A/N: I own nothing Twilight, only the plot in which I place the characters in…and my own dreams of Jake in a jacuzzi… oh to be the bubbles…*sigh*

AH, AU, BPOV…rated M for adult/sexual situations, language, 18 and over highly recommended…you have been warned!

The Claiming of Jacob Black

Chapter 4

JPOV

When Carlisle asked me to help at his ranch I jumped at the chance. I had met Carlisle several years ago at a cattle auction; he and I were bidding against one another for the same purebred Angus bull and happen to be sitting next to one another. I had a small farm and was looking for some fresh blood for my herd and had already bought some heifers from Montana and all I needed was the bull. Neither of us won the bull, but won a friendship instead. We began talking about raising cows and wheat ranching and it snowballed into a friendship from there.

I didn't have anything to do for the summer and it was a perfect outlet for my loneliness. I lived alone, and while I liked my solitude, I was beginning to feel like I was missing something, or rather someone. Oh I had friends, married friends, friends with significant others, friends who had friends with benefits…you get the idea. Every one of my friends had someone; not that I minded being alone, which I didn't really mind at all. It was just that I thought it was time to find that someone, that person who was 'it' for me. I had dated a few girls over the years, but nothing seemed to stick. It was all superficial, none of them wanted marriage or even a long term relationship; but I did. I never thought of women in that way and believed a woman should be treated with respect and love. It was how I was raised and I firmly held onto that.

I arrived at the Cullen ranch before dawn that morning and was told to stow my things in the basement where I was to stay for the summer. I noticed two beds and wondered who was going to be staying to help; I was to soon find out and what a surprise it would be. I always brought a small treat with me, and knew from past visits that Esme liked my cinnamon rolls so I had made some fresh that morning and brought them along, leaving them in my cooler for a morning snack. I met up with Carlisle in his shop and after helping to feed the cows and horses and getting the hay elevator taken to the barn I was invited in for some breakfast, and since I hadn't been to the farm in a while, Esme pointed out some pictures I knew I hadn't seen before. There was one of a foal being held by a young-looking man in overalls. Another of the ranch from an aerial view that was taken the last time I had been there; I knew this because I could just make out the blue outline of my first car, an old blue mustang I bought for a song and restored to near perfect condition. Then I noticed another picture. It beheld a breathtaking young woman with dark mahogany hair and eyes that could pierce your soul. She was holding the reins to a nice looking cream colored horse and looked like she was out of breath from laughing as a smile graced her perfect features. My heart skipped a beat and I was left wondering who she was.

It was at breakfast that Esme mentioned a friend of hers, Bella, was coming this morning to spend the summer helping at the ranch and began talking about how years ago as a child she used to help feed the animals loved horseback riding, and even helped her beloved mare Breezy foal while Esme was away. The conversation turned slightly dark when Carlisle quietly asked Esme if Bella was still seeing that 'punk-ass bastard Ed' and I became suddenly interested in my breakfast while they continued to talk. I was curious, but didn't want to appear nosey. I was beginning to think that this friend Bella was an older woman the way Esme talked about her. I couldn't have been more wrong. Esme noticed my verbal absence in the conversation and mentioned that Bella was the woman in the picture I had spent time staring at. I swallowed my food heavily and nearly choked. That was the friend Esme was talking about that was going to be here? The girl in the photo was beautiful, and my mind kept wandering back to it, I was going to sneak another peak at it when I used the excuse to use the restroom before I went out to work. I felt a tightening in my jeans and knew I was going to have a difficult time not showing it.

After finishing breakfast I left my truck keys with Esme and told her to bring it along with my cooler so that she and Bella wouldn't have to walk the long distance from the house to the barn; it was supposed to be very hot this week. I gave her a kiss on the cheek and grabbed a bottle of water and headed out with Carlisle.

We had been down at the bar for about an hour getting things setup and I was in the barn when I saw my truck pulling into the clearing and park next to the barn in the shade and watched as she got out and walked to the back to get the coolers out. She looked just like she did in the picture; breathtaking. I wanted to meet her but I knew now wasn't the time, maybe when we took a break. My jeans were fitting tight again, and I mentally cursed myself for being such a guy.

Carlisle was giving the women instructions on how to load the elevator then climbed on and rode a bale to the top where he jumped down and pulled the bale aside stacking it.

