If you look long and hard enough into the dark, your eyes form shapes to make sense of the unknown. But whatever shapes they construct tend to cause more fear than what may or may not be there. I haven't had the dream with the wolf in awhile. Maybe because it was Paul's secret all along that had been searching me out, telling me the truth before he could. Now I dreamt about being alone in a tall dark forest that was unnaturally quiet. I wished the wolf would show up now, but he doesn't. My eyes never adjust to the darkness, the shapes just grow and twist into more menacing figures that get closer with every breath.
When Maya woke up the next morning, the bed was empty next to her. Contrary to Paul's request, Maya had come home around 2 a.m., celebrating every last moment at the summer revival with her friends. When she'd finally dragged herself home in Paul's forerunner, she half expected him to be in bed, waiting up for her to give her a hard time and then take her beneath him. But the house had been empty.
She rolled over to check her phone and saw a text from Paul that had come in around 3 in the morning.
Paul: I'm out for the night. I'll try to catch you in the morning. Jared said you're seeing Kim today. Text me how it goes. Also when I said not too late, I meant before 2 a.m.
Maya smiled, rolling her eyes, and typed a quick message.
M: I will. Missed you last night. I'm taking the car to see Kim today. Is that okay?
Maya opened a text from Kim that had come in early that morning.
Kim: Hey cutie. Want to come in to see me around 10 this morning?
Maya checked the clock. It was just after 9 a.m. She could swing it. When she replied in the affirmative, a swift text from Kim followed.
K: Great! I'll see you then. Tell them you're here to see me at the front and I'll come and grab you.
Maya hauled herself out of bed and quickly showered. After plowing through the top drawer for something suitable. She grimaced, toothbrush in her mouth as she realized she had next to no clothes left over at Paul's. Would he notice if she started leaving more stuff here considering she was here all the time anyway?
She settled for the shorts she wore yesterday and pulled one of Paul's white t-shirts over her head, tying it tightly at the waist. After brushing out her hair and hurrying down the stairs, already running late, her phone lit up. A reply from Paul.
P: Yeah, take the car. I'll be home later this afternoon instead.
Weird. Where was he that he was out all night and all day? She thought about asking him now but decided against it. She wouldn't get an answer outright via text with him. Maya made the 20 minute drive to Forks hospital and gave the nurse at the front desk her name. Kim popped down a few minutes later and looped Maya's arm through hers with a bright smile.
When they were tucked into an examination room, Maya felt the uncertainty rising in her.
"Okay," Kim said, taking a chart out and already jotting down some notes.
"This is a dumb question," Maya interjected. Kim looked up at her surprised. "My mom isn't going to find out I'm here is she?" Maya knew she was silly to be worried about this. Her mom had been absolutely fine with her shacking up at Paul's most nights and she probably assumed that they were having sex, but something in Maya still felt like it needed to be a secret.
"Of course not," Kim said firmly, "Your 18 and these medical records are yours. Totally private. Promise."
"Okay, cool," Maya breathed, loosening her grip on the side of the examination table.
"Alright, so I'm going to ask you some questions that are pretty personal, but they're important and legally I can't share this information with anyone. Pack or not." Kim gave her a reassuring smile. Maya nodded. "Okay, so are you sexually active?"
Maya laughed, "Yes."
"Thought so. And what form of protection are you currently using?"
"Just condoms."
"Multiple partners?"
"What?" Maya said, shocked.
"Have you had any other partners?" Kim asked again professionally.
"No. Just..Just Paul. He's my first." Maya blushed and she wasn't sure why.
"Makes things easy," Kim confirmed. "Okay, before we talk about birth control options, we need to make sure you're not pregnant. So," she handed her a cup, "Take this to the bathroom down the hall to provide a sample. Leave it in the little door in the bathroom. I'll walk you down there."
As Maya completed the awkward task of peeing in a cup, she hoped beyond hope that she wasn't pregnant. Other than the first time they had sex, she was pretty sure Paul hadn't come inside of her. After she deposited her sample, Kim walked her back to the examination room.
"Okay, we should get some results back pretty quickly. But, in the meantime, what kind of birth control were you thinking?" Kim looked at her expectantly. Maya's mouth fell open. She felt wholly unprepared for this question. She only knew about the pill, but was there more than one?
"Uhh," Maya stalled. "I don't…" she faltered and Kim's gaze softened.
