Not SM, obviously, twilight characters not mine, yet again another obviousness, in no way shape or form affiliated with any of the twilighty goodness… not that I wouldn't mind having me some Jacob though. xD

Chapter 4 – Sandcastles and Secrets

JACOB'S POV

They had been up there talking for quite some time now. I was getting aggravated. Seth was acting like the idiot he was, posing in awkward and clichéd poses, Ness laughing and clicking away on that camera of hers. I watched as she went up to him and wrapped her arms around his waist pressing her body close to his. That's it! Enough already! I made my way back to the shore and stomped up on to the beach coming up behind them quickly. I cleared my throat loudly and they jumped apart. What the hell? They almost looked guilty, Seth's face was bright red and Ness had a shocked look on her face. "Am I interrupting something?" I asked snidely. "Nah man, we were just talking" Seth replied. Ness just shook her head and looked down at the sand shuffling her feet around a bit.

It better be nothing! "I just came up here to get some food from the cooler" I explained as an excuse for interrupting their moment. "You two can get back to whatever you were doing now" I sneered while digging through the cooler. I pulled out a sub and 2 waters, tossing one to Ness. She caught it and asked quietly "Jacob? You wanna help me find the perfect sandcastle spot before it gets too late?" I looked up at the sun, judging from its position it was probably around 4. "What time do you have to be home?" I asked. "Uh oh, I forgot to ask." She said scrunching her face up cutely. I had an idea, it had been weeks since she had stayed over at my place, maybe Bella'd let us make a full day of the beach and she could just crash at my house. I told Ness about my idea. "Oh Jacob that would be great!" she said excitedly. Her face fell in disappointment. "But I don't know if Daddy would go for it" she sighed out.

I offered to call and ask Bella for her, anything to get the smile back on her face. It worked. I dug through her backpack searching for her cell phone. I found it and dialed Bella's number; she answered on the first ring.

"Hey Bells."
"Hey Jake, what's up? Everything ok?"
"Yea, yea, everything's great. We were just wondering since we're having such a great day if Ness could just crash at my place tonight. It's been forever since she's been over and I miss having her around."
She sighed. "I'm not sure Jake… she has school tomorrow and…"
"She has clothes at my place and I'll make sure to set the alarm so she's not late." I interrupted quickly. "I promise Bells. Please, please, please." I whimpered.
"Fine, but it will be your head Edward detaches if anything happens to her."
I laughed. "We'll be good. Love ya Bells, thanks a bunch." I said, hanging up the phone quickly to avoid any further lecturing.

Ness was doing the crazy victory dance Emmett does when he wins anything. I jumped up and joined her. We both erupted into laughter. Seth joined in on our laughing saying we were both crazy. I caught Ness around her waist and spun her in circles before collapsing on the blanket, cradling her to my side. She nestled up against me and sneaked her hand over to tickle me lightly. I growled. She giggled and sat up grabbing my hand. "I want to make a sandcastle Jacob, grab your sandwich and lets gooooo". I groaned. "Ness, do we have to? Your towers always look like something from fairy tales and mine look like big blobby things." She jumped up on her feet and stood towering over me with her hands on her hips. Well, she would be if a 5' pipsqueak could tower. "Well if you'd actually have some patience and take your time they might end up a little less blob-like." "And yes we have to." She had no clue just how adorable she looked right now.

I reached up quickly and grabbed her, pulling her down on top of me. I wrapped my arms around her in a tight hug. "Yes ma'm" I said burying my face into the pile of curls tumbling over my chest and shoulders. Sunshine and peaches. I sighed and sat up with her in my lap. She was smiling up at me. She has to love me. She just has to; she's so beautiful, so kind and loving. I pressed my lips gently to her forehead. "Come on sunshine, let's go build a sandcastle" I said defeated. She scrambled up out of my lap and grabbed her backpack putting the dropped water inside. She reached out her hand for me to take. I got up and grabbed my sandwich and took her hand. "Want a ride Ness?" This was something else we hadn't done in forever. She nodded. I bent down a bit and used the hand I held to help her up onto my back for a piggy-back ride.

Once we were all situated she pointed out the direction she wanted to go. We set off walking leisurely in silence, me eating my sandwich, her scoping the beach for what she considered the best spot. We were almost to the tide pools before she finally found her spot. "That's it, right there" she said leaning over my shoulder and maneuvering my face next to hers so I could see where she meant. I surveyed the area. It was perfect; a nice smooth area next to a large pile of sand. We could use the pile to build our castle on the smooth flat area. I walked over to it and set her down. She immediately started building the foundation of the castle. I stood back watching and eating my sandwich. It wasn't a big foundation and I was grateful, she had forced me into some pretty huge castles in the past and they always took so damn long. I finished up my sandwich and settled down in the sand next to her to help.

