CHAPTER NINETEEN: QUESTIONS
(Jacob's POV)

All I wanted was to kiss her. Okay, so maybe that's not entirely true. I wanted to hold her, to hear her soft sighs and taste her sweet skin and think of nothing but what it felt like to be near her. Somehow Bella had turned me into a kind of romantic sap. And I was just fine with that.

"We were leaving," she smirked.

I leaned forward and whispered, "Are you sure?"

That seemed to do the trick. I heard her breath catch and I seized my chance. "I could have sworn we weren't leaving just yet," I said.

"Charlie's expecting me," she replied, no real argument in her tone.

"Call him from my house," I said. "You can just tell---"

I think I was going to say something about a phone...or...I don't know. Both word and thought were lost the second her lips crashed against mine. I felt her press closer to me, wrapping her arms and legs around me as I traced my fingers over her flushed cheeks and down to the small of her back. She was so soft and so sweet, and I never wanted to let her go.

And then she pressed closer. I tried to push her away, but there was no strength in my attempt. I made a last ditch effort to pull back, just enough to be a safe distance, but she made it impossible. And then her legs locked around me, and she bit lightly on my lip. I should have been worried about what she would think. She had to know. She had to feel it...me. But she only pressed closer.

It was heaven. It was hell. It was every extreme I could imagine. My brain stopped functioning.

My hands moved without my permission, one threading through her hair and yanking her head back so I could drag my lips down her neck, and the other gripping her thigh too tightly. The war within me raged over whether I should give in or stop, my fingers clenching and unclenching with each conflicting thought. I finally managed to let go, quickly moving my hand to her back, only to be further tempted by the band of exposed skin where the back of her shirt was raised. I dipped my fingers beneath the thin fabric, running them over the smooth skin of her back and stopping just over the clasp I knew I had no right to think about undoing.

I didn't know what to think. I didn't know what to do. Bella had been so controlled, so adamant about boundaries, and yet here I stood, pressed firmly against her, her small body completely wrapped around me in a way that prevented all rational thought. With every breath her body rubbed against mine, her hips rocking just slightly against me, every nerve in my body screaming at me to touch her.

"Bella?"

The shrill female voice jolted me back to sanity and I pushed away, spinning around to see who it was that had probably saved me from making a huge mistake.

"Ah...Mrs. Newton...I..." Bella stumbled over her words as the woman practically glared at me.

I was too stunned, my mind still whirling, to say anything, but it was probably for the best. I wasn't sure I was capable of forming actual words.

"I expect Charlie's waiting up for you?" Newton's mom said. She was still watching me with suspicion, and despite the lingering haziness in my brain, I was beginning to get annoyed. Apparently Bella was too.

I watched as the emotions flickered across her face. She was embarrassed, and I was to blame. It was my fault her boss had walked up on us. I'd heard something behind us, but I had been too caught up in what I was feeling at the time to realize it was a someone. And if I hadn't been so damn...affected by Bella... Well, I should have had better self-control. But just as quickly as the guilt set in, it was replaced by curiosity.

Bella's eyes, which had been focused on the ground, lifted to meet Mrs. Newton's stare. She straightened up, squaring her small shoulders and holding her head high. The wide-eyed, shamed look she had disappeared, and I could almost see the confidence build in her expression. I'd always known Bella was a strong person, but I rarely got a chance to see it. It was beautiful.

"Probably not. He knows I'm with Jacob," she replied, practically daring Mrs. Newton to argue.

"Well...I...I'll see you Friday," Mrs. Newton said, giving me another look before she walked off.

I tried not to, but I couldn't help but laugh. My Bella was really something. Not afraid of vampires, werewolves, or Newtons.

"So, Bells?" I asked, "What was that?"

"I didn't like the way she was looking at me...at us," she said.

God, she was cute when she was angry, especially when that anger wasn't directed at me.

"So now you're defending me?" I asked.

"Get in the truck, Jake."

"Your place or mine?" I asked.

