Over the next two weeks, Jacob kept his promise to remain close to me. I felt slightly guilty for the amount of time he was devoting to me, but he assured me over and over that he wasn't doing anything he didn't want to.

He spent every night in my room, leaving just before dawn to run home and shower before showing up again to take me to school. He stayed by my side until my homeroom bell, then rushed to the Res school. He was always late for his first class.

When my final period let out, Jacob was always waiting for me, skipping his last class to be there when I exited the school for the parking lot. And all of the time he waited for me, he kept his eyes to the ground, scared to look up at any of the passing girls.

I was so consumed by Jacob, that my only distraction was noticing Edward's uncertain manner toward me at school. He still had not forgiven himself for his moment of weakness at his home. Like before, he kept a small distance between the two of us, keeping contact and conversation at a minimum, and for this I was slightly relieved — it allowed me to devote my attention to the imprinting situation. Yet, this delay in addressing our issues still made me uneasy. I felt guilty for not approaching him when he obviously was on his best behavior. But I just couldn't allocate the energy on repairing my fragile friendship with him while I was singularly focused on my werewolf.

The possibility for imprinting was becoming an unhealthy obsession for both Jacob and me. Neither of us were sleeping much — we fought the darkness of sleep, when we might close our eyes and miss out on precious seconds regarding one another's faces. Jacob was failing several of his classes and I had even allowed my schoolwork to slip. I had called in sick at Newton's four out of my last six scheduled shifts. Mike had gently warned me that his parents were questioning whether I should remain as an employee. I should have cared, but I didn't. I never spent any significant time with anyone else, even Charlie.

Charlie was more observant than I realized, and voiced his concern on several occasions. He forced me to adhere to an earlier bedtime and even attempted to take over the cooking responsibilities on some nights, but he didn't understand the reasons for my lack of energy and general gloominess. He even expressed his thoughts that Edward was somehow to blame. The entire mood of the house reminded me of those difficult months following Edward's departure, and I'm sure Charlie felt the same way.

Edward was certainly not at fault. In fact, he seemed distressed every time he saw me, watching with concern as my eyes grew more tired and my head hung lower with each passing day, and Alice looked anxious every time she saw me. Edward even braved our tentative distance to ask me if Jacob and I were both okay, and while I was touched by the selflessness I read in his expression, I couldn't bring myself to confide in him. For sanity's sake I wished I could have shared the situation with one of them, either Alice or Edward, but I felt a loyalty to Jacob's brothers to keep their imprinting secret, especially when they had worried so much about the Cullens learning it.

Finally, one day when I nodded off while leaning against my locker talking to Alice and Angela, with Edward hovering in the background far enough for us both to be comfortable, Alice called me out on my mood.

"This is insane, Bella! Something is wrong, and you need to tell me what it is!" She and Angela both looked concerned, and I felt Edward's worried gaze on me too.

I rubbed my eyes and turned to get my books for my next class. "Nothing's wrong, Alice. I'm just tired." I felt a pang of guilt for lying to her. I didn't doubt she would be nothing but supportive if she knew, but I couldn't betray Jacob like that.

"Yeah, no kidding," she said sarcastically. "You've been a zombie for over a week. You're not acting like yourself."

"What do you mean?" I feigned surprise and plastered a smile on my face. "I've been busy…I've been seeing Jacob a lot lately."

"I've noticed." Her golden eyes searched mine. "You swear that everything's okay?"

"Absolutely," I fibbed. "I'm actually off of work this Thursday and Friday night, and I think I'm just going to have a quiet night at home and catch up on sleep. And then I'll just enjoy a lazy Friday night too." I hoped this would get them off my back.

Instead, it backfired in a big way.

"That's actually perfect, Bella!" Angela enthused, glancing at Alice with a small smile. "We were hoping you could come shopping with us on Friday…Jessica and Katie are probably coming too."

My forced smile froze on my face and panic filled me. "Shopping? I…I can't go shopping! I mean, I don't…need anything."

"Yes you do," Alice sounded exasperated. "Prom is next weekend. Do you have your dresses?"

"Dress, Alice…singular," I corrected.

