AN
I hope you guys like a slightly sour taste.
I was happier than I thought I'd ever been in my life, which was saying something.
Mom was over the moon to hear about Leah's imprinting. She cried when I called her, blubbering something about how she'd always hoped the two of us would find our people, and now we both had in a short amount of time.
Leah herself was a changed person. She was at Kim and Jared's beck and call, visiting them after work every afternoon, changing diapers, holding Theo until he fell asleep. Kim seemed more than happy to have the extra set of hands around the house, and Emily and Leah had rekindled their friendship like nothing had changed almost twenty years ago. When I saw my sister at home, she was bright and happy, genuinely interested in how work was going, and what I'd been up to with Daisy. She had new photos of Theo almost every day, showing me on her phone, explaining the situation behind each one, laughing at the odd noises he'd made or the expressions that appeared on his face. The photos, to me, all looked exactly the same, but I studied them interestedly, laughing along at her stories.
Ness had organized a few double dates over the last six weeks, happy that she was able to control herself more and more in my imprint's presence. The two girls got along really well, talking easily and bonding over their relationships. Daisy told me one night, while we were driving home from bowling with the vampire hybrid and my alpha, that she was as comfortable with Ness as she'd been with any of her friends back home. That lifted my spirits, knowing she'd found at least one more friend in her new home to spend time with. I wasn't ready by any means to leave the two girls alone, but I knew deep down that Ness wouldn't do anything to hurt her.
And my relationship with Daisy was…frustrating. We spent the majority of our nights together, usually at her house, though once a week or so she would stay at mine. Those nights were the easiest, when she was aware of my sister in the house and we didn't let ourselves get carried away. The nights at her house were a different story, legs intertwined and lips hungry and adventurous as we learned each other's movements, and how to communicate physically. It always ended the same way, both of us too aware of what was happening to let it go any further, finding a way to distract us before we could shed our clothes or touch each other in a way we hadn't before.
I knew she was getting more and more frustrated, but the thought of rejection was enough to stop me from making her mine. She'd gone through more than enough in her life to make her not want to move quickly, and I'd promised myself, very early on, to be slow with her. Now we were almost five months into knowing each other and I didn't know if I would be able to hold out much longer.
It was a Tuesday night, and she'd met me in Port Angeles after work, covered in paint up to her elbows and down the front of her overalls. She'd been completing a mural in a hotel close to the restaurant, and had finished in time to meet me as my shift ended. Grace had studied her curiously as she stood by the front door, a relieved smile when she saw me walking toward her.
"Hey," she smiled, her teeth bright as she gazed up at me.
"Hey," I answered, giving her a small kiss before I held the door open for her. We'd done a bit of shopping, wasting time before heading back to her little house in Forks, where we were currently scarfing down Chinese food from the couch, Daisy laughing loudly at the television show we'd restarted since finishing the last season, only a week before.
It was assumed I was staying, because I always did on Tuesdays, and when the episode ended she shifted to smile across the couch at me. "You know what I like?" she asked.
"What's that?" my mouth was full of food, but she understood me.
"I like that you don't try to act a certain way with me. I was worried we were going to do the whole 'don't seem too eager, don't have too many plans' thing. It's refreshing that you're honest about wanting to see me."
"I don't see the point in all those relationship games," I sighed, picking at a stringy piece of chicken before throwing it in my mouth. I'd played those games before, and it sucked. Besides, even if I wanted to want time by myself, the imprint wouldn't have allowed it.
She studied her food, pushing it around her plate thoughtfully. "How many people have you slept with, Seth?"
I cleared my throat, reaching to take a long drink of water before answering her. I wasn't sure where that question had come from, or why she'd thought to ask it, but of course I was going to answer her honestly.
"Three," I told her. "Why?"
"Just wondering," she seemed unbothered by my answer, but her eyes stayed on her food. "So, your two ex-girlfriends, and…"
"I had a one-night stand type of thing, years ago," I said uneasily. "It was just after Ash broke up with me, and Embry took me out. I met a girl who seemed really interested, and she was nice, and she invited me back to her place. I thought…Embry does the whole casual thing all the time, so I could too. But I felt so bad afterwards, I got her number and tried to take her out a couple of times. It was awkward. We didn't really have anything to talk about, and after the second date I just let it go."
"That's cute," she smiled. "That you tried to make something out of it, I mean. You're too nice for that stuff,"
"What about you?" I asked. I wasn't sure if I really wanted to hear the answer, but if she'd only kissed four people, it couldn't have been that bad.
