"Bella..." Jake choked out, forehead creased, his emotional pain on naked display. "Please... please let me explai-"
The connection between our eyes suddenly blocked by a feminine figure. Emily's. She moved her body in front of mine like a shield.
"JACOB BLACK!" Her back was turned to me, but from Jake's point of view she must have looked like fury on two legs. "If you think you are going to barge into MY house making demands, after the bullshit you pulled with Bella today, you are out of your fucking mind!"
I don't think I had ever heard her curse before.
"But, Emily, please... I have to -"
"Listen, Jake." She sighed, effectively cutting him off. "I love you. We all do. And believe me, this family understands the change you're dealing with. But Bella doesn't. And after seeing her in the state you left her in this afternoon, freezing and... humiliated. Yes, you do need to speak with her and give her an explanation... but not today. Give her time to collect herself. She will let you know IF and when she's ready to talk." She spoke with eyes narrowed "Now... get the hell out of my house."
He opened his mouth to debate only to be shoved backward by all the force the small native woman could muster. She pushed against his abdomen as she walked forward, and Jacob allowed his body to yield to her weaker human display. With head bowed and shoulders slumped, he retreated from the Uley's entryway. My eyes followed his beautiful brown back until he had moved too far from the house to be seen. Wait... beautiful? What?
I've never felt so confused. I should have been horrified to see his face so soon after what transpired between us in the garage, and on some level I was, but at the forefront of my mind I felt... drawn to him. From the moment I saw his raw form enter the cottage my heart raced with more than just fear. My thighs rubbed against each other under the soft jersey dress and my nipples hardened in an effort to reach closer to him. What the fuck was going on? I wanted to cry, but after the river I'd released today, I'd probably die of dehydration.
I turned toward Emily and Sam, who both still sported protective stances between the door and me.
I cleared my throat "Sam... Emily. Thank you both so much for everything you've done to help me today," I said sheepishly "but it's getting a little late and I need get home. Charlie will be back from work soon and I need to start working on dinner."
Sam was the first to respond; he gave me an intense look as he reached his arm out, the keys to my truck dangling from his fingertips. "I ran and picked it up while you were in the shower. I figured you've probably had... enough of the garage for today."
"I really appreciate that Sam." I thanked him over Emily's shoulder and she wrapped me in her arms one last time.
She whispered into my ear "Remember, you can always call if you have any questions or ever need help... with anything. We protect our own and as far as I'm concerned, you're part of this family." I squeezed her hand and offered a small grateful smile.
My trusty old truck roared to life as I turned the key in the ignition. I took comfort in her familiar vibration against my forehead, as briefly rested it against the steering wheel. One cleansing breath... two...
The drive back was familiar, but just as beautiful as always. Something about the long stretches of beach in La Push felt like a calling home. As I took in the scenic setting, I let my mind drift to Jacob and his face full of remorse. It almost pained me how the Uley's had turned him away. He was so desperate to get to me, to make amends. I was beyond curious to find out what he had to say.
The dim light illuminating a dark gray front door signaled the end of my drive. Charlie's cruiser wasn't in its usual spot in the driveway and I figured his shift must have run long. At least I had more time to throw something together for dinner. I dropped my bag under the entryway table and tossed my keys in the copper trinket dish. A red flashing light on the answering machine caught my attention.
"Hey, Bells, it's Dad. Looks like we're short staffed at the station again so I'm here for the long one. I tried you on your cell a couple times so if you get this at the house just ignore my other messages. I'll probably be back after you're in bed so don't worry about dinner. Love you, kiddo."
I breathed a small sigh of relief at my luck; I really wasn't in the mood to make any small talk over casserole tonight. All I wanted was a good book and my familiar, cozy... safe bed.
I grabbed my backpack off the floor, pulled my cell phone out of the front zipper pocket and headed for the stairs. Two messages from Charlie, as expected, and one missed call from Edward. A small lump formed in my throat as I saw his name illuminated on the screen. Strange... I had never felt anything but elation when I thought about Edward. Usually sparkles dance in my head thinking about his golden eyes and strikingly pale and statuesque physique. What is this feeling washing over me now?
I pressed the callback button and waited nervously as the dial tone played back in my ear.
"Bella, love?" Edward's voice melodic voice called out to me. "Where have you been all day? I'm surprised I haven't heard from you before now."
