Eeeek. I've never been nervous to post a chapter before. I've been waiting to do this scene for so long. It was harder to write than I thought because I wanted it to be perfect, but in the end I had to just write it for myself. I hope it lives up to your expectations! :) It's T…and I don't do more than T…but feel free to take what I have and run with it on your own.

ON WITH THE HIGHLY ANTICIPATED :) Thanks for the continued support – from my old followers who waited for 6 months for me to find my muse again and for my new ones who jumped right in and loved it and will follow this to the very end. Love you!

CHP 37- TENT

*JACOB POV*

I had not seen this storm coming. The sides of the tent shook with the icy wind and the snow fell in rapid sheets. How could it be this cold at the end of the summer? How is this possible? The low was supposed to be fifty. It must be the altitude. I knew I'd taken us high, but I didn't realize I'd hiked us up this high. I was fine, of course. I could chalk this up as a gentle breeze. Bella, on the other hand, was not.

"J-J-J-J-Jacob," she stuttered. "It's c-c-c-cold in here." Her body shivered and trembled all over, her eyes shut tight in a futile effort to shield herself from the elements. It hurt me to watch her shudder from the cold.

Whenever we spent the night together, I always tried to keep my distance. I didn't want to push my luck or make her resent me for any reason. I'd always been so careful. And even in this tiny tent in the middle of nowhere, with hundreds of miles of privacy on all sides of us, I'd given her as much of her side of the tent as I could. But now she was freezing and unable to sleep. And I had no idea what to do.

She was wearing all the clothes that had been pre packed – mine and hers – and was huddled in a tiny sleeping bag. Quil obviously hadn't packed for this sort of storm and failed to take into account that Bella's body runs a solid ten degrees less than mine on any given day.

"It'll warm up," I offered pathetically. "The sun will come out soon." That was a lie. It was only midnight. The temperatures would drop even lower before the sun came back up. In six hours.

"I c-c-c-c," she started, but her uncontrollable shivers cut her off.

I couldn't lie here and watch her shiver in her pathetic sleeping bag anymore.

"Scoot over, Bella," I said, sliding over towards her across the tent floor.

'What're you d-d-d-doing?" she protested, eyed wide.

"Keeping you from dying." I ripped the zipper of her sleeping bag open down to her toes. "Now scoot over."

*BELLA POV*

I opened my mouth to protest, but as soon as I felt Jake's warmth up against my freezing body, I fell silent. He slid his body in with mine in one fluid motion – quite a feat considering the limited space of the sleeping bag. My mind was numb with the cold – as well as my body – but I couldn't feel or think of anything in this moment that wasn't Jacob.

I heard the sound of the metal zipper being pulled back up and felt the sleeping bag pulling our bodies closer together, cradling us in its soft walls.

"This ought to keep you warm," he said against the top of my head. "Here-"

He shifted so he could wrap his arm around me, his hand finding my waist and pulling me even tighter against his body. His other arm stretched out behind my head as a pillow, my head cradled in the bend of his shoulder. I turned my head and pressed my frozen lips against his skin. It felt as if they were melting.

At the bottom of the sleeping bag, I kicked off my shoes and shoved my feet between his legs. Taking off my mittens, I pushed my hands in between our bodies, crushing them between our stomachs. He jumped.

"Gah, Bella, your hands are like ice."

"S-sorry," I mumbled against his skin. I didn't care. All I cared about was his warmth, his heat, finally thawing my skin after hours of shivering with no sign of relief.

"I could've warmed you up sooner," he said after a minute.

"I wish you w-w-would have," I said, forming my first full sentence, my lips and mind finally beginning to defrost. He chuckled, the heat of his breath tickling my ear.

He shifted again, pulling me even tighter against him. I couldn't breathe.

"You know," he mumbled, "You'd warm up faster if you took your clothes off."

"Hush," I spoke into the bend of his shoulder, but I was smiling and I was sure he could hear it in my voice. I was so relieved to be warming up I couldn't muster up the strength to be mad.

"Just saying. Survival 101." I felt him shrug against me.

Having tasted the feeling of warmth again, I was eager for more. My mind was still numbed by the low temperatures and I knew I wasn't thinking things through. I slid my hands up from between our stomachs and started to unzip the coat I was wearing.

"What're you doing?" Jacob asked.

"Getting warm." I answered. It was a struggle to get it off with Jake's massive frame taking up so much room, but doable. I slid out of the sleeves and tossed it to the other side of the tent.

I still had too many layers. Some of them had to go.

I slipped out of the thin jacket I had on and the sweater underneath in turn, leaving my white tank top underneath. I was wearing two pairs of pants – mine and Jacob's extra pair – and I pulled those off as well. All I was left with a white tank top and underwear. It was dark and I was hidden in the sleeping bag; Jacob couldn't see me.

