Disclaimer – This is Stephenie Meyer's universe. I'm just playing in her world for a bit. Any names and characters not found in Stephenie Meyer's books could be mine or Liljenrock's creation though.

My thanks to my lovely beta Liljenrocks for her patience with me and for insisting that I keep writing. Please remember to read her 'Love you for Always' and 'A Love that Defies all Logic'. Both stories are from this universe and are about Seth and Scar.

Once again, my apologies for the delay. And my many thanks for the wonderful reviews that I had absolutely no time to reply to, but had great pleasure reading on my phone every time one came in. I swear you guys were an emotional balm during some pretty bleak moments. So thanks! As usual I blame my job for my delay in writing. I swear it's sucking all the imagination out of me. I'm targeting to quit next month, so wish me luck.

Okay, so this story is coming to an end. This should have been the last chapter, but I think it deserves an epilogue. I'm so grateful to all of you who've followed me and reviewed and sent PM's. So much of encouragement overall and I really think I've grown as a writer because of all of you. So thank you, thank you, thank you. Would you all be interested in an Embry story?

How Wonderful Life is, Now You're in the World.

Chapter 25

Jacob

We remained silent as Embry maneuvered the Hummer out of the Warehouse District of Seattle. I watched the road, taking in how clean everything looked after the freak storm. How deserted too. A convoy of fourteen cars moving out of the area was not something that could be easily disregarded if anyone ever starts asking question. And I was sure that questions would be asked when someone realizes that one of the warehouses had been completely razed and it wouldn't take an expert in the field to conclude that a vast amount of gasoline had been used.

"I guess we're not heading home yet," Embry murmured as he followed the cars ahead of us. We pulled up into an underground parking lot. "Do we follow?" he asked.

I nodded. "Yeah," I knew this building and I knew this parking lot, having come here often with Nessie. One of the galleries that showcased Nessie's art is housed in this building. We followed the leading car to a deserted floor and pulled up close to the elevators. Just as I was getting out of the car, the elevator doors opened and out stepped Jeremy Fields, the owner of the gallery. He was the one who had sent Mossimo and the other vamps to help us. He always reminded me of Mick Jagger, I guess it might be because of his pouty lips and those God awful pipe pants he seems to favor. Nessie had told me once that he was actually pretty old, probably older than Carlisle. He had changed his name over the centuries, his human name was Jeremiah Fieldings. I figured that was the way things would be if you're going to be around for centuries at some point, especially if you're famous or notorious, depends on how you look at it. Someone could Google my name, for example, and I know for a fact that you'd get tons of search results. I was sort of a celebrity because of Shipo Bikes. My business, to my life in fact, my net worth, everything was out there for people to read. I wondered if I would be changing my name in a few decades. I remembered the fake ID Bella had prepared for Nessie and me years before. Would I have to be Jacob Wolfe one day? How long did Jeremy Fields think about this before making the change?

"Jacob," Jeremy said.

"Jeremy," I shook his outstretched hand. Carlisle joined us just as I was thanking him for his help. He brushed my thanks away.

"My family and I, we like this life we have. Being allies with the wolves ensures us that our secret and lifestyle remains. Plus," he smiled, "I like you Jacob Black. Carlisle here has no qualms of making you family. That in itself tells me that I've made the right decision." He flicked a glance at his band of vampires who had joined us for the fight, I knew he was doing a quick count to ensure that everyone had returned. "Your mission was a success I take it."

"Yeah," I said.

He nodded in a satisfied way and shook my hand again. "Please tell your lovely wife that I'm waiting for her next masterpiece."

Soon we were on our way out of the parking lot, minus the artsy vamps. Home, we were heading home, I thought as I fiddled with my phone.

"Hey Jake?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm sorry, you know?" Embry hedged. "I'm sorry I almost attacked you back there."

"Tsk," I glanced down at my phone, taking in the wallpaper of Nessie, Griffin and me. "Forget about it. It wasn't in your control."

"Still," he tried to continue but I cut him off.

"I'm more interested in your thoughts about Nessie. You seem to be thinking about her a lot." There, direct and to the point. I had been struggling with a way to bring that up and now that I did, I was worried. What can of worms have I opened? Nessie was irrevocably mine. And no one was going to take her away from me, not even my pack brother, my best friend.

"Jake," Embry's hands clenched the steering wheel and I warned him about breaking it as I tossed my phone onto the dashboard and turned my body slightly in the seat to watch him better. "I –I–She's Nessie, man. I've known her since she was a baby, okay?"

