A/N: I own nothing Twilight…only the little thought bubbles running through my mind with that dictate where I am placing the characters. AH, AU, BPOV-if POV's change, it will be noted…rated M for adult/sexual situations, language, 18 and over highly recommended.

The Claiming of Jacob Black

Chapter 5

JPOV

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.

BPOV

I couldn't take my eyes off him as I sliced the pie and dished it out. After Esme and Carlisle ducked outside to eat theirs, I was left alone inside with Jake. Watching him take a bite and appear to enjoy the desert made me want more than pie. I was no longer embarrassed about what had happened downstairs. I was an adult and I could forgive what could be taken as a minor lapse in manners.

"Very good." He pulled the fork slowly from his mouth and took another bite. I had trouble finding my voice yet again so I smiled at him. It did make me happy that he enjoyed the pie, but even if he didn't I knew it was good.

Using my uninjured hand I wrapped the rest of the pie and put it on the counter taking my plate and fork and setting it down on the table. I took a glass pitcher of tea from the fridge and poured some for myself and looked questioningly at Jake to see if he wanted some. He nodded and pushed his glass towards me to fill and continued eating. Returning the pitcher to the fridge, I sat down and took a bite of pie and savored the flavor. It was smooth and rich, tart and sweet at the same time. I was pleased with the way it turned out. We ate the rest of our desert in near silence and it was killing me, but I didn't know what to say or how to start a conversation with him in spite of what transpired downstairs. I was positive it bothered him and didn't want to embarrass him further by bringing it up.

"How's your hand?" Setting his fork down for a moment he turned to gaze at me and had the cutest look of genuine concern on his face.

"It's ok, still pretty sore, but I don't think it needs to be amputated just yet." He was so sweet to be concerned. When I cut it, he didn't hesitate to help me and I was appreciative of his caring; we still didn't know much about each other, but I was hoping to remedy that soon.

He grinned and continued eating, finishing his pie. I ate mine and when I was done I got up to place the dishes in the sink. I was startled by the sound of Jake getting up from the table and stepping behind me placing his plate and fork in the sink and watched as he reached over taking mine out of my hand and setting it in the wash basin.

"I'll wash these. You made desert and dinner, it is the least I can do, besides, you shouldn't get your hand wet. It might get infected." I started to object but he had already placed his hands on my shoulders and steered me back towards the table out of the way.

"I'm not taking no for an answer. But if you insist on helping, you can put them away after I wash and dry them." He turned back to the sink and filled it with hot soapy water and started washing the few dishes we used. I watched the muscles ripple under the tight t-shirt he was wearing as he reached and scrubbed the plates and glasses, and I couldn't stop staring. I wanted to press myself up against him and run my hands over his hard body, feeling every inch of him. In no time he was finished washing and rinsing and had picked up a towel and started drying them off. And again his biceps flexed and relaxed as he picked up each plate and glass to dry. If he dried me off like that I would stay wet forever…whoa! Dam girl, get it under control already.

I swallowed thickly as I tried to shake the thought from my mind. I focused my eyes on the kitchen window and willed myself to think of something else. It was then I heard a whinny and mentally slapped myself. I had totally forgotten I needed to feed DC. I had been so wrapped up thinking of Jake and the incident with the shower and then cutting my hand it slipped my mind. I stood up walking over to the counter and started putting the dishes away. My hand started to throb and I was grateful Jake didn't let me wash the dishes. I put the last plate on the shelf and closed the cupboard door and turned around noticing Jake leaning against the counter wiping his hands off with a towel.

"Thank you for the pie, it really was good." Jake said quietly. He was almost acting shy and it surprised me a bit. He usually exuded confidence and it seemed to throw me off a bit. Why was he acting this way all of a sudden?

"No problem, I like cooking and baking. I used to do it a lot when I was a kid. My mom taught me and when I met Esme, I learned even more. It's something I really like doing." I smiled at him and was rewarded with one in return that took my breath away. I looked up at him and my heart nearly stopped beating. His eyes were dark liquid pools with glints of gold mixed in. I was drowning again and I couldn't help but feel pulled towards him this time like he was my life preserver.

I was being drawn to him and I was confused, excited, and scared. He made the first move. Taking my unhurt hand and pulling me to his chest, he wrapped his other arm around my waist and tilted my face up looking into my eyes. It's been said that the eyes are the door to the soul. His door was wide open. I saw fear, affection, strength, adoration, love, confidence, and compassion. All these flashed before me as he cupped my face in his hand. I caught my breath as I looked deep into his eyes and wondered what he was thinking.

