CHAPTER FIVE
Bella had never been more mortified in her life. She hoped above all else she just imprinted and this wasn't some kind of crazy girl-crush.
Edward kept an arm around her waist as they walked slowly to the golf cart and he gently helped her inside.
"I'll drive you up to the snack shack and get you some orange juice. That should bring up your blood sugar."
She glanced over at him and their gazes entangled.
"Thanks, but I feel better already."
"You're hands are shaking and your perspiring. You're definitely not fine."
She couldn't explain to him why she felt so weird, but she might be able to give him a better reason why her 'blood sugar' could be out of whack.
"I just came back from a pretty intense run. I probably just overdid it."
He drove the cart up the hill. "Did you drink enough?"
"No. I'm probably dehydrated, too."
They arrived at the snack shack and he ran around the cart to help her out.
"Edward, you don't have to do this. People are staring."
A couple of campers headed up to the restrooms stopped and made her feel self-conscious as Edward treated her like an invalid.
He didn't listen. His arm stayed around her waist until they walked inside, behind the counter, past the stove and grill, and back to the kitchen. She sat on the stool as her knight in shining armor poured her orange juice.
Harry looked over Edward's shoulder and mouthed, "What's going on?"
Bella shrugged and took the glass from Edward.
"Harry, keep an eye on her for a minute."
Edward grabbed the eggs and the milk and marched back to the outer kitchen.
Harry made sure Edward was out of earshot before he came over to her.
"You look awful, Bella. What happened?"
Bella grabbed a fistful of Harry's tee shirt and brought him down to eye level. "I think I imprinted on him."
Harry's eyes grew wide. "But you met him yesterday?"
"Could it be possible? Jake always said it happened the second you lay eyes on the person. Is there something wrong with me? Maybe it really is just low blood sugar?"
She took a huge gulp of the orange juice.
Harry shook his head. "Tell me what happened."
"I saw him sitting at the end of the dock then he turned and waved to me. I lifted my hand to wave back and the earth spun me to the ground. I landed in the sand and my vision blurred for a second. Once Edward reached me —"
"Okay, that's enough. It sounds like you imprinted."
"How?"
"I don't know. Michael is your father and he never shifted to wolf-form. Maybe his genes are a little off."
"Off? That doesn't sound good." She bit her lip.
"All I'm saying is the two of you aren't like the others in the pack, so it's possible it just took you a little longer to imprint. A late bloomer, so to speak."
Bella looked out to the kitchen and watched Edward crack the eggs into a bowl and beat them.
"When you look at Edward now, what do you feel?"
She continued staring at him. His jeans fit snug around the important parts of him. He obviously knew his way around the kitchen the way he expertly scraped the sides of the pan. The warmth came back, but not the dizziness or the tilt 'o world spinning she felt before.
"He gives me the warm fuzzies." She couldn't stop herself from smiling.
Harry rolled his eyes. "Congratulations. You imprinted on Edward Cullen." He scrubbed a hand over his face and blew out an exasperated sigh.
Bella's heart plummeted. As far as she could tell, imprinting just meant you had a special fondness for the other person. "So this is bad?"
"It's complicated."
They both looked back at Edward. He plated the eggs and walked back to them.
"Here you go, Bella. A little protein should help."
He gave her a crooked smile and handed her the plate.
Bella polished off the eggs and handed him back the empty plate.
"Can I have more? That run really made me hungry."
He smirked. "I'll be right back."
The second he disappeared back to the kitchen, she called Harry back over.
"So what's so complicated?"
"For starters, you're a wolf and he's not."
"Duh. What else?"
"You'll want to be with him every waking hour of every day for the rest of your life."
She shrugged. "It sounds no different than people falling in love and getting married."
Harry stared at her. After several silent moments, he said, "He could refuse you."
Her heart landed in her stomach like a lead weight, right on top of those eggs she just ate. The thought that Edward could possibly reject her made the room spin. A dull ache started in her chest and she grasped the arms of the chair to steady herself.
"I get it now."
It hurt deep in her soul, like nothing she ever felt before, worse than Jake breaking her heart. If thinking about Edward refusing her made her whole body weak, what would happen if he really did reject her?
"So what do I do? Do I tell him or just leave this place and try to forget him?" she whispered.
Harry looked back at Edward before he continued. "You won't be able to forget him if he doesn't refuse you. The need to be with him will be too strong."
"Like, how strong?"