"Whatever…" she dismissed my comment with a wave. "You don't have one yet, do you?"

I sighed, knowing I had backed myself into a corner. "No."

"Me neither," Angela sounded excited. "Alice said she had hers, but she wants to come and give us her opinion. Besides, I think you could use a girl's night."

"Think that would be okay with your boyfriend?" I was surprised to hear the resentment in Alice's voice, and my face darkened in anger.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I snapped.

"Just that he's monopolizing your time, Bella! You always made time for your friends before…"

Quickly, Edward was at my side, glaring at his sister. "Back off, Alice…"

Alice gestured at me exasperatedly. "Well, something's going on, and for some reason, Bella doesn't trust me enough to tell me!"

"Hey, guys…I'm right here," I said, sarcastically.

Edward turned to me, and my heart nearly broke when I saw his flustered expression. "Bella, I…we're just worried about you." He reached up, and before both of us realized it, stroked his icy finger across the ever-darkening area under my eyes. "I know you'd tell us if you could…but…" He pulled his hand back quickly, realizing his mistake. He looked down at his feet. "We'd try to help you if you let us."

"It's complicated," I said harshly, recognizing that my fatigue was making me much more short-tempered than usual. "You don't understand…"

Angela stepped forward and grabbed my arm to pull me to the side. Her brows were lowered and she looked anxious. Quietly, she leaned to my ear and whispered, "Bella, you're not…pregnant, are you?"

I pulled away to look at her in horror, wondering if other people thought that same thing and also realizing with a grimace that Alice and Edward could hear her whisperings with perfect clarity.

"I only ask because I know you and Jacob are…close," she admitted. "Remember, we had a conversation about it a few months ago? I mean, you're really smart, so I'd think you were being safe, but when I see you so tired and irritable and…I'm just worried, Bella."

"I'm not pregnant," I mumbled, giving her a pained smile. "I'm fine."

Her expression told me that she didn't quite believe me, and at that moment, the bell rang. With a murmured "I'll see you later," she looked back and forth between me, Edward and Alice before turning on the spot and making her way to class. I envied her, because I just didn't care if I was tardy.

"I'll…see you both later," Edward stammered before also turning, probably thinking that he had overstepped our uncertain bounds.

"I know you're not pregnant," Alice said, the first glimmer of a smile twitching the corners of her mouth. "But maybe I would understand your attitude if you would tell me what's going on."

"I already told you, nothing's…"

"Don't lie to me, Bella," she snapped, her eyes blazing black in anger. "Should I get Jasper here to read your emotions? Your face is pretty much an open book, but the guilt you're probably giving off in waves would be the true statement of what's going on."

I was irrationally irritated with her. "I'll go on Friday," I told her, "But you need to back off about this. You don't know what I'm going through, and that's the way it has to be." Turning to walk to class, I stumbled over my own feet as only I could, and for once Alice didn't offer a cold hand of assistance. Throwing a glance over my shoulder, I saw that she was already gone.

Sadness panged my heart, but I took a deep breath and continued on my way, thinking only of Jacob.

***

That night, Jacob climbed into my window a mere hour after I had said goodbye to him in front of Charlie. He knew something had been bothering me all evening, and I knew he would ask me about it.

We settled into our regular position — on our sides, facing one another, my hands threaded in his shaggy hair and his hands burning trails on the skin of my hips and waist. I could feel the warmth radiating from his bare chest. He regarded me with a more careful expression than on other nights.

"Your eyes are sad," he observed.

"I'm fine," I said, running a finger across his soft lips and avoiding direct eye contact.

"Bella," he said gently, "You think that after memorizing your face every night for hours on end, that I wouldn't notice something so obvious?" I tried to look away for a moment, but he captured my face between his hands. "None of that," he said softly. "Now, tell me what's wrong."

I couldn't stop the immediate flow of tears to my eyes. "Alice and I had a fight," I muttered, fighting the sobs that wanted to wrack my chest. "She wants me to go out with her and a few of the girls from school. Prom dress shopping," I added. "I couldn't get out of it, so I have to go this Friday night."

Jacob showed no sign of distress at my revelation.

