Hi everyone! Thank you again all so much for your reviews and adds! I'm glad you guys liked the chapter and I hope this one doesn't dissapoint. Thank you for reading and let me know what you think!
Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with Twilight.
Chapter Nine
Paul's hands left Camilla's hair and face only to grab her waist before he hoisted her up onto the counter, never breaking their kiss as he did so. Camilla's legs parted on their own accord, allowing Paul to settle his towering frame in between them, while her arms found their way around his neck now that she was more even with Paul's towering height. Her right hand began toying with his hair at the base of his neck, causing Paul to groan quietly as his hands slid down her waist and grasped her jean clad hips before he pressed his body close to hers. Camilla gasped at the contact and her legs wrapped around his hips, her ankles locking behind him as her left hand rested on his shoulder and her right made its way into his hair.
Paul was certain he had found heaven as he stood there in Sam's kitchen entangled with Camilla. Her body melted against his in a glorious way and she tasted sweet and tart at the same time. He was completely consumed by her and he never wanted that kiss to end. Air was taken in small gasps as their lips danced together and with is left hand Paul took hold of Camilla's backside, which caused Camilla to arch her hips against his. She couldn't help but whimper and Paul let out a growl from his throat as he held her tighter against him, his fingers digging almost painfully into the soft flesh of her butt.
Paul was simply touching, holding, and kissing her, their bodies pressed together, and Camilla felt like she was on fire. She couldn't get close enough to him and the clothes that separated their bodies were barriers that she wanted to get rid of. It had never felt that way with Travis. Travis' only concern was his satisfaction, that he got what he wanted in the end, and every time he promised to 'take care of her' next time. Paul was, yet again, obviously different than Travis in that department as well.
His warm hands felt like heaven against her body and, boy, did he know how to kiss. Unconsciously, she ground her hips against his once more, sending a shiver of pleasure rocking through her body and causing Paul to release a low growl into her mouth again as his right hand started traveling up her side. She found that the growling sound he made only served to spur on her desire for him, and she shivered at the sound. His thumb brushed the underside of her left breast as his left hand pressed her hips even tighter to his. She could feel him, hard and throbbing through the thick layer of their denim jeans and she moved her hips against him yet again.
"Whoa! In the kitchen? Emily cooks food in here you two," a deep and chuckling voice said, breaking the pair apart. Paul cursed under his breath before he opened his eyes and took in Camilla's flushed face and swollen dark pink lips.
Camilla was looking up at him in a complete daze and he was half tempted to ignore Jared and return to what he was doing when his friend's laughter cut through the quiet of the kitchen. He watched Camilla's cheeks darken even more as reality seemed to set in for her and she licked her lips. She untangled her limbs from around him, but her hands remained on his shoulders, her eyes never leaving his until Jared cleared his throat. Paul sighed and stepped back from Camilla before he helped her down from the counter.
"Well, it looks like you two were having fun," Jared said as Paul and Camilla both looked at him, Paul still holding on to Camilla's left hand.
"Shut up, Jared," Paul said quietly as he glared at his friend, and Jared grinned.
"Just be thankful it was me that came in here and not Sam," Jared said as he walked over to the cooler that was set up in the kitchen and grabbed two cans of soda from inside. "I don't think he would have taken it to well to find the two of you dry humping on his kitchen counter." He winked at the couple before he left them on their own once more. Paul let out a breath and looked at Camilla just as she turned her head to look up at him.
"You okay?" Paul asked her and she laughed softly as she nodded, her cheeks still red and her eyes once again full of emotion.
"Other than a little embarrassed at being caught like that, I'm fine," she said and Paul smiled before he tugged on her hand and pulled her close to him. Camilla laughed again as she sort of fell against him, her right hand landing on his chest as she looked up at him. Paul sighed softly as he raised his left hand to her face and pushed away her hair as he looked down at her, still smiling, before his hand returned to his side.
"So, before we got carried away," Paul said and Camilla smiled, "what was bothering you?"
"I was fighting myself," she said, deciding it was better to be honest with him.
"Over?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.
"You," she said softly and his expression turned surprised.
"Me?" he asked and she nodded. "Why?"
"Over the last few weeks I sort of . . . started noticing that my feelings for you aren't exactly platonic and a little stronger than they probably should be, and I didn't think you felt the same way," she said. "I was trying to convince myself that I needed to get my head together and stop thinking about . . .," she trailed off, blushing once more as she turned her eyes away from him. Paul brought his left hand to her face once more, gently putting his index finger under her chin, and turned her eyes back to his.
"Stop thinking about what?" he asked quietly, his dark eyes curious, and the tone of his voice brought butterflies back to Camilla's stomach as she looked up at him.
