Chapter 8: Bait

Renesmee tossed and turned that night, trying to get comfortable. Living in the city, she had gotten used to lots of noises at night. Sirens, car horns, people yelling and talking, garbage trucks…But in the woods, there was none of that.

Here, it was quiet.

Too quiet.

An owl hooted in the trees above the cabin, making her head jerk up off the pillow in alarm.

"Just an owl," she said to herself, flopping back down on the pillow. She felt stupid for being afraid of the tiniest things now, every other little thing making her jump out of her skin.

You should be a bit jumpy. You're being tracked by a psycho who murdered your best friend. You're entitled to a little jumpiness.

Ness, she thought with a smirk. In the past few days, Jacob had called her everything from Ness to Nessie to Princess Nessie. She'd pretended to hate it, but she secretly felt the nicknames growing on her. No one in her family had ever called her by anything other than her mouthful of a name, so this was quite the change.

But did she like it because it was a nickname, or just because of the person who had given it to her?

Jacob.

Her stomach did an excited flop as she thought of her hired protector. Sure, he was an ass at times, but really, that made her all the more excited. It thrilled her to be so open and honest with another person enough to point out their flaws and bitch at them and to have it done back to her. The fighting was what made it…well, hot. None of her other boyfriends had ever talked to her like that, and as much as she hated to admit it, they were as prim and proper as her own father.

Do girls actually date men like their fathers? she wondered. With a shudder, she silently hope not. As much as she adored her father, Edward, his personality was nothing she hoped for in a guy. He was refined, polite to a fault, and rarely let loose enough to have any fun. He was loving, yet entirely too serious, and Renesmee had always had a difficult time getting to know him, because he was so guarded.

No, she certainly didn't see herself with anyone like that.

Unfortunately, she realized, all of her other boyfriends had been astoundingly similar to Edward – worried too much about work, making money, and impressing all the right people. It was always about getting ahead.

Smirking to herself, she realized Jacob was the complete and utter opposite. He was brazen, self assured, a bit of an ass, and didn't care who knew it. He was up front about his opinions and annoying with his stubbornness, but deep down, he seemed quite passionate. He was certainly passionate about his career, that was for sure.

She admired it.

Her father hated working; she knew he only worked for money and business connections. Jacob seemed like he worked because he genuinely liked helping people and putting bad guys behind bars.

Not to mention he had the body of an Adonis.

Closing her eyes, she pictured his tan, sinewy arms as they stretched the sleeves of his t-shirt. How his jeans hung off his butt in just the right way, allowing her to get a good view whenever he turned around. How the v-shaped muscle in his abdomen had flexed when he raised the axe while chopping wood…

Opening her eyes, she fanned herself slightly and licked her lips. Now that was something she wanted to think about as she fell asleep… Screw James.

Heaving a sigh, she stared up at the log ceiling and began to count the beams as she tried to find sleep. Her surroundings were unfamiliar, and that did little to help her relax, despite how tired she was. The cabin was small, yet comfortable, with a definite homey feeling she would have enjoyed had she not been running for her life.

The upstairs was simply a loft that overlooked the living room below it. There was room for a double bed and a few simple pieces of furniture and not much else. She could hear Jacob moving around downstairs on the couch. It sounded as if he was having as much trouble getting to sleep as she was.

Closing her eyes, she tried her best to relax and think of happy thoughts as she took a few deep breaths. She even tried picturing Jacob chopping wood to help her fall asleep. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't shake the bloody images that kept creeping back into her thoughts. Her brain concocted pictures of James with evil, glowing eyes as he watched her from the trees in a dark forest. A breeze whipped through the trees outside her window, making her jump. She whimpered and sat up in bed, her eyes wide as she struggled to catch her breath.

"Ness?"

She was so startled, she didn't even flinch at Jacob's nickname.

"Jacob?"

She listened as he sat up on the couch, throwing off his covers. He padded up the steps in his bare feet, flipping on the small light at the top of the steps. She squinted as he stood before her in nothing but a pair of worn gray sweatpants. Renesmee blushed, trying not to stare at the way his pants hung off the chiseled muscles of his abdomen.

She hoped she didn't look guilty.

"You all right? I heard you like…make a noise or something," he grunted, running his hand through his messy black hair.

She pulled the covers up slightly, embarrassed that he had come up because of her stupid nightmare.

"Just a um….bad dream, I guess. I'm…I guess I'm just not used to being out here…in the woods," she stammered, looking away.

