When I arrived back at Sam's with a trunk full of food for the pack, Emily was a bit thrown off. I told her that I wanted to help out with their needs since they were keeping me safe and she seemed almost offended that I used some of my own money to help take care of them. I'm not sure why but this was unsettling to me. Something about Emily just didn't sit well with me and aside from acting strange about the food purchase, she was really kind so I pushed that feeling aside and helped her with the preparation of baked treats. We also cooked up food for the boys and had a constant supply of hot meals on the go because we never knew when they'd be in. Even when the food got cold, someone would eat it and everything we made that day disappeared.
I only saw Jake once throughout the day. He came in a second time but was so fast, I missed him while I took a bathroom break. Taking care of the pack seemed to come naturally for me. When Jake got in that night, I was beyond thrilled to finally see him. I'd been thinking about our kiss all day and I couldn't wait any longer.
"Can we go for a walk?" I asked, practically hopping in place.
"Yeah. What's gotten into you? You seem almost, happy?" he joked. I playfully punched him but even that hurt a little. His body wasn't as hard as diamonds like Edwards. There was some give but it was so muscular now that I knew I'd hurt myself if I hit him any harder.
"What do you mean? I AM happy. I'm always happy when you're around. My own personal Sun. How could I be unhappy when my world is always Sunny?" Jeez Bella, tone it down a bit.
Jake just shook his head, took my hand and we walked towards the beach.
We both went to talk at the same time and laughed it away. Jake gestured for me to go first, a true gentleman.
"I missed you. After two weeks without you and now all of this, I just… I needed to be near you. Just you. The guys are great and all, but I just needed my Jake. My Qahla."
"Oh man. You've got it bad. Learning Quileute just to impress me? Aww Bells, you shouldn't have." He placed his hand over his chest and fake swooned.
"Shut up Jake. You're ruining the moment." I ran my hands through my hair, a gesture I must have picked up from Jake.
"What moment?" Jake asked, twirling me around to face him. He brought a hand to my cheek, tilting my face towards his. He leaned down and my eyes fluttered closed just before his lips touched mine.
I was lost in the pure bliss that came with his lips on mine, and what made it that much more enjoyable was the fact that I didn't even have to beg for it like I did with Edward. Jake gave himself over to me, willingly. And it felt mesmerizing. I'd never been kissed like this before, passionately, lovingly, without restraint. Jake's mouth on mine felt like heaven and now that I wasn't having a premonition of the future to distract me, I was going to enjoy every second of it.
Jake's lips parted ever so slightly against mine, taking my bottom lip between his. Then I felt his teeth graze it so gently. My breath quickened and I felt like I was floating. I realised that Jake picked me up and was holding me against him.
It was then that we heard a howl in the distance. Jake rushed me back to Sam's set me down and took off for the treeline without a word. Between the kiss and being carried back to the house, I was dizzy and would have fallen over if it hadn't been for Emily reaching out to usher me inside the house.
"What's going on? Is somebody hurt?"
"No. That wasn't a painful howl. It was a warning. It probably means one of them spotted her." Emily explained.
"Oh. So we wait?"
She nodded. "We wait."
We waited, we cooked, we baked some more, and Emily had a quick nap. It felt like forever but only 2 hours passed before the pack arrived at what I'd started referring to in my head as Base Camp.
"Jake? Is everyone ok? What happened?" I asked, before anyone else could even make it through the door.
"She got away but we're all okay." He grabbed me and pulled me close, holding me tight to his warm body. It hadn't taken long but I relied on his heat. It was like I needed it to survive. Qahla. I smiled against him as I thought about the word I used to describe what he meant to me. "I'm going to head home and get a little sleep while I can. Jared's patrolling with Embry so they'll howl if anything is wrong. You should get some sleep as well.
"I want to go with you. I'm sure Billy wouldn't mind me sleeping on the couch. Does he… does he know?"
"About us wolves? Yeah. He's the leader of the tribe, our Chief. He knows everything… except, that I imprinted. Come on, let's go tell him and let him know I'm alright. I'm sure he heard the howls"
Jake drove us back to his house as I snuggled into his side drifting between awake and asleep. I didn't realise it until I felt Jake carrying me that we were at his house already. I was so tired when Jake laid me down in his bed, leaving the door open as he went to talk to Billy. I couldn't help but listen in.
"What is she doing here Jake? Is she alright? What was all that howling about?"
