Good morning, my lovely readers! Sorry for the wait. I obviously spent Christmas and New year with the family and then started a new job so this has been a working progress every morning on the way to work. I hope you enjoy it. Thank you for all the reviews, follows etc. I love hearing what you guys think!
Contagious chemistry chapter 4
Surveying the empty space that lay before him, Paul frowned. The crushing realisation that Bella had left was beginning to dawn on him and it surprised him just how disappointed he felt at her absence. A knot started to form in his gut and treading slowly, he trudged over to the sofa and collapsed into a heap. His head in his hands, he chastised himself for having pushed Bella too far too quick. What an idiot he was for trying to make their relationship physical. Even if she had reacted in the way he wanted, the fact that she had left clearly spoke volumes. It sent a message and the message was that she didn't want Paul.
Lamenting in rejection, the sullen young man sat in silence for what felt like an eternity. His patrol shift had lasted most of the day and even with the spring weather beginning to improve slightly, it was still grey skies and drizzling rain when he looked out of the window. He gained comfort in staring at the miserable weather, but found himself unable to sit still. A frustrated energy was pulsing through his tightly wound body. Jumping up, he knocked over an empty mug he had left hours previously on the coffee table. His legs had a mind of their own and they surged forward as he ran out of his childhood home and down the street until he reached the home of Billy and Jacob Black. Paul pounded on the door until it was ripped open by Jacob himself who wore a scowl of annoyance at the incessant banging caused by his pack brother.
"What is it now, Paul?"
Mouth agape, he stared at Jacob intent on interrogating the young man about the whereabouts of his best friend until a movement in the corner of the room caught his attention. Looking up from under her lashes, Bella locked eyes with her temperamental protector and blushed. When she made no attempt to move or address him, Paul shook his head and silently stormed away.
Bella was convinced that it would be her first night without Paul. She had stayed as late as possible with Jacob, talking and exploring First Beach as she tried to get her mind off the crestfallen expression on Paul's face, until the journey home could no longer be postponed any further. She had waited hours. Reading had held a promise of distraction but she was met with only failure as she was unable to conjure up the characters in her head and concentrate on their fictional adventures. Some time had been spent mindlessly watching the News with Charlie that was interspersed with brief conversation. When she had eventually dragged herself to bed, it was almost midnight and there was still no sound of her usual night time guest. The window had been left open and the blankets and pillow were on the floor next to her. It surprised her just how bitterly disappointed she was that Paul had not returned for the night and she surmised that it must have been the same for him when he had come home from his patrols. It hadn't been her intention to stay away as long as she had. She had felt extremely awkward sitting in his house and the time had just gotten away from her whilst at the Black residence.
She awoke that Sunday morning to blazing heat. She had dreamed fitfully for most of the night but as she woke, she did so from a pleasant dream of hot sun and warm sand. A groan echoed deep in her ear and with sleep still in her eyes, she shifted and turned to see Paul asleep next to her in bed; dressed in his shorts and t-shirt with one arm flung over her and holding her close to him.
She was relieved to see him but for a moment she wondered if she were still dreaming. It was only when she shifted once more so she was fully facing the young man in her bed, and heard him mumble her name and nuzzle deep into her neck, that she became sure she was really awake.
"Bella!"
Boots thudded on the stairs. Panic rose quickly in Bella's chest and she shot from her bed immediately; standing and tripping over Paul and crashing to the ground. Her clumsy landing woke him and before he could say anything, her hand was clasped over his mouth. He understood when he saw the urgency in her eyes and heard the gruff tones of Charlie Swan as he finally ascended the staircase and journeyed the short corridor that held both his and his daughter's bedrooms and the bathroom. With nimble limbs and perfect timing, Bella caught the door handle just as her father did a short knock and began to twist the knob.
"Hey, Dad." Bella said, with panting breath as she wrenched open to door.
Charlie surveyed his only daughter for a minute. He was sure he had heard a bang on his way up the stairs and Bella's heavy breathing and wide eyes further piqued his interest.
"Everything okay?" He asked with raised brows.
"Fine. I just fell out of bed. You know how clumsy I am."
"Get that from your old man." Mused Charlie. "Anyway, breakfast's on me, kiddo. Pancakes. Hurry up and get dressed."
"That's great, Dad. I'll be down in a minute."
Closing the door and leaning against it to listen for her father's exit, Bella heard Paul speak and she found him hiding in the corner of her room that would have been obscured by the open door.
"He's gone."
It was Paul who spoke. Venturing from the shadows of his hiding place, he stepped out and not for the first time, he noted just how much taller he was than the young woman. They stood together purposely avoiding each other's eyes but time was ticking by fast.
"Why did you leave?"
"Why were you in my bed?"
They questioned one another at the same time and fell silent at the same time. Both sighed. Bella crossed her arms over her chest whilst Paul rubbed sheepishly at the back of his neck. He had been so childishly angry about her disappearance but it had been impossible to stay away for the night. He had gotten so used to sleeping near her that his own bedroom had felt eerie and empty without the soft, gentle sounds of her sleeps breaths. She had already been asleep when he had crept in through the window she had kept open for him, and the appeal had lay with her warm body tangled up in bed sheets.
"I have to get dressed. Charlie's going to be back up in a minute if I don't hurry."