"Did you hear me, Jake?" I asked, a note of irritation creeping into my voice. "They're taking me to Port Angeles for hours on Friday night. I…won't see you for hours."

He was silent for a long time.

"Damn it, Jacob…say something."

"I think it's a good idea," his voice was so quiet, I had to strain to hear it.

"What?" I thought I must have misheard.

He sighed loudly. "Bells, what are we doing here?" He motioned to the two of us. "This is crazy! We're ignoring everything else in our lives, we're so stressed out it's ridiculous…" I opened my mouth to protest and he stopped me by saying, "You're so damn tired, honey…and it kills me to see you struggling to stay awake every night. Your moods are erratic and you're not happy."

"I'm happy," I grumbled, which resulted in a smile from Jacob.

"We know what we want from each other," he said softly. "But we can't stop living our lives with this hope that I'll imprint on you."

"What happened to your 'I'm never letting you out of my sight?'" I asked him angrily. "You were the one that started this, remember?"

He looked sadly at the way my brows furrowed in annoyance. He reached up to smooth the lines away with his fingers. "This, Bella…this is exactly why we can't. It's affecting us in a bad way and I think it's starting to affect our relationship in a bad way too. We've never snapped at each other irrationally before, Bells."

I realized with a jolt that he was right.

"Besides, there's no guarantee that I'll ever even imprint at all, let alone on you," he continued. "As much as I hope and pray that fate works in our favor, we still have to control our own destinies to an extent. And we know where we stand in that plan." He smiled at me. "Go with your friends. Have fun. Pick out a really sexy dress for me to see you in, and I'll stay at home while you shop and think about how much fun it will be ripping it off of you after we leave the dance."

My heart stuttered and I welcomed the desire that flooded my senses. We had been so preoccupied with studying each other for the last thirteen days, we had in actuality been neglecting one another.

"That sounds like a plan," I said, feeling tentatively hopeful. "When did you get to be the voice of reason?"

He looked surprised. "I guess I am, aren't I?" He broke into a wide grin. "See, we never should have debated age a few months ago…you should have just believed me outright when I said I was actually older than you. Look at me being the mature one…"

"Well, Jake…at the time you were a little less…grown." I felt his muscles flex under my hands, almost as if they were proving my point.

I relaxed and snuggled closer to him, allowing my eyes to close when my cheek rested against his chest. The sensation felt foreign, and I had to admit that I had missed the relief of sleep. However, sleep was far from the forefront of my mind when I felt Jacob push his hips against my body.

He wasn't aroused, but the movement reminded me of moments of closeness that we had ignored for weeks. I gave a small gasp against his chest and my nipples tightened.

"Bella?"

I didn't look up at him for once. Instead, I wriggled back against him, squeezing my legs together and feeling the first tickles of stimulation between them. My heartbeat picked up.

"Bella?" Jacob repeated, and I knew he could hear my accelerated rhythm. "Is everything oka..." His voice choked off with a strangle, and now I did glance at him. His eyes and nostrils were wide as he took in the scents around him. I knew that look — I knew he could smell my arousal, and the thought of it made even more warmth flood my center.

I was astounded at the intensity and suddenness of my excitement. When I felt Jacob's arms around me tighten, I couldn't stop myself from moaning lightly. "Jake…"

"Tell me what you want, Bella," his voice had lowered too.

"I want you," I breathed.

I felt him tense against me and pull back slightly. Worried that I had misread the situation, I gave him a puzzled look.

"I wasn't prepared for this, honey," Jacob said, disappointment clouding his tone. "I don't have any protection with me."

I ducked my head and murmured quietly.

"What, Bells?"

"I have some," I repeated, red-faced at the admission.

Jacob pulled away even more. "You…have some? Here?" He was surprised.

"Well, yeah," I admitted. "I made an appointment with the doctor to get on the Pill, but it's not for another few weeks, and I figured you shouldn't be the only one responsible for us being safe."

Jacob's quiet laugh couldn't hide his joy. "Maybe you are the mature one after all." His smile slowly faded to something more intense and he pressed his hips against me once more. This time, I felt something.