He slowly leaned down and pressed his lips to mine softly. I couldn't help but reach up with my other hand and placed it on his strong jaw and kissed him back. Sighing into his lips he squeezed me closer and pulled me slightly up his hard frame and I could feel his body responding to our closeness. His tongue lightly flicked across my lower lip and they parted letting him in. Our tongues met and explored each other gently, giving and taking. He brought a hand up into my hair and took a handful holding me to him and my own hand wound its way into his short dark hair while my hurt hand curled carefully around his neck. The kiss grew from gentle exploration to a fierce hunger. Our breathing quickened and deepened, our chests heaving against one another as we couldn't seem to get enough air.

"Oh! Jeez, I'm sorry, I uh, didn't know you two were still in here."

The spell was broken. Startled, I pulled away from him quickly as I gasped and covered my mouth with my good hand.

"It's ok, I-I need to go feed DC anyway. I should have done it before dinner was done." I quickly stepped back nearly tripping over a chair and Jake reached out to steady me.

I found my balance again and carefully turned around pushing the chair to the table out of the way. I stepped past the chair and opened the door. My heart was still racing as I took a shaky step into the open garage and bend down to pick up my boots and placed my flip flops in their place. After pulling my boots on I straightened and was greeted by a medium sized ball of wet black matted fur. She was one of Esme's rescue projects that never made if off the farm, along with several cats that took up residence in one of the barns . Tiggy was energetic and followed me everywhere, even the first time I met her, she was bouncing on all four feet excited for someone to give her attention. She never barked at or chased the squirrels or the cats, quite the opposite of Bronco; he was all business. Taking the lead he would make it his sole purpose to ward off all attacks from the UPS and FEDX men, the neighbors, and any other visitors that dare to set foot on the farm. Tiggy sat in front of me expectantly, her body wiggling happily as she danced on her paws.

"You've been out in the pond again haven't you? Not that I blame you, it was pretty hot today." As I spoke, her little body became even more animated. Not to be left out Bronco let out a single yip and jumped up, bracing his paws on my bare leg, his stubby tail wagging his compact body. I reached down and ruffled his short grey-rose colored coat and looked at his blue eyes.

"Yes, I know, you hate swimming boy." I pushed him down and heard the door open behind me.

"Bella." Jakes voice was soft and low, making my legs shake as I instantly thought of the kiss we just shared. I found myself wanting to revisit that kiss and possibly explore more. Wait, I can't. I won't let myself get hurt again. I don't need those feelings ruining my life again. I turned slightly and glanced at him over my shoulder, not wanting him to see how he made me react.

"I'm going to the barn to feed DC before he decides to figure out how to open the gate and help himself." As I started walking I heard footsteps being me, and smiled as Tiggy bounded ahead of me, bouncing like a top on a spring, bumping into Bronco who yipped in annoyance and growled at her crouching to pounce back playfully. I laughed at their antics.

"Bella, I'm sorry about wha…" I didn't give him a chance to finish.

"It's ok Jake." He stepped beside me and put his hand on my arm to stop me. I stopped and looked at him as he reached a hand up and ran it through his hair.

"I-I…really uh like you Bella. I want to get to know you better…if you'll let me." He was biting his lip and it made him look so young. Part of me wanted to wrap myself around him and kiss him breathless. The rest of me wanted to run away so I wouldn't get hurt again. I held his eyes with mine watching as he shifted from foot to foot.

"You seem really…nice. I can always use another friend." I was afraid this was going to happen, and I mentally kicked myself for letting it get this far so I figured if I played the 'let's be friends' card it wouldn't hurt so much when we left at the end of the summer.

His emotions flickered from nervous uncertainty to determination. I expected to see disappointment, indifference, even anger so when I noticed that look settle over his face, it wasn't one I was prepared to see and it surprised me. Jake stood taller and focused his intense dark eyes on mine, nearly making me weak in the knees and spoke in a confident voice that dripped with seduction.

"I would love to be your friend." And then his demeanor changed again. This man was going to give me whiplash. "So…this DC character, tell me about him."

At the mention of DC's name I suddenly remembered why I came out here in the first place and smiled.

"DC? He's my one and only. My best friend. Come on, you can meet him." I started walking to the corral and was greeted with a whinny and a dance step or two the closer I got. DC tossed his head and nickered as he paced back and forth.

"Aww sorry son, I got side tracked, it won't happen again." I stepped up to the gate and reached for the latch to open it and noticed Jake had leaned himself up against the fence railing.

"He's a big guy. And you're so…" He didn't finish his sentence. He looked like he was reaching for the right words so he wouldn't offend me.

"Short. Yea, I get that a lot. I like him. No, scratch that, I love him. He's my best friend, he's never let me down on a ride. We've been through a lot together." I opened the gate with my good hand, stepped through and started to close it behind me when I felt it being gently tugged out of my grip. I looked back and saw Jake's hand on the top rail holding it open as he followed me in the corral.

