I want to hold the hand inside you
I want to take a breath that's true
I look to you and I see nothing
I look to you to see the truth
You live your life
You go in shadows
You'll come apart and you'll go blind
Some kind of light into your darkness
Colors your eyes with what's not there.

Fade into you
Strange you never knew
Fade into you
I think it's strange you never knew

A stranger's light comes on slowly
A stranger's heart without a home
You put your hands into your head
And then smiles cover your heart

-Mazzy Star Fade Into You

…his lips traveled langorously down my cheek to the very edge of my lips, planting tiny butterfly kisses as they went. There they paused, and I could feel him hesitating, gauging my reaction.

Bella's POV

I could faintly taste Jake's breath on my tongue; warm, light, and sweet. His lips are millimeters from mine; his heartbeat no longer steady. His body heat is so intense that I can feel it permeating my skin and settling into my muscles, weakening them.

When his hand raises and gently cradles my face I panic and a lung full of air stutters past my lips. Needing to hide I press my face into his chest. I can feel his body tense up, but after several seconds he relaxes and locks his arms around me.

I feel his lips touch my ear and a shiver gently shudders down my spine in reaction, followed by another as I feel his lips move against my skin when he speaks.

"I'm sorry."

"Jake just don't. It's, it's… alright." What I'm saying doesn't really make any sense. I've given him just a vague reprimand because I don't want to hurt his feelings, but right now I'm both thrilled and horrified at the fact that he just tried to kiss me.

"Are you afraid I'll hurt you?" he asks softly.

"No." I'm not sure if he means physically or emotionally but I know it's smarter not to ask. He might become suspicious. "You will never hurt me."

Physically. I add to myself.

"Are you afraid I'd make a bad boyfriend?"

"What kind of silly question is that?" I ask. "I don't even know why you would ask that."

"I'm never going to give up on us Bells," he murmurs.

I don't respond, instead I slide my hands up into his hair and pull his face into my neck. I take in an erratic breath, sucking in a lung full of his sweet scent, and feel him mirror my breath with one of his own. After a few seconds he pulls back and looks down at me.

"Why are you pretending you don't have feelings for me?"

I instantly break eye contact and blush profusely. I hear him chuckle and proceed to shoot him a dirty look.

"I'm not pretending anything Jacob. I love you. You're my best friend."

He rolls his eyes. "Do you honestly expect me to believe that I'm just a best friend?" he whispers, with just enough hint of a growl in his voice I can tell he's irritated with me.

"You've gotten really pushy lately you know. You just keep pushing and pushing the boundaries." I try to emphasize my lame words by pushing myself away, but he doesn't let me move an inch.

"Several weeks ago you would have never let me hold you the way I am now," he says. "You would have never allowed me to plant kisses all over your face or come so close to kissing you on the lips."

"Jake," I start but he cuts me off.

"Just listen Bells." I huff in exasperation but nod for him to continue.

"So don't you see? It's progress. I'm happy with progress. Bella, one day you will realize we are meant for each other."

Oh Jake, no we are not.

A hysterical giggle works its way pass my throat, but it comes out as a sob, and I start to tremble in reaction. A warm hand gently angles my face upwards.

"Is it still him?" His voice is quiet, detached. There's no need for names, I know exactly who he means. I look into his eyes only to discern that he is no longer looking at me, instead he's staring at the wall beside my head. The arm around my waist is now trembling.

"No."

His hands stop shaking and he pulls me infinitesimally closer to him.

"Good. That's good," he murmurs as if almost to himself. Finally he looks back at me and smiles a breathtaking smile. He looks very relieved and very happy. His sudden mood shift is infectious and I find myself grinning at him too.

But after a few seconds he becomes serious and takes my hand in his. He's looking at me, brow furrowed.

"I don't want you to think that I just want your body," he says quietly.

I exhaled and placed our intertwined hands over his heart. "That thought never crossed my mind Jake. I would never think that."

"Good," he whispered. "It's just…" He swallowed, "I don't ever want you to think that it's just one thing I'm after or…"

I cut him off. "Shh… I know."

He watched my lips and then looked up at me murmuring, "I think you know this, but I'm a virgin."

"Jacob," I murmured .I couldn't meet his eyes and didn't know what to say to that. Did he want to hear that I'm a virgin too? Does he think that Edward and I…did that? By admitting he's a virgin is he trying to make me see that he's not just after that?

He must have been embarrassed also because he buried his face in my hair and inhaled deeply before continuing. "I'm not sure why I just told you that. I guess I just want you to know that I am."

I nodded against his chest.

"I mean you've heard Paul bragging about sleeping with random women before, I don't want you to think that I do things like that as well."

I finally met his eyes. "I know you don't. Jake I know you."

He closed his eyes and smiled but didn't say anything. Was it my turn to tell him I'm a virgin? Will he think I slept with Edward if I don't say anything? Probably. No, knowing how much he despises their kind, I don't want him thinking I slept with Edward.

"Umm, I never slept with him." I breathed, completely flustered.