"Oh… I met up with Angela for lunch. We went to a restaurant in town and got to talking, I completely lost track of time. You know it's been forever since we've seen each other. It was really nice to catch up." I made up on the fly, unsure of why I was even lying to him. He knew Jacob and I were friends. Sure, he knew Jacob had strong feelings for me and wished that I would steer clear completely, but it wouldn't have been unusual for me to stop by the garage.
"I'm actually really drained from all the girl talk, you know?" I chuckled awkwardly "I'll probably just call it an early night. Charlie is on his way home so I'll call you in the morning?"
"Sure, Bella. Is everything okay? You sound a bit uneasy." Edward questioned.
"Yeah, yeah, just tired. I'm getting into bed now. I feel like I can barely keep my eyes open, but I'll talk to you in the morning. Goodnight, Edward." I hung up the phone and flopped down stomach first onto my comforter. For some reason speaking with him put me on edge. It had been a long day. A good night sleep would straighten me out. I opted to keep the soft dress on instead of changing into pajamas.
As I reached for the Jane Austen novel on my nightstand, I heard a small tap against my window. I didn't think much of it at first because it was a windy evening. A second and third tap had the color draining from my cheeks. Only two people I know would come to the window instead of using the front door, and I just said goodnight to one of them. Shivers spread throughout my limbs and I stood up and walked over to the sill. I shoved hard to budge the glass upward and looked down to find a large shirtless figure standing in my yard.
"Bella! Please don't close the window! I need to talk to you. I'm begging you, please let me come up." The turmoil behind his eyes made me forget about my anger momentarily, my heart squeezing in pain for my best friend.
I didn't say anything to him for almost a minute, and then took a step backward as an invitation. Jacob jumped up easily to grab a tree branch over his head, swinging himself up and into the bedroom. For a moment we just looked at each other. He looked torn between tears and anger at himself.
He startled me as he closed the small gap between us and dropped to his knees. He reached his strong arms quickly around my waist and pressed his face into my lower stomach. He took two deep breaths through his nose, scenting me, the way a puppy scents something it loves.
"I'm so sorry honey" his low voice muffled by the fabric of my dress against his mouth. "I never meant to hurt or scare you, I swear." I reached down to cup underneath his jaw, tilting his head back so I could look into his face. He continued "I hate myself for what I did... the things I said. There's no excuse." He squeezed his eyes shut. "I started to get angry because... I knew you loved me and wouldn't say it out loud. And then when I started to smell you get...excited" he licked his lips subconsciously and my face started to heat up "I couldn't shake the wolf off of me. He wanted you so bad. I haven't stopped running since I saw you. Please...please forgive me Bells. I can't lose you... I love you so much." He whimpered, squeezing my heart.
"Jake...I forgive you. But I am so angry with you. You promised you would protect me no matter what. For a moment… I, I really thought you were going to... force me." He dropped his head in shame and tightened his grip around me, afraid I was going to push him away. "Emily told me… how it was for Sam, learning to control his Alpha." I paused for a few seconds, and he held his breath waiting for me to continue. "How it overpowered him sometimes. How he would get aggressive with her. And how she felt an instinct to let him... dominate her."
His eyes snapped back open and widened as he stared me square in the eyes. "Bells. I know I messed up, but I will do everything possible to never hurt you like that again. You won't have to submit to the wolf. Please believe me. I will keep you safe… from everyone. Even me."
I pulled on his upper arms, encouraging him to release me and stand at his full height. He complied but kept me tucked into his arms. It was then that I noticed his cheeks were wet with tears and I smoothed them away with my thumbs. Our bodies were pressed together from knee to chest. Jake caught my gaze and poured every bit of love and promise into me as he could. He leaned his forehead down until it touched mine "Please, don't send me away tonight. I can't be apart from you right now. I was so afraid you'd never speak to me again. The wolf... I... we need. Please let me hold you, protect you. Like I should have."
Even after everything he'd done today, I could tell he was the one who was more afraid, of what I would say, of rejection, of being controlled by the Alpha. He needed to be taken care of. I gave a small nod in his embrace and he let out a shaky sigh, pushing his lips forward to capture mine in a chaste, grateful kiss. I let him. I grabbed his hand and pulled him behind me toward my bed. I yanked the covers back and we both slid in, no more words passing between us. He flicked off the bedside lamp and turned toward me, pulling my head into his chest and wedging his heavy thigh up between my legs. If he knew I was wearing a dress with no panties... he didn't let it me know it. He peppered my face and lips with small kisses of apology until sleep claimed us both.