"So, there are a few options for you to choose from: the pill, an IUD, shots that you come in for once every three months, or a patch. Speaking imprint to imprint, I'd recommend the shot or the IUD. Emily was on the pill and Sam still got her pregnant with her second less than a year after their first kid. Jared and I had a couple of scares when I was on the pill but once I got an IUD, we didn't have to worry anymore. Assume that these idiots have super sperm and plan accordingly." There was a knock at the door and a nurse handed Kim Maya's results. She glanced at it quickly and smiled, "Not pregnant."
Maya let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding. "Thank god."
"Tell me about it. Do you know how stoked the council would be if you got pregnant at 18?" Kim laughed. Maya quirked her eyebrow at her.
"Wouldn't they be upset? That would ruin my plans for college."
"Ahh, no. Remember how aggressive they were about you and Paul having a relationship? Yeah, multiply that times ten when it comes to kids. They want every imprint to have lots and lots of kids. Even Sam and Emily who are on their fourth are being encouraged to have more. It's insane." Kim looked truly annoyed by this.
"Didn't realize they were such advocates for teenage pregnancy," Maya matched Kim's energy, her tone annoyed. Her mind flashed back to Chief Black seemingly threatening her to re-establish her relationship with Paul and she felt a chill rush through her.
"Oh yeah, the earlier you start the more kids you're likely to have. I swear to god, the second Jared and I turned 18, Elder Mila was like all over me about having kids. It doesn't stop."
"Gross," Maya looked at Kim now, "I'm sorry they're on you about it. Your life is important, with or without kids."
Kim smiled, a little sad and nodded, "Jared's with me on the kid front. We definitely want them, but when I'm ready. And so far, I haven't been so.. Fuck em." She laughed and Maya was a little taken aback by her honesty. She wanted to know Kim better—all of the imprints—since they shared a singular defining feature between them: they had all been chosen and deeply loved by a member of the pack.
"Anyway," Kim breathed out, "What are you thinking then?"
"Definitely the IUD," Maya said.
"That's what I was going to recommend. If Paul is anything like Jared, he most definitely will not want to keep wearing condoms because they're big babies about it." Kim made a note on her chart and then stood up saying, "Great, I'll get the attending OB in and she'll get you squared away!"
"Thanks Kim...so much, really. You're a lifesaver," Maya said, relieved.
"Anytime babe. You should come by Emily's more often. We usually hang there on the weekends if the guys are out doing rounds. Just swing by, the door's always open." Kim gave her a hug and Maya agreed that she would.
After thirty traumatic minutes with the OB inserting her IUD and snapping it into place, Maya left the Forks hospital lighter than she came in. When her phone lit up as she climbed into Paul's car, she was surprised to see the number that popped up: Sadie. She answered right away.
"Hey!" Maya couldn't control the weird excitement in her voice. She could tell Sadie was smiling when she answered.
"Hey Maya! Uh, weird question. Do you want to grab some lunch with me today?"
"Absolutely! What time?"
"I just got out of class, so want to meet at the diner on Main at about noon?"
"Sure!" She was thrilled.
"Great! I'll see you there." Sadie sounded equally pleased.
After they hung up, Maya made a beeline for her house to change and gather some things to keep at Paul's before making her way to the diner to meet her. She hugged Sadie, who stood up to greet her when she entered the diner, a textbook laying open on the table next to two iced teas.
"Thanks so much for meeting me on such short notice. I felt like I barely got to talk to you the other day," Sadie said, a smile stretched across her heart shaped face.
"Of course! I'm honestly so glad you called." They sat down across from one another in the cozy diner booth and a waitress was over to take their orders shortly.
The two immediately descended into easy conversation about school, family, plans, life, the whole gambit. After thirty minutes, Maya felt like she had known Sadie all of her life and she held nothing back.
"Paul's been out all day and all night on rounds. It's kind of odd," Maya said between bites of her chicken santa fe salad.
"Mmm, I mean they do them all the time. I feel like I've barely spent a full night with Seth in over a month," Sadie replied.
"Wait… how long have you and Seth been together?!" Maya said surprised.
"Let's see. He technically imprinted back in February, I think? And we officially got together in early March." she confirmed. Maya's mouth dropped open and Sadie looked taken aback, "What?"
"Paul literally just told me the DAY I met you that Seth imprinted." She couldn't believe it.
"What!? I knew about you like right after Seth and I got together. Do you not see Paul a lot or something?" Sadie asked. Maya prickled a little.
"We see each other almost everyday…" True. Things had been a little rocky for them at the start, but Maya was starting to suspect that maybe Paul didn't share a lot of info with her about the pack as maybe other members did with their imprints. Was that intentional? She wondered.
