Chapter 25: Operation Backfire

A few days passed and it was finally Friday night. I was tempted to come up with an excuse to take Bella out so we could have some alone time. I'd given Seth and Leah the rest of the week off. I was picking up the slack with patrols, so even my nights were limited with her. I usually had one of the guys making runs back and forth by the house during the night. We found some old scents far north, a little over our borders but I thoroughly checked out the area just in case they thought about making a return trip. Needless to say, the entire week had sucked.

I stayed late at the garage to catch up on some paperwork and orders I needed the following week. The last thing I wanted to see when I opened the door at home was a pretty picture of Seth and Bella watching TV with Charlie, but that was exactly what was waiting on me.

I had a good mind to walk by them all, go upstairs, grab a shower, change and leave in a matter of minutes. Of course, I planned on some door slamming just for the hell of it. My night out would consist of take-out parked somewhere quiet and dark all by myself to clear my head, but no one but me would know that. I wondered how much Bella could focus on keeping Seth company if she didn't know where I was.

But then, she spoke. That sweet, angelic voice shredded my pissy mood just by speaking my name, "Hey Jake. I saved you a big bowl of chili. You're working awfully late for a Friday."

Charlie concurred. "Yeah, I thought you limited your afternoon customers on Fridays, someone have an emergency?"

"Um, no, nothing like that. You know, just the boring stuff... invoices, stocking and orders. I think I'll grab a shower first. What's everyone else's plans?"

"Well, your mother's staying the night with Sue. She's pretty uncomfortable now that she's off the strong meds like they gave her in the hospital. Bells thought Seth deserved some R&R. He's been a big help to Harry, but he needed a change of scenery. A nice relaxing night here might help his mind off things."

"Yeah, sure sure. You doing okay kid?" He moved ever so slightly away from Bella every second I was talking to him. He couldn't hide from me. I already saw the second I walked in, he was as cozy as a guy would get with a girl if her father was also in the room. Maybe, it was part of the ruse, but he looked very content in his spot on the couch. I'd come to the conclusion, Seth wasn't only pretending to be her boyfriend to keep our secret. He wanted to be in these situations and there was nothing I could do about it right now without seeming like a truly insensitive prick.

"I'm better, just pretty tired is all. Thanks."

I took a long shower, hoping to wash all my frustrations down the drain. I missed her so damn much and now I was torn between missing her even more if I left or staying close so I could keep an eye on Seth which would threaten to worsen my current bad mood.

I decided to practice a little while I was in the shower. Maybe it was time to come out of hiding, then Seth wouldn't need to pretend for Charlie.

A few scenarios played through my mind. Most of them tanked from the get-go.

"So you see, Charlie. Bella's smoking hot and you should've known better than to make me live across the hall from her." Okay, that one was the worst. The next one was pretty lame as well. "Remember, that talk about me settling down? Well, it's her, your daughter... she's practically my soulmate since the moment I locked eyes with her."

Shit, that was bad. What kind of hocus pocus, mumbo jumbo is that? Locking eyes and finding a soulmate, please. Charlie'd most likely pull his gun on me for that bull and I just might need take it and use it on myself. I had to come clean the right way, man to man. "I love her and she loves me. We didn't plan on it, but it happened."

It sounded almost simple when I said it like that, but how many fathers in their right minds would want their daughters shacking up under the roof they provided? It wasn't only one thing, more like a combination of undesirable circumstances. He wanted her to go off to college, I was older, we were supposed to be step-siblings, not lovers and all things combined would give him plenty of reasons to dislike the true nature of our relationship a little more than I wanted to deal with. I knew Charlie, better than most, even Bells and he was pretty old-fashioned. I just needed to find a way to convince him it was a good thing and I wasn't trampling on the trust he had in me.

I would wait, I think that was best for the time being, but I'd reevaluate often. If the right time presented itself, I just might take a chance. The shower had long since turned cold which was something else I probably needed. It was hours until bedtime. I couldn't decide which was worse torture, being close but not able to touch her or being alone, able to touch her as much as I wanted, but trying not to.