"Sure, sure. You've know Claire since she was a baby too, but you don't think of her like that, do you?"

"Nessie is different," Embry mumbled. I continued staring at him. I wanted him to go on. I hate these short answers that come out sounding more like a riddle. "I like her a lot. But not like you think, okay?" He snapped suddenly. "I think she's perfect, she's…she's gorgeous, the ultimate perfect woman, okay? And she's yours. Completely yours and I won't ever do anything, so don't worry, okay?"

"She's more than just a pretty face, Embry," I was going to tell him that she is my imprint, my wife, the mother of my son, and, if the fates would have it, the mother of more of my children but he cut me off.

"I know. She has this core of goodness in her," he glanced at me once before facing the road again. "My mom…you remember how things were with my mom. And you know how Esme always reminds you of your mom? Well, that's Nessie for me, Jake, even though she's way younger than me. God, I'm losing my mind," he laughed bitterly as he ran a hand through his hair. "She's always cared so much for me that when I'm with her I feel loved and cared for, like a mom would love and care for you, you know? A mom shouldn't care if you're rich or good looking and a mom shouldn't blame you for her own mistakes. And that's how Nessie is. She just cares, you know?"

I knew. I definitely knew. I've seen how she'd taken almost the entire pack under her wing, especially the younger wolves. I knew that Scar and Lil' G came around so much not just for the food, but for that love and care that just radiates off of her. She makes you feel like you belong somewhere. She felt like home to me. Home and my life and my future. And for these emotionally handicapped wolves, the care would probably be a lifeline to something maternal that they were all so sorely deprived of.

"And, and I think that's why I hate it sometimes when you use her so much," he suddenly spat out and that shocked me.

"What?" I could not believe the direction this conversation was suddenly taking.

"Yeah, I mean, I mean," he gulped. "You know how she was freaking out when we left, and when you called her, you did nothing to make her feel better. There you were, demanding food and sex. How can you treat her like that, man? You just use her sometimes." Embry genuinely sounded angry.

How do I explain the intricacies of Nessie's and my relationship to him? Him, who was the ultimate user of women. How do I tell him that when I had asked her what was for dinner, it was my way of downplaying the whole battle we had been in. I was trying to make her feel like it was any other day, like I was coming home from work or something equally mundane. And I knew from her voice that it worked. She had relaxed almost immediately. I knew just how freaked out she was. Was I not the one who wiped all the tears and held her tight? Not just her, but my son as well. But how was Embry to know? I was able to hide my thoughts from the pack when I was phased. I debated explaining things to Embry, in all honestly, my marriage was no business of his.

"It's like she does everything for you, Jake. Like she was created for you, for your use. I hate that. I hate that you just take her for granted."

"She's my imprint, Embry," I said softly.

"So? Imprints are supposed to be your true soul mates, your other half. She does everything for you. What do you do for her?"

I chuckled. "This coming from a man who changes women faster than I change my shirts."

"Those are just women who come to me because I have money, because I am someone. Look at Nessie, man. She's perfection. She's the ultimate woman. How can you treat her like that?"

That last question just hung in the air between us. Treat her like what? I was a little hurt about what Embry had observed about Nessie and me. Do people really perceive it as me using her? Have I been using her all this time? Then it struck me. My father-in-law was a mind reading vampire. Hell, all my in-laws were vampires. They would have already taken me to task if they thought I was using her. Right?

"Embry," I said softly. I didn't know what to tell him really, so I stumbled along with an explanation of sorts. "Nessie and me, we're—I love her, man. And she loves me." Embry opened his mouth to say something but I raised a hand up to stop him, shaking my head as I continued, "She doesn't love me the way a mother loves her child. She loves me." I gestured with my hand. "She's my imprint and imprinting is something that I've thought about a lot over the years. Like all the stories we're told, you imprint on your soul mate, your true other half, yes. You know what I think though? I think only the wolves who are too blind to notice the loves of their lives would imprint."

"Huh?" Embry shot me a confused look.

"Yeah. Sam would have remained with Leah. He would have met Emily and he would have felt something for her, but he would do what he would feel was the right thing to do and push his feelings aside and have stayed with Leah. Jared, Jared would never have looked at Kim, and would have given you competition for the playboy title. Same with Paul. Actually I think Paul would have taken that title from you."

Embry snorted. "Explain Seth then? And AJ? They weren't anything like Jared and Paul. Or me."

