"That was fun," Jake said, his bare foot pressing against the pedal. The BMW raced through the highway, and he tilted down his chin as he fiddled with the controls of the radio.

"It was, Jacob. I'm sorry I lost my temper." I shot him a nervous grin, trying hard not to hold onto the dashboard with both hands. "But hurling those accusations at me…"

"I'm sorry, man." He glanced at me, and then pointed at the GPS. "Do I have to take a detour next? Can't get the hang of that thing."

"The Coast Road leads straight to Santa Cruz, we're doing fine." My gaze was irresistibly drawn towards his chest, nicely highlighted by the grey singlet he changed into once we came out of the beach.

Before getting in the car, he took off his wet pants and underwear, hastily putting on the clothes he pulled out of his knapsack. Unfortunately, I didn't get to enjoy the view because Jacob changed on the other side of the car; I was also busy reading minds to find out if they had seen her.

The idea of finding Bella seemed less important at the moment than enjoying the brisk weather. Jacob's tanned skin just soaked up the sunlight filtering from the clouds above; the hair plastered to his skull reminded me of a wet puppy as I basked in the warmth coming from the sleek body next to mine.

Jake's thoughts spiked in alarm, which jolted me from my poetic reverie. Without any conscious thought, my hand automatically shot out to rest on his chest and I splayed my fingers over his heart. If there was a crash, I didn't trust those air bags to take care of Jacob; it was a job I had to do myself.

He pushed the brake pedal and downshifted, glaring at the trailer ahead.

"Shit! That guy should fix his braking lights!" He glanced at the rearview mirror, deftly swerving to pass the truck.

Jake honked the horn and glared at the cab of the trailer, giving him the finger. The thin driver just shrugged at us.

"The nerve of the guy!" I glared at the incautious driver.

Jacob craned his neck to look over my arm at the gear shift and then glanced at me, the corner of his full lips twisting in a lopsided smirk. "Don't want to wreck Blondie's car, she'd be pissed…"

"Forget the damn car, mutt!" I growled, the worry about the near-miss overwhelming my mind. "I couldn't care less about it; it's you I worry about!"

I heaved a deep breath and lowered my hand, wondering at the way Jacob always got the full measure of my temper which I endeavored to keep on a tight leash with Bella.

I gazed nervously at him from the corner of my eyes, but Jacob just took it in stride, nodding solemnly as he stared at the highway.

"Appreciate it, man," he mumbled, and then he sighed. 'You are very protective of the people you care about, like her.'

Ruffling my hair, I drummed my fingers on the door when I caught his thoughts. They were tinged with a mix of wistfulness and jealousy. Jake appeared to be convinced my protectiveness was reserved for Bella, which wasn't the case.

I pointed at the back of the car. "It isn't only Bella! The near accident scared me, Jacob. I don't want to see you hurt."

"Uh?" He frowned at me, his brow clearing after a few seconds. "Oh, you're unsettled because you read my thoughts with your freaky powers."

"Exactly," I said, trying to keep the edge of irritation from my voice.

"I did the same thing, you know." Jacob's thoughts veered sharply towards the past.

"When?" I shook my head at the whirling imagery going through his pretty head.

"I was driving from La Push one day, just after we'd gone diving." He waved his arm towards the ocean below the bridge; his hair had dried and was ruffled by the sea breeze as we sped towards the other end.

"I can imagine," I said ruefully. It was Bella's cliff diving which made me go to the Volturi in despair. I kept that thought to myself, though, not wanting to bring Jake down.

"Feels great, man!" He let out a deep sigh of contentment as he squinted at the road.

I opened the glove compartment, rummaging inside until I found the Raybans which I threw at Jake. He deftly caught them and put them on, nodding his thanks.

"You have the churning sea at your feet; the horizon stretches ahead, the clouds, the soft ground under your feet. Makes you feel alive!"

"I'm not alive," I said mulishly.

"Hush, Edward." His hand touched my cheek and brushed against my lips. "The moment's too good to waste in untrue things."