"It's probably nothing. Seth said Paul tries to be pretty private about you two, so maybe he just focuses on you and not weird pack politics when he's with you," Sadie shrugged, "I did think it was a little weird though that a Beta's imprint wasn't like...second in command to Emily or something." Sadie let out a laugh and when she saw the crestfallen look on Maya's face she immediately corrected and apologized, "Oh my god, Maya. No. I'm sorry that came out wrong."
"What do you mean...beta?" Maya said. She had remembered Becks saying something like that when Keye had first told her about Paul being a shifter.
"He really hasn't told you anything?" Sadie asked in a small voice. Maya stared at her and shook her head slowly. "Weird. Okay, well from my very limited outside understanding, Sam is the alpha of the pack. And Paul is his second in command—the beta. But since Sam started having more kids, his attention has been more divided and Paul has kind of taken the reins on a lot of pack stuff. As far as I know, he organizes protection rounds, is Sam's stand in a lot of the time, and can give alpha orders if absolutely necessary. Alpha orders seem like a really really big deal according to how Seth describes them—they like physically cannot ignore them they're so strict. But I don't think they really use them much anymore."
"So...he's like in charge?" Maya said. Sadie shrugged.
"Most of the time. Sam is still a very active member of the pack, but for the most part, it sounds like Paul handles rounds. Runs a pretty tight ship. He seems like a dude who likes to be in control," Sadie looked up at Maya seriously.
"Yeah, you can say that again." Maya thought she had faced the brunt of Paul's controlling behavior, but maybe it didn't even come close. "Does Seth like to keep tabs on you all the time?"
"What do you mean?" Sadie genuinely asked.
"Like, does he need to know where you are all the time and get agitated if he doesn't?"
"Mmm, not really. I mean, Seth kind of knows where I am anyway. They can sense their imprints if they're pretty nearby and we have the most recognizable scent to them. But no...he doesn't ask where I am all the time. Is Paul pretty protective?"
"Yeah, like desperately so. To be fair, I have taken off a couple of times and had some close calls, but he does hold on pretty tightly."
"Do you mind it though?" Maya thought about Sadie's question for a moment and then with a breath of release she said,
"I don't think I do. I kind of love that about him. But that might just be the imprint telling me to like it." She laughed and fell silent for a second.
"Or, you just love him." Sadie said simply. Maya's eyes shot to meet hers.
"What?!" Genuine shock colored her voice.
"You're...you're in love with him aren't you?" Sadie said unsure now. Maya paused, opening and closing her mouth.
"I….I don't know," she finally said. Sadie looked at her a little sad and grabbed her hand across the table. "I probably should," Maya choked out, taking a sip of tea to quench her suddenly dry throat. Did all imprints instantly love their imprinters? Was there something wrong with Maya? She cared for Paul so much, wanted him around her all of the time, and was excited to be with him, but everything still felt so new. "Are you in love with Seth?"
"Absolutely." Sadie said without missing a beat. And she meant it too.
"Oh," Maya said in a small voice.
"Everyone moves at their own pace," Sadie said matter-of-factly.
"Right," Maya replied after another gulp, "Let's talk about something else."
"Wolf-related or not?" Sadie smiled and Maya forged ahead:
"What is something I probably don't know about the pack, seeing as Paul literally tells me nothing?"
"Hmmm, well, they can hear each other's thoughts when they're in wolf form. See each other's memories, all that."
"WHAT?!" Maya said a little too loudly. Sadie nodded her head and continued,
" Yeah, I'm honestly surprised Paul has so much self control over his thoughts about your guys' relationship. Seth said he keeps a pretty tight lid on stuff. Every member of the pack has definitely seen me naked in Seth's mind at this point," she let out a laugh and shook her head, "Oh well, comes with the territory."
"You mean...they can see.."
"Yeah. Everything. And knowing those freaks, they don't really hide a lot of the details. Maybe that's where Paul's protective streak comes in handy though. Mr. Control won't let anyone see his imprint naked as if his life depends on it," Sadie giggled and Maya went a little red before joining in.
"I had no idea…"
"You should ask him about this stuff. Honestly, it's super weird he hasn't filled you in before this. But maybe he just didn't want to overwhelm you?" Sadie suggested.
"Maybe.." Maya was determined to ask him now. He had said previously that he just wanted their relationship to be just the two of them before the wolf stuff got introduced. But now that she was a part of the fold, she just thought he'd tell her everything she needed to know. Apparently not.
