It didn't take long for boredom to sink in, and after three full days and nights of being kept under lock and key, Bella felt like she'd swapped one prison for another and was, rightly, about to explode. It didn't pass her appraisal that her every move was watched, her every action analyzed and worst of all, she concluded, even when she was lucky enough to find a moment's solace, she knew they were all still monitoring her from afar.
"Are you okay in here, Bells? Paul said you'd been pretty miserable all day." Jake mused from the doorway of the smaller bedroom, his whole body draped lazily in the doorframe, concern marked all over his heavy features.
"I did no such fucking thing, dude. Just 'cause you read it in my mind, doesn't mean I offered the information willingly." Bella almost smiled brazenly when he knocked Jacob out of the doorway and moved to sit on the end of the bed, a plate of toast, which for a foolish moment she thought was for her, gripped in his right hand.
"It don't matter how much you look at me like that, babe, there's nothing you can say that's gonna make me part with my food." Bella liked a challenge and as she mulled over the ideas which had skipped dangerously to the forefront of her mind, she barely noticed the body still lingering in the doorway.
Jacob huffed loudly once, but when he noticed that neither Bella nor Paul were paying him any mind whatsoever, he walked away with his shoulders slunk down low. This whole thing had been his doing, a firm choice to protect the girls above all else, above their sanity, Bella's education and most of all, their opinion of him. But his choice was becoming less clear, due in part to being mentally assaulted by sledgehammers every time he phased with Paul, and just this morning he'd heard a hint of uncertainty in Embry's mind.
Embry's wavering had been the last straw, and after a lot of hard thinking, he'd made a choice to give everyone a break, something he was now questioning too. He went in search of Leah, knowing whether she thought he'd done the right thing or not, she would put his mind at ease.
Time alone had been so obsolete for the imprinted couples that the thought of spending a whole night together, one where Embry and only Embry would be patrolling had finally lifted the whole atmosphere of the cabin. Bella had only just heard the news from Paul and already, he could feel the weight that had been pressing down on his emotions lift, as a tentative smile escaped from her lips.
"So, just Embry?" She confirmed, though he'd been more than clear on the subject. He ignored what he'd heard and simply answered the question he figured she was too afraid to vocalize. "Yup, it's just gonna be you and me." A big easy grin lifted his lips high, showing a flash of beautiful white teeth.
Bella smiled back, but she couldn't help the anxiety that she felt building in her bones, knowing what Paul would probably expect from her. It wasn't only her individual actions that she'd felt had been dissected, but those of her and Paul together too. So even though she was nervous, she was also ridiculously excited to just close the door behind them and see what would come of the night.
"Hey you two, what do you say we flip a coin for the big room tonight?" Leah asked, a brazen smirk allowing no naïve misinterpretations of her intentions for the evening.
"Cool." Paul said lazily, turning only his head to the doorway.
"Actually, I don't mind being in here, Leah. If you want the big room, go right ahead." Bella gnawed gently on her lip as Leah looked at Paul apologetically. "Cool, thanks Bells… Sorry man." She uttered her words to Paul with little conviction, before turning to skip from the doorway.
"You're gonna regret that later, you know? Do you have any idea how small this bed actually is? Or how big I am?" Paul finished his questions so quietly she almost didn't hear the last one, but it had reached her ears and so she took it on with no hint of the amusement she felt in her voice.
"I know exactly how big the bed is and I fit in it just fine, thank you very much!" She couldn't help raising one eyebrow, but he didn't need the gesture to take the bait.
"Hmm… well, I think we might need some trial runs to see just where you'll get the best sleep then."
Before she could open her mouth to protest, he had snuck his arms underneath her body and lifted her, maneuvering his own vast frame so quickly that she didn't see him position himself underneath her.
"I think I like you on top. What do you think?" His eyes were full of boyish innocence and Bella couldn't suppress the little judder of laughter that slipped from her tongue.
"Well if we do this any other way, you'll probably end up squashing me!" She retorted, inexperience hampering her foresight to see that she was heading down a mile wide rabbit hole.
"Isabella, I can assure you, we can do a lot of things, in many different positions, without me squashing you." His eyes had darkened quite dramatically, and the easy banter which had graced Bella's lips, succumbed to something far less innocent drawling from Paul's.
Bella didn't even have time to open her mouth and respond before he'd flipped them over, his long muscular body held over hers, ready to pounce. Her heart flipped and bounced, obviously leaving no room for her lungs, as suddenly, she found her breath caught in her throat.
"Isabella?" He rounded out each syllable, tracing his tongue over the word like honey and sex.
"Paul." She stuttered, her hand coming up to his chest. What had been a gesture to show him her reluctance lost its clear message, as the tension from her fingers oozed into his skin. The feel of his muscles was so alluring that she didn't even realize she was all but feeling him up in the middle of the day.
