For the first time in months, my dreams were pleasant. When I awoke the next morning, panting lightly with a sheen of perspiration on my skin, I couldn't quite remember what they were about, but the tingly flush in my skin and a certain urgent ache in the pit of my stomach gave me a pretty good idea. I had a wonderful feeling that it would be a good day — the first time I had felt so optimistic in a while.
I smiled to myself, rolling over to see the beginning sunlight streaming in my window. For a split second, I glanced over at my rocking chair, out of habit — the last time I had woken in high spirits, Edward had been there to greet me. The smallest jolt of disappointment hit me, but the stronger feeling of eagerness to see Jacob overruled. I wondered if he was still outside on patrol. Bounding to the window, I cracked it open. Charlie's car was already gone, and I felt a twinge of guilt that he was probably sleepier than usual today.
"Jacob? I'm awake…can you come in?" I called softly.
Jacob answered out of the edge of the woods with a laughing bark almost immediately. Excited, I ran to the bathroom to splash some water on my face and brush my teeth before I heard a light knock on the front door. I stumbled down the stairs in typical clumsy fashion and threw open the door. Jacob stood there in his cutoff shorts, his muscles practically glowing in the early morning sun. Stunning. He held his arms open for me and I practically leapt into them. He carried me in, closing the door behind us.
"So, breakfast?" I asked as he set me down, taking his hand and leading him into the kitchen.
"I don't think Charlie will appreciate me eating half the food in the house," he laughed, catching me in another embrace, "but I am hungry." His voice was heavy with longing as he leaned down to kiss me. My breath caught in my throat as he crushed his lips to mine eagerly, groaning lightly.
He trailed his lips to my ear, where he nibbled and whispered, "Do you want to tell me why you smell so enticing today? What were you doing in your room all night, bad girl?"
I pulled back to look at him in confusion. "I didn't do anything. A smell? I haven't changed my soap or shampoo…" The realization of what he was smelling hit me and my face flooded with color. My dreams must have aroused me more than I realized. Damn his wolfish senses! "Oh!" I stammered, pushing away from him and looking down, mortified to meet his eyes. He chuckled and pulled me back to him firmly.
"Don't be embarrassed, Bella," he said in a low voice. "It's incredibly…sexy."
He cupped my chin in his hand and raised my face so our eyes met. My discomfort dissolved when I saw him. Jacob's eyes were dark with desire as he closed his eyes and inhaled deeply.
"Mmmm, Bella," he groaned. "So sweet…it's intoxicating!"
I wanted to say something, but before I could, he pulled me firmly against him and twisted his strong hands in my hair, tugging it lightly. He tilted my head back to expose my neck to his lips and exploring tongue. I gasped, feeling the familiar ache that had started to wane from my dream return. His touch was urgent, rougher, but in a very good way. Certainly nothing like I had experienced with Edward.
Jacob's teeth grazed my earlobe and his ragged breathing made my mind race. He hands ran down the back of my threadbare shirt and over my rear. I was suddenly aware of my bare legs — I only had an old, cutoff T-shirt and some underwear on — they were chilly and I wanted every inch of them to be against Jacob's hot skin. I couldn't stifle my moan as he lifted me and I wrapped my legs around him. He spun me around so my back was against the wall and I surrendered to the intense urges of my body, grinding against him unabashedly, feeling his arousal respond between us.
"Jacob!" I cried, throwing my head back and exposing my neck to his warm tongue again. His mouth set my skin on fire as it tickled the hollow of my throat. I felt my nipples harden against the thin fabric of my shirt. He must have noticed too because he broke away from me and looked down. I arched my back and he nestled his face between them, inhaling my scent and rubbing his face into my skin.
I wriggled slightly to press the aching fire between my legs against the growing bulge in his pants. He responded by thrusting his hips against me and I could feel myself losing control as his hardness rubbed against my thin panties.
He held my hips and moved me up and down as I responded with my own thrusts…moving faster and faster, my breath coming in short pants now, my hips moving up and down. Jacob pulled back to gaze into my eyes as he rubbed himself against me. I felt an unfamiliar fire begin to burn in my belly, growing bigger and hotter. It felt so good, and I reached for it, closing my eyes and moaning loudly.
"Oh, Jacob…oh God, Jacob…JACOB! Oooohhhhh!" I cried, squeezing my eyes shut and digging my nails into his shoulder as my aching center exploded with throbbing wave after wave of pleasure. I tightened my legs around his middle and he pressed himself forcefully against my pulsating core.
My muscles trembled and my legs felt like jelly as the throbbing slowly waned and Jacob gently lowered me back to the floor, holding me securely as he did. I couldn't speak; I was astonished by the sensations that had rippled through my entire body. It was so much better than I ever imagined.
He nuzzled my cheek and neck. "That was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," he sighed, inhaling through his nose greedily, his lids half-closed.
