So this is an epic length chapter for you. It was either that or split it again and give you 2 more Sam pov chapters, making you all wait even longer for the next Bella chapter.
I had a couple of queries about back-tracking and getting each chapter from both POV. I've got to admit, I find it frustrating as hell to do it each time, much as I enjoy writing each character, but the way I've written things so far - with so many misunderstandings, secrets and red herrings, I need to show both side for the readers to understand exactly what each character is taking away from each event. I'm pleased to say though, that as out lovely couple become closer, spend more time together, and eventually have no secrets, showing everything from both POV won't be necessary any longer and I'll be able to pick which POV suites which part of the story and only give you the events once as they'll both have the same understanding of what's going on. I hope it's not bothering you all too much to have both POVs, and I hope you'll all stick with me as I press on with the story. Thanks as always for the feedback. I appreciate knowing how you guys feel about the story and the way I'm writing it, and am always happy to get constructive criticism to help me improve. So keep those reviews coming! ;0) Thanks, and enjoy. Bommaloo
Stephenie Meyer owns the Twilight Saga. I own twitchy fingers that enjoy writing for no profit.
Chapter 26: Phasing and Fantasies
The staff at the restaurant were clearly relieved to be getting rid of us when we finally left; I guess their mid-week customers didn't tend to hang about for quite as long as we had, although personally I thought nearing ten o'clock wasn't all that late. We walked, hand in hand back to where I'd parked the truck at a slow pace, just enjoying each other's company and not needing to fill the comfortable silence with pointless chatter. I was deep in thought, my mind jumping from one thing to the next as I tried to make sense of everything. I still couldn't for the life of me work out what it was about Bella that had both the man and the wolf in me so tied up in knots if she wasn't my imprint. The desire to rip that little shit Newton's head off had been so strong, almost like the sort of feelings I'd experienced through the pack mind from Jared when something threatened his imprint, Kim. "But I've proved to myself conclusively that Bella isn't my imprint, so what the fuck is going on?" Another concern that I was going to have to deal with, probably sooner rather than later, was what was going to happen once Jake phased. Bella and I had avoided talking about Embry this evening – both of us well aware that it would probably lead to a very tense conversation – but I knew how Jake and Quil, and probably to some extent Bella, had felt once Embry had phased and I'd ordered him to keep away from his friends for their own safety. I could only hope that with Charlie and Billy playing the 'Jake's sick' card, when Jake did phase, Bella wouldn't start to resent my involvement in his life while she herself was kept at a distance.
I worried a little about how Leah would react to me dating again. Ever since we had split up I hadn't been on a date with anyone else – there was no point as far as I was concerned; unless I imprinted, any relationship I started would forever have the chance of suddenly being ripped away, and before Bella, I hadn't met any woman that my wolf would tolerate seeing on a casual basis, or even a woman that I felt was worth the trouble. I had a sneaking suspicion that Leah read my continued single status as evidence that I still had romantic feelings for her, and for the first six months or so, she would've been right, but those feelings had slowly faded away, leaving just fond memories and while I still cared for her, I no longer loved her. It was ironic that my mom, still not speaking to me, now had stronger feelings towards Leah's presence in my life than I did. That was another thing to worry about; how would my mom react to me dating Bella? I knew that she'd always had good things to say about Charlie, so she couldn't object to who Bella was, and Bella not being native would never be an issue to mom, who hated racism in any form, so she couldn't object to what Bella was, but I was fairly sure that mom could and would object strongly to who and what Bella wasn't; she wasn't Leah.
"You ok?" Bella's voice cut through my reverie, and the little squeeze of my hand pulled me completely from my thoughts, startling me a little.
"Yeah I'm good." I reassured her. "Sorry. I just got a little side-tracked by my own thoughts."
"That's ok." She told me. "I get completely absorbed by my own thoughts too sometimes." Remembering the time she'd worried me so much on the beach, I gave a little chuckle.
"Yeah I know." She raised a questioning brow so I explained. "That time I found you on the beach and got freaked out when I couldn't get an answer from you, even when I was yelling right in your face." Once again, her trademark blush crept over her face.
"Oh. Right. That was the first time I'd done that." I was a little confused.
"Done what? Sat on the beach, thinking?"
"No." She laughed. "When I need to quiet my thoughts and balance myself, I sit cross legged, relax my body, focus on my breathing and just sort of let my mind drift free. I find that if I'm not directing my thoughts consciously, but letting them come and go as they please, I can make more sense of things that trouble me. And the peaceful feeling I get after I've spent some time like that lasts for hours, sometimes even days. I can do it anywhere really, but it works best at First Beach." She rushed through her explanation, worried I was betting, that I'd think she was weird. She needn't have worried. I hadn't thought she could do or say anything to make me admire her more but she had just proved me wrong. She was talking about meditation, about putting herself in a trance state and not only that but she was doing it without the decades of training that wise ones. Witch doctors and shaman around the world had to undergo to allow their minds and bodies to do it. I pulled her gently to a stop. Turning her to face me, I lifted her chin with my fingers to make her meet my gaze.
