Chapter 7:

Jacob POV:

"Is it OK if I drive?" I asked Bella as we stepped off the Sam and Emily's porch. "Sure," she smiled and gave me the keys.

We hopped in the truck and I took off. "It feels good to be driving again. It feels good to do anything again," I told Bella. "I hated being laid up."

She scooted closer to me and laid her head on my shoulder. Is this the way life would always be? God, I hoped so.

"Where to?" I asked.

She was quiet. Then she lifted her head and looked at me. Here it comes. "Jake, I need to talk to Edward. I can't keep putting it off. It's not fair to him."

I knew she was right. I just didn't want her to go. "OK," I mumbled. She laid her head back onto my shoulder and we drove in silence back to my house.

The truck grinded to a halt on the gravel and I shut off the engine. Bella and I climbed out of the truck and headed for the house. Just inside the door, I pulled her into my arms. I just wanted to hold her for a little while longer. "Bella . . ." I sighed into her hair.

"I know, Jake. Me, too."

"That you, Jake?" we heard Dad call out.

"Yeah, Dad. We're home," I answered. I reluctantly let Bella go and walked into the living room.

"I'm going to get the laundry put into the dryer," Bella said. "Hi, Billy," she called out as she made her way through the room then turned to go down the hall to the laundry room.

"Hey, Bella," Billy called back. "So, son, what's new with Sam and Emily?" I handed him a bag of cookies.

"She sent you some cookies." Billy opened the bag, took one out and began eating. "Mmm, that girl sure can bake."

I plopped down onto the couch. "They were working on the baby's room. Sam is painting it green because they don't know if it's a boy or girl," I told him. "We stayed for lunch. Bella helped Emily make sandwiches for everyone. Of course, all of the guys smelled food and invaded the house."

"Mmm, hmm," Billy replied as he chewed his cookie.

"Dad? I've been wondering about something. Now that Bella and I are . . . you know, together, I'm wondering about . . . imprinting. Is there still a chance that I might imprint on someone?"

"Worried about a Sam and Emily repeat?"

I nodded. "I made Bella a promise a long time ago that I would never hurt her, and I will keep that promise. I won't leave her, no matter what."

Dad set the bag of cookies down and sealed it. I knew he was keeping his hands busy as he contemplated what to say to me. It was a habit of his. Finally he looked at me. "Jake, you know imprinting is complicated. But, from what I can tell by reading our written histories, the Alphas before you have made their own choices."

"But what about Sam?"

"He's not the true Alpha, son, you know that. But . . . "

"Why is there always a 'but' with you?" I asked suspiciously.

He chuckled. "Just the way it works, I guess. Anyway, the other Alphas didn't make their choice in a mate until they were Alpha."

I stared at him and shook my head. "Aren't you clever? Now you think you have a sure way to make me step up, huh?" I asked him with a grin.

He met my grin with one of his own. "Well . . . you know that would make me happy, but I want you to be ready when you step up. I want you to be confident that you can handle the job. If you're not ready, you're not ready."

"So are you trying to tell me that I could still imprint if I don't step up and take Alpha?"

Dad just shrugged.

"Well, the laundry is in the dryer. Is there anything else I can do for you guys before I go?" Bella asked as she walked back into the room.

"Naw, Bella, we're fine. You don't have to do anything. Sit down," Billy told her.

"You know, Bella," I started, "when I was driving the truck home, I thought it was running a little rough. Mind if I pull it into the garage and take a look at it?" Yes, it was a stall tactic. Would she fall for it?

She gave me a look and said, "Really, Jake?" Busted! She knew exactly what I was up to. But would she give in? She smiled. "I suppose." YES! Maybe she wasn't in a hurry to be away from me either. "I'll grab us a couple of Pepsis from the fridge," she said as she headed for the kitchen. "Meet you in the garage."

I jumped off of the couch and headed out the door to the truck before she could change her mind. I crawled into the truck and pulled it around and into the garage. I got out just as Bella was walking in. She set the Pepsis down on the bench and came over to put her arms around me.