Harry thought for a moment. "I guess it would be like being addicted to drugs."
"So, I'll be like a crack whore, unable to live my life without a hit of Edward?"
He laughed and shook his head. "That's a bad analogy, but yes. I like to think of it as, Edward is a magnet and you're the piece of metal that's constantly being pulled toward him. It won't be anything you can consciously help. It will just happen."
Bella glanced out at Edward again. She wanted him to be hers, forever. The thought made a shiver bolt up her spine.
"Then, I should tell him?"
Harry furrowed his eyebrows and looked as confused as she felt. "I don't know. That's a lot for a human to understand."
"You're right, especially since I just met him."
"Right. You should probably start slow by telling him you're a wolf, first. No, that won't work. He'll probably take off running after you explained that."
Bella snorted. "You're not helping me at all, you know."
"I know. I'll make a few calls and get back to you."
Sir Edward reappeared with more eggs and Bella almost hurled at the sight of them. The second his hand grazed hers as he handed the plate over, her whole body cried out with need for him. How would she be able to handle it if he didn't want her?
"Thanks."
Edward checked his watch. "Is there anything else you need?"
He was a sweetheart. He put his responsibilities on hold so he could tend to her. And from what little she knew of him, he took those duties very serious.
Edward shoved a hand through his hair and looked torn.
"Edward, you've done enough. You have a campground to run." It nearly killed her to say that.
"I have to open the store. Once Jasper comes in, I'll come back and bring you to my house so you can rest."
Harry stepped forward. "I'll keep an eye on her."
She saw relief flash in Edward's eyes.
"Thanks, Harry."
Edward grasped her hand and squeezed it. "I'll be back."
He left and Harry had to take an order. Alone, Bella stared at the eggs and promptly threw them in the trash. She had questions only Harry could answer.
Harry took the couple's breakfast order and they went outside to wait for their order to be done.
"This imprinting thing has turned me into a stalker. I'm fighting the urge to run up to the store to be with him."
"That's what imprinting is. You will do anything to protect the imprintee."
"But isn't that going to make me seem needy?"
Harry laughed as he flipped the pancakes and bacon on the griddle. "You're thinking too much like a human."
"Maybe because I am."
Harry shrugged. "You're a hybrid, that's for sure. I'll do my best to find out what I can about this."
"So everyone in the pack has imprinted on someone with wolf genes?"
"In one way or another. That's we no one ever leaves the tribe. You're the first."
"Go figure."
Bella waited as long as she could, but when Edward didn't come back after fifteen minutes, she went to the camp store.
Edward was on his knees in front of the refrigerator case, stocking milk.
Harry was right. Her immediate response was to get closer to him. She fisted her hands and fought the urge with everything she had inside her.
"Thanks for coming in a little earlier, Jazz," Edward said without turning around.
"I'm not Jazz."
Edward spun around and she grabbed the counter to keep herself from running to him. She smiled then waved. "Hi."
"Bella, I thought I told you I'd be right back? You shouldn't be up walking around."
"I feel a lot better."
"Please tell me you at least drove up here," he reprimanded, yet sounded concerned at the same time.
She nodded.
"As soon as my brother shows up, I'll take you to my house. You can lie down on my bed."
She felt her face flush just thinking about lying in his bed. "No really, I'm fine. Is there something I can do here?"
He laughed. "We don't employee the guests here, Bella."
"Consider it payback for nursing me back to health."
He had a beautiful smile.
"Take that seat behind the counter. I'm almost done here."
Minutes later he joined her.
"You really gave me a scare down there. Does that happen very often?"
"No, never."
"You should get checked out. There's a walk-in clinic down in Windsor, about three or four miles from here."
"I'm fine now."
"You don't look fine. Your face is very red." With the back of his hand, he felt her forehead. "You're burning up."
Her body all but cried out for him, when he took his hand away.
"It's also 80 degrees with near 100% humidity."
He grinned. "You have an answer for everything, don't you?"
The bells over the door jingled. Jasper walked in and yawned. His hair stuck up all over the place. His eyes looked blood red from lack of sleep as he went right to the coffee maker, stuck in a K cup and pushed the button.
"What's this big emergency, Edward?"
"It's me. Sorry," Bella said.
Jasper tipped his head up in greeting to her. When he turned back to Edward he cocked an eyebrow and a slow smile spread across his face. "So this is a love emergency."
Bella watched as Edward smiled and shook his head. "Bella had a crazy dizzy spell. I'm going to bring her home so she can rest comfortably."