"That's meditation you're talking about. Going into a meditative state like that is something that religious people and shamans, healers and wise men and women all around the world spend years and years learning to do. And you taught yourself to do it?" she nodded hesitantly.
"Well sort of. I mean I kinda did it by accident the first time. You know, that day you found me?" I nodded, encouraging her to go on. "That's why I thought I'd just fallen asleep. I was so pissed at you for 'waking me up' you know." We both laughed at the memory, beginning to walk down the street again.
"That's so amazing, that you taught yourself to do that. It just shows what a strong mind and spirit you have, to be able to do that, to learn how to put yourself in a meditative trance with no-one to show you." The more praise I gave her, the redder and more uncomfortable she grew. "Looks like she's not too good with compliments." I noted. "Well she's going to have to suck it up and learn to get over that, cos if I think she deserves praise, I'm going to give it!" I let her off the hook though, not wanting her to feel awkward during our date.
"Thank you." She said politely. "Though I'm not sure I really deserve the praise that much. I needed a way to deal with all the stress and upset I'd been through, and I was lucky enough to stumble across a way to do that. No more, no less." I let the subject drop, gently squeezing her hand as we wandered along, and turned into the parking lot.
When we got to the truck, I opened the passenger door for her, but she'd already walked between the truck and the car parked close to its right side, so she had to squeeze back through the, now tiny, gap between me with the open door, and the neighbouring car. Having her that close, her scent filling my nose, her body pressed tight against mine and brushing up against me was more than I could take. Almost without me commanding it to, my hand shot out and caught her elbow stopping her in her tracks. I had to kiss her, both the wolf and the man in me were demanding it, but I also knew I had to give her an out if she wasn't comfortable with the situation. So I carefully searched her face for any signs of discomfort, as I slowly began to lean down, gently pressing her back into the parked car behind me. As I gradually drew closer and closer she looked slightly uncertain, so I paused just a fraction of an inch from making contact, waiting to see if she'd pull away. She didn't. Instead she closed the gap herself, pressing her lips firmly against mine and causing that tingling feeling I'd gotten before when I kissed her cheek in the hospital to start up again. At first her movements still seemed a little uncertain; I guessed it was just nerves though, as before long she was eagerly mimicking the movements of my own lips and allowing me to move closer still, deepening the kiss and moulding the front of my body against hers as I pressed her more firmly into the car. One again moving without my conscious command, my hand let go of her elbow and gently ran up her arm, resting for a moment on her shoulder, then slipping around to the back of her neck and ending up cupping the side of her face and spreading round to the back of her head. "Damn, her hair is so soft!" It felt like warm liquid silk running between my fingers and for a second I felt the overwhelming urge to tangle my fist in it, to never let go. I managed to restrain the impulse, though only just, and instead forced myself to concentrate on the feel of the small of her back against my other hand as I ran my tongue slowly and gently across the seam of her lips, asking for entry, which she gave without pause and our tongues met and rubbed together for the first time. Her approving moan at this, and her hands moving to grab one upper arm and my lower back, dragged an answering groan from my own throat, without having to do much at all, she was easily the hottest woman I'd ever had the pleasure to meet, and I was fast losing my tenuous grip on my self-control. At my slip in concentration, my urge to tangle my fist in her hair overwhelmed me and the hand which had still been cupping her jaw, slid bag into her hair and did just that. A tiny, aware part of my mind braced for her reaction, ready to apologise profusely for getting too rough, but I was in no way prepared for the reaction I actually got. Her grip on me tightened and she pulled me tighter against her body, pressing my rock hard cock against her soft stomach as a huge wave of arousal poured off her, sending the rational part of my mind flying off with the last thought "Fuck me; she Likes that!" Our mouths moved almost frantically, both of us letting little moans escape our throats as our kiss went on and on.
"Erm. Excuse me."
No longer in complete control of myself, I slid one of my thighs between hers and she instantly began to grind herself against it, I could feel the heat and moisture which had pooled in her panties through her jeans and mine, which set me off rocking my own hips, grinding my hard-on against her stomach and groaning again, louder, in approval.
"I said, excuse me!"
I was aware that my fingers, which had slipped up under the bottom of her sweater to meet flawless satin skin, were digging into the flesh at the small of her back, and could only hope that they weren't hurting her as I could no sooner have taken off and flown around Port Angeles than released my hold on her. Apparently they weren't hurting, or if they were she liked it, as her response was to grab a handful of my ass and using it to pull my lower body closer still. Our lips moved on and on, our tongues brushing together more frantically.
"EXCUSE ME!" We broke apart, shocked by the interruption and panting like a pair of heavy breathers on a phone sex line. Out of the corner of my eye I could see the source of the interruption. Glaring at us, car keys in hand, was a thoroughly shocked and disgruntled middle aged man.
"If you could bear to tear yourselves away from each other's tonsils for a moment, I'd quite like to get into my car!" The man said with disdain. Bella was clearly mortified. She buried her bright red face into my chest and mumbled into my shirt.