"You think you're pretty smart, don't cha?" She looked up at me with a smile on her face.

"Well, it worked, didn't it?" I bent down and dropped a kiss on her lips.

She took a step back and said, "Well, get to work!"

I laughed and walked over to the front of the truck. I popped open the hood and took a look at the engine. I didn't really lie. I knew the truck had been running a little rough, and I did want to take a look at it. "Hey, Bells! Hand me that wrench over there on the bench, will ya? And a rag?"

"Just like old times, huh?" I heard her say.

I looked over at her as she handed me the wrench and the rag. "Yep, but better. Because now I know that I can take a break and kiss you if I want to." I gave her a grin. "You have NO idea how many times I used to think about that when we were working on the bikes." I leaned over gave her a quick kiss.

She laughed at me. "You're incorrigible, Jacob Black."

"I'm not sure I know what that means, but if it means I like to kiss you, then, yeah, I'm incorrigible."

We spent the afternoon like that. Me working on the engine; Bella handing me tools. We joked with each other and laughed. It was the perfect afternoon.

"I'm going to go start dinner, Jake. It's getting late," I heard Bella say.

I poked my head out from under the hood of the truck. "Really? What time is it?" I asked her.

"After five," she answered. "I called Charlie when I went in to get the laundry out of the dryer. I told him that I was cooking you two supper, then I was going to stop and talk to Edward before I went home."

I looked down at the screwdriver in my hand. Almost time to let her go. "OK, Bells. I'll finish up here then I'll clean up and be right in."

She came over and kissed me on the cheek then she walked away.

Bella POV:

I walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge. There was a lasagna that Sue had left here yesterday. I took that out, put it on the counter, and set the oven. I opened the cupboard and took out two cans of green beans then walked back to the fridge and opened the freezer. Yes! Still some chocolate ice cream in there. That would be dessert.

I set the table while the oven was preheating then I opened the oven and slid the lasagna inside, and set the timer.

I decided while supper was cooking, I would put the sheets back on Jake's bed. I walked back into the bedroom and picked up the fitted sheet. I shook it out over the bed and watched it settle down on the mattress. I stood there as images went through my mind of what we did there last night.

His lips on mine, his hands running over my body . . .

I closed my eyes and let those memories wash over me. Guilt mixed with my longing to do it again. Being with Jake like that was so freeing and so . . . hot. I sighed as I smoothed the sheet across the bed.

Talking to Emily had helped me today. I knew that Jake was right . . . I knew now that he was my natural path. He was exactly right for me. I had laughed and smiled more today than I had in the last few weeks put together. Since I realized my feelings for him, I was having a hard time leaving him. I had been trying to make myself leave all day, and yet, here I was . . . still fantasizing about last night . . .

"Honey, I'm home!" Jake sang out as he walked in through the back door. "Bella? Where are you?" he called out.

I jolted out of my little fantasy and hollered, "Back here!" I pulled one of the corners of the sheet over the mattress then went to pull the next one down.

I was bent over pulling the last corner down when Jake came in. He stopped short and just stood there. I had a feeling that those same fantasies were now playing in his head. I again threw a pillow and it hit him in the face.

"Hey! Is this a new habit of yours? Throwing pillows at me?"

"Here!" I threw the pillowcase at him. "Make yourself useful!"

"Oh, I could make myself useful," he said in his sexiest, werewolf voice. He walked up behind me and settled his hands on my hips then proceeded to put a trial of hot kissed along the back of my neck. "How's this for useful?" he said as his lips were running along my throat. I leaned back into him and answered, "That's very useful." The heat of those kisses sent a shot of arousal through me that shocked me. I wasn't used to that feeling, and I forced myself to step away from him and pick up the flat sheet.

I threw the sheet over the bed and let it land. Then I straightened it and tucked the bottom corners under. Jake had picked up the other pillow and put the case on it. He threw the pillows on the bed then he looked over at me and raised his eyebrows a couple of times, and nodded over to the bed.

