A/N: Yay, new chapter! Thanks so much for the reviews everyone, they really mean a lot. Sorry to keep you waiting so long, we had almost two dozen relatives staying with us for a week with 6 kids under the age of 10 so it was crazy. I promised some drama this chapter and I hope you all approve, happy reading!

Just a Kiss

Bella helped Emily with the cleanup; they had sent some of the Pack off to the store with a shopping list longer than her arm, while others ran to tell Billy and Old Quil about the bonfire. With the short amount of time to prepare, they decided that burgers and hotdogs would be the easiest since neither of them felt like cooking. Once they finished, Emily went to rest with Sam who had been placed back in their room so he would have the strength for the bonfire. Once Bella finished with the dishes she wandered out on the porch, smiling when she saw Jacob on the steps, his forehead wrinkled in thought. She moved down the steps, watching his eyes as the yellow ring flared brightly as she knelt in front of him, resting her hands on his knees as she gave him a smile. "Wanna go for a walk?"

He stood and nodded, catching her hand as he led the way to First Beach, his body still tense. She followed quietly, waiting for him to speak, and smiled when she saw their driftwood log. Jacob swung a leg over it, sitting astride before pulling Bella to sit and pulled her close. She watched the sun sparkle on the waves, rubbing her hand up and down his arm absentmindedly and tilted her head back to watch his face. He still was lost in thought, his mouth twisted in a faint scowl and she twisted in his embrace to face him, straddling his legs with her own as she took his face in her hands. "Jake? You alive in there?"

He nodded, and she didn't fail to notice the darkening of his gaze at their position, but she pushed it aside as she ran her fingers through his hair, twisting the long strands between her fingers. "Wanna talk about it?"

He sighed heavily, eyes dropping half closed at her ministrations, and he shrugged as his hands trailed up and down her thighs. "Too much to think about, I feel like I'm being torn in ten different directions."

She pursed her lips, moving her fingers to rub the base of his neck, and Jacob let his forehead fall forward into her chest with a groan. She smiled at his reaction, then felt her breath catch as Jacob pressed his nose into her skin at the edge of her tank top, inhaling deeply, and his hands tightened on her thighs. He trailed his nose up to her collar bones and neck, taking deep breaths that made her heart thud against her ribcage so hard she was sure everyone in La Push could hear it. He pressed his lips against her skin behind her ear, his hot breath setting her on fire as she sucked air into her lungs.

He purred low in his chest, almost sounding like a growl and she let out a faint moan as his tongue darted against her throat. With a muffled curse Jacob stood and she wrapped her legs around his waist automatically, barely registering that they were moving until her back pressed up against a rough surface. The tree bark poked at her skin through her thin tank top, the flannel from earlier still at Sam's house, and she twisted slightly to find a more comfortable spot as Jacob began to press open mouthed kisses against the skin of her throat, her collar bone, the underside of her jaw.

She was sure he was determined to cover every inch of her skin and she was more than willing to let him. She tightened her legs around his waist as heat rushed through her and pooled at her core, moaning when she felt him push his hips against her and she felt his excitement. He was murmuring her name over and over, punctuated by his lips on her skin and she felt like she was going to combust. "Jake…Jake…"

Her soft whimpers were barely loud enough for her own ears but Jacob stilled immediately and raised his eyes to hers, making her gasp softly at the wide band of yellow that circled his eyes. She could tell that the wolf was just below the surface, not that it scared her, and she sucked in a deep breath as she tried to gather her senses. "Jake, the others will be back soon, we should probably head back."

His answer was a growl, low in his chest and not aggressive toward her but none the less she frowned at him. "Jacob Ephraim Black you did not just growl at me! Put me down this instant!"

He did as she asked, although he kept his arms braced on the tree on either side of her, and she crossed her arms as she tried to keep herself under control in his close proximity. He closed his eyes as he took a deep breath, groaning softly and she heard the crack of the tree behind her as he gripped the trunk tightly. When he opened his eyes again the yellow band was still there but the familiar brown, though darker than normal, was staring at her. "Bells…"

She smiled softly at him and he released the tree to wrap his arms around her and bury his face in her hair. "Sorry…he got carried away…you just feel so good."

