Phyre found herself once again wondering what Embry had planned. They had spent hours at the beach and diving. But, once the sun set, he rounded everything up for the second part of their date.

Though, he was right that she could dive in her dress and capris just fine, her clothes were now sandy and scratchy and her hair was an absolute mess.

"So, tell me about your brother." Embry prompted as he drove them somewhere.

Phyre looked at him sideways. "Do you really want to know?"

He raised his brow and tilted his head. "Yes. I really want to know. I want to know everything about you. And, Jax is still a big part of who you are." He looked straight at her for a moment before he turned back to watch the road.

She smiled at his efforts. "Jax was a sweet boy. Damn, he was smart too. Always into computers, math, engineering kinds of stuff. He sucked at history or English, but if it was math, science, and codes... he was all for it. He could have been like that guy in 'Good Will Hunting' more brilliant than the college kids, all off of a public library card. Though, I hoped that he would go to college anyway."

"You sound like you were very proud of him."

"I am, or was, I guess." She shrugged.

Embry saw her slip and rushed to get things back onto happier thoughts. "So, what else? Was he into sports, music, theater?"

Phyre rolled her eyes. "Not all gay men like theater and fashion. Such a stereotype. Not that I would have had a problem if he was into that stuff, just would have made thrift store shopping more fun. No, he was more of a classic computer engineer type guy. He liked video games, sci-fi, puzzles, that kind of stuff. He made us celebrate Pi Day and Star Wars Day every year."

"Pi Day?"

"Yeah!" She smiled. "The number, Pi... 3.14159 etc. It is celebrated on March 14th every year. Kind of an ode to all things math and pun related as we would celebrate by eating pies."

Embry laughed. "Alright, we have to put that one on the calendar and make sure we get a pie for Jax."

Phyre's jaw dropped. "You really want to do that?"

Embry smiled at her so warmly. "Of course, can't disrupt a tradition. What about Star War's Day?"

Still not completely over the way her heart had melted at his acceptance of her brother and her traditions, she barely formed the words to answer his question. "May the fourth be with you..."

He started laughing as he understood the reference. Phyre's heart soared. How could any man be so amazing?

Before she knew it, Embry pulled up to a house. "Come on." God, he had the most devilish grin.

"Where are we?" She asked.

He chuckled. "My house. I did a little shopping for you, just some stuff you can keep here in case you need it."

"Oh, a bit presumptuous of you?" Phyre finally shook herself loose from the shock of Embry's earlier conversation.

He narrowed his eyes on her. "If you weren't a wolf, yeah. But, you are. So, rather than you run to my house and be naked in front of Quil, I got a few clothes for you." Then he paused. "Though, if you want to skip the girly clothes and wear my shirts..."

Phyre giggled. "You are bad."

"What? It is over the top hot to think of your sexy body under one of my shirts, draping my scent all over you."

She blushed furiously and dropped her eyes. But, she could hear his breath catch. He cleared his throat. "So, uh, yeah..." He quickly mumbled just loud enough that she could hear with her wolf hearing. "Didn't think I could get any harder." He let out a long slow breath. "So, clothes. Yes, clothes. I have a few things in bags on the shelf in the bathroom if you want to change and clean up before we go to dinner."

'So, would it be terribly wrong to have sex with him sooner rather than later?' She wondered as she took a quick shower. She couldn't think of any man more perfect than Embry Call. The connection between them was so strong that she could barely stand being in the room alone. The prior days of separation were practically torture. Perhaps it was all just sexual tension? No. the way Paul described everything and the memories from the others in the pack mind said that it was always going to be like that. Even after having sex. Damn. Though, to be honest, seeing all of the guys thoughts about sex did absolutely nothing to help her keep her mind away from thoughts about Embry or her memory of Seth. Ugh.

"What are you thinking about in there?" Embry groaned. Fuck! He could still smell her.

"Theo James." She lied quickly and dropped her head to the cold tile. But, she giggled when she heard him growl.