I laughed, grabbed his hand, and pulled him along behind me to the kitchen. "Awwww, man," he whined behind me.

I put the green beans on to heat up, and checked the timer on the oven. "Dinner will be ready in 20 minutes," I told Jake. "Why don't you go tell your dad?"

"Dad! Dinner in 20 minutes!" Jacob shouted. I smacked him in the arm. "Ow, what was that for?" he asked.

"I could have done that. I meant walk to the room he is in and tell him that dinner will be in 20 minutes." I gave him a little shove. "Go!" He went, his laughter ringing out as he walked down the hall.

The timer went off, and I took the lasagna out of the oven and put it on the table. As I was pouring the green beans into a bowl, I yelled out, "Dinner!" I set the bowl on the table, and went to the fridge to take out a pitcher of iced tea.

Billy wheeled into the kitchen with Jake behind him. We all sat down and I dished out the lasagna. We ate our dinner, and talked about our day. Jacob told Billy about what he did to the truck, and Billy shared a little about the wood carving he was working on. I just sat there and soaked up the moment.

"Bella, thanks for cooking dinner," Billy said as he backed his chair away from table. "Quil, Sr. is coming to pick me up in about 10 minutes. Elders are meeting tonight. Probably another discussion about when a certain Alpha will step up and accept his responsibility." He looked over at Jake.

"Geez, Dad, we just talked about this," Jake said. "I haven't even been phasing very long. Just give me a little more time, OK? It's not like Sam isn't doing a good job, you know. I didn't ask for this."

"I know, Jacob. Maybe if I tell them that you got your love life figured out, they'll back off," Billy replied with a smile. "I'm going to go get ready." He wheeled his chair off to his room.

Jake shook his head, and looked at me. I just shrugged my shoulders, stood up and took my dishes to the sink. Jake helped me clear the table then I started the dish water. A truck pulled in the driveway and honked. I could see Quil, Sr. and his father, Old Quil, in the truck. "I better help Dad out," Jake said.

Billy wheeled himself from his room. Jacob opened the door for him, and then wheeled him out to the truck. Once Jake helped him up into the cab, he folded the wheelchair and put it in the bed of the truck. "Bye, Dad. See ya later." He waved as they left. He came back in and picked up a dish towel to dry the dishes.

I looked over at him. "What?" he asked when I didn't say anything.

I smiled at him and said, "Nothing. You're a good son. That's all." Another thing that makes him so hard to resist.

He smiled back at me. "Maybe someday I will be rewarded with a good son of my own," he said.

"Maybe," I agreed with a smile. It was now a real possibility.

Jacob POV:

I put the last dish into the cupboard, and hung the towel over the edge of the sink to dry while Bella was wiping down the counters. I reached over and took the washrag from her hand and threw into the sink.

"Hey, I wasn't done with that," she said to me.

"Yes, you were." I put my hands on either side of her face, and brought her lips to meet mine. I kissed her slowly, longingly. I had been thinking all day about what almost happened last night, and now that we were alone, I couldn't take it anymore. I wanted her to feel as crazy for me as I was for her. I knew that I couldn't keep my hands off of her any longer. My lips moved over hers, and I used my tongue to coax her into opening her mouth and letting me in. She sighed into my mouth as our tongues danced together. We stood there in the kitchen kissing each other and letting our hands explore a little. I could feel the heat building between us. "Bella, I can't stop thinking about you . . . about this, about touching you . . . ." I ran my hands up her back under her shirt. God, her skin feels so good. I want to feel more of it . . . I deepened the kiss. She wrapped her arms around my neck and pushed herself into me. I need to stop . . . I need to pull back. My body wasn't listening to my brain. I knew, being this close, she could feel how much I wanted her.

"Bella?" I whispered in her ear.

"Mmm hmm?"

"Please stop me." I said against her neck.

"I can't." She put her lips back on mine.