"So, have you got your new field fenced yet Jake?" Carlisle asked as a bale tumbled into the barn. He reached for it and walked it over to the far wall to stack it. I grabbed the next one and followed him over to stack it on top.

"Mostly, I am still waiting to for the T-posts I ordered to come in. It's taking a toll on my corral, those bulls want out on that green pasture. They are getting restless. I know the feeling." I said the last part of that almost under my breath.

"Well, be lucky you have water to irrigate with, not everyone is as fortunate as you to have water rights directly from the spring." Carlisle was right, I was very lucky. My neighbors had no water for their pastures, so as soon as the heat hit, they were always watching for the rare summer rains to help out; grass fires were very bad when they hit the hay and wheat fields. It wasn't only the crops that were lost, it was lives and livelihoods.

We continued working, and I could occasionally hear the girls below us laughing. I was walking back over stepping carefully over the holes created in the stack for circulation when I heard Carlisle holler out the door way.

"What's the hold-up down there?" He was anxious to get the hay put up before it got too hot; it could get very miserable very quickly when bucking hay if it got too hot. It was already getting warmer and I could feel the heat emanating off the far side of the barn.

I stood just inside the doorway looking out and noticed Esme was no longer on the ground, but standing on the hay stack looking back up at the barn.

"Bella fell between the bales and is stuck, she can't climb out by herself and I can't pull her out. Can you send Jake down to help her please? We need more muscle." came Esme's voice.

My heart beat a bit faster. Bella was stuck, was she ok? How far did she fall? Wait, I thought I had heard two voices laughing. You don't usually laugh if you're hurt, right? Well I guess I was about to find out. I started climbing down the elevator that had been turned off.

"I'm on it." I hit the ground and climbed up the stack to see a brown head balanced between the bales. Esme had made her way down and was watching.

I stepped over and around her and was struck by her beauty. I wanted to laugh at the same time at her predicament, but instead I decided to be chivalrous. I placed my feet so I wouldn't slip on the chaff and bent down, my face next to hers, buried in the length of her ponytail and clasped my hands behind her back. I took a deep breath and my senses went onto overload. She smelled so… mind-altering; a combination of vanilla and cinnamon, and woman. My body was reacting and I wasn't prepared for it. Yea, I know, I'm a guy. I had to close my eyes for a moment to concentrate.

"Put your arms around my neck and hold on tight, don't let go," I told her, hoping my voice didn't crack. She did as she was told, placing her arms tightly around my neck in a grip I didn't she'd possess for her size. I found myself liking how she felt there, her arms around me. I wondered how they would feel if they were pinned to the wall as I leaned into her body and…Focus man!

Turning my head slightly into her ear, "You ready?" I asked with a slightly shaky breath as I mentally shook my head.

"Yea, I'm ready," she almost whispered in my ear. The sound of her voice sent a shock straight to my dick. I pressed my head into her neck as I started to straighten up slowly, pulling her almost straight up and out from between the bales and tightly against my body, hoping she wouldn't feel that I was aroused; but then again hoping she would see what she was doing to me—and we hadn't even officially met yet! When she was almost face to face with me, I slowly let her slide down my body. And it was exquisite torture. The feel of her breasts sliding down my chest, her legs moving down mine until her feet touched the ground. My dick was so hard just from the feel of her sliding down my body. My heart was now pounding and I was afraid she would hear it and think I was just trying to cop a feel or something just as wicked.

She swayed a bit and I instinctively held her closer so she wouldn't fall back into the hole I'd just pulled her out of. Her arms were still around my neck and couldn't help but notice her breathing matched mine. Was she feeling something too? Would she? Her face was flushed, from the sun or embarrassment I wasn't sure. But it looked good on her. I liked how she felt in my arms and I didn't want to let her go, ever. I was going to test the waters.

"You always fall for guys you just met?" I looked deep into her eyes. I meant the comment in jest, but wanted it to be taken seriously just the same.

I heard her breath hitch and knew I had made an impression. She stuttered a response in such a way that I had to hold in a laugh. I started to let her go when I sensed rather than felt she was going to end up back in that hole so I pulled her by her hips closer to me and got caught up in her eyes. I almost felt lost in them. Carlisle was getting impatient and wasn't afraid of letting me know with his comment on kissing Bella. It was definitely an intriguing idea; I might have to make that happen, later.