When she left the bathroom, Embry was quick to wrap an arm around her and pull her close to his chest as he growled. "Why were you getting turned on thinking of another man?"

"I haven't decided yet, if the jealousy is a serious turn on... or a turn off." She snarked. But, to her utter surprise, it wasn't his face that reacted. Rather, his fingers as they slid up to tickle her. Phyre squealed as she tried to wiggle free of his grip. She twisted and pulled and lunged herself down the hall as quickly as she could. Damn, the stairs were down the other way, behind Embry. He cornered her. So, she tried to run into a room and try to get out the window, but he grabbed her hips and threw her on the bed and once again attacked her sides with wiggling fingers. She howled in laughter.

The two had been so caught up in the game, that they had not noticed Quil until he walked in. "Can you at least move this to your room Embry? I don't want your cooties on my bed."

That just made them laugh even harder. "You spend way too much time with Claire." Embry said as he pulled back, but he wasn't done with Phyre yet. He quickly pulled on her arm until he pulled her over his shoulder and carried her down the hall to his own room.

She screamed and kicked the whole way. "Put me down you caveman!"

Once he was in his room, he reached up and popped her on her backside. "Now, tell me the truth. What were you thinking about in the bathroom?"

"I don't take orders from you." She pouted.

He smirked. "No. I didn't expect you to be that complacent. But, I really want you to admit the truth." He tossed her down and climbed over her to cage her in.

She was lost in his eyes. His smile. Everything about him. Her skin tingled in their proximity. "You."

Embry's face glowed in pride. "How did I get so lucky to have a woman like you for my imprint?" Phyre blushed and tried to hide her face. "Don't." He said as he pulled her hands away. "You are beautiful and sexy. You are smart and you make me laugh. Please don't hide from me."

"No one has ever paid this much attention to me before." She whispered.

"Well get used to it my little firefly." He rubbed his nose against hers.

Her face lit up. "Shiny!"

Embry started laughing. "You have seen that show?"

"Yeah! I love sci-fi and fantasy. Oh, and horror movies. Most anything that you would picture as being popular at a comic-con, except graphic novels. Jax wasn't the only sci-fi geek in the house."

"No graphic novels?" He was stunned as he rolled to the side and get comfortable as they talked.

She shook her head. "They are too short. I like the art work, but I really love a good book. Something that I could just get lost in and create my own images of the characters and places."

Embry tilted his head. "Pop quiz... scariest horror movie character?"

"Freddy!" She covered her face again. "Oh God! He could get you in your sleep! No way to hide. And, he was seriously creepy and shit!"

He laughed as she shuddered at the thought of the character.

There was no way that anyone could have prepared Phyre for the amazing man that she had seen from Embry all day. He spent most of the drive asking about her. Showed that he listened to what she said in his choices with their date. He was open. Easy going. He laughed and teased. He had dreams and plans that were achievable, but still more than just falling into a rut. He was obviously very attracted to her, yet fought to remain in control.

Could people really fall in love in just one night? She didn't know if it was really love yet. But, she could feel herself falling. She was lost in him. The first real happiness that she had ever experienced. And, it scared the shit out of her.

There weren't a lot of restaurant choices on the reservation, or even in Forks. So, they ended up in a bar and grill. Steak! Yum, yum.

"Stop giggling!" Embry pouted. He had managed to spill water all down his shirt and on to his pants.

"I knew you were happy to see me, but ah..." She looked at his lap and the way that the water made the fabric of his khaki shorts cling more to the bulge underneath.

He groaned. "This is all your fault you know."

Phyre looked up with an innocent look on her face. "What did I do?"

Embry's eyes narrowed. "Vixen. You are a sultry vixen." That just made her laugh more.

"Who says that shit?"

"I do! Apparently." That got him to crack and chuckle a little. Well, for half a moment at least.

"Embry? Embry Call?" Embry froze and looked at Phyre. Her eyes shot up and her laughter died. The voice carried over from a curvy blonde waitress with very tight clothing on. "Embry, that is you. Oh baby, I haven't seen you around in ages."