She blushed slightly and he pulled back to press a kiss to her temple, reluctantly standing and entwining their fingers with a sigh. "Guess we should head back. I'm sure I'll have to start the bonfire and the barbeque, those idiots will end up screwing everything up and then we'll all go hungry."

Bella laughed as he led her from the forest and back to the path to Sam's, glad for the cool breeze on her face before they got back to the cabin. She saw Sam's truck was back, Embry and Quil loading the barbeque into the bed and she tipped her head up to smile at Jacob. "I'm going to help Emily gather the rest of the stuff; you better help those two before they scratch Sam's truck."

He nodded, raising their hands to brush his lips over her knuckled and she smiled as she released his hand and headed up the steps. She waved to Quil and Embry who nodded their head in greeting and she paused at the door to watch the three of them as Jacob clasped a hand on Embry's shoulder and gave Quil a playful shove, their voices low as they talked. She was glad to see the three of them together again, acting like the brothers they were. She had heard of Embry and Jacob's big fight and had worried that they would still be angry with each other, but they looked to be back to their normal selves. Shaking her head slightly she moved into the house and began helping Emily gather the supplies for the bonfire.

Jacob made sure everything was loaded before he slammed the tailgate shut, dusting off his hands as he turned back to the cabin. He could hear Bella and Emily talking as they finished packing the last of the food, his wolf whining at the length of time since they'd seen her and he found himself propelled up the steps and into the kitchen without even thinking about it. As he rounded the corner he inhaled deeply, ignoring the tantalizing smells coming from the food even as his stomach rumbled, and focused on Bella's strawberry and vanilla scent. She glanced up as he entered, smiling at him, and he visibly relaxed, crossing the kitchen in a few long strides to pull her against his body, rumbling low in his chest. Bella stroked her hands across his back, making soothing sounds and he sighed as he pulled away and tucked her close to his side. "You girls about done? We got the truck loaded and ready."

Bella nodded and leaned into him, making his wolf purr, pursing her lips in a way that made him want to take her right there on the counter. He shook his head slightly, trying to think of anything else, but the image was stuck in his mind and he groaned under his breath as his cutoffs became painfully tight.

"Jacob? You okay?" He opened his eyes to see her puzzled brown eyes staring at him and he swallowed hard as he tried to come up with an answer.

"Hey Jake, we're gonna go grab Sam and then we can all head out." Quil's voice distracted him for a moment and he grunted an affirmative, mentally berating his wolf as it chanted in his head.

"Mate mate mate mate…"

"Earth to Jacob, come in Jacob." He started at Bella's hand waving in front of his face and he turned to see her staring at him with a hand on her hip, her brow furrowed at him while she bit her lip. Seeing that was the final straw and he growled as he crashed his lips into hers, ignoring her squeak of surprise, and swiftly scooped her up to place her on the counter and step between her legs. He pressed flush against her, groaning as her body became pliant in his arm and she let out a faint moan, his hands slipping to her waistband and began to dip under her shirt to trace the skin of her back.

"Black! Alpha or not, not in my kitchen!" An angry bark jerked them both out of their stupor and Jacob opened his eyes to see a glaring Sam in the doorway, supported by a sniggering Quil and Paul. He heard Bella groan in mortification as she buried her face in his chest, her breath coming in gasping pants as her skin began to flush red. Jacob automatically began to rub his hands up and down her arms as he gave a subtle nod to the three shifters, watching as they disappeared from view. Sucking in a deep breath he nudged the side of her head until she peeked at him through her hair, smiling at her sheepish expression.

"I'm never going to be able to help Emily cook in this kitchen again." He chuckled at her statement and tilted her chin up to meet his gaze, his breath catching at her swollen lips and glazed eyes, making his wolf whine in want. He groaned and closed his eyes, bracing his hands on the edge of the counter top as he sucked in a deep breath, trying to gain some semblance of control. "Jake…"

A gentle hand cupped his face and he leaned into her touch as he slowly relaxed, his wolf grudgingly retreating for the moment, and he opened his eyes to see her staring at him with a soft smile. "It's ok Jake. But we should probably get going, before Sam hobbles back in here to kick your ass."