"Two," she told me. "Alex, and a guy I started seeing to torment him. He was an idiot. He was really spiritual, and really into shoving his beliefs down people's throats. He and I used to argue all the time, and he told me that I was going to come back as plankton in my next life, for being such a bad person and eating meat," she chuckled. "He was super attractive though, so I did it to act out, in hopes Alex would see photos of us together."
"I can't imagine you arguing with anyone," I told her.
She shrugged. "I didn't like him at all, even when I was with him. I was being stupid. It was all for show. We only saw each other for a month or so, and when it hit that point and I realized I felt absolutely nothing for him, I knew I wasn't going to any time soon, so I kind of disappeared on him." She frowned. "I hope he's doing okay…"
"And then you went back to Alex?"
"Yep," she said loudly. "Like I said, I was stupid. I thought for sure he would want me after he knew I could forget about him so quickly. And, I guess he did, for a couple of weeks. And then everything went back to normal."
"Well, I'm glad you didn't take him up on his offer over the holiday. My life would be really different right now if you had."
She chuckled, her toes reaching out to brush against Hugo's black and white fur on the carpet in front of her. "Do you want to have sex with me?" she suddenly asked. I froze, her forwardness shocking me, and her eyes flicked up to look at me. "Was that a weird question? You don't have to answer that."
"I want to," I told her. If only she knew how hard it was to control myself with her sometimes. I'd been worried about scaring her away this whole time, and she seemed to have expected it to have happened by now.
"I just didn't know if there was a reason for you being so patient with me. I'm…not good at making the first move. I get nervous. But kissing you overwhelms me, and I've never had that with anyone before. I just didn't know if there was something you were waiting for."
"I haven't wanted to push you into it." I said quietly. We were on opposite edges of the couch, not touching, but I could feel her from where I was sitting, and the conversation made me want to reach out and pull her to me and never let go.
"You're a gentleman," she smiled, pulling her legs onto the couch to cross them underneath her. "But just so you know, you wouldn't be pushing me into anything. I'm kind of obsessed with you."
She looked at me for a second, and then jumped to her feet, rushing into her room and coming back with an envelope, which she handed to me. "Happy Valentine's Day,"
I grinned and took the card from her, holding it without opening it. "I didn't know if you celebrated," I dropped the card on the small coffee table and grabbed my keys, disappearing out the front door and coming back with a large bouquet of sunflowers, which I'd strapped in the large glass vase in the back of my truck, not wanting to gift them to her and have her tell me it was stupid, and that Valentine's Day was a joke, which was what I'd heard from a lot of the girls in my life. Nessie had always complained about the day since she'd reached maturity at seven, rolling her eyes at the gestures Edward made for Bella. I wondered if she'd finally come around to the idea now that she and Jake had officially started their relationship.
Daisy eyed the flowers, shocked, her eyes wide and shining with tears. "I've never had flowers from a boy before," she whispered happy, picking up the small card and opening it immediately, reading it quietly before she sniffed and wrapped her arms around me tightly, thanking me with more emotion than I'd expected from the relatively small gesture.
"You have no idea how long it took me to track down sunflowers in Washington in February," I chuckled, returning her embrace before she pulled back and studied the flowers.
"They're perfect," she sighed, lowering her nose into the center of the largest and breathing deeply. They were far from perfect. They were small and a little unshapely, but they were sunflowers, and I knew she would like them more than any other perfectly bloomed flower I could choose for her.
I picked up her envelope and opened it, chuckling at the front of the card. It was a pair of cartoon hedgehogs, staring at each other without any expression. YOUR FACE IS MY FAVORITE FACE, it said in bold letters across the top.
She pulled the vase of sunflowers toward her happily as I opened it to read.
Dear Seth,
Thank you for always taking care of me, and being so gentle and understanding. I know I can be a handful, and I'm not easy to understand, but you make me so, so happy and I appreciate you so much!
I think you are honestly the best person I have ever met in my entire life, and I'm so grateful that I get to call you my boyfriend.
I like you!
Daisy
'I like you'. We'd been saying it more and more to each other, shy smiles indicating there was more we wanted to say, but we were both too scared to say it first. I didn't completely understand how her mind worked, and while that was exciting and sometimes shocking, it made me hold back from entering our relationship as quickly as the other imprinted couples I knew.
Daisy grinned as I folded the card and put it back in the envelope, setting it on the small table beside her flowers. I smiled and pulled her into me, giving her small kiss as I wrapped my arms around her and held her tightly.
"Thank you,"
"I thought the card was funny," she told me, brushing off the sentimental words she'd written. "And fitting. You have a great face."