"It's all right. Well, are you okay now?"

She looked up, meeting his gaze, and nodded. There was concern in his dark eyes, and she felt her heart stutter a little as she watched him standing at the top of the stairs.

He's so freaking hot…and muscled…and…

She blinked a few times, hoping he didn't see her blush.

He shuffled over before she could answer, sitting down on the edge of the bed. His weight made the mattress creak slightly, and she pulled her legs up to her chest as she watched him. He remained a safe distance away, and she could sense he didn't want to make her uncomfortable."I know this place is new and whatnot, but…I think we're really safe up here."

"You do?" she asked hopefully.

"Yeah, sure. I mean, it's way up here in the mountains, and there is no way to link us here. I haven't been up here in years, so there isn't any way he would know that I would pick this spot to hide."

She nodded, resting her chin on her knees. "I know it's silly for me to be so…so jumpy. But I was really just up here…freaking myself out."

He nodded in understanding, his muscled shoulders shrugging slightly.

"I get it. You're in a new place, something traumatic just happened. Do you want me to stay up here with you?"

Renesmee balked, looking at the other side of the double bed. It wasn't tiny, but it wasn't big, by any means.

"Or not," he replied. "Just to keep you company. Erm, no funny business," he said firmly, giving her a curt nod.

She giggled slightly at his sudden business-like manner. "Well, I guess if you put it like that…"

He nodded officially again, standing up to walk to the other side of the bed.

"Hey, I'm a smartass and whatnot, but Dad always taught me to never touch a lady unless she asks."

Renesmee turned her head to the side at his statement, giving him a quizzical look. Jacob's mouth fell open in embarrassment, his eyes getting a little wide in the dim light.

"I…I…I didn't mean it like that, I mean…"

Renesmee laughed again, waving him off.

"No, I…I get it. It's fine. You're a cop, I trust you," she laughed, scooting out of the middle of the bed.

Jacob flipped off the light at the top of the steps, avoiding her eyes as he walked over to the bed. He sat down with a thump on the mattress, his large frame making the bed springs creak again as he settled under the covers, staying outside of the sheets and opting to only use the top blanket. She rolled her eyes as he settled in on his stomach, punching the pillow a few times.

"Comfortable?" she hissed, trying not to laugh.

"Pillow's lumpy."

"I like them like that. Trade me?"

He grunted, switching her hard pillow for his lumpy one. Renesmee laughed again, settling into the "lumpy" pillow with a deep breath. It already smelled like Jacob – warm, spicy, almost like cinnamon and smoke. Beside her, she listened to his deep, even breaths as he promptly fell back asleep.

This time, she fell asleep without another thought.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Cracking her eye open, she frowned. It wasn't light enough. She sat up in bed, noticing Jacob's spot was empty. Glancing at the clock, she saw that it was nearly eight in the morning, yet the sky was dark and cloudy.

Pulling on her robe and slippers, she shuffled down the steps and found Jacob in the kitchen at the stove. He was dressed in jeans and a long sleeved t-shirt, yet he still gave her a bashful look as she walked up, which she returned. Even though they hadn't done anything remotely risqué the night before, she still felt strangely guilty that they had slept in the same bed when they barely knew each other.

"Coffee?"

She nodded, sitting down at the counter as he poured her a steaming cup. Glancing at the potatoes, she gave him a quizzical look.

"I thought we were low on food?"

He shook his head, glancing back toward the laundry room.

"Nah. I found lots of good stuff in the deep freeze," he said, jabbing his thumb at the air behind him. "Good thing, too. You like hash browns and bacon?"

Renesmee tried to keep herself from salivating at the greasy, carb-filled food that she normally would have never allowed herself.

"Yes, but I also like fitting into my clothes," she quipped without thinking. He gave her a skeptical look, and she nodded. "Yes."

He cooked in silence for awhile, Renesmee laughing as she dodged the grease as it popped and sizzled in the skillet. She wasn't about to complain; it smelled extremely appetizing.

"You're up early," she noted as she watching him poke at the potatoes as they cooked.

"Had to be. Someone was snoring in my face this morning as I was trying to sleep," he replied with a smirk. He picked up his coffee and sipped it, winking at her over the rim of his cup.

She made a disgusted noise and pouted, "I do not snore!"

"Bull. You did it right in my face. If I'd had my phone handy, I would have recorded it and played it back to prove it to you, Princess."