"Yours," she sighed.

We rode to my house in silence. I watched Bella, her face a constantly changing flow of expressions. I wished she would talk to me, but the little crinkle between her brows made it clear she was lost in thought. I knew she was upset about Newton's mom, but I hoped she wasn't mad at me for my part in it. We really hadn't done anything more than kiss, but it was...intense. And while I knew I'd gotten a little carried away with it, she really hadn't given me much choice.

"Shit!"

Bella's outburst brought me back into the moment and I looked up to see her dad's cruiser in our yard. The second Bella cut the engine, he stepped through the doorway, crossing his arms and looking like a man on a mission.

"What's his problem?" I asked her.

"Mrs. Newton," she said.

Charlie just glared at me as we walked toward the house.

"Hi, Dad," Bella said.

Charlie wasn't having it. He didn't even look at her.

"Jake, son, we need to talk."

Son? Yeah, I was in trouble. This should be interesting.

"Go inside, Bells," Charlie said.

Bella shot me a worried look as she went inside. I wanted to laugh and tell her there was nothing to be concerned about, but I didn't think Charlie would appreciate not being taken seriously. As soon as she shut the door behind her, he spoke.

"Jake," he said.

"Charlie."

Silence.

We were getting nowhere fast. He continued staring at me as if he was sizing me up. Bad idea, Charlie. Bella would kill me if I phased in front of her dad. I shifted uncomfortably under his gaze, and then stilled as I saw triumph flash through his eyes. He was trying to intimidate me.

Sure, I was uncomfortable. I was standing in my front yard being stared down by a man who refused to speak when all I really wanted to do was go inside and be with Bella. But I wasn't intimidated by him. Mostly I was just bored...and a little curious.

"I got a disturbing call tonight," he finally said.

I could just picture Newton's mom calling 911 and reporting teenagers making out in her parking lot. I held back my laugh, but I'm pretty sure Charlie saw my amusement anyway.

He scowled at me, and his face started to turn an angry red. "Mrs. Newton says she caught you in...a compromising position."

Compromising? No. Definitely not. Perfect, heavenly, I've-been-waiting-my-whole-life-for-this position, yes. I rolled my eyes. "Look, Charlie-" I started.

"No, you look," he said sternly, cutting me off. "That's my daughter, and I don't know what you thought was going to happen tonight, but you can just get that thought right out of your head. Billy may not care what kind of trouble you get into, but I'll be damned if I'm going to let Bella throw away her future because you can't control yourself."

"It's not like that," I said, wondering just how much of an explanation he needed. What did---or didn't---happen between Bella and me was no one's business but ours. Of course, he'd just referred to her as 'his' daughter, like he was trying to stake his claim, so telling him it was none of his business might not be such a good idea. Just then, I saw a slight movement from the front window. Bella was probably watching us, and I just hoped she couldn't hear us.

"Now, Jake, you know I've always thought of you as family," he said.

I nodded, waiting for the axe to fall. No one ever bothers to remind you that you have a good relationship with them unless they intend to do something to ruin it.

"But I'm not above arresting you."

"Arresting me?" I asked, completely shocked. "For what?"

"Public indecency, statutory---"

"Hey, she's older than I am," I interrupted. "Besides, sixteen's the age of consent here, so we're good."

I'd be lying if I said I didn't know exactly what I was doing. Charlie's face turned from red to almost purple, and his eyes went wide. I was counting down the seconds until the vein in his forehead just popped out and took on a life of its own.

"Relax, Charlie," I laughed. We're not sleeping together. Not even close."

"Oh...good...I just..." he stammered. "She's too young to be in a serious relationship." He paused for a moment, and something like pain flashed across his face. "She's still my little girl, you know. I'm real glad she's over that Cullen boy, and I know you like her, but..."

"I love her," I corrected him.

"Yeah, well, just...just...you know."

He stared at me again for a few seconds, this time looking like he was trying to figure something out, and then he walked right past me, got in his car, and left.