"Sorry" She said, and then pulled herself free of my embrace and scrambled awkwardly into the truck, where she sat, hiding her flaming face in her hands. I turned and gave the man an evil glare. He started glaring back, but I guess something about my expression showed that the wolf wasn't too far from the surface. I took a half step towards him and he flinched back several paces. The low growl that was rumbling in my chest only served to increase his nervousness and a moment later he broke, rushing towards the driver's door of his car and jumping in so fast that he hit his head on the way in. He tore out of his space so fast that his tyres squealed and for the second time that evening my wolf was torn between being ecstatic at the submission of an opponent and wanting to rip him to shreds physically. I stood there at the back of the track for a few minutes willing both my wolf and my hard-on down. I couldn't believe how I had allowed myself to act. "Oh fuck. She must think I'm a total perv now. Pushing things that far in a fucking parking lot?" I tried hard not to think of how far things might've gone if we'd not been interrupted. That was no way to help myself calm back down. Finally I managed to get myself under control and I walked round and climbed into the truck. We sat there for a few moments in silence, not even looking at each other. I fiddled nervously with my keys, not quite knowing what to say or how to start. I took in a deep breath through my nose, still smelling her scent, heightened by the remaining traces of her arousal, then blew it out through my mouth with a tiny, groan.
"Bella, I'm really, really sorry." I blurted without thinking how it would sound to her. The look of horrified disappointment that flooded her face clued me in, and I hurriedly amended my statement.
"I'm not sorry about kissing you. Fuck, how could I be? That was the best kiss of my life. But I am sorry for pushing it so far. I swear I didn't plan on it, but I just sorta lost my grip on myself there for a few minutes." I was blushing a bit myself by the end if my speech, but as I spoke, a tiny smile crept across her features.
"It was my fault too, Sam." She told me. "I've never been kissed like that before, and I didn't exactly have the firmest grip on my own control." I gave her a big grin. "Now there's a compliment." I thought. "How many guys must a girl as beautiful as she is have kissed, and yet she's 'never been kissed like that before'?" She started giggling. "That poor man." She said through her laughter, and I began laughing along with her.
"Poor man nothing." I said with a loud snort. "That's probably the most action he's seen in decades." She started in with the blushing again at the thought, but her giggling continued uninterrupted as I started the truck and pulled out of the parking lot.
On the drive home, I reached out and picked up her hand, winding my fingers between hers and laying our joined hands against my thigh. We didn't talk much as I drove, both of us content to listen to the music and make the occasional observation about the band, or the movie we'd watched that evening. It was a comfortable quiet again though, neither one of us felt the urge to fill it with inane chatter. I finally pulled up outside her house at not quite eleven and turned off the engine. Twisting slightly in my seat I said
"Thanks for coming out with me tonight, Bella. I really did have an amazing time." She smiled and squeezed my hand one last time before she disentangled our fingers and pulled her hand free and into her own lap.
"Me too." She told me. "Thank you for a great evening." I noticed the porch light flick off for a split second, then back on again. "Subtle, Dad. Real subtle." She whispered to herself under her breath, not realising I could still hear her clearly. I gave a little snort of amusement.
"I guess that means you'd better head inside." I said, and not able to resist taking one last opportunity for the evening, I leaned forward and gave her a lingering, but relatively chaste kiss on the mouth. She kissed me back gently, then opened the passenger side door.
"I guess so." She agreed. "Night, Sam. Sleep well."
"You too." I told her and, after watching her all the way to her door, I drove away.
I was less than halfway home, still with a dopey grin on my face, when my cell rang and I reached into my back pocket to grab it. Charlie's voice came through instantly, sounding tense and hurried.
"Pull over, jump out, and get your furry ass back here ASAFP." He said in rushed undertones. "Jake's here, he's arguing with Bella, and if he doesn't phase in the next five minutes I'll eat my badge." I didn't bother with questions, I just jerked my truck over to the side of the road, already pulling off my clothes as I jumped out.
"On my way." I told him. "Get Jake away from her as calmly as possible, yelling will just make things worse, then get Bella inside if you can."
"You wanna waste another few seconds stating the obvious, or do you wanna just phase already and try to get here in time?" He sniped at me and hung up before I could reply. Throwing my cell and clothes into the cab of my truck, I started running and phased mid-stride, pouring on all the speed I could muster.
"Get there in time, get there in time, get there in time." The mantra played along in my head in time with my running, seeming to help speed me along.
"Get where in time? Boss? What's up?" Embry sounded curious and concerned. I could see in his mind that he was just completing a patrol loop and was closer to Bella's place than I was. I replayed the conversation with Charlie through my head, and was relieved to see through Embry's eyes that he'd already turned towards the Swan's at top speed before I'd finished with my replay.
