CHAPTER 8
Embry POV:
I pulled up to the Leah's house, jumped out of the truck and jogged to the front door. I banged on the door then waited. Nothing. I banged on the door again. I heard someone walking inside. "Leah?" I banged on the door again and shouted, "Leah? Are you home? I need to talk to you!"
"Go away, Embry! I don't want to talk to you. I thought I made that clear on the phone," she shouted.
"Leah, can you please just open the door and tell my why the hell you are so mad at me? Please?" I was begging. This is pathetic. But I didn't care. "Leah, open this fucking door, or so help me I will rip it off of the hinges!"
The door opened and she stood there behind the screen door and folded her arms over her chest. "You really have NO idea why I'm pissed. NONE? Think, Embry, think real hard." Her eyes were flashing with anger. God, she's so hot right now! Focus, Embry, focus.
"Help me out here will ya? You're killing me, Leah!"
She shook her head and rolled her eyes at me. "I got up early this morning and did some baking. I decided to stop by your house to bring you some banana bread, right from the oven. You know, do something nice for you. But, I was a little late. You already had a girl hanging on you, doing something nice for you. God, Embry! What was all that bullshit last night, huh? I fell for it, hook, line and sinker. I feel like such a fucking fool!" Then she slammed the door.
I just stood there in shock. Mandy! She saw me with Mandy! SHIT! "Leah! Open this fucking door and talk to me. Let me tell you what happened. LEAH!" I reached out and yanked open the screen door just as the inside door flew open.
"Look, OH!" she jumped back as I pushed my way in and slammed the door. "Now you have nothing to hide behind, and you are going to listen to me." She turned and took off toward the stairs. I caught up with her and grabbed her around the waist with one arm and held to me and said more calmly, "Leah, please. Please let me explain." I let her go and turned her around.
She looked at me, anger still flashing in her eyes. It was still really turning me on. I pulled her over to the couch and made her sit down. Then I sat down next to her. She scooted over so our legs wouldn't touch. I had to smile at that. I looked over at her and started my explanation. "Look, Leah. I got up to go to Jake's to work. I walked out of the house, and there was Mandy, leaning against my truck. I had no idea she was there. She came running at me and launched herself at me – I had to catch her, I had no choice! As soon as I caught her, she planted her mouth on my face. It was pretty fucking gross, actually. Anyway, I pulled her off of me and set her down and told her that I didn't want to see her anymore. I told her that it wasn't fair to be with her when I was thinking of YOU all of the time. That's when she slapped me. I suppose you didn't stick around long enough to see that, did you?" She shook her head. "No, I didn't think so. So she slapped me, told me she hated me and stomped off. I got in the truck and went to work at Jake's. That's it! Honest!"
She still wouldn't look at me. I sat there for a minute trying to compose myself. "Look Leah. What I said last night was NOT bullshit. I meant every word. That was the most honest I have ever been with a girl. I mean that!" I stopped to reach out and pull her around to face me. I noticed that she didn't resist as hard as I thought she would. "You can even ask Jake. I told him all about it today."
"Leah, I meant what I said. What I feel for you is very different that anything I might have ever felt for any other girl, including Mandy. I couldn't sleep last night because every time I closed my eyes, I saw you coming out of the water in that bathing suit! I could still feel your lips on mine, and your hands . . . OK, I better stop."
She smiled at that. "Me, too," she said very quietly. I leaned forward and put my lips on hers very lightly. I left them there for just a second and pulled back to look in her eyes. "I'm pretty messed up trying to figure out what's going on here. I mean, I think about you ALL of the time, and really like being with you. I have never been so comfortable talking to a girl as I am with you. I . . ." She cut me off by kissing me. REALLY kissing me.
She wrapped her arms around my neck and wound them into my hair. I pulled her close and ran my hands up under her shirt to feel the skin on her back. Our tongues were playing with each other, and I felt like I was going to explode! She pulled back and took a hold of my t-shirt and pulled it off over my head and threw it on the floor. She looked up at me with a smile and ran her hands down my chest. Oh man, keep it together. I brought her lips back to mine and devoured her with a kiss. My heart was racing 100 miles per hour, and my hands ran all over her. Then, suddenly, she pulled back.