I called out my answer over my shoulder without taking my eyes off Bella's. I felt a pull to her, something I couldn't explain.

"Are you ok?" She didn't answer me. I wondered if she had gotten scared from the fall. "Bella? Hey, you sure you're ok?" She looked like she was going to collapse so I tightened my grip on her hips just to make sure she didn't fall. Just then she focused her eyes on me.

"Uh, yea, yea, I'm…I'm good. Thanks for, um, helping me. I got it." She pulled away but I held onto her hand, I didn't want her falling again. When both of her feet were firmly planted on the ground, I told her I would pull bales down so she didn't have to climb the stack again. I wanted to stay and hold her tightly to me feeling her body pressed against mine, not worrying about the hay, nor the multitude of other things that had been asked of me. But there was work to do and for now I figured Bella would be safer and better off if I pulled some bales down for her; she couldn't slip and be buried if half the stack was on the ground right? I scaled the elevator and went back to work stacking bales.

"Jake, do you like Bella?" he asked. Carlisle had a peculiar grin on his face and I wondered if it had anything to do with what he witnessed. I rolled a bale in front of me, not wanting to lose the faint scent of Bella from my chest. I think I was going to have to take a long cold shower when I was done today.

"Uh, I don't really know, I mean she is really cute, kind of sexy…I guess I wouldn't mind getting to know her," I was honest in my answer, but not totally forthcoming. What I left unsaid was that I really wanted to get to know her on a personal level, really personal. It wasn't about sex, although I could definitely see it happening with Bella. I wanted to get to know her, her likes, dislikes, wants, needs, dreams, and her desires. I wanted to run my hands over her body, to feel the swell of her firm ass under my hands, the curve of her bare breasts against my naked chest, the wet heat of her…Damn, I had better focus on something else, my pants just got three sizes too small. I adjusted myself trying to make it look natural; I was going to be paying for my vivid imagination later. Cold shower, cold shower, cold shower.

"Just be aware Jake, she's been in a bad relationship before, and it didn't end well. She caught the bastard cheating on her in her own bed." Carlisle didn't mince words and wasn't holding back what he knew. "The guy made some comment about if he had met her first he'd have fallen in love with her instead. Sounds like a real piece of work. Anyway, she had a really rough time with it; they'd been together for a couple of years before it happened."

A couple of years and the guy tells her he didn't fall in love with her first? What the hell? No wonder she had a hard time with the break-up. I pulled another bale over as it came off the elevator and walked it to the edge of the wall and stacked it. I wasn't sure what I thought about it. It wasn't like me to get involved in other people's business, but Bella did intrigue me. If nothing else, I might make a friend out of her; but I think I wanted more. In fact I knew I wanted more, I just needed to get to know her, get her to open up to me and see what kind of man I was.

"I wouldn't hurt her Carlisle, you should know me better than that." I grabbed another bale and stacked it.

"I know you wouldn't Jake, you have always been the good guy, but you have had your share of rough patches too. Just take it slow and don't push her too hard. She needs someone in her life, someone like you" Carlisle picked up a bale and heaved it my direction and then turned to move the elevator. I grunted my acknowledgment and continued to stack bales of hay. Carlisle gave me a lot to think about.

We worked in companionable silence for a while, when Esme turned off the elevator and called out that the girls wanted a break. The coolers were brought out and I took out a water and a beer and sat against the barn wall taking a long drink of my beer. It felt good going down my dusty throat. I had forgotten how dry it gets in the barn. I pulled my hat over my eyes to shade them and to use it as an excuse to look at Bella while not seeming like I was ogling her. She was sitting in the shade stretching her arms over her head and drinking her water. I watched her lips press against the bottle and could see the tip of her pink tongue against the rim, and felt the material of my jeans get snug again. I suddenly wanted to be that bottle. I was going to have to seriously think about buying fuller cut jeans if my dick was going to take things over.

The conversation turned, as it usually did, to the next job to be done. More hay to stack, moving the elevator, having my buddy Seth come over to help in the next day or two. I really didn't pay much attention to the topic as I was busy watching Bella watch me. She didn't think I could tell she was looking at me, but I could tell she was. And I could tell she was interested! So could Esme. That devious wicked minded woman, I would have to thank her for arranging us working together.

