(Paul POV)
Paul woke up groggy with a pounding head. He glanced at the alarm clock, conveniently placed next to the nearly empty jar of moonshine on the gold-painted nightstand. Paul rubbed the sleep from his eyes with his palms as he sat up and snickered at her coral-colored sheets.
The bedroom looked more like a harem with far too many overstuffed pillows, warm, bright colors, and flimsy curtains around the bed. Paul was amused as he remembered this room with its plain, drab walls before Shari began slowly creating the space. He snickered as he looked over at her sleeping form and lightly slapped the side of her belly. The sound of the smack was much louder than he intended, instantly waking her as he laughed.
"Paul," she groaned, rolling toward him in all her naked glory. "You are mean. There are much nicer ways to wake a woman."
He scoffed. "Sugarplum, listen. If I don't get coffee soon, the head you see exploding will not be that one."
She smiled at him wickedly, oblivious to the smear of mascara under her eyes and hair wild around her head. Paul grinned at the sight, reaching over to cup her face affectionately. He asked, "Why do you put up with this bullshit, Shari? Wouldn't you rather have an actual relationship with someone?"
She turned her body toward him and pulled herself flush against him. "Because this is enough," she said, pressing her cheek to his chest. "Since when do you care about that shit, anyway?"
"We have been pals for a long time, Shari. Maybe I just think you deserve to be happy with someone?"
"Maybe you are projecting, Pal," Shari said and laughed. "Maybe I just like sex."
"Yeah," he said, laughing. "I know you like sex. You should have gone into porn between your sex drive and particular talents. Then you could do what you love and get paid for it."
"Urgh!" Shari pushed away from Paul and scowled as she rolled toward her side of the bed to stand up. "I am not a whore!"
"What the hell are you talking about?" Paul stared at her in confusion as he asked, "At what point did I ever call you a whore?"
Shari growled again and said, "You didn't - she did. By the way, Paul? Next time, warn me you have a fucking girlfriend."
Paul laughed outright. "I don't have a girlfriend, Shari."
"Uh-huh," Shari said as she pulled on a pale blue robe and tied it around her waist. "I have never seen you have a chick for a screen saver before."
Paul sat back up and swung his feet to the floor. "That is a very close friend, but she isn't my girlfriend."
Shari hissed, "Does she know that? Are you sleeping with her? I mean, I don't give a shit, but I would like to know if she is going to start problems."
"No, I've never had sex with her," Paul said. "When did you talk to her?"
Shari shrugged and said, "She called while you were in the shower."
Fuck, Bella had called? Was she okay? Has something shitty happened with Mercedes? Paul scowled as he asked, "Why didn't you tell me she called?" He looked for his phone and spotted it half-buried in the blanket at his feet.
As he reached for it, Shari glared at him and said, "You are more fucking worried about her! You have known me for years, Paul. What the fuck?"
Paul hated situations like this, which was part of the reason he stayed away from relationships. He asked, "Why did you answer my phone, Shari?"
"You have never cared before, Paul," Shari said. "So what is so fucking different about her? She called me a whore, or did you not hear that part?"
Paul asked, "Why the hell would she call you a whore?"
"She asked for you," Shari explained. "I said you were in the shower. She rattled off a bunch of other names, asking who I was. Then she told me to let you know that the woman with a spare key to your house called and that I should remind you to pay me for my fucking services." Shari's face fell into a pout, and her eyes welled with angry tears as she said, "Sleeping with you does not make me a fucking whore, Paul! I mean, it's one thing to be jealous, but to insinuate someone is a prostitute? You have heard some of the things people claim about me, Pauley. That really hurt me."
He was on his feet and next to her in a second, wrapping her in a tight embrace. Paul had never seen her cry in the years he had known her. The emotional reaction was, frankly, alarming and Paul was furious. It was one thing for Bella to be upset that Paul could not be there for her when she called. It was another issue for her to make his friend cry out of jealousy. And spouting off a bunch of names? Who the hell does she think she is? She can be all over her date, tease the fuck out of me, and fuck Jacob, but I can't spend the night with someone? What kind of bullshit was that?
"You're not a whore, Shari," Paul cooed in his attempt to comfort her. He teasingly added, "Not that there is anything wrong with sex work or anything. You would make some great fucking tips, baby." Paul wagged his eyebrows at her suggestively and grinned as she choked out a laugh.
Paul said, "I am truly sorry she said all of that, but I will handle it, okay?" He pulled away to gather his clothing and began dressing. Paul's hands shook between the worsening pounding in his head and the anger pulsing through his limbs.