"Seth is home!" She threw my shirt at me and I put it back on quickly. She stood up and walked quickly to the kitchen. I didn't know what to do so I picked up the remote and turned on the TV just as Seth came in through the door that leads to the garage. Calm down. Come on, try to catch your breath. I looked over and said, "Hey Seth."
He looked at me for a second then said, "Where's Leah?"
"Kitchen," I answered.
He stood there and then said, "Sorry about last night."
I turned to look at him and said, "No problem, bro. You were just protecting your sister. I get it."
He walked over to stand in front of me. "Look Embry, I love you, man. But you better NEVER hurt her. Got it?"
I stood up and said, "Seth, I promise, I won't hurt her on purpose. I know she's worried about this imprinting thing, and believe me, so am I. I didn't plan on kissing your sister. It just, kind of . . . happened."
"Just don't treat her like the other girls you date. Leah is different. She's . . . "
"You don't have to tell me that. I know she is! I'm not playing her, Seth, really."
He nodded, but stayed quiet.
"Are we good?" I asked him.
He looked over at me and said, "Yea, we're good. As long as you treat her right, I got no problem with it. I just don't want to patrol with either one of you. I don't think I could take that. It's hard enough now with Jake and Bella. Ugh! I don't think I'm old enough to see some of that," he answered.
I laughed at that and said, "Neither am I!"
Just then Leah walked out into the living room. "What's going on here? You two make nice?" she said sternly. She sounded just like her mom.
"Yes, we made nice," I answered as I shoved Seth. He smiled and shoved me back. "He has stated that he does not want to patrol with either of us though." I raised my eyebrows up and down.
She rolled her eyes and said, "Fair enough." Seth walked by her to the kitchen mumbling something about not being in a hurry to grow up.
She laughed and walked over to me and put her arms around my waist. "Embry, we are going to have to be a little more careful. I don't know what it is about you, but I have a hard time holding back when I am with you. There is something going on between us, and until we figure it out, we need to try to stay in control. OK?"
"I'll try, but I can't promise. You drive me crazy, girl." I bent my head and kissed her just as Seth came out of the kitchen.
"Hello? Can this please be a suckface-free zone? Trying to eat a sandwich here," I heard him say.
We pulled apart and Leah said, "OK. He's got a point. Let's take a walk." I nodded. "Be back after while, Seth," she called behind her as we walked out the door.
I took her hand and said, "Where to?"
"I don't care, really." All of sudden she stopped and looked at me and said excitedly, "Wait! I do have an idea. I want to keep a promise to my little brother. Can we take him cliff-diving? He was pretty pissed when I got to go and he didn't," she said.
I laughed. "Sure, get the little runt," I replied.
She walked back into the house and hollered, "Seth! Want to jump off of a cliff?"
I heard him yell, "Hell, yea!" She ran upstairs and changed into her bathing suit and board shorts then ran back downstairs. "Let's go!" she shouted and we all headed for the truck. I drove us up to the spot and parked. We got out of the truck and walked down the little trail that would take us to the cliff. Leah was telling Seth all about what to expect. I just smiled. I loved seeing her this excited. I didn't want to tell her that we usually dove from up higher. The rest of us called this the "Baby Jump," but that's OK. I didn't want to kill them on their first couple of jumps.
We got to the edge and Seth said, "Hey, don't you guys usually jump from up there?" He pointed up to where we jumped from.
"Uh, yea, but you have to start here and work your way up, OK? I did, and so did everyone else. First jump is feet first, OK? Then, if you want to do it again, you can try diving. It's not too windy today, and there's no rip tide, so we should be good. Oh, and Sam's number one rule: NEVER come here and do this alone, OK?" Seth nodded. "So, Seth. You want to jump together, or alone. Up to you, bro. Leah and I went together."
He peeked over the edge and then stepped back. I smiled. There was no way he was going to show me if he was afraid. Good man.
"Just run and jump, right?" he asked.
"Yep. Just run and jump. Try to stay straight up and down so you hit the water feet first. You don't want to belly flop. Hurts like hell!"
"I'll go with you, Seth," Leah said. He looked at her then he looked at me.