"Abby came to Forks with so much hurt and baggage. Had Seth not imprinted on her, he never would have tried as hard as he did to win her. And you know Shanna's story. Would you have stayed by her side the way AJ did? If he hadn't imprinted, do you think he would have tried so hard?" Embry scoffed and I continued on. "I know what you're going to say. You look at them, how in love they are and you think of course they'd be there throughout everything. But Embry, imprinting isn't about love at first sight. We imprint, yes. But we fall in love slowly. The imprinting made them try harder. They're together now because they are in love. Man, I imprinted on a baby. She was minutes old. It was because I imprinted that I stayed by her. Not because I was in love with her. It took years for me to fall in love. Years, Embry. To be honest, she fell in love with me way before I even noticed that she was ready for that kind of relationship. Man, she's Bella's daughter. I thought I was in love with her mother! I wouldn't have stuck around long enough to fall in love with her if it wasn't for the imprint. The imprinting was what stopped me from killing her. I hope you know where I'm going with this coz I sure as hell don't," I laughed ruefully.

We were both silent a little longer. "What I'm trying to say is, I love her. She's my life. Every morning I still wake up and the first thing I want to do is see her face. I want the world to be perfect just for her. Hell, I let you guys invade my home because it makes her happy!" We both laughed a little.

"I still don't like the way you treat her. You sort of dominate her. Treat her well, Jake. That's all I ask. Man, if I had imprinted on someone like her, I would treat her like a princess. Look at her, man. Everything about her is perfect and you let her cook and clean and pick up after you." I snorted at that and he continued. "I'll show you Jake, man, one day I hope I imprint on someone as perfect as her and I'll show you how to treat her right."

"Embry, if I was not treating her right, do you really think Edward would let me live?" I couldn't stop the smirk stretching across my face even though I was concerned that Embry still took Nessie's appearance first. She was a person with a heart and it was that heart that made me fall in love with her. "And you should ask Bella about the fit Nessie throws when she tries to cook or clean at my house. Nessie is a nurturer, dude. That's her. That's what she loves to do. She's built this nest, our home. She planned it and had it built exactly how she wanted it and she does in there exactly what she wants to. I don't really ask her to do anything. I just thank my lucky stars that she wants to do all that for me, with me. That she really wants to take care of my father and my son and my pack brothers. That's all Nessie, man. Not me making her do anything. And Embry, stop holding back and waiting to imprint. You may fall in love without imprinting."

We pulled up at a McDonalds drive-thru for some much needed sustenance that the guys were whining for and Quil took the opportunity to get out and stretch his legs a little. Then he jumped into the Hummer with Embry and me, and I let him. I figured Embry and I have had our talk, and for me, I was satisfied that Embry was not in love with Nessie.

"So did you two have your mano a mano talk?" Quil asked as he sprawled out in the back seat, happily munching on his Big Mac. I turned around to flash a grin at him in answer. "What'd you guys talk about anyway?"

"Imprinting," I said as Embry gritted his teeth.

"Aw man! You want to imprint? Why? You have such an exciting life," Quil laughed.

"It'll be more exciting if I imprinted on someone who looked like a Playboy Bunny with a body that just wouldn't quit. Someone tall so I wouldn't have to bend down like you're gonna have to just to kiss her. Someone who's gonna be ready to jump into bed with me without me having to wait around for years waiting for her to grow up!"

It wasn't fair for Embry to take a shot at Quil like that and I was just about to reprimand him when Quil's booming laughter filled the car. "Dude, you're so gonna imprint on a short little pumpkin!"

"Fuck you," Embry groused as Quil and I both laughed.

Nessie

I was rushing around, wanting everything to be ready, perfect, in fact, for when the wolves came home. Rachel and the other wolf-girls rushed along with me. I stopped, surprised and amused at the sight of the sheer pile of cupcakes and cookies on the kitchen island that Claire and Ava had gotten carried away making. I hurried out the back door, checking the tables and chairs that I had gotten the younger wolves to set up. With the number of people still here, there was no way we were all going to fit around the dinner table. I was planning a mega buffet and once the food had arrived and the delivery guys from the restaurant had helped to unload and move everything to the backyard, I followed them to their van to sign for the delivery. I was just starting up the porch stairs when they set out a series of loud honks. I spun around surprised, to catch a sight of Luka in wolf form, skidding to a halt with a shocked look on his face, only to spin around and rush back where he came from.

"Don't worry, Mrs. Black! I think we scared it away," the ever helpful delivery guy called out from his open window.

"The wolves wander very close into your property, don't they? You should report them, Mrs. Black. What if they attacked or something?" the other delivery guy called out.