It didn't matter though, whether she understood it or not, she was his imprint and he could feel her need for him, matching the intensity of his own for her. Without her consent, he lowered his body, the sinews in his forearms twisting as he roughly kissed her, letting her feel the power of his body above her, but physically touching her with nothing more than his lips.
"Paul….Paul…" She muffled, pushing him away slightly. A loud wolf whistle from the kitchen had penetrated her oblivion and though she was struggling with the notion of putting any distance between them, she was also fairly uncomfortable with public displays, especially because Paul's body had inched its way lower and was now positioned deliciously between her legs.
"Hmm?" He asked, but he'd only moved his lips slightly, running them down to her neck and to a little spot which he knew would drive her wild.
"Please? I need to breathe." It was a cheap shot and she knew that he would respond. Just as she'd expected, he was already pulling himself away, grumbling and scowling as he did.
"Later then?" He asked gruffly, taking in the way she was now nervously gathering the bedspread in large clumps between her fingers.
"Umm, I'm not sure… it's just…"
Thinking on his feet, Paul decided maybe all she needed was a little push in the right direction. Perhaps he could prove something to himself in the process, something which had been building over the past few days.
"How about I make it a little more interesting?" He asked, and her head popped up immediately, eyes wide with bright curiosity.
"How?" She asked succinctly and though it was probably pointless, he stood quickly and shut the door, giving them the illusion of privacy if nothing else.
"I heard Jake say he's taking Leah out later, not far, just out to the cliffs. When they're gone I'll give you something that I think you want?"
Bella mulled over what he was saying, and in any other circumstance she would probably have begged to be let out of this prison too, but he'd already piqued her interest in another direction. "What do you think I want?"
A brief triumphant smile graced his lips as reached out for her hands, running his fingers languidly from her palm down to her wrist, moving on to her elbow and back.
"You want to know more about me. I know you have a million and one questions running through that overactive brain of yours. So I was thinking you could ask me whatever you want, about me, Sam, the pack, anything. As long as I can answer the question, I will."
His words were very tempting, but there were one or two glaringly obvious things he'd omitted. "Firstly, what do you mean, if you 'can answer the question'? And secondly, what do you want in return?" She watched him closely, as he seemed to be really enjoying the prospect of whatever he had planned.
"Some things have Alpha orders on them. If I can break them for you, I will, if not..." He shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly and she thought that it was actually quite a fair deal.
"And secondly?" She prodded, knowing he'd withheld his answer to the final question on purpose.
"For every question I answer, you let me touch you, and for every time I answer, the time doubles for the next question." Paul brought her wrist to his lips, and kissed it gently, then without warning, when he decided she was taking too long to decide, he nipped her quickly, leaving a little red mark on her skin.
"You bit me!" She said incredulously, rubbing the little mark, though it had only hurt for a fraction of a second.
"You're thinking too much." He replied unapologetically, as if it was perfectly acceptable to go around biting people. Then she caught a flash of their first encounter and remembered the taste of iron, and immediately one of the questions she longed to ask him formed in her mind.
"So I ask you a question and then you get to touch me, for what two seconds? Then after the next question it would be four?" She asked, already aware that she was bargaining the time and not the premise.
"No, more like thirty and then a minute, then so on." He threw out with a little pseudo contempt, just for show.
Bella was already shaking her head though, and she knew with her inability to think straight when he was anywhere near, the chance of her making it through two questions with her virtue intact was slim to none.
"No way. Five seconds and that's my final offer." She folded her arms firmly across her chest, showing him she meant business this time and even though she didn't realize it, she'd actually agreed to what he'd wanted all along.
After letting her think he was truly contemplating her offer, he thrust his hand forward for her to shake. "Deal?"
"Deal." Bella said with a confident nod of her head.
Paul didn't linger for long and only a few moments later wandered off to think of the many ways in which he was going to build her up, only to bring her down again, all with the intent of hearing her begging him for more. Meanwhile Bella was left running through everything that had happened in the past month or so, questions pouring rapidly in an unending flow. What she needed to figure out though was exactly what she needed answered, rather than simply wanted, and how long she could hold out once Paul had her battling for her sanity.
She was on edge all afternoon. Each rumble of laughter that trickled in from the rest of the cabin made her jump, and the sound of bodies creaking on the old wooden floorboards made her heart beat spiral. So by the time Embry called out that he would be back in the morning, and for them all not to do anything he wouldn't, she was standing at the window, watching him leave with her lip feeling tender from the amount of gnawing it had endured all afternoon.
"You don't need to freak out, you know. We don't have to play if you're too scared." His presence behind her was so strong that she couldn't help leaning back into him, the mental relief he provided so influential that she closed her eyes for a moment of bliss.
"I'm fine." Allowing the lie to linger between them, Paul brushed her hair aside, burrowing his face into her neck. She knew that he was giving her a chance to walk away, dignity intact. But the thing she could barely admit to herself was that he'd drawn her in, promised her the thing she desired the most, but she wasn't quite sure anymore whether that was answers to her many questions.