We showered not long after that, Daisy insisting I go first, which was not our usual order. I followed her direction though, disappearing into the bathroom and turning on the hot water, taking my time to lather myself up and let the water rinse all traces of soap off. I could hear her fussing about in her bedroom and the kitchen, her footsteps indicating she was pacing, in a way. I wondered what she was doing, whether she was distracting herself from nerves, or whether there was actually a reason for her movements. I shut off the water and pulled on my shorts, throwing my towel over the rack where it lived until she washed it.
She was waiting outside the bathroom door for me, giving me a small smile as we swapped places and closing the door behind her. I frowned at her odd behavior, walking the short way to her bedroom and falling onto my side of her small bed, sitting to wait for her.
She was longer than usual. She hummed to herself for the first few minutes, then was silent as she finished up in the bathroom. It was almost ten minutes by the time she shut off the water and exited the bathroom. I looked up from my phone as she entered her bedroom, freezing when I caught sight of her just in a towel. She'd always changed into her pajamas before coming in to meet me.
She didn't acknowledge me as she moved to her dresser, opening the first drawer and pulling out her usual shorts and top, tugging the shorts on under her towel before she let it fall to the floor, her bare back completely in my sight as she raised her arms and pulled her top on over her head. It was innocent enough, but I knew she was doing it on purpose, and I don't think I'd ever seen anything sexier in my life than her small muscles rolling under her light brown skin as she dressed herself.
She smiled at me innocently as she turned back to face me, kicking the door to her bedroom closed before she made her way to the bed, climbing over my legs to settle herself in her spot. She'd never closed the door before. Hugo would usually make his way in ten minutes or so after us, but apparently he wasn't invited tonight. I had the sneaking suspicion she was trying to seduce me, but I was at a loss of what to do.
She smelled different. She'd used something in the shower that gave her natural vanilla-like scented skin a strong floral aroma. I kept my eyes as casual as I could as she fell back onto her pillow, not bothering to pull the blankets or sheet over her, staring back at me with just as much innocence in her eyes as ever.
"Goodnight," she said simply.
I frowned down at her. We usually spend a good five minutes kissing before she climbed back into her spot. She was waiting for me to make a move.
I watched her closely as I rolled onto my side, grabbing her hip gently and lowering my face to hers. The kiss was normal enough as we started, slow and soft and learned, as we did this most nights of the week. And then she did something different, and raised her hand to my chest, tracing the lines in my muscles from my sternum to my hips, her fingers pressing against my solidly before she raised them, scratching me teasingly with her fingernails.
I let out a small growl before I could stop myself, and pushed myself up, climbing over her and setting my knees between hers on the mattress, scooping her up with my hand behind her back to adjust her more comfortably, away from the wall and more centered on the bed. I hadn't kissed her in this position before. I'd always let her sit over me, giving her a way out if she needed it. But after our conversation earlier in the night and the way she'd walked into her room without any clothes on, I knew she wouldn't be looking for an escape.
I devoured her hungrily, my body reacting in a way that was almost embarrassing, but I kept my hips away from her own, pushing her further and further into her pillow as our kisses grew more and more desperate, messy and unknown. Her hands were brave tonight, moving across my chest and holding onto my shoulders tightly, not letting me move an inch away from her. I pulled my arm out from underneath her, using the other to support my weight, and grabbed at her waist, feeling the way it tapered under my fingers, lifting the fabric a little so I could get to her skin. She was warm and so soft, and she smelled incredible. Her legs were bent, her knees on either side of my hips, and I let my free hand wander, over fabric, to her left breast, tracing her nipple lightly through her top. She whimpered at the touch, and I pulled my face back from her own swiftly, wanting to watch her as I repeated the movement.
She closed her eyes, her brows pulled together in frustration, and her hips rolled toward me, egging me on, and I complied, touching her harder than I had before, kissing her because I couldn't stop myself when she made that noise again.
"You can do whatever you want," she whispered breathlessly as our lips paused for a second, and I groaned at her words, wondering how I was meant to control myself when I was so close to losing my mind and taking her too forcefully.
Quil had told me, weeks ago, when we'd been on patrol together and I'd let my mind wander, that it was difficult to stay focused the first few times. The wolf in us picked up on these natural experiences and all but took over. But he'd reigned himself in for Claire, and I was determined to do the same for Daisy. She deserved our first sexual experience to be one where she was worshipped, made to believe she was more precious than she thought herself.
I made the difficult decision then, that she would be the one the focus was on tonight. I was more than happy to take care of her with nothing in return.
