"Dad, really, it's ok. Emily is insistent."

Bella had been on the phone with him for almost ten minutes, trying to convince him that she wasn't overstaying her welcome. The pack was looking decidedly better than the night before, but there were still suspicious looking cuts and bruises that needed a little more time to heal. If the police chief kept seeing him looking like that, he really would start to think he was in a gang.

"The roads are still icy and haven't really been plowed. She doesn't want any of us driving yet."

Low, gravelly commentary was buzzing out of her phone. He was getting more lenient with time. He was taciturn to be sure, but Jacob could tell that what he really wanted was more time with Bella before she left for college. He could definitely sympathize.

"This is about dinner isn't it?...Dad, you aren't going to starve in one night...Listen, I'm going to be helping Emily cook tonight to earn my keep and she's promised to share her brownie recipe with me… Mhmmm, that's what I thought...Look, I'll be home in time for lunch tomorrow...Yes, I promise...Ok, love you too, Dad. Bye."

"That sounded painful," said Jacob.

"Like pulling teeth. You'd think I was telling him I'm moving in," she sighed, shoving her phone into her back pocket. "But even Charlie has a price."

The pack had no misgivings about camping out at Emily's house. The senior wolves were nursing beers in the living room, half listening to football game blaring on the tv. Emily had sent Quil and Embry to the store to get a few last minute supplies for dinner, and everyone was savoring the peace and quiet while it lasted. Jacob landed into the huge recliner chair in the corner, sliding over to one side to make room for Bella, who nestled snugly into the space. She leaned into him and rested her head on his good shoulder. His arm wrapped around her shoulder and rested on her back, pulling her in closer. He kissed the top of her head and buried his face in her hair.

"Hey, Jake?" she whispered.

"Yeah?"

"Are you ok?"

She wasn't asking about his arm. It had been one of the most terrifying nights of his life, both the fight and the aftermath. He came close to losing everything twice in the course of an hour, and he was still overwhelmed. A complex mix of emotions had taken him by surprise.

"I'm working on it," he replied. "The last couple days have been...a lot."

"What's wrong? I mean, besides the obvious."

He swallowed. "I thought I was going to die, and then Cullen saved me. Then the look on your face when I told you he was here...and when you ran out, for a minute I thought…"

His eyes squeezed shut and he looked away, breathing deeply and letting it out with a sigh. He promised himself he wouldn't do this in front of her. At least, not in the living room surrounded by his brothers.

He felt her arm snake around his waist, squeezing herself against him.

"Jake, I'm not going anywhere. You know that, right?" she said, her voice soft and soothing.

"I do. It's not you that I don't trust, it's-"

"-Him, I know. I guess I just thought you understood."

"Oh no, honey. No." He stroked her hair.

He turned back to look her in the eyes. They reflected the same sadness and disappointment that he'd hoped he would never see again.

"It's not anything you ever did. It's all me. It's months of being so scared of losing you to Victoria or my own dumbass decisions that it all just stopped making any sense." His voice wavered.

"I never doubted you, Bells. Just me."

She raised her hand to touch his face, gently pulling his forehead to hers.

"You're the only one I want, Jake. You're the only person I've ever really loved, and I'm not going anywhere without you."

She tenderly pulled his face closer so her lips could reach his, and for a brief moment he left behind everything that had weighed down his heart. His fears and insecurities melted away under her touch. No one alive understood him the way she did. No one else could talk him down from a ledge or set his insides on fire. Nothing else in the world mattered but her. Was it possible to imprint on someone twice?

She pulled away, her face sweet but serious.

"I have another question."

"Ask me anything." He hoped he wouldn't regret saying that. But then again, he didn't have any other secrets to conceal.

"Emily and I were talking last night while you guys were out. She told me about what happened with Sam and Leah, with the imprint. How she became part of the pack. And then she told me something else."

Shit. Okay, maybe one secret. Not that was ever really a secret.