He lowered his arm to brush his fingers against the waistband of my pants, which were still wet. "Hey, you didn't change!"

"I don't feel the cold."

"Wouldn't like to feel your wet clothes if… " He gulped and hastily took back his hand to nudge the glasses with his thumb.

"If I groped you," I said triumphantly, smirking at the blush which spread on his cheeks.

Jake coughed and then said in a rush, "Anyway, that day after the diving? Seth and I were driving back. This woman who was driving a SUV just skidded to a halt in front of me."

Jake bit his bottom lip. "Had to brake hard, and reacted like you. Didn't want the kid to bump his head or anything, Leah would've killed me!"

Jake squirmed on the seat and looped his hand around his shoulder to scratch just below the collar of his singlet. "The sand itches like a bitch!"

"You changed clothes," I said absently, envying Jacob this sensitivity to the grains of sand. I glanced at his striking face, contrasting sharply with the dark glasses perched atop his pert nose; I yearned to get tan like Jacob, to have chapped lips from the wind's caress like the wolf.

In this gilded existence of mine, I was above the mundane worries of the people, bereft of minor irritations which I craved. I remembered the hunger pangs when I was a child and the sweet taste of my mother's cooking; crisp strips of bacon atop the thick pile of pancakes, crowned with fresh honey and strawberries. The way I assuaged my hunger these days wasn't as sweet, nor the irritations so easily soothed.

"I did change, but sand is stuck everywhere, even…" He glanced down, closing his thighs.

When I realized where the grains of sand were, my arousal throbbed.

My thumb grazed the GPS display. "Then we'll have to get a room in Santa Cruz so you can take a shower."

"Is there another place closer?" Jake cocked his head at the dashboard. "Use your stuff, Edward."

I sighed while my fingers glided over the GPS, calling up the menu items to find our coordinates, glancing down at the icons until I found the information.

"There's a camp about…. 20 miles west. You've got to take the next detour to your right on Shaffer Road. Map says there's an upscale resort nearby, so it should be fine."

"That's good." Jake said, frowning at the road. "Gotta scratch that itch."

The wolf's innocent yet suggestive words made me shiver.


oOoOo

After I paid the attendant, Jake padded towards the communal showers. Walking just behind him, I glanced at the utilitarian décor in grey tones which smacked of the Nineties. I had to admit the camp was well kept, the lawns manicured and the showers clean, each compartment opening to the air.

Jacob slipped the singlet off and carefully tucked the hem inside the waistband of his cutoffs, which were riding enticingly low on his slim hips.

I shivered with barely concealed lust at the sight of Jacob's sleek muscles, glistening with sweat in the afternoon light. Glancing up at the sun which was peeking from behind the clouds, I hoped that the tall walls of the cubicles would hide me from the treacherous sunlight.

Jake stepped into the shower, taking out from the pocket of his jeans the soap bar he'd fished out from his pack. He lathered his torso, the soapsuds sliding down the smooth skin while I just stood there. My mouth watered at the sleek lines running from his broad shoulders, down slim flanks to the swell of his buttocks, tantalizingly hidden by the pesky jeans.

"Why don't you take off all your clothes?" I said while I toed off my loafers, throwing them against the wall where they stuck with a soft thudding sound.

"There are people around." Jake tilted up his chin so the water cascaded from his head, along the smooth curve of his neck to his chest. I vainly willed my cock to stop throbbing so much.

I was interested at the way Jacob's thoughts were going. He was bashful, quite unlike the way he had behaved in Portland. But then, I reflected that in the hotel we were just friends; we had become something entirely different in the meantime.

My eyes widened when I recalled his words on the beach. Jacob was afraid I would treat him with the same indifference Bella did, which gave me pause.

I couldn't help but shake my head at the contrast between the two Jakes. There was the Quileute warrior who faced an overwhelming battle against the newborn army without flinching, assertive and dominant in his relationship with Bella - the worthy rival who added spice to that pursuit - and this shy young man, unwilling to bare his body to my eager gaze. This Jacob wanted more with me, but he dreaded the disdainful treatment he had endured at Bella's hands.