Again, I caught that twerp with his arm around Bella. I glared at him the entire way down the stairs, and his arm did a less than smooth maneuver up and over his head, then back into his lap.

"Hey, Jake I've just about convinced Bells to watch The Expendables with us. Wanna join in the fun? It's one of our tried and true ones."

The minute I caught Seth with his hand in the cookie jar, I knew there was no way I was going out. I was staying put, smack dab in the middle of their fake date night at home. "Sure, sure, you got that right. It's a modern day classic."

Seth spoke up, "Haven't you seen that movie like half a dozen times, Jake?"

"Haven't you?"

"Um, no actually, I just saw it once."

Bella seemed a little stressed. "Everyone should just be happy, I let guy's choice stand tonight. I wanted to watch Fault in Our Stars."

Seth leaned in, "I'm with you, I would love to see that again... so romantic and tragic at the same time."

I actually leaned up and mouthed, "pussy" to him. Charlie was still trying to figure out where Mom hid all our guy, blood and gore DVD's.

"Found it! For a second I thought she dropped 'em at Goodwill and that would not have been cool. Okay, what snacks shall I round up?"

"Stay put, Dad. Jake still needs to eat his dinner. I'll get together some stuff while I'm heating it up."

I followed behind her telling her it wasn't necessary, that I could heat my own dinner, but the reality was I could hardly wait until we rounded the corner, out of sight from Charlie. I put my hand on her back and hurried up.

"Ja..." I flipped her around and covered her mouth. She put forth a tiny bit of resistance since we weren't exactly alone. Her resolve quickly shattered. I kissed her breathless.

I whispered against her neck, "I need you all to myself. You're making me nuts sitting in there with Seth." She kissed me quick, but put her finger over her pouty lips. That wasn't helping. It only made me want to keep kissing her.

"Shh, he'll hear you."

I jerked her against my body again, nipped her ear. "Good. He needs to."

She wiggled away from me and proceeded to reheat my bowl of chili. The microwave noise was a good diversion if she worried about us being heard. I slowly pushed her into the counter. Her rounded ass against me was enough to push me over the edge. The freezing water from the shower was a distant memory. I was hot... boiling hot. I was getting turned on faster than the microwave nuked my chili. If I had to share her on the couch with Seth the rest of the night, he was going to definitely sense my presence. I rubbed my nose in her hair to draw that unique scent into my nostrils. I proceeded to kiss every visible spot of naked skin on her neck. When I finished with her right side, I switched to the left. That was the side that would be in closest proximity to Seth so I opened my mouth more and swiped my tongue over her sweet flesh. Bella twitched and squirmed, I grabbed tighter around her waist just in case she was about to lose her balance. No doubt she felt every inch of my excitement. A slight moan escaped her lips.

I was ready to flip her around again when interruptions came at us from all directions. The microwave beeped, Charlie yelled for a beer and I heard Seth get off the sofa. Damn that kid. He was headed into the kitchen. I let Bells slip away and I tended to my hot bowl of chili. I jerked my hand back because the ceramic was too hot to touch. I grabbed the nearest towel to move the bowl to the counter. I took my time taking care of the toppings with my back to them. I needed the distraction to cool off because my sweats showed a little too much Jake at the moment. Seth apparently was thirsty and he was too nice to yell for Bells to bring him something like Charlie.

I swear to God, that little shit bumped into me on purpose to retrieve a soda can out of the back of the fridge. I'd been extremely understanding. Sue's surgery was only four days ago, but I had all I could stand.

I turned around and shoved him. "What? No 'excuse me.' Do you need an attitude adjustment?"

Bella jumped in between us.

Seth quickly made an excuse, "Sorry, bro. You didn't give me a chance. It was an accident, but do you want me to leave Jake? You don't seem in the mood for company."

Bella answered and it wasn't my answer, for sure, "No, of course not. Jake's just grumpy because he's hungry." She picked up my big bowl of chili off the counter with the towel and shoved it into my chest. "There, go eat." She also handed me Charlie's beer. I made a distinct noise of frustration and walked off. Now, those two were in the kitchen alone. I sat pouting, not taking a bite so I could concentrate on what was happening in there.

