oil. A scent that, for whatever reason, Leah didn't mind. A scent that had always been so Quil.
He tugged, taking a step that Leah not so reluctantly followed. A part of her hoped like hell Quil's reaction was genuine - that this was what she could expect, knowing it probably was. Quil had always been straightforward. What people saw with Quil, they usually got. He didn't hold grudges, and had always got along with anyone who crossed his path.
So Leah hung onto it instead, his reception lifting one small piece from the weight still sitting inside her.
"So where the hell've you been?" Quil asked, eventually letting his arm slide from her frame, allowing it to fall to his side.
Leah shrugged, knowing there wasn't really any point anymore in keeping it a secret. "Chicago - I live there."
Quil hesitated, his work boots dragging heavily as he shuffled across the dirt beneath their feet. "You been there the whole time?"
Leah nodded, pulling her arms into a tight hold across her chest.
"So…what did you do there?"
Reaching up, Leah tucked her hair behind her ear. "I went to college, got a job. You know, the stuff normal people are supposed to do."
"Hey," Quil exclaimed from beside her, nudging her shoulder with his. "I didn't go to college, and I like to think I'm pretty kick-ass…"
Lips parting, Leah stopped walking, a part of her immediately regretting what she said. That tightness threatening to come back when she glanced at Quil apologetically, who peered back at her, a look of hurt on his face.
"Quil, that's not what I meant…"
Eyeing her skeptically for several long moments, Quil released a breath. Waiting another second before his mouth erupted into a grin and he nudged her again, ignoring the silent sigh of relief Leah let slip from between her lips.
"Leah...I'm just fucking with you," he assured, shoving his hands in the pockets of his jeans. "Shit, life's not really that kick-ass. I still live with my mom, so there's that…and everything's pretty much the same as it was when you left, except everyone's either older or, you know…" He stopped, licking his lips awkwardly when he reached a word he wasn't sure if he should say.
Leah swallowed. "Imprinted?"
"Yeah…" Quil anxiously brushed a large hand through his mop of curls. "Including me, but more on that another time. And there's this…" He glanced toward the garage, dramatically motioning to it with his hand. "It pays the bills and gives me something to do. It's pretty fucking cool actually. Jake lets me come in whenever the hell I want just so long as I get my shit gets done, so...can't complain too much."
Scrunching her face to hide the smile, Leah let her shoe toe at the dirt. "You haven't changed a fucking bit, have you?"
"Hell, babe, that's probably a good thing," Quil chuckled, his voice honest and welcoming and everything Leah needed in that moment. "But at least you have, it sounds like...so maybe getting away from here was the good choice, huh?"
Leah forced herself to nod, a half-hearted agreement to Quil's words as she grasped to hang onto the easy feeling inside her.
"Guess so."
Jerking his head toward the shop, Leah followed Quil as he approached the bay closest to the what Leah guessed was the garage's office. Stepping over a huge puddle that collected from the overnight rain, Leah tried like hell to ignore how she could still feel that nervousness still tingling in her veins,k warning her to stay alert. To keep the guards up.
Still, she was paying enough attention to hear Quil's next question.
"So, did your mom tell you about this place and all the shit going on?"
Swallowing thickly, Leah took a moment before she decided it would be a likely story to go with. Before she nodded. "Yeah…"
"Sweet," Quil mumbled, not even looking back as he shimmied between the garage door frame and an SUV with its back end sticking halfway out of the building. "One less thing to get you caught up on."
Trailing him into the garage, Leah allowed her eyes to sweep over the building, following the high arch of the warehouse ceilings, the tool benches and chests lining the wall opposite the doors. Cars were lined up side by side in two of the garage's three bays. She could hear classic rock playing from somewhere in the corner of the building, filtering through speakers she located seconds later. The entire place smelled like engine grease, motor oil, and gasoline.
And still, she looked...eyes searching for something else. For someone else, who still had yet to show his face. A part of her angry at him for still not being there, and another part not completely surprised he decided to let her do this on her own and without any kind of buffer.
Smiling to herself, Leah was grateful Embry wasn't the smug type. If he was, god knows he would have plenty of things to be smug about.
Releasing a gruff exhale, Leah offered a smile to the back of Quil's head as he rounded the SUV's hood, kicking at the auto creeper peeking out from underneath the frame.
"So…" Quil said quietly, plopping down on the wooden contraption the same time Leah ventured around to his side, watching him as he peered up at her. "Are you just...back for a visit?"
Leah opened her mouth, ready to reassure him it was just a visit…
"Fuck, Q, enough with the twenty questions."
Quil's mouth shut with a snap, face screwing up in disappointment as his gaze redirected over Leah's shoulder. He already saw the source of the voice long before Leah turned to confirm it, even though she knew she didn't need to. As she did anyway, pulling her bottom lip in between her teeth and biting down hard to keep an entirely different smile under wraps.
