A/N: Happy New Year! :)
I just wanted to remind you all that The Alpha Next Door is nominated for Best Jacob Black at the Fandom Choice Awards.
None of this would've been possible without my readers so thank you all so much! :)
If you would like to vote for this story, please visit the Fandom Choice Awards website:
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Bella woke up the next morning to an empty bed and a note from the naughty Alpha.
He promised to help her pack after work, asking her to wear something sexy for their 'packing' session.
She rolled her eyes at his request and climbed out of bed.
At work, Paul and the rest of her co-workers surprised her with a farewell lunch followed by dessert courtesy of Joan the station manager.
She thanked them all and hugged Paul on the way out.
'Tell Rachel I said hi.'
'Will do, sweetkins. Have fun in Phoenix.'
"I'll try." She replied, stepping back and adjusting her red shoulder bag.
'What's with the funeral face, Swan? Chin up. You're going to the vamp-free capital of Arizona.'
"True." She nodded. "I should be on cloud number nine right now. My internship was a success and your finger sandwiches were awesome by the way." She added.
'Gracias, gracias.' Paul grinned, bowing in thanks. 'I'm one step away from becoming the next Iron Chef.'
"If you become a chef, who's going to dazzle the women of Washington every morning on the radio?"
'Mmm…' He tapped his fingers on his chin thoughtfully. 'Your Alpha can fill in for me. He's a pro at sweet-talking the ladies.'
"He sure is, but I don't think he'll last for more than an hour. He hates sitting in an office, let alone a studio."
'Maybe we can tie him up.' He winked at her. 'Train him to be less fidgety…'
"You'll need more than rope to hold him down." Bella chuckled.
'Are you speaking from experience?' He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, making her blush.
"Maybe." She replied before darting past him towards the sliding doors. "See you in three weeks!"
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By the time Jacob showed up, her bedroom was in complete and utter disarray.
'Whoa. What happened in here?' He glanced around the room, his eyes settling on the huffing brunette who was searching for her butterfly bikini.
"Nothing." She said distractedly. "Argh…I hate packing!"
He sauntered over to her bed, still dressed in his work overalls.
Bella was suddenly aware of his warm presence, his body heat reminding her of the temperature in Phoenix.
Most of her clothes were Washington friendly, so she dug further into her closet and pulled out her Arizona marked box.
It was full of shorts, halter tops and miniskirts.
'Damn, Bells. I had no idea you had a stripper wardrobe hidden in your closet.' Jacob snickered, lifting one of her tops and swinging it in front of her face.
She snatched the silky garment from his hand and tossed it inside the box. "Renee sent me most of this pile."
'And you plan on wearing said pile while you're in Arizona…' He scanned the colorful items on the bed with an appraising look on his face.
"Yep." She nodded. "Now help me locate my butterfly bikini."
'The one with the ribbons?' He smirked while sifting through her swimwear collection.
"No. The one with the tiny blue butterflies." She replied, sighing impatiently. "It's my favorite bikini."
Jacob chuckled in amusement.
His imprint had a favorite everything.
Favorite jeans, bracelet, boots…
'Let me guess. Is it white?'
"Yes! Did you find it?"
He fished it out from beneath her Pink Panther tankini with a cocky grin on his lips. 'It reeks of chlorine.'
"Woohoo!" Bella ignored his last remark and reached out to grab it but he held it out of her reach. "Gimmee the damn bikini."
'Kiss me first.' He demanded, staring down at her petite figure.
She craned her neck, hands flying to her hips. "I'm on a tight schedule here so make it quick."
'Tight schedule, huh?' He repeated with a mischievous glint in his olive eyes.
"Yep." Bella stepped closer and jumped in the air, her fingers flirting with the edge of the bikini straps. "Goddamit, Black. Why do you have to be so freakin tall?"
'So I could do this…' He grinned before swooping down for his overdue kiss.
He lifted Bella by the waist and devoured her mouth with his tongue, coaxing her into submission.
She moaned in response and wrapped her arms around his neck.
His lips tasted like honey laced with passion.
It was an addictive combination that made her crave more than just Jacob's kiss.
His big hands traveled up her back, kneading her skin until they reached her messy ponytail.
He arched his spine and tilted her head backwards at the same time, deepening their kiss and turning her knees into jelly.
She clung to his neck, her tongue sliding along the Alpha's lower lip.
