SM owns all. This is the way that I wanted things to go. Thanks to Goldengirl62, for your help, I do appreciate you, and thanks to my beta Ladyofspain.
Chapter 7: Port Angeles
Bella's POV
I groaned, turning onto my back. I thought I would be able to sleep in today; after all, it was Saturday. The noises that my father was making there in the kitchen made that impossible. I stood up, then went to the bathroom to wash my face and brush my teeth before running down the stairs to see if he needed help from the sound of things.
To my surprise, when I came down, he had two plates of waffles, eggs and bacon. It looked good, and suddenly I was hungry.
"Morning, Dad," I greeted him, walking into the kitchen.
"Hey, Bella," he said, approaching the table to place the two plates there. "I only came to wake you; I wanted to have breakfast together before I leave to go fishing."
I realized he already had two glasses of orange juice, utensils and all the condiments on the table. We both sat down.
"This looks good, Dad; thank you," I said.
He looked up at me and smiled. "No problem, I'm not completely useless in the kitchen."
"You're going fishing by yourself?" I knew that usually he went with one of his friends.
"No, I'm going with Billy," he answered, then continued eating.
"Oh." It was my only answer.
He looked up quickly. "You know, I'll stay home if you want. I feel so bad for leaving you alone."
"No, you go and have fun. Angela and I are going to Port Angeles today; there's a shop that sells old books I wanted to read."
"Angela … she's a friend from school?"
"Yes, she's very nice."
He smiled. "That's fine, Bella; I'm glad you're making friends." Then he became serious. "Be sure to keep the cell phone I gave you at all times, just in case. Need money?"
"Not this time, but thanks."
"No problem. You know, Billy has been asking about you; he wanted to know when you could go and see him. He has not seen you since you left, and you were like a second daughter to him." He stopped and looked at me expectantly.
I didn't know how to explain it. "Dad, I really don't think it would be a good idea."
"Why not?" he asked.
"Really, I can't explain right now." I was hoping he would not continue pressing the issue. It seemed as if he wanted to, but he remembered he had to watch the clock.
Jumping up, he said, "I'm late." He stopped and kissed me on top of my head. "Have fun and take care. Let's talk about this another day."
When he left, I finished eating, and then started cleaning the kitchen. After I did that, I ran upstairs to get ready for my day of girls with Angela. I couldn't wait to relax and have a day free of worry. I grabbed everything I needed, and took a quick shower.
After my shower, I went to my room trying to decide what to wear. I looked out my window, opened it and gazed out. Amazing— today was even hotter than it was yesterday.
I decided I wanted to wear something other than what I would normally wear to school and... Oh! Hell, for some reason the act of collecting my clothes brought to mind Jacob without his shirt. I wanted to glue myself and stay forever on that bare chest and in those arms—damn. That man should have a warning label that says it can cause a woman to hyperventilate and speak in tongues. My God, what does he do? Maybe he works with Mac trucks?
I found myself drifting into fantasy; imagining those arms that could hold me close to his chest. Jacob was incredibly attractive—and talking about a six pack—no, that man had no six-pack, this man received a package of eight, all the best...
What the hell? Woman out of it!. Today, no more thoughts of Jacob. With my resolution in place, I started looking seriously about clothing, because Angela should be here soon.
I dressed, and went to look at myself in the mirror—perfect. I chose to wear a dress, halter style, the color of the blue sky, which reached a little above my knee. It just fit my body; not too tight but not loose. On my feet, I wore sling backs—two-tone, blue, wedge-heeled shoes. For jewelry, I wore a simple pair of silver hoop earrings and my watch, and I let my hair down to dry in its natural wave. I heard a horn outside and knew it was Angela. I grabbed my coat and bag, went down and out, slamming the door behind me.
"You look great," Ang congratulated me, smiling as I sat in her car and locked the door.
"Thank you for the compliment," I replied while Angela was driving. We were on our way.
She also wore a dress—a butter yellow color, which really complimented her skin tone.
"Thank you, Bella. You ready for our day of girls?"
"More than ready. It's been a stressful week," I said, leaning my head against the headrest.
She turned on the radio and we sang together some songs we knew. Then we talked a bit about school and things. When we arrived at Port Angeles, we were more than ready to start the day.
"I know a great ice cream shop near here, that has very rich ice cream," Angela said as we left the car and locked it. "Wanna go get some?"
Nodding my head, I remarked, "Of course, today is an incredibly hot day, and ice cream sounds good, very good now."
