A/N: Hi everyone! :) I have no idea how I ended up finishing this chapter. I have an annoying cold and I'm in the middle of packing since we're moving out of our apartment. I'm also traveling in a few weeks, so wish me luck! :)
Thanks for all the reviews and alerts. I haven't been able to respond to all of you.
Previously on The Alpha Next Door:
"Umm…" Bella scratched the top of his head with her purple fingernails and he purred in response. Her very own vibrating space heater. "What happens in Washington stays in Washington and vice versa. So forget about that speech for now and kiss me."
'Yes, Mistress.'
Bella woke up to the smell of freshly brewed coffee and the sound of laughter floating from the kitchen.
Her bed was missing a very toasty wolf who had woken up early and was currently entertaining Renee in said kitchen.
"Uh-oh."
She quickly rolled out of bed and made a quick beeline to the bathroom where she brushed her teeth before checking in on the Alpha.
She found him flipping pancakes in nothing but a pair of blue cargo shorts that showed off his extremely delectable butt.
'Good morning, Sleeping Beauty!' Renee chirped from her usual spot at the round table. 'Guess who I found on the couch this morning?' She wiggled her eyebrows and pointed at Jacob who flashed Bella a megawatt smile in greeting.
'Hey, babe.' He reached out with his free hand and tugged her closer to the stove. 'I'm making gluten-free pancakes.' He whispered. 'What the fuck is gluten-free? And is there a hidden stash of bacon in here somewhere?'
His stomach growled in protest, making her chuckle. "My mom's vegan, remember?" She kissed his cheek and greeted her mother with another.
"Good morning, mom. I see you've already made Jake feel at home judging by his epic shirtlessness." She remarked.
'The poor kid was sweating bullets so I told him to unwind.' Renee replied with a sassy wink. 'Besides, there's nothing better than a healthy dose of eye-candy in the morning.' She hinted, pouring Bella a fresh cup of American coffee.
"Cheers to that."
They clinked their mugs together and giggled like schoolgirls.
'Jacob honey, come sit down. I'll finish the rest of those pancakes.' Renee got up from her chair and made grabbing gestures with her hands directly behind the Alpha's back. She was teasing the hell out of Bella by pretending to grab his firm, muscular butt.
"Mom!" Bella hissed in mortification. "You're happily married for God's sake."
Jacob turned around, amusement twinkling in his onyx eyes. 'Ladies…ladies, there's plenty of Black to go around.' He drawled.
'How plenty are we talking here? A handful or more?' Renee jokingly asked while Jake was handing her the spatula.
"Mom, please!" An embarrassed Bella begged her mother to stop. She then smacked the smirking Alpha on the arm and pinched him in the butt. "And you! Stop encouraging her cougar-ish behavior."
Renee gasped in mock horror. 'Bella Swan, did you just call your mother a cougar?'
'She meant sugar.' Jacob butted in, lacing his arms around the brunette's waist. 'I need m-e-a-t and I need it now.' He whispered urgently in her ear.
"We'll have lunch at McDonald's." She whispered back. "Just pretend you're in lust with those pancakes or she'll make us bean burgers for dinner."
He cringed at the mention of bean and burger in the same sentence. 'Jesus. No wonder she's so damn skinny.' He mused. 'You'd better not lose any weight, babe. I like my girls with a little junk in their trunk.' He patted her butt cheek then squeezed it for added effect.
"Jake!" Bella blushed profusely and swatted his wandering hands away. "Not in front of my mother." She chided him.
Renee glanced at them over her shoulder, a warm smile dancing on her thin lips. 'Jacob, sweetie, you should've told me you were planning on surprising Bella. We could've planned something fun, like a road trip to the Grand Canyon or Lake Mead.'
Jacob grinned sheepishly and rested his chin on top of Bella's head. 'Let's save the Grand Canyon for next summer, Mrs. D. I'd like to see more of Phoenix since Bells is already here and all. She made some interesting new friends last night and I'm dying to meet them.'
'Oh, speaking of last night, how was that party Keira took you to? Did you girls have fun?'
"Yep." Bella nodded. "Turns out teenagers have a thing for vampires in this town." She muttered under her breath.
'And you have a thing for Draco Malfoy who by the way is a fictional character.' The Alpha snickered, tugging on her Pj top. 'At least vamps are real.' He mouthed.
She shot him a nasty glare and smoothed down her -Prince of Slytherin- top in a dignified manner. "Shut up. You idealize Captain America who happens to be fictional as well."
'Yeah, but you don't see me reading Harry Potty fanfiction with a dreamy look on my face.' He teased.
"Ok. First of all, don't insult Harry Potter and second of all, go put a shirt on before my mother burns the house to the ground." She steered him towards the corridor and then rushed to Renee's side.
