Disclaimer: Not mine.

A/N: You guys have been wonderful with your reviews, even though a few of them were a little bit outraged. ;) I had a bit of free time and wrote this little interlude—not much happens but it was definitely fun to write. :D Sorry it's so short but I just had a few moments between problems to write this.

Hope you guys like it!

Let me know what you think.

-S

Miss Imprint

Chapter 16: Say It

My locker looked like it always had, the metallic beige turned almost puke green with age and the edges frayed with flashes of silver but today, oh today it looked divine.

It might have been the fact that it was sunny for the first time in like a millennia in La Push (I exaggerate a little, it was probably more on the order of a century), or maybe that Seth and I had spent last night playfully necking against my front door, and then in the foyer and then for a few precious moments even in my bedroom before that damn howling started and he had to bolt.

I shook my head. Focus, just because he's dreamy and a total hunk does not mean that you get to go all gaga over him.

"Hey friend," a wonderfully husky voice came over my locker.

Speak of the devil…I thought as I smiled impishly up at him before shutting the door quietly. He lazily entwined his fingers around my waist and pulled me over to stand in front of where he was leaning against the wall.

"Hi." I said quietly, before running a careful hand up the edge of his almost skin tight black shirt. He shivered lightly, his eyes darkening decidedly. I felt his fingers tighten but he didn't do anything, just watched me. I waited for about a minuted.

And then I caved. "Oh my god, you know I suck at silence—come on, you can't do this to me."

He snickered, lightening the intensity of the moment. "I know…just wanted to see how long you'd last."

I shoved him lightly. "You are so not getting any of the brownies I baked last night."

"You so have an extra one in your paper bag." He mocked back.

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, incase I decided that I want a second one."

And I twisted out of his grip and tossed him a wink on my shoulder before walking to English, knowing his wide steps would ring out behind me as they always had.

Naturally though, I walked right into Paul.

"Watch where you're going." He growled, his eyes drawn tight with annoyance.

"I'm sorry for being in your way." I rallied back, sarcastically. Paul stepped closer and I realized that perhaps picking on someone more than twice my size wasn't a good idea.

Seth smoothly inserted himself between Paul and I, tossing a careful arm over my shoulders. "Hey Paul."

Paul just rolled his eyes and pushed past us.

"What's his deal, anyway?" I asked, quietly, unsure if he could hear me.

Seth hesitated, "he's going through some stuff."

"Like?" Come on, it's not like I'd ever been good at not being nosey.

"Like mind your own business." He winked at me, before tugging on my left ear gently and mouthing, 'later.'

I smiled satisfied and entwined his fingers in mine. "Come on, boo, let's go get our learn on."

He rolled his eyes to the roof, "why am I dating you again?"

"Cuz I'm the shizz, yo." I threw in a ridiculously emphatic peace sign and giggled in delight as he pulled me tightly against him.

"Yeah you are." And then nudging me softly against the temple with his nose, he walked us to homeroom.


Seth and I were lazing on my bed. Okay, well he was on my bed, I was sprawled on top of him, one of my legs across his and one of my arms playing idly with the soft black fabric of his shirt. My head was pillowed on his arm—which as hard as it looked (and was) was surprisingly comfortable.

"So Paul?" I queried and he chuckled lightly. I could feel the reverberations through his chest. Fascinating.

"I guess it was too much to hope that you'd forget." He poked me in the side gently.

"Like that was ever going to happen. Cough it up."

He let out a quiet breath before flipping me suddenly so that I was on my back and he was leaning over me. He traced my chin with his fingers and my breath caught at the sudden rush of heat they brought with them. "Paul imprinted."

My heart iced over—that was three now. But I left any nervousness out of my voice—I made the decision to give this a shot. And I'm an all or nothing kind of girl. "Who's the chick?"

Seth was watching carefully me, almost like he was waiting for me to freak out. "Rachel."

"As in Black?"