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We stood up brushing the sand off our legs and backsides and stepped back to examine our masterpiece. Of course the areas she had done were perfect and detailed while mine were lumpy despite my best efforts. She pulled her camera out and took a few pictures of it from different angles. She stopped and cocked her head to the side studying the castle. She rummaged through her pack and pulled a few things out, I stepped closer trying to see. She had a twig and what looked to be a post-it note. I came up behind her and put my hands on her shoulders, leaning over her head watching. I was right, it was a post-it note she was writing on. She cupped her hand over it shielding it from my eyes. "My secret" she said attaching it to the twig and sticking it in one of the towers like a little flag.

She zipped her bag shut, throwing it over her shoulder and pulled me up. I stood and she wrapped her arms around my waist and rubbed her face into my stomach and sighed. Her hot breath fanning out across my stomach was doing things it shouldn't to my suddenly rampant libido. I love you Nessie. Just say it you idiot, just tell her already! "I love spending time with you like this Jacob… the guys too" she mumbled into my stomach. "I love spending time with you too Ness and you know the guys love you." That reminded me of the scene I came up on earlier with her and Seth. "Speaking of love Ness… do you have feelings for Seth? I mean it's ok if you do. I… I... was just wondering." I stammered. "NO!" she said shaking her head vehemently.

"Are you crazy? Seth? He's like my big brother Jacob! All the guys are!" She shivered dramatically to emphasize her point. "Ew. I can't believe you asked me that!" she said backing up before elbowing me in the stomach. What about me Ness? Do you love me like a brother too? If only I had the nerve to ask. "So I'm an idiot, that's nothing new. Let's go explore the tide-pools Sunshine before it gets too dark."

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RENESMEE'S POV

"Jacob? Can we go sit on the cliff? We've been staring at starfish and clams and other various sea life for like an hour. I'm sure the guys are sick of it too, right?" I said looking around at them hoping for their agreement. They had joined us shortly after we'd arrived and spent most of the time throwing seaweed at each other or pretending to wear starfish as bras. Talk about mood killers. I had planned on spending this time alone with Jacob to explore these feelings a bit further and try to get some information for project imprint. "Actually Ness, we are gonna head on out, we have patrol tonight and I'm starving" Seth said with the other two chorusing his complaint. I looked at Jacob questioningly, half expecting him to agree with the rest of them. "Sure Ness, just the two of us can go on up." Everyone exchanged hugs and said their goodbyes. "Have fun Jacob" Quil said looking over his shoulder and winking as they walked off. What was that all about?

I looked at Jacob raising an eyebrow in question. He just shrugged and pulled me up onto his back. "Let's get going Ness, it'll be faster this way" he explained as he took off running. He always seemed to forget that I could run almost just as fast. I held on tight as the wind whipped through my hair forcing it to fly wildly behind us. I smiled thinking of what we would look like to an outsider; the whole running amazingly fast and the super human strength thing. We were such freaks. Well at least I had that in my favor... Us both being unusual and all. He wouldn't even have to explain about the shape-shifting, etc. if I could just get him to imprint on me. "Um… Ness? We're here." He said jiggling me around on his back a little. Shit. "Oops, sorry." "I was thinking about my project and got sidetracked. You ready to go through and see what we circled?" I leapt down and took my backpack off grabbing out the magazines. "Sure Ness." We sat and I divided them up. "Here, you can look through the ones I circled, and I'll look at what Seth circled." I would go through the ones Jacob circled later on my own.

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"Wow… talk about not picky. I swear Seth circled just about every-single girl in these magazines" I said throwing my last one down on the stack. "Oh trust me, it was way worse when he first started noticing girls, everyone in the pack was constantly yelling at him. It was like a naughty peep show seeing and hearing his thoughts" Jacob responded with a grossed out look on his face. "Awww, you poor baby" I teased. "I'm sure you had some thoughts along those lines of your own at some point that the pack had to suffer through." He looked so embarrassed I couldn't help but laugh. He growled and pounced on me, knocking me onto my back. He cupped my skull before it had a chance to slam into the ground. Oh wow. He was lying over the top of me with our legs intertwined, supporting his weight on his elbows. His shaggy hair had fallen into his face; I reached up and gently brushed it away so I could see into his eyes.

He sighed and leaned his face into my palm closing his eyes. He was so beautiful. I could look into his eyes all day and never grow tired of it. I kept his cheek cupped in my palm but reached up to trace his features with my other hand. I lightly ran my fingertips along his eyebrow, down over his closed eye, along his long onyx lashes. I paused when his lashes fluttered against my fingers then continued running my fingers over his high proud cheekbones, down the bridge of his nose, back along his cheekbone, and down along the strong line of his jaw. His lips parted slightly and I touched them too. His breath exhaled as if he'd been holding it when I traced around the bow shape of his top lip with my index finger and ran my thumb along the lush swell of the lower. I wondered what it would feel like to have those lips pressed against my own.