Jasper grabbed his coffee then walked behind the counter.
"Where's Alice?"
"Neither she nor Rose was awake yet. And I left my phone down there so they don't even know where I am."
Jasper pulled his cell out of his jeans pocket. "I'm on it. You go relax at Case de Cullen and I'll make sure Alice and Rose know where to find you."
Bella thanked him again and slid off the stool. Edward was right there, holding her elbow in one hand and her hand in the other.
"Edward, I can walk. I don't need your help."
She took two steps and he grasped her hand in his. Heat rocketed through her veins and almost knocked her to the floor. Bella stopped and looked down at their joined hands.
"What?" he asked.
"Nothing." She wouldn't tell him she could barely breath with him standing so close.
They walked across the parking lot to the Cullen's log cabin in silence. They reached the back door and he held it for her.
"Are you always this gentlemanly?"
"My father was a great teacher. That and my mother would slap us if we didn't treat a girl right."
"That is so sweet."
Bella stepped into the house and looked around.
"Wow. This is beautiful."
"My parents would be glad to hear that. They designed it themselves and are very proud of it."
Bella was in awe. The living room had an open floor plan on the bottom level and a massive stone fireplace went up to the second and third floor lofts, which overlooked the first floor.
"Would you like a tour?"
"Of course."
They started at the fireplace.
"This thing is massive," she said, feeling the stones. Heat radiated as she splayed her hands over the rough textures. She'd have to remember to ask Harry if that was another wolf side-effect. Jake told her they were one with the earth, but sometimes, she had a hard time believing the tales of tribe.
"My mother wanted it to be the centerpiece of the room."
"She succeeded."
"All the stones and rocks came from right here at the campground."
"Amazing."
She walked toward the stairs and Edward's hand was in hers again.
"Come on. I'll show you the upstairs."
They reached the second floor landing and Edward pulled her along, still holding her hand. They stopped in front of a door.
"This is Jasper's room."
Bella peeked inside. It was nothing special. It had an unmade double bed, dresser, and two guitars in the corner.
"Here's Emmett's room."
Edward side-stepped and Bella looked in. The shades were still drawn but the light from the hall lit it up enough to see Emmett sprawled across his bed diagonally. His chest was naked, but the sheets covered the rest of him. And he snored loudly.
Edward explained there was a bathroom at the end of the hall as he towed her up the next flight of stairs. There was a guest loft bedroom that overlooked the first floor, which anyone would be lucky to use.
Edward walked on to the next room. Instead of stopping in front of the door, he went inside. She followed, like she had since the tour began. The second she crossed the threshold, images filled her mind, throwing her off-balance.
"Bella!"
Edward caught her before she hit the floor.
The room spun and she heard herself moan. Oh, this was not good. Not good at all.
Edward carried her to his bed and she closed her eyes, hoping the images would disappear.
They were so vivid — Edward kissing her, Edward smiling at her. Her mind flashed and she looked down into his gorgeous green eyes as he lay beneath her in his bed.
Bella quickly opened her eyes to come back to reality and Edward was gone. She struggled to sit up, to regain her equilibrium and he was back, shoving a glass into her hand.
"Drink this."
She took a sip and handed it back. "I'm okay."
"No, you're not. I'm going to take you to the hospital."
He put his arms underneath her and she balked.
"Edward, no!" She hadn't meant to scream it.
He stopped and sat at the edge of the bed.
If she told him the truth, he'd definitely take her to the hospital — the psych ward. And exactly what was the truth? Harry had to find out before she blabbed it to Edward.
She caught him staring at her. His eyes were wide with fear. He genuinely cared about her and the thought made her whole body hot again.
Bella brought her hand up to his cheek and a sudden calm came over her.
"What is it, Bella?"
"Edward, you'll just have to trust me. What's happening is perfectly normal. Perfectly normal, for me anyway."
"You're freaking me out."
He took her hand off his cheek and kissed it. The visions swirled again. She bit her lip hard to control them. So hard, she tasted blood.
"It happened again, didn't it? The dizziness."
He handed her a tissue for her lip.
Bella couldn't stop staring into his eyes. "I really like you Edward."
He have her that crooked smile. "I like you, too."
"Did Harry tell you we know each other?"
"You know Harry Clearwater?" The poor guy looked confused.
"I have since I was born."
"And you both came here. It's a small world."
If he only knew.