Knowing if Quil saw it, it would probably be a dead giveaway…
Carefully peering over her shoulder, Leah's eyes landed on Embry several feet away. He was standing in the doorway of the garage's office, leaning on the door - his body half-turned away from it, like he still hadn't decided whether or not he was coming out. Giving her the smallest of smiles when her eyes found his, Leah could see an unmistakable glint in those ebony eyes. Like they held a thousand secrets only he knew…
Because they did.
An exhilarant wave of warmth flooded Leah's body, all the way to her fingertips, but she still didn't look away, even when Embry did. Not even when she heard Quil scoff behind her, like what Emby asked him was physically impossible to do.
"Really, man?" Quil exclaimed petulantly, the sound of the creeper's wheels scratching against the concrete floor as Quil aimlessly rocked himself back and forth. "Have you gotten a good fucking look at who's standing in the middle of this garage? I mean, like really stopped to look...and let that sink in? And I mean, all the way in." He made a noise of disbelief in his throat. "If not, take a second and then tell me how many questions you want to ask."
Embry rolled his eyes, and Leah fought another coy grin when his gaze landed on her. When that mischievous glint returned.
"I've looked, dude," he said quietly, one eyebrow lifting. "And I see her."
Leah pulled a breath through her clenched teeth, trying like hell to temper the warmth Embry's simple words caused inside her. It took everything she had to pull her eyes away from him, to turn and see Quil lay back on the creeper, hands reaching up to grab the SUV's bumper.
"Yeah, yeah," Quil muttered. "Go say hi to that one, Lee. He's still pretty nice, most days. Fair warning though...he's been working on accounting shit all day 'cause Jake made him, so he's probably grumpy as fuck."
"Would you like to help me, Quil? Because I have a fucking folder in here with your name on it!"
Leah's teeth cut harder into her lip, a shred of comfort fighting its way to the surface, a part of her remember what this was like. How years ago she claimed to hate the childish banter that went on between the other pack members, when they were still teenage boys and she was too old to want to deal with all the shit that came with that.
But now...she only stood there, realizing how much that deep-down part of her missed it.
"Nah, man, you go for it. You know me with all those numbers and subtraction and shit," Quil deadpanned, reaching up and tapping his forehead aimlessly with one index finger. "Doesn't really compute in this old melon."
"No shit. All you gotta do is take a look at one of your invoices..."
Quil offered Leah a toothy grin and a shrug of his shoulders. "Poor guy still has to keep us in line...even now. Place would fall apart without him though."
"Don't forget it." Leah heard the distant grumble from behind her.
That time, she smiled.
"Anyway…" Quil continued, wagging his eyebrows at her before his face softened with a sincerity Leah hadn't seen since she got there. "I gotta finish this before five, but...glad to have you back, Leah, even if it's only for a visit. Shit hasn't been the same around here since you left."
With a wink, Quil disappeared beneath the SUV.
For several long moments, Leah stared at the spot Quil had occupied moment earlier. Letting what he said fully sink, she pulled in a rough breath before she turned toward the office behind her. Embry had abandoned the doorway, and as Leah approached it, she cast a cursory glance over her shoulder - making sure Quil was still where he was supposed to be before stepping into the office.
The room was small, a line of windows covered in blinds overlooking the garage itself. Beneath the windows was an threadbare, olive green sofa, positioned directly across from the large desk. Aside from the computer resting in the corner, the desk was littered with papers and folders.
Embry stood behind it, leaning heavily on his hands. Closing the door behind her, Leah tried to ignore the way he smiled at her when the latch clicked loudly into place.
Feeling a million times lighter, Leah leaned back against the door, closing her eyes on the bright fluorescent lighting illuminating the room. "So, that was easy…"
Embry chuckled, the sound pulling her eyes open as he peered down at the mess on the desk. "I told you," he assured quietly, sweeping his hand over several papers, trying to contain them into something that somewhat resembled an organized pile. "Most of us just missed you...and wanted to know where you were. That's it."
Leah gave him an appeased nod, even though she knew there would be more to it than that. Quil was only one in a long line of people she had yet to see. She wasn't diluted enough to believe the worst had passed.
"It's Quil though," she murmured. "I figured he wouldn't be too hard to convince."
"Well," Embry replied quietly, depositing the papers into a folder before closing it. "You might get some shit from a couple of them, like Paul...because time hasn't done much for the guy's attitude."
Leah rolled her eyes, shaking her head as she remembered how her and Paul never really got along that well in the first place. They were too much alike in some of the worst kinds of ways - both stubborn, hot-headed, and too quick to speak - always shooting first, asking questions later.
Leah sighed. "I can handle him."
Embry peered up at her from beneath raised eyebrows. "I know you can."
Rolling her head to one side, Leah watched Embry as he dropped his gaze, letting it linger on the desk and everything covering it.
"So, that doesn't look too promising…"
Embry scoffed, shaking his head at nothing in particular. "You shoulda seen it when I came back. I swear they didn't do a fucking thing while I was gone." He motioned to the disheveled desk. "I'm still getting caught up."