He snorted at her statement, shaking his head at her teasing, and reluctantly lifted her off the counter top, his hands lingering at her waist as he stroked the skin peeking between her jeans and tank top. She shivered slightly in his arms, making him grin, and slapped his arm as she slipped from between his hands to grab her jacket. "You're such an ass."

Chuckling he grabbed her hand and intertwined their fingers as he led her from the house towards the beach, his wolf rumbling in contentment.

Bella leaned back against the log as she set her plate down with a sigh, stretching her arms above her head as she looked around at the darkening beach. Billy was seated on the far end of the bonfire with Old Quil, Sue Clearwater and Sam as they talked, Emily bustling among them with drinks and plates. Jared was curled up with Kim on another log, whispering in her ear and making her laugh as she playfully smacked his arm, Seth and Mikayla on the other end as they talked quietly. The rest of the wolves had started a game of football near the shore, Jacob joining them at Bella's insistence, and she could hear their boisterous laughter as they ran back and forth. Her head turned to Leah and she saw the she-wolf staring across the smoldering logs, she followed her gaze and saw Sam staring back, turning his head quickly when Emily approached him with another plate of food. She saw Leah's lips twist into a sad, bitter smile and she quickly downed the last of her beer and headed for the cooler for another.

Raising an eyebrow at their odd behavior, Bella made a mental note to talk to Leah later, hoping the shifter would open up to her. Some approaching figures caught her eye and she turned to see Quil and Paul sauntering nonchalantly onto the beach, their hands behind their backs as the circled past the Elders. Once they were past the adults they pulled their hands forward, revealing large, innocent looking jugs in each hand and she furrowed her brow in confusion as she watched them tuck them under the table of food before running to join the game. Before she could get up to investigate, arms snaked around her shoulders and pulled her to a standing position, her back coming to rest against a solid chest. She smiled and turned to see Jake behind her, looping her arms around his waist as she tipped her head back to meet his gaze. "Hey, have fun?"

He nodded, eyes roaming her face before relaxing and returning her smile. "Yeah, we won of course."

She rolled her eyes and slipped out of his arms, tugging on his hand as she sat on the log, and leaned against him as he joined her. "I suppose you're starving now after running around."

She felt his chest rumble as he leaned down, his lips brushing her ear as he growled lowly, "Not for food."

A shiver went through her at his words and she swallowed as she felt his hand lightly trace up and down her back. Before she could say anything, Billy cleared his throat and gathered everyone's attention, settling into his wheelchair as he looked around the faces around the circle, his gaze coming to rest on two of them. "We're here tonight to celebrate several things. The first, the imprint of one of our youngest Pack members, and the knowledge that this imprint could bring to our tribe about phasing for the future generations."

Seth and Mikayla both blushed at the applause, standing awkwardly before hurrying to sit back down. Billy chuckled as he raised his hands to get everyone's attention back, his eyes now resting on Jacob and Bella. "And of course, to celebrate the rising of our new Alpha, where he belongs at the head of his brothers. May you lead with honor, wisdom and courage my son, in your Pack and your home."

Bella saw Jacob swallow as he tilted his head at his father in respect while everyone cheered, calming down when Billy raised his hands once more. As he began the legends, starting with Taha Aki and how they became shifters Bella leaned against Jacob's arm and lost herself in Billy's deep voice, the familiar stories bringing a sense of comfort as the sparks from the fire rose into the night sky.

