Chapter 7

With one week until the wedding, Alice had everything finished and ready to go. We had rooms reserved at the hotel, the rehearsal done, the flowers ordered, the final final fitting, photographer picked, menu decided on, music chosen, attendants picked, as well as the wedding rings and marriage certificate picked up. Everything was done. The only thing left was to go through with the ceremony, and I was beyond ready. If we could, Jacob and I would be on our way to a cheap drive-through wedding chapel in Vegas.

If we did that, I have no doubt in my mind Alice would murder me. But I digress.

The wedding was only one week away. Everything was done. And yet, Alice was still overly-hyperactive. She was reminding us every ten minutes of the plans for the week; the spa day that she was planning for me and the few members of the bridal party, as well as the bachelorette party she had planned for us. She was making sure that we had everything ready for the stay in Seattle, and that the honeymoon was all set and ready. This was Hell Week; and if I can make it through this, I figured nothing could stop me.

xXx

"Ness?" Jake rapped his fingers against the door to my bedroom. "What are you doing in here?"

"Sshh," I pulled my covers over my head. "I'm hiding from Alice. Don't tell her I'm up here."

I heard the door click, and his footsteps against my carpet. The covers were lifted, and Jacob crawled in next to me, placing the covers back over us.

"Hey," he placed his hand over my cheek and gave me a soft kiss.

I smiled underneath his lips. "Hey,"

"Doesn't this remind you of when we'd build forts?"

I giggled. "I miss building forts with you."

"Well," Jacob smiled, leaning in for another kiss. "We should build one now,"

"Right now?" I laughed.

"Well, not right now," Jacob moved the sheet, and got off the bed. "I have to show you something first."

"If I get out of bed Alice will know, and she's going to want to ask me things like 'between eggshell and crème which color should be the seat coverings?'"

"She's out somewhere with Jasper. And besides, we're not going to the Big House."

"Then where are we going?" I crawled out from under the covers, but stayed in the bed.

"You have to come with me if you want to find out."

"Again with the surprises?" I pulled the sheets back up over my head. "I'm done with surprise, Jacob."

"Just one more, I promise." He pulled the covers away and got down on a knee. He clasped his hands together as if he were praying.

"Please, just come into the woods with me,"

I sat up. "What are we going into the woods for? To get the cow as white as milk, the cape as red as blood, the hair as yellow as corn, the slipper as pure as gold? Remember that the spell is on our house, and we must lift the spell together." I chuckled softly.

"Ness, you're killing me here." He shook his head. "Just come with me."

"Fine," I stuck my tongue out at him, but got out of bed. He lifted up my window, and reached his leg out.

"What are you doing?" I smirked. "We're not sneaking out. My parents aren't even home."

"This makes things more interesting." He lifted his other leg out the window so that he was sitting on the windowsill. Heaving his chest forward, he jumped from the window, landing on his feet.

"Jump down. I'll catch you!" He called up.

I rolled my eyes, but followed his lead. He caught me bridal-style, and gently set me on the ground. He crouched down slightly, and I climbed on his back. He started at a run, and I smiled, feeling the wind rush through my hair. Nuzzling my head into his neck, I closed my eyes, remembering the times we would do this when I was little. I breathed in his woodsy scent, and sighed contently.

He ran for a few minutes, and when he stopped, I slipped off of his back, and looked around.

"A clearing?" I furrowed my eyebrows, looking up at him.

"Hold on," Jacob stood behind me, putting a bandana over my eyes, tying it behind my head.

"What are you…?"

"Sshh…" He whispered. "Still a surprise."

He took my hand, and I blindly—no pun intended—followed behind, unsure of where he was taking me. After a minute or so of walking, he stopped, and slowly untied the bandana.

"Keep your eyes closed," he said, letting the bandana fall behind my shoulders.

"Jacob…" By then, I was starting to become frustrated.

"Alright, you can open them."