Leah grinned, amused at the way he stared down the desk, at how his fingers curled around one of the folders. Howfor just a second, she half-expected him to throw it in the air in some kind of jilted protest.
"Maybe it's time to teach Paul and Quil about this little thing called a calculator…"
"Shit, that'll be the day," Embry laughed, taking a step back from the desk. His eyes finding hers again as he moved around it, forgetting about the mess entirely as he slowly approached Leah. He stared her down this time, and her breathing picked up discreetly with every step he took.
"And considering I won't be around here soon," he murmured, coming close enough that his scent tingled inside Leah's nostrils, "we've actually been talking about hiring another part-time person just to come in and handle the books and accounts."
Leah could feel the cool wood of the door pressing against the back of her thighs, despite the fact everything else inside urged her forward. Away from the door. Toward the man in front of her. The one who was suddenly there, peering down at her.
Feeling his hands graze the outline of her hips, drifting over the pockets of her jeans, she forgot about it for a second. Remembered instead the heavy weight of her still-silent phone resting there.
"I sent Seth a message," she offered, changing the subject. Wishing like hell she would have just stayed on the one involving the shop's potential new employee. Or just focused on that fucking look Embry was giving her as he closed the distance between them...
Embry released a breath, stopping where he was. Leaving a few inches of space between them that Leah really didn't want there.
He lifted one eyebrow. "And?"
Leah's gaze shifted, falling on the bookshelf in the far corner of the room. Lips pressing into a thin, resigned line, she looked anywhere but the eyes watching her. Hands instinctively landing on Embry's chest, she tried to smile, knowing she probably was doing a horrible job at making the gesture convincing.
"I haven't heard anything back," she replied, the response nearly getting stuck in her throat.
She looked back in time to see Embry nod, his smile fading a little but the gentleness still thick in his eyes. It was a different look from moments earlier, but it was one that still pulled at something inside Leah, knowing it was one she'd seen before. Knowing that even if the reality of her silent phone weighed on her, Embry didn't seem too concerned.
"I know he went into work for a few hours today," Embry assured quietly, "but I'm guessing it has more to do with what you told me yesterday…"
Leah released an tense chuckle, fingers curling around his t-shirt. "I told you a lot of things yesterday."
Still, she felt Embry's thumb and index finger lightly grasp her chin - her body not putting up much of a fight when he turned her face toward him, sincere eyebrows raised.
"The part where you told me no one knew you were coming," Embry reminded, his voice soft. Reassuring. "Seth didn't know you were coming, so if you think about it...for all he knows, you're still in Chicago. Not here...and not coming."
Pulling in a breath, Leah held it in her lungs. Hanging onto Embry's eyes instead as she thought about the words, her quiet phone, the lack of response from her brother. It made too much sense, and she knew he'd probably already figured she wasn't coming. That he'd probably already given up hope that she was…
That maybe not telling anyone she was coming had been a bad fucking idea.
"I need to find him," she whispered, seeing the flicker of agreement in the gaze holding hers.
Embry nodded, the earnestness dissolving from his features when he finally smiled. As the gesture warmed her insides, sweeping away a bit of the cold resting in her veins.
"He'll be happy to see you, Leah."
Groaning softly, Leah nodded vigorously, doing everything she could to put that smile back on her face before she looked up. To look away from the imaginary spot she stared at. To look at Embry instead, and believe his words. Seeing how those ebony eyes searched hers, gauging what was going on inside her. Waiting for several long moments before his face softened - the same moment Leah's expression relaxed.
The same moment she smiled, and the same one she caught herself believing.
It was all there - all in his eyes, the same way it always was, and she still didn't know how the hell he did it. How he was always able to make it better. To make her stop for a second and think.
To make her smile even when she felt like she didn't have a single fucking thing to smile for.
And that look in his eyes was back, right alongside his scent, mixing dangerously with an overwhelming gratitude Leah wanted to show.
A dominant part of her not caring where they were or who the hell might be wandering around just on the other side of the flimsy door pressed against her back. What they might see if they just stepped up to the window two feet to her right and actually took the time to look…
She really didn't care...
Leah's fingers grabbed a fistful of Embry's t-shirt, her insides warming at the chuckle she heard when he gave way easily. Pulling him closer, she closed that last little bit of space he'd left between them, feeling Embry's hands tighten on her waist a moment later, his hot breath pushing across her forehead.
"It's a good thing you got here when you did," he hummed against her skin, leaving a soft, warm kiss on her forehead. "I was just about to take a break…"
Closing her eyes, Leah inhaled deeply through her nose, smelling the heady traces of pine and sea beneath the motor oil and grease. The potency of it caused her veins to burn in the best kind of way. Arms lifting, they curled around Embry's neck, pulling herself up as far as she needed to brush her lips along his pulse. To feel the roughness of his flesh beneath her mouth, pulling in another deep breath through her nose. The scent of him - of it all this close - was enough to ignite the smallest of fires inside her.
One - if she kept this up - would be out of control in a handful of seconds.