"No, they're harmless. Tame as pussycats," I said with a nervous giggle, and with a wave they pulled away.

Once the van was headed down the driveway, I rushed around the side of the house and almost crashed into a human Luka. "What is it?" I asked as Luka reached out to grab my shoulders to steady me. "Did something happen?"

"They're here," he panted.

I turned to rush back up the porch stairs to throw open the front door and shouted out an alert to the others in the house just as the first car turned into the driveway. I was filled with a heady sense of excitement. It was not like Jake had been gone a week, a month or a year. He'd left after breakfast this very morning, and in fact he was home sooner than he usually is from work. Yet today, at this moment, I couldn't wait to see him and to hold him. It was a yearning that was all consuming.

The other girls rushed out and Rachel stopped next to me, wrapping her arms around one of the totem pillars that lined the porch and deck. I watched with a huge smile on my face as all the cars pulled up side by side in front of the house and the wolves climbed out grinning as their loved ones rushed down to greet them. I smiled as I saw little Ashley reach Seth before Abby did and my heart filled with warmth as despite the longing I could see in Seth's eyes for Abby, he obliged the little girl to gather her into his arms and twirl her around. Grandpa Carlisle turned my attention away from them when he appeared beside me and Grandma Esme pulled me into a hug.

"They're all back safely, Sweetheart," she murmured into my ear before they turned to make their way into the house. No doubt to get to Griffin whom they loved so much.

"Nessie!" Mom pulled me into her embrace, squeezing me a little before she stepped back from me, reaching out to tuck a lock of hair behind my ear. "You have your happy family back," she smiled. And before I could answer, she rambled on, "Where's my Grandson? Oh I need to hold him," and just like that, she was gone.

I turned when I heard Rachel's throaty laugh. She was still standing there, clinging on to the totem, no doubt to steady her suddenly weak knees as Paul came sauntering over towards her, grinning cockily. "Did you get all the bad guys?" she called out.

"We came, we saw and we kicked some ugly newborn asses!" he laughed up at her before throwing his arms open. "Did you miss me, Baby?" he asked. And with a laugh that sounded so much like a sob, she skipped down the porch stairs and threw herself into his arms.

I looked away then, suddenly impatient for Jacob. Where was he? And then I spotted him, still standing beside the Hummer in some sort of a deep conversation with Daddy. I stamped a foot rather childishly. Today was not really one of my best days. Seriously, is this the time for a debriefing? I hurried down the stairs and stalked off towards them. "Jake!" I called out, totally ignoring my father. I guess what Daddy had told me a long time ago was in fact the truth. At some point in my life, although I still loved my family very deeply, they had moved slightly down the ladder and now Jake came first for me in everything. Jake and Griffin did. Daddy smiled at me as he headed towards the house, understanding my need for my husband and granting us that moment and suddenly I was swept up into Jake's strong arms as I threaded my fingers into his hair. Our lips mashing together with an intensity that spoke of desperation and jubilation. This was euphoria and heaven rolled into one. This was homecoming.

I pulled away slightly to look him over, frantically checking to ensure that he was really okay. I'd heard about the altercation between Jake and Embry. I knew without a doubt that I'd heard the mild version and I did see Embry earlier, slip quietly into the house, no one really there to give him a proper welcome back. But I didn't care about him at that moment, I couldn't. I knew how Jake would always put everyone else above him. And I really, really needed to ensure that he was truly fine.

"I'm fine, Babe," he said in his deep voice as he smiled down at me. I noticed how his eyes crinkled at the corners and I raised a hand to trace over his face.

I nodded. Yes, he was fine. In a way, I'd known that the minute he'd called me on the phone, but I still needed the assurance. "I know, I know," I said as the tears started. I pressed my face into his neck, breathing in the scent that was so uniquely Jake. "Could you just hold me for a moment? Please? I just, I just," I couldn't really go on.

"Shh..." he murmured as he tightened his arms around me.

And we stayed there for a while, on our deserted front yard just absorbing each other and I confessed to him about my milk drying up, something which he took lightly, having read all my pregnancy books. I sniffed, suddenly feeling silly for having reacted the way I had and he understood, pulling me close again and just holding me, until Mom stepped out of the front door to call out to us, "Hey, you two. Want to share some of that love with your baby?"

I turned with a laugh and hand in hand, we made our way indoors to bask in the warmth of love, family and good friends.