"Right. I'm sure," she replied flatly, standing up.

She refreshed her coffee, offering to do the same for him. He nodded, giving her a shy look at she filled his cup with the steaming liquid. She tried to remind herself that even though he was an ass, he had done a nice thing the night before by offering some company.

"Thanks for, um…for last night."

He smirked.

"Don't take that comment like a typical man. Pig," she added, sitting back down. He served her the hot, greasy food, before placing a plate in front of himself.

"I didn't say anything," he replied casually, taking a bite of bacon.

She glared at him, before taking a bite of her hash browns. The warm, greasy food tasted like heaven, and she quickly dug in. They ate the rest of their breakfast in a comfortable silence, Jacob pausing only a few times to glance outside at the sky. Renesmee followed his gaze, watching his look of concern.

"What's wrong?" she asked, trying to determine what he was frowning about.

"Nothing. Hey, I gotta go bring in the rest of that wood. Will you be all right here?"

"Sure. I'll just…find a book to read or…something," she replied, looking around skeptically.

I'm sure I'll find something captivating to read, she thought to herself sarcastically. Something about hunting and fishing or skinning rabbits or whatever it is you do in places like this.

"Good. I'll be back later," he said, standing up. He put their plates in the sink, before grabbing his coat and slipping on a pair of boots by the side door. Without another word, he was gone.

She sat alone most of the morning, getting so bored, she pulled a newspaper from five years before out of the heap next to the fireplace and completed the crossword. She listened as Jacob stacked logs against the side of the house, coming inside only a few times to warm up and get some water. When he was finally finished, it was early afternoon, and the sky was growing darker by the moment.

"It's going to storm, isn't it?" she finally asked, watching his face. It seemed to grow more and more worried as the hours dragged by.

"Little bit. Might go north of here. No way to tell."

She glanced out the window, pulling back the plaid curtain to look. How he could tell the storm was going to go north, she had no idea. For once, she was silently thankful that Jacob seemed to know a thing or two about the wilderness.

"It might not even hit."

She looked back at him, his expression much lighter. She could tell he was trying not to worry her about the approaching storm. However, Jacob didn't have much of a poker face. He was worried, and so was she.

"Do you want to play checkers?" he asked hopefully after they had eaten lunch.

She shrugged, laughing a little at his suggestion.

"Are we five?"

"No, but seeing as how there's practically nothing else to do up here…"

He trailed off, glancing around the tiny living room. He was right. The cabin didn't hold much in the way of entertainment, and she was guessing they weren't going to simply sit and stare at each other the entire night.

Not that I would mind staring at him all night, she thought to herself with a smirk. Normally, what would I do with a hot guy all alone in the woods? We certainly wouldn't be playing checkers…

Jacob's voice cut through her thoughts. "What's that look for?"

"What?" She snapped out of her dirty thoughts, instantly embarrassed as she hoped her face wasn't a dead giveaway.

"You had this look on your face like—"

"Just set them up," she answered quickly, looking away.

He snorted, opening the ancient looking box and setting up the pieces. "I'll be black…I'm always black," he explained.

She laughed, rolling her eyes.

"Get it? Black?" he asked, giving her a bright smile.

"Okay, so that answers my question…we apparently are five."

"Whatever. Get ready to have your butt handed to you in checkers, Princess."

Five hours and dozens of checkers games later, they were almost evenly tied for games. Renesmee made another mark on the slip of paper she had beside her, giving him a smirk from across the table.

"That's another one for me! Hm, seems like someone was mistaken when he deemed himself 'Checker Champ'?"

"Shut it. Took you long enough to get warmed up."

"I'm the dark horse in the race, you could say."

He smacked the edge of the board with a playful grunt, sending the pieces flying.

She giggled and looked up, surprised to see that it was almost dark. "Holy crap, it's snowing!" she exclaimed, racing to the window. Pulling back the curtains, she saw that a light layer of snow was already clinging to the frozen ground.

"Yeah," Jacob agreed, walking up to observe. "Looks like we are going to get that storm."

"Is that bad?"

He shrugged, glancing into the black night. "Not sure. I would have preferred to not be stuck up here, but…"

Renesmee felt a stab of fear.

"But what?"

"I suppose…" He paused, glancing over at her. "I suppose if we're stuck up here then it's not like someone else could make it up. No coming and going from either way."