I kissed my way down her neck, breathing her in deeply as I put my weight into my knees and my hands trailed down her hips, stopping at the waistband of her shorts. My lips pressed into her chest, her ribs, her stomach, my arms pulling the fabric from her hips and down her legs as I finally straightened enough to get her feet together and throw her shorts to the floor.
Her eyes were hooded, her lips parted, and her chest was heaving as she studied me nervously. Her legs trembled as she set her feet back on the bed, on either side of me, and I frowned, concerned.
"I'm not cold," she quickly said, knowing where I was about to go. "I'm just…it's been a long time."
I smiled and brought my face to hers again, giving her one small, assuring kiss, before I lowered myself back down the bed.
She didn't hide herself from my eyes, and I sighed in awe at the sight of her. I wondered if I would ever find a single part of her not completely perfect.
"Seth," she prompted quietly, maybe worried that I found her not one hundred percent breathtaking, and that I was going to stop the course I was on.
I lowered my mouth to her slowly, breathing in her arousal in a way that made my head spin, before I closed my lips around her.
She gasped instantly, her hips rolling toward me, and I smirked that I could get this reaction out of her. I trailed my tongue along her in one long movement, and then focused my attention at the small peak above her opening, tasting her with a small, delirious sigh.
Her hands found my hair, and she held me to her tightly, in a way that would have hurt greatly if I'd been completely human. I moved against her hungrily, replaying movements that elicited gasps and small whimpers from her mouth, learning from the way she tugged at my hair and pushed my head toward her what she enjoyed.
Her knees trembled again on either side of my shoulders, and I wrapped one arm around them, the other snaking up between them to touch her softly, satisfied with the evidence of her arousal. I coated my middle finger with her, then pushed forward slightly, sliding into her, groaning softly at the feeling of her stretching around my skin. My mind wandered off, to different scenarios, how she would feel if I was to stop what I was doing and take her properly, but I forced myself to keep up my actions, curling my finger in her as I moved it slowly, torn between wanting to watch her face and wanting to keep up what I was doing when she was obviously enjoying it so much.
Her hands became even more forceful, if possible, as I sucked and licked at her, my hand moving faster, and her voice grew louder as she moaned, strangled and high and too sexy.
"Seth," she grunted, with warning. I'd never heard her voice like this before, and my body's reaction to it was almost painful. I didn't slow down, and her body twisted slightly above me, as if she was curling in on herself. "Seth-Seth-Seth –"
Her knees shook violently as I felt her pulse around my finger, her hips straining and her chest rising off the mattress. I raised my head to watch her as her hands fell from my hair, landing heavily on the blankets, as if she'd lost all control of them. Her lips were parted and her eyes, focused on me, were dark and almost pained.
She had clenched around my finger tightly, pulsing periodically, her slick inner flesh almost pushing me out of her.
I pulled my hand away from her, bringing a thin trail of her juices, which I wiped on the blankets before crawling back up the bed and falling onto my pillow.
She smiled at me lazily, her eyes exhausted, and rolled onto her side to study me. Her legs trembled a few more times, her toes flexing against the bed.
"Thank you," she said softly, her eyes closing for longer than she intended as she blinked.
I chuckled and wrapped my arms around her, shifting her and pulling the blankets over her slender frame, as I doubted she was going to do it herself.
"Come under here with me," she sighed, tugging at the top of the blanket without any real strength.
I obeyed, slipping under the sheet and blanket and rested my hand on her bare hip, holding her gently. She threw her leg over my own, nuzzling into my chest, and her breathing turned to quiet snores as she fell into sleep.
AN
Thank you all for your reviews on the last chapter! In answer to my question about any future stories, one focused on Embry is definitely the most requested, and I already have a couple of little ideas for something sweet for him.
And there was just one person out there that wasn't thrilled about Leah's situation, which is better than I was expecting, honestly. I just want to cut the girl some slack and let her be happy about something for once in her life. Little question after reading through said review, though - are we all under the impression that while she's still phasing and her body's not ageing, she's unable to conceive? I thought everyone was on the same page with that! I would like to also send out to anyone who is sharing the same thoughts as this one person, this is a Seth imprint story at the end of the day. Yes Leah, like the other wolves, will make an appearance every now and then, but I'm not about to start focusing the entire story on her at all.
I will say as well, if you can't handle Leah imprinting at all, stop reading now. There are no more imprints that I'm going to smack anyone in the face with as far as I know, but there's a lot of huge crazy stuff on its way, and I hope you all enjoy it! After all, this is just a fun little hobby that I have on the side of working two full-time jobs, and I know if I take it too seriously I wouldn't enjoy it as much.
You all mean so much to me, and I hope you enjoyed this one!