"Hey, Edward." He grinned at me, his teeth white against the russet skin. "Come in."

"Are you sure?"

"Uh-huh." Jake tried to act nonchalant, and he tilted his neck to the side to wash behind his ears. "You were on the beach, too."

"I told you I'm not…"

But Jake had stepped towards me and grabbed my shoulder, yanking me inside.

He squinted at me in concentration as he swiped the bar all over my chest. Stumbling back, I groaned at the contact until he gripped my arm. Then his fingers glided over the flare of the cotton trousers which had wet patches. He looked up and quirked an eyebrow at me.

"You said there are people around." I feigned modesty, but I wanted to preserve the playful atmosphere. I wanted to give Jacob space; though if I was being honest, I needed room too. I didn't want to rush into a relationship the way I had done with Bella, instantly falling hard for her and always bending over backwards to keep her happy.

Jake laughed as he framed my face with his slippery hands, the smell of soap mixed with his own clean scent as he rubbed his nose against mine.

"Eskimo kiss," he shouted with glee before pushing me away and dunking his head in the shower spray, only to whip it around like a dog, sprinkling my face with drops of water.

"Jake, what the hell?" I said, laughing softly at his infectious mood.

"You all say I'm a dog… here's the result."

Taking the bar of soap from his hand, I brushed it over his nipples while he shivered. He shook his head with a mighty heave and then grinned at me, playfully shoving my shoulders. I held my own, my eyes half-lidded with desire as I soaped his chest, swirling the bar around his collarbone and up his neck while I stepped closer.

"Jake, there's something I have to tell you," I said in a sensual voice.

"What?" He licked his lips, his eyes dark with desire.

"There's a dirty spot just behind your ear." My fingers traced the delicate curve of his ear shell as I leaned towards him.

"Get outta here, Cullen!" he growled, clearly disappointed. He gave a booming laugh, though, which reverberated in the close space as he pushed me against the wall.

It was fun, roughhousing with Jacob like a kid. It gave me the chance to bask in the smooth skin so close to me, his muscles rippling as we grappled with each other. My nostrils flared as I inhaled his scent, washed clean by the shower. It still held his distinctive musk, though; even a faint trace of my own after the heated kiss at the beach.

I took a deep breath when Jacob stopped his goofing around and laid his hot forehead against mine. My thumbs rubbed circles around his biceps as I gazed into his beaming face, and I had to admit I savored the warmth held in his grin. It burst through the clouds of my mundane existence as easily as the sunshine which lit the room from above.

"Hey, did you hear that?" Jake glanced up as he disengaged from my arms, taking a step back.

"No, I didn't. Frankly, I'm distracted by our wet play to pay much attention to anything. I doubt the Volturi will descend en masse to stamp us out in the middle of California."

"You forget why we're here?" he said.

"To wash away the sand."

"Bella," he said urgently. "I hear someone who sounds like her."

That caught my attention. "You think…"

"She's leaving, I gotta see." Jake shuffled his feet restlessly.

"Jump up." I stepped towards him and grabbed his waist. "You can peer over the walls."

Jake wrapped his legs around my waist and spread his arms. His hands slipped on the wet tiles of the walls before he opened his legs to grab purchase. I lifted him up so he could grasp the borders of the cubicle, and he twisted his body to glimpse outside.

Glancing up at him, I shivered at the sight of Jacob covered by a fine sheen of water. The California sun limned him like a young god.

"It's a girl," he said with a mix of regret and relief. "Looks like she's in high school. She's whining to her mother."

"What about?"

"Doesn't want to do chores." Jake mumbled, "You have it easy, girl. Try to do your chores when you're afraid you'll turn into a wolf and rip the laundry to pieces!"

I laughed at the whimsical wolf, shuffling sideways with my precious cargo until the spray fell directly on my hair.

..

"Hey, Cullen! He grinned briefly, running his fingers through my hair. "It's the truth! Spent lots of money buying jeans and shirts. Wearing clothes when you're a wolf costs a lot."