"About doing what we just did," she admitted, her cheeks pink as she held his brown eyes with her green. Slowly, Paul moved his hand from her chin to the side of her face before he leaned down and kissed her chastely. She smiled when he pulled back and Paul smiled in return as he lowered his hand from her face to settle on her waist.
"You can think about it all you want, but I know I'd prefer you actually going through with the act," he said quietly and her smile grew as her cheeks darkened.
"I promise I will try to take your preference into account," she said and he laughed.
"Good," he said as she slid her hand up his chest and to the back of his neck before she pulled him down to her and caught his lips in another kiss. Paul sighed against her lips and happily returned the kiss as her lips moved against his. However, much to his displeasure, the kiss did not last very long as she pulled back. She looked up at him, a small smiling tugging at the corners of her lips as he looked down at her with a grin. "What was that for?"
"Just following through on my promise," she said and he chuckled once more before he wrapped both of his arms around her completely and hugged her firmly to his chest. Camilla sighed in contentment as she wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face in his chest, listening for a moment to the almost hum like beating of his heart below her ear. She hated to ask the question, but since she laid everything out there she just wanted to make sure everything was crystal clear between them. It wasn't just her she had to think about anymore. "Paul?" she asked softly.
"Mm?" he hummed as he rested his chin on top of her head, just enjoying holding her in his arms.
"What does this make us?" she asked and he lifted his head from hers before she looked up at him by tilting her head slightly; however, her cheek remained pressed against his chest.
"I thought it was pretty obvious," he said with a grin. "You're my girl, and I'm not letting you go anytime soon." If any other guy, Travis included, would have called her 'his girl' and basically claimed her, Camilla would have been seriously turned off. However, hearing Paul call her his girl only made her want to pick up where they had left off before Jared had walked in.
"Sounds good to me," she said and Paul laughed lightly.
"Are you two going to stay in the kitchen the rest of the night?" came Jared's voice and they both looked to the doorway to see the young man in question with his head the only part of his body visible around the doorframe.
"No," Camilla said with a soft breathy laugh before she pulled away from Paul, and it took all his will power not to pull her back. "We're coming," she said as she took hold of his right hand with her left before she laced their fingers together and started walking for the doorway. Jared, however, moved so he was standing in the doorway with his hands raised, making the pair stop.
"Can I just say one more thing?" he asked and Camilla frowned as she glanced up at Paul who shrugged, so, she looked back at Jared and nodded.
"Sure," she said and he smirked as he lowered his hands to his sides.
"It's about damn time," he said before he turned on the balls of his feet and walked through the dining room and into the people filled living room.
"Subtle isn't he?" Paul asked and Camilla couldn't help but laugh as he took a step and pulled her along with him. They walked back into the living room, settling into the same seats they had vacated a few minutes ago. The smiles and subtle nods of Paul's pack brothers went unnoticed by Camilla as she sat beside Paul and turned her eyes to Emily who was still opening presents; however, Paul couldn't help but notice and he couldn't stop the stupid grin from coming to his lips.
He caught Seth's eyes and Seth smiled brightly at him as he adjusted his hold on a still sleeping Avery, and Paul's grin turned into a smile as he looked at the slightly younger man. Paul had been the first to realize that Seth had imprinted on Avery when he visited Camilla the day she had brought Avery home from the hospital. He was pretty sure Seth hadn't even realized what happened as he held onto the three day old baby for the first five minutes, but when the young man's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates, Paul knew the kid figured it out.
As Paul turned his eyes from Seth and looked down at his right hand, which was still intertwined with Camilla's, his smile slowly slipped from his face. He ran his thumb along the back of her pale hand and marveled for a second at the contrast of their skin color, but that was not what made his smile disappear. He had yet to tell her about his people's legends, that they were very real, and that he and just about all the people she considered her friends were living and breathing proof of that.
He didn't know how to tell her, but he knew that he needed to tell her; especially since their relationship was now on the road he had wanted it to take for a long time. Part of him was worried that she'd run from him and tell him she wanted nothing to do with him, and the very thought of that happening made his chest ache rather painfully. He squeezed her hand unconsciously as he winced slightly and his expression did not go unnoticed by Camilla who looked up at him when he squeezed her hand.
"Everything okay?" came Camilla's whispered voice and Paul lifted his head slightly and caught her eyes. She looked worried, her brow furrowed slightly, as she looked at him and his smile easily made its way back across his lips as he looked at her face and he nodded.
"Yeah," he whispered back. "Everything's great."
"You sure? You looked like you were in pain or something. Do you have a headache?' she asked, her voice still hushed.
