Chapter Thirteen

That's How I Say Good Morning

Paul's POV

It was an experience that I'd never grow tired of, one that I wasn't sure how I'd managed to survive so long without, the joy of waking to the morning rays streaming into Lilah's room, into our room, and caressing the body of my sweet girl, naked as always, since I refused to allow her any clothing at night. Hell, the truth of the matter was that I'd keep her naked all of the time, if I could, if we never had to leave our home, but we did have to leave for this and that, which meant that she had to be covered most of the day, but not at night, not in our bed...as a matter of fact, I kind of took it as a personal insult if she slid under the blankets covered in any way...it made me think that she was rejecting me, stupid as that sounded.

She was laying on her side, turned away from me, which deprived me of the sight of her boobs, and the dusky pink nipples that were so sensitive that I barely had to touch them to have her moaning my name, but I was graced with the sight of her backside, and while I had seen plenty of those in my life, hers ranked at the top of a very short list of perfectly round, perfectly soft and pinchable, grabbable asses. What was even more pleasing was the fact that the blanket had slipped during the night, and was now only barely covering the bottom of her cheeks. I found that even sexier, the fact that I couldn't see every curve.

As I laid there on the bed, my hands itching to touch her, excitement and need coursing through my body, I was reminded of the commercials I'd seen on TV, the ones for dudes that couldn't get it up on their own, advertisements for pills to help the poor bastards suffering from erectile dysfunction. It was bad enough, I would imagine, having that sort of problem in the first place, but I couldn't even fathom trying to talk to someone about it, and having to say those words...geez...I think I'd just keep it to myself, avoiding both the doctors and the ladies, avoiding the cursed words that personified my pitiful state and ensuring that I wouldn't be one of the many who found themselves on the receiving end of pointed stares and mumbled assurances that I wasn't completely pathetic.

Anyway, the reason I started thinking about that was because they generally said something about seeking medical help if your pecker wouldn't go soft again after four hours, after the pills helped you to make it hard, and I wondered if it was something to be concerned about if a guy got a hard-on, on average, three or four times an hour, whenever his girl was nearby? I knew that I was a young guy, and a constant desire to get a little was a common thing, but it was damned inconvenient, not to mention embarrassing, when you were always standing at attention, if you know what I mean...especially when you're in the supermarket and a little old lady notices and starts to follow you around the store...let me tell you, that was a scary freakin' day, one that I hoped I'd never have to experience again.

So there I was, staring at my sweet girl's luscious ass, thinking about erections while I got my first one of the day, finally working up the nerve to wake her up with a hand on her back, even though I knew that doing so before nine could prove to be a fatal mistake, then the damned phone rang, its shrill jingling scaring me half to death. I recovered and started to reach over her to answer it, but she beat me, her voice a cross between a whisper and a croak as she did her best to sound like she'd been awake for hours, even though it was only a little after eight.

"No, I always sound like this in the morning," she lied, bending forward to capture the phone that threatened to slide off the bedside table. The cord was too short, making it nearly impossible to keep the phone from falling if you leaned too far away when you talked on it. It was usually a pain in the ass, but this morning I noticed that it gave me a better view of her ass, something that pleased me immensely. "How have you and Sam been? It's been ages since I've seen the two of you."

So, it was Emily calling, probably wanting some girl to girl type of chatter, but dammit, I had other plans for Lilah this morning, ones that didn't involve her trading gossip with a phone pressed to her ear. Moving slowly, carefully, I slid up close behind her, drawing her hair away from her nape, baring that one spot I loved to stroke, to kiss, because I knew it made her go wild. That was my first line of attack, pressing my lips against the soft skin I'd exposed, smiling as she arched back against me, pressing her curvy backside right where I wanted it.