"Leah…" His voice carried a trace of warning, the sigh pushing them out warm against the side of her face.
Smiling against his skin, Leah pushed up on her tiptoes. Lightly dragging her teeth across the spot the scent was the strongest, the flames inside her only got worse when she heard the air catch in his throat. Fingers digging into Embry's neck, she pressed one last kiss to the spot, lowering herself until her feet were flat on the floor. Not really wanting to pull away but knowing she had to.
Noticing how when Embry pulled back to look at her, his eyes were already darker. Needier.
Lips parting, Leah wondered if there was time - if she dared - to do something to temper the fire suddenly pulling at her veins. To find a place to put all that frenetic energy, the inexplicable adrenaline, lingering just beneath it.
To satisfy that need staring directly at her...
"Quil's the only one here?"
Embry peered over her head, heaving a distracted breath but unable to do anything about the smile on his face. "For now, yeah." The air rushing past his lips tickled Leah's ear, giving birth to goose bumps that spread rapidly across her flesh. "Paul went out on a parts run and Jake is up in Port Angeles for the afternoon."
Lifting one suggestive eyebrow, Leah lowered her hands to his shoulders, catching Embry's eyes. Pressing herself against the door as far back as she could, doing what she could to see him.
"So how much time do we have?"
Embry blinked wildly, looking over her shoulder again - and both ways, like it mattered. "Time?" he sputtered. "Leah, Quil's right out there. You're not seriously…"
She pulled her lower lip between her teeth, both eyebrows arching expectantly. Tempting him.
Embry grinned, looking anywhere but her eyes, even though he took an impossible step forward, his body pressing roughly against hers. Pinning her between him and the door, a playful yet somehow smoldering gaze caught her expectant one. That need back in all the places it was supposed to be.
"Fuck, you're crazy," he whispered, smiling anyway.
Leah was grinning too by the time she reached up, taking his face between both hands. Pulling him to her, pushing her lips greedily to Embry's mouth. The way his hands dug into her waist, how his body ground impatiently against hers, the way he responded to it all did little to discourage her. To discourage any of it, really.
But Leah pulled away for a single second, still smiling against his mouth.
"You can walk away," she breathed. "Anytime…"
Hoping like hell he wouldn't listen to her...
Embry made a noise of displeasure in his throat, his fingernails digging possessively into the flesh just beneath the hem of her shirt. Dragging his teeth across her bottom lip before kissing her again, everything about it was destitute and determined and everything Leah fucking wanted.
"I won't…" he growled.
Lacing her fingers through his hair, she tugged just enough for Embry to release a rough breath against her lips. For him to open his eyes and see her immodest smile.
"Prove it…"
She couldn't stop the surprised cry from leaving her throat when Embry suddenly pushed back. When thick, purposeful fingers reached up, wrapping around her wrists, pulling them from his neck when his lips were suddenly on hers. Making her head fucking swim when he lifted her arms above her head, pinning them against the door. Leah's entire body fell limp, prone and caged beneath him as Embry's mouth drifted down. As her eyes closed and lips parted, heart pounding fiercely inside her chest when his mouth found her neck, leaving hot, purposeful kisses along her pulse. Soothing each spot when his tongue peeked out to taste her.
Blinking, Leah tried like hell to focus. To pull herself from beneath the waves of fire coursing through her veins. To simply listen. To hear the distant clanging of tools against metal, and of a single heartbeat on the other side of the wall to make sure they were still alone.
They were, and she knew Quil would never hear a thing.
So long as Embry was quiet...
Moaning softly, Leah squirmed against Embry's hold. A rough breath escaped his lips, washing over her flushed skin when his grip on her wrists lessened. When he dropped his hands, roughly tracing the curve of her midsection, each one falling to her waist.
He wasn't taking his time, but it gave Leah's hands enough time to do the same. Finding his arms in the midst of everything else, her head turned brusquely, capturing his mouth with hers one last time before her grip tightened against the cotton sleeves of his t-shirt.
Roughly gathering the fabric between her fingers, Leah pushed, moving faster than Embry could anticipate. Catching him off guard as she used that strength inside her - strength she saved for moments like this. Pulling him around, one step all she needed to trap him against the door. To raise her brows at wide eyes that couldn't stop watching her.
Stretching to meet him, she couldn't quite reach his mouth without his help, ghosting faint kisses along his jaw instead. Nipping lightly at his flesh, one hand pushed beneath his t-shirt, traveling over defined lines she'd already memorized. Savoring the heat beneath her palm as the other ventured lower, gripping him through his jeans.
The way Embry's breath caught in his throat only fueled her. Only made her want it more.
"You gotta promise to be quiet," she whispered, dragging her fingernails down his abdomen. Ignoring how his hands curled roughly against her shoulders.
"Leah…" Her name was a breathless gasp, low and pleading.