Jacob squirmed above my waist as he wrapped his legs tightly around me. I couldn't resist the temptation to lean forward and lick a swath of his sinfully wet abs.

Jake wiggled, his fingers playing with my hair before he let out a deep sigh.

"Edward." His voice broke on a moan that made my arousal throb. He tightened his grip on me, and I could swear I felt the heat of his burgeoning erection through the layers of wet cloth that separated us.

Breathing against his warm muscles, I gazed up at Jacob and his shining eyes. For this brief moment I was content, the outside world and my worries forgotten by my perfect sunshine.

All too soon, he hopped down to the floor and lightly brushed his fingertips against my wet cheeks, gazing intently at me before he leaned forward to lick the crease of my mouth.

I looped my hand around the nape of his neck, pulling him towards me. His tongue slid inside and we kissed in a frenzy, our bodies jostling each other. The sharp pricks of the water drops upon my neck were nothing compared to his tongue, slip-sliding onto mine, entwining and questing. I savored his groans, delighting in the heat coming from his mind.

Jacob broke the kiss, splaying his palm on my chest and wiggling away from my grasp. His mind was awash in contrasting sensations, cold and heat which mirrored my own. Jake's kiss was untamed, passionate like him. Perhaps too much so.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "You kiss very well for a man whose only experience was kissing Bella."

"What?" Jacob said groggily as he came down to earth.

The desire pooling in my groin spiked suddenly, like the hunger that drove me to feed. With a shudder, I looked at the wet wolf; all sleek and panting, his broad chest heaved up and down, his heartbeat rich in my ears like the bass sound of the piano. Jacob was a work of art, inside and out. The thought of anyone else sullying the purity that shined through his eyes made me mad, though.

"Come on, Jacob," I said slowly. "I think you've kissed many people."

"Why are you saying this?" Jacob's nostrils flared in anger as he took a step back.

I knew I had to tread with care because I couldn't afford to enrage him. He couldn't walk away from this opportunity to spend time together.

"I just want to know." I shrugged, trying to sound calm; though judging from the way Jacob flinched, I wasn't doing a good job of it. "Bella said she was the only one you've kissed."

He snorted in derision. "She did? Should've known the little snitch would tell you everything!"

"So what? I bet she told you many things about me." I wanted to derail the angry rant that bubbled below the surface of his mind. I wasn't interested in her at that moment. I wanted to know who Jacob had been with; though I was sure it would hurt like hell to know.

"Fine, fine." He shrugged nonchalantly, his mood changing on a dime. "Guess I owe you that, after the number I pulled at the beach."

Looking at his sad face, I yearned to soothe his worry so I brushed his cheek with my fingers. "You owe me nothing, Jacob. I'm just curious."

He nodded with uncertainty. "I… fooled around with a guy."

"You… did?" I closed my eyes, and said slowly. "Who was he?"

Had it been Paul? Certainly the pack was full of intense, handsome individuals. If Jake so desired, he could find solace and companionship with those who shared his magical traits. And maybe the man he looked at with such adoration in that dream was Paul.

He waved his arm. "Some guy in Forks. Went to Bella's school." He walked out the door and called out over his shoulder, "Let's get dressed. I'm tired."

"Fine."

As he toweled himself dry, he explained, "We didn't do anything beyond kissing, really."

Shrugging at my obvious relieved sigh, Jacob went on, "That was all, though there was lots of it. Leastways I learned it wasn't my fault Bella didn't like my kiss."


oOoOo

When his stomach growled one time too many, I had stopped the car in front of a diner and motioned for him to go inside.

"Did you get your fill, wolf?" I glanced at him.

"Yep, I sure did." Jake patted his stomach, his fingers fiddling with the safety belt.

"Only five hamburgers?" I nudged the control to get the rearview mirror exactly at the angle I wanted, and shot him a smile.

"I'm hungry is all." He yawned, leaning on the leather seat and hitching up his legs so his knees rested against the dashboard. He curled up on his side, tilting his neck to look at me. "Bet when you're hungry you get your fill, too."