When I opened my eyes, a two-story house made from stone, brick, and wood was in front of me. There were a few trees surrounding the area, with ferns and azaleas growing around the sides of the house. Honeysuckle and vines were climbing the walls of the house like lattice, and roses bloomed in a handkerchief-sized garden under the dark, deep-set windows. There was a little path of flat stones, which led from the main road to the steps of the house. A bay window sat to the left of the arched porch entryway.

"A house?" I squeaked, looking between the house and Jacob.

He nodded. "Sort-of a wedding gift. I asked Esme if she could build a house, and she agreed. Do you like it?"

My mouth hung open. "I…Jake, I…I don't know what to say." I laughed nervously.

"I mean, it's a house. Our house. You had a house built for us."

"I'll take that as a yes," he chuckled.

Without much thought, in a quick move, I jumped into Jacob's arms, surprising him a bit. He fell back a little but stabilized, lifting me by my butt. I wrapped my legs around his waist, and my arms around his neck, immediately kissing him. His tongue licked my lips and I opened them slightly, introducing mine. I moved my hands to the back of his head, running my fingers through his thick hair.

When I pulled away, I rested my forehead against his, letting my nose graze his.

"Thank you," I smiled.

"Anything for my Queen," he gave me another kiss, and set me down.

"Would you like a tour?" He held out his hand.

"Of course,"

I placed my hand in his, and he led the way into the house.

He opened the door to reveal a medium-sized entryway. The large, cherry-wood hallway was the most prominent feature of the foyer, and opened into the kitchen. A two-tiered staircase lined the right side of the hallway, going up a few feet before creating a switch-back that led to the second level of the house. On the wall next to the staircase was a long, light-colored table that had two lamps, and a wooden bowl in the center. Above the table was a rectangular mirror. Other than that mirror, the walls were barren.

Jacob walked me through the entryway, closing the front door behind him. To the left of the hallway was an open entrance to the living room. A plush, white carpet carpeted the entire room, until it hit the entrance to the dining room, which was then replaced with the cherry wood from the foyer. The living room was completely furnished, with one of those big faux leather wrap-around reclining sectionals. A black coffee table sat a few feet in front of the sectional, and an entertainment center sat against the wall, with a 60-inch flat screen sitting on top. The entertainment center was stocked with movies, video games, and an Xbox. In the corner of the room stood a fully-stocked bookshelf.

"So, here's the living room," he started, walking me through the room. "I've taken the liberty to stock it with your favorite books, movies, TV shows, and video games."

I nodded, looking around the room some more. "It connects to the dining room?"

"Of course." He nodded. "The dining room leads to the kitchen, which leads right back to the foyer."

"It reminds me of the cottage, except bigger," I noted, as we walked into the dining room. It had the same table that we had back at home; long, and rounded in the middle. The only difference was in the color. The one that Jacob had chosen was black, to match the theme of the living room. Behind the table, against the short wall, was a large China cabinet that filled out the entire wall. A simple white carpet sat underneath the table and chairs, protecting the wood floor. A small door lead into the kitchen, tiled by something that resembled stone. A black granite island was the prominent feature, with counters of the same material lining the walls around it. It was a simple kitchen, with a fridge and a pantry. Other than a few chairs around the island, it was not furnished extensively, and it didn't need to be. I figured we wouldn't use the kitchen or dining room very often.

Jacob led me back through the foyer and up the stairs, which were floored with cherry wood, but lined with the same plush carpet as the living room. The upstairs was larger than it appeared from the downstairs. When you first arrived at the top of the stairs, there was a short catwalk that lead to a large clearing that was just a little smaller than the living room. Three doors lead to empty rooms, one led to a small bathroom, and two large double doors led to the Master bedroom.