"Oh," he murmured and I watched him sweep his tongue between his lips. I longed to kiss him so much. I wanted to tell him I love him and kiss him for hours.

"Thank you for telling me. You didn't have to."

I shrugged and looked up at him. "I wanted you to know, I mean I know you despise them, and …"

He interrupted me, stopping me with two fingers on my lips. "I didn't think you did. I mean I sort off always knew you were still a virgin. It was a feeling I had. There's an aura of innocence and tenderness around you. That's how I always knew."

"Well you were right."

"Besides I know it's impossible for their kind, well more specifically for males, to be with a woman and not crush her bones."

I swallowed heavily and stared at him for what felt like an eternity. His eyes were dark with intensity, but happy. I was happy too. Happy to be here with Jacob, to be out on the town in general. I didn't want to talk about them.

"You're acting different Jake. Are you very buzzed?"

"No, not at all. I would have to chug an entire bottle to feel anything." I feel my eyes widen at his words and he shrugs. "My body burns through the alcohol too quickly." Huh. Must be a werewolf thing.

"So do you ever think about it?" he asks, smiling.

"Think about what?" I have no idea what he's talking about.

"Kissing me."

"What? No."

"You're such a bad liar." He raises an eyebrow. "You tried to kiss me tonight."

"Jacob! Stop asking stupid questions."

He regards me thoughtfully for a few seconds. "Do you ever think about how it will feel like?"

I blush and blurt out, "no," immediately. The lie is so transparent it makes Jake roll his eyes. I shake my head at him slowly and hope he lets it go.

"I'll take that as a yes then."

He goes on. "What about you Bells? Just how liquored up are you?" He asks teasingly. "Are you sloshed? Glazed? Or just buzzed?"

I smack his chest playfully. "I am not any of those things!"

"Well, you did almost let me kiss you tonight," he says cheekily. "From now on I'll have to keep a bottle handy."

"Jacob!"

Laughing, he picks me up for a brief second before putting me back down. Before I can speak his head turns sharply towards the club doors; it appears as if he is waiting for something to happen.

Two seconds later the door bursts open and Leah comes waltzing through, drink in hand.

"Enough you two. Jacob are you gonna stand there pawing at her all night?"She pulls me out of Jacob's arms and shoves a drink in my hand. "C'mon Bella, let's go to the bathroom."

"I don't have to pee."

"Keep me company."

"Fine," I mutter and we walk back inside, heading straight for the bathrooms. The line is long but I can see Emily waving and grinning at us. She saved us a spot in line.

"Hey! Where has Jacob been hiding you?" Emily asks with a gleam in her eye. Before I have a chance to answer, they both burst into a fit of giggles. I'm not sure what they think happened outside, but I have a feeling they will be greatly disappointed.

We finally make it inside the washroom which over the course of the last few hours has become very messy. Wet paper napkins are thrown all over the counter and floor and one of the toilets seems to be leaking water onto the floor. The whole space smells of urine, vomit, and cheap perfume. Dutifully, I hold the girls purses while they go pee.

"So, Bella," stars of Leah and I can't help but gulp reflexively. Her eyes are full of mischief. "I had no idea you could be such a little slut! The way you and Jacob were dancing was positively sinful!" Biting my lip I hand her a paper towel so she can dry her hands.

"You guys saw that huh?"

"Everyone saw that!" professes Emily. She even uses funny hand gestures to emphasize the word everyone. "You guys looked completely lost in each other."

"Sooo?" asks Leah.

"What?"

"What happened in the alley? Are you two together?"

I chew on my lip nervously. "No we are not. I don't understand why everyone wants me and Jake to be a couple so much. Everyone knows we're best friends."

Leah snorts loudly and crosses her arms. "Right. I dare you to look me in the eye right now and say there is no sexual tension between you guys." I feel my face heat up but refuse to say anything.

"You can practically cut it with a knife," whispers Emily.

"Of course Jake is beautiful. Everyone can see that. And him, well he's just a guy. Girls are probably always on his mind." I say dismissively.

"Just one," says Leah.

"Just you," adds Emily.

"I know he likes me. He's made that very clear to me." Both of them have stopped playing with their hair and are listening intently. "But I just cant."

"Why?"

"What?"

"Why?" She repeats and I could hear in Leah's voice that she is getting a little annoyed. "You said you think he's hot."

"Beautiful." I say, correcting her.

"Fine, beautiful. But that means you also think he's hot and don't try to deny it."

"Okay." I finish my drink and place the cup on the counter. I need to get away from these two. They are having way too much fun drilling me.

"And he's your best friend which just means you two get along great and like being around each other," continues Leah.

"We do."

"Then what is the problem? Shouldn't you want to be with someone like that? Please clue me into what the problem is because frankly, this makes no sense to any of us." I look at Emily for help but see that she's also waiting for me to give an answer.

"It's obvious you feel for him too Bella," says Emily squeezing my arm softly. She must be able to tell I'm getting both nervous and annoyed with all the questioning. Her calm voice and demeanor help relax me slightly. She will be such a great mother one day.