Turning her back, Bella grabbed an outfit from her drawers and made her way to the bathroom to change and brush her teeth. It was obvious that Paul had no intention of leaving. When she returned a short while later, he was sitting on the edge of her bed, elbows on his thighs as she leaned forward, and stared at her making her blush when she remembered their kiss the previous day.
"You're blushing."
"You're still here."
Paul paused. "What are you doing tomorrow?"
"School. The same as you."
Catching her by the elbow, Paul made her face him and repressed the urge to kiss her. He hated the twisting coil of unwanted and unfamiliar emotions in his gut, but staying away from Bella Swan was absolutely no longer an option. Admitting his feelings to Jared had been the final nail. He could no longer pretend that their flirtations were innocent; that he was insistent on being the only one guarding Bella because he was the best of the Pack. He wanted her. And he would be damned if he wasn't going to have her.
"Skip it."
Bella scoffed. "I'm not skipping school, Paul, and neither should you. You're smarter than you think and you should put the effort in."
The last part had come out quietly and the two almost lovers were silent. It gave Paul a strange glow to know Bella thought so highly of him and he was certain that her comment had been the first compliment she had ever paid him.
"Tonight then?"
"Paul-"
"Please." He pleaded, wanting badly to run his hands through Bella's shiny, brunette locks and drown himself in her scent.
"Bella!"
Charlie's voice echoed through the crack in the door and forced Bella to pull away. Reaching the door, she pulled it open before seeming to change her mind. Biting her bottom lip, she was still for several seconds then bounded across the room. On the tips of her toes, she placed a gentle kiss on Paul's lips. Before he even had a chance to react, she was off him and running out of the room. He could hear the quiet conversation between father and daughter, and even when they left he stayed where he was; sleeping away the morning tangled up in Bella's bed-sheets and dreaming peacefully.
The sky was dark. Not pitch black, but a deep indigo blue that held infinite hints of darkness and the promise of adventure. The soft reassuring glow of street lights had been left behind long ago and Bella stumbled with every step she took. The scent of damp grass assaulted her nostrils. All around her the sound of nocturnal forest animals kept her on her toes and she tried hard not to be startled with every hoot of an owl or snapping of a twig. Her hand was clasped firmly in Paul's; he was her navigator in the unfamiliar territory. When he stopped suddenly, the anxious young woman found that they were lining the edge where the forest meets the sand of First Beach. The tide was in and it glimmered every so often when the moon dared to peak from behind the clouds.
"What are we doing here, Paul?"
"You'll see." He replied with a wicked grin; stepping out of his sneakers and pulling his t-shirt over his head.
She knew it was wrong to look and she did her best not to… until Paul unbuttoned his denim cutoffs and she was graced with the site of his bare back and naked bottom. He was toned in a way no-one her age should be and she gawked at him in complete awe; wondering whether he had felt the same appreciation upon accidentally seeing her naked. She doubted it.
"See something you like?" Paul whispered over his shoulder, a teasing note rolling off his tongue.
"Um, Paul… I don't think…"
"Relax, my little Peach."
One second Paul was standing naked before her and the next, she was face to face with a giant beast of a wolf. Grey fur tickled her cheek as the wolf descended upon her and nudged her tenderly with its snout. It was a marvel to see Paul in his wolf form again. Although this time, he was not snarling viciously at her. No. This time he was gazing quizzically at her and lowering himself. Full of apprehension, Bella stroked the fur on Paul's wolf back and rubbed it with her fingers, earning her a growl of approval. It took her a while to understand what Paul wanted from her but eventually she figured it out and tentatively climbed onto him. Clutching to him for dear life, she let out a yelp when he jetted off straight into the water and sprayed them both with the salty sea water. He ran from one end of the water logged beach to the other and back until Bella lost count from dizziness. When they finally stopped and wandered back into the safety of the forest, Bella basked in the exhilaration that coursed through her body. So lost in her thoughts she didn't notice that her companion had returned to human form and was now fully dressed; jet black hair damp and textured with sea salt.
"What did you think?"
"That was amazing!" Bella exclaimed, breathing hard.
"Good." Paul smiled, advancing on the young woman. "I've never done that with any girl before… obviously."
He was almost on top of her now, having sought her out with honourably dishonourable intentions, and the small touch of his hand on her waist sent Bella into a tailspin. He caught her mouth with his and gifted her a lush, deep kiss that left him wanting so much more. Things he knew Bella wasn't ready to do. Reigning himself back in, Paul gulped and pecked the tip of her nose with his lips; not caring even a little that his shirt was soaked from the contact with hers.
"We should get you home and out of those clothes."
"Excuse me?" Bella said with raised eyebrows, not sure whether he was being innocent.
"Bella…" Paul replied with a sigh and a pained groan then placed his forehead against hers. "As much as I would love to keep on touching you, I was actually more concerned with you catching your death standing there, head to toe, completely soaking."
"Oh…" she whispered, embarrassed for questioning his intentions but knowing that she had heard enough stories to understand why she had done so.
"Not that I wouldn't love to see you naked again. I just don't want to screw this up."
For the young Swan woman, silence was the best option. Months had passed since Edward and his family had left. She had gotten over acting like a love sick crackhead. Edward had been an obsession from the moment she had laid eyes on him. Paul was a natural evolution.