He paused to breathe in deeply once again, savoring my fragrance with his heightened senses. His eyes fluttered closed, and when he looked at me again, his lids were lower and his irises seemed darker. A low rumble began in his chest.

Jacob had switched into predatory mode, and I was definitely his prey.

He moved toward me and ran his tongue lightly across my upper lip before covering my mouth with his. My breath came out in a sharp exhale as I parted my lips and returned the kiss. He pressed firmly, his tongue and lips more urgent every second.

Finally, I needed air, and broke away from him with a cry. Jacob didn't hesitate for a moment, trailing his lips down my chin to my neck and nuzzling into the hollow of my throat. There he stopped, and seemed to relish the taste of the little indentation at the base of my neck. A soft press of his mouth and slow, languid licks tickled the spot and made a warm tingle run from my feet up to my scalp. A low groan began in the back of my throat, matching the steady vibration of Jacob's growl.

He continued to lap at the sweet spot on my throat, while I ran my fingertips up and down his bare back, scratching gently. My legs fell open and he rolled slightly until he had settled between them, pressing his erection against the heat between my legs. I matched him thrust for thrust.

"Oh, God…" I moaned as he hit my most sensitive spot through my pajamas.

Jacob's sucking and nibbling slowed, and I felt the soft whisper of air on my skin as he rapidly inhaled and exhaled from his nose, my underwear dampening more as his growl increasing in volume. I loved it when he let his primal, wolf senses dictate his desire.

"Too many clothes," he muttered, running his hands down to my waist and tugging my pajama pants down over my hips. I whimpered as he pulled my panties down too, and I felt the heat of his erection through only one layer.

"Your pants too," I managed to breathe out as I struggled with my own shirt and tried to savor his hands on my bare legs at the same time. Even though the heat from his skin was covering me like an invisible electric Jacob blanket, my nipples were almost painfully hard, and goosebumps decorated my skin.

He pulled back enough to leave room between us so he could unfasten the fly on his tattered denim pants and push them down. He was not wearing underwear underneath. I was almost distracted staring at his erection until he began tugging awkwardly on my bra. With a soft smile, I arched my back, slipped my hands behind me and swiftly unhooked the strap.

Jacob pulled back a bit more and stared at me as he gently, slowly pulled the fabric away from my body, revealing all of me to him at once. I blushed at the intensity of his gaze, but found myself studying his magnificence just as unabashedly. In the weak light from the nightlight in the corner of my room, Jacob's skin seemed darker, yet the shadows played across the muscles of his torso, making every ridge and bulge of his abs stand out as though a spotlight were on him. His chest rose and fell deeply as he took greedy breaths through his nose, his eyes affixed on the dark triangle between my legs. Slowly, he ran his fingertips between my breasts and lightly trailed them down my stomach, past my navel and through the tidy patch of hair on my mound. He paused only a moment, his gaze flickering to my face for a brief second. Seeing my heavily-lidded eyes and the way I bit my lip, he was encouraged to rub his way lower.

Jacob dipped his fingertips gently into the center of my folds, where I was warmest and wettest. I saw his length twitch as he slowly massaged his fingers against the slickness, pressing more firmly and flicking his thumb against my sensitive, waiting clit. I closed my eyes.

Before I could moan at the sensations he was eliciting, his hand left my center and my lids flew open as I protested the loss. Jacob had his hand against his face, and he was breathing in my scent ravenously. One finger disappeared between his lips as he tasted my essence. I panted softly at the sight, and Jacob's attention returned to me. His eyes were dark, his lip curled up in a low snarl.

His fingers returned to the wetness between my thighs. "So sweet…" his voice rasped above his continued rumbling. Two of his fingers slid into me, and my hips rose to meet the palm of his hand, seeking more friction. As he began to slowly thrust his fingers in and out, his other hand found my breasts and kneaded them roughly as the vibration in his chest thundered.

Jacob began moving the hand between my legs at a much more rapid pace, and I felt the welcome knot of pleasure beginning to tighten under his rubbing fingers. I reached for Jacob and ghosted my fingers gently up and down his length, resulting in a hiss from him. At once, his hands thrust harder. Harder. Too hard. I found myself moving up the bed a few inches with every thrust, and the knot in my center faded as pain overtook pleasure.