Shari noticed his trembling and frowned with worry. Tentatively she asked, "Where are you going?"
"To see Bella," he blurted without thought. Paul needed to check on her just as badly as he wanted to yell at her. If she reached out after her date, she had to have needed something. What if the guy got too handsy with her? What if she had needed his help?
Despite his anger with her over how she had talked to Shari, Paul silently hoped what she had needed was him. Just him, and not for any other reason. Paul shook his head at himself. You really are a selfish asshole sometimes, he chastised.
He looked at Shari as fresh tears spilled down her still sleep-swollen cheeks, flooding him with waves of anger and guilt. Paul and his girl needed to have a little chat about double standards. That was if he didn't fucking kiss her in relief when he saw her first.
Shari's robe had come untied, peeking open as she tiptoed toward him and asked, "Do you want to let me get dressed so I can drive you?"
"No," he said a little too quickly. Any other time, seeing Shari naked was all she needed to gain his interest, but now he was too pissed at both Bella and himself to care. "It's not that far, and the walk will help me calm down. If I talk to her this mad, I will just yell and scare her half to death." Yell. Bark. Poof into an angry wolf. Whatever.
Shari stepped in front of him as he stood and wrapped her arms around him again. Paul hugged her tight one last time. He said, "Don't worry about it, beautiful." She grinned as he playfully slapped her behind and forced a smile at her before leaving.
As soon as he got away from her house, Paul ducked into the woods and stripped. He bundled his clothing up and phased into his wolf. Paul ran for his house first, dodging the greetings and banter from his patrolling packmates.
Someone is serious today, Quil quipped after numerous bad jokes had gone unacknowledged.
Man on a mission, Embry teased.
The others recognized Shari as her scent wafted up to his nose, clinging to him and his clothing.
Quil said, Dude, why do you smell like Shari? I thought you were done screwing around with her.
Well, shit happens, Paul grumbled. And I was never done with Shari. I just haven't spent the night with her in a while.
Quil asked, What about my cousin? Didn't Bella stay with you the night before last?
I told you nothing happened. Bella and I are not fucking around, Paul grumbled.
But you want to, Quil grumbled knowingly.
Yeah, I fucking want to, Paul snapped. I'm doing my fucking best to just be her friend. She had a date last night, too, so get off my dick. Paul gave Quil a flash of Bella kissing her date outside the restaurant as he did his best to not reveal how bummed he had been over it.
Embry asked, So, why the hell are you so pissy today? You are usually in a good mood after you see Shari.
Yeah. Well, when people are mean to her, it kind of pisses me off, Paul grumbled.
Quil said I'm pretty sure Shari is mean to everyone else.
You guys just don't get her, Paul defended. You all listen to everyone else's crap and forget we all do mean shit sometimes. Not a damn one of you has spent time with her when she's not trashed at the bar. There is more to Shari than that shit.
Paul was supposed to calm down on his way home, but his brothers had made him angrier. Just don't worry about this shit, he told them firmly. Don't ask me about Shari, and do not ask me about Bella.
Paul focused on the trail in front of him as he ran the rest of the way home. He began running an old country song through his mind by memory, effectively tuning out the Pack's inner monologue. Assured they were now ignoring him, Paul contemplated talking to Jacob first to see what Jacob knew. Paul was phased when he reached the backyard and darted into his house just as his phone rang. He fished it out of his bundle of clothing and scowled at the screen.
Keeping his tone as even as possible, he answered, "Just the person I need to talk to."
Jacob's voice was strained as he asked, "Is Bella with you right now?"
"No, but she and I need to have a fucking chat."
"Paul, I can't find her," Jacob said. "She cried to fucking sleep, and when I woke up, she was gone. Bells won't answer her phone. She didn't take any of the vehicles."
Addressing one of his worries, Paul asked, "Did her date end badly?"
"No, she said it was decent," Jacob said. "You can ask her yourself when we figure out where the hell she is!"
Paul said, "Maybe she just needed to take a walk, Jake. Relax."
Jacob snapped, "Yeah, I guess since Shari is back in the picture, you don't give a fuck if Bells is okay. Right?"
"Woah," Paul yelled, "Fucking, what? Why the hell are you two all over Shari's case? And Bella was way out of fucking line last night."
Jacob spat, "Bella defended herself after Shari acted like a cunt for no reason, Paul."