"Aren't you hungry?" Charlie wasn't use to seeing me pausing with a dish in front of me.

"Huh?"

I heard the tab pop on Seth's soda, then another. He must have grabbed one for Bells too. The microwave was going again, the distinct noise of popping kernels could be heard over Bella's tinkling laughter. What the hell was so funny in there? Fuck it, I was going back in. I started to stand up, but they were on their way back, both with armfuls of junk food.

I sat down in the middle of the couch on purpose, but Bella frowned at me and rolled her eyes back to Charlie who was fiddling with his remote control to start the movie. I understood. It would look weird as hell for me to be sitting by Seth when Charlie thought he was Bella's boyfriend, so I took my time sliding over. Bella plopped down in between us again, but she covertly pinched me for being so difficult.

Yeah, pinch all you want, Bells. I'm going to get you back for being so hospitable towards Seth. I finished the chili, grabbed a beer after I rinsed my bowl and sat back down. Bella passed the skittles, but I shook my head. I wanted the hot tamales instead, so Seth forked them over. I noticed she had her arms around herself, so I grabbed the throw from the back of the sofa.

"Cover up, Frosty." I tossed the blanket over her lap. Charlie shifted his eyes towards the disturbance. Bella looked up and casually tucked herself in, minus Seth who moved a little further towards the armrest. Wouldn't want to make the father think he was trying to get frisky under the covers with her? Everyone forgot the distraction soon and started watching the film again. I looked down at our laps. The side of the blanket next to me was left untucked. Charlie had already given Seth the watchful eye, but his eyes were now glued to the action on the screen. I had an opportunity I wouldn't miss. I pulled the over-sized popcorn bowl in between us. I slipped my hand under that edge of the blanket so I could make contact with her leg. Not much I could get away in there, but a little touching was a lot in my book. My hand rested against the side of her thigh. It was too cold for short skirts and Seth had no business sitting too close if she had one of those on. However, Bella had on those thin yoga pants. I could feel her body heat through them. I started to rub circles there hoping to make her imagine run a little wild. She slightly turned her head, I halfway grinned, but pointed my vision straight back to the television. Seth was right, I'd watched this movie more times than I could count. I practically knew all the dialogue. I could pretend to focus but in actuality, I was only concerned with driving her crazy with need. We had a couple of more hours until Charlie went to bed probably. I expected great things when we shut her door tonight. I'd been thinking about that stuff Sam and I discussed. We probably wouldn't go that far, but I was itching for a little more than usual.

After about five minutes of leg porn, Bella tried to bat my hand away. I grabbed her fingers instead. The dark room was enough to cover up my cocky grin. I was totally turning her on. I had specific ways of noticing things like that, as did Seth. That was the only reason she tried to put a halt to it. I wasn't letting go either. Her hand in mine was a gift. I could hold onto it the rest of the night until this long ass movie was over.

Seth had a great idea, his best all evening. A little more than halfway through the movie, he jumped up and said he figured he should be getting back home. Charlie hit the pause button.

"But the movie's not over. We still have the best parts coming up. Sit back and relax, Sue's in great hands. Sarah said she's resting peacefully for the night."

"Well, I can respect Seth needing to feel useful. Send Sue and Mom my love, I'll walk you out."

Bella interjected. "No! Seth, please stay a little while longer. You've been up with Sue night and day. I know you stayed that last night in the hospital, so your dad could catch up on his rest. I'm sure you didn't sleep a wink last night either, you said it was a bad night. Please, don't go."

I looked at Seth. By no means, was I tossing him out, but I couldn't hide what was written all over my face. Go, you've worn out your welcome. Bella jerked her hand and her whole body away from mine it seemed like. She added one more line that pushed my jealousy to an all-time high. "I want you to stay."

"Okay, but I'm not much in the mood anymore for this movie. Could we hang out on the porch or something?"

