Disclaimer: I don't own the Twilight Saga or any of the characters in the story.

Hey everyone! Sorry about the slight delay on this chapter. I've had my mind in a million places at once, but hopefully you'll forgive me for not getting this out to you yesterday after I tell you that it's a bit longer than normal! Eh? What do yah think, am I forgiven? Anyway, thank you for the feedback you guys have given me. You are all rock stars and continue to blow me away with your kind and encouraging words! I hope you like this chapter, and as always, happy reading!

Chapter Fifteen

Bella was happy that when she had woken up in the morning, nothing felt out of place. Her chest had ceased to ache and she felt content in the knowledge that Jake was close by and unharmed. There had been no other altercations... So far.

Getting ready for work she didn't rush. There was no need to today, and she spent the majority of her time thinking about all that had changed so quickly.

It should have felt odd for her to feel so utterly connected to just one person in such a short span of time. She should have been completely turned off by the idea of being forced to settle down with just one person for the rest of her life.

After growing up completely surrounded by her flighty mother's antics, she had sworn she would never be as carefree as Renee. It wasn't worth it to invest so quickly in a person. People change, and true love was never written in stone. There was always the chance that someone she thought would stay with her forever would leave the very next day. She'd seen it happen to her father when her mother had left, and she had promised herself that she would never become that person.

However, with Jacob Black, that was entirely not the case.

She'd never believed in fairy tales, but she'd had no trouble accepting that she had been chose as the mate of an alpha werewolf. She had felt the tug in her chest, the incredible pain from their separation when Jake had tried to give her space at the beginning. When he had tried to break the imprint.

A twinge of pain shot through Bella's subconscious as she briefly thought what would have happened if he had successfully broken the imprint. She wondered if it was even possible to do, especially for an alpha.

But still, she thought of how easily she had accepted everything into her life. How none of it seemed so strange that she should run away from it. She felt aligned when she was with her Jake. He was the warm sun that her life had been missing, and if he were to leave her, or vice versa, she would never be warm or happy again. He was everything now, and she accepted that she would always be everything to him

-8-

The school day passed much as the day before, although Jake had shown up on time today. Throughout her class she couldn't help but steal glances at him while she knew they were all busy writing notes, Jacob included. She had been sure that he hadn't seen her looking at him, but there was a clear smirk on his lips as he wrote down some of the definitions and notes she had given the class.

There was something in the way that he smirked like that, hell there was something in the entire way he looked that made Bella want to crawl out of her skin and jump straight into his. She wanted to be as close as possible to his heat and she wanted never to have to leave. Her body trembled at the thought of being in such close proximity to him. She wondered how they had managed to keep their hands to themselves so well since they had finally accepted the imprint.

She couldn't say that she didn't feel the incredible sexual tension between them. Every move he made seemed predatory and made her heart rate spike dangerously. If it had been any other man she most likely would have been embarrassed about her reactions to such simple everyday things that he did. Certainly no other girl would get turned on just by watching her boyfriend walk across the room to use the pencil sharpener. Then again, not many other girls had the connection with their boyfriends knowing that they were the perfect mate for the other.

Bella let the students get away without having any homework for the night, and reminded them of their test next monday as they packed up their things at the bell. Her eyes darted from her other students to Jake who had stood up to his full height and slung his black backpack over his shoulder. She watched his eyes raise up to her own and had to put a hand down onto the desk to keep her from wobbling on her feet when she saw how his eyes smoldered into her own.

He looked hungry. Desperate, almost. Bella couldn't tear her eyes away from his own dark ones. It felt as though they were having a silent battle of restraint between each other. She could feel his desire radiating off of him, just as she knew that he could feel her lust pouring coming off in waves. It was an undeniable need for each other that bounced between their gaze, making itself stronger with every second that passed.

"Jake, we gotta get to class," Embry's voice suddenly shattered the bubble of lust they had created around themselves. Bella blinked and felt her chest loosen immediately. It had been tight, though not in an entirely unpleasant way.

She heard a warning growl vibrate through her body as her mate showed his friend what he truly thought of his interuption.

"See you tomorrow, Bella!" Quil said as he left the room first. Bella smiled to him and nodded, not trusting her voice. Her eyes darted back to Jake's face, he hadn't moved yet from his spot. A nervous looking Embry shifted around next to him.

"Embry's right, get to class Mr. Black. Or else I'll have to write you up for being late," Bella said to him in a level voice. She truly hadn't meant the statement to be anything but authoritative, but she watched as Jake's eyes grow a shade darker, almost turning completely black. Blazing heat immediately surged through her veins and her breath caught in her throat at the pleasurable feeling before she quickly turned around and continued to concentrate her efforts into erasing the board with gusto. She had to be careful about keeping herself in control, especially in this kind of setting.

She didn't hear them leave, but she knew that they were finally gone when the scorching heat had left her bones and she was left in a slump. For the rest of the day she threw herself into her teaching. She needed any distraction she could to try and get the image of Jake's primal onyx eyes out of her mind. However, by the time the last bell of the day had rung she found that she was still just as flustered as she had been in the morning.