"Why didn't you ever tell me?"

He sighed. "It freaked me out. The whole concept, the way it messed with people's lives. I guess it sounds romantic and all when you're talking about Sam and Emily, but there's no guarantee that it will work out for the imprint-er. It just feels like a weird thing to spring on someone, you know? 'Hi, I'm in love with you and forever bound to you thanks to some weird fucking wolf magic. I hope that's cool with you.'"

She snorted and nuzzled back into his neck.

"Yeah, I guess it sounds kind of nuts when you put it that way."

"Honestly, it wasn't all that different from the way I already felt. It was just that first day that got me. It didn't really change anything, and I didn't want to put any pressure on you. You should come because you want me, not because you think you should. The upside is that it gives you some rights: You're entitled to our full protection, and you get my first priority, even over the pack."

"Jeez, I hope I'm worth it."

He laughed and leaned down to kiss her again.

"You are absolutely worth it."

She giggled and began turning pink again. She was so cute when she was embarrassed. And when she was mad. And when she was happy. She was cute all the time. How did he get this lucky? She was the only thing he'd ever wanted, and now she was curled up next to him, laughing and smiling and looking up at him with those big brown eyes that made his heart race. How was she ever going to top this?

"Ok, I promise, just one more question."

"Jesus, at this rate I'm going to have to clear my schedule for the next week."

If he made her roll her eyes any more than he had today, he ran the risk of making them pop out and roll away.

"How well is your right hand working?"

Ok, maybe that could top it.

As usual, Emily made enough food to feed a small village, and it made him wonder how she fed them all without going completely broke. Dinner featured the usual level of commotion, but with the relaxed atmosphere that they had all missed. Bella looked so happy, so contented with their company, even though he was ready to kill most of them. Emily was a saint for putting up with them for as long as she did.

But none of it could tear his mind away from the sly suggestion whispered into his ear, sealed with a kiss behind it. This was easily the biggest boner of his life, and it was making it very difficult to function. It had been over a week since that night in her room, with absolutely no time to himself afterwards and no sympathy from his brothers. If he wasn't careful, he might explode on impact. Not the way he wanted the rest of the evening to go.

Except for Sam and Jacob, the rest of the pack decided to phase and run home to avoid another night sleeping on the floor or the living room furniture. Most had skipped the morning shower, and a distinct funk hung in the air above the living room like smoke. But rather than enjoy the sudden and very welcome silence, Sam and Emily retreated to their room. After months of late nights and a brush with death, they had a lot of catching up to do.

Jacob laid on the guest bed while Bella brushed her teeth. It wasn't exactly the circumstances he expected: he's always pictured sneaking into her room at night while Charlie was out, stripping each other down to nothing before sliding backwards onto the bed. He would proceed with ease, guided by instincts and incredibly sexy noises she made. He was jolted out of his reverie by the sound of the bathroom door opening, and two tiny feet headed towards the room. It was at that exact moment that she entered the room wearing his shirt that he realized he had no idea what the hell he was doing.

Seeing her in nothing but her panties and his giant shirt was like catnip. Thank god he didn't have anything important going on anytime soon, because he was going to be thinking about this for weeks. She gave him that coquettish smile as she padded over to him, sitting cross-legged on the bed next to him.

"So, do you own pajamas?" She thought better of her comment and reached her hands out to stop his reply.

"Not that I want you clothed. I just imagine that an all-denim wardrobe isn't very comfortable."

"Well, I was hoping that maybe you could help me with that. The being clothed part."

She leaned over to kiss him behind the ear and along his jaw, landing at his mouth.

"Oh, really?" she asked in a low, husky voice. "I think I can do that, but I'm going to need some help, too."

Jesus Christ.

"L-ladies first."

"Mmm-mmm," she countered, nipping his lower lip. "Not an even playing field. Those pants need to come off first."

"Fine."

He sat up and turned over the edge of the bed, clumsily kicking his jeans off where they landed on the floor.