I wrapped my arms around his waist, my icy hands pressed against his bare back. My face I buried in the bend of his neck, my legs I intertwined with his. The warmth of his body enveloped every part of me. I finally started to thaw.

With all my movement I hadn't noticed that Jake had all but turned to stone. He wasn't moving and he was barely breathing.

"Jake?" I asked.

"Yeah." He answered. I couldn't read his voice.

"Are you okay?" I reburied my face in his shoulder again, my lips parting so every inch of skin could feel his warmth.

"Yeah." He answered again. I could've sworn he was shivering. Was he cold now? I wouldn't have been surprised – he had only been wearing cutoff sweats. But wolves never got cold. I pushed it from my mind.

We laid like that for a while, my body curled up against his, listening to the wind whistling and rocking the tent walls around us. The piney, minty scent of Jacob's skin filled the sleeping bag and tent.

"Bella?"

"Yeah," I murmured against his skin.

Jake's free hand, previously hooked around my waist, began moving, sliding up the edge of my body, over my rib cage and up my arm, leaving a trail of fire beneath his fingers. When I shivered, it wasn't from the cold. Slowly, tenderly, his steady fingers curled around my neck, his thumb resting on the side of my face.

He shifted, the arm resting behind my head bending so that he rested elevated on his elbow. Lowering his face down, he raised mine to meet his.

His lips parted against mine with gentle pressure. Testing the waters, feeling my reaction, his tongue ran lightly over the heated skin of my bottom lip. I gasped, clutching at his body, moving myself closer to him, eagerly receiving his advance. Our lips moved together in a steady rhythm, our quickening pants filling each other's mouths. His accelerated heartbeat resonated against me and I could hear the rush of adrenalized blood in my ears.

I'd been kissed before, but not like this. This surpassed innocence and naivety. The raw edges of youth and immaturity were crossed and blended into a whole new world I hadn't experienced before. I didn't have to be careful with Jacob, and he certainly wasn't being careful with me.

Jake's hands moved from my face and ripped off the hat I was wearing, slinging it across the tent. His fingers dug themselves into my hair, pulling me hard against his mouth, his tongue passing my lips and playing with my own. My mouth and body were ablaze.

His hands, never still, never satisfied, moved again, our lips never parting. Another trail of fire formed as he slid his calloused hand down to my hips, lingering on the thin cotton there before moving lower to my leg. Wrapping his hands around the bend of my knee, he unwound my legs from his and hooked my leg over his hip. Rolling to his back, he took me with him, stopping when I lay completely on top of him. His body was hard beneath me, his chest rising and falling with his heavy, heated breaths.

My hair fell around his face as his lips moved lower, tracing their way down my neck and shoulders. My own fingers, for want of more, twisted themselves in his hair. I buried my nose in his black tresses, drinking in the heady aroma. He was all mine. This was mine.

Coming up for air, leaving me breathless, his mouth found mine again. All reservations were gone, all previous stipulations forgotten. There was no hesitation now, no walls to climb, no barriers to break. Just us together. Just Jacob.

Jake's hands found my hips and positioned me lower on his body to straddle his waist, groaning as our bodies rocked against each others.

Rolling again, Jake slid me underneath him, resting on his elbows on either side of me so that I felt all of his heat but none of his weight. I couldn't escape, and I wouldn't want to.

"Bella," he breathed roughly against my neck, his voice husky with excitement and exertion. Vague memories of being cold were lost in the distant past.

One arm holding his weight, his muscles flexing with his power, a free hand slipped down my side once again. Slowly, his fingers traced the skin just above my underwear, his finger dipping down under my hip bone for only a second, and his hand pushed my tank top up to expose my stomach. His kissed my lips again and pulled back, looking into my eyes.

"This okay?" he asked huskily. I nodded, not sure of what he was doing.

He shimmed down so his mouth was at my stomach. I watched his shoulders and back muscles flex with his movement. I gasped and squirmed and arched beneath him as his tongue traced the curves of my waist and accents of my ribs. His teeth rubbed against my skin and my nerves awaked, goose bumps travelling up and down my spine. He laughed deep in his throat.

"You warm yet?" he mumbled against me, coming back up to my face.

"Yes," I answered, breathless, sure of the blush in my cheeks and thankful it was dark.

"I should probably stop." He said quietly.

"No..." I protested, wrapping my arms around his broad shoulders and pulling his face down to mine.

*JACOB POV*

Oh gah.

Ohhh man.

I tried to clear my thoughts, but I couldn't. Bella was kissing me. Isabella Swan. My Bella. How many times had I dreamt of this? Being alone, her being half dressed…or less…beneath me. She was so soft, and smooth, and so warm, even to me. She was perfect. I let my hands wander, feeling and caressing as they pleased, only keeping one place off limits for myself. But I had to stop now. I'd been so good for so long that it hurt. Gah, she was making this so hard.

"Bella," I protested back against her lips, pulling my face away from her. "We can't…"

"Why not?" she asked, winded.