"Bella, are you alright?" Esme knew she was alright, but she didn't want to embarrass Bella by making comments.

"I'm fine. I was just thinking about what we need to finish doing today. I was thinking of making a pie for desert if that's ok," she replied to Esme. Bella turned red, and I knew it wasn't from the sun. I watched as Bella got up and reached into a cooler pulling out a container, sit back down and turned towards us.

"Does anyone have any preference? I can make peach, cherry, or blueberry cobbler. And Carlisle, I made you those cookies you're so fond of." Hmm, desert. Pie even. I knew what kind of pie I wanted right then. Damn I need to quit being such a guy, or buy looser fitting jeans.

Bella smiled as she reached out and handed the tub to me. I wondered what kind of cookies were in it, and remembered my own treat in my cooler. I took the container and looked at Bella with a question on my face; I wanted to try them, but didn't want to look too eager about it. She told me to try it, so I took one and passed the tub over to Carlisle who snatched it out of my hands as quick as he could. You didn't want to get between the man and his cookies; you might not survive with all your limbs intact. I heard Esme tell a story once of a guy who was sent to deliver some banana bread to Carlisle and decided that the man wouldn't miss a couple of pieces…the rumor went on to say that the guy was seen a week later minus a few fingers. I shuddered at the thought and quickly withdrew my own hand.

I bit into the cookie. It was good, I mean really good. I closed my eyes and nearly sighed my content. The taste of chocolate and walnuts assaulted my taste buds. They were soft and chewy and melted on my tongue. I could feel a crumb on my lip and slipped my tongue out to catch it. I did it slowly, and as sexily as I could because I knew Bella was watching me. I wanted to run my tongue over her lips and let her taste her own accomplishment and show her how she was making me feel. I was still feeling the effects of our contact earlier and having a hard time ignoring my body's reaction to her nearness. Swallowing my bite, I took a drink hoping to distract myself and remembered my own baked goods. I walked over to my own cooler and grabbed the cinnamon rolls I made earlier and sat down. I was suddenly nervous about sharing them with Bella; what if she didn't like them? Well I guess I was about to find out.

I handed the shallow dish to her and told her to try one. She took her sunglasses off and opened the dish, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.

"They smell really good." She took one out, handed me the dish and sat back. I took one myself and passed it over to Esme who gave me a big smile. I smiled back and turned my attention back to Bella, wanting to gauge her reaction to my own offering. Closing her eyes, she took a bite, and in doing so the glaze dripped onto her chin. She chewed slowly, savoring the flavor. I swallowed hard. Her tongue peaked out and ran around the inner edges of her lips gathering the sweetness that lingered. I couldn't help but stare at her lips, I was mesmerized. I had to have a taste. I wanted a taste. I needed it...now. Bella opened her eyes and tried to look away before I reached out to take her face in my hand. I lifted my other hand and gently wiped my thumb against her chin, taking the glaze off and placed it in my mouth tasting the sweetness that was all Bella. I had a sudden vision of blueberries and whip cream. I had to tell her; well part of what I was thinking any way.

"I do love blueberry pie." I licked my lips and swallowed thickly taking note of her increased breathing and dilating eyes. Her eyes grew dark with need and I had to smile. I was getting to her. But I didn't want to push her too hard. Carlisle's earlier comment about her having a rough time with her last boyfriend echoed in my mind. I didn't want to cause her to feel like she had to reject my advances. I wanted her to feel comfortable, relaxed. I pulled away and noticed her face was flushed and the smile remained on my face because I knew I had done that to her.

I watched as Bella got up, put her gloves back on, adjusted her clothes and looked over at Esme. I had to hand it to Esme. She knew what she was doing, and I think I was about to owe her big time.

We worked steadily for a couple more hours, taking a break again when Esme decided she and Bella were done for the day and needed to go up to the house and make dinner. I took a drink of my water and watched as Bella took her gloves off and started walking up the slight hill towards the house. It would be a bit of a walk, we were quite a ways from the main house. I suddenly felt the need to be near her. It was a weird feeling, not bad, just…different, like I was having a hard time breathing. I'd never felt that way before and it made me anxious. I put my water down and fished the keys out of my pocket and took off running after her. Esme stayed behind to talk to Carlisle for a few moments and that gave me an opening.