She turned to look at me over her shoulder, her eyes panicked and aroused and still the slightest bit sleepy, shaking her head in a bid for me to show her some mercy, but I wasn't in a particularly generous mood. I would never force her to do anything she didn't want to do, but I knew as well as she did that she really didn't want me to stop, she was just afraid that she'd be too vocal, that she wouldn't be able to mask her excitement, and that Emily would know exactly what was going on, but personally I figured that if Emily overheard anything it was her own damn fault for calling this time of day...geez...that sounds bad, I suppose, but I'm a possessive guy and I hate it when people interrupt my intentions...especially when they involve me getting friendly with my lady.

"A cookout?" she asked, and I could hear, and appreciate, the strain in her voice, working against the need to moan out loud as my mouth traveled from her nape down her spine, licking and kissing her sweet skin. "That sounds...ooh...pretty good to me. And no, I don't mind...umm...bringing a side dish and dessert."

I couldn't help but chuckle a little bit, even though I knew the sound would no doubt irritate her, possibly endangering my chances of getting a little early morning nookie. "Why am I what?" she asked breathlessly, shimmying this way and that on the mattress, trying to escape from my hand, the one that had lovingly caressed the curve of her ass and was currently making its way between her thighs. "What makes you think that I'm...ooh...moaning?"

The need to chuckle grew stronger, but I resisted the urge to give in and laugh at her. Poor baby...she was so embarrassed, but so turned on as well. I moved even closer to her, close enough that there could be no doubting the driving ambition I had in mind, and then I touched her, growling when I felt how wet she was, how hot she was, and it wasn't much of a search to find that little bundle of nerves straining its way out of the folds that usually kept it hidden out of sight and she was forced to move her mouth away from the phone, to moan into her pillow, to bite it, hard, and that pleased me immensely.

"Of course...umm...I'm listening to you, Emily," she panted into the phone, and I had to wonder if Emily was really so dense that she hadn't caught on to what it was that was distracting Lilah and making her moan and groan, or if she was just messing with her, either way I was getting pretty damned tired of the fact that she was distracting my sweetheart. "But now that you mention it...ooh...would you mind if I...oh...call you back later?"

I reached around with one hand, the one that wasn't otherwise occupied, to play with her nipples, pinching and rolling them between my fingers, and after one last stroke to her clitoris I used the other hand to guide myself inside of her body, an action that had her gasping a quick farewell into the phone before she dropped it from her ear, crying out loudly enough to wake the dead.

I shut my eyes and took a deep breath as I felt her clamp onto me, savoring the feel of her tightness as it massaged my flesh. I heard Emily call Lilah's name a couple of times, her voice sounding tinny and distorted through the phone, then the click and buzz of the dial tone after she finally took the hint and decided to leave us alone. Lilah seemed oblivious to the sound, but it was irritating to me, and I leaned over her, grabbing the phone to return it to the hook, an action that pushed me even further into my girl, causing her to cry out once more, making her shudder around me again, even harder than the first time.

Oh yeah...I could definitely get used to this kind of good morning.

Lilah's POV

They all knew...every single one of them...but thankfully most of them had the good manners to try and hide that fact from me. I wondered if Emily had merely told Sam, and the others had read it in his thoughts or had she burned up the telephone wires, telling tales of me moaning and groaning while Paul laid a sensual assault on my body while I was trying to carry-on a conversation with her. I hoped for the former rather than the latter, because Emily was my friend and I'd hate to think of her gossiping about me...either way, all of the looks and whispers and snickers were growing very old, very quickly.

I straightened my bowl of potato salad unnecessarily, having already done so five times, then moved to the tray of brownies and did the same. The tiny table in Emily's kitchen was already overflowing with enough food to feed an army, but considering the fact that there was an entire troop of hungry wolves to feed I decided that it was good that more would be coming and bringing additional reinforcements with them.

"Hey sweetheart," a voice murmured in my ear, making me instantly weak in the knees. "The only thing left for you to do is take that food out dancing, so why don't you tell me what's bothering you."