I put my arms behind her legs and lifted her into my arms. I carried her back into my bedroom and closed the door with my foot then set her on her feet in front of the bed. While still kissing her, I unbuttoned her shirt and pushed it down her arms. She took a hold of my t-shirt and pulled it over my head. We kept kissing, our mouths moving frantically. I could hear our hearts racing as I jerked her tank top over her head. Shit! I thought as I heard the rip. "Bella, I'm sorry," I told her as I handed her the tank top that was now ripped in two.

She grinned and threw it over her shoulder then pulled my lips back to hers. The rest of our clothes disappeared until we were covered only by our underwear. I gently laid Bella back onto the bed then lay beside her. I was trying so hard to hold back and not rush this. I had been waiting so long . . .

I kissed her over and over and let my hands explore. I grazed the side of her breast as my hand ran lightly down the side of her body. I found the skin on her stomach was so soft as I brushed back and forth lightly with my fingers. She clung to me and ran her hands over my shoulders and back, digging her nails in. Oh God help me, I can't stop now!

I rolled us to the side so I could reach behind her and try again to unhook her bra. It snapped open on the first try! I pulled back and looked at her and waited for her to stop me. This time, she didn't. She just smiled at me and I felt myself drowning in her eyes. God, her eyes. I kissed her cheeks, her nose, her lips, down her throat. I reached up and pulled her bra slowly down her arms then tossed it aside. "Bella," I breathed as my hand brushed the tip of her breast and she gasped. I ran my hand over and around and squeezed . . .

Suddenly, she pushed me over on to my back and leaned over me. "What? Did I do something wrong?" I asked.

Bella smiled and shook her head. "I want a chance to . . . touch you." Wow. She let her hands graze my chest then she bent down and put soft kisses there and down toward my stomach, letting her hair trail over my skin as she moved. She stopped at the waistband of my boxers and looked up at me. "Can I?" I couldn't speak at this point, so I just nodded.

She carefully slid my boxers over my throbbing erection and down my legs then she sat back and just looked at . . . it. She didn't move, didn't say anything . . . she just stared. "Bells? Is something wrong?" I whispered.

She looked at me and shook her head. "I'm sorry, but I've never seen . . . um, I . . . God, I sound like such a fucking . . . virgin."

I chuckled and put my hand into her hair. "Maybe that's cause you are. It's OK, remember I am, too."

She smiled at that then she said shyly, "It's just . . . it's so . . . big."

"Well, thank you, thank you very much," I said in my best Elvis imitation.

She rolled her eyes and laid back beside me. "I mean, I know how this works, Jake. Since I've never had sex, I'll be tight, and I don't know how THAT is going to fit inside of me."

I tried hard not to laugh. I knew she was really concerned. I rolled on my side and put my hand on her cheek. "It will, I promise. Look, I haven't had any real experience at this, but I have seen enough in Sam, Jared and Paul's heads to know that it will work. Um, this kind of goes along with the whole wolf thing."

She smiled and put her hand over her eyes. "God, I'm so stupid. I kind of ruined the moment, didn't I?"

I pulled her hand away and kissed her. "No, you didn't. I'm kind of glad to know I'm not the only one here who doesn't know what they're doing."

She smiled and touched my cheek. Then she put her lips on mine and as we kissed, she reached over and boldly took me in hand. She moved her hand up and down and explored until I was afraid I would cum right then.

I reached down and let my hand rest on top of her panties. Suddenly, Bella's hand was on top of mine, and I thought she was going to remove mine, but instead, she guided it lower as she rolled to her back and opened her legs wider. Her hand was moving mine up and down over her in a steady rhythm . . . oh, oh that's what she wants! Her hand left mine and I kept up the rhythm, increasing the pressure a little until she arched her back and drug her mouth away from mine to cry out. I looked down at her and grinned. "Wow, that was . . . awesome."

She smiled and nodded. "Yeah, it was. Are you . . . maybe I shouldn't have done that."

"Oh yeah, you should have." I dove at her lips and ravished her mouth. She had me really hot now. I gripped her hip hard and felt her wince. I pulled back, "Oh God, I'm sorry . . . I didn't mean to hurt you."