*Ring*Ring* SHIT! SHIT! SHIT! Jacob jumped off of me and I groaned. He handed me my phone and I glanced at the display before answering.

"Hi Willow." I said through clenched teeth. I sat up bringing my knees up to my chest and wrapping an arm around my legs. Without the added heat from Jacob I could feel the chill in the wind.
"You busy Rennie?"
"A little, but its ok Willa" I could tell she had something on her mind from the tone of her voice.

JACOBS POV

What had Quil said? A little touch here, a little touch there, maybe a kiss or two? I was messing up big time, she had pretty much invited me to do something with the way she had touched my face. I could still feel the tingling heat on my face and lips that her fingers had caused. What was I doing? I should be over there taking Quil's advice, yet here I sit staring at her doing nothing. Chicken shit. Grow some balls, be a man. I bristled at my own mental harassment. Ness was sitting curled into a ball hugging herself. I watched a shiver run through her and leave chill bumps along her skin. It was starting to get late, the heat from the sun waning as it got smaller and smaller. There's your chance, if you don't take it you truly are an idiot Jake. I got up and sat behind her, settling her in the V of my legs and urged her back onto my chest. I ran my hand up and down her free arm until the bumps went way and she was warm again.

I leaned her forward again and gathered her hair behind her running my fingers through it, getting out the tangles. When I'd gotten most of them out, and snuck a sniff or two of her scent, I plaited her hair in a long braid and draped it over her shoulder. Thank God for annoying sisters. I pulled her back tight against me again, wrapping my arms around her and resting my hands on her stomach. I felt her stomach muscles jump under my fingers. I leaned my head forward a little wanting to see the way my hands looked touching her body so intimately. She's so tiny. Just one of your mutty paws covers her whole stomach. I liked the way our skin looked. My dark injun skin against her pale golden skin. The warmth of her skin, the knowing that I was touching her, and the sharp contrasting colors of our skin had desire flowing through my veins.

Take a chill pill there bucko. Don't need things growing down in the nether regions and poking her in the ass. I'm sure she'd just be super thrilled. I looked around for something, anything, to take my mind off of her. Like that was really possible. The sound of her light voice talking to her friend on the phone was enough to get me going. I rested my chin on the top of her head and sighed. The sun was setting against the ocean line, the blending of deep reds, oranges, and yellow's set against the blackness of the ocean was breathtaking. I took one of my hands off her stomach and cupped her cheek leaning down to whisper in her ear as she talked. "Look sunshine, the sun is setting" I breathed into her ear taking my hand from her face to point. She brought her head up to follow the direction of my hand and accidently made my lips brush over her ear.

"I've got to go Willa, I'll talk to you tomorrow" she said hanging up her phone. I put my hand back in its previous position and she snuggled deeper into my embrace. We sat together watching the sun slowly sink deeper into the ocean. I turned my face towards hers and watched her facial expressions changing. "It's so beautiful" she whispered. "Yes it is" I said still looking down at her. She gently put her hand on my cheek and pushed her thoughts into my head. I watched the playback of all of our alone moments during the day play through my head and heard her 'thank you' in my thoughts. "No, thank you Ness. Today has been great." I said kissing her cheek. "We better go though, it's getting dark Sunshine." She nodded and I scooped her up into my arms and took off running.

We were already to the car when she realized she'd forgotten her bag. "It's ok Ness, I'll go get it. Go ahead and get in the car and lock the doors while I'm gone." I watched her get in and waited for the click of the door locks before I ran back down the path to the beach. I ran top speed relishing in the wind against my face, the spray of the ocean lightly misting against my face. I had her pack and was running back to her when I passed the sandcastle and remembered her little flag she hadn't allowed me to see. I turned back and plucked the little flag off of its tower and held it up. No way… did she? Could she really? I let the hope and wishful thinking I had been holding back wash over me full force. I smiled tucking the little flag into my pocket and ran back to her faster than I'd ever run in my life thinking of the little drawing; a miniature wolf in the upper left corner with a drawing of the loch ness monster in the lower right, a large heart with today's date written inside was centered between the two.

She was waiting for me dozing in the car. I unlocked the car and gently shook her shoulder. "Sunshine, wake-up honey, you can sleep when we get home." Home. With Renesmee. It sounded right. It sounded like heaven. She opened her eyes a little and smiled up at me through her lashes. "I'm awake" she said sleepily before scooting as close as the arm rest between us would allow and putting her head against my arm. I let the happiness the gesture brought me rush through my veins and backed out of the parking spot, heading towards my apartment.

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I had a bit of trouble getting everything to transition exactly to my liking in this chapter, sorry if it flowed a bit funny to you too.

Oh and I know you're reading my story. Review already you ghost readers! Lol. Good and bad reviews are greatly welcomed and appreciated. Let me know what you're thinking. I'm gonna take a bit of a break and go through my scatterbrained thoughts and get things a bit more organized before I continue.