"I'm nearly there already, Boss. You need me to stay out of sight til he actually phases, right?" Embry was quick on the uptake and I was relieved that he was the one on duty that evening; having one of his best friends right there for his first phase would almost certainly make things easier on Jake, and I was far from his favourite person so it would be for the best to have more than just me there anyway.
"Right." I answered, seeing through Embry's eyes that he was doing just that. Embry had a clear view of Jake standing under the porch light outside the Swan's house. Jake was shaking from head to toe, and it looked like Embry had arrived with perfect timing; just as he lay belly down in the undergrowth, the front door clicked shut. Almost as if the sound of the door was a phasing on/off switch, the second it clicked, Jake exploded into wolf form, his clothes ripping right off his body with a loud ripping noise. Finding himself suddenly four legged and furry, I watched Jake through Embry's eyes as he scrabbled around on his paws, trying to get his balance in his new form.
"What the ever living fuck?" His words rang through my head for the first time, as always seemed to be the way, his mental voice 'sounded' just the same as his human voice. I let Embry handle this first part; we needed to get him away from the Swan's place, and into the forest, away from any curious eyes a quickly as possible, and confronting him with his least favourite person right then wasn't the best way to accomplish anything except a fight.
"Jake, you need to chill, dude, come this way, towards the forest. I'm right here and I'll tell you what's going on." Embry spoke calmly, moving a little in the tree line to catch Jake's attention.
"Embry? Dude is that you? How are you in my head?" Jake asked, casting his head about wildly, trying to spot his friend. Seeing the slight movement in the trees, he startled, scrabbling with his claws on the porch as he struggled not to fall over his own paws. "Embry, man. Did you know you're a fucking great big wolf?" Jake asked in shock. I fought hard to keep my mental snort to myself, Embry didn't even try to hide his.
"Yeah man, of course I know." He replied. "Did you realise that you are too?" I arrived just in time to see Jake's wolf version of stunned speechless through my own eyes instead of Embry's. Jake, now a russet coloured wolf stood there on the porch, all four legs rigid, his great jaws hanging open and his eyes wide. Any other time, it would've been absolutely hilarious, but right then I didn't have time for comedy, I needed Embry to get Jake off that porch and into the trees before someone saw him. I was just about to step in myself, even knowing that it would likely ramp up the tension of the situation, when Embry broke through Jake's shock.
"Jake. Come on man. I need you to come over here into the trees before someone sees you and calls animal control." Jake finally took a few steps towards the forest, and Embry encouraged him. "That's it, dude. This way. We'll run together back to the Rez and I'll try to explain everything as we run." He told Jake. I'd never seen a new wolf gotten through to so quickly. I was going to put Embry on the case when or if Quil phased. The kid had a gift.
Seeing that Embry had things under control, I turned towards the Rez myself, taking care to run just a little way in front of them so I'd be close enough to help if needed. I felt Jared phase in, ready to take over the patrol from Embry. As soon as he was in wolf form, he noticed Jake's presence and spoke.
"Jake? That you dude? Welcome to our weird and whacky wolf world." He said irreverently, causing Jake to utter a slightly hysterical mental giggle.
"Who's that? How are you in my head too? Seriously, I need to know what the fuck is happening. Like right now." Jared sent him a calming burst of comfort.
"It's Jared, Jared Cameron. I'm in your head cos I'm a wolf too. It's part of the whole deal – boundless speed and strength… no mental privacy" He imitated the genie from Disney's Aladdin, causing both Embry and Jake to mentally snort.
"So is this why you've been avoiding Quil and me?" Jake asked his friend, and we all felt Embry's sadness wash over us.
"Yeah. When we first phase our tempers aren't really controllable and we can easily hurt someone, so it was safest for you guys if I kept away, and I knew neither of you would let up til I told you why, so I just couldn't let you get near enough to start with the questions." Jake seemed to think this through for a few moments.
"Ok, I can see how that would make sense. I came so close to losing it with Bella a few minutes ago, it was real lucky that Charlie came out when he did and got me to back off a little, or I might've really hurt her." He said guiltily. "So I'm going to guess that Sam Uley's a wolf too, and that's why you were suddenly hanging with him? And Paul too? HOLY FUCKING SHIT!" I saw through Embry's eyes as Jake suddenly skidded to a halt, all four feet ploughing trenches into the damp forest floor. I was confused as to what had suddenly freaked him out when up til then he'd been handling the whole wolf thing amazingly well. I didn't have to wonder for long. "Paul's been all over my sister since they met on the beach this evening, and she's been just as bad. Is that safe for her? Is he going to suddenly lose his shit and phase around her and rip her apart? Fuck man, I need to get back home and warn her away from him." I was momentarily shocked by the idea of Paul showing such interest in Billy Black's daughter; he knew better than to pull his man-whore ways around an Elder's daughter, but Jared's memory of the evening on the beach pulled me up short. In his head I could see him and Paul walking down the Beach together, talking and messing around as they headed to the diner, then Rachel Black came walking the other way with Leah, Paul and Rachel's eyes met, and the two of them stopped suddenly in their tracks, staring into each other's eyes, Paul with complete shock, an Rachel with complete confusion.