Paul scowled as he stomped through his house toward the bathroom. Defended herself? He said, "That is not how Shari told it."
"Of course not, Paul. It's Shari. She enjoys starting shit, and you have said it yourself," Jacob said.
He wasn't wrong. Paul had mentally referred to her as a snake just the night before. How had Shari convinced him she had been an innocent victim of Bella's jealous behavior? Hell, he had just defended her to Quil and Embry. Her tears seemed genuine. Paul tossed his dirty clothing into the hamper and turned on the shower.
"God damn, Jake. I think falling in love has made me fucking stupid," Paul complained.
Jacob yelled, "Did you seriously just tell me you are in love with her?"-
Paul walked back toward his kitchen as he grumbled, "Not like it is a fucking secret, you dope."
Jacob asked, "If you are in love with Shari, why the hell are you chasing Bells, Paul? You promised me you didn't just want to fuck her. You said -"
"Woah, again. Woah, bro," Paul said and laughed as he reached into the fridge for a pitcher of sweet tea. "That is not what I said. You have to stop making assumptions over there."
Jacob argued, "Yeah, like you? What the hell did Shari tell you was said?"
Paul sighed as he poured tea into a large plastic cup. He said, "Being called a whore triggers her. Shari cried, Jake. Big fat fucking tears, Dude. I have never seen her fucking cry before. I'm not going to lie that it kind of scared me. Her feelings were hurt, and I hated seeing it."
Jacob said, "Bella didn't actually call her a whore. Shari made that assumption herself."
Paul sighed and said, " How about you tell me what actually happened."
He turned to put the tea back in the fridge and froze as two wide sleepy eyes peeked at him from over the back of the couch. Paul stayed where he was, hiding his junk from Bella's view with the pitcher of tea while Jacob told him about her conversation with Shari. By the time he finished, Paul was pissed at himself for being mad at Bella, even if he could understand both points of view. It felt as if Bella and Shari were attempting to stake a claim that neither technically had a right to, and that pissed him off, too. Still, he was more worried about everything she had just overheard.
This is ridiculous, Paul thought. He had not smelled Bella nor seen her as he walked through his house. Paul certainly did not expect to find Bella on his couch. "Hey, Jake?"
"Yeah?"
Paul grumbled, "You're on speaker now, bro. I found Bells."
(Bella POV)
Bella was worried. Jacob snored beside her as she lay awake in the dark, fretting over the conversation she had with the woman Paul went home with. He would surely be angry with her. Bella wanted to talk to him but calling him now was out of the question. She wiggled out from under Jacob's arm and slid out of her bed. Bella snuck to the bathroom to shower, hoping the hot water would allow her to go back to sleep. Instead, she was wide awake.
She didn't know how Paul became important so quickly. She was not and could not be angry with him. Paul had done nothing wrong. He had every right to do whatever he wanted. Bella also didn't want to talk to him with Jacob up her ass playing mediator. She suspected he had been meddling between them somewhat. To protect her or play matchmaker, Bella was unsure. With their telepathic connections and Paul being his pack brother, she knew they would never have any privacy where Jacob was concerned. The imprint was too strong for that.
It is one more reason why you and Paul are wrong for one another, nagged the voice in the back of her mind. Bella could not make the nagging bitch of a conscious shut up no matter how hard she tried. She had wanted to tell Paul how she felt about him the night before. Bella was so sure at the time. Now she just wanted to be sure he wasn't angry and that she had not lost the only close friend she had besides Jacob.
Bella had put on her pajamas after the shower and didn't give a damn about redressing. She pulled on her oversized blue jean jacket over her silky tank top and matching sleep shorts, slipped her feet into a pair of converse, and quietly left the house. Bella walked as the sun rose, watching the sky turn purple to orange along the way. She spotted his truck in the drive and hesitated. Paul had been on foot the night before, but there was no way of knowing if he was home by now or not.
Bella had to jump several times to find the key above the front door. She finally knocked it down and had to dig it out of the mulch under the bushes in front of his house. Bella crept inside slowly and called out for Paul. No reply was given as she walked back to check his bedroom, finding it the same as the previous morning. Bella walked back to the living room and curled up on the couch. She fell asleep waiting for him to eventually return home.
Sometime later, Bella woke to Paul complaining to someone on the phone. She shook her head, attempting to clear her befuddled mind as she heard him mention a woman named Shari.
"God damn, Jake. I think falling in love has made me fucking stupid," Paul complained.
