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SILVER

Chapter 9: Baby steps.

As the days passed by, Bella grew more comfortable with the pack. She had relayed her conversation with Jake to Paul, who didn't seem surprised by the news. He admitted it was good that he had gotten over his feelings for her because he was not the kind of person to share. Bella had laughed hard at that but admitted she wasn't sharing him either.

"Well, except with Embry, maybe." She said with a devilish smile.

He looked utterly confused, so she showed him the picture she had taken. He snorted and rolled his eyes. "Well, mister. Do I have to worry about Embry?"

He caged her between his body and his kitchen table, resting as much of his body on hers as he could without hurting her. She could feel all of him, and it was distracting. He lowered his head to level his stare with hers. Without uttering a single word, he crashed his lips with hers. It was so similar to their first kiss; it was wild. He devoured her mouth unrestrained. His hands, however, never left her waist, something she appreciated.

Her hands were tugging on the hair at the nape of his neck while her lips followed the wild road his were making. Much too soon for her liking, he broke the connection, looking at her swollen lips and her red cheeks.

"Does this answer your question?" He asked huskily in her ear.

"I don't think so. Maybe you need to kiss me again to make sure." He laughed and kissed her again.

…

…

…

The wolves were getting antsy over the Victoria situation; it seemed like she was taking forever to appear. It didn't help that the Cullens hadn't made contact once. Bella didn't want to be the messenger; if they wanted to speak, they could do as they did before she appeared.

As much as she loved the Cullens, she wanted distance from them. She knew they would never do anything to hurt her, and they had never manipulated her in any way, but the further she was from them, the clearer she could see certain things.

She had spoken to Angela about it. She couldn't understand how deep she had gotten into her infatuation with Edward once he was back, that she was willing to send it all to hell and follow him in a life that she most certainly didn't want. What had gotten into her head?

Paul said he would do anything to make sure she always knew her options. He promised her he would never force her into anything. He would never repeat his parents' mistakes. That had ensued another hot make-out session on his couch.

So far, they hadn't moved their shenanigans to the bedroom; one, because she was not ready, and it was too soon, and two, because he wanted to be respectful. It was enough for now to kiss her with everything he had. Of course, he was not a pleasant company when in wolf form. Even Jared had complained. He kept relieving their only second base session, and the guys were getting tired of the same image. They were used to seeing each other's sex times, but it was tiresome to have them on repeat.

Charlie was happy that Bella was changing for the better. He saw an edge to her that he hadn't seen since she started dating the Cullen kid. He wasn't sure if it was coming back on its own or more of a treat from the reservation guys rubbing on her. Either way, he was not going to look a gift horse on the mouth. He only asked her to be careful and let him know where she was if she was not going to come back for the night.

He was no fool; he knew Bella and Paul could have sex whether he pressured her to spend the nights at home or whether he left her be free. He preferred her to be free and responsible rather than sneak out and get injured or make a mistake she was not ready to face.

Bella appreciated the vote of confidence and tried to follow on her dad's request, always letting him know if she was staying on the reservation.

Usually, she stayed in Jake's room (while he was on the couch or out patrolling; he dared not risk the wrath of Paul). One time she slept at Paul's, she had assured him, countless times, that she was ok with them just sleeping together. But he wasn't sure he could just sleep with her. She rolled her eyes when he pulled the sofa into a sofa bed. His bed was very comfortable, and it was so big, she felt like she was swimming in it. She missed his bed when she went back to her house and slept on her tiny twin bed.

To take their minds out of Victoria and the oncoming fight with her deranged army of newly converted vampires, Paul had invited Bella over to his place for their first official date. He said he wanted to treat her with his cooking, that even though it was not strictly out of this world, it was good enough. He shyly admitted he had never had anyone to cook for. He was excited to show off a little.

Bella smiled at the man in front of her. The same guy she had slapped across the face a few months ago because he had been a part of Jacob's kidnapping and distancing from her. The angry wolf who used to call her leech lover, and many other names. The angry guy that would antagonize her and drive her crazy. The same guy who one day decided to be sweet, for some strange reason. That had been the first time she had connected with him. Then, Jacob called her, and the magic moment was lost. He shifted between being the sweetest and considerate guy, saying the most amazing things to her, doing things to her heart that no one ever had (not even Edward), to being angry, an ass, and fighting with her.

This behavior reached a point where she was so confused by her feelings for him, his behavior, and her feelings for Edward. She knew what she wanted, but it was hard to go back on her word. She had fought with Jake so hard on this topic, but in retrospect, they had stopped these kinds of fights weeks before her first sweet, real moment with Paul.