How like him to be completely oblivious to what was going on around him, or at least to pretend that he didn't have a clue. If he had realized people were talking about us, then surely he wouldn't be holding me the way that he was, the condition that he, that his body, was in becoming more and more pronounced with every second that passed by. He would be offering his support, but not doing anything to raise more of a scandal, wouldn't he? Sure...all of that sounded like the things that a good boyfriend would do, to spare his girl any additional embarrassment...but then...this was Paul that I was talking about and he was renowned for his ego and his blatant disregard for what anybody thought or felt.

Oh, I don't know," I answered quietly, just a little sarcastically. "Maybe it's the fact that everyone that I know is staring at us and talking about us behind our backs. Maybe it's because it's getting a little old, the questions about whether you and I are always so...active...in the morning. Maybe it's because everybody in the surrounding area knows how...vocal...I am when you and I are intimate with one another. Or maybe it's the fact that with all of this going on, with all of the scrutiny around us you still feel the need to come up to me and rub your pecker against my ass...why don't you just take your pick, ok!"

I'd started out quietly, determined not to draw any additional attention to myself or to Paul, but by the end I had raised my voice to an extent that I was nearly shouting and I blushed when I realized that everyone in the house had grown very quiet and was staring at us, as well as quite a few people outside as well. Oh, man...this was quickly going from bad to worse and I would have been very happy to just dive underneath the table and hide for the next five years, at least. Paul, the big jerk, was chuckling like an idiot and pulled me even closer in his arms, and if I'd thought that he was being a little bold before I'd been sadly mistaken...this was what pecker rubbing felt like, almost to the extent that he was marking his territory, for cripes' sake.

"Alright...you nosy bastards have already looked your fill, so why don't you find something else to snicker about, and all of you meddlesome little hens...maybe you ought to have a little talk with your men...about why they haven't made an effort to be more 'active' with you in the morning and why they have such a hard time inspiring you to be more 'vocal' about your feelings, if you catch my drift."

I wouldn't have thought it possible, considering how embarrassed I was, not to mention how angry, but I just couldn't help but laugh at the expression on everyone's face, especially the elder members of the tribe. Paul's words had hit the mark right where it hurt and scandalized the most and suddenly, miraculously, it was like we weren't even there anymore, as quickly as everyone's attention moved away from us.

"When are you going to learn to stop worrying so much about what other people think?" he whispered in my ear, turning me so that he could cuddle me close in his arms. "There's plenty to think about in this world without wasting any time on what people's opinions of your life are. You've got to learn to let all that crap roll off of your back. You've got to learn to tell people to piss off...you've got to learn to throttle Emily for her inability to be a little more selective about who she invites to these get-togethers."

That last little bit threw me, or at least it did until I turned to see Mary coming through the door...followed closely by Sonny, and then everything was crystal-clear to me. Obviously Emily had been compelled to invite Mary, considering the fact that she was an elder member of the tribe and wherever Mary went, Sonny was sure to follow, the stunted little worm.

Well...everything else had been such a mess today...why should I hope for anything better?

I thought to myself that it couldn't get much better than this as I sat back in my chair, filled to the point of bursting from the bounty of food I'd just consumed, enjoying my front row seat to the best show on the Rez...the one that had Sonny frozen in his chair, scared at least half to death, too petrified to even partake of the free grub that was no doubt the main attraction that had led him to Emily's in the first place.

I don't think that there were too many members of the tribe that were thrilled that Emily and Sam had invited the Cullen's to the cookout, but none of them looked particularly scared, not even Mary, but then, the Cullen's were polite enough to keep their distance, knowing that their presence wasn't necessarily welcome ...Sonny, on the other hand, was receiving a completely different type of reception from our vampire friends.

The humongous one, Emmett was his name; I think, had taken the seat right beside Sonny and wasn't saying a word, just watching him from the corner of his eye, crowding closer and closer to him until Sonny was perched on one butt cheek, doing his best to keep himself from tumbling out of his chair.

Jasper sat directly across from him, staring at him with a slight smile on his face. I knew from personal experience that he was capable of calming Sonny's frazzled nerves, if he'd wanted to, but it would seem that he had no desire to offer any ease or assistance to the spiteful tub of guts, something that pleased me immensely.