"Oh," she breathed, instantly relieved. He had a point.

"I'd better add some logs to the fire."

"Yeah," she agreed, rubbing her arms. "It's getting chilly in here."

Sitting down on the small couch, she watched as he bent over and loaded the fireplace with more logs. The fire grew steadily as he prodded it with a poker from the fireplace.

"Get a good look?" he cheeked, glancing over his shoulder.

"Don't flatter yourself," she quipped, trying to laugh out getting caught staring at Jacob's ass. Although it had been worth every millisecond, she thought with a smirk.

"Right," he replied, walking over to the couch. Renesmee was sprawled out horizontally, and Jacob wasted no time picking up her feet, plopping down, and placing her feet on his lap.

"Cozy," she quipped.

He rolled his eyes and leaned back against he couch. She watched as he closed his eyes and sighed tiredly.

"Do you happen to know how to give a decent massage, Princess?"

"What makes you think I'd want to do that?" she asked, swallowing tightly. The thought of getting to touch Jacob and his muscles made her shiver from the inside out. Would he feel as good under her fingers as he looked?

"So is that a yes or a no to my massage question? Do you give a good one?"

She snorted, shaking her head. "Do I look like I do?"

He laughed, shaking his head at her with narrowed eyes. "You know, you act all prim and prissy all the time, but I bet you're tougher than you look. You'd have to be."

"I've never had to be particularly 'tough', thank you. I don't mind being a lady."

"You mean a Priss."

"No, I mean a lady."

"Come on though. You can't be as uptight as you seem. I've seen you start to let loose a few times the past few days. Loosen the strings, Princess."

Renesmee rolled her eyes. Sometimes she felt as though she had never rolled her at anyone that much.

"Sure, sure. And I bet you're not as much of an asshole as you seem," she shot back, giving him a grin.

Jacob threw his head back and laughed, the sound echoing off the cabin walls. "I couldn't be. No one could be that bad."

"Well at least you're self aware," she laughed.

"I am," he agreed good naturedly. "I've been an ass my whole life. Even when I was little. So I guess I was a 'little ass'. Or at least that's what my sisters told me when they were forced into babysitting me."

"Right…" she added, "And I'm sure you did nothing to earn that lovely little nickname."

"Noooo, never," he chuckled. He rested his hand on top of her sock-clad foot. Her skin tingled slightly where he touched her and it made her heart beat a little faster in her chest. It was new and exciting, yet comforting all the same.

Renesmee giggled, glancing out at the snow.

"It's really coming down out there," she noticed, turning to give him a sudden worried look.

His face matched hers as he watched the snow fall to the ground with rapid pace. There was already an inch or two on the ground, and it showed no signs of stopping. In fact, she was sure that it only fell faster. If they got that much snow, there was no way they would be able to escape from the tiny mountain cabin. If anything, they were trapped.

Like bait.

If James managed to find them there, it would be impossible to escape. The winding roads that had taken them to the cabin would be completely snow covered by now, and the trip home wouldn't be easy.

If we can't get down, then he can't get up. Simple as that, she thought to herself as the wind blew around the house. But he's crazy. He murdered two people in an alley. He's clearly not in good mental health.

Renesmee shivered. "We'll be snowed in by morning, won't we?" she asked finally, needed her fears confirmed.

He nodded, his eyes still fixed on the snow. "We have enough food, though…and water wouldn't be a problem. We can stay up here until we get dug out. It's probably safest, considering…" He trailed off, giving her a small nod.

"Right."

He covered her hand with his large one, making a jolt of warmth shoot up her arm. Jerking her head down to look at it, she watched as he squeezed it reassuringly.

"It'll be fine, Nessie. No one knows we're here, and…even if they did, he wouldn't be able to get here. We'll be fine."

She nodded, turning her attention back to the rapidly falling snow.

"I wish I shared your positive thinking."

Even though Jacob made her feel safe, she couldn't help but shake the uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. Something was bound to go wrong.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Thank you to JenRar for cleaning this chapter up and making it so lovely! She is a rockin' beta who always does an awesome job, and I am really thankful for her : )

Sorry for the wait on this one - I'm working on finishing up my Seth fic, my Collin fic, and this one. I didn't abandon it EVER and don't plan to. I will see this one through and I promise you will all enjoy it ; )

Review? Renesmee is about to bust with sexual tension - how would you feel if you were snowed in with officer Jacob? Love to hear what you thought of this one : )