After another hour of chatting, Maya hugged Sadie goodbye and they promised to get together again this weekend at Emily's. She checked her phone and like clockwork, there was Paul.
Paul: Did you have fun with Sadie?
She shouldn't be surprised that he knew given the information that Sadie had spilled but still, she let out a laugh of astonishment.
M: Stalker much? Yes, I did. It was very enlightening.
P: You don't say. I'm headed home soon. Meet me there.
M: Okay, on my way.
He never asked, he just told her to do things, but Maya found it easy to oblige. She felt that familiar pang in her stomach at the distance from him and desperately wanted to see him soon.
When she pulled up to the house and grabbed her duffel bag out of the back seat, she felt the pain ebb in her stomach. Maybe that was what Sadie had been referring to when she said imprints could sense each other.
Maya unlocked and pushed the door open, slipping out of her shoes and leaving her stuffed duffel bag by the stairs.
"Paul?" she called out. Silence. Must not be back yet. She walked over to the kitchen and opened the fridge to pour herself a glass of water and popped herself up to sit on the counter, swinging her legs like a little kid. A few minutes later, she heard the front door open and her body filled with relief. The old saying was true: you never really know what you've got until it's gone...even temporarily. Paul rounded the corner to the kitchen and seeing Maya perched on the counter, a smile washed over his face and he let out a noise of satisfaction, striding over to her instantly. He set a stack of mail he had gathered in the space beside her and immediately dug his hands under her shirt, holding firmly to her waist to satiate his need for skin contact. His lips were on hers in a hungry kiss and Maya crashed against him, letting her body push against his bare chest as her arms wrapped around his neck.
After a few breathless moments where they reconnected to one another, Paul's hands pressing and squeezing around her waist and lower back, Maya leaned back to look at him.
"Where have you been?" she pouted only a little bit, but it pulled a light laugh from Paul.
"Pack stuff, no big deal," he dismissed. Maya irked a little at this. "Come take a shower with me."
"I already took a shower today," she protested as he slid her off the counter, his hands grabbing her ass. He lowered his head to kiss her forehead and around her face.
"Fine, a bath then," he nodded toward the bathroom off the kitchen that held an oversized tub that Maya always wanted to try.
"Mmm, I'm good," Maya pushed back, pressing her hands to his chest and setting space between them. Paul raised an eyebrow at her. "Take a shower and then come tell me about your night," she offered instead, pulling out of his arms and walking toward the staircase.
"Did I do something?" Paul asked as Maya leaned over to grab her duffel bag.
"No! Not at all." Maya was only being a little defiant, but she could tell that the itch to control things was pulling at Paul.
"What's in the bag?" he asked as he walked up and grabbed it off her shoulder, pulling her up the stairs with him. Maya let him.
"Some clothes, I was running out of things to wear here that wasn't just sleep stuff, and I was hoping I could keep some things here...just as backup." Maya said tentatively. She wasn't sure why she felt shy all of the sudden. Paul set the duffel bag on the bed and turned toward her putting her face in his broad hands.
"I'd prefer you keep all of your stuff here if I'm being honest." Maya let a little gasp escape her and he leaned down to kiss her gently. "Clear out whatever space you need and let me know if I should build an extra dresser. I'll be back in a minute," he said shortly before turning to the bathroom. Maya stood frozen in place with whiplash. Paul had this uncanny ability to be overwhelmingly sweet that made her lose her breath and then pulling away just when she wanted more. She thought about joining him in the shower for a moment just to please him and see that aching smile on his face, but instead she unzipped her duffel bag and started unpacking some things in his closet and shuffling things in his drawers to fit her stuff in.
She had only unpacked half her bag when she stopped, hands on her hips. She was definitely going to need her own dresser. Maya heard the shower turn off and Paul emerged, gorgeous and hair dripping with a soft towel around his waist. She looked over her shoulder at him and said softly, "I think I am going to need you to build me a dresser." He came up behind her and kissed along her shoulder.
"Whatever you want," he said in her ear. It made her shiver. "Why are you still dressed?" He asked seriously, his hands pulling at her shirt. Maya smiled and turned in his grasp as he pulled her shirt up over her head. He unsnapped her bra quickly and filled his wide hands with each breast. Maya reveled at how neatly they fit in his grasp and has he ran his thumbs over each of her nipples, he lowered his head to bite gently at her lower lip before pressing his lips to her neck. Maya unfastened her shorts and shimmied out of them, followed quickly by her underwear. Paul had backed her up so that she was pressed against the wall. Her hands pulled at the towel at his waist and she took him in her hand.