Bella sucked in a sharp breath as her blood turned cold, and her heart broke. He's in love with her now? I'm too fucking late.
She sat up slowly and peeked over the back of his couch to find Paul completely naked, standing in his kitchen. His shaggy dark locks hung wildly around his head. Paul's rich and slightly reddish-brown skin was covered in a light sheen of sweat that nearly made his hard, muscular body glow under the fluorescent light. Paul appeared every bit of the handsome devil he was reputed to be at that moment, and Bella half expected raven-black wings to unfurl themselves from behind him. He turned and froze as he spotted her, moving a pitcher of tea in front of his privates to conceal them. The glass pitcher of brown liquid only enhanced the view, leaving Bella swallowing hard as she wondered how much the glass exaggerated what she could see.
"Hey. Jake?"
"Yeah," Jacob's voice rang out from Paul's phone, and Bella cringed. She did not doubt that Jacob was furious with her for taking off.
"You're on speaker now, bro. I found Bella," Paul said. She swallowed hard again as he narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously.
Jacob snapped, "Bells? Are you alright?"
She shook her head no, concealing her face from Paul with the back of the couch. He was mad at her, too; she could tell. Paul certainly had not expected to find her in his house.
He said, "She said no, but you can't hear her fucking head rattle from over there. I'm going to take my shower now, and if she hasn't disappeared when I get out, we are gonna talk."
Bella's head whipped up fearfully, only to glance towards him and away again. She couldn't even look him in the face. Bella heard him hang up, put the pitcher away, and then Paul stomped to the bathroom without acknowledging her again.
She stood anxiously and began pacing as she listened to the running shower, wondering if she should just leave. Before she knew it, the water shut off, and a dripping wet, angry Paul stomped back into the living room with only a towel around his waist.
"Good. You are still here. I couldn't shake the fucking feeling you were gonna hightail it out the door," Paul grumbled as he leaned against the living room door frame and crossed his arms over his broad chest.
Her voice was barely above a whisper as she admitted, "I thought about it." He stared at her in silence for a long time. The tension in the room was no longer endurable as she blurted out, "I'm sorry I just showed up. I'm sorry if I made you mad by being harsh with your friend, too."
Calmly, he asked, "Why were you?" Paul's arms fell to his sides as she abruptly walked toward her. His hands were gentle despite the anger on his face as he pushed the hair out of her face and then cupped her chin to make her look at him.
Her eyes welled with tears as she shrugged, pulling her face away from his hands. "She was rude. It set me off. I honestly don't give a damn if she's mad at me, but I do care that you are. I knew you would be, and it has eaten me alive all fucking morning."
His features hardened, and he carefully asked, "Why, Bella? I've been trying to figure that out for half the morning too. Why, in hell, would you say that shit? It was crap, Bella. Even if she was rude, you didn't have to make her feel two fucking inches tall."
Her temper immediately flared as Bella glared up at him, finally meeting his eyes. Bella heightened the sound of her voice, mocking Shari, "I'm the number one fuck on his speed dial; who the fuck are you?" Bella figured she hit her mark as Paul visibly flinched.
She continued, "That is how the dumb bitch answered when I asked for you. Do you think her response wasn't intended to make me feel like shit first? Fuck you, Paul. I could have been your fucking family member for all she knew. She wanted to piss off whoever was on the other end, regardless of who it was. It's not my problem if she can't eat what she fucking dishes out." Paul cackled as she finished her rant, only managing to make her angrier.
Fuck him and the chick he was so enamored with now. Bella was glad she had not bothered removing her jacket or shoes as she spun toward the door.
As she attempted to leave, Paul reached for her arm and grabbed the front of her blue jean jacket. Bella jerked to a stop as it was yanked open, revealing the silky top and shorts pajama set she wore. She did not miss it as his eyes went directly to her displayed cleavage before darting back to her face.
"Wait," he said. "Don't get bent out of shape and take off on me."
"Paul," Bella warned. "I was bent out of shape last night. Now I am just fucking pissed. I know you think I'm a bitch for it, but I don't give a shit about your friend. I care about you. I came here to make sure we were okay. That's it. If we are not, then I'm going home."
Paul sighed and asked, "Why did you call me last night?"
"Nothing important," she lied.
Incredulously Paul asked, "You just wanted to talk to me?"
"Yes," Bella insisted, looking away from him again.
To her disbelief, he laughed and said, "You are a shitty liar. You would have texted me if you only wanted to bullshit, like always."