The he grinned and took off. Three steps and he was falling toward the water. Leah screamed, "Seth!" and watched until he hit the water. I took her hand and said, "He's OK, baby. See? There he is!" I pointed to Seth bobbing in the water.
He whooped and waved and started swimming toward the shore. She looked at me and said, "I think that scared me more than jumping myself!" Then she laughed.
"OK, so what about you? Going solo today?" I asked.
"I think so,"she said excitedly. "But I'm not ready to dive yet," she added.
"That's cool. Go for it!" I said.
She stood in front of me and said, "Kiss me for luck?"
"You bet." I pulled her to me and gave her a rather raunchy drawn out kiss. "Give you something to come back for."
She laughed and shoved me back. "OK, here I go!" She backed up a little then ran and jumped. She screamed all the way down again, and I watched until I saw her head come up from the water. She turned and waved. I waved back.
I stood on the edge and did a swan dive off the cliff and entered the water head first. Man, that never gets old. What a rush!
I pushed my head through the water and pulled in air. Leah was on shore with Seth waiting for me, so I swam toward them. I walked through the water and joined them on the beach. Leah stood there in that bathing suit, with a big smile on her face. I tried to keep my eyes on her face, and not her cleavage. I shook my head and looked at Seth.
"So Seth? Was it a rush or what?" I asked him. I already knew the answer. He had this big grin plastered on his face.
"That was FUCKING AWESOME! I want to go up higher, Embry."
"Hey, slow down, little brother. If mom finds out I brought you here, she'll kill me. Let's just take this one step at a time, OK?" Leah scolded him.
He rolled his eyes and looked at me. I laughed. "Sorry, bro. I'm not crossing her. But we can jump again from the same cliff if you want to. Wanna try diving this time? I'll show you how."
"Yes, let's go!" he said as he took off. Sometimes it was hard to remember that Seth had just turned 14. Being a wolf and running with the rest of us, made us think of him as older, I guess. He could certainly hold his own with any vampire, he had proven that. But today, it was good to see him just be a kid.
"Come on," I said to Leah. I reached down and took her hand and we followed Seth up the trail to the cliff.
Later that night, the pack had a bonfire on the beach. Seth was having a great time telling everyone about his cliff-diving adventure. Jared and Paul told him stories about their first time, and of course, Paul had to share how Jared swallowed too much water and puked when he got to the beach.
Sam came over and said, "What the hell, Embry? You know he's too young to be doing that shit!"
"Oh come on, Sam. I took him to the Baby Jump. He was fine. I wouldn't put him in danger. I love the kid! Besides, it was Leah's idea." She looked at me and smacked me.
He still glared at me. "Yea, right. Leah's idea."
"Well, it kind of was," Leah said. "Seth has been bugging me since me and Em . . . Ow!" I elbowed her to shut her up. "I mean, he's always wanted to go, and you wouldn't take him. It's not a big deal, Sam. We're fine. OK? Lighten up!"
Sam's eyebrows shot up. I don't think he was used to Leah talking to him like that. That's probably the most words Leah had said to him in a long time.
"Yea, whatever," he said as he walked away.
I looked at her and laughed. I felt like we had just faced a teacher at school and gotten away with a prank.
Then I felt bad because I hadn't really talked to Sam yet about the test results. I needed to do that. "Hey, Leah. I need to talk to Sam. I'll be right back, OK?" She nodded. I'm sure she knew what I was doing.
"Sam! Hey!" He turned to look at me. "Can I talk to you a sec?" He nodded. I looked around. I didn't really want an audience for this conversation, so I said, "Can we walk a little?"
"Sure, I guess."
We walked away from the crowd and down toward the water. We came to a stop and I stood there looking out at the water wondering what to say next. How do you tell someone he's your brother?
"I take it this has something to do with the test results. Am I right?" Sam said.
I looked up and said, "Yea, it does."
"It's OK, Embry. Just say it."
"It's you, Sam. You're my brother." There, I said it.
"Yea, I know."
"What? You know? Who told you?" I asked.
"Emily," he said with a sly smile.
"What? How did she know? I didn't tell . . ."