"One question at a time, please. First, she's fine, she just fell asleep in the truck. That vampire we've been tracking is after Bella so she's staying on the Rez until we can get this figured out. Her dad thinks she's spending time with Emily and baking for the sale on Sunday which isn't a complete lie because she has been baking non stop. If you think Emily's cookies are good, you should try Bella's." I could practically hear him drooling.
"Jake. She can't be here. Did you tell her about… you? Does she know our tribes secrets?" He sounded annoyed but also hopeful, I think having secrets is wearing that poor old man down.
"I imprinted on her. She knows enough. I want to bring her to the next bonfire we have, let her hear some of our history."
"You imprinted? Oh Jake, that's great. Keeping things from Bella was killing me. Now we just need to figure out a way to get Charlie in on the secret and I will get my best friend back."
"Wow Dad, you sound like me 3 days ago, wishing I could tell Bella." Jake laughed. His laugh was just as beautiful as he was. I snuggled into his pillow, breathing in his scent. I moaned quietly against my will, his scent was intoxicating.
"Keeping secrets is not something I enjoy." Billy paused. "You'll be taking the couch?"
"Huh? Oh. Yeah, of course." Jake said, his voice sounding closer.
"You distracted Jake?" Billy asked.
Jake cleared his throat. "No I uh, thought I heard something." Oh God, did he hear me when I smelled his pillow? My face turned bright red instantly.
"The couch, Jake. Give the girl some room to adjust to things. Being your imprint doesn't instantly make her yours just because it makes you hers."
"She told me she loves me. When she confronted me about not being around, she asked if I was breaking up with her. We never said we were together but if she asked that she must have felt that we were, just unspoken. She loves me dad. Before the Imprint, before this wolf mess. She was already mine." His words brought tears to my eyes as I thought about how much this boy loved me. It was such a different love than I was used to, and it was definitely the love I preferred.
"Well, I'm happy for you kid. Finally an imprint that doesn't mess up people's lives. I'm headed to bed now that I know you're safe. You should do the same just uh, not your bed." Billy said again.
"Dad, come on, give me SOME credit."
I heard creaking down the hall then a door close before hearing Jake whisper through the doorway.
"Bells, you awake?"
"Mhmm. A little." I responded.
"I'm just going to be on the couch if you need anything."
"No. I'll take the couch. You need your rest if you want to finish this thing with Victoria. Plus I am short enough to actually lay down on the couch." I started to get up when he protested.
"No Bella. I couldn't let you do that. The couch is so uncomfortable and lumpy." He explained.
"My point exactly. Jake I won't be able to handle it if you get hurt because you were too tired or sore to do what you do, plus for the whole winter after… well I slept horrible. I'm used to it. Take the bed, I'm not taking no for an answer." Jake smiled and nodded.
"Alright. On one condition." He wiggled his eyebrow at me. "A goodnight kiss."
"Oh." I pulled my bottom lip between my teeth as I thought about our kiss from earlier in the day. I got up off the bed and walked over to him, placing a hand on his muscular bare chest. I could have swore my heart skipped a beat right then. Jake tilted my head up so he could look into my eyes and I released the breath I unknowingly was holding.
"I love you Bella." He said before placing his lips on mine. It didn't take him long to intensify the kiss to the point we had left off earlier in the day and next thing I know, my mouth was opening alongside his. Our mouths were moving in unison and his tongue kept darting out to taste my lips before catching me off guard and going beyond my lips and sliding across my own tongue. The feeling was like nothing I'd ever experienced before and it did things to me I couldn't even explain. A moan slipped out and Jake held me tighter.
"Shit." Jake said quietly as he pulled away, leaving me breathless.
Billy wheeled himself into the bathroom and when he came out actually looked at us in Jake's bedroom doorway, seeing the flustered look on my face. "Jake. I said you take the couch."
"Sorry, Dad. Bella woke up and put a gun to my head. She's taking the couch. Won't take no for an answer." Jake responded.
"I want him at 110% so he can get out of this whole thing without getting hurt."
"Well alright. Good night." He went back to his bedroom and closed the door. The light under the door turned off and before I could make it to the couch, I heard snoring coming from down the hall.
"Bells." Jake whispered breathily from behind me.
"I think you should sleep. There's always tomorrow." I laid down on the couch, wrapped the throw blanket around me and fell asleep, dreaming of Jake and his lips.