Dinner that night was a boisterous affair as the wolves who had gone to battle told and retold their parts of the fight at the excited urgings of the younger wolves. Every version that was retold slightly more embellished. I enjoyed every minute of it and gladly handed a sleeping Griffin over to my mother to carry upstairs and tuck into his crib. Aunt Rosalie was rocking little Keegan, singing softly to him as he sleepily watched her, his big eyes blinking as he fought sleep.

"Embry, could you really not fight Hoodie's mind control?" Scott asked and I froze as I sat there, my head on Jake's shoulder. He turned to brush a kiss on my forehead, his hand tightening around mine. Embry shook his head no, not saying anything.

"Jake, you were so cool. You just stopped him with your bare hands!" Lil' G gushed and everyone laughed as Quil made a joke about Lil' G sounding like a love struck little girl. Lil' G pointedly ignored Quil to continue, "And you killed Hoodie with your hands, man. That was like, wow!"

"Yeah! Do you think all of us can do that? Without having to phase?" Sebastian asked, with a gleam in his eyes.

"We should try that the next time there's a trespass!" Luka said eagarly.

"No, you won't!" Embry snapped, saying his first word for the night. "It's too big a risk to take."

"Aw, Embry! Relax! We have vamp venom antidote now!" Sebastian called out.

"Yeah, man! We're virtually unstoppable!" Scott added in, beyond excited and the other younger wolves started chiming in, excited as well.

"Enough!" I jumped myself as Jake suddenly slapped the palm of his free hand on the table. "You are not going to risk yourselves at the expense of my son!" he thundered, his expression ferocious as he glared down at everyone at the table. The Alpha timber of his voice running loud and clear as every wolf at the table fidgeted and the younger boys looked down, suitably subdued and contrite.

Everyone was silent for a while before Tokala cleared his throat and tried to change the subject. "Say, how come Nahuel didn't come down and try to help? I was really expecting him to turn up at the last minute."

"He's traveling down from Europe and apparently he's met someone and I believe there are some immigration issues, so he's traveling down by foot. He's not going to be here so soon," Uncle Jasper said as Aunt Alice remained beside him with a frown marring her beautiful face.

"Nahuel's met someone?" Quil boomed. "A woman? He's met a woman?"

"You expected him to have met a man?" Paul smirked. "He had Embry for a mentor, dude! Of course he's met a woman."

We were all surprised when Embry abruptly shoved himself away from the table, quietly mumbling that he was leaving, he stalked away, looking troubled and pissed.

Much later that night, Embry was the last person on my mind as Jake collapsed in a sweaty heap on top of me, both of us gasping for breath as I tried to move my legs enough to unwrap them from around his hips. After a little while, Jake rolled over onto his back and I followed, laying my head on his chest, not ready to loose the contact, the feel of his warmth. I enjoyed the silence, this sense of contentment that comes at moments like this. Then I remembered something and I turned my head and bit into his shoulder, careful not to draw blood.

"Aw! What was that for?" I ignored the question, rolling over on top of him to bite into his other shoulder. "Nessie!" I didn't answer him, choosing instead to toss my hair back away from my face and prepared myself to take another bite when he flipped me onto my back, grabbing my wrists and holding me down. His expression turned to one of worry when he noticed my tears. They were tears of anger. "Nessie, what is it?"

"You! You want me to fall in love with someone else!" I hissed.

"What are you talking about?"

"I read your stupid letter!" I said as I tried to struggle out of his hold. I saw the confusion on his face and explained further. "Your farewell letter."

He relaxed as he lowered his weight down on me, but a glare remained on his face. "You were not supposed to read that unless I was dead!" he snapped.

"Let me go!" I hissed, trying to break free from his hold. I tried arching my back, hoping to make him loose his balance enough for me to get loose but that action landed up having the opposite effect. "I don't want you anymore! Let me go. If you can say something like that now, maybe I should go fall in love with someone else right now. Maybe he might promise forever to me and actually mean it!"

I didn't know that I had pushed him too far until that feral look came into his eyes. A look that I had never seen directed at me before and it instantly stopped me from struggling, from saying anything else. Jake's voice was really low, almost a harsh growl as he bit out, "You know what, Nessie? I'm not dead. And until the day I die, you are mine. MINE! Got it?" I couldn't look away and with my heart pounding, I just stared, my mouth going suddenly dry as that stern wolf look was focused a hundred percent on me. "Got it?" He demanded again, this time moving both my wrists into the grasp of one hand so that he could grab hold of my chin with the other and shake me a little. A flood of arousal filled me. Other people get scared when faced with that dangerous look on his face, but it was a look that I had always found sexy, and now, having that look directed at me was throwing this whole conversation out of sync. Especially when he suddenly slammed his palm down on the pillow beside my head, "Answer me!"