"Better?"

"A little. But the shirt needs to go, too."

She slid her hand under the hem of his t-shirt, teasing his bottom lip with her tongue as she ran up his stomach to his chest. Reluctantly, he parted his lips from hers for a moment to allow the shirt to slip over his head before wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her back in. She gave a tiny laugh against his lips and wrapped her arms around his neck, one hand cradling the back of his head to kiss him deeper. She hitched her leg up around his waist, a perfect opportunity for him to run his hands up and down her pale thighs, finally landing on the ass that he'd wanted for so long.

His hard-on began to press against her, shamelessly rubbing up against her thigh. She reached down to just barely touch the skin above his boxers, and she could hear a short growlin his throat. She moved on from his lips to his earlobe, gently nipping down his neck to where it meets his shoulder. He wondered how long it took hickeys to heal on a wolf. As if he really cared.

Her fingertips moved further south, faintly tracing the underside of his package.

"I think it's your turn now," he said. "I want that shirt gone."

She giggled, and his hand found its way underneath, crossing her breast, then her collarbone, before pulling the whole thing over her head in one swift movement.

"Someone's impatient."

"Like you aren't," he growled, tossing her shirt across the room. He was almost going to miss it.

She landed backwards on the bed, now only in her panties, a small amount of heat rising in her cheeks. They were the same boyshorts she was wearing when he slept in her bed. How could he ever forget?

He held himself over her, taking care not to rest his weight against her as his tongue snaked down from her ear, to her jaw, and down her throat. He sucked gently on the soft flesh he found there. Hard nipples sat atop her succulent breasts, and he found himself cupping one in his hand before flicking his thumb over the nipple.

He could feel her heart racing from the pulse in her neck. He was anxious to tear everything off and devour her whole. His own racing heart was worsening the throbbing in his underwear, but he needed to hold back as long as he could. He was enjoying her far too much to let his hunger take over. His tongue traveled further down to her chest, letting his breath linger over her nipple for a moment before taking it all in with a flick of his tongue. Her breath caught in her throat and her fingers began to tangle in his hair like some primitive impulse. He sucked her in, groping the lonely breast in his other hand while he savored the whimpering of the gorgeous girl under him.

It was still pressing against her leg, becoming more and more impatient with the pace of their interactions. Maybe he should throw it a bone before the aching became too much to bear. As if on cue, her other hand appeared on him, slowly caressing everything over the fabric.

"I think it's your turn," she panted as he intensified his work on her breasts.

She didn't need to tell him twice. She yanked his boxers down as far as she could and let him kick the rest off. Now he was completely naked and too far gone to care about waiting to undress her. He practically tore off her underwear, making her bottom half jump and bounce back down on the bed. Now there was absolutely nothing stopping him.

"Jake!" she squeaked in surprise.

He smirked back at her before crashing back down and latching onto her neck, biting and sucking and making sure he had tasted all of it. Fuck that leech. Jacob was the only one who would ever put his teeth to her neck.

It wasn't long before she started pushing him off, and he rolled onto his back next to her.

"What's wrong?" Maybe that was too rough. In the heat of the moment, it was so easy to forget his own strength.

"You cheated, that's what," she pouted. "If you aren't going to play nice, then neither will I."

She pursed her lips and paused, looking him up and down thoughtfully. In just a second, she was pinning his arms down at the elbows, putting all her weight into keeping him in place. He could probably bench press her with one hand if he wanted to, but he was far to interested in where she was going with this.

She returned her mouth to his, her tongue demanding entrance with a quick swipe to his bottom lip. She broke away just as soon, kissing his chest, making a slow descent downward to his stomach. He was leaking like crazy and he was pretty sure there was not enough blood for the rest of his body at this point. But she kept crawling further down, slowly sliding him between her breasts before landing at her target. How long was she going to tease him like this? He watched her intently as his heart tried to burst out of his chest. She was staring back at him with that smile, that sly smile from their last encounter.