"Quiet…" she repeated, murmuring the barely-audible word against his jaw. Pulling away as her hands traveled, both met at the hem of his t-shirt. Pushing it up with undeviating fingers, her body lowered, knees bending just before her mouth found the smooth skin. Leaving hot, deep kisses there before she moved down - lips brushing over the trail of soft, fine hair disappearing beneath his jeans, following it as her knees found the concrete beneath her.
Peering up at Embry, Leah found him already watching her, lips parted as he fought to catch his breath. Hands clamped into fists at his sides, dark, cloudy eyes followed every fucking move she made.
An invisible, visceral shudder ripped through Leah's body when his tongue peeked out, licking his lips. Holding his gaze, her hands reached up, undeviating fingers finding the button of his jeans. Undoing it slowly, Leah pulled her bottom lip between her teeth as her fingers lowered, a zipper following. As she smiled up at him, one hand gently freeing Embry from the restrictive material, every inch of him hard and ready in her hands.
Her own breaths were heavy and fast, that insistent need back in every part of her body. Coursing through her veins, she needed it all as her grip tightened just slightly. As she refused to lower her eyes, to intent on seeing how Embry stared. The way he looked, paralyzed and waiting for her. She kept watching, even when she leaned forward, everything about the haze in his eyes exacerbating the burning inside her.
Heightening her need to feel him.
The need to taste him…
Closing that last bit of space, she gave in, taking him between her lips. Waiting - dragging it out - despite the way his body tensed. Despite the soft groan she could hear as it pierced the silence surrounding them. As it cut off abruptly - as he remembered what she said. As it was replaced with the sound of restrained exhales leaving Embry's body.
As he stopped breathing altogether the moment she she let her tongue explore. When she parted her lips even farther, taking him in completely, sheathing him in the warmth of her mouth.
Finally losing her eyes, Leah reached up with her free hand, fingers finding purchase on his abdomen. Dragging her nails across the strained muscles, Embry let a moan she could barely hear escape his lips.
"Fuck, Leah…" he breathed, the words punctuated with labored breaths. "Don't…"
He never finished the thought, the words getting lost in his throat as she released him. As she smiled, taking him in again - her movements more purposeful, more hurried, more intense, knowing the time they had was limited. She lost herself in her movements, and in the way Embry fought to stay silent. How every muscle in his body tensed and released, and in every small noise he made. How his fingers twisted through her hair, hanging on for dear life.
Knowing she had to make it count, but wanting to drag it out as long as she could.
She didn't stop, even when she noticed a shift in Embry. When he tensed against her, staying that way. Making a noise in his throat she tried to ignore, his hand drifted down, fingertips ghosting across her cheek.
Almost like he was trying - unsuccessfully - to get her attention.
"Leah…" When Embry finally found his voice, it was hoarse and thick with reluctance. Still, she didn't let up, refusing to acknowledge it. A hum of disapproval buzzed in her throat, causing Embry to jerk.
"Fuck, Leah, you have to...you need to...stop…"
There was insistence in his voice that time - a distraction Leah didn't like, and one that confirmed it was no longer just about the idea of getting caught. Not anymore...
With a groan that could only be heard inside her throat, Leah pulled back slowly. Taking her time anyway, her mouth used all the pressure she knew he could take, relishing in the dazed groan she could hear above her. Smiling in spite of it all, she licked her lips thoughtlessly, trying to ignore the way Embry shuddered beneath her hands.
"What?" she whispered, finally peering up at him with hooded eyes.
He was already watching her, his gaze black. Chest heaving with labored breaths, he threw a shaken glance toward the office windows, his head rocking back and forth as he tried to pull himself back together.
"Dammit, just…listen…"
Releasing a sigh, Leah stayed still, doing what he asked and listening to the space outside the small room. Hearing the faint hum of a car motor outside, the unmistakable sound of new voices invaded the solitude that, in that moment, Leah had found herself so desperately wanting.
"Son of a bitch," Embry muttered, reaching out for Leah as he let his head fall back against the door with a disconcerted thud. Ignoring how reluctantly he took her hand, she allowed him to pull her to her feet. Drifting inherently into the corner, Leah brushed her thumb across the corner of her mouth before crossing her arms tightly in front of her chest.
Silently, she was swearing at the person who decided to show up, even though it suddenly occurred to her it could be a number of people outside the shop. It could just be Paul. It could be a complete stranger.
It could be any other member of the pack…
Embry turned to face her, his hands lifting from buttoning his jeans. The disappointment was just as tangible in his eyes when he stepped forward, one hand lifting as it cupped Leah's cheek. Offering her a regretful yet amused smile, a single moment passed before Leah gave him one in return.
"Later?" he whispered, one eyebrow raising hopefully.
Rolling her eyes and fighting the grin threatening to overtake her face, Leah nodded, remembering another reason she'd come here. The reason Embry had proposed it in the first place…
"Later," she repeated, finally releasing her smile. "Maybe after dinner tonight?"
Smiling, Embry leaned forward, kissing her one last time. Swiftly. Like a habit, just before he took a step back, a sheepish look replacing the smile on his face.