"Holy shit. Paul Imprinted on your sister?" For the first time Embry sounded less than his usual calm and collected self.
"What the fuck is imprinting?" Jake asked, totally baffled. "Come on, man. I need to know everything about this wolf shit, and I need to know now." I figured now was as good a time as any to let my presence be known.
"We'll tell you everything you need to know, Jake. Just get yourself back to the Rez as fast as possible, and we'll meet you out back of your house." I told him calmly. His reply was less aggressive and antagonistic than I'd expected under the circumstances.
"That you, Sam?" he asked.
"Yeah, Jake. It's me." I replied carefully, waiting to see how he'd react.
"So I was right then. You're a wolf too. You in charge of this shit parade?"
"For now, yeah" I answered, impressed with his calm attitude towards me so far. "That's a part of everything we'll explain to you once we're back at your place."
"Ok. I'll be there soon." He said and then he shut his thoughts away from the rest of us in a way that only I amongst the rest of the pack was able to do. I guessed it was an Alpha thing. I wondered how he'd take the news that he was supposed to be the one in charge eventually.
Before long we were all congregated out the back of the Black's house, each of us either sitting or lying on the ground as we used the pack mind to fill Jake in on the pros and cons of pack life. It seemed that the big blow up I'd been expecting from him wasn't going to happen. Now that he knew why I, and Paul and Jared behaved as we did, and why Embry had cut him and Quil out of his life, he was able to see things as they really were and the animosity had died. He wasn't at all happy with the concept of imprinting, and especially not with his sister being imprinted on by Paul Lahote of all people, but he begrudgingly accepted that there was nothing he could do to change things. What he refused to accept however, was his destiny as Alpha of the pack.
"Nope. No way, not going to happen, no way, no how." He stated categorically. "I don't want it, I don't need it, and I'm not right for it. Sam, it looks to me like you're doing a great job with it. So you can have it. I'd fuck the whole thing up in twenty seconds flat if I ever got my hands on it." He looked down at his feet and snorted. "Excuse me – got my paws on it I should say." I attempted to change his mind for several minutes, but I got absolutely nowhere so I decided to let it drop for the time being. I'd bring it up again at a later date. For now there was no point in letting him get all wound up when what we needed was to get him as calm as possible so he could phase back into human form. Billy had set four pairs of cut offs outside the back door ready for each of us once we were human again, so we began explaining to Jake how to go about it and demonstrating in turn. I went first this time, thinking about repairing the roof on my mom's place. I concentrated on memories of climbing the ladder, selecting shingles, picking up a hammer and nails. All the things that I needed my human form to accomplish. Once I'd phased back, Jared went next, then Embry. Finally Jake took on a concentrated look and his form began to slowly blur and he dragged himself back into his own human form again.
"Well done." I told him. "The only one who's managed it first time other than you is Embry. What did you think about?"
"Working on an engine." He told me, pulling on the cut offs that Jared passed him as he spoke. "I concentrated on picking out the right wrench and tightening nuts, and then 'presto changeo' there I was buck ass naked with three other dudes." I chuckled at him. "Seriously though. He added. If I'd seen four naked guys outside by the woods yesterday or even earlier today, I would've assumed they were all gay and indulging in some group activity. We should watch that. I don't want that sort of rumour going round, do you?" he looked at each of us and we all wore identical horrified expressions. I'd never thought of that – I'd always been more focused on hiding the wolf thing that wondering what it looked like to see half naked men emerging from the woods together. We'd really dodged a bullet so far with no-one spotting us. We needed to be a lot more careful.
"Good point, Jake." I agreed. "We should really be more careful on that front." I saw the other two nodding fervently in agreement.
Once Jake was phased back, I needed Jared back out on patrol; this was no time to have a hole in our defense, not with an obsessive vampire running about out there. I sent him back out, telling him I'd take over the patrol once I was done settling Jake into pack life. Heading into Jake's house, Embry and I went straight into the living room, leaving Jake in the kitchen where his dad had him pinned in a supportive hug bent almost double over his dad's wheelchair. The two of them needed a moment, and I tried hard not to be jealous that Jake's father knew about the wolf thing and was proud, and yet my mom wasn't talking to me as in indirect result of my own wolf status.
When Jake and Billy re-joined us, we sat down with a beer each and answered any questions Jake had, telling him about our current situation with the redhead leach, and letting him know just who else knew about the wolves so that he was aware who he could and couldn't talk to about things. As I'd expected, he put up a bit of a fight after being told to avoid both Quil and Bella. I told him the same as I'd told Embry, and Embry backed me up, pointing out that by the looks of things it was only a matter of time before Quil made his first phase and joined us all anyway. It took me agreeing that once he'd gained control over his wolf he'd be allowed to spend supervised time with Bella to settle him down completely. I didn't really like making the agreement, but as I was planning on spending plenty of time with her myself, I could hardly ban him from seeing her completely once he was calm enough to, it would've made me a hypocrite.