I saw anger flash in her eyes. "Don't say that. Don't you dare do that. Don't be careful with me, OK?" She buried her hand in my hair and yanked my head back down to her lips and then dug her nails into my shoulder as she pushed her core into me. I reached down and ripped her panties off of her then climbed on top of her.

"Bella . . . I love you . . . I need to . . . " I was really breathing heavy now.

"Yes, Jake, yes . . ."

"You're sure?"

"Yes, please, NOW . . . " she was running her lips on my shoulder and my neck and then she surprised me by biting into my shoulder.

I positioned myself and slid in slowly then stopped to let her adjust to me. It was killing me . . . all I wanted to do was drive into her and bury myself balls deep. Bella looked at me and whispered, "Just do it, Jake."

That's all I needed to hear. I pulled out just a little then with one thrust I broke through and was buried inside. I felt her gasp, and whisper, "Jake!" It was better than I ever imagined . . . she was so tight, and hot and I reveled in the feeling of being completely surrounded by her.

"Are you OK?" I asked her anxiously.

She nodded. "Yes," she panted, "give me just a couple of seconds." I kissed her lips and her cheek then she whispered, "I need to . . . move." Oh God, me, too. I started pumping in and out, slowly at first then she wrapped her legs around my waist and pushed me on faster. Oh no . . . not yet! "I'm sorry . . . I don't think I can last much longer . . . " I felt like I could explode anytime, but I tried to hold back, to let Bella catch up to me.

"Oh, Jake . . . oh . . . yes, keep going . . . don't stop," Bella chanted in my ear until . . . "Oh, Jake!" and I felt this awesome sensation of her contracting around me and I lost it and collapsed on top of her, a very, very happy man.

Bella POV:

Oh, Jacob. What have we done? I lay there, panting to catch my breath, and I felt so warm and relaxed. It was so amazing. I had wanted to feel that for so long . . . to know what it felt like to let yourself go and . . . and yet I couldn't believe I let it happen. Let it? I begged him! But I was still engaged. What was I thinking?That's just it – I wasn't thinking. I was just feeling. For the first time in my life, I just let the feelings take me instead of thinking it to death first. I found it very liberating.

Jake rolled off of me and we lay wrapped in the sheets facing each other. "I love you, Bells." He kissed me.

"I love you, Jake." I kissed him.

"Stay with me, Bella." He kissed me.

"Jake, I have to go." I kissed him.

"I know." He kissed me. "But I wish you didn't."

We laid there a little longer just lightly kissing each other. Get up, Bella . . . you have to go. I knew it would take every ounce of willpower I had to get out of that bed. I could stay here wrapped up with Jake forever. That made me realize I was making the right decision. I finally moved, but didn't realize that the sheet was wrapped around my foot, so as I went to get up, I fell out of bed and hit the floor!

"Bella! Are you OK?" Jacob's head hung over the edge of the bed as he looked down at me with a big grin on his face.

"Real sexy, huh?" I untangled my foot, as Jake laughed, and began hunting for my clothes, putting them on as I found them. Jake leaned back and propped himself up against the pillows with his arms behind his head and watched me.

I brushed my hair with my hands as best I could, then put my shoes on. I walked back over to the bed and looked down at Jake. "Look at you. You look like the cat that ate the canary," I said with a smile.

He grinned back at me, his teeth so white in the fading light. "I can't help it, Bells. I'm a happy man!" I gave him a weak smile. "C'mere." I sat on the edge of the bed and he reached over and took my hand. "Listen, I know the timing wasn't the best, but I don't regret what happened. Do you?"

"I should say yes, but I can't," I said quietly. "It was amazing." He smiled at that. "But, I have to go, Jake."

He nodded. "Are you sure I can't come with you? I don't like the idea of you going alone."

"I'll be fine, Jake, really. I'll call you later tonight, OK?" He nodded again.

I stood up and made myself walk out of the bedroom. Keep walking, Bella. Just keep walking.

Somehow I made it to the truck, climbed in and started the engine. I'll be back, Jake. I promise.