"No one had to tell her, bro. She told me after the first time you phased and came around. She took one look at you and asked me if we were related. I told her I didn't think so. When I told her about the DNA test, she told me she didn't need a test to tell her that you were my brother. Something about our eyes, and apparently we have the same stance or something. When I stand with my hands on my hips. She says you do the exact same thing in the same way."
"Really? Huh, I guess I never noticed."
"Yea, me either. But she did." He smiled. "So, what do you want to do about it?"
"What? I don't know. I mean, I guess I just wanted you to know. I mean, it's not like I can talk to him, your, I mean, our dad. But Leah thought it might help to ask about the family tree. Find out more about our ancestors, I guess."
"OK. I can do that. My mom told me some, and the elders told me the rest. Come over to the house sometime. I'd be happy to fill you in."
"Yea, OK, sure." I replied. I put my head down.
Same put his hand on my shoulder and said, "Look, bro. If you're worried about how I feel, let me tell you this: I'm happy to have a little brother. I grew up with just a mom, like you. It gets lonely. At least you had Jake! I know you were probably hoping he was your brother. But, you know, after Paul and Jared phased, it was so much better for me because I finally felt like I had brothers. Family! But they aren't blood." He looked right into my eyes and said, "You are, dude. You are my blood, and that makes you my family. And I want you to know that I take care of my family." He pulled me to him in a hug. I felt tears spring into my eyes. I hugged him back, maybe a little too long.
We pulled apart and I said, "Thanks, Sam. Thank you so much. That means everything to me." I wiped my face with the back of my hand. "Shit, I'm turning into a chick, here."
He laughed and tousled my hair. "It's OK, bro." He stood back a little and crossed his arms over his chest and said, "Now, let's talk about you being here with Leah. I hear you've been spending time with her. You may be my little brother, but that won't keep me from kicking your ass if you hurt her."
I laughed, but then I looked at his face and thought he would kick my ass! "Look, I'm not playing her. I, um, I really like her you know, and . . ."
"Spit it out, Embry, I aint' got all night," Sam said.
"Well, I think I might have . . . feelings for her." There. I said it.
"What?" Are you serious? You're not fucking with me, are you?"
"NO! Shit, no." I explained to him everything that had been going on between us for the last couple of weeks. Especially how I felt after the day I saw her on the beach. I didn't give him ALL of the details, because I was really afraid he WOULD kick my ass!
He looked out at the water and was very quiet. I had a feeling he was thinking about his time with Lean, and what had happened between them.
"Look, Sam, I can't help the way I feel about her. But, I'm not real sure how she feels about me. She keeps holding back because of . . . what happened with you. I want to give her time to figure it out, but it's hard because all I can think about is kissing her and . . . well, you know. Now I find out that you're my brother, and with your history with Leah, I don't want things to be weird between us, you know."
He finally looked over at me and smiled. "What happened between me and Leah was a long time ago. I loved her. I really did. I still care about her very much. But, I'm not in love with her. I can't help it. Emily is all I see now, and forever. I love her with all I am, and I can't imagine life without her. If you figure out someday that is the way that you feel about Leah, then . . . I'm happy for you. And for her. She deserves to feel loved and protected. I couldn't do that for her. I hope that you can, bro."
I smiled and said, "I want to try, if she'll let me."
"Just don't hurt her. I mean that! I don't think she could take it," Sam said. I could hear how much he cared in his voice. It made me just a little jealous.
"Yea, but what if she hurts me? I've never cared about a girl like this before. You know me. I love being with girls! But as soon as they wanted to get all emotional, I moved on and found another one. I don't know how to deal with this, man. It's making me crazy!"
He laughed at that. "Yea? Good! Maybe you deserve that. Don't stress, bro. Just go with it. But don't push Leah. She'll come around in her own time. But if you push too hard, she might run." He looked out at the water for a minute then said softly, "I can't believe we're talking about Leah, man. Why did you have to fall for her?"
"I'm sorry, Sam. It's almost like I didn't have a choice. When I saw her walk out of the water in that bathing suit, it hit me like a ton of bricks. I haven't been able to get her out of my head ever since."
"Really? Hmmm." He looked back at the water like he was thinking about something. Then he shook his head and said, "Don't be afraid to talk to me about her, OK? I know it's weird, but . . we all have to move on, you know?"