"Bella, wait!" I called out to her. I stopped myself mentally. What was I going to say? 'hot thing, you are the air I need to breath so how 'bout you to give me mouth to mouth?' oh I know how about 'hey babe, I noticed you all hot and sweaty and it gave me a boner and I really like you, so can you take care of it for me?' Yea no, aint gonna say that…anything but that. Shit! Smooth Black, real smooth. Think already would you!

I caught up to her and held my hand out with the keys laced in my fingers. She had a startled look on her gorgeous face. I took a deep breath and steadied myself.

"I'll give you a ride back up to the house; I need to get some tools and spare lumber from the shop. Carlisle wants to fix some of the boards on the side of the barn. So I can give you a lift if you want." It all came out in a rush. Smooth Black, real smooth; just jump up and down waving your arms and scream BOO! and scare her off why don't you.

"Uh, sure." The blush that crept across her face was so damn hot. I walked back over to where the coolers were and loaded them in the back of the Dodge. Bella stepped to the passenger side and opened the door to get in. As I opened the driver's door, it took me a minute to realize what was wrong with the picture in front of me. I could not get into my truck, not like this. The seat was pulled all the way forward, and I noticed the rearview mirror was facing down. I already knew she had driven it down from the house but it had slipped from my thoughts until I was faced with having to readjust things.

I teased her about having to rearrange everything and she made her arguments as to why she'd needed to do it in the first place. She almost reacted like she expected me to be upset with her. That ex-boyfriend must have really done a number on her. I was going to have to show her I was nothing like him. After getting in, I drove us to the main house, parked and shut off the ignition. I saw her reaching for the door. I didn't want her to leave, not yet; not until she knew at least how I was starting to feel about her, even though I didn't know her very well. I knew I had made her uncomfortable and I wanted to apologize to her for it, the last thing I wanted to do was make her feel awkward. I put my hand on her arm to stop her from leaving the truck, from leaving me. She turned and looked at my hand on her arm and followed it up until she met my eyes.

"I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable earlier."

Watching her face for her reaction, I got lost in the depths of her eyes again. This was starting to become a frequent thing. Reaching out, I cupped her face and just felt the touch of her skin on mine and this time I felt something else like a jolt of electricity flow from my fingertips to my toes. Leaning in I pressed my lips to hers. It was a simple kiss. Surprisingly she relaxed against my mouth and let out a small sigh of…content? I traced her lips softly with mine, almost ghosting them across their smooth surface and was rewarded with the feeling of Bella kissing me back. I wanted to taste more. I pulled her arm gently dragging her closer and ran my hands from her arms to her shoulders to her neck, twisting my fingers into her hair and gave a gentle tug backwards as I ran my tongue across her lower lip. She gasped into my mouth and the shot of electricity I had felt moments ago hit me again and made a bee-line for my already aroused cock. Her mouth opened and l slid my tongue between her lips and deepened the kiss. I was having my taste, and it was making me drunk. Our breathing became ragged as our mouths danced in tune with each other, tasting, and being tasted. Her small hands had grabbed onto my shoulders and were pulling me closer. I thought I heard her moan; she was kissing me back with such passion that I wanted more; I was being greedy I knew, but I also knew she wasn't ready to jump right back into something.

I pulled back breaking the kiss; eyes closed and rested my forehead against hers to catch my breath. My heart was hammering in my chest as if I had just run a marathon. I had to get back to work, Carlisle was a fair man, but not if his help was lazy and indolent. I was neither, but I sure would have stayed right there with this gorgeous creature all day if I could.

"I should be getting that stuff back for Carlisle or he's gonna give me hell for taking my time." I released my hold on her and sat back running a hand through my hair.

"Mmm, yea, I uh, had better get inside and get things ready for dinner, Esme doesn't like it when I am…distracted."

I thought back to when she asked about what kind of pie to make and damn if my pants constricted even tighter against my raging hard-on. I was so into self-torture. Bella and I got out of the truck and unloaded the coolers and after watching her walk away, I got back in the truck and drove to the shop for the supplies I needed.

I loaded the spare lumber, nails, hammers and a small hand saw into the truck and drove back to the barn. We worked efficiently for a couple more hours at the barn before heading out to the field to pick up more hay. Once that was loaded and stacked near the feeder barn where most of the hay was to be stored we started picking up our things to head back to the main house to get ready for dinner. It had been a long day and I was looking forward to relaxing for a while.