Phyre was livid. They had not even made it through one date before his past slapped her in the face. Her wolf was pacing in jealousy. 'Mine! Mine! Mine!'

"I'm in the middle of a date." Embry stated through clenched teeth. The waitress had completely ignored Phyre. But, at his statement, she turned a disapproving eye to her. It did not go unnoticed by either of them. "Please leave. Now." He barked.

"Oh come on baby. I know your routine. I am not looking for strings. Though, this one hear looks like she is under the delusion that you will stick around. Poor girl."

Phyre tried to launch herself out of the seat. Her rage was taking over. Thank the ancestors that Embry was next to her and between the two women. Otherwise, Phyre was gonna go full wolf on the bitches ass. But, before she could maneuver around to attack the bitch for her insults, Embry had laid claim to her lips. The shock completely scattered her brain.

"Baby, she is not worth it." Embry said as he pulled back.

"Is there a problem?" Another woman walked up. Older looking, the manager perhaps?

Embry growled. "Yes. This waitress just insulted my girlfriend."

"Girlfriend? Embry Call does not have girlfriends!" The blonde shrieked.

He turned a deadly glare at the woman. "Just because your a slut that I slept with once does not mean you know me or my future with a woman that I choose. I'll be sure not to invite you to our wedding." Embry turned to Phyre. "Come on love, I lost my appetite." He threw down money and pulled her out of the place as quickly as he could. That kiss wasn't going to keep her human for long.

He barely got her into the alley before she started to shake. "That fucking bitch!"

Embry quickly pushed her against a wall and kissed her again. Phyre wasn't going to let him distract her again. "No!" She pulled away. "That was our first kiss Embry! That bitch ruined our chance at a real first kiss!"

He cupped her face in his hands. "I know. I am sorry for that. But, it was the only way to keep you from losing control in the middle of the restaurant. I will make it up to you. I promise."

Her chest was tight, she was finding it hard to breath. "Not even one day Embry. Not one date. And, everything I feared earlier came true." She was gasping as tears welled in her eyes.

The car ride home was quiet. Phyre was still pissed, yet fighting with all of her strength to not turn wolf. She didn't want to share it all across the pack mind. It was too fresh and too painful to hold it back. Embry didn't know how to reach her.

The second Embry slowed to pull up to Paul's house, Phyre pulled the handle and jumped from the truck to run into the house with only a slamming door behind her. She barreled her way to her room where she collapsed in tears.

Before long, she could hear foot steps hurry toward her room. Paul raced in and scooped her up, carrying her to the back yard. Phyre didn't even fight him on it. She knew she was too close to phasing to really stay in the house. Once in the backyard, he sat on the steps and cradled her in his lap, running circles over her back. Damn, she wished it was Embry who held her.

"Did he hurt you?" Paul whispered angrily.

"What? No!" Phyre was quick to defend Embry. She wasn't really angry at him. She just didn't know how to process it all.

Paul took a deep breath. "What happened?"

She shook her head. "I feel stupid. Which only makes it all worse."

"Well, I came home to see Embry sitting in Quil's truck, in front of the house, completely messed up. And, you in your room about ready to phase. So, something happened."

"He kissed me."

Paul growled. "Did he force you?"

"No."

"Was he really bad at it?"

"No."

"Then what?"

Phyre started to shake again. "It was supposed to be... Do you remember your first kiss with Anna?"

He was hesitant. "Yes."

She sniffed back her tears. "Was it special?" She asked as she climbed off of his lap.

"Yes."

Her shoulders dropped.

"Phyre, how could your first kiss not be special?"

"He only kissed me to keep me from phasing in the middle of the restaurant. He did the right thing. But, now that moment was stolen from us. By some blonde skank who thought she could flirt with Embry during our date and insult me even after Embry told her to get lost. And, how often is this going to happen? That girls will do this to us? He was with so many girls that he does even remember how many? My wolf wanted to kill her. Literally. Not just beat the shit out of her. To kill her and that scared the shit out of me. And..."