I nodded. "Thanks, Sam. I think I'm going to like having a big brother to talk to."
"How about having a sister to talk to?" we heard from behind us. Emily walked up and stood beside me. "You don't have to tell me what the test results were, Embry. I knew the first time I saw you. I want you to know that you not only have a brother, but you have a sister now, too. And soon you'll have a new niece or nephew, Uncle Embry!" Uncle Embry! Wow. I have a whole new family.
I reached out and hugged Emily. "Thanks, Em," I said. I pulled back and smiled at her. "Of course I want you as a sister. You're the best cook around!" She laughed and smacked me on the chest. "No, seriously, I'm glad you're OK with this. I was really afraid you guys wouldn't want . . . I don't know. I guess I didn't really know WHAT to expect. But, you guys are great. Thanks."
"You're welcome. Now, don't be a stranger, OK? And get your butt over for a haircut, will you? Look at you!" She reached up and pulled my bangs so they were hanging in my face. I jerked my head back to flip them out of my eyes and she laughed.
"See? You'll get whiplash doing that!" she said.
I laughed and said, "OK, I'll come over soon when I get the time. I've been working with Jake and we've been really busy." I happened to glance over by the fire and I saw Leah sitting there all alone. "Um, I better get back to Leah. She's still not real comfortable around everyone yet."
They looked over to the fire and saw Leah. Sam said, "Yea. Uh, I need to let everyone know. About us. That OK with you?" he asked me.
What? He wanted to tell them I was his brother? Am I OK with that? Before I could decide and answer him, he walked toward everyone and hollered out, "Hey! Listen up! I got something to say." Oh shit.
I walked over toward Leah. She stood up and met me, leaned over and said, "What's going on?" Before I could answer, Sam started talking.
"I just want everyone to know that I just found out that I have a brother. A brother by blood. We had the same father. " He looked over at me and gestured for me to come over. I walked to him. "This is Embry Call-Uley. My brother." He gave me a big hug right there in front of the whole pack. He let me go and went on, "We knew he belonged to one of the tribal families when he phased, but no one would say who. A few of us took a DNA test and just found out the results. I know there has been talk since he joined the pack, everyone wondering whose bastard kid he was. I never liked that word, and I don't want to hear it anymore. I know we are ALL family here, and I am proud of the way we all respect each other and care about each other. I just wanted to share my good news with all of you. OK, I'm done with sentimental shit. BACK TO THE PARTY!" Everyone started talking and he looked at me with a big grin and said, "Did I embarrass you enough?"
I smiled back and said, "Yea, thanks a lot, bro!" I shoved him and he shoved me back. He put his arm around Emily and walked over to the food table.
"I guess I don't have to ask how your talk with Sam went," Leah said with a smile.
I laughed. "Uh, yea! He did tell me he's happy he has a little brother, and so is Emily. It's weird, Leah. They are so accepting. I mean, I'm his dad's bastard child! How can they just be so . . ."
"Embry, I told you I hate that word and Sam said it, too. Stop calling yourself that. Of course they would accept you!"
I shook my head. "Whatever. I guess it's pretty cool, you know? I have a whole other family, now. I'm even going to be an uncle? How cool is that?"
She smiled. "Uncle Embry. That's so cute!" She bumped into me and laughed.
Jared and Paul were walking by and Paul said, "So now you're hot shit, huh? Sam's little brother. I guess I can't pick on you anymore because your big brother will kick my ass."
"Try it Paul, and I'll kick your ass myself. I don't need a big brother to protect me from you," I answered back. I stared him down then said, "Look, Paul. I know you're close to Sam. You don't have to be jealous, dude. I'm not looking for things to change, OK?"
He came at me and Jared held him back and said, "Knock it off, Paul! This is fucking stupid, bro." Paul shook Jared off and huffed, "Whatever!" and stalked off.
Jared looked at me and said, "Sorry, Embry. You're right. He's jealous. He likes being close to Sam. I guess he feels threatened by you. It's stupid." I nodded. "Look, it doesn't make a difference to me. I'm glad you found out, dude. Are you OK with it?"
I smiled and said, "Yea, I guess I am. I haven't had much of a chance to get used to it yet. But, I'm glad Sam is OK with it. I was kind of worried about how he would take it."