My panties felt incredibly damp. I knew the scent of my arousal must have been more than Jacob could resist, because as soon as I was steadily on my feet, he dropped to his knees and kissed my stomach through my shirt. Grasping my hips firmly with his large hands, he bent down. Before I realized what he was planning, he was rubbing his nose and lips softly against the silk of my underwear, moaning erotically as he did. A low growl escaped his throat.
"God, Bella. You're mouth-watering. I wonder…" his voice trailed as one hand started to come around toward my core and inch its way toward the edge of my panties. His growl intensified, sounding primal and incredibly sexy.
"Exquisite," he murmured.
I gasped. That one word stopped me in my tracks, and I was suddenly reminded of Edward — it's a word he had used quite often. I grabbed Jacob's hand with my own to stop him, because I wasn't quite ready for him to touch me so intimately — especially now that another man had entered my mind and wouldn't leave as much as I tried to ignore him. I could hardly believe I had allowed it to go as far as it had, even before Jacob's choice in words had taken me out of the moment.
He seemed to come to his senses, looking up at me with wide eyes, then back to my damp crotch and quickly back up to my face, a blush filling his cheeks for the first time.
"Oh! I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to…I understand that's…"
I pulled him up to me to kiss him deeply, trying to concentrate on him and only him. "I would love to be ready to do something like that with you, Jacob Black," I whispered to him. "But I'm not, and I don't think you are either. I should have stopped this much earlier, but I was being greedy — I'm sorry. I just don't want to give you the wrong impression, and," I took a deep breath, "if we're going to try being a couple, I want to do it right and not rush things."
He grinned from ear to ear. "Aww hell, Bella, I'm not sorry at all. You don't know how incredible that was — to be able to make you feel like that." His eyes focused in mine intently. "I've dreamed about holding you, kissing you like that for so long. I'm glad you were greedy…you should think of yourself more often than you do anyway."
He released me after giving me another kiss on the forehead and couldn't help saying, "Now, what was this you said about breakfast?"
**
One hour, eight eggs, six sausage links and six pieces of toast later, Jacob finally stopped eating and leaned back in his chair, patting his stomach and grinning at me. I had spent most of the last hour reading the newspaper, when I wasn't marveling at Jacob's never-ending appetite.
"So," he started. "I was thinking that we should go on a proper date. There's more to me than just what you see in the garage, you know. I know how to romance a chick."
I snorted. "I think one of the first steps to romance is not calling your girlfriend a 'chick.' But that sounds like a nice idea, if you agree that we can go Dutch."
Jacob feigned confusion. "Dutch? Do you want me to dress in little wooden shoes or something?" We both laughed — it made me feel more relaxed than I had been in a while.
I explained the concept of modern dating to a befuddled Jacob, smiling warmly at his cluelessness. He acted so confidently when we were close; it was nice to see that he really was unsure at times — I felt as though it put us on an even playing field.
"You mean I don't have to break my bank taking you out? This 'Dutch' thing sounds awesome!" Jacob said, jokingly. "But seriously, if that's what you really want to do, then it's fine with me. I can spoil you in other ways."
As he said this, he scooted his chair closer and reached down to take my feet. He rubbed them with his warm hands, throwing out the occasional suggestion for our date.
"Dinner and a movie sound so corny," he said. "Maybe we could play some miniature golf!"
An image of me tripping over a golf ball or twisting my ankle in a hole flashed through my mind and I gritted my teeth. "Anything that doesn't involve coordination? After my last incident with the motorcycle; I think I should give Charlie a break from having to shell out another co-pay."
"How about the aquarium in Seattle?" Jacob suggested. "We could leave after lunch, get there in 3 hours and then get some dinner at the little café they have there. We went on a field trip there when I was eight and I've always wanted to go back. And no coordination is necessary…"
"That's a great idea," I enthused. "They were talking about building one in Phoenix before I left, so I've never actually been to an aquarium. But I don't know if Charlie will agree to the two of us going to Seattle." I tapped the newspaper on the table. "I guess there's a lot of gang activity right now — five unsolved murders in the last few days…he's been muttering a lot about how big cities just aren't safe."
Jacob looked disappointed, but quickly recovered. "That's okay…Seattle would be more of a weekend trip anyway…" He stopped abruptly, realizing what he was saying. "Not that we're going to be going away on any overnight trips…or, not right now…umm, I mean…uhh…" He looked adorable when he stammered.
I touched his hand. "I know what you meant."
We traded ideas back and forth for another few minutes. Bowling was out. I cringed to think of how many people I could injure with my clumsiness and a 10-pound ball. Plus, my back was still aching from my cliff-diving debacle. It was still March, so there were no outdoor concerts or performances. Choices outside of a movie were limited.
Suddenly, Jacob had a mischievous twinkle in his eye. "Hmmm, I think I know what we could do…but it would be kind of risky. Say, Bella, how opposed are you to breaking the law?"