"Ouch, Jake," I whimpered, putting my hands against his chest. "Slow down." His dark eyes glazed over with immediate understanding as his instinctual reaction faded, and he pushed himself off of me in horror.

"Damn it, I got carried away again, didn't I?" his voice strained. "Are you okay, Bella?"

I rubbed my hand against my still-wet, but slightly tender folds. The pain was already fading.

"I'm fine. I guess we're a little out of practice."

"More like I can't control my instincts," he said bitterly.

I took his hands and pulled him back on top of me. "Don't," I said simply, not wanting him to be angry with himself. I needed him too much tonight. "Just be with me, Jacob," I said softly, capturing his gaze. "Don't look away from me, and we'll figure it out together."

He looked at me with wonder as I trailed kisses across his shoulder and finally met his lips again.

"Stay with me," I murmured against his mouth, as his breath washed warm across my skin.

"God, I love you so much, Bella," he cried softly, surrendering to the urgency that practically radiated between the two of us. He pressed himself against me gently, warming my skin at every inch. I felt his declaration of love all the way in my heart, like a sharp pulse of heat. It overwhelmed me for a moment, and a single, happy tear leaked out of the corner of my eye as we kissed.

Jacob's mouth began to move south, barely stopping at my neck before he closed his lips around one peaked nipple. At once, my hips rose and my aching center met against the firmness of his abs. He only paused for a moment, and I almost protested his lack of attention to my breasts before I realized where he was heading. As Jacob slid further down my body, I could feel every ripple of his muscles rubbing against the heat between my legs. And finally, I felt his strong hands against my inner thighs, spreading them apart gently.

He paused for a maddening moment, and I lifted my head to look at him between my knees. Jacob was staring at the warm triangle in front of him reverently. His eyes were dark, yet I knew he was in total control.

"Jake?" My voice was shaky, wanting.

"So wet," he said softly. "You're so wet for me. I can't believe…I…" He leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss on my inner thigh. "I can't believe I could ever be so lucky." He nuzzled into my skin and my breath hitched.

Gasping softly, I murmured, "Not lucky. You don't have me because you're lucky." I reached down and pushed a strand of hair out of his eyes, which were fixed up on my face. "You have me because you're Jacob. You're so much…my love, my lover, my protector…" He grazed his nose against the slit of my folds and I stuttered for a moment, but regained my voice. "But above all, you're my best friend. You've always been my best friend."

Jacob held himself against my thigh, hugging my leg and closing his eyes momentarily. Opening them again, I was surprised to see sadness in them. "I wish I could be more," he whispered.

I reached for him, needing him up against me, face-to-face. My craving for him to put his mouth on me was forgotten, replaced by the more intense yearning to show him what I couldn't possibly explain in words. Show him that he had not only healed the hole in my heart — he was my heart.

"Jake, you're everything."

His lips pressed softly on my skin as I reached for what I needed on my side table. Keeping my eyes closed and savoring his gentle worship of my body, I reached down and wrapped my hands around his length. It responded with a twitch, and I carefully unrolled the latex sheath down every hot inch.

"Are you still hurting from what I did?" Jacob said quietly, pausing in his caresses.

"No," I whispered back. "Please, Jake…don't think. I need to make love to you. Please…"

Even though I was slick from my arousal, Jacob knew to be careful, and I could tell he was worried about losing control again. "Bells, I don't want to hurt you."

My eyes widened as I heard his words and my mind hearkened back to Edward saying the same thing as the two of us had attempted our first kisses as he fought his bloodlust. Back then I didn't truly understand what those words meant, but now I did, with Jacob. And I knew that the necessary pain between two people new to physical love was much sweeter and more welcome than the emotional pain of regret and neglect.

Edward never allowed me to come to this understanding, instead assuming that he knew better than me even though he was just as much a novice. Jacob accepted me as an equal and we worked through these awkward and sometimes painful experiences together — as a team. It's one of the reasons I loved him so completely.