"Do you mind?"

I smiled. He wanted to check out DC for himself. I looked over at DC, noticing he was watching Jake with his ears up and nose outstretched. Jake closed the gate and slowly walked over to DC murmuring softly, his hand reaching out so he could sniff it. DC lipped his fingers and realizing Jake had nothing to give him backed up and walked over to me putting his nose to my face and taking a deep breath in and out.

"What? Didn't he have anything for you? Well you're in luck, because I have just the thing for you and I know you are gonna love it." I walked over to the barn door and unlatched it so I could go in and get his hay. I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned around.

"Let me get it. You aren't exactly dressed for climbing in the hay loft, and you don't want to get dirt in your cut." His smile nearly knocked me off my feet.

"Sure. Thanks."

I watched him disappear into the dark barn and emerge seconds later with a few flakes of hay in his hands.

"Is this enough? I uh, didn't know how much you wanted to feed him." I looked at what he had in his hands and nodded my approval.

Jake stepped out the door and I closed it behind him latching it firmly and watched Jake take the hay to the feeder. DC nickered happily and followed him nearly pushing him over as he leaned into the feeder to take a mouthful.

"Sure likes his hay." Jake chuckled as he stood watching DC rip mouthful after mouthful out of the pile of hay.

"Yes he has a very healthy appetite." I commented dryly. DC had been known to eat an entire bale in no time and still act hungry.

"He is a bottomless pit I swear. He let himself out once at the boarding stable and ate an entire bag of oats, his hay, the neighboring horse's hay, and half a bale from the hay barn. Leah called me at work she said it took her over an hour to catch him and after she finally got him caught and put in a stall, her husband Sam felt sorry for him because he was crying and pacing back and forth and gave him another huge feeding of hay. When I got there about an hour later to fix the fence he had eaten every leaf, every trace of the hay was gone. He never once showed any signs of colic, although I have no idea why to this day."

I had shuddered as I told Jake the story. I had been so scared for DC and angry at him at the same time for getting out, and then in awe as I marveled at how he had come through unscathed from something so insane that if it had been anyone else's horse, it would have died before taking its last bite. DC had always been respectful of fencing and it wasn't until later I found that someone had turned off the electric fence. DC had an uncanny ability to sense when it was on and when it wasn't, and he wasn't afraid to take advantage of someone's negligence.

"He sounds like an incredible horse. I bet he's as much fun to ride. Would…would you like to go with me tomorrow to ride fence when we're done with hay? Carlisle is going into town for some parts for the baler, it's going to take most of the day and I figured I would take the time and get the fence looked at. He said the deer have been pretty rough with it this spring." He looked at me with hopeful eyes.

"Um, ok. I don't think Esme has anything planned for me to do as it is, and I was just going to finish getting my things unpacked. But it sounds like fun. I know DC would like to get out and stretch his legs." I smiled at Jake and he gave me one in return. Oh man that smile made me melt again.

We had made our way back to the gate and let ourselves out locking it behind us. The sun had gone completely down and the last bit of light had turned the sky shades of dark pinks and purples in the distance. I started walking up the driveway towards the house and tripped over a large rock almost hitting the ground. Jake caught me by the waist and hauled me up against his chest, holding me as if he'd never let me go. The look in his eyes made my heart pound and my pulse race. My knees buckled and Jake squeezed me closer causing me to automatically wrap my arms around him to steady myself. Our eyes held each other's and he slowly leaned down and ran his nose along my jaw. My breath caught in my throat and my heart pounded harder as I closed my eyes and just let myself feel, just this once.

"You make my heart race Bella." His voice was like silk. If he didn't have his arms around me, I would have been a puddle on the ground at his feet. His breath tickled my neck and I caught my own breath as I felt his lips on the spot just below my ear that always did leave me feeling heavy and weak. The butterflies teamed up for the race around my stomach again and I could feel the tingling sensation wash over me.

His lips ghosted over my skin, from my neck to my jaw, to my cheek only to stop and hover over my slightly quivering lips. I could feel the heat radiating off of them and I involuntarily swallowed. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest and my pulse quickened, my hands clutched his sides. Feeling his lips finally touch mine sent me into a fit of euphoria and I kissed him back just as softly. Our lips danced delicately against one another in syncramonious harmony, dipping and tasting, sampling and savoring. He pulled me closer and his arms tightened around me as mine moved further around him and my hands crawled up to his broad shoulders, using the leverage to pull myself up his chest as our kiss grew hungry. He nibbled on my lower lip as his hand gently took a hold of my hair and pulled my head back a little causing me to gasp slightly; his tongue sliding in effortlessly claiming dominance over mine until we were both breathless. He pulled back first and looked into my eyes, our breathing fast. My hand had ended up on his chest and I could feel his heartbeat racing under it. The penetrating stare of his eyes had me melting again. What was this man doing to me? That I could forget my own name just from the mere bat of an eye from him?