Esme came down to the barn looking like she had just gotten out of the shower, her hair still damp. She walked over to Carlisle and gave him a passionate kiss. I turned away, not wanting to intrude upon their moment and busied myself with rearranging things in the truck box. The sun was just at the edge of the horizon and the air was cooling quickly even though it was still warm.

"Jake, when you get back to the house would you go into the basement and get a jar of beans off the shelf? I only remembered as I was walking down here. We will be at the house in a few minutes; I need to talk to Carlisle." Esme asked as she wrapped her arms around her husband.

I looked at her and nodded my acknowledgement, got in the truck and headed to the house. I parked my truck, finished putting things away, took off my boots, gloves and hat and went into the house. I washed up a bit at the kitchen sink, dried them on an old towel and headed for the basement door. I hadn't seen Bella; I had guessed she was taking a shower in the main bathroom so I opened the door to the basement and closed it behind me. I could smell the slight dampness that always came with an unfinished basement and didn't think anything of it until both of my feet touched the concrete floor. In front of me was the most stunning sight I had ever witnessed in my entire 27 years of life.

I couldn't believe what I was seeing. When I made it to the bottom step and reached the concrete floor, it was only then I saw her. She was exquisite. And naked. And wet. And…Oh. My. God…she was touching herself. I couldn't make a sound; I couldn't move. I had never seen anything so raw, so…delicious. I felt an immediate rush to my cock and I wanted her. Not just because of the kiss I had taken and not because she was naked in front of me playing with herself, which was incredibly hot and made the seams on my pants all but tear out, but because she was such an enticing challenge, and I wanted to, no I was going to win her over. The kiss was on my mind from the moment it happened. It was fresh, it was raw and passionate, it was blissful, and I wanted another...and more.

I was suddenly aware I was staring and made my apologies which she brushed off as she made a hasty retreat towards the sleeping area. I followed still trying to apologize but she said she was fine and wanted me to leave so she could get dressed. I turned and grabbed the jar of green beans from the shelf Esme had sent me for and had a sudden thought...she sent me down here on purpose, didn't she? Esme knew Bella was taking a shower and by sending me down here was assured I would catch her naked. Not that I minded, I was actually turned on, I mean really really turned on, but what I wished was that it had been under different circumstances. I think I made Bella feel uncomfortable and that was not my intention. Shit! Did I just blow it? Did I have a chance with her now? Was she going to hate me?

I was more determined now to make her see that not every guy is the same. I would win her over; I just had to think of how to do it without looking like such a…such a guy. I walked upstairs, set the jar on the counter and took a seat at the table while I waited for Bella to be done downstairs. Esme came to stand in front of me and gave me a look I couldn't interpret.

"Did you see Bella down there?" she asked almost too innocently. She knew Bella was down there; she knew I had seen her. She also probably knew Bella had been showering and still she sent me down there.

"Uh, yea, she, umm, was…down there…showering." I stammered, so unlike me.

"Esme, you knew Bella was down there didn't you?" I had to ask.

Esme had turned back to the counter to start dinner and talked over her shoulder. "I knew she was downstairs, I didn't know she was still in the shower. You did knock before you went down there right?" She was hiding a smile, I just knew it. She had to have known Bella was down there taking a shower; it was too early for bed, why else would she be down there?

Knock? I hung my head. I didn't knock. I didn't think about it. Why didn't I knock? "I..um, no I didn't knock. I didn't know she was down there, I didn't see any sign that would lead me to believe she was taking a shower let alone down there; well at least not until I got to the bottom of the stairs."

Just then the basement door opened and Bella entered the kitchen. She looked beautiful, her damp freshly washed hair was in a messy bun; dressed in short shorts, a tight fitted t-shirt and flip-flops. She didn't look at me as she stepped to the oven, grabbed potholders and pulled out the pie she had made for desert and set it on the counter. It was then I noticed I was very hungry; and it wasn't just for food. I was becoming physically uncomfortable as my jeans were being stretched to their limits.

Bella finally turned and acknowledged me with a friendly smile. Her eyes held something I had seen before. She had been affected by our earlier encounter and was trying to hide it. She may have fooled Esme and Carlisle, but she wasn't going to be able to fool me as easily.