-8-

By the time she had gotten back to her apartment, Bella was pleased with the fact that her chest did not ache in the slightest. Jake was nearby, and that thought alone was enough to at least ease her nerves. She wasted no time in walking to her room and stripped out of her work clothes jumping into a simple outfit of jeans and a soft maroon colored sweater. She brushed out the tangles in her hair from running her fingers through it all day and then padded to the kitchen. She grabbed two boxes of spaghetti out of her cabinets and the ingredients she would need for the sauce and put them into a paper bag set on the counter, along with a loaf of italian bread.

It was odd for her to know she was going to spend a lot of time with her father. She knew that after moving to the same town as him it would be inevitable, but after growing up without him in her life for the most part, she didn't entirely know where they stood. Of course they loved each other, but they had no way of showing it truly. Their father daughter bond had run ragged after years of not being in close contact, and it would be odd to build it back up.

After gathering everything up, Bella slipped on a pair of sandals, grabbed her bag of food and locked her door behind her. On the drive to Charlie's the rain started to pick up a bit more, pattering against her windshield with more aggression. She pulled into his small driveway next to the police cruiser and rushed out of the car and up to the front door trying not to get too wet from the insistent weather.

Charlie opened the door as she made it up the front steps of the porch a small smile on his face.

"Want some help with that?" he asked as he reached for the grocery bag in her hands. She gave it to him as they walked into the house, closing the door behind her.

"Thanks," she said with a small smile and walked towards the kitchen. "When were you thinking about eating, just so I know when to start cooking?"

"I don't really care. I hope you don't mind but I invited Billy over as well. There's a Mariners game on at eight, so I thought we'd watch it together. You remember him from the cookout right?" Charlie said as he put the bag down on the counter. Bella's heart stuttered and she looked back at the front door back down the hallway.

"Yeah, I remember him... His son is in my class," Bella said slowly. She hoped her voice didn't sound too far away since her thoughts were going a million miles a minute.

"Jake? He's a good kid... A big kid, but good nonetheless. He's really helped out Billy since his mom died a few years back," Charlie supplied in a normal tone, he didn't seem to notice how intently Bella was listening to the information about Jake.

"Really? I mean, I know he's taken care of Billy, but what exactly happened?" she wondered, trying to appear completely indifferent.

Charlie sighed and looked at her with sad eyes, "I think Jacob had to be around twelve years old... Sarah drowned out on one of the beaches on the reservation. They had to close it down because the waves get too big there, it was dangerous... No one really knows why she decided to go swimming in such rough water. It destroyed Billy, almost killed him actually... He'd taken up drinking in the couple of months following Sarah's death and he was out driving to the store to pick up more when he got into a serious car accident, hence why he is now in a wheelchair... Seems like a lot for any kid to go through. I'm almost shocked that Jacob came out so good after all of that."

When Charlie finished, Bella was completely silent. In her chest her heart felt as though her heart was being crushed and squeezed in someone's fist. There was no explanation for the pain she felt for Jacob. To have to go through that kind of turmoil was something she would never wish on anyone, especially not the man she was tied to.

As she stood still in shock about what he had told her, Charlie moved around her to walk back down the hallway. In the back of her mind she heard the front door open and voices speaking. Turning around slowly she felt the squeezing sensation in her chest cease entirely as her eyes met Jacob's. He watched her, concern clear in his dark eyes, but he made no move to come to her as he stood with his father, talking to Charlie.

The tightness in Bella's chest dissipated, and she found herself walking towards the small group near the door.

"Bella! It's nice to see you again, we didn't get a real chance to catch up on Sunday," Billy said with a smile. She didn't fail to notice the side glance that he gave to his son, but she resisted the urge to narrow her eyes in suspicion.

"It's nice to see you too," she smiled at him, trying to keep her body from glueing itself to Jake's. He was only a few feet away. He was so close. She could feel his body heat from where she was standing, and it called to her like a siren.

"Why don't I go start on dinner, and you boys can talk about... baseball or something," she said to them. Charlie and Billy both laughed and agreed as they made their way into the cramped living room. Jake paused for a moment, his eyes still tinged with worry as he looked at her.

"Do you want some help with anything?" he asked in a soft, deep voice. The timbre was evident in it, and she realized that he was much more concerned for her than he was letting on.

"Sure," she said simply, breaking eye contact with him and turning to walk back to the kitchen. She tried her hardest not to look back at him as she heard him walk behind her. Reaching into her bag she pulled out all of the food she had brought.

Not stopping for anything she continued to put around the kitchen, opening the different cabinets and finding all of the things she would need. She found a pot for the spaghetti and a large saucepan, along with a cutting board and a knife which she set down on the small kitchen table that Jake had taken a seat at. She could feel his eyes watching her every movement, although instead of feeling uncomfortable under the constant surveillance, she felt completely at ease. She felt safe.

"Can you wash the vegetables for the sauce, please?" Bella asked as she pulled out a strainer from a drawer.

"Sure, sure," came the answer in the same timbre voice from before. Silently he walked to the sink and started doing as she had asked. She couldn't help but peek at him while he worked. He was so quiet despite being so large, and she shuddered to think of the strength that his body possessed. Jake suddenly looked up as he turned off the water and met her eyes.