"I didn't call to bullshit with you. I called to talk," Bella argued as she turned to leave again.
"Look, Bella," Paul said, softening his tone. "Don't leave mad. Stay here and talk this out with me. Please? You fucking walked here, and I can see you are exhausted."
"I am," she said, and her shoulders slumped as if she had only just realized it. "I need to go home, though. Jacob is probably pissed, too."
"Just at me," Paul grumbled. "He was worried about you. I'm sure he is fine, now that he knows where you are." He reached for her hand and tugged her behind him as he said, "Come on."
Bella sighed and sluggishly followed him down the hall to his bedroom. Paul let go of her hand at the door and walked over to his dresser, where he pulled on a pair of sleep pants under the towel before discarding it on the back of a chair.
"So," he teased her, "How much of my junk did you see when you woke up?" Her face immediately flushed as she laughed in embarrassment. Paul merely grinned before walking over to push her jacket off her shoulders.
Bella asked, "What are you doing now?"
"Come on," he said, taking it from her. "Kick off the shoes. We are gonna lay here and talk before we take a nap. I'll run you home before my patrol in a few hours, okay?" Paul laid her jacket on the top of his dresser before guiding her toward his bed.
"You are awfully bossy," she mumbled, making him laugh. Paul flopped down in the center before holding his arms open to her.
Despite everything she had just said and heard, there was nothing Bella wanted more at that moment. She carefully lay next to him before rolling toward him and letting him wrap his arms around her. Bella buried her face against his shoulder and sighed in contentment rather than aggravation.
"Okay," he said once they were settled. "I have questions."
"Ask," she mumbled against his skin.
Paul asked, "Why did what Shari had to say set you off? You go on dates, and you fuck Jake. I get her comment was shitty, but there has gotta be more to it than that."
What the hell am I supposed to say? Sorry I got jealous? "I haven't done anything with Jacob since before he went on his first date with Reagan. With your friend, I … I guess it just took me by surprise," she lied.
"Don't do that, Bella," he pleaded quietly. "Don't blow shit off. Do you want to know why I went home with Shari last night?"
She squeezed her eyes shut, bracing herself for the answer as she asked, "Why?"
Paul admitted, "Because I needed to get laid and get my mind off of shit. Shari and I… that is all we are. I didn't expect you to get pissed at me for that."
That was all they were? She scowled against his chest as she recalled what he had said to Jacob. He had clearly announced his feelings, so why was he downplaying them now? Bella mentally kicked herself as she decided it didn't matter. She and Paul had each created spoken and unspoken boundaries that should most likely stay in place. Bella refused to chase someone who wanted another woman more than her. After all, Paul had willingly gone home with Shari, but Bella had been the one to kiss him first. Since then, Paul halted things between them when their flirting shifted into arousal every time, despite being able to sense her interest and lack of resistance.
Of course, he would choose to do so when he already cared about someone else. His hot and cold behavior suddenly made more sense to Bella, leaving her feeling foolish and defeated.
Bella pulled away to look at him as he patiently awaited her answer. She said, "I wasn't pissed at you. I was pissed at myself last night. For a lot of things that I am still trying to figure out. I was never mad at you. You have every right to fuck whoever you want."
He stared at her in silence for a moment, and the uncertainty on his face made her look away, reburying her face against him.
Paul asked, "You know there is more to you and me than just being pals, Bella."
She nodded her head against him as her head spun from the comment. Bella grunted in frustration as she tried to gather the right words to ask him for his honest feelings but gave in to her anxiety instead and said nothing.
To her surprise, Paul said, "You will figure it out, Bells, and when you do, you will let me know."
She asked, "Let you know what?"
"All the shit rolling around in your head," Paul said. "All the thoughts and feelings I can see you trying to sort out."
"Oh."
He chuckled at her response, pulling her tighter against him. Bella took a long, deep breath and released it slowly as she tried to clear her head.
Paul said, "I was mad, I'm not going to lie. Shari's version had a different tone to it. I will have Jake show me the memory so I can hear it myself and talk to Shari about it later."
Anxiety coursed through Bella as she thought of Jacob telling Paul how jealous and hurt she had been. "Please don't," Bella said. "I honestly don't care what she thinks, Paul. I just care about you, okay? Can we please just let it be?"
Paul harrumphed but kept his opinions to himself. He rubbed her back in a slow, peaceful rhythm that soothed them both. Bella held her eyes closed and clung to him tighter, eventually falling to sleep with her limbs tangled up with his.