The Master bedroom was floored with pale wood, and centered a King-sized bed, with black sheets, and black and white pillows. There was a long ottoman at the foot of the bed, which could open and be used as extra storage. Two glass double-doors led to a porch off the side of the house, which had a nice view of the forest around us. Another set of double doors in the bedroom led to a fully-stocked walk-in closet, and a third led to a Master bathroom, complete with double-sinks, a walk-in shower, and a Jacuzzi tub big enough for three people.

"Well, this is it," he smiled, turning to face me. He took my hands in his, playing with my fingers.

"Do you like it?"

I replied by pulling him towards me and spinning around so that he was pressed against the wall. I pressed my lips against his, and what started out as a slow, soft kiss quickly turned into a hard, passionate kiss. I wrapped my fingers in his hair, pulling his head closer to mine. His tongue licked around my lips, and I opened them enough to allow mine out to meet his.

My hands moved from his head to his neck, and then wrapped around the top of his shoulders. He wrapped his hands around my ass, squeezing it gently. I began to tug at his jeans. He pulled away from the kiss, and pulled off his shirt. He pulled me towards him again, crashing his lips against mine. I jumped up and wrapped my legs around his waist, as he walked me towards the bed, gently laying me against it. I pulled my shirt off, as he climbed on top of me. He placed gentle kisses from my naval to my jaw, creating a trail that led to my lips. When he pulled away, he rested his nose against mine, both of us breathing heavily.

"You're making things so hard to resist," he whispered huskily.

"Then don't," I whispered back.

I rolled over his body, situating myself on top of him. My hair fell, framing my face. I ran a hand through it, attempting to push it out of my face. It ended up falling to the right of my face. Jacob breathed a laugh, and smiled back at me. I closed my eyes when he ran his hands against my bare skin, feeling Goosebumps rise across my skin. I breathed a sigh, and opened my eyes, meeting Jacob's dark ones.

"I love you so much," he sighed, resting his hands against my bare stomach.

"I love you, too." I leaned in towards his face, gently placing my lips against his.

I felt his hands reach to undo my jeans, and I situated myself so that they'd slip off easily. I kicked them off to the side, as I worked on his. I felt Jacob move his hands towards my inner thighs, moving them back and forth.

Jacob re-situated himself, moving me so I was lying on the bed. He kissed me softly, creating a trail of kisses back down to the area below my bellybutton. He gently took my panties between his teeth, and slipped them off, throwing them in a corner of the room. He created a trail of soft kisses to my inner thigh, back up my stomach, and ending on my mouth. I arched my back, and he slipped his hand underneath.

"Beautiful," he whispered heavily. "So, so beautiful."

I smiled, reaching my hands down his back, slowly sliding off his boxers. He moaned as my fingers traced outlines around his bare ass.

"Fuck," he moaned, before kissing me again. I moaned softly in response.

I spread my legs, lifting them and wrapping them around his waist. I gasped as he slid into me. He shifted slightly, and I convulsed, hitting my climax as Jacob was beginning his. He pulled his head away from mine, moving it to the crook of my neck, nuzzling his face in the hollow space between my neck and shoulder.

"Oh, fuck!" I screamed out as he came inside. My hips buckled, and endorphins rushed through my blood. My muscles relaxed, and I closed my eyes, euphoria taking over my body.

My breathing slowed as I felt him pull out. He slowly leaned in and pressed his lips against mine, resting his hands against my breasts. My lips quivered in response, as a whimper escaped them.

"You are perfect," he moved some hair from my eyes, and rested his forehead against mine.

"So perfect. So beautiful."

Our eyes met, sharing a look of love. He slid his body so it was lying next to mine. He pressed his body tight against mine, resting his arm across my stomach. His hand squeezed my lower abdomen, as he placed a kiss behind my ear. He moved my hair again, so that he could rest his head in the space between my jaw and shoulder. Our breathing slowed, and began to match pace, and I could feel his heart beat against mine. I closed my eyes, feeling content.

I curled my legs into my body, and fell asleep, feeling better than I had felt in a long time.