"What're you thinking about that has your heart pounding like that, Bells?" he asked quietly and she couldn't help but smirk at him.

"Wouldn't you like to know," she said as she stepped forward and took the vegetables out of his hand. Her entire body seemed to burst into flames when her skin brushed against his, and she felt and heard the deep growl coming from his chest.

Quickly she set down the dripping vegetables on the cutting board, her back to Jake as she picked up the knife and began to slice them. Almost as soon as she'd made the first cut she felt Jake's body behind her own, his hand stilling hers holding the knife.

"Can I do that?" he asked, his warm breath against the back of her neck. Without realizing it, Bella's body leaned back into Jake's and he welcomed her against him. His other hand grabbed her hip, his thumb finding a patch of skin under her sweater and she felt his nose against the top of her head.

"I think I can manage cutting a few vegetables, Jake, really," she tried to reassure him in a low voice that didn't sound anything like her normal voice.

"Please, Bells? It would make me feel better," he whispered and she finally relented, releasing the knife back onto the cutting board. Jake let go of her hand, but lingered a moment behind her before letting her move to the side. She tried to regain a regular pace of her heart as she watched him begin cutting everything much faster than she probably ever could.

"Show off," she muttered and watched a small smirk pass over his lips. However it was gone very quickly. Bella frowned in contemplation, wondering what was wrong with him. She hadn't felt him get hurt, or angry, she'd only seen the look of concern he'd given her.

"Why are you so distressed, you don't feel entirely happy," Jake said suddenly and her train of thought was broken.

"What?" she asked, slightly confused.

"I know when you are in distress. It's just this kind of instinct I guess. Part of the imprint is me needing to make sure that you're happy and content most of the time... When you aren't I get this kind of twinge, not exactly a pain, but a discomfort. I feel the need to be with you, make sure you're okay," he admitted and Bella stared at him.

"I'm distressed because you seemed concerned earlier and I don't understand why," she finally said, listening as her father and Billy laughed at something in the other room.

"I was concerned because I felt that something was wrong with you. I was worried because I thought you'd been hurt," he said, his eyes boring into her own.

She didn't know what to say. Would he be angry with her that she knew so much about his past when she had no idea if he'd be comfortable with her knowing everything? She didn't want to offend him and she couldn't bear the idea of him being upset with her.

"Nothing was wrong, I was fine," she said as she chewed on her bottom lip, averting her eyes from his own. She walked over to the stove and started to heat the water for the noodles.

"Honey, please don't lie to me. You know that you can tell me anything, I just want to keep you safe and happy," he sighed. Bella felt him move up behind her once again. She could not resist the urge to turn and look at him, but when she met his gaze once again his eyes were burning.

"I don't want you to be mad at me," she managed to whisper, looking down at her feet and not liking how she sounded like a small child. Jake's hand gently cupped her chin and sent heat deep into her skin, warming up her very soul. He pulled her face up to look into his own as he looked into her eyes.

"I could never be mad at you for anything," he assured her in his deep voice. Bella nodded minutely, but couldn't help tilting her face up slightly. She watched as his face dipped lower towards her own and her eyes fluttered close on their own accord. Her heart was about to rip out of her chest because of its pounding and her soul sang at the close contact with its other half. The anticipation of feeling his lips peaked inside of her body and mind. And then in a flash he was gone.

Bella's eyes opened, eyebrows high on her forehead in confusion as her gaze landed on Jake's back while he stood over the cutting board again, cutting up the green peppers at a human pace. Rejection washed through her body like acid, making her feel sick to her stomach. He had played her! Teased her until she'd thought she might explode and left her hanging. Anger began to replaced the rejection, though not by much. Jake sensed the inner turmoil of emotions in her and turned to meet her gaze, though his eyes were just as black and filled with passion as they had been earlier today though they also willed her to understand something. And then a voice broke through their silence.

"How's it coming? Smells pretty good!" Charlie said boisterously as he walked around the corner and into the kitchen. Jake turned and smiled at her father.

"I've been demoted to sous chef," he said in a joking way, but Bella still picked up on the gravelly tones of his voice.

"Of course you have, Bella's always been head chef, isn't that right?" Charlie laughed as he walked to the fridge and retrieved two beers. He glanced at Bella and she must have looked odd because he paused a moment, his eyebrows furrowing.

"You okay, Bella? You look a bit flushed," he commented in concern. That snapped Bella out of her haze and she nodded a bit too enthusiastically.

"I'm fine, don't worry. It's just a bit hot over by the stove, you know?" she said, trying to make her voice more level. Charlie stared at her a bit longer and then nodded.

"Alright then," he said and then turned to walk back to the living room. Bella didn't wait for Jake to meet her gaze again as she turned around and returned to her task. She had to make it through one dinner with her father not finding out that she was involved with one of her students. And already it seemed that her work was cut out for her.

It seems that Bella is a bit flustered right about now! Tomorrow I plan to start getting back to the original posting time, so that's always good! Leave me some feedback on the chapter if you care too, but thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!