"Can you go first? I need a second…"
Leah snickered, stepping out of the corner and toward the door, warming a bit when she saw the subtle blush race across Embry's cheeks.
"You act like you've never done this before…" she teased.
"At work?" Embry countered with wide eyes. "I haven't."
Fingers curling around the cool metal of the doorknob, Leah hesitated, giving them one more moment of solitude before she would ultimately decide to let herself out. "We'll have to fix that one of these days."
Embry's gaze softened, his shoulders rising and falling with a heavy breath.
"I fucking hope so…"
Leah stepped out of the office in time to see Quil hurrying outside, disappearing behind the SUV he was working on and talking loudly to someone she couldn't see. His back toward her, he was clearly focused on the commotion outside and paying absolutely no attention to her absence - or to Embry's, confirming he hadn't seen or suspected a thing. She let out a relieved breath, stepping away from the office. Taking a few more to calm the residual embers inside her, she closed the door behind her. Leaving Embry behind as she reached up, checking her reflection in the window glass. Thankful she didn't look as flustered as she suddenly felt, Leah smoothed her hair, straightening her shirt - tugging on it one more time than necessary, just for good measure - before walking slowly from the garage bay.
Reaching the garage door through which she'd entered earlier, Leah let her fingers run along the SUV's black paint. Holding her breath as she reached its bumper, she planted one hand firmly against the metal, resisting the urge to use it as a hiding place.
But supporting herself, just in case.
Squinting to see through the abundant sunlight that hadn't been there earlier, her heart stuttered - realizing in less than a moment, another greeting was on its way.
"Look who I found on the side of the road on the way back."
Paul hadn't changed one bit. It took Leah a single second to realize it, recognizing the confident swagger in his gait as he climbed out from the truck bearing the garage's name and logo on the driver's side door. Every hard line of his face, the pronounced and obvious definition of his muscles peeking from beneath the sleeves of his black t-shirt, the smirk permanently attached to his lips - all of it was exactly how Leah remembered. A man with entirely too much bravado - one who knew just how much he possessed. One with a fire that matched her own, who had always went toe to toe with Leah in both arguments and competitions.
"So, did you get the parts? I fucking hope so, man, or Jake's gonna have a shit fit…"
Paul frowned, closing the door behind him and throwing a glance toward the other side of the truck. Reaching up, he plucked a mutilated straw out from its resting place between his teeth. "Relax, dude, I got the fucking parts. Jake'd probably do more damage had I left her on the side of the road."
Leah hadn't realized she was holding her breath until her lungs burned. Sucking in a silent gulp of air, she followed the direction of Paul's nod. Watching another figure emerge from the truck, she couldn't quite see the person until seconds later when a girl rounded the hood, her eyes wide and everything about her face frazzled.
"I know, I know," the girl exclaimed, throwing her hands up in exasperation like she was expecting Quil to scold her. "You guys told me to get in here last week and get the alternator fixed, but everything has been so crazy…"
The girl was small - Leah guessed she couldn't be more than a few inches over five feet tall. She had delicate features, dark brown eyes not quite hidden beneath a pair of glasses with rectangular frames. Her skin was a rich caramel, lighter than Leah's or Quil's or any of the others surrounding her, but she had distinct Native American features - high cheekbones, sleek black hair that cascaded down her back in a long, loose ponytail.
Her beauty was simple and innocent. It was kind. Not the type that stopped men on the street, but the kind that made them linger. That made them stay put long after.
"You know you can call us when something like that happens, right?" Quil questioned.
"Yeah, I know," the girl admitted, bashful eyes lowering to the ground before taking another step and closing the distance between her and Paul. Giving him a friendly nudge with her shoulder, she grinned sheepishly when he glanced down, offering her one cashmere smile in return. "But this guy drove by literally five minutes after the car stalled. Didn't really need to."
Chuckling, Paul popped the straw back in his mouth, shaking his head. He didn't hesitate as he threw an arm across the girl's shoulders, pulling her against him in a surprising show of gentleness.
"Only you could have this much bad luck during a week like this," Paul murmured, winking when she peered up at him.
The girl rolled her eyes, tiredly crossing her arms in front of her chest. "You're telling me."
None of them moved, and neither did Leah, at least not until Quil let out an exasperated sigh.
"So I suppose this means I have to call the towing place in Forks, huh?"
"Yup," Paul muttered, brushing friendly fingers along the girl's shoulder before he stepped away, walking to the back of the truck. Lowering the tailgate, he bent forward, effortlessly retrieving a large cardboard box from the bed. "Unless you want to push the car back here."
"Fuck," Quil grumbled, turning on his heel. Kicking up dust, he trudged petulantly back toward the garage, his gaze landing on Leah for a split second. He didn't give it a second thought when he shrugged his shoulders lazily.
Like her being there was the most natural thing in the world.
"I'd almost rather… I hate those guys," he continued, talking more to her than anyone else. "Old bastards always try to fucking overcharge us, like we're a bunch of idiots or something."