Oh God. Oh God. Oh God.

Her velvet tongue made contact, sliding up the underside at a torturously slow pace, where she finally met the source of the wetness.

"Holy shit," he moaned, rolling his head backwards on the pillow. The most beautiful girl on the planet had her mouth on him, and it was so much better than he imagined. He hated to admit it, but this was well worth the wait.

Up and down, over and over again, until she finally took him in her mouth. He inhaled sharply, then let out a long, low groan that made her giggle. The vibrations rippled through him, and he instinctively grasped the back of her head. He began thrusting upwards, careful not to choke her, but the urge to push her head further down was becoming harder to fight by the second. He could already feel the tension rising, her tongue swirling around him, bobbing her head as she took the entire length in her mouth. But what killed him the most was her enthusiasm. She wasn't acting like this was a favor to him or an obligation; she really wanted this. Oh no. She was looking right at him with those huge brown eyes. He couldn't take much more of this.

"Bells...Bella, honey...wait."

She let go of him with a pop and rested her head on his hip, smiling impishly up at him.

"Hmmm?" She drew one last lick up the underside before giving him her attention.

"You're doing that a little too well," he panted, stroking her hair.

"That sounds like a complaint."

"Not at all. Just wanted to remind you that it's my turn before you suck my soul out of my body."

"Oh, did you have something in mind?"

She giggled and sat up, staring at him curiously while she waited for what he was going to do next. He propped himself on his elbows and took a moment to drink all of her in; her neck, her soft mounds, her stomach, the delicious trail leading all the way down her body. He knew exactly what was coming next. Nothing had ever made him harder than the way she moaned the last time he played with her, the way she turned to putty in his hands. He was determined to make her scream before his dick even touched her.

He slid off the side of the bed.

"Going somewhere?"

"In a way," he replied, giving her a mischievous smile. "C'mere"

He grabbed her by the back of the knees and dragged them off the edge of the bed, knocking her over on her back with a squeal.

"Jake, what're you…?"

She looked up to see him kneeling between her thighs, and turned red. She was just as sexy from this angle.

"Oh."

He began kissing the inside of her thigh, starting at the knee and slowly working his way inward. He could feel his breath making her squirm, and he gave her thigh a long lick all the way down. She was so pink, and all of his efforts so far had left her dripping wet. He let his breath linger over his target before giving a single, languid lick, and she let out an airy cry. He pulled her knees over his broad shoulders and dove in, licking, sucking, and slurping lher juices. It was entirely possible that he would drown there, but he really couldn't think of a better way to go.

She balled up her fists in the sheets, arching her back upwards as his tongue swirled around her. His eyes panned upwards, watching her writhe and whimper with every stroke of his tongue. He might be a novice, but he could still do better than that. He took his hand from her thigh, stroking her softly until he carefully dipped his finger into her wetness, sliding in all the way inside her. Her eyes began to roll back with a ragged moan.

"Jake…"

"That's my girl."

His member twitched painfully. He needed to hear that again. He pumped back and forth inside her while his tongue slithered over her that tiny bundle of nerves. Her hands had moved on to his hair, tangling her fingers in it and pulling greedily at him. He pulled out, replacing one finger with two to fill her up. Her moans grew louder and more desperate as her body tensed around him. She was going to wake up the whole house if she wasn't careful. She was bucking breathlessly underneath him. She was so close, but the lack of oxygen was making him lightheaded. In one last move to bring her over the edge, he curled his fingertips upwards inside her, and he felt her trembling against his mouth. With one final painful grasp of his hair, she let out the longest, most intoxicating moan he had ever heard, and he almost came on the spot.

She released him from her grip and ragdolled onto the bed, heaving and gasping while he lazily lapped up the rest of her. He caught his breath and wiped of his mouth on the back of his arm, looking up at her with the biggest shit-eating grin imaginable.

"Holy shit, Jake," she sighed.