'Your banter is so cute.' The older woman gushed, scooping up the final crispy pancake using her spatula. 'And BeeBee, that boy worships you with a capital W.'
"Umm…I'm not a goddess so…" Bella dismissed her mother's words but she felt both giddy and fuzzy on the inside.
'Oh you know what I mean.' Renee said, picking up the serving plate and placing it on the kitchen table. 'He's without a doubt head over heels for you.'
"I know." Bella said, studying the delicate lotus pattern on her plate.
'Did he say the L-word or not yet?' Renee casually asked while preparing a fruit dish to go with the pancakes.
"Umm…it was more of a casual L-word." She replied.
'Define casual.'
Bella fiddled with her coffee mug before taking a small sip of the hot beverage. "It was an airport -I Love You-, spoken from a distance." She explained. "There was nothing romantic about it."
'What about your relationship status? Did he ask you to be his girlfriend?' Renee inquired. 'Because I know your generation is into friends with benefits and all that jazz...'
"No. Nothing's official yet." Bella answered, stabbing a pancake with her fork. "And yes, I'm still a virgin in case you were wondering why your house is suddenly packed with unresolved sexual tension."
Renee chuckled, putting a bottle of maple syrup next to the stack of pancakes. 'Sexual tension is the main ingredient for mind-blowing sex, honey.' She revealed. 'Just make sure you show that dreamboat of yours exactly how and where you like to be touched. Communication is very important when it comes to physical intimacy so you have to be vocal…'
"Okay! Okay! I get it." Bella silenced her mother by clamping a hand over the woman's mouth. "Jeez mom, could you be any louder?"
The chirping sound of the doorbell brought their –mother embarrasses daughter- moment to an end.
"I'll answer it." She volunteered, stealing a juicy raspberry from Renee's plate.
'If Keira's at the door, invite her in for breakfast.'
Bella nodded and cheerfully skipped to the front door.
Imagine her surprise when she found Alexander standing there with a bouquet of white tulips in his hand.
"Count Chocula?" She blinked up at him in shock. "What are you doing here?"
'Repenting for my sins.' He smiled sarcastically, his auburn hair burning like a hundred curly flames beneath the morning sun.
He was impeccably dressed in a pair of white slacks under a crisp aquamarine shirt, a few shades darker than his striking sapphire eyes.
Bella secretly admired his immaculate style.
Mr. Sarcastic was obnoxious but extremely polished and incredibly attractive in a preppy kind of way.
"Seriously, what are you doing here?" She repeated, tapping an impatient foot against the Persian rug.
'Apologizing.' He held out the dozen white tulips with a petulant expression plastered to his elegant face.
"Aww… how sweet." She took the flowers from him and cradled them against her chest.
'Gabrielle insisted that I apologize for confiscating your phone among other things.' He admitted, albeit reluctantly.
Bella studied his rigid posture, noticing his flaming ears and notably clenched jaw. He looked utterly constipated, much to her delight. "Well, you do owe me a big, fat apology." She stated matter-of-factly.
He pursed his lips and regarded her with the utmost distaste.
"Ok. You looking at me like I'm a rotten cabbage is not the apology I had in mind."
Alexander raised a perfectly arched eyebrow in response. 'You reek of dominant Alpha male.' He remarked. 'It's mildly repulsive. You're too young to be tied to one man, let alone a teenage wolf.'
"Nobody asked for your opinion, Ginger Head." She shot back defensively.
The stylish hybrid had the audacity to look offended. 'How charming.' He muttered.
They glared at each other for a few seconds until Alexander dropped his gaze to her wrinkled t-shirt and crossed his long arms in front of his chest. 'Where do you buy your clothes from? The Salvation Army?' He snickered.
Bella huffed and attacked him with the tulips in her hand. "You are unbelievable!" She barked, hitting him repeatedly on the chest. "Is this what you call an apology? Huh? Huh?"
He shielded his face from the onslaught of petals falling all over his ironed shirt. 'Pipe down, gorgeous. I was only ruffling your pretty feathers.'
Bella took a deep, calming breath and dropped her hands to her sides. She had no idea why she was so riled up. "Apologize. NOW." She demanded.
Alexander dusted off his shoulders with long manicured fingers and muttered something under his breath. Something that sounded a lot like an insincere apology.
"Raise your voice. I can't hear you."
The disgruntled red-head straightened his posture and cleared his throat. His sapphire eyes were stubborn as hell but he swallowed his pride and decided to apologize. 'I am terribly sorry for manhandling you.' He grunted.
"And…?"
'Forcing you to come to the mansion.' He added. 'It won't happen again.'
Bella eyed him suspiciously. He looked far from remorseful but at least she got him to apologize.
"Okay." She sighed. "Is there anything you'd like to add before I slam the door in your face?"