"Maybe it's a little more than just a feeling?" she leaves the question hanging in the air like some great secret truth, I know she's hoping for an answer, but when I don't say anything she smiles softly and continues. "It's okay to feel nervous and confused. Like you said you guys have an amazing friendship and you don't want to damage that. We all get that. But you know what Jake feels for you is not just some teenage crush." I break eye contact at that but she squeezes my arm again and I cant help but to look back at her. "It's also apparent that you have strong feelings for him too. The whole pack sees it and of course Jake knows this as well." I sigh, knowing she is right. Jake is positive that I have feelings for him and of course the pack would have read his mind.

I start shaking my head in protest and try to turn around.

"Just listen," barks Leah and her words come out like a command. I can't help but do what she says.

"Bella, honey," pleads Emily. "The guys can't hear us in here." I didn't even think of that. "The club is too full of noise and I doubt they are glued to the other side of the door eavesdropping."I giggle at that, the image of them, all so large and tall, with their ears glued to the door and trying to go unnoticed is nearly impossible. Since I didn't hear any of the girls in the bathroom mention anything of that nature I'm satisfied we are not being spied on.

"And what the whole pack is confused about is why you are in such denial about your feelings for Jake?" I stay quiet. I know it's smarter not to say anything.

"Is it something to do with that damn bloodsucker?" asks Leah crassly.

"Leah!"

"It's okay Em." I turn my gaze to Leah. "I loved him. And suddenly, one day, he just up and left me. He didn't even look sad. So no, Edward has nothing to do with anything." There's a few seconds of awkward silence before the dark shadow from Leah's face disappears and she nods.

"Well that's good because leaches are disgusting."

Emily shoots her a dirty look before speaking, "you know the guys can't wait to officially welcome you to the club," she announces excitedly.

"What club?" I ask quietly. They have a club?

"The werewolves and their mates club," says Leah bitterly. "You know you'd be like family. And any of the wolves would die to protect you. Not just Jake. Heck, I'd die to protect you. I wouldn't have any other choice. It's how we are designed."

"Wow, yeah, Emily mentioned this to me before." I didn't know what else to say. Dating a werewolf was serious stuff.

"So," began Leah and I cringed because I knew this tone. She's about to start prying inappropriately again. "Did Jake kiss you?"

"No. I didn't let him."

"So he did try!" they both blurted out at the same time.

"Okay, yes, he did try but when I made it clear I didn't want him to, he was a gentleman and didn't push it." Lies. Of course I wanted him to kiss me but that was not allowed.

They were quiet, waiting for me to say more.

"It was nothing," I say, laughing humorlessly. I could hear the edge of defensiveness creeping in, boosting my confidence.

"You know he thinks about kissing you all the time but sometimes what he thinks about doing to you is much much dirtier." I groan, embarrassed, and Leah shrugs."It can be annoying."

"Okay,enough."

I was tired of this interrogation and just wanted to go back out to the club. I felt like I've spent more time in allies and bathrooms than the actual club. I also wanted to see what Jake and the guys were up to. I had a feeling he too was getting interrogated.

"Let's go find the guys."

"Okay,and sorry if we were being pushy. We're just nosey," admitted Leah.

"Yeah I got that."

I swung the door open and walked out into the throng of people. I walked into the crowd unsure of where I was supposed to go. The entire place was so packed I kept getting shoved and pushed every few seconds. I heard Leah's voice in my ear, "take my hand and follow me. The guys are upstairs." I followed her gaze to the second floor balcony and there, through the fog I could barely make out Paul grinning and waving us over. I grabbed Leah's hand, for some reason surprised her skin was just as hot as Jake's, and allowed her to lead us upstairs.

A few things :

Thank you to everyone who has left me a review about the last chapter. I know I didn't respond to everyone, but I want you to know I do read and keep in mind every single review. So thank you.

I'm sorry it took this long to post this chapter. In all honesty I had a hard time with it. I wrote several different versions, then wrote and re-wrote them again. Some versions were dirtier and way different than what you just read. But then I decided to pull back, scale everything down and keep to my original story line that I have in mind. Trust me I want them to get it on as much as you do!

This chapter was supposed to include the girls interaction with the pack upstairs but that portion isn't edited and to my liking yet so I have cut it out of this chapter. But it is already written and will be up soon.

The next chapter will also be in Bella's POV and will be the last chapter taking place at the club. So what I need you guys to do is tell me if you prefer the chapter after that to be in Jacob's or Bella's POV? I don't think I need to point out that a chapter in JPOV will be much different than a chapter from BPOV. If you have a preference tell me in the review section. I'll go with the majority vote.

I have finally given in to peer pressure from some of my readers and started up a twitter account. Please "follow" me for occasional musings on makeup, hair tips, new and cool music, and of course updates and sneak peaks about this story. Right now I have no followers and feel pretty pathetic tweeting to no one. twitter. com/jfkkorky