"Yeah."

I snorted. "What did Jacob do?"

He cracked a smile at that. "Completely flipped out—I thought he was going to kill Paul."

"Does she know?" I asked, but Seth shook his head.

"No—she's not even in Washington right now—part of the reason Paul's being such a douche."

"What's the other reason?" I had a sinking feeling I knew what it was going to be. Rachel Black had been one of those girls who you knew was going to go places-going to be somebody. I remember seeing her in the hallways; she was tall, statuesque, almost like Leah. But she had Jake's smile—wide and charismatic. She was so unbelievably nice and the girl had a mean brain on her too. She got a full ride to Stanford for a degree bioengineering.

Perfect in other words, or as close as it was humanely possible to get.

"She's engaged." He said the words softly, as if he was waiting for my reaction. My heart sped up a beat but I'd been prepared for that answer. I knew it was going to go down like that.

I knew—so there was no reason to feel any sort of panic. No reason, Cassie. If he figures out that you're even the tiniest bit worried about this, you know what he'll do. He's far too good of a guy to let you get any deeper in if he knew that you thought about him leaving you.

And so I just smiled real slow. "Good luck with that."

Seth let out a small breath—it might have been relief, but then again, it might have been something else. He was getting harder to read. "That's what Leah said." He grinned, suddenly, "before she called him a jackass and kneed him in the balls. I love my sister."

Go, Leah. Hell, maybe Seth would think twice about—whoa there, we're not thinking about this remember?

I searched for a new topic of conversation. "So did your biceps just like quadruple in size like over night?"

He laughed at that before leaning over me, his hazel eyes scant inches from my face. "Hey, I was pretty ripped before."

"Yeah—if you consider string bean arms ripped."

He flashed his teeth at me, and came a little closer. "Say I was ripped before."

"You are such a child."

His lips ghosted over the line of my jaw before passing to my cheeks. I wrapped my heads around his head, drawing lazy circles into the back of his neck and tried to pull him down.

But he was motionless. He didn't even budge a centimeter even though I definitely was putting my back into it. Screw you, Ice Cube, this was so not working.

Seth just raised an eye brow. "You do realize you're trying to manhandle a guy that's at least three times your size."

"I—I…ugh…you being all strong and stuff is so not as cool as you think it is." I complained, resting my hand on his bicep. He dragged his hand down from my chin, along the side of my neck and down to my hip in a long, slow trajectory that sent shivers up my back in rushing waves. He rested his fingers carefully along my hip before tightening his grip and I felt the muscle beneath my own fingers harden immeasurably.

My heart skipped a beat.

Seth turned his ochre gaze on me and grinned. The little bastard had heard that. But as much as I hated it, this new found arrogance was kinda hot.

"Say it." He said, huskily, no longer a question. He leaned even further over me until then entirety our bodies were touching and I could feel my own soft and rather meager curves giving way to the solidity of his torso.

I arched my back into him, delighting in the way his eyes darkened as my chest pressed against him. The hand on my hip, slipped behind me, to the small of my back and he arched me into him further.

"Say it." He repeated, and this time I could feel his burning, sweet breath over my lips and I felt them pucker slightly in response but I wasn't going to give in.

I leaned up and he drew back a little so that I couldn't reach his lips but that was exactly what I wanted—he had bared the tightly corded muscles of his neck to me. I took my opportunity and pressed a soft kiss to his Adam's apple and then worked my way down and up—delighting in the way his fingers clenched against my back, pulling me ever closer. I shifted up higher, dragging my body against his so that he felt every, single curve and then I closed my lips around the soft skin above his clavicle and I sucked.

He tensed and then before I could process him even reacting, his eyes were aligned with mine and he had maneuvered his hands so that one was around my back, pressing every inch of us together and the other was burning against the back of my thigh—his heat seeping easily through the sheer, dark purple tights I had on.

He lowered his mouth to mine and the world melted away.