He growled in response and squeezed her butt with his nimble fingers.
'I asked you to wear something sexy.' He spoke in a low baritone voice, tossing her white bikini on top of her crowded mattress.
She blinked, her eyes heavy with lust. "Huh?"
Jacob chuckled and pulled her body upright. 'My kisses have the best side-effect. Eh, Bells?'
"If only you'd shut up for once." She panted in reply, cheeks as red as cherries.
'What?' He batted his thick lashes, looking extremely proud of himself. 'I did kiss you senseless.'
"Ugh…" Bella rolled her eyes at him. "Your ego has no bounds. Seriously."
'Admit it, Bells. You're going to miss my Freudian ego.'
"Not in a million years, I won't." She scoffed.
'Wanna bet?' He smirked, squeezing her butt for added effect.
"Sure." She replied, trying to peel his fingers off her jean-clad behind. "Now put those big paws of yours to good use and help me pack."
'I am putting them to excellent use…right here.' He emphasized the last word with another squeeze to her bottom.
"Pervert…" Bella muttered.
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.
.
Thirty minutes later…
"Step away from my underwear drawer."
'But…'
"No buts, Jake. I'm not taking your Property of Jacob Black panties and that's final."
'Why not?' He playfully asked, eyes dancing mischievously.
Bella glared at him in the mirror and proceeded to fill out her makeup bag with sunscreen. "Because they're glitzy and uncomfortable."
'Thongs are uncomfortable?' He raised an eyebrow, as if he didn't believe her.
"They're the equivalent of a wedgie, basically." She explained.
'Ouch.' He cringed.
"Yep." She zipped up her bag and turned around to face him. "But I'm guessing your former string of ex-girlfriends enjoyed the occasional wedgie."
'They did.' He evilly smirked. 'In fact, they loved it.'
"Yeah well, I'm not like those eager-to-please sluts you used to date." Bella declared with pride. "And I use that word loosely."
A growl erupted from the Alpha's throat all of a sudden, startling the proud brunette. 'What did you eat for lunch today? Feisty fries?'
"Why? Did I offend your wolfy feelings?" She shot back with fire in her eyes.
'Does it look like I'm offended?' He pointed to the rising bulge in his crotch.
Bella instantly blushed, her gaze darting to the monster hidden inside his overalls.
"N-o." She stuttered out.
'I suggest you take a good look at my boner, Bells. Cause you won't be seeing it until September.'
"How about I give it a nice, goodbye kiss instead?" She swallowed, surprised by her own bluntness.
'Go ahead.' He stepped forward, sliding his overall straps past his shoulders.
Bella saw the challenge in her Alpha's eyes and decided to take him up on his offer.
Her curiosity outweighed her shyness so she watched him strip down to his boxers. They were dark grey with the words Unleash the Dragon printed in black right above the open fly.
"Seriously?" She couldn't help but chuckle at his choice of undergarments.
'You making fun of my dragon, Bells?' Jacob smirked in amusement.
"No comment." Bella stifled another giggle, her cheeks flaring up when she noticed the purple head peeking from behind the open fly.
She hesitantly reached out and touched it with the tip of her finger.
Jake watched her in silence, his irises brimming with lust.
He hissed in pleasure when her lips flirted with the swollen head.
'Don't tease.' He playfully growled, pinching her nipple through her shirt.
"Ow!" She flinched in pain. "What the hell was that for?"
'What?' He innocently asked. 'You pinch me all the time.'
'On the cheek, you idiot!' Bella glowered at him while rubbing her sensitive nipple.
'I totally ruined the moment, didn't I?' He sheepishly asked.
"You ruined what could've been an epic blow job." She coyly smiled, reaching around to pinch his firm Alpha butt.
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.
.
Later that night, Bella found herself bundled up in Jacob's bed.
It was wide and comfy and the pillows smelled like heavenly pine trees.
"Jake?"
'Hmmm?'
"Thanks for not…you know…" Her voice trailed off as she drew circular patterns on his chest. "Pressuring me into doing stuff."
'Are we talking about sex or baking cookies?'
She rolled her eyes, knowing he could clearly see her in the darkness of his bedroom. "I'm talking about today." She sighed. "You could've easily demanded that I finish you off, but you didn't."