"I may make your heart race, but you make me weak in the knees." What the hell Bella! Has he broken down your defenses that fast? And with what…a couple of kisses. Well ok, I will admit they were pretty damn good mind-blowing kisses, but still…to let him in that fast?

He smiled at me and ran his hands down my arms to grab my hand and turned us back towards the house, our fingers laced together. The dogs had been sitting at our feet the entire time and were now eager to get back home. We walked in comfortable silence until we reached the entryway of the garage when he gently spun me around and pulled me back against his chest holding me close, his face close to my ear.

"Bella…I…" He was shaking slightly and I knew it had nothing to do with the cooling temperature of the night air. "Thank you. For letting me meet DC." I could feel his breath against my neck again and it was maddening.

"You're welcome. Any chance I get to show him off I gladly will." Leaning back a little, I smiled at him in the rapidly fading light. I almost couldn't make out the features of his face, not that I needed light to know what he looked like; I could never forget what he looked like, his image was etched into my brain permanently.

The door opened suddenly and we casually pulled away from each other.

"Oh, there you two are. I was going to send Carlisle out to find you; you were taking so long I was starting to get worried. We've been having a problem with the coyotes lately. They've been coming up to the house and eating the chickens and whatever else they can find." Esme's look of concern was one I had seen many times when I was younger and it filled me with both warmth from the concern and fear of what could have happened.

"We were just coming in, Esme." I moved away from Jake and took my boots off, supporting myself on the door jam. I picked up my flip flops and put my boots in their place and stepped inside. Jake was right behind me and closed the door. I walked towards the main bathroom and noticed Carlisle sitting in the large family room going over what I assumed to be a supply work order form for the baler parts he was going to pick up the next day. He looked up when he heard us come inside and made a beckoning motion toward us. I stopped where I was so I could hear, but Jake walked over and sat in the spare office chair next to the desk.

"I'll be gone most of the day tomorrow, so if you and Bella want to ride fence all the way to Shitter Point and back down the east draw, that would make me feel a lot better. The elk came down this spring after the thaw and tore through several weak places in the fence. The upper flats didn't have any heifers or wieners so we didn't have any get out, but they sure strung the wire across a good distance; it's a tangled mess. Take the wire stretcher and a couple extra rolls of barbed wire, the bolt cutters, pliers, a pair of wire cutters, a hammer, a box of those galvanized fence staples and some 12 gauge wire." Carlisle looked tired all of a sudden. It dawned on me it had been a long day. I glanced at the clock and was surprised it was nearly 10pm.

"I didn't realize it was so late. I will be headed to bed then if we're going to be riding fence most of the day."

I left the guys to finish talking about the things needed for the next day and went in to use the main bathroom and then headed down stairs before I remembered I was going to end up sharing it with Jake.

Great, I get to share the bedroom with Jake. The naughty part of me wanted to jump up and do the mystic mating dance of the wood nympho. The good part of me wanted to pack up my things and move out to the barn loft. Not giving it more thought than I would swatting a mosquito, I drew the curtain partially closed between the sleeping spaces and started undressing. I pulled out my night clothes, grabbing a black tank top and a pair of soft cotton gym shorts. After carefully pulling them on, I gathered my other clothes folding them neatly and set them on my bag.

I pulled the blankets back on the bed and sat on the edge for a moment letting the emotions of the day slowly drift away. My hand was throbbing as tiredness slowly crept up on me and I leaned back sliding between the covers. As I lay there, I let my mind drift over everything that had happened that day: falling down the hay stack and Jake's arms around me as he pulled me out, the first time he kissed me in his truck, the embarrassing shower incident, the kiss we shared in the kitchen, the kiss we shared under the stars, Jake asking me to ride fence with him, and the feel of his breath on my neck before Esme opened the door. But I couldn't keep my mind from wandering back to each kiss time Jake held me and kissed me. As hard as I tried to push those thoughts away and remind myself that it wouldn't be a good idea to let him into my heart and that I needed to stay strong and not fall for him, I found myself replaying each and every kiss, the feel of his strong arms as they held me to him, was the taste of his lips.

The last thing I thought of as I drifted off to sleep was it looked like being alone wasn't going to be an option in my future. Dammit.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*TCoJB*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

A/N: Please leave a review.

Sorry it has been so long for an update, RL is taking me for a hell of a ride, I wont go into details, and I have no other excuses. I don't have an expected update schedule at this time, but I am constantly working on future chapters. HUGE thank you's to those of you who have left reviews!