Chapter 14 - You Were So Cute Then...

Dina was up all night with insomnia as she stared at her world history book studying for her finals...She'd be graduating in 2 weeks...Finals were in a week and she was trying to get ready for them. She'd been cancer free for a month and a half. But the chemo treatments had kept her cold constantly and some nights sleepless. It was about mid-night and she couldn't take it anymore...She seriously needed a break from everything. She pulled on her jeans, sneakers and her red jacket and then proceeded to climb out the window and walked across the porch roof, than carefully climbed down the lattice that outlined the porch.

A voice said, "Do you think you should be out after dark?" Dina turned around and came face to face with Paul. Dina smirked and said, "Now you're gonna tell me when I can and cannot go outside?" Paul said, "You are really stubborn has anyone ever told you that?" Dina said, "Yea actually, Embry has...several times in fact." Paul chuckled and said, "I bet." Dina said, "I was going to go for a walk...My insomnia is really giving me a hard time." Paul said, "Do you mind if I walk with you?" Dina said, "Sure...As long as you don't try to boss me around again." Paul said, "I wasn't trying to boss you around...I was just trying to..." Dina said, "No...I know what you was doing and I wanted to apologize."

Paul raised an eyebrow and said, "For what?" Dina sighed heavily and said, "I told you to keep your mutty paws off of me...And it was wrong...I should've never said that...You're not a mutt, but neither is anyone else in the pack...well except for maybe Jared...he's definitely a mutt." Paul chuckled and said, "I couldn't agree with you more...Especially after what he did to you." Dina looked down as they continued to walk...Paul said, "Sorry, I imagine it was painful for you." Dina said, "It was for a while...and It still hurts every once in a while when I see him with her around the rez...Sometimes I think it would've been easy to keep him to myself if I wouldn't have been a pale face."

Paul stopped as he took both of her hands in his and said, "You can't honestly think being a pale face had anything to do with his imprinting on a girl from the rez right?" Dina sniffled and said, "I don't know what to believe anymore...I thought Jared was going to be my...everything for the rest of my life...but then out of nowhere he ups and disappears for 10 weeks, when I finally get him back in my life, he's a wolf and he kills vampires like Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt...then he comes to me and tells me he imprinted on a girl from his school...I can't help but think me being a pale face is the only reason his imprinting didn't work on me." Paul could feel his chest get tight and he said, "But that's not right...the ability to imprint is out of our hands...it happens to someone who is supposed to be our soul mate...it doesn't see skin color or hair color...or how beautiful you are...it just knows when we've found our soul mate and it imprints on you for that specific person. It's a 1000 times stronger than love at first sight."

Dina blushed a little as they continued to walk and she giggled and said, "So...Do you remember when you would come over to the house and you and Embry used to toss the football around and you'd throw it so far that Embry would have to run off and get it, and you'd come over and push me on my swing?" Paul chuckled and said, "Yea...How could I forget? You was the first pale face who I ever met that didn't make fun of the little Indian boys for being so dark skinned." Dina said, "How could I? You were so cute then...And everyone in my family was dark skinned...I'd learned early in life that not everyone looked the same, but everyone believed if you was a different color that you were automatically an outsider. So I knew how Embry felt when we moved here."

Dina stopped for a minute and leaned against a tree for a rest...Paul smirked and have a sideways glance and said, "You thought I was cute back then?" Dina blushed and said, "Yea." Paul walked over and stood directly in front of her and said, "Really? What about now?" Dina blushed even more as she looked at the ground and suddenly found her sneakers more interesting when she exhaled as she chewed on her bottom lip and said, "Yea...You're still pretty cute now." Paul's voice got husky as he blocked her against the tree with a hand on each side of her body. Paul said, "Well I can definitely say you've grown into a beautiful woman."

Dina shivered and her teeth started chattering a little, Paul said, "Are you cold?" And she said, "Yea...a little." Paul immediately pulled her into his arms letting his 109 body temperature warm her...she rested her head against his chest...she loved how warm he was...his husky voice and warm breath on her neck when he asked, "Better?" she nodded and said, "Mmm hmmm." Paul said, "Can I tell you something...Without you getting upset?" Dina looked up at Paul and said, "I'm not going to get upset." Paul said, "I don't want to scare you though." Dina said, "I'm not scared of you Paul...I've known you since we were 10."

She could hear the rumble of laughter in his chest as he held her tighter and he said, "Promise me...Promise me anything I tell you from tonight on won't scare you. Please promise me." Dina looked up into Paul's soft brown eyes and said, "I promise." Paul said, "Can I kiss you?" Dina said, "If you want to." Paul couldn't help himself anymore as he cupped her cheeks in his warm hands and slowly captured her lips with his. Her hands touched his love handles which were nothing but pure muscle and heat. Paul felt his skin light on fire as her fingertips trailed up his back as her fingers fanned out and pulled him closer. Paul growled from the back of his throat when she moaned into his mouth and he felt her physically shiver again. They pulled back and both were breathing heavy as Paul rest his forehead against hers staring deep into her violet eyes. Dina was half dazed as she reached up and kissed his lips softly and said, "What is it you wanted to tell me now?" Paul said, "You're sure?" Dina nodded gently and said, "Of course."

Paul said, "I imprinted on you..."