"Even if it hurts, it's worth it," I murmured, nudging his cheek with my nose and littering kisses on his skin. Still holding him in my hand, I positioned him against my entrance and moved the head of his erection against my wetness to make it easier. He pushed his hips forward, nudging just the tip inside of me.

"Is this good?"

"Mmm, so good," I responded, my body flushing with excitement. Slowly, he pulled back and pushed in again, slipping slightly farther in this time. I moaned softly at the sensation of him filling me. It was like he was totally possessing me, body and soul.

Again he pulled back and thrust gently, sliding in a few inches this time. I gasped at the sheer intensity of what I felt at that moment, and Jacob stopped immediately.

"Bella, honey?"

I pulled his head down to me, attacking his mouth with passion, begging him silently not to stop again. "God, yes Jake…keep going!"

With excruciating slowness, Jacob pushed his entire length into me. When I felt his warm skin touching my outer folds as the rest of him filled me, something inside of me spilled over and I felt myself explode into orgasm. It took me by surprise and I cried out loudly into my darkened bedroom. Jacob quickly covered my mouth with his hand, and I bit his fingers as my muscles squeezed around him. He quickened his pace, thrusting a bit faster.

"Bella…oh, my Bella," he repeated, growling lowly as though he were savoring something luscious. He reached between us to capture my breasts in his hands, and I moaned again when I felt his weight press on me. My skin was starting to glisten from sweat, and it seemed to make our bodies slide against one another in a wonderfully erotic way.

Jacob's erection glided easily now, even though I still felt impossibly tight. The friction was intensely amazing, and I felt a subtle change in the way he plunged into me. Already, he was close.

I clasped my hands on either side of his face and pressed my forehead against his. His eyes, which had been closed tightly in concentration, opened and met mine.

"Yes, Jake," I breathed. "Go ahead."

He drew in a ragged breath and sped up his motion. With every thrust, his skin met mine, and a muffled clapping sound began to fill my quiet bedroom. I prayed that Charlie wouldn't hear.

"Bella," he began a long moan.

"Keep going," I urged him.

"Bella!"

"Keep going!

"Oh, fuck…Bella!"

"God, yes… keep going!"

"I love you," he whimpered, his voice a shaky mix between a growl and a cry. He gave one final push and gasped. I felt his member throb inside of me, releasing his orgasm.

I held him in wonder as he relaxed against me, his head lolling against my shoulder and his weight pressing down on me comfortably. He shook gently, and it wasn't until I felt a hot tear on my skin that I realized he was crying.

"Jacob? Baby, what's wrong?"

He pulled back to look at me, his lip trembling and fat tears rolling down his russet skin.

"Bella…" he hesitated, seeming to war with himself.

I kissed him sweetly on the mouth, urging him on without words.

"I'm so scared," he whispered. "What I said earlier…about knowing what I want...well, I meant it. I want to be everything for you. But I'm scared to death that I'll hurt you someday. I don't want to hurt you, Bella."

I knew he was as worried about imprinting as I was. But in the deepest recesses of my heart, I also knew that the fear didn't matter. I was in this just as much as he was. I would love him now, and forever, even if I would lose him someday. Because one day of his love was worth it.

So for the second time that night, I looked at him and said, "Even if it hurts, it's worth it."

***

It has been such a good week for me! "Like Night and Day" has been nominated for a BELLIE AWARD for "Best 'Edward Who?' Fic!" Voting opens on February 3 (today!!!) at 7 p.m. You can go and vote at www(dot)thecatt(dot)net/tw/default(dot)aspx

Also, LN&D has been nominated for TWO Indie Twific Awards, in these categories: "Best Love Triangle" and "Best New Moon Story." Voting will open soon, and I'll let my readers know how they can support my story.

Also, my Demetri o/s "His Angel" was the reader's choice winner in the "I Get Off in Volterra" contest. If you haven't read it yet, I hope you consider checking it out!

I am so honored that some of you felt that this story was worthy of nomination for these awards and my o/s was worthy of voting. I enjoy writing and sharing with you, and I promise to keep going until the end. You guys are awesome...THANK YOU!