"I'm fine, Camilla, I swear. I was just thinking about dealing with your mother's wrath when she finds out about us," he said, quickly thinking on his feet. She laughed silently as she shook her head.
"You won her over months ago," Camilla said honestly. "Trust me; you have nothing to worry about." He grinned before he kissed her temple, causing her to blush and smile as she looked at him. However, the move did not go unnoticed and a chorus of 'awes' from their group of friends. Camilla's blush deepened as she buried her face in Paul's neck causing the young man to laugh before he rested his head on hers, chuckling.
He still didn't know how he was going to tell her about his secret, but he figured he'd cross that bridge when he'd come to it and hope that she wouldn't pull away.
One week later, Camilla's stomach was in knots as she put the finish touches on her makeup and fluffed her hair slightly as she sighed and pulled back from the mirror to take in her handy work. She was no beauty queen, but it was definitely the best Paul had ever seen in her yet. Despite the late April chill, Camilla had opted to wear a plum colored knee length cotton dress. It was a simple empire waist cut dress with sleeves that ended at her elbows with a square neckline that suited her well. She wore sheer nylons to keep her legs warm and a pair of black pumps would finish off her outfit.
"Well, aren't we dressed to kill?" Teresa asked with a smile as she stood in the doorway of her daughter's bedroom. Camilla smiled at her mother through the mirror above her dresser before she sighed quietly and smoothed her hands over her hips and thighs.
"Is it too much?" Camilla asked as she looked back at her reflection, and Teresa laughed lightly as she shook her head and walked into the room.
"Paul told you to dress up for tonight and you've done just that; but I think you're missing something," Teresa said and Camilla frowned.
"What?" she asked as she looked herself over and Teresa laughed quietly before she brought the silver chain she was holding in her hands around Camilla's neck. Camilla's eyes widened when she saw the pendant she was fastening around her neck. "Mom," Camilla breathed as she looked at the silver locket that was engraved with an intricate yet simple swirl design. The locket itself was old, but well taken care of and Camilla felt tears prickle in the corners of her eyes.
"It's about time I give this to you," Teresa said with a teary eyed smile. "I've already got Avery's photo inside." Once the locket was fastened around Camilla's neck, Camilla turned around and hugged her mother tight. The locket had been passed down in Camilla's father's family for three generations. Since her paternal grandmother only had Camilla's father she had passed the locket onto Teresa when Camilla had been born, placing a tiny photograph of baby Camilla inside. Now, it was Camilla's and she would treasure it until she passed it down to Avery when she had her first baby.
"Thank you," Camilla said softly and Teresa chuckled as she pulled away from her daughter, bringing her thumbs to Camilla's face.
"Don't cry, Millie, you'll have to redo your makeup and Paul will be here any minute," Teresa said and Camilla smiled as she nodded her head and sniffed quietly.
"Right," Camilla said before she laughed quietly, making Teresa smile. "Are you sure you're going to be okay with Avery?"
"I'll be fine," Teresa said.
"I put the breast milk I pumped this afternoon in the fridge for you to warm up and feed to Avery before bed," Camilla said and Teresa nodded.
"I know my way around a baby, Millie," Teresa said and Camilla shrugged as she smiled at her mother.
"Right," she said again and Teresa smiled once more as Peter called upstairs.
"Camilla! Paul's here," Peter said and Camilla felt her heart jump into her throat.
"Mom, why am I so nervous?" Camilla asked. "It's not like we haven't hung out before. I know him better than any guy I ever went out with." Teresa smiled at Camilla and shook her head.
"It's your first official date with the young man, Millie," she said as she took hold of her daughter's hands. "That's why you're nervous. Just relax. He's already over the moon for you. You don't have to impress him."
"And if I want to?" Camilla asked and Teresa grinned.
"When he sees you in this dress, he will be," Teresa said and Camilla laughed quietly as she squeezed Teresa's hands before she let them go.
"Are you sure you're okay with me going out tonight?" Camilla asked as she picked up her black clutch from the foot of her bed and Teresa rolled her eyes.
"For the millionth time, yes, and don't bother calling to check on Avery," Teresa said. "She'll be fine."
"Okay," Camilla said with a smile.
"Go on," Teresa said as she urged her daughter out the door.
"I'm going," Camilla said before took a deep breath and left her room before she made her way downstairs.
Paul was standing in the foyer talking to Peter who was holding a cooing Avery, but when he heard her making her way down the stairs, he turned his eyes towards the stairs. The look that crossed his face was like he had been kicked in the gut before he took a deep breath and smiled at Camilla as she stepped on to the bottom of the stairs. Paul looked amazing dressed in black slacks and a dark maroon button up with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows.
Camilla couldn't help but smile back and she couldn't shake the feeling that it was going to be an amazing night.