His knees ached from kneeling on the wood floors, and they cracked as he stumbled to his feet, landing on the bed next to her.

"This time I think you were actually trying to kill me," he chuckled.

"Sorry," she panted, still red and breathless.

"Oh, it's worth it. Just make sure my exact cause of death goes on my tombstone so I can brag about it from beyond the grave."

"You'll do anything to one-up Embry, won't you?"

"Maybe. I've got a better reason, though."

She raised her eyebrows. "Oh, yeah? What's that?"

"Hearing you say my name like that," he said with a wicked smile that made her blush. How could she still be embarrassed after that?

"Well, there's still time…" She got on all fours and crawled over to the nightstand. He admired the view of her from behind. Even after the shaking orgasm he had given her just moments ago, she was still soaking wet. It was just too good to pass up. While she was fishing around for something in the drawer, he grabbed her by the hips and dove in face first. She was just so delicious.

"Jake!" she yelped.

Her arms dropped from under her and she fell onto her chest, her hips still held in the air. His tongue dragged up her slit once more before her put her down again.

"Yes?"

"You're being very distracting."

"What if I like being distracting?"

"I was looking for something," she said. She raised her hand up to reveal a small gold foil packet.

He knew this was coming, but he was surprised nonetheless. His erection gave another twitch. It was very tired of waiting. She rose back onto her knees, pulling him closer until her body was pressed against his. He had needed to feel her skin on his so badly. He took her face in his hands for a slow ,intense kiss that made him wonder how he had kept his passion for her locked away for so long. She leaned forward, making him lose his balance and fall backwards onto the pillows. He loved her aggressive streak, though maybe she was just a klutz.

She swung her leg over him just barely south of his arousal, which was so rigid it was painful. He watched her shaking hands tear the foil and slide the condom all the way down to his base. This was it, the greatest fuel for his fantasies since god knows when. Bella, his Bella, was about to take his virginity, and he was more than happy to give it to her. He just hoped he could live up to her expectations the way she did for him.

She crawled on top of him and hovered on her elbows, smiling nervously down at him. She leaned down to taste him again, before guiding him to her opening and sliding all the way down.

"Fuck," he groaned. There was no air left in his lungs.

She gasped at his size as he filled her up. She felt incredible, enough that one wrong move could do him in. He'd have to take this slowly, but they were in no rush. Her lids were heavy, and after taking a moment to adjust, she lifted herself back up onto her knees and slowly began to move. He watched her breasts bounce, her long brown hair swinging around her shoulders. God, she was beautiful. Never in his wildest dreams did he think he would see Bella Swan in front of him, buck naked, and riding him like a horse. She clutched her breasts, whimpering and mewling like a kitten as she ground into him. He grabbed her by the ass, lifting her up and down as she picked up speed.

The noises that escaped her mouth were the sweetest he'd ever heard, but they still weren't enough. His thumb found the nub moving just above his stomach and began to circle it, and he felt her tighten around him, gasping for breath.

"Oh my god...Jake...Jake!" she cried out as she climaxed, spasming around him.

The words he'd waited to hear since he first saw her were all it took. He bucked upwards for his last thrust, finally emptying himself inside her with a low, husky groan.

"Bells..."

He was seeing stars, as if she had actually screwed his brains out. She immediately collapsed on top of his chest, and they both gasped for air. He withdrew, allowing her to roll to his side, still pawing at his chest as she snuggled against him. A thin sheen of sweat coated them both.

"Wow," she panted.

"My thoughts exactly. I am a -pant- little bit disappointed, though."

She frowned. "How's that?"

"Well I -pant- only got two out of you. I was shooting for three, but I think I got a little carried away."

"Christ, Jake. Who's trying to kill who here?"

"Just trying to even the score."

She wrapped her arms around his neck, planting a kiss on his cheek.

"You don't need to make it up all in one night, you know. There's always tomorrow."

"Yeah, I guess there is."