'Bells. I would never pressure you into anything. Whether it's sex, blow jobs or thongs.' He squeezed her waist when he mentioned the last word.
"Especially thongs." She giggled.
'Yep. Especially wedgies.' He repeated with a chuckle. 'Damn it, honey. I'm going to miss your feisty ass.'
Bella snuggled further into his warm side and smiled at his affectionate tone. "Leah not feisty enough for ya?"
'Nope. Leah's bitchy 24/7.' He replied. 'You, however, are in a league of your own.'
"Wow. Your compliments are improving, Alpha."
'Yeah?'
"Oh yeah." Bella yawned. "My baby's growing up so fast."
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The next morning, Jacob woke up before his imprint and finished the surprise sketch he was working on for the past few days.
Bella's flight was at noon so he quickly applied the finishing touches to the pastel unicorns and hid the drawing inside his desk drawer.
The tired brunette woke up an hour later and rushed to her own bedroom in order to change for her flight.
She made sure everything was properly packed and went downstairs to say goodbye to Charlie.
'Take care of yourself, ya hear?' He gave her a short hug followed by a fatherly kiss on the forehead.
"I will, dad."
'And don't you go out without your pepper spray.' He added. 'Or your taser gun.'
"It's in my bag, Chief. Don't worry." She squeezed his shoulder reassuringly.
'Okay. I'll be on my way then.' He paused in the doorway. 'And remember…'
"Better a thousand times careful than once dead." She quoted his favorite motto, making him smile.
'That's my girl.' He beamed with pride and gave her one last hug before leaving.
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.
"So…" Bella cleared her throat, fishing out her passport and ticket from her tote bag.
Jake was uncharacteristically quiet during the entire drive to the airport. She tried to coax him out of his shell but his eyes glowed in warning.
'Did you pack your iPhone charger? You uh…always forget to take it.' He finally broke his silence, looking slightly uncomfortable.
"Yep. I double checked this time. Twice." She nodded, patting the protruding bulge inside her shoulder bag.
A group of elderly passengers passed them by and one of them squeezed the Alpha's bicep with a cougar-ish glint in her eyes.
'You're one lucky young lady!' She winked at Bella before joining her elderly buddies.
Jacob shook his head in amusement, his right hand digging into the front pocket of his brand new Levi's.
"Jeez. Even senior citizens want a slice of your Alpha pie."
'Speaking of pie.' He handed her his surprise sketch, his eyes glued to her face.
"What's this?" She frowned, unfolding the rectangular piece of paper.
'I uh…drew a lil' something for you.'
"Aaaw…" Bella gushed, then her chocolate eyes landed on the pastel unicorns and she almost squealed in delight.
The colors were vibrant and rich, reminding Bella of a tray filled with dessert.
It was a beautiful drawing, with the three white unicorns front and center, surrounded by all sorts of candy.
"Jake. They're beautiful." She carefully folded the Alpha's gift and tucked it inside her shoulder bag.
'Yeah?' He grinned, his face lighting up like a Christmas tree.
"You're an artist." She stepped closer and wrapped her arms around his waist. "My artist."
'And you're mine too.' He whispered in her ear, dropping a sizzling kiss on her neck.
She heard him purr against her chest so she scratched his hair, enjoying the vibrations coming from his throat. "Behave yourself while I'm gone and don't butt heads with Charlie."
'Yes, mistress.' He held her tighter, his broad shoulders shielding her from the rest of the world.
"Oh and don't forget to call me after your vamp patrol." She sniffed, running her fingers through his kitten-soft hair.
'I won't.' He reassured her.
"Good boy."
A Phoenix-related airport announcement forced them apart.
Bella's flight was in less than thirty minutes and she was nowhere near the boarding gate.
'Text me the second you land.' Jacob sealed his words with a passionate kiss that left her dazed and utterly horny.
"Okay." She blushed embarrassingly, handing her passport to the TSA officer.
The Alpha followed her with his eyes until she finished checking in at the counter.
She tucked her boarding pass inside her ticket and turned around one last time…
Jake waved at her with a sad smile on his lips.
He was both intimidating and alluring even from afar.
Bella's heart skipped a beat and she suddenly realized that she was head over heels for the boy next door.
"Love you." She mouthed, blowing him a kiss.
He pretended to catch it, his lips spelling out the following sentence in reply...
'Love you too, baby.' He mouthed. 'See you next week.'