Jared nodded and said, "Yea. Well, you don't have to worry about that now." He laughed and shoved me. "I'm going to get me and Kim something to drink. See ya."
"Thanks, Jared. See ya," I said.
I looked at Leah and said, "Come on, I want to roast a marshmallow." We sat down by the fire and I picked up a stick and stuck two marshmallows on the end and held it near the fire. I looked around to see where everyone was. Seth was roasting marshmallows with Kim, and Jared plopped down beside her and kissed her on the cheek. He handed her a can of pop and she smiled. I noticed Jake and Bella get up and walk down the beach, probably looking for some privacy. Sam and Emily were cleaning up, like good parents. Quil was carrying a sleeping Claire toward his mom's car to take her home. Who knows where Paul stomped off to! The night was winding down. I hated for it to end because I was having such a good day with Leah.
"Embry! They're on fire!" Leah yelled at me.
I wasn't paying attention and the marshmallows were on fire! I pulled them out and blew on them to put them out. "Do you like your marshmallows well-done?" I asked her.
She laughed and said, "Sure." I pulled one of the marshmallows off, held it out and said, "Open up." She opened her mouth and I fed her the marshmallow. My fingers brushed her lips as she took the marshmallow and I felt a shiver go through my body. I just stared as she chewed the marshmallow and wiped the stickiness from her lips. I had the urge to lean forward and lick the marshmallow off of her lips, but I didn't. Her eyes were so beautiful in the firelight. I could see the flames reflected in her eyes and they looked like they were glowing. I felt like I was hypnotized or something. I couldn't look away.
She finished her marshmallow and looked at me. "Embry? You OK?" she asked softly. She put her hand on my leg and said again, "Embry?"
"Huh? Um, yea. I'm good." I stuttered. I had no idea what I had just said. I didn't even realize that I was still holding the stick with the other marshmallow on it until she took it from me. She slid the marshmallow off of the stick and held it out in front of my mouth. She smiled and said, "Open up." I did and she put the marshmallow in my mouth, her fingers brushing my lips. Get a grip, man. I felt my body responding to her in ways I wasn't ready to handle at this particular moment.
I chewed the marshmallow and she smiled at me again. I smiled back and wiped the stickiness off of my mouth with the back of my hand. I looked across the fire and noticed that Seth and Kim and Jared had disappeared. Seth was helping Sam load stuff in his car, and Jared and Kim had moved down toward the water and were making out. Now there's a good idea.
I looked back at Leah and noticed her watching me very quietly. She scooted closer to me and put her arms around my neck. "Kiss me," she whispered. She must be reading my mind. I put my arms around her waist and pulled her as close as I could and kissed her. She kissed back, even teasing me with her tongue. She had her hands in my hair, tugging gently. I could have sat there all night just kissing her. Moving my lips over hers then moving them to her ear, and her throat and down her neck . . .
"Gross, guys! Come on!" Seth yelled at us.
Leah pulled away and said, "Isn't it past your bedtime, little brother?"
He snorted and said, "Whatever! This party's over, might as well go home." He took off toward the trail to his house.
I looked around and noticed that Jared and Kim were the only ones still here besides us. I looked back to Leah and said, "Where were we before we were so rudely interrupted?"
She smiled and said, "Right about here," as she put her lips back on mine. We sat there and made out for I don't have any idea how long. I didn't care. I even let my hands roam a little and she would put hers on mine and move them back to where she thought they should be. What a fun game this is! When we finally came up for air, I noticed that Jared and Kim were gone, and so was the fire. It was down to embers.
I said, "Wow! How long have we been making out?"
She laughed and said, "I don't know. Must have been a long time. I don't think I've ever made out that long. I think my lips are chapped!"
I looked at her and laughed, too. "They still look good to me." I bent forward and gently kissed them. "But it is late, and we should get home."
"Yea," she agreed. We kicked sand on the embers to make sure they were out then I took her hand and walked her to the truck. I drove her home and we kissed again before she got out. She smiled and said, "Goodnight, Embry."
"Goodnight." I watched her walk to the door and go inside.
This girl is really getting to me. Big time!