He nodded, scowling down at her. 'Gabrielle and his wife would like you to come over for dinner tonight. I will pick you up at seven, so make sure you wear something other than that hideous skirt of yours.'
"There was nothing hideous about that leather skirt. It's in-style, unlike that ugly handkerchief in your pocket." She retorted.
Jacob chose that exact same moment to pop his head in the doorway. 'Hey, babe. Your pancakes are getting cold…' His voice trailed off when he spotted Alexander. 'Who's this?'
"Umm…this is Grumpy Coldbane." She replied. "Also known as Alexander."
The Alpha tensed, sniffing the air surrounding his imprint. 'You're the hybrid?'
'So I've been told.' Alex drawled. 'And you must be Jacob Black.'
Jake nodded distractedly. 'Yeah.' He crossed the threshold with a puzzled expression on his face. 'You smell human. How is that possible?'
'No idea.' The red head shrugged nonchalantly.
'Weird.' The Alpha mused, his gaze traveling to the tulips in Bella's hand. 'Are those flowers or The Ghosts of Flowers Past?' He snickered.
"Haha." Bella rolled her eyes at him. "Those are apology tulips from Alexander." She explained. "But I used them to beat said apology out of him."
Alexander ignored her and reached inside his pocket for his car keys. 'As much as I would love to listen to your hybrid bashing speech, I have an Aston Martin Vantage to procure. So if you'll excuse me…'
'Whoa…' Jacob perked up at the mention of his second favorite sports car. 'The V8 Coupe or the V12?'
'V12.' Alex coolly responded. 'The company is retiring this wonderful car next year so I ordered the 2013 model before they shut down production.'
'Yeah, I heard about that.' Jacob nodded. 'Super fast cars are slowly becoming extinct, especially those with muscle-bound engines like the Vantage.'
Bella glanced back and forth between the two men who were bonding over car-talk. They seemed to have forgotten all about her.
'My garage back in California is a sports car aficionado's wet dream.' Alex boasted, fishing out a silver Nokia phone from his back pocket. 'Here, take a look.'
Jacob stepped closer to the similarly tall Alexander, childlike curiosity written all over his face. He looked genuinely interested in the hybrid's automobile collection. 'Is that the Audi R8?'
'Yes.' The red head nodded, scrolling through his photos to show Jake his pride and joy: 'And this is the King of the Road, the 1968 Shelby GT500.' He bragged.
The Alpha whistled appreciatively. He loved classic Mustangs.
'She looks fantastic for a forty-year old 'Stang. Is this the original paint job?'
'Yes.' Alex declared with pride. 'The bodywork is practically brand new.'
'Impressive.' Jacob said, unable to take his eyes off his dream muscle car. 'Too bad it's in Cali though.'
The longing in his voice made Alexander chuckle in amusement. 'It seems to me, Alpha, that we both share a passion for speed and sports cars.'
'Yeah.' Jacob scratched his head thoughtfully. 'I guess we do.'
They both exchanged a friendly, bromance-ish look. A form of silent communication that only two testosterone driven males could understand.
'Why don't you come over for dinner tonight?' Alex suggested, sliding his phone back inside his pocket. 'We can discuss our mutual interests over a plate of steak and buffalo wings.'
The Alpha perked up at the mention of steak. 'Dinner sounds great.' He replied.
Bella blinked in surprise.
Did Jake just say -yes- to dinner with a family of Californian hybrids?
Alex smiled triumphantly, his sapphire eyes overflowing with smug satisfaction. 'Excellent.' He drawled.
Damn that sneaky red head, Bella thought, shooting daggers at the smooth talking hybrid.
He had Jacob eating out of the palm of his hand. All he had to do was mention two things: meat and Mustangs. The 1968 Shelby Mustang to be exact. It was Jacob's dream car.
"Look at you two, getting your bromance on." Bella commented from the doorway. "Who knew Alexander Coldbane could be so damn charming?"
The confident hybrid turned his attention to the snarky brunette. He looked utterly pleased with himself. 'You have no idea how charming I can be, Little Swan.'
"Ugh…" She rolled his eyes at his inflated ego. "You're like…a pale, sarcastic version of Jake. Seriously."
'Did you hear that, Alpha? Your girlfriend thinks we're two sides of the same coin.' He sniggered.
Jacob moved to the doorway and draped an arm over his imprint's shoulders. 'What's with the bitchy face, Bells? I thought you wanted us to get along.'
Bella shot him a dirty look in response. "I did, but now I'm not so sure…"
Alexander smirked knowingly and tossed Jacob the keys to his Rolls-Royce Phantom. 'Here, take the Phantom for a spin or two.' He told him. 'You can return it when you come to the mansion tonight.'