"Oh, Jake the, um, shower is free. I will uh, stay up here, I'm done down there now." She was so cute trying not to embarrass herself by focusing on the floor and then the pie she was still arranging on the counter; I was the one who should have been embarrassed, but I wasn't. I could have stayed down there and watched all day; hell I could have stayed down there for the rest of my life and watched, but it would have been paradise if I could have helped. Damn, my pants had to come off; I needed to relieve some pressure.

"Thanks Bella." I excused myself, jumped up and headed down the stairs, closing the door behind me and walked to the bottom of the stairs.

Going to my bed, I opened my shower tote and grabbed my towel, soap, shampoo and a razor. Stripping off my dirty clothes and letting them fall to the floor, my mind was suddenly flooded with the earlier image of Bella and my cock twitched hard. I looked down at it for a long moment, having a brief mental discussion with my dick as to why it would be highly inappropriate to run up stairs and bend Bella over the kitchen table and take her over and over until she couldn't walk. Yea, that did absolutely nothing to appease it. There was now only one way to take care of it.

Making my way to the shower, I laid my towel over the rack, turned on the water and stepped under it. Letting it wash over my aching muscles felt like heaven. I washed my hair and body, letting the hot soapy water wash away the days' essence of dirt, grease, and stray hay chaff. Taking the razor out of its package, I shaved the stubble from my face, rinsed it off and put it back. As I was standing directly under the water, my mind strayed again back to Bella. I couldn't seem to get her off my mind, and especially now for obvious reasons. My lower half responded eagerly as I remembered how she looked and my testosterone levels spiked. I reached for the soap and poured a generous amount in my hand and began slowly stroking myself as I thought of her touching herself so intimately. What or who was she thinking about? Do I dare imagine it was me she had naughty thoughts about? I wanted to think so, and I had a good feeling she had been thinking of me. I remembered the looks on her face when we sat near each other at break time. She wasn't good a hiding her thoughts.

The water flowed over her breasts and dripped from her hardened nipples as her free hand massaged between her swollen lips. Her fingers slowly moved in rhythmic fashion, her breathing became shallow and quickened. Her eyes unfocused and glassy as she threw her head back and then forward again as her hips bucked into her hand her chest beginning to heave. Her delicate fingers pinched her already erect nipple and a gasp escaped her plump lips.

Closing my eyes as my head fell to my chest, my hand squeezed my dick and stroked faster as the mental image became almost too much. Her knees became weak as her climax approached, her digits moving in and out faster; I wanted to reach out and cup her face, taste her lips again and feel her shudder against my body as she brought herself to her release. I imagined her moans filling my ears and her sweet breath against my neck and the pressure in my groin became explosive as I came hard, shooting my essence into the water and my own erratic breathing gradually slowed. I shook a few more times as spasms of release continued to course through me as I came down from my fantasy and I noticed the water was starting to run cold. Maybe I should have taken a cold one to begin with.

I finished rinsing myself, turned the water off, grabbed my towel and wrapped it around my waist. Padding my way back to my bunk, I started drying off and got out a clean white t-shirt, grey boxers, faded jeans and grabbed my spare shoes and a pair of clean socks. Once dressed I started to slowly make my way back up the stairs to stop midway and it was in that very moment I made my decision: I was going to have her, I was going make her understand that she needed to give me a chance. Make her see that not all guys are the same. She could feel and love and be loved without fear of hurt. No matter what it took, she was going to be mine. I was going to claim Bella for my own.

Reaching to top of the stairs and opening the door, I was greeted with the mouthwatering aroma of blueberry pie. I hadn't realized until then that I was famished. Esme came in from outside carrying a large covered plate and went to put it in the still warm oven. It was when Esme stepped back and over to the sink to wash what few dishes were there that I noticed Bella. She was standing there just staring at me. What? I thought. Did I miss a spot when I shaved? There wasn't a mirror down there, so I just did it by feel. I subconsciously reached for my face and felt for any offending stubble I had missed. Nope, didn't miss any. Did I leave soap in my hair? I ran hand through my still damp hair. Nothing wrong there either. Bella turned a deep shade of red and suddenly turned back to the counter and reached up to open the cupboard to get the plates and glasses out. She had been checking me out! I knew she liked me. My stomach had somehow acquired a full set of butterflies and they were on a mad race around the inside. I felt my own face flush slightly and had to smile. Why was I feeling nervous? I had never had those feelings before and briefly wondered where they were coming from.