Bella yawned as she stood and surveyed the dying fire and the snickering shifters gathered around it. Once Billy had finished the legends he and the other Elders had left, along with Sam and Emily, and Paul had pulled out the jugs that he and Quil had smuggled into the party. Turned out it was Rez moonshine, Old Quil's specialty, and they had snuck it out while he was attending the bonfire. Jacob had chewed them both out and threatened to tell the elder if they ever did it again but allowed them to pass it around, figuring the two idiots would get caught trying to put it back. He warned them that even with their metabolism it would give them a buzz, refusing to let Bella have more than a small sip to satisfy her curiosity. After she had sputtered and choked she shoved his drink away with a grimace, vowing never to touch the stuff again. She could still feel the effect of the alcohol, a mild buzz in the back of her head coupled with a warmth that had her shedding her jacket and flannel to try and cool off. Jacob had gone to help Billy get to bed once Sue dropped him off, promising her he would come straight back.

She could tell most of the wolves had ignored Jacob's warning by the silly grins and slight sway to their movements and she shook her head at them, not envying their hangovers in the morning. She decided to walk along the ocean while she waited for Jacob's return, knowing that he would find her. The others were too busy laughing at nothing to notice as she slipped away, heading down the beach as she shoved her hands in her pockets and stared up at the moon as she wandered along the shoreline, humming under her breath. She reached a curve of the beach and knew she should turn and head back to the group when the back of her neck prickled and a feeling of being watched made her glance around for Jacob. A large shape materialized out of the darkness and she smiled as she took a step towards it, halting when the moonlight revealed not Jacob but a very inebriated Paul and she felt a sliver of fear at the scowl on his face. "Hey Paul, you didn't need to follow me, I wasn't going far."

He matched her step for step as she backed up, his scowl deepening as he crossed his arms. "You may have everyone else fooled leech lover, but I know you. You'll string him along until you're bored and want to go crawling back to your filthy bloodsucker."

Bella swallowed as she glanced from the angry shifter down the beach to the faint glow of the bonfire. Even if he was drunk, she doubted she could outrun him and with the roar of the ocean no one would hear her call for help. She desperately wished Jacob would hurry back, before Paul did something that got him killed.

"I'm talking to you!" Hands suddenly gripped her upper arms and hauled her into the air, bringing her eye level with a very pissed shifter. She shrieked in surprise, instinct taking over reason, and she swung her foot as hard as she could between his legs. Paul let out a grunt of pain, surprise and pain replacing the fury on his face, and she found herself falling onto her butt in the damp sand as he dropped to his knees and covered his crotch with his hands. She could see him shaking and she cautiously pushed herself up onto the balls of her feet as she called his name softly. His head snapped up and her heart skipped a beat when she saw the yellow glow in his eyes as his shaking increased, adrenaline slamming through her veins as one word pounded in her head.

Run.

Standing she tore down the beach, hearing the tearing of fabric behind her and a snarling growl, urging her feet to go even faster, her breath coming in gasps. She didn't dare look behind her to see how close her imminent doom was, the wet sand already treacherous as it pulled at her shoes and slowed her down. She wondered if she could gather enough air to scream, or if the others would even hear her from so far away, and she suddenly felt herself falling as her foot connected with a stray branch. She braced herself, hitting the sand with a thud and rolling halfway into the surf before she could stop, gasping as the cold water soaked through the clothes to her skin.

Peering through the mess of tangled hair, she froze as she saw the grey wolf a few feet away, his muzzle raised in a snarl as he slowly stalked toward her. Her heart pounded loudly against her chest, unsure of just what Paul was planning on doing and if he was even in control of his wolf at this point. Just before he reached her his ear cocked slightly to the side and then a huge boom was heard as something large crashed into his side, sending him flying farther into the water. Bella looked up and saw Jacob's wolf standing in front of her, fur bristling as he bared his teeth and roared at the soaked wolf across from him.

Relief pooled through her and she slumped down into the water slightly, turning her head when shouts from the beach caught her attention. The others were all gathered at the edge, tense as they watched Paul face off against the larger Alpha and Bella suddenly found herself hauled to her feet and hurriedly moved away from the snarling wolves. "Put me down!"

She turned to glare at her rescuer, surprise coloring her face when she saw Leah's determined look, and she squirmed in the she wolf's grip. "Put me down damn it! Clearwater!"