'Thanks.' The Alpha's face lit up like a Christmas tree. He was looking forward to driving the Aston Martin as well. It was given a score of 8/10 on Top Gear and he had always wanted to experience the speed and thrill of driving a V12 engine.
'You're welcome.' Alex dug both hands into his pockets and walked backwards until his Italian loafers met the cobblestone driveway. 'Turn that frown upside down, gorgeous. It's unbecoming.' He told Bella.
She huffed and folded her arms across her chest. "Shut it, Carrot Top!"
He waved and smiled just to annoy her before turning around and gliding out of sight.
'Boy, you sure hate his guts, don't you?' Jacob chuckled from beside her.
"Maybe." Bella shrugged. "Or maybe I'm just sexually frustrated!" She blurted out. "I swear if we don't have sex in the next 48 hours, I'm going to spontaneously combust." She fanned herself with her hand, the harsh desert sun painting her cheeks pink.
'Sure, babe.' He nodded distractedly, jiggling the Phantom's keys in his hand. 'You can have all the sex you want. In the meantime, I'll be cruising down the highway in the hottest AM with the top down-Ow!'
Bella pinched him in the butt before he could finish his sentence. "I bet you'd love to trade me in for a freakin' Shelby GT." She muttered sarcastically. "You'll be known in the history books as the Alpha who offered his virgin Imprint to the Coldbanes. Maybe I'll end up marrying Alex and give birth to a bunch of ginger-head babies."
'Bells…'
"Seriously, you're a sucker for fancy cars." She pouted. "You probably love them more than you love sex...or food."Or me..she wanted to say.
'Don't be silly, Bells.' He frowned. 'You of all people should know that I'm not that shallow. Jesus.'
"Okay. Sorry. I take that back. You love me and only me, right?"
Jacob smirked and wrapped both arms around her waist. 'Get up here and give me some sugar.'
She lifted herself up on her tiptoes and kissed him, butterflies and fairies fluttering inside her empty stomach. "Mmm…you taste like maple syrup and severely burnt pancakes." She giggled against his mouth.
He smiled and kissed her one more time before tugging her inside. 'Come on, it's your turn to fake a foodgasm in front of your mother.'
"Foodgasm?" Bella shook her head in amusement.
'Yeah. Just close your eyes and moan each time you take a bite and breakfast will be over in no time.'
Three hours later…
"Oh my God. This is soooo good."
'Just good?'
"Amazing." Bella moaned. "The best I've ever had."
'Wait until you try mine. It's nice and juicy.'
"What's that white stuff on top? Is it ranch or mayo?"
'Mayo.' Jacob replied, taking another bite out of his Quarter Pounder burger.
They were having lunch in the backseat of the Rolls Royce Phantom; a very meaty lunch accompanied by fries, onion rings and mozzarella sticks.
"You know…" Bella said between bites. "If you end up helping the Coldbanes, they will owe you more than just a Thank You."
'I know.' He nodded. 'We should write down a list of demands in exchange for saving their assess.'
"Jacob. That's not something Captain American would do." She gasped in mock-disapproval.
His eyes glinted mischievously in response. 'Why not?' He smirked.
"You are so evil." She teased him, leaning forward and taking a tiny bite out of his burger.
'Tell you what, we'll have dinner first and if it goes well, I'll call up Chase and we'll figure something out.'
"Mmmm…sounds good." She licked her lips and stole a French fry from his takeout bag. "And maybe afterwards we can have dessert."
'Oh we'll have more than just dessert.' He dropped his unfinished burger inside the bag and kissed her with the fry still dangling from her lips. He broke it in half with his teeth and basically stole it from Bella's mouth along with the kiss.
"Thief." She stared at him hungrily from beneath her thick lashes. "You stole my heart, you know."
'Ditto.' He lounged back against the roomy leather seats and undressed her with his lust-filled eyes. 'You should check my pockets for your virtue because I'm pretty sure I stole that too.'
"Haha." She rolled her eyes playfully and resumed eating her meatball sandwich. "I think Shakespeare used that exact same sentence to lure women into his bed."
'Actually.' Jacob cleared his throat, his expression suddenly becoming serious. 'I uh…wrote you something this morning. It's uh...right here in my pocket.' He reached inside his left pocket and fished out a folded post-it note.
"What is it?"
He coughed uncomfortably before handing her the rectangular piece of paper. 'Just…read it.'
"Umm…okay."
Bella glanced at him one more time before opening the folded sheet of paper:
.*****.
.*************.
I'm cocky and conceited, I know
I sometimes take you for granted, it shows
But you call me out on my shit
Bells, without you I'd be knee-deep in my own bullshit
You make everything better
But I'm no good at writing love letters
So all I can say is that I love you, honey
And please don't laugh after you read this
Just fucking kiss me
.*****.
.*************.