Leah didn't respond, offering Quil a simple, anxious smile as he walked to the other side of the SUV, disappearing into the garage. Her eyes traveled back outside - to the girl who had made her way back to the truck's passenger door, no longer visible as she hopped in the cab to retrieve her things. To Paul, who precariously balanced the awkward box on one arm as the other closed the tailgate.
Leah watched as he grabbed it with both hands, his head still visible over the top. Turning toward the garage, Paul walked directly toward her. And still, Leah felt her throat tighten, even though he had yet to see her.
Even though she knew it would only be a second…
Even though in reality, it was less than that.
Paul's black eyes found hers almost immediately, growing wider by just a fraction as his pace slowed slightly, fingers tightening roughly against the box.
They stared each other down for a moment, but Paul never stopped. He watched her warily, the straw bobbing back and forth, sliding over his lips as he chewed on it. His mouth opened slightly, like he wanted to say something but couldn't quite get the words out.
Leah stood tall, somehow unrelenting in the face of the one watching her. Remembering what Embry told her, a part of her expected the worst - for venomous words to fall from those lips and pierce exactly where she figured they would. Steeling herself on the inside, she did what she could, preparing for Paul to be the next person who gave her enough shit to question why she did this. To make her remember why she'd put this off for so long and why she'd stayed away in the first place.
Still, what she hadn't prepared for - or what startled her more - was the fact Paul smiled at her. The fact he suddenly seemed less than fazed she was standing in his path.
"'Bout time you fucking showed up," he grumbled.
Leah's lips parted in shock when she heard the goodnatured tone hidden just beneath the cutting words. She blinked, the moment suspended in some kind of weird time, before she could feel her own words push through the tightness in her chest.
"So does Jake pay you for your jack-assed opinions, too?"
Paul scoffed, shaking his head with an amused smirk. "So, the she-wolf still bites back, huh?"
Leah was surprised when she felt one corner of her mouth twitch.
"Fuck, girl, I figured there'd be a few awkward seconds of catch-up, but you don't miss a beat, do you?"
"I just missed you, Paul," she jeered, letting everything else go for a moment and offering him a large, saccharine smile as he passed her. His chuckle still grated at something inside her though, even long after he disappeared into the garage.
Taking a few steps, Leah crossed to the second door of the garage so she could see inside the building. She located Paul as he walked to the back of the building, depositing the box on a vacant workbench. For a moment - as he turned back toward the front, catching her waching him - Leah thought she was home free. That maybe Paul was going to leave it at that, even if a smaller part warned herself against it, knowing she should probably know better.
Knowing she was probably right when she saw Paul glance toward the floor, shaking his head with a chuckle that scraped at Leah's nerves.
"Man, Sam's gonna shit a brick when he finds out you're back…"
"Paul…" Quil shot him a withering glance from his place in front of the SUV, all the ease gone from his lighthearted features. He'd cut in before Leah could even acknowledge that dull, empty feeling inside of her. It was still there, though - that residual pain she always knew rested someone where deep inside, waiting for moments like these. Waiting for the reminders, no matter how long it had been since she last thought about it.
"What?" Paul snapped defensively, moving toward the hydraulic lift in the bay closest to Leah. "Just pointing out something I'm sure she already knows, considering it's the reason she hasn't set foot on this reservation in the last six years."
They all knew...exactly how long it had been. Leah could hear it in Paul's voice, buried not so deep beneath the snark in it.
And she heard Jacob's voice in her head, words from weeks earlier.
But I do want you to know, that you still hurt us, too…
"I'm sure she does, dude," Quil muttered, casting a cursory glance at Leah before looking back to Paul. "Doesn't mean you need to fucking remind her."
"She's a big girl," Paul retorted, glaring at Leah. Raising one eyebrow, waiting for her to argue. To agree. Waiting for something. "She doesn't need you to fight her battles, Q."
Leah ignored how her hands trembled, an agitation scratching at her insides. A part of Leah urged her to stand up for herself, unsure of how she was able to gather the courage so quickly when she squared her shoulders, staring Paul down.
"He's right," she cut in, her voice smooth and cold. "I know damn well what I'm walking to."
Even though it was lie.
Knowing no matter how much she tried to prepare herself for the worst of it, there would be no way she could anticipate how that moment would go. How she would react. What it would do to her...
Gaping at her for a moment, Quil shrugged when Paul chuckled under his breath.
"Doesn't mean you have to be a dick about it, man…"
Leah's gaze snapped back toward Quil, realizing it wasn't just him standing there anymore. She didn't move a muscle, realizing Embry was standing just behind Quil, his dark, uncompromising stare bearing down on Paul. The look in his eyes warning him he might want to think twice about pushing it or saying something else.
Paul snorted, offering no response except a goading shake of his head. His hand reached out, flipping the switch to lower the lift. "Jesus. Good to see she's back for five minutes and you're already up her ass, Call," he spat out sarcastically.
"What the fuck, dude?"