Leah ignored her, keeping an arm firmly across her chest as they reached the others who immediately began to question her. She ignored them as she watched Jacob and Paul collide viciously, the waves crashing into them and nearly knocking them off their feet. While she knew Paul was deserving of an ass kicking, she knew in his current state Jacob would probably hurt him as bad as Sam, if not worse. She knew she couldn't escape Leah's grip physically and she smirked as she suddenly ducked her head and licked a long trail up the she wolf's arm. "EW! What the hell Swan?!"

As she predicted, Leah yanked her arm away and Bella darted towards the two wolves before anyone could stop her, getting as close as she could so they would hear her. "Jacob!"

The roar of the ocean mixed with the snarling wolves drowned out her voice and she huffed in frustration as she slogged through the waves to get closer, cupping her hands to her mouth as she screamed over the noise. "Jacob! Stop!"

Either her movement or her voice caught their attention as they both turned to look at her, Paul snarling angrily and narrowly avoiding Jacob's teeth as he snapped at the hotheaded shifter. Bella rolled her eyes and shot Paul a glare, muttering under her breath as she edged closer. "I'm trying to save your life you stupid, miserable asshole."

Jacob made sure to keep his body between the two of them as she marched up to them, glaring at Paul before she turned to the bristling russet wolf. "Jacob please, don't. Yes he deserves to have his ass kicked, but not now. If you fight him now, you'll end up hurting him, or worse. I'm fine; I just want to go home. Please Jake, let's go home."

He chuffed loudly as he glared at Paul, his body trembling, and she wound her fingers into his fur and leaned into him, tugging lightly in the direction of the beach. His wolf gave a sigh, relaxing ever so slightly into her before straightening and growling at Paul who suddenly dropped to his belly as Jacob snarled at him and jerked his head towards the beach. The grey wolf slowly got to his feet, keeping his head low although he still glared at them both defiantly before taking off at a sprint for land, vanishing into the woods in a matter of moments.

Bella sighed in relief, sagging against Jacob as the adrenaline suddenly left her body and she was overcome with exhaustion and cold. Her teeth chattered as she fought to remain upright, removing her hand from Jacob's fur to wrap her arms around herself as she struggled in the thigh deep water towards land. Warm arms suddenly swept her off her feet and against a hot chest that she immediately burrowed into, closing her eyes as Jacob carried her back to the beach. She faintly heard the others murmuring questions as they surrounded the two of them, following Jacob as he walked back to the bonfire. He ignored them all, she could still feel him trembling slightly in anger, until they reached the near dead fire when he stopped and turned to the rest of the Pack. "Paul is running double shifts for the next month, and no one will be covering his ass or they'll share his punishment. He also is not allowed to speak until he apologizes to Bella. Clean this up and if I see any of you with a single drop of moonshine again, I will personally skin your wolf and use its pelt for a rug in my cabin. Understood?"

His voice, though quiet, was deadly and she could hear faint murmurs of acknowledgment from the group before Jacob bid them a good night and walked into the darkness towards his house. His gait was soothing and Bella dozed off several times before they reached the house, blinking slowly when the porch light came into view. She glanced up at Jacob's face, seeing the seething anger still burning in his golden gaze and she reached up to place a hand on his cheek. "Jake. It's okay, I'm okay."

He didn't respond and she saw the gold in his eyes flare momentarily, sighing as she dropped her hand and waited as he opened the front door and carried her past her snoring father. She couldn't help but note ironically that this was the second night he had carried her soaking wet through his house and she snorted softly as he flicked the bathroom light on, setting her on the counter before closing the door softly. The click of the lock was thunderous in the small room and he stood facing the door for a long moment, tremors running from his back up to his jaw, before he turned to look at her. She noticed for the first time that he was naked and heat filled her face as she quickly looked up at the ceiling. "Uh, Jake? You're uh…where's your…can you…"

She couldn't finish a sentence and Jacob shook his head wearily as he snagged a towel off the rack and wrapped it around his waist before resting his hands on either side of her legs. "You just faced off a wolf and me being naked scares you? What in the world Bells…"

She met his gaze as he stared at her with a mixture of amusement, anger and frustration and she straightened her back as she met his look with one of her own. "It wasn't my fault this time!"