She jumped up, said she had a great idea. Bella went into the kitchen and promptly made them two mugs of hot cocoa. I wanted some cocoa, but she ignored me, never even offered me a treat. Bells made the best too. She always used two kinds of chocolate and a healthy dose of miniature marshmallows. She slipped on her hoodie and the two of them disappeared out the front door. I was left alone on the couch, fucking shut down by my girl, so she could dote on the kid with the massive crush. I ending up grabbing a couple more beers and handed one over to Charlie.

We started the movie back up, but I was definitely not in the mood for it either. I would much rather stick my nose through the curtains and see what was happening out the window, but if Charlie was trusting them, I couldn't exactly do that.

"She's a sweet girl, isn't she?"

"Yeah." Too sweet for her own good, in my opinion.

"It's good he has her. I know the poor boy is feeling low. It's so much to go through, especially at his age."

Damn, Charlie was making me feel guilty all of the sudden for trying to get rid of him the entire night. I knew Bella loved me. Not once, had she led Seth on even before I made my confessions to her. I couldn't keep her all to myself and tell her how to act with her friends. The guys all adored her, especially Seth. Sure, it was a little more than he should, but Sam was encouraging when he said it would pass.

Smart move, giving Charlie that last beer. He started to nod off the last few minutes of the movie. The sooner he was passed out in his own bed, the better. Bella walked back in and switched off the porch light. Charlie startled and mumbled if Seth had taken off.

"Yes, he's going to go get some sleep since Sue's having a comfortable night." She started to pick up the bowls and cans off the coffee table. I jumped up to help. Charlie leaned up, shook the sleep off and tried to focus on the final minutes of the movie.

Alone at last. I bet she was cold, sitting out on the porch so long. Shit, unless Seth was keeping her warm. I reached for her wanting to test the temperature of her skin. Both of Bella's hands went up in a defensive posture. I stopped.

"Not so fast. What's wrong with you?"

"I... "

She shook her head at me, "First, you slobber all over me just to prove a point to Seth when he already knows we're together. Then you try and make out with me under the covers with my father and Seth in the room. It hasn't even been a week, Jake. Seth needed a friend and a place to hang tonight just to feel normal. I'm not your trophy. You didn't win me in a contest, so what were you trying to accomplish?"

I'd tried to stop her tirade a couple of times, but there was no way I was getting a word in edgewise. Then Charlie shuffled by mumbling about being beat. "Night kids. I'll see you in the morning."

I approached Bella at the sink. She was rinsing out the popcorn bowl. My hand hovered over her shoulder before I squeezed her gently. She flinched but didn't move away.

"I didn't... I mean, I wasn't trying to be cruel. Seth's okay, isn't he?"

"Yes, as well as can be expected."

"Okay, well I'm sorry, but I've missed you like crazy for days. It's been a shitty week and I had the run in with that pompous leech. I told you about that. The last thing I was looking forward to was spending the evening felling like an intruder in your fake relationship with Seth. Please don't tell me that you're mad."

She turned around and looked at me. "Hell yes, I'm mad."

"Bells."

"Jake, wait. I'm just as mad at myself because I wanted him to leave too and that makes me a crappy friend. He needed me tonight, but you were making me so damn hot under that blanket, I was about to scream. Hell, I wanted Dad to go too, I wish everyone on earth would disappear for a period of time just so we can be all alone. I want you so much, it gets worse every second that I swear, I can barely see straight."

I put my finger over her lips, since she was getting louder the more worked up she got. I hit the kitchen switch to the off position, grabbed her hand and pulled her through the house. As soon as we got to the stairs, I swooped her up to carry her the rest of the way. Agreed, I'd been an ass most of the night, and maybe I deserved to spend the night in the doghouse. However, hearing her say those words to me, sent all the blood straight to my groin. I couldn't even form a complete sentence. There was no point in trying to talk or apologize anymore.

I shut the door, dropped her on her bed and fell down next to her. Tonight, we were breaking a few rules.

~Thanks for reading.

Fade to Black (pun intended) How far will these two go? Well damn, you're just going to have to review and let me know how badly you want the next chapter. I've been a little mopey today thinking, my reviews are down a smidgen on all my stories. It really isn't as important as views, but they are an added bonus.

Who caught my imprinting joke? If you did, you're an A class reader!