Before I could phase and take over the patrol, there was one more problem that needed to be discussed. When Jared had imprinted, he'd asked me and the council of Elders for permission to tell her about the wolves. As she was undeniably linked to our world from the moment their eyes met, the elders and I gave permission. What we should've done then, but failed to do, was issue an order that any wolf that imprinted from that point onwards must take the same course and ask permission. As the order was never issued, Paul had assumed it was ok for him to tell Rachel all about the wolves and imprinting straight away without permission. It was just luck that she happened to be Billy's daughter, and therefore well versed in the old legends, making her one of the safest people to have told all our secrets. The idea of anyone else being told before an imprint had been confirmed had all the Elders squirming though. Not being wolves themselves, they couldn't understand the degree to which we felt each other's emotions and saw each other's memories, making it pretty much impossible for one of us to mistake when we ourselves imprinted. The Elders had apparently been putting pressure on Billy all evening to get him to agree to issuing the order that no-one, not even an imprint should be told of the legends, until the imprint had been confirmed and the Elders approved. The idea didn't sit too well with me; why a bunch of old men who never had and never would experience what we wolves did should have a say in who we allowed into our world completely escaped me. I said as much to Billy.
"I can't disagree with you there, Sam." He told me. "We can't possibly understand everything you boys go through completely, no matter how much we try. But the others have been up my ass about this ever since I called to tell them the news about Paul and Rachel. In a way I can see their point; they're both very conservative and want things to be the same as when the last pack were around. What they're failing to understand is that the last time we had a pack of protectors, the Elders had been wolves themselves before they stopped phasing, and so understood the wolves that they had authority over in a way that we just can't." He gave a deep sigh, running his hand though his hair in frustration. I'll keep trying to convince them, but it would help if you could voluntarily assure them that no-one else will be told without their say-so before they can issue the order." He gave me a sly grin and a wink. "That way, if something comes up and someone needs to be told, it would merely be reneging on an agreement, rather than disobeying a council order." I was impressed with his clever way of handling the other Elders. If I ever went back on the agreement there would be a lot of arguing, sure but no actual disciplinary action could be taken. Not that I could think of much that the council could do to punish a wolf, but I'd rather avoid the situation entirely if possible.
"I like the way you think, Billy." I told him. "I'll contact the other Elders in the morning, before they can call a council meeting and issue any orders. Hopefully that'll head them off." We shook hands and Embry and I left, Embry heading back to my place where I told him he could crash for the night again if he wanted, and I headed back to collect my abandoned truck and clothes before I took over patrol from Jared.
After an uneventful patrol, I got back home, did a few chores, called Harry Clearwater and Old Quil, and finally climbed, exhausted, into bed at around ten thirty AM. My sleep was full of dreams of Bella, and what might've happened had we not been interrupted in the parking lot and I woke hard enough to pound nails into a brick wall and frustrated as hell. I stumbled off towards the shower, memories of how Bella's body had felt pressed up against mine and how her wonderful silky hair had felt in my hand running through my mind. As much as I tried to dismiss the thoughts as I lathered up my hair, one memory in particular kept jumping back into my mind over and over again; "No gag reflex, no gag reflex" It was every red blooded male's dream, straight or gay, to have a partner with that particular peculiarity and nothing was going to keep the fantasies at bay for long. Giving in, I lowered my soapy hand and gripped my throbbing cock. I imagined Bella in the shower with me, her wet hair plastered down her back, and drops of water running down her skin, beading at the end of her nipples then dripping off. Fantasy Bella caught her bottom lip between her teeth and looked up at me from beneath her lashes.
"Will you let me take care of that for you?" she asked in a husky voice, taking a step forward and putting her tiny hand beside mine on my cock. I groaned in approval, taking my own hand away and letting her take over. Her grip was perfect, not too light, not too firm, and when her other hand dropped to cup my balls, I threw my head back and let out a loud moan.
"Oh fuck. Bella" Her hand on my cock sped up, occasionally circling around the head before dropping back down the shaft, and each time it did, my hips jerked involuntarily. I was getting closer and closer, my balls tightening and my muscles shaking when suddenly she stopped. My head flew up in shocked disappointment.
"You stopped. What did you stop? Please, I'm so close." I begged her, reaching out to take her hand and pull it back to my painfully hard cock. She moved her hand out of the way and shook her head, licking her lips and staring at my throbbing erection with smouldering eyes.
"I want to taste you. Can I?" she asked and I nearly gave myself whiplash I nodded so quickly. Making eye contact with me and holding it, she slowly sank to her knees on the floor of the shower, the hot water running over both of us as she one again took my cock in one hand and cupped my balls with the other. Still holding eye contact with me, she opened her mouth slightly and her pink tongue slowly came out and licked a hot stripe up the underside of my erection. Circling her tongue around the head much as she had done with her hand, she took a breath and suddenly plunged downwards, engulfing my whole cock in her mouth and throat in one go, her forehead brushing my stomach. The groan I let out could probably be heard a mile away. I'd never felt anything like it, and she then applied suction as she pulled back, circled her tongue once more, then plunged down again.