Everyone else was scattered here and there, chatting amongst themselves, all in a circle around Sonny and Carlisle made the effect complete by stopping by the chair next to mine. "May I?" he asked, gesturing toward the empty seat. "Yes, please do," I answered, briefly turning my attention from the entertainment to look at the vampire/hunk of manliness as he sat down beside me.

Paul had gone to speak with Sam about pack related topics, and I wondered how long he'd be able to stay away once he saw who it was that was sitting next to me. I loved him more than life, heart and body and soul, but there was no denying the fact that Dr. Feelgood had the ability to make me just a little hot and bothered, try as I may to ignore that fact.

"I would try to tell them that they should behave themselves, but that would be a futile attempt at teaching them manners, don't you think?"

His voice was soft and filled with humor, and I wondered if I would be considered a hussy for feeling the way that I did each time he spoke to me.

"He made a critical mistake the other day and referred to Alice and Rosalie as, and I ask that you please excuse me before I say this, 'albino sluts'. Needless to say, his comments didn't go over well and Emmett and Jasper decided that it would be apropos to scare him...just a little...in an attempt to teach him some manners."

It was odd, how relaxed I felt, sitting so close to a vampire. I knew that Dr. Cullen had earned the respect of the pack, but most weren't exactly eager to form any sort of rapport beyond that respect. I would have chalked my feelings up to my shameful crush on him, but the feelings of comfort were separate from the way that I felt when he looked at me or spoke to me. This was the knowledge that I had that he was a good man, despite his status as a vampire, and none of us would ever have to worry about him or his family harming anyone...it just wasn't in their nature.

"He could definitely use a lesson in good manners," I answered, glaring at Sonny across the way, taking pleasure in the fact that he was petrified, even though I knew that he really didn't have anything to fear. Carlisle looked at me, his eyes growing thoughtful as he studied me, and I felt myself flush in response to his scrutiny. He then turned to look at Sonny, then back to me, a sudden understanding dawning on his face.

"Was he responsible for the burns that I treated?" he asked quietly, running one icy fingertip over the scars on my palm. His touch was so different than Paul's, and I didn't enjoy it nearly as much, but it was comforting to me. I looked away from him and nodded, embarrassed at the twinge of pain that crossed my face and the tears that filled my eyes.

"Well then, now that I know that, I must admit that I'm glad that I didn't correct their behavior. As a matter of fact, they rather look as though they could use a little help, don't you think?"

Actually, they looked like they were doing just fine, but who was I to deny him the pleasure?

"I think the saying is 'the more the merrier', is that right?" I answered; smiling as he stood to move closer into the circle, a smile that froze on my face when I saw Paul watching us, his expression livid...oh, damn...this could get ugly.

"Does he know the truth...about your hand, that is?" Carlisle asked, catching Paul's eye, something that I knew could be dangerous, on a wolf level, at least, the whole thing about it being a sign of aggression, a confrontation.

"Yes...Sonny told him, right before I learned the truth about the pack," I answered, doing my best to capture Paul's attention, but to no avail. He was staring Dr. Cullen down, looking as though he had every intention of attacking him. It didn't help that Carlisle kept touching me, innocent contacts that I knew he meant only as support and comfort, but that Paul was interpreting as a crossing of boundaries...that much was crystal clear to me.

"Excellent," he murmured, patting my arm one last time before crossing the yard to where Paul stood stewing. At first I contemplated the unlikelihood that the good doctor had a death wish, that was until I saw that my wolf man was actually listening to Carlisle, and then he smiled, which was reassuring but still kind of scary, paired with the anger that still heated his eyes.

They spoke for about five minutes and the next thing I knew they were making their way to the circle surrounding Sonny, seating themselves in amongst the ranks and it dawned on me then what had just taken place. It was another alliance, a necessary joining to insure that Sonny's day was about to go from bad to worse. It would have been compassionate, humane, if I was to feel some sympathy for the little worm, but I was kind of short on kindness today.

I was right...this was going to be one hell of a good show.