Paul stood up and hugged her again. "You should talk to Embry about this."

"I tried, but every time I opened my mouth to speak, the anger spiked and I was trying so hard not to turn wolf. He could usually calm me down except about this. And, I didn't want to hurt him doing it in the truck." She took a deep breath. "This is so fucked up. We had an amazing date until that fucking whore ruined everything."

"Okay, let's see if I can help enough to get you two talking again." He spoke calmly. "The wolf possessiveness is intense. You don't want your imprint to even smell like anyone else. We all get that. In your case, I think it was a little more so. Like it hit a very personal nerve for you." He tilted his head to see her reaction.

She looked up. "I had just found out about his past earlier today. I told him that I was worried ex-flings would cause drama. Paul, we didn't even get one day before the drama."

He gave a soft smile. "Phyre, the important part isn't his past. It's his present and future. It will take a little time for people to get used to him not being single. But, it will happen. Then, those kind of things will happen a lot less. But, the fact is that he will always get some attention. You have to be prepared for that. We have all been there. Just, focus on what he does during those moments. You said that he told her to get lost. He doesn't want anyone else. He only wants you. You know that."

Phyre growled stubbornly. He made sense. She knew that. But, she wasn't ready to let go yet.

"Besides, he has it worse on the whole jealousy thing." Paul snarked.

"What? I only ever kissed. And, I know exactly who they are."

"Yeah, and that last one was about to become a whole lot more than kissing. Something that Embry not only saw with his own eyes, but has to relive it from Seth's memory every time Seth loses focus on patrol with him. Plus, he has to see you naked through all of his friends eyes when you phase. At this point, he has gotten less of a view and definitely less action from you than his friends have. Not that I am encouraging anything moving faster. But, you are scared of his past. He still has to deal with your present."

Phyre slumped down. She hadn't thought of how he would feel with all of those memories and views in the pack mind. His wolf must really be going crazy. Her anger melted. But, it was replaced with pain. Her chest hurt realizing that she caused him so much frustration and pain. Once the pain settled in, it opened the door to the grief that she had been able to forget for a few hours. Then, came the guilt. That she had an amazing time with Embry before everything happened. Yet, her brother would never be able to know that kind of happiness. Her emotions were a huge jumbled mess.

She broke down in tears once again. "What did I do?" She sobbed. Barely aware of Paul's movements with his phone. He must have texted Embry because moments later Embry ran to the backyard and pulled her into his arms, out of Paul's. Paul quietly went inside to let them talk alone.

"I'm so sorry Embry."

"God, I'm sorry Phyre. I swear I didn't know she worked there."

She sniffed. "I just..."

"Shhh. It's okay. I understand." He scooped her up into his arms. "Come on. It's getting late and you have school tomorrow." He carried her back to her room and laid her down across the bed.

Phyre grabbed his shirt. "Please don't leave." He smiled at her. "Please." With a simple nod, he kicked off his shoes and pulled off his shirt, then climbed in to the bed behind her.

She reached over to grab her photo album. "Jax meet Embry. He took me out on my very first date today. I'll have to tell you about it later. Embry, this was my brother, Jax. I am really sorry you two couldn't meet." She cried, hugging the picture book to her chest.

"It's nice that you still talk to him."

"I do every night."

Phyre fell asleep to the comfort of Embry spooning her while running his fingers through her short black hair.

"You have to tell me everything about your date!" Karen giggled.

Phyre growled. Karen's eyes widened. "That bad?"

"It was perfect until the blonde bimbo waitress screwed up our dinner by hitting on Embry and insulting me." She let out as calmly as possible.

Collin and Brady sucked in their breaths.

Karen gave her a look of sympathy. Then reached in for a hug. "There are some real bitches out there. I am sorry you had that happen. What did he do?"

"Everything right. It still didn't make me happy though. Jealousy sucks." Phyre slumped against her desk.