She came back to reality when Paul cleared his throat, making her notice she hadn't answered yet. She smiled wider, excited to share this with him. It was a very intimate invitation that had nothing to do with sex. "I'd love to. On one condition."

His smile faltered but didn't disappear. He nodded, urging her to continue. "I'll bring dessert."

He crossed the space between them. He grabbed her hands in his. "Are you sure? I mean, I wanted to treat you." He didn't have the amount of money the leeches did. He was never self-conscious about that until he started planning where to take her. He started comparing in his mind the places where they could go on dates versus the places he might have taken her. She was the best thing to ever happen to him, and he wanted to give her the world.

She released their hands and placed them on either side of his neck. She stood on her tiptoes and dropped a kiss on his lips. "It would be my pleasure." She smiled at him. He was the best thing to ever happen to her. He brought her out of her self-conscious shell, aside from the bonus that he was extraordinarily handsome and real. It wasn't at all intimidating dating him as she had felt dating Edward. She felt they were equals, regardless of their physical strength differences.

However, she felt something in his stance and the pregnant silence that filled the room. "Hey." She whispered, moving her hands upwards on his face, forcing their eyes to meet. "What's wrong?"

He sighed, encasing her tiny figure in his arms. She was so damn precious to him. "It's just…" His sigh was heavier this time. "It's intimidating."

"What is, baby?" The endearment rolled out of her tongue without either of them realizing it.

"I want to take you out on dates and meet places, but I can't stop thinking of where he took you first and how I can't compare to that." He didn't have to elaborate more for her to understand what he meant.

She smiled tenderly at him and dropped another kiss on his lips. "First, we didn't go out on dates like you're suggesting. We went on one date before I truly knew what he was, and it was so weird being in a restaurant with someone who doesn't eat." She laughed, remembering how awkward she had felt but how focused she was on getting the truth out of him. "We went to a meadow he had discovered, and we basically spent our time there." He wasn't the type to go out too much; he'd always preferred the quiet and stillness of the meadow. Bella suspected it had to do with how noisy it could get hearing people's thoughts all the time.

Paul nodded, feeling the pressure go a little. "Do you really not mind bringing the dessert?"

Bella relaxed her arms, dropping her hands to rest on his biceps. She shook her head determinedly. "You know I love baking. Besides, I'm not doing anything beyond working."

He nodded and kissed her forehead, to which she smiled. She loved when he kissed her on the forehead. It was such a tender gesture—something he only did in the privacy of their moments.

She hadn't said those three little words to him yet. She had said she had feelings for him, strong ones. She had said he made her reconsider everything she thought was clearly mapped out. She had never been happier to be proven wrong. Perhaps, this was the time to tell him what was on her mind.

She guided him to her sofa, and they both sat beside each other. "You know, what I ever wanted from any guy I imagined falling for was loyalty, love, complicity, friendship, and passion." He gave her a predatory grin, to which she rolled her eyes, making him laugh. "I never cared about fortunes or fancy places to go. Charlie is a simple kind of man. He likes his beers, his fish, steaks, and sports. That's what I was raised on. Renée never stood still long enough to consider anything fancy. She wasn't very stable either." She shook her head. She didn't resent her mother for making her miss so much time with her dad, but it was hard not to; the more time she spent with him, the more she realized he had never gotten over not seeing her for extended periods of time. It was another reason why she was so happy that the universe gave her a chance to meet Paul; it not only allowed her to love and be loved in equal measure, but to stay alive, live long, and provide Charlie the opportunity to see her grow old, go to college, become a mom, etc.

"What I want to say is, I don't care for fancy things. I don't want jewelry, or fancy restaurants, or expensive gifts. I want what I told you. Love, passion, and everything I told you. And I want those things with you. Because I love you, and I can't wait to find out what the future brings."

He smiled widely at her. Before she could utter another word, he crashed his lips with hers in another wild kiss. What was it with them and their wild kisses? If kissing him felt this good, she could only imagine what sex with him must be like.

He kissed her like there was no tomorrow, savoring her lips, teasing her with his tongue until he couldn't handle it anymore, and invaded her mouth with his tongue. She let out a moan. She loved when he let go; she loved to feel wild.

He groaned in return which sent shivers down her spine. She started reclining back on the sofa with him hovering on top of hers. This wouldn't be anything new between them. They had already reached second base the day after he completed the imprint. But they both had admitted it had been a rushed act and that they were going to wait to repeat it or even finish the whole act.

However, they were getting themselves into that situation again. But this time, Bella had enough clarity of mind to break the moment. "What are you doing?" She teased, not moving from underneath him.

He pecked her lips once. "Well, you said you wanted passion." He teased back.

She laughed with him, and eventually, they both sat up.

"For the record, I love you too." She knew it, but it was nice to hear the words.