"Let me grab a condom," he breathed in her ear. Maya wrapped her arm around his neck and shook her head, pulling him close.
"You don't have to," she was rubbing him against her now and his hands had slipped to tightly grab her ass. A small smile played at his lips as he looked down at her.
"Oh?" he said, she nodded enthusiastically and he lifted her up, pressing her to the wall and entering her fast. She let out a startled cry and let him fall into a fast and easy rhythm between her legs, letting out little moans and cries that egged him on. That hard and desperate look was back in his face now and as he spun her off the wall and dropped her on the bed to finish her there, Maya kept her eyes locked on him. Paul pounded into her fast, lowering his mouth to hers and nibbling at her neck. When he reached is end, he pulled back to look at her and said in a loud breathy voice, "Fuck, Maya!" before thrusting into her deeply and finishing inside of her.
The feeling of it, much like the first time they had sex, was unlike any other time. Maya shuddered in overwhelming release and felt her body exhale. She had never felt more complete than in this moment and when Paul slowly eased out of her, she let out a sigh so sweet that he cupped a hand to the side of her face and pressed his forehead to hers saying, "I love you so goddamn much, My."
Maya let out an elated giggle and tilted her head forward to kiss him softly before he rolled off of her, his arm draped across her stomach.
"You must be exhausted," she said, turning toward him and placing a hand softly on his face. His eyes were closed and he was catching his breath.
"Yeah," he breathed, "Do you need anything? I was going to take a nap for a few hours before I head out."
Maya's eyes pulled over his closed face. "You're leaving again?" she said softly. He opened his eyes now and pulled her a little closer.
"Yeah, I have to run rounds again," he said nonchalantly.
"Why didn't you tell me you were Beta?" Maya said suddenly. She hadn't meant to ask this question. She knew he needed to sleep, but something in her pulled it out of her. Paul turned his head to kiss the palm of her hand.
"Didn't seem important." he grabbed her wrist now and pulled it off his face to rest on his shoulder.
"Well, how was I supposed to know that I was the imprint of the second in command if you didn't tell me? What if I had like...duties or something?" Maya was grasping at straws here. Paul gave her an amused look that said she was being silly.
"Do...do you have duties I'm unaware of?" Paul said, the teasing clear in his voice. Maya pouted again.
"I mean...no, but I would have liked to be in the loop a bit more. Sadie's been an imprint for less time than me, but she seems to know way more. I had no idea you ran the show when Sam was away or about the wolf telepathy thing—"
"Ah fuck, she told you about that?!" Paul seemed genuinely irritated. He stood up now and dug through his drawers for a pair of briefs. Maya sat up, acutely aware of him dripping from between her thighs now. She quickly made her way to the bathroom and cleaned herself up before re-emerging and donning some sleep shorts and fitted tank top that didn't leave much to the imagination.
"Was she not supposed to tell me or something? Thanks for not showing my boobs to everybody." Maya picked up their conversation. Paul snuck past her to brush his teeth and then sunk back into bed, pulling her with him.
"The general rule is that the imprinter gets to tell their imprint stuff when they're ready. I didn't share all this shit with you right away because...we were still getting to know each other and I wanted to keep things as simple as possible. For as long as possible." He had her tucked into his side and Maya could tell sleep was going to over take him soon.
"Fair. But I would really like it if you started to share more stuff with me….Paul?" she said softly. But he was gone. Maya settled in on his chest and let herself drift off for a little bit.
Maya woke up an hour later in the cool room. Clouds had rolled in and a storm was rumbling just offshore. Paul was fast asleep and Maya gently unwound herself from his grasp. She tossed the blanket at the bottom of his bed over him and padded softly downstairs.
After a few hours, Paul stumbled down the stairs rubbing his eyes. He'd thrown on a shirt and some pants and when he came into the kitchen, Maya was finishing up the stir fry she had made him for dinner.
"Hey," she said with a smile as he walked in and immediately came up behind her to wrap his arms around her waist and kiss her shoulder.
"Smells good," he said as he yawned. Maya reached her hand up behind her to touch the stubble on his jaw as he ran his fingers tips lightly across her stomach.
"Good, should be done here in just a minute."
"Thank you," he said softly, kissing on her neck a minute and pulling a soft sound of satisfaction from Maya's throat before letting go of her to sort through the mail on the counter. Maya scooped some stir fry into bowls for them and carried it to the table. She uncovered the dumplings she had prepared earlier and sucked some sauce off her thumb.