I couldn't answer. I just wanted him. And I didn't have the ability to form any words and I struggled again to get more of Jake, using my legs to wrap around his waist, to try to pull him down to me. Please, please, please! Was all I could manage, and that too not with words but with my mind projection.

"Say it!" he demanded. Still not giving in to me. "Dammit, Nessie, just fucking say it!"

And the dam burst suddenly as I started crying. The need was just too great and the combination of the highly stressful day, the emotional roller coaster I had been on for the past few months and then the letter, the utterly perfect beauty of it as he explained how much he loved me. How much he loved me enough to want me to carry on if he was no longer around. "I'm yours. Only yours," I sobbed. "Don't you know that? How could you say that? How could you even think that?"

He didn't console me this time, didn't pause to wipe away my tears, instead he gave me what I had been struggling for before. Our loving this time was fierce and urgent. More of a forceful declaration of belonging, a possessiveness on both our parts. I scratched and I bit and I wanted to howl in ecstasy and it was only Jake hand clamping my mouth shut that kept me from waking Rachel and Paul who were leaving for Seattle in the morning, from waking Billy who finally agreed to spend the night in the downstairs room and from waking the two babies in the nursery next to our bedroom.

This time when our breathing and pounding heart beats settled, Jake gently brushed my hair away from my face, using his thumb to wipe away my tears. "Don't you know how difficult it was for me to write that? To even think that?" he said softly. I nodded, not able to say anything. "Don't cry, Nessie. Please baby," he crooned as he kissed away my tears. He didn't die. He came back. And my forever plan, his promise still remained. "I love you, Jakey."

"Yeah?" he asked, grinning his rascal's grin as he looked down at his upper arms, where I had left deep scratches that were already healing. "You have a strange way of showing your love."

I snorted before I reached out to lay my palm against the side of his face. "I love you with all my heart and soul," I said, meaningfully. I did, he was my entire universe.

"Just your heart and soul?" he asked, raising himself up on his elbows so he could leer down at my body. "What about the rest of you?" and that's when he noticed the bite that he had left on my shoulder. He'd bitten me like that once before, a long time ago when he thought I didn't want him. I knew what this was, it was a wolf way of marking his mate. So all the others would know that I was taken, that I belonged to him. And as barbaric as it may seem to others, to me it was sexy, very, very sexy. While I knew that I'd be healed by morning, I still loved being marked by my mate.

My giggle cut off his apologies and he looked at me in surprise. "I love it when you mark me as yours. I'm all yours," I said and he pressed his lips to mine, chasing away my ability to think, as he swept me up again into the heaven that only he could take me to.

"Nessie?" He said softly, almost too softly, his fingers tracing a pattern over my bare back. I was back to laying with my head on his chest and I raised my head up to smile down at him. He reached out to play with the ends of my hair that fell over my shoulders. "Do you think I'm using you?" To say that I was surprised was an understatement. I was actually speechless and Jake took the opportunity to elaborate further. "Do you just give in to everything I do to you?"

I sat up, automatically pulling the sheet up to cover my chest and as usual Jake's hand shot out to yank it away, but this time, he hesitated without touching the sheet and then just let his hand drop. Something was wrong with him and I didn't like it one bit, so I dropped the sheet, letting it pool over my lap as I stared worriedly into his eyes. "What is it, Jakey? What's wrong?"

"Just tell me," he urged.

"No, I don't. We do have our disagreements when I don't agree with you. Why, Jake? What's going on?" and I listening quietly as he told me about his conversation with Embry. When he finished, I giggled before I moved to straddle him, sitting up so I could grin down at him. "Seriously, aren't you the guy that Uncle Emmett always accuses of being hen-pecked?"

He snorted as he ran his hands up and down my thighs, causing a delicious tingle to start up again inside me. "When he's not accusing me of pawing you."

I giggled and then shivered as his hand crawled up higher. "I like you pawing me and I love everything that you do to me and when you do something that I don't like, don't I stop you?"

"You mean, don't you hen-peck me?" he asked and I giggled some more.

"And use you," I whispered as I lifted myself deliberately and looking deeply into his eyes, I lowered myself onto him and watched in satisfaction as his eyes rolled back and closed in pleasure. And when he opened his eyes again, that shadow of doubt that had been in there was totally gone.

A/N : As usual, please review. Your reviews really motivate me to continue writing. And I like knowing what you think.