"Oh shit. Please Bella Please don't stop." I felt my balls tighten again. I wanted to drag this out for hours, to enjoy it for as long as I could, but I was embarrassingly close to losing it any second. My hand moved of its own accord to grip a fistful of her wet hair and without me telling it too, pulled her head back down, pushing my entire length into the tight wet heat of her mouth and throat once more and she let out a muffled moan. The smell of her arousal, the suction, heat and tightness of her throat and then the vibrations in her throat and through my sensitised cock were too much. Every muscle seemed to melt as I came with a loud roar of "BELLA!" And her swallowing while I was still in her throat just increased the intensity of the orgasm. I whited out, collapsing to my knees on the floor of the shower before a panicked thought ran through my mind. "Shit! Bella!" did I hurt her?" I stared wildly around the shower, she wasn't there. Of course she wasn't there. It had only been a fantasy, my own imagination creating such an intense day dream that for a moment I'd been completely fooled by it. It had been the most intense orgasm of my life, and it had been self-induced. I could only imagine how amazing it might be when we actually slept together. Still trembling all over, I carefully pulled myself up onto my shaky legs, keeping one hand braced against the wall to keep me upright.
"Holy shit, that was amazing." My voice echoed in the empty bathroom. I rinsed off and climbed out, my knees still a little wobbly, then grabbed a towel and walked out towards my room.
"Everything ok, Sam?" I leapt half a foot in the air, spinning around and coming down facing the direction of the voice. Embry grinned at me, his eyes dancing with suppressed mirth. "Oh fuck me sideways. There's no way he didn't hear all that." I realised, my whole face blooming bright red. Clearing my throat, I went for a dignified response.
"Embry. I'd forgotten you were here. Yes. Everything's fine." His shoulders were shaking with laughter as he replied.
"Well thank goodness for that. I thought you were in real pain in there, judging from the yells, moans and swearing." I let out a sigh. He obviously wasn't going to let this drop and allow me to keep a little dignity.
"Drop it, Embry. What a man does in the bathroom is his own business." He let out a load snort and doubled over laughing.
"S-s-sure sure, Boss." He spluttered. "I'll try to mind my own business, but maybe you could keep from begging Bella in quite such a loud voice next time." I let out a snarl and stalked back to my room, ignoring the kid's hysterical laughter behind me. I slammed the door behind me and remained in my room until I heard Embry leaving the house.
Having arranged with Jared when I took over patrol from him that he would take Jake out for his first patrol run later that day, and knowing that Paul was patrolling right then, I had a rare period of free time on my hands. There were any number of things that I should have been doing, but I found that I was so relaxed after my date with Bella, and my alone time with fantasy Bella, that I really didn't have it in me to do anything of any use to anyone. I flopped onto my big, comfortable old couch and flicked on the TV.
I managed to waste the rest of the day away, for the first time in two years being completely lazy, but figuring I deserved it; I'd barely stopped to eat or sleep for the last couple of years, and I had a feeling that there were some rough times on the not too distant horizon. Just before ten I remembered that Billy had said he was going to invite Bella and Charlie to go over to the Clearwater's with him. I wondered if she was still there; I had a sudden urge to see her, just to spend a moment with her, soaking in her scent and talking with her. I sent her a text asking if she was still on the Rez and if she wanted to stop by mine for a few minutes on her way home. When she text back that she'd be by in a little while I jumped up from the couch and quickly tidied away the debris from my lazy day on the couch, then headed out onto the porch with a beer to wait for her. As soon as the fresh air hit me I felt tired. I thought back to the days before I'd phased, a time when I was actually able to have a lazy day once in a while, and remembered that it had always been the same then. Lounging around and doing nothing had always seemed to tire me out somehow, and I always noticed it more once I got some fresh air. It was actually kind of nice to know that some things about me hadn't changed when I phased, that the old Sam was still there too.
I heard Bella's truck chugging up the hill log before I could see it. The engine was working hard to make it up the incline at all, and I was betting it wasn't managing much above ten miles an hour right then. I chuckled a little under my breath at that, and gave her a big grin as I rose to greet her.
"Hey." I said, leaning down to give her a light kiss on the lips. "Had a good day?" She hesitated for a moment or two before answering. "Uh oh. That can't be a good sign." I thought as I waited for her answer.
"My day was…. Interesting, I guess." She told me. "I had a row with Jake last night, and this evening I went with Charlie over to the Clearwater's place where I discovered that I'm really not the favourite person of quite a few of the other guests." I was pretty sure who one of the worst offenders of the evening would've been and I gave a small grimace.
"Shit. Did Leah give you a hard time?" I asked. I had always made a point of giving Leah no reason to hope for anything from me, but as far as I could tell from things I was told, she persisted in believing we'd get back together one day. I couldn't imagine that she'd be too friendly to Bella if she'd heard the two of us were dating – even if it was just a casual thing.