"Cool. Then we can go see the flea market before going to the bookstore."
"Sounds good," I said with excitement as we headed there.
Jacob's POV:
I knew that Bella would go to Port Angeles with Angela today, so I went to her home and parked far enough, so she couldn't see me. Quil and Embry would go with me, and then we would phase and go into the woods by her house. When I saw Charlie; I knew he'd be gone also—fishing with my dad today.
It was not long after Charlie left, that Angela arrived. I didn't have a clear vision of Bella when she left home, but her aroma drifting up to me was as sweet as ever.
"Come on, I want to follow her," I said to them. I just wanted to be near her at every opportunity presented to me.
Quickly phasing back and dressing, we jumped in the car and left. When we arrived in Port Angeles, I wasn't sure which way they went, but I wasn't worried. We left the car; I closed my eyes and let her scent drift toward me. So I began to follow her. When I saw her at an ice cream stand, with her back to me, I was about to swallow my tongue.
My eyes bulged out of my head. With my heartbeat vibrating in my ears, a heady delicious pain weighed heavily in my groin. My girl was wearing a dress. My friends were laughing at my reaction.
"I don't see how you'll resist her wearing that," Embry said, grinning. I ignored them.
The dress was molded to her body perfectly, showing the curves of her beautiful figure—heavenly. It made my mouth water. Oh! damn, and her legs seem to go on forever, The blue in the dress brought out the beautiful color of her skin, which seemed smooth as silk. My fingers itched to touch and explore every inch of her.
The beast within me wanted to kill any men in the area who would dare even look at my woman, or throw her over my shoulder and lock us up together forever. It wouldn't stop screaming in my head: My woman, mine.
"Shit," spewed out of me like a promise.
Quil put his hand on my shoulder. "Not the same word she used when she saw you shirtless?"
"Yes," Embry said. "She's fully dressed and you're barely able to control yourself. I can imagine what your reaction would be if she were naked."
They both laughed and I moaned. Did they have to put that image in my head? Damn it!
She and Angela began to walk away, and we followed them.
Bella's POV
I felt like someone was watching me while we ate our ice cream. Even when we left; I felt like I was being followed, but was not sure. We arrived at the flea market and looked around, when I noticed a seller with a beautiful quartz stone and wanted to check.
I turned to Angela. "I'm going to look at those stones; I'll be right back."
I admired the articles and found one that I would love to give to Angela—for being such a good friend and spending the day with me—when I felt like someone was standing behind me. The air around me filled with tension and electricity. Angela started walking towards me, but she wasn't looking at me; she was smiling and looking at someone behind me. Finally she looked my way when she came to stand where I was.
I didn't have to look or wait for her to tell me who was there watching me. Only one person could give me these feelings: Jacob. I had the urge to turn around and look at him, but I couldn't because then I would get the image of him standing shirtless in the school parking lot. I felt my skin turn bright red with that picture in my mind.
"Are you ready to go?" I asked Angela. I needed to get out of the area.
"Sure, come on," she said, and we started making our way to the bookstore. When we were at a distance, I looked back quickly and felt relieved that he didn't follow us.
"Jacob was standing behind me, watching me, right?" I asked without looking up.
"Yes, he was. I don't think he realized someone else was around." I heard the smile in her voice. "I swear that he was ogling you, caressing you as if he was touching you. But how did you know? You never once turned around to face him. "
"I don't need to see him, to know he's there," I answered her. "The tension in the air always lets me know when he's around, and that happen only with him".
"I think you both can see each other without even looking. I noticed that he instinctively knows when and where you are going to show up. He becomes alert and never takes his eyes from the place that you will appear," she laughed. "That's how I know when you are about to enter school or in the parking lot. It's so strange to be so in tune with someone, although it seems that he feels it more than you, but I can see more and more in you every day."
I was surprised about her evaluation.
"Oh, Ang! I'm so confused by these feelings—this connection I feel with him." I took a breath. "I've never felt this with anyone ... and I'm afraid."
My friend put her hand on my arm. "Don't worry, Bella, everything will be alright. I'm here for you."
"Thank you, Ang." I said as we walked to the bookstore.
Jacob's POV:
I couldn't help myself; everyone and everything seemed to disappear when I took in the heady aroma of my Bells. It was hard trying to resist the temptation to pull her beautiful and delicate figure against me, and taste the sweetness of her full sexy lips. I was so lost in the sight of her; it was a few seconds before I realized that she walked away. I followed after her.