He quirked an eyebrow at her and she glared as she crossed her arms. "It wasn't! I went for a walk; I didn't know he was following me! And then when he grabbed me and lifted me up I just acted on instinct and kicked him!"

Jacob's eyes locked onto her arms and she glanced down to see large bruises peeking between her fingers, feeling Jacob's trembling increase as he growled, "I will kill him."

Her eyes flew to his and saw the rage in his gaze as the gold pulsed in his eyes wildly, his deadly tone sending a faint shiver down her spine as she saw he truly meant it. She grasped his face in her hands, drawing his attention to her eyes as she met his gold eyes with her brown and ran her fingers up into his hair. "Jacob, please don't. Paul has always hated me, you know that. He has his reasons, most of them true, and he had way too much to drink tonight. Apparently you can get a wolf drunk and then he makes stupid decisions just like anyone else. He's an ass and deserves to be taken down a few pegs, but I'm sure the others are going to take care of that too. If you need to teach him a lesson as his Alpha, fine but only when you're sure you'll both come out alive."

He sighed, the glow in his eyes dimming and she leaned her forehead against his as she waited for a reply. He nodded slightly and rubbed his hands up her sides absentmindedly, turning his attention to her shivering form. "You, shower, now."

She didn't bother arguing, she wanted the hot shower anyway to get all the sand and seawater out of her hair, and she waited as he turned on the spray and checked the temperature. When his gaze met hers again she gulped at the look in his eyes as they surveyed her wet form, his eyes darkening as they met hers. She felt a shiver run over her at the blatant desire on his face and licked her lips nervously, wondering if he planned on joining her again. They'd already had too many moments of lost control since he'd returned only twenty four hours ago and she knew that they were edging closer and closer to the point of no return. "Uh Jake…maybe I should…um, I don't think…"

Her hoarse whisper seemed to shake him out of whatever trance he was in and he tilted his head slightly before nodding and heading for the door. "It's okay Bella. I'll go get some shorts and then I'll be right outside if you need anything."

She nodded and watched as he left, leaving the door open a crack as usual. Once she was sure he was gone, she slipped off the counter and wriggled out of her wet clothes before stepping carefully under the spray. She almost moaned out loud at the feeling, marveling that Jacob had set the perfect temperature as she began the hard task of rinsing her thick hair of the sand.

Once she had washed her hair several times and given it a healthy dose of conditioner, she scrubbed the last of the ocean from her body and finally climbed out when she felt clean. She snagged a towel to dry off and realized she hadn't brought any clothes with her to change into. Throwing her wet clothes in the tub to dry she slipped out of the bathroom and down the hall to Jacob's bedroom, peering nervously through the opening to see Jacob fast asleep on the bed. She gave a sigh of relief and crept inside, finding her bag and quietly pulling out her underwear and another of Jacob's t-shirts. She debated for a moment about going back to the bathroom to change but decided against it, instead struggling quietly to put the shirt on over her towel and then pull on her shorts without showing anything. Even though Jake was asleep she still was self-conscious, she knew he would tease her mercilessly if he somehow woke up and caught a glimpse.

Tugging everything into place she quietly walked to the bed and hesitantly climbed in, unsure if she should lay down close to him or not. She lay on her side with her back to him, trying to get comfortable when an arm snaked around her waist and pulled her back into his warm chest, legs tangling with hers as his hand sought her own to intertwine their fingers. She relaxed into his warmth, sighing as she felt the exhaustion from the day wash over her, feeling him nuzzle his face in her hair as they murmured their goodnights and drifted off to sleep.

"Hey Bells? Cute underwear."

A/N: So, what'd you all think? I had to throw in some Paul drama, everyone knows he's got to be stubborn and obnoxious for awhile longer. And of course we got some B/J lovin here and there. Let me know what you all think, thanks for reading! Until next time!