Kim's POV

I didn't expect my schedule to fit so well into Jared's. With my busy everyday schedule and his disappearing act I thought I'd only get a glimpse of him if he came to school, and only stayed long enough for our history class. Yet who could have believed that I see Jared Cameron everyday.

He waits up for me everyday after school to walk me home, even when he misses (which I don't like). Or sometimes he meets halfway on my walk home and we take a longer detour. Depending on the day if he's at his mom's or dad's he asks me to come over to go over what he missed and help him catch up at either his mom's kitchen table or dad's couch. I make sure he does his homework, I walk him to school every morning or drag him. I can't do much about him falling asleep in classes. I wake him up when I can, but the only thing that can wake him up is the loud school bell. He's a thick sleeper.

And my new favorite part of the day, he calls me each night before bed.

"Careful," Jared easily finds me at the beach with water up to my ankles. It's more than a coincidence or a run in. Wherever I am he seems to just appear out of the woods. "I can hold that for you." He offers, holding out his hand for the bucket.

I say thanks in a grateful smile, my cramped hands thankful for the break. I stretch them out and ball them up a couple of times, but the sand sticking to my skin refuses to budge.

"School project?" He questions, looking into my bucket for a hint.

"Collecting sea glass for our biology class. But there's more trash than sea glass." I say disappointed, softly kicking a forgotten sandal away. "It wasn't like this when were kids."

"Found some!" Jared exclaims, reveling a handful of shiny green and blue sea glass. He beams at me with a toothy smile that shouts 'praise me please.'

"Woah, how did you find so much?" I ask in awe, doubling around to see if I really missed that much. All I see is the dark murky water so thick I could barely make out the thick crumbs of seaweed apart from the water. The gloomy overcast sky certainly doesn't help. There's not much light, but today was perfect for this project because it was the first day it hadn't rained all week.

"I eat my carrots." He smirks, finding another handful further down the shoreline.

"You're like a bloodhound." I don't miss the slightest flinch of Jared's broad shoulders. Blink and you miss it. Maybe I don't need glasses, perhaps Jared really has superb eyesight.

"How much do you need?" He asks, still bent over the pail. He looks so devoted and focused, but looks massive compared to the bucket. Jared is so tall and musclier his hand doesn't fit all the way around the handle. I smile into my hand, trying to suppress the laugh bubbling up.

"You keep laughing at me and I won't help you with your project." He warns jokingly.

"Yes sir." I nod, my face too eager to be sarcastic and coy like Jared's, but I can't help the huge smile spreading across my face. Jared pauses, taking me all in before his face darkens with a serious look.

"You shouldn't tease me like," I almost think he's mad, but the heated look in his eyes makes my stomach tighten up. "Go sit on the beach before I get fresh. I need a few minutes." My knees buckle all the way up the hike up towards the beach so bad I barely make it up before I sink into the sand and wait for Jared to collect himself. My blood pounds in my ears, and I undo my braid to shield my reddening ears before he sees.

I watch him from the shore, browns eyes tracing over the lines of his body and lingering on the curves. Even from this far away I'm struggling to catch my breath. With his back to me, he's still about knee deep in the lapping water, the only movement being the rise and fall of his shoulders. After a moment he's doing small laps in the gentle waves, head bent while glaring at the water.

Ten minutes later and neither of us still can't calm down. My heart pounds a few beats too much per minute, making me a bit dizzy. Jared trudges up, carefully lowering a few feet away from me and purposely putting the filled bucket between us.

"Thank you." I busy myself with rolling down my jeans back to my ankles, eyes never looking up from my denim. I haven't been nervous around Jared in ages. Not since he came back to school. It was like that school girl crush never happened, the sheepishness and gitters went away. But the feelings for Jared stayed.

But right now I'm not nervous. I'm excited.

My toes curl into the sand. There's a thrilling chill going down my spine and it feels like every inch of my body near Jared is on fire. The space between us is charged, the air heavy with something easily confused with tension; and I can taste the charge of it.

With a huff Jared stands to his feet so suddenly and silently, like an animal rising on its hind legs. He glares down at me, before a mean looking smirk spread across his face, it almost looks painful.

"Damn it, you're so pretty."

Jared's POV

I might have to dunk my head into ocean. I've done everything Sam has taught me; the deep breathing exercises, relaxing my mind and the moments to myself aren't helping at all.

The transformation into a werewolf was the most difficult trial of my life, but imprinting onto Kim is proving to be nearly just as hard. Imprinting isn't as simple as meeting your soulmate. It's not love at first sight. No, it's everything in one look. It's fondness, admiration, affection, love, and especially attraction, all jammed pack into one instant moment. And everyday I haven't told Kim it's been every single one of the those feelings at all times.

I don't know how I'm not constantly overwhelmed. I've been working on my control, but it's taking all of me not to give into the hottest sensation searing away at my will; attraction.

I could just take her right here in the sand. Take two steps over and be closer to her than I've ever been. The only two things stopping me is the reminder of how I haven't explained to Kim yet. Also, how we're in the middle of a public beach where anyone can see us.

She's mouthwatering.

Before the wolf, I use to always want low collared shirts and short-shorts. Now Kim is right here in jeans and a pink rain coat over a chunky green sweater, showing barley any skin beside from the neck up and I find it sexier than a playboy.

I can feel everything Kim is feeling from just the look on her face. She's coming undone. I can feel her brown eyes on me like a hand feeling across my body. Her cheeks are flushed pink, steamy instead of rosy. The color creeps all the way down her neck and disappears under her sweater, her chest rising up and down so teasingly. Kim reeks of pheromones, a fresh honey scent dripping with heat and salt hitting me right in the face. I can hear the uneven beat of her heart in her chest. It's deafening loud in my ears and pushing closer and closer to brink with every count.

"You're staring at me." At the sound of Kim's voice my eyes fall shut. Struggling to concentrate, I remind myself how I haven't even held her hand or take her out on a proper date. I suck in big takes of the salty air to counts of three like Sam taught me, but it didn't help much before.

"Because you're crazy beautiful." I manage, my throat feeling dry.

"Wow, Jared Cameron called me beautiful." Kim tries at a joke, her voice near a tremble. My resolve cracks, and I let out a dry chuckle to ease some of my tension.

I feel like I'm gonna black out.

"We should get you home." I keep the urgency out of voice.

"But I don't want to go home yet." She pauses, and I almost groan. I'm gonna eat her up, like red riding hood and the big bad wolf.

"Before it gets dark." I put my all into focusing on my willpower. It takes a lot out of me. For a moment I fear I'm gonna transform right here into the wolf, but the human in me barely pulls ahead. It's exhausting. Nearly feels like a rage, but I have practice in keeping my wolf at bay when I get angry, but this is a restraint I haven't honed. Is this how Sam feels all the time?

"If you say so," Kim almost forgets her pail of sea glass before getting her wits. I don't know what we need more, cold showers or the truth of the imprint.