"This is for you," he said, handing her an envelope. Maya, surprised, took it tentatively from his hand.
"For me?!" Maya turned over the envelope that was hand addressed. "Who's sending me mail here?" She opened it and sat down at the table. When she opened the envelope and pulled out the folded paper, something fell out onto the table. Paul sat in the chair across from her digging into his stir fry. "What is…" Maya picked up the familiar black card and turned it over in her hand. She was confused for a moment and then saw her name printed in neat letters on the bottom of the card.
"Paul what is this?" she looked up at him in shock and between mouthfuls of food, he said casually.
"It's a graduation present."
"What?!" She looked back down at the card, "Is this? Did you? What…" She looked back up at him and he shrugged.
"It's easier than giving you my card all the time and I'd feel better knowing you always have money if you need it."
"Paul this is….way too much," she looked down at the card again.
"You always say that." Paul replied, picking up some dumplings and dropping them in his bowl.
"I...I can't take this," Maya put it on the table and slid it across to him. Paul stopped eating and looked at her seriously.
"My. Don't make this hard." He had a firm look on his face and he pushed the card back to her.
"Paul, this is a fucking black card. With my name on it. I can't—" Maya tried to push it back but the look on his face stopped her.
"My, I need you to understand this so please hear me when I say this...you're it for me. Whatever happens, this is it. You'll always be my responsibility, and I will always take care of you. No matter what. That card has your name on it for a reason. There are no strings attached. I want you to use it to buy whatever you want with it—clothes to keep here, dinner when you're with your friends, anything. And I really hope you make it easy on me by taking it and saying thank you so that I can have one less thing to worry about." Maya stared at him for a long time, her mouth slightly open and finally, she placed her hand over the card and took it back.
"Thank you," she said softly. Paul gave her nod and continued eating. Maya ate slow careful bites, her eyes glued to this man who in all other moments seemed like a closed book, but then did overwhelming things like this that knocked her off her feet. The rain pounded against the back door and Maya's eyes drifted over to the sound. When she finished eating, Paul stood up and took her bowl from her. They had eaten in tense silence after the black card incident and Maya felt weirdly nervous. Something else seemed to be bothering him and she didn't know how to get it out of him. Despite the intense connection they shared, Maya still felt brand new to this relationship. And she realized that she almost felt embarrassed by her inexperience.
Paul was her first everything. As she watched him wash the dishes, she itched to get closer to him. She drifted over and wrapped her arms around his abdomen laying her head on his back. He stopped and placed his hand on top of hers. When he turned his body to take her in his arms, she looked up at him.
"I don't get why you fight me on stuff sometimes," he said, his voice gentle, all the tension gone. "And why you don't…" He stopped himself, his hands gripped tightly to her back.
"Why I don't what?" she asked, her eyes flush with concern.
"Nothing, My. I'm just trying to take care of you. Let me take care you," he said earnestly. Maya sighed and buried her face in his chest now.
"Fine, but does it have to be a black card?" He leaned down and kissed the top of her head.
"You weren't so opposed in Santa Monica. What did you call me? A sugar daddy?" He laughed and Maya felt buffeted by the sound. She looked up at him and smiled.
"Yeah, but this card is mine. My name and everything. That just feels like so much more." She breathed.
"Let me ask you this...we're together right?" he said.
"Yeah," Maya said slowly, watching his face now.
"So that makes you mine right?"
"Yeah, so?"
"So think of this as just an extension of that feeling. You're mine and that means I want to give you everything that I can. Am I allowed to take care of you the way that I want?" his eyes raked over hers and Maya held onto his gaze before she nodded.
"Yes, you are." She breathed. He leaned down and planted a soft kiss to her lips.
"Then let me."
"Okay," she gave in. If this was something he wanted, she could give that to him. Plus, she didn't have to actually use the card if she didn't want to. He held her for a moment, her head pressed against his chest as the sound of the rain pummeled the house.
"I gotta go," he said gently.
"In this?" her grip automatically tightened around his back as if she could make him stay put. "Why?"
"Duty calls," he said, unwrapping himself slightly from her. "Can you stay here tonight? I don't want you out in this."
"I don't want you out in this," she retorted. He chuckled and put his hand under her chin so that she was looking up at him.
"I'm a little more durable than you. I'll try not to be home too late this time," he kissed her long and slow and when she came up for air he said, "Promise me you'll stay put tonight." She didn't know why he asked this but she agreed to it anyway. At this point, Maya felt like Paul could get her to agree to just about anything.
"Promise."