I was glad I did when I heard the conversation they had. I was full of hope and my heart filled with joy to hear her say the words she did, although I didn't like that she was so stressed. She had no idea of the deep connection we had. I had a strong desire to alleviate the pain she was feeling... if only she would let me.
"She feels the imprint," Quil said. "It's going to work, she just needs time."
"You two were made for each other," Embry added. "I'm sure you'll win her over soon."
I was not so sure about that, but with hope in my heart, I followed her.
Bella's POV
I was surprised by the collection of books they had and I was thrilled to find a rare book that I've looked everywhere for. I picked it up and was scanning the pages, when I felt someone touch my hair. I turned quickly without thinking and I came face to face with Jacob. He was standing so close I could feel the warmth coming from his body. Without taking his eyes from mine, he came and took my hand and started to caress it.
I got lost in his eyes; the electricity was stronger than before, the tension was a physical thing. I had to get away from him.
I tried to pull my hand away, but he wouldn't let me and the power of the word seemed to have gone from my lips. Then Angela came and stood next to me; I looked at her with gratitude for her timely intervention. When Jacob finally let go of my hand, I said hello, ignoring the blush I knew was obvious.
"Hi, Jacob." I greeted him as calmly as I could. "Didn't expect to see you here."
"Hey, Bells." He smiled. "Are you having fun?"
Angela interrupted: "Looking for something in particular, Jacob, or do you just like reading as a hobby?"
"I like reading the classics," he said. Then looking at me, "But today I didn't come here looking for a book."
Jacob's POV:
I didn't want to embarrass my Bells, but I couldn't avoid the love and desire I felt for her. It was so evident in my eyes. I needed to touch her more than I needed to breathe... And that was heaven—stroking her hair, caressing her hand; I just couldn't stop. It was Paradise standing so close to her; the warmth of her body enveloped me with longing. My pulse quickened at the way she blushed. So beautiful… I wanted to go and capture her lips with mine, but I didn't want to scare her away.
The pull we had with each other was very strong, and I knew that she was healing, but it was killing me not to act on these feelings. Still… I would be patient because my Bella was worth it.
After the brief conversation, we saw them pick up their items, pay, and take leave of us. After they left, I didn't follow her; I had pressed her enough for one day.
"That was interesting," Quil said when we went to the car.
"Yes, I thought you were going to devour her where she stood," Embry said with a laugh. We left the bookstore, got into the car, and reached their vehicle in time to follow them back to Forks.
I ignored all their comments. I was happy because I could touch her and talk to my Bells, even if only for a short time.
Bella's POV
Back in Forks, we touch the subject of Jacob. I was so confused I needed to talk to my friend.
"You know Ang. It is clear what Jacob wants. Seems that he is so used to getting any girl he wants, and thinks it will be just as easy with me, but I refuse to be his new conquest, or of any other. I will not to let him laugh at me, and I do not want to risk that again he humble me, without reason." I said stubbornly. "I just do not trust him."
Angela looked at me. "I do not know what wave Bella. He looks a nice guy."
I sat quietly and thought about what she said. That brought to my mind the Jake of my childhood.
"I think he could be my childhood friend, but I can not be sure; he looks very different and I have fear to find out. My friend and I were very close, and I would suffer greatly if that friend whom I loved, had become in this boy. Although Jacob is showing that it is not the same guy I met on the first day, I'm not sure... I do not want to be near him." I told my friend, although I can not deny that my body has become a betrayer at the approach of him, and every time I'm close to Jacob, I feel I lose control of my reactions. I did not say anything more, I do not want anyone to know the things that Jacob provoke on me.
"Do not worry Bella." Angela reassured. "Everything will be alright."
Silently I hoped she was right.
Jacob's POV:
We were following the car of Ang, and heard every word they spoke. It broke my heart to know the pain I caused her. She sounds so confusing, I want to wrap her in my arms and clear up the confusion of her.
"Jake, she is very cautious." Embry said. "You'll have to go slow with her."
"I know." I said. "I can not believe she would think I look her like a conquest for me. She is my world." I shook my head sadly. "I never wanted to humiliate or make fun of her. I just want to love and care for her, spend my life making her happy."
"Yes Jake, we know that." Embry said. "But still, you have to be careful with her, little by little she will realize how much she means to you. Be patient."
Of course I will. I loved her as a child and love her more now, she is my soul. I'll wait for her forever if I have to, because to spend my life without her is not an option, I will live my life with her and her.