Leah's breath caught in her throat, watching as Embry's face hardened with his words. As his eyes caught fire and he took a step forward. As she blinked, knowing perfectly well this was where the old Leah would have intervened.
Knowing in a situation like this, she had never needed anyone to fight her battles for her...
Suddenly filling her lungs with air, Leah took her own step toward the garage.
"Okay, seriously? Can both you boys just put away your cocks for a second and listen?"
The words were unnegotiable, somehow stopping Embry in his tracks. Paul simply stared at her, a curious but rapt expression spreading across his face, almost like he was waiting for - like he was anticipating - what she had to say.
Like he was waiting for her to prove that maybe she was no longer the girl who allowed her weakness to dictate her actions, like it did so many years earlier. That she was no longer the person who thought running - that turning the other cheek - was the only way to escape all this…
That maybe traces of the person she was before were still there.
Just for good measure, Leah lifted one challenging eyebrow. Letting her stare alternate between Paul and Embry, she tried not to linger too much on Paul.
"I know Sam's probably not my biggest fan, even after how long it's been, but guess what?" she ground out, her voice steady despite the heaviness of the words. "I'm not his either, so whatever he plans to shoot my way, I can assure you both that I can fucking handle it." Leah faltered, taking a moment. Feeling every eye in the garage on her, she fought to steady herself on the inside. As she drew on all the pieces of the person she used to be, and the ones she'd managed to find along the way. "I don't plan on causing trouble while I'm here, if that's what you think. And I can promise you, after all the bullshit I've went through on my own, I can handle it... whatever Sam has to throw at me."
Leah's mouth closed with a snap, the adrenaline brought on by her words simmering just beneath her skin. Causing her fingers to tremble, she dug them into her forearms. A part of her knew the words were more than likely a lie, but another part of her still believed in the conviction behind them. Another part of her knowing the truth on which she'd based them.
Knowing in a handful of seconds, she'd filled Paul and Quil in about as much as she was going to...
Taking a deep breath, her gaze flicked toward Embry.
The smallest of smiles rested on his lips. He held her eyes for a moment - that subtle pride back in his - before his head dipped, redirecting his gaze to the floor.
Leah's gaze redirected to Paul, who waited a moment before both brows raised in indignant surprise. Before he looked away, too.
Conceding the moment to her.
Chuckling, Leah tried like hell to smile. "Are they always like this?" she finally asked, also trying to keep the lightness in her voice. To reinforce her words as she looked to Quil, motioning to the other men.
Quil snickered, keeping his eyes focused on the engine in front of him despite the mischievousness in his grin. "Oh, how easy you forget," he murmured teasingly. "Really, though...it depends on the day, but for the most part? Yeah…"
The smile on Leah's mouth wasn't forced, wincing for Quil when his words were followed by Embry's fist connecting with his bicep.
But Leah looked back in time to see a spark in Paul's eyes, the smile falling from her lips when his eyes found something over her shoulder, releasing a foreboding laugh as he stepped around to the front of the sedan that now had all four wheels firmly on the ground.
A glint reassuring her that no matter what she said, he was far from done.
That the tests were far from over...
"Well, we're certainly glad to have you back, Leah," Paul spoke up loudly, the authenticity in his words overly assured and entirely too friendly. "You know, especially in time for your brother's wedding. I'm sure he'll be happy you're back."
Leah frowned, taking a moment to study him as he appraised her in return. As he smirked, his gaze darting behind her once again.
As Leah paused, holding her breath. Wondering…
Listening…
Hearing another heartbeat. Hearing it directly behind her. Hearing it speed up as its owner finally found a voice.
"...Leah?"
It was then she remembered the girl...the one from the truck. The small, pretty girl who's car broke down. Who needed a new alternator. Who Paul was gentle with. Who gravitated toward them. Like brothers...
Wondering - although a part of her already knew - how she could possibly know Leah's name.
Fuck...
Holding her breath, Leah packed a thousand venomous words into her stare, directing it at Paul for a split second, even though he lowered his gaze and refused to look. Even though he knew he likely went too far.
Leah's feet finally moved. She tried to will away all the anger from her features, and she tried to soften her eyes.
Turning around completely, she found the girl standing a few feet behind her, dark brown eyes wide behind her glasses. Lips still parted from speaking Leah's name, the girl's cheeks were rosy with anxious heat. Her heart still raced as she realized who was standing there.
As Leah realized who was standing in front of her.
"Grace…"
AN: Holy long chapter. Lots of small things happening in here, at least I thought so! :)
Alright, guys, just a heads up - the hubs and I are getting ready to move this week and next to be in a new place by Nov. 1. That being said, I might be tied up with RL stuff for a couple weeks - and could also be Internet-less for an undetermined amount of time. I've unfortunately used up my cushion for this story, but I just want you to know - if there's a delay in updates (I know...perfect timing right? This one could pretty much be three normal chapters though, haha), I hope you stick with me and know in advance that I will be back and appreciate your patience in the meantime. :)
Can't wait to hear your thoughts!