Yeah, Jake, why not? What kind of guy are you? You're alone in the middle of the forest. Both half dressed. With six hours of free time. Are you kidding yourself? Where did this self-control come from? And why?

"I just…"

"You make me feel like I'm trying to steal your virtue or something," she said against me, her body relaxing and melting, soft and balmy, below me.

I laughed humorlessly. "No, Bella, that's not it at all. I'd be more than happy to…oblige you." I ran my tongue along her collar bone, kissing up to her ear, emphasizing my point. "But some other time. I think I'd get a lot of flak from the pack if they saw all of this the next time I phased… especially when they're all out there risking their necks for you. For us, I mean." I kissed her again. She sighed, obviously tired. I took secret pride in the fact that I'd worn her out so efficiently.

I wanted to be good for her, too. We'd worked hard to build up what we had. I didn't want to blow it here in a sleeping bag in the middle of the forest, but I was going to regret having stopped us in the morning.

*BELLA POV*

Jake kissed the side of my cheek and rolled me again, effortlessly, so we both lie together on our sides, intertwined and facing one another.

"Now what," I asked, catching my breath and tracing shapes across his pecks. I was hot now, almost breaking a sweat. The cold air couldn't reach me here, curled up against Jacob, enfolded securely in his arms.

"Mmm," he voiced, kissing me lightly on the forehead, tracing shapes in turn on the small of my back. "Anything you want to talk about?"

I thought for a moment, letting the seductive images that had pooled in my mind dissolve. Think of something to talk about.

"You could tell me about this bracelet, finally," I proposed, bringing my hand up from the depths of the sleeping back and fingering the thin bracelet on my wrist before his eyes.

His brow furrowed. "Not yet," he said. I frowned, trying to read him. His eyes stayed focused on the bracelet.

"What're you waiting for?" I asked, annoyed.

"I promise, Bella, I will tell you." Jake pulled me closer to him. "Just not yet."

"Fine." I surrendered. I thought for another moment, snuggling against him. I couldn't get close enough. "I'm still angry you didn't tell me about everything."

He laughed heartily, his voice sarcastic. "You didn't seem angry a few seconds ago…" I felt his hand slap my backside. I slapped his chest in return, knowing it wouldn't do any good.

"Well I am," I retorted, trying to sound it.

He became serious. "Please, don't be. I promise I had the best intentions."

"I believe you." I just didn't know if I agreed with them.

"Can I make it up to you?" he proposed, nuzzling my neck.

"Well…"

"Bella," he growled, moving my hand back up out of the sleeping bag. "Seriously."

"Then no." I resigned.

He exhaled noisily, his voice showing the slightest hint of a tremor. He closed his eyes and shook his head. "Later. Just not now."

"Fine," I said again. Later.

"I have a question," he said after a while. I looked up at him.

"What?"

"So…you said he could never read your mind, right? He could read everyone but yours?"

I stiffened. "Yes."

"Why? If you don't mind me asking." He seemed nervous, bringing him up at a time like this. I wondered why he cared. I closed my eyes, putting all my answers on autopilot.

"He said my mind was different than everyone else's. I was immune to it." I grimaced, remembering his first explanation. "Like everyone's brains were on FM radio, and mine was on AM."

"Oh," he said, almost cheerily. I tried not to think too much about it. "So you're immune to monster powers."

"I guess, Jake."

"Okay," he replied, sensing I was done with the conversation. I closed my eyes again, inhaling deeply, letting his scent wash my mind clean of memories.

"I love you," he said in the husky voice that made my heart race.

"I love you, too." I couldn't explain how much.

We lay in silence for a while, content despite our minor arguments. I dozed, sleepy from everything that had happened, from Emily's all the way until now. When I opened my eyes again, I listened for sounds outside over the heavy breathing next to me. The wind had calmed down; there was no way to know how much time had passed. I shifted, sweating in the sauna of Jake's body, and it jostled him enough to wake him up.

"I should probably check on things again," he said, groggy, rubbing his eyes. "Look and see how everything is coming along."

"Are you worried?" I asked, not able to read his voice.

"Not worried. Just ready for it to be done. It's hard not being there." He stroked my spine. "Not that I don't love being here."

"I know," I nodded. He'd proved that. I shimmed away from him, making room for him to get out.

"Wait…" he said, tightening his grip on me. I looked up, curious. Hesitating, he stared into my eyes before continuing. "Are you…okay?"

I was confused. "Okay? I'm fine, Jake."

"No," He said, struggling for words. "I mean, are you…are you all mine now? Completely?"

Oh. "Yes," I answered, as confidently as I could. Had this not proved it?

Jake smiled weakly. "Okay. Just checking. I'll be right back." He shimmed out of the sleeping bag, unzipping the tent entrance as little as he could to keep the cold out. I buried myself down in the sleeping bag, content, shutting my eyes and waiting for the sound of his second body ripping out of its shell.

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