"Hey guys, we're heading out for a few hours." Jacob spoke carefully from the doorway, Leah clinging to his side with bright eyes.
"Paul, I don't need to remind you to keep your guard up." A ruffle of tension flashed through the room and Bella couldn't deny the feel of Paul's body as it gained a new rigidity.
When Jacob was welcomed with silence, he stalked angrily to the door, his mind distracted from what should be a peaceful time with his imprint, by the sullen and obtrusive attitude of Sam's old pack-mate.
Quite aware of the fractious relationship between himself and his Alpha, Paul didn't feel anything other than pleasure to rile Jacob Black.
"So, have you been thinking about your first question?" Paul asked, his voice muffled into her neck.
Steeling her nerves, Bella stepped away from him, moving the few feet forward to draw the thin curtains. Not saying a word, she stepped around him, moving quickly to the doorway, closing it firmly and then, even though she knew it was fairly pointless, locking it for good measure.
Paul was watching her every move, holding back the smile that he knew would only serve to make her more anxious. He watched as she pressed her whole body back against the door, looking to the curtained window, quite blatantly thinking something over very seriously.
She was still looking away from him when she spoke, her words carefully balanced to hide her emotion from him.
"Do you know who killed Emily Young?"
Paul knew she would ask, knew it was one of the questions he was going to find difficult because he wasn't sure what the answer would provoke in her. Regardless, he had been aware of the risks when he'd concocted this fucked up game, so he pushed the question through his mind, looking for the familiar pull which still lingered from Sam's power. But it had either faded with time, or the question required so little of the truth that he was not bound by the command.
"Yes, I do." He replied, searching her deep brown eyes for any reaction. He could see the thoughts running so fast through her mind, and he knew immediately that she had expected him to say no, that the question had been to cure her own curiosity rather than prove a suspicion. Deciding to press on, he stepped forward, ignoring the little flicker of apprehension in her body as he broke the distance between them by stepping confidently through the small space.
She had expected him to push aggressively, to throw her passionately against the door, or rip her clothes from her body. But his fingers were slow, painfully slow. And as she counted down the five seconds in her mind, she watched him languidly caress open the buttons on the plaid shirt she'd been wearing.
The air felt refreshing on her blazing skin and she welcomed the cool space Paul offered as he took a step back, admiring the contours of her body under her thin white camisole.
Bella mentally stumbled. The questions that she'd spent all afternoon articulating in her mind were looking more and more flimsy. She didn't know whether she should pursue something further regarding the circumstances of Emily's death. She'd thought her previous question would have resulted in a blatant 'no', something she had told herself she needed to ask, and nothing more.
"There's no point in you asking; I don't know why I could tell you that, but everything else about that time is bound by Sam's command." Bella couldn't tell if he was lying or not, but she did manage to feel a little twinge of relief to find her dilemma solved, something that later she would understand to be utterly deplorable.
"Did anything ever happen between you and Leah?" Bella lowered her eyes, slightly ashamed by the line her questions had taken, especially as her mind was now being bombarded with images of Emily, a girl she'd never actually known in life.
Bella didn't like the way Paul took another step back, sitting back on the edge of the bed frame.
"We grew up together, me, her and Jared. She was my first." Paul offered evenly, watching her once again.
"Your first…? As in…?" Bella wasn't sure she wanted to play this game anymore. Everything she'd thought would come from this, the feeling of being assured, being safe in what this whole imprint thing meant for the both of them, was slowly slipping away.
"Yeah, as in the first girl I fucked."
Bella took a deep shuddery breath and Paul wanted to go to her, to fix what he'd started, but she was still looking at the floor and he couldn't bring himself to apologize for something that had happened when he was fourteen, before he even knew she existed.
It took everything Bella had not to just fall in a heap on the floor, to not crumble into a pile of jealous bones. But she pushed back her shoulders, knowing that the question had been foolish, and now she had to waste another to find out what she really needed to know.
"Ten… Nine..." It took two seconds to realize her intention as she confidently counted down, only the caution in her eyes betraying that she was holding something far less controlled within. Paul didn't stop to discuss her feelings, to questions whether she was sure once again.
He was just as careful with her as he had been the first time, and as she forced her mind to think of nothing but the descending numbers and the surety of his fingers, she watched as he tugged her jeans to the floor.
The clear air didn't feel so good this time, and as she reached zero in her mind, she opened her mouth and whispered out the question she should have asked all along.
"Do you still have feelings for her?"
Paul didn't step back this time and the inches that rested between them left her scrabbling for focus.
"I never did really. She's been a friend for a very long time, but that's all." He didn't comment on how pointless he thought her question actually was, instead he raised his hand and gently tugged down the thin strap on her camisole, followed by the other.
Twenty seconds had never seemed so long, and so difficult to count. And when the time was done, though he had barely touched her skin to skin, she was breathless and bare, standing in only her blue lace bra and panties.
a/n: As always a big thank you to my beta Twiticulate who rocks. I'll see you all again on Wednesday. x