"I might." My fingers drummed on the wheel, my attention fixed more on the yawning Quileute than on the road.

Jake leaned closer, resting his head on my shoulder. Sighing in contentment, he said, "You make a nice pillow. Too cold, but it doesn't matter to me."

"Glad to know my purpose in life has been fulfilled; to become your pillow is all I ever wanted." I smirked down at him, but Jacob just nuzzled against my shoulder.

I glanced at the trees by the side of Cabrillo Highway. We were far inland, but I had booked a room at a hotel in Capitola near the sea.

My thumb grazed the button on the wheel to turn up the radio, but I suspected Jacob had fallen asleep. The sky was tinted a vermillion hue as we passed behind a big sign which pointed towards Soquel Avenue.

"You leave me to drive alone, mutt," I muttered despondently.

"Nope, I'm tired is all," he said, his breath hot on my shoulder.

"You should look at the sunset. It's glorious."

"Don't care much about sunsets," Jake said, sitting up on the seat. "And you're a defective pillow, Edward. They don't talk and wake up people."

I swung the wheel to get off the highway and take Soquel, not without grinning at the wolf. "So, tell me why you don't care about sunsets."

Jake frowned at me. "You're gonna laugh."

"I promise I won't laugh."

Taking a deep breath, he said, "In my mind, they're linked with her. I wanted to show her the perfect sunset, create a moment so romantic she couldn't help but fall in love with me." He grinned bitterly. "Obviously, I failed miserably."

"You will find someone, Jacob," I said with a knot in my throat, hoping that person would be me. "You've got so much to share. For starters, your smile is warm like the sun."

He laid a finger on my lips, saying huskily, "Please don't say I'm something outrageous, like your personal sun."

I raised my eyebrows at him.

He glared at the road, spitting his words through gritted teeth, "It's cheesy, and exactly what Bella said when she wanted to butter me up!"

"I don't want to…" I paused to measure my words. It wouldn't matter what I said; Jacob was bound to be distrustful at first.

Finally, I shrugged. "I won't."

"Good." He laid his head on my shoulder, sighing. "Sunsets are overrated anyway, that's what Leah told me."

"She did?"

"I met her on First Beach after I healed from the newborn, and we shot the breeze for a while."

"I'm surprised. Leah seems a bit reticent."

"She might be, but she knows lots of legends!" Jacob shrugged and grinned briefly. "Either that or she makes them up. She's got a lively mind, which we found to our chagrin."

There was something in the edge of his thoughts, so I blurted out, "What did she say?"

Jake glanced to his right, at the copse of trees just below the road which looked ghostly in the dusk.

"Sunset's fine, but sunrises are better." He hunched his shoulders. "Leah told me about these warriors. These young guys traveled until they came to the sunrise place, where the sky meets the ground. They discovered the sky is an arch of solid rock hung over the Earth. There's a door between the sky and the ground which takes you any place you want."

"That's a nice story." I nodded, watching from the corner of my eyes his wide yawn.

"So I'm looking for the dawn now, not gloomy sunsets." He patted my chest and nudged closer. He closed his eyes as I drove on. The set of his thoughts dimmed and I thought he had fallen asleep until he peeked up at me through half-lidded eyes. "Wanna look for the perfect dawn?"

"Is that a challenge, wolf?" I said while my fingers lightly brushed his cheek.

"Always, Edward."

"Then I'll gladly take it. We'll find our perfect sunrise, or try until we get old and wrinkled."

"Speak for yourself," he mumbled. "I'm never getting old."

"Whatever you say, Jacob."

His weight on my shoulder soothed me, the heft of his body pressing against my side comforting as we drove towards the coast.

I pushed the button that would raise the top of the convertible BMW so the breeze wouldn't wake him up and glanced down at his sleeping face, his mind quiet for the moment.

I said softly, "And maybe, just maybe, we'll find the perfect sunrise which holds a fraction of your warmth and joy."


tbc