I sat down and put my socks and shoes on and watched as Bella reached for the drinking glasses. As she stretched up on her toes and reached with both arms, her shirt rode high exposing her creamy white skin and taut muscles. I stood up and walked to stand behind her and reached to help her. I could hear her suddenly take in a breath and slowly look over her arm at me. I smiled at her and grabbed a glass from the shelf and set it on the counter. She looked at me briefly and then back at the cupboard. She reached for another and gasped as it slipped from her hand, bouncing on the counter and tumbling onto the floor breaking into several pieces.

"Esme I'm so sorry!" Her hand over her heart and looking embarrassed, Bella bent down to grab the largest of the broken pieces and jerked her hand back.

"Ouch, shit!"

I grabbed her hand and took a quick look at it. She had a decent sized cut on the pad of her palm and it was bleeding freely. With my free hand, I reached around behind me turning on the water and pulled her hand with me putting it under the water. Bella hissed and closed her eyes tight as the water stung her tender skin.

"This is going to sting a bit more. You ready?" I looked into her eyes and she finally looked into mine and nodded. I gently but firmly squeezed her hand around the cut so it would bleed more and looked for any sign of glass stuck inside. Not seeing any glass, I noticed a clean hand towel and took it off the counter pressing it against the wound and held pressure on it. Bella closed her eyes and I could see she was trying to calm herself. Did the sight of blood bother her?

"It's just a glass Bella, it's alright. Are you ok? How bad are you cut?" Esme had already gotten the broom and dustpan out and cleared the broken pieces from the floor as I was playing doctor. Playing doctor, I could see Bella dressed in a tight short fitted skirt, her top unbuttoned just enough to reveal her round firm…get your mind out of the gutter Black! Bella is hurt and here you are thinking of taking advantage of her, nice, real nice.

"I'm alright Esme, just a little cut I think." Bella pulled her hand away from me replacing my hand with her own and sat down.

"Are you sure? We…I can take you to town to the clinic to have it looked at." I wanted to make sure she was ok.

"No, really, I'm sure it's nothing I need to go to town for Jake. I will just wrap it good before we start working tomorrow and keep it covered. But thank you." She looked at me with her soft brown eyes and I was mesmerized by their depths.

"Well, I don't know about anyone else in this house, but I am starving!" Carlisle came into the kitchen after having taken his own shower and changing into clean clothes.

"Oh, Bella, what happened? Are you alright?" Carlisle noticed Bella holding the compress on her hand and was concerned. He stepped over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder as if to comfort her.

"Just me being clumsy again. I dropped a glass and cut my hand. But it's fine really, nothing serious. Won't keep me from working so no worries boss." Bella said, her smile laced with pain.

I knew she had to be in a bit of pain; the cut wasn't very deep, but it still must have hurt. I finished getting the rest of the dishes out of the cupboard and set the table.

Dinner was relatively quiet and when we finished, Esme declined my help with clean up saying that it was not too much for her to do.

Bella was putting away the leftovers and managing quiet well with her injured hand. She turned when she finished and set the pie she made earlier on the table along with plates and forks. It still smelled wonderful and even thought I was comfortably full, I couldn't wait to taste it. She sliced into the crust and cut several pieces and placed them on plates handing one to Carlisle and Esme and one to myself before placing a piece on a plate for herself. Esme and Carlisle took theirs to eat on the covered porch in the waning light of the end of the day leaving Bella and I alone in the kitchen. I reached over taking a fork and put a bite in my mouth closing my eyes as I let the flavor assault my senses. The tart of the blueberries with the sweetness of the filling and the firmness of the crust was fantastic. It truly was my favorite desert. And now I knew every time I ate it I was going to think of Bella. I opened my eyes and was rewarded with a shy smile on Bella's beautiful face. And I wanted to eat more than pie.

"Very good." I mentally hit myself over the head. 'very good'? I couldn't come up with anything else? How lame.

A/N: R&R please.

If you are looking for another awesome story to read check out Good Girls Go Bad ...you wont regret it!