"A little." She admitted. "Paul and Rachel don't seem to be my biggest fans either." She added with a rueful smile. "I can understand Rachel not wanting to be disloyal to her best friend or new boyfriend, but I really can't for the life of me work out what Paul's issue with me is." We walked inside and sat side by side on my couch. "It's not that bad." She hastily assured me, "I can deal with it. Not everyone has to like me. I just wish I knew what I'd done to upset Paul so I can apologise." I was amazed at the amount of shit that could happen in just a few hours "Doing well with the no drama clause already, aren't I? Her best friend has a fight with her over me, then I have to tell him he can see her for a while, then one of my friends is rude and dismissive of her and encourages others to behave the same way, and then my ex-girlfriend confronts her and, if I know Leah at all, tore a verbal strip off her. Fuck. I hope she's not here to tell me it's not going to work out." The last thought had me in a mild state of panic which I was struggling to keep off my face. I was also trying to keep my anger at Paul in check. With the Alpha order he wasn't able to actually say anything disrespectful to her, but he was more than capable of being disrespectful about her, and it seemed he could behave in a rude and hurtful way if he chose to. I really didn't want to have to issue another order to him, he'd be little more than a puppet if I kept it up, but I just didn't know how to keep him civil to the woman I was dating. Of course I couldn't tell her all of that, so I glossed over the facts with a generality that was true, but not all of the truth.
"Paul has anger issues, Bella. It's probably easiest to just let it go and accept that the two of you just aren't going to get along." I wasn't really happy with that plan, but Paul was Sam's friend, so I had to believe he knew what he was talking about. I nodded in reluctant agreement.
"Well the no drama rule is a little on the frayed side already" She said and I tensed up immediately, worried that I'd been right and she was about to call things off. To my relief, she continued "but I'm dealing with the animosity just fine, so unless you want to stop thing between us?"
"NO!" I almost shouted, then blushed and went on in a calmer voice. "No, I don't want to call it off already. I'm looking forward to spending some time with you. I reached into her lap and took hold of her hand, intertwining our fingers and using the fingers of my other hand to gently stroke her knuckles. She smiled up at me.
"Good then." She said. "I'm looking forward to that too." We sat there quietly for a few minutes, just enjoying the quiet and each other's company.
"Are you coming to the Rec centre tomorrow afternoon?" I asked her. "It's tutoring night, but I'm sure I can arrange it so that you don't have to deal with Paul."
"Yeah I'll be there." She said. "Actually, I was going to give you something to give to Paul. "It's in my truck. I'll grab it out just before I leave." I gave her an enquiring look and she explained. "It's just a few leaflets about dyslexia and the problems it can cause with school, as well as the information for a testing centre he could go to if he wanted and find out if dyslexia is what's holding him back. I figured it would go over a lot better if it was coming from you and not me." I chuckled a little.
"You're not wrong there. He'd get all defensive and proud if you gave him the literature, and then just throw the lot of it out instead of looking at it. I think you're probably right though. I'll pass the stuff on to him." She smiled and leant into my side, relaxing me once again
"This was just what I needed after this evening, thanks Sam." She murmured. I bent a little and kissed the top of her head, resting my face in her hair and staying like that or a few moments, just breathing and taking her wonderful scent in.
"Yeah. Me too." I whispered. She lifted her face to look at me and I bent to give her a soft kiss. The tingling returned to my lips and she pressed hers harder against mine and I made a quiet sound of approval. She began to open her mouth a little, inviting me to deepen the kiss and enter with my tongue and as much as I wanted to accept the invitation, I had to regretfully pull back.
"We don't have long before Charlie will be expecting you home." I said. "If we let this kiss go the way the last one did, I don't think I'd be able to let you go for a few hours at least." She pouted adorably, pulling her lower lip right out. I just gave a little laugh and gently flicked at her lower lip.
"If you'd like, we could hang out here after the drop-in centre tomorrow, watch a movie or something?" I offered. "I don't have much food in right now, but we could always order pizza."
"Or I could cook, if you don't mind me rummaging around in your kitchen?" She suggested. I couldn't believe my luck.
"Do you think you could make some more of your amazing lasagne?" I asked eagerly. "I've never tasted anything as good as that." She laughed.
"Sure. I've got to stop in at the Rez shop for groceries anyway. I'll pick up why I need while I'm there. You want me to make a really big one so you can freeze a few portions?" My grin widened.
"You serious?" I asked "Hell yeah. Yes, please. I'd have to keep it hidden from Jared whenever he comes by – I honestly think he'd fight me for it if he knew I had some, but that'd be really great!" I gave her a hug. "I knew there was a reason I was keeping you around." She laughed again.
"Well I do still owe you two favours apparently, so I guess now we're down to one?" She asked. There was no way I was going to let her get away with that; I was saving those favours up for special occasions. The shower fantasy made a brief appearance in my mind before I quickly chased it out.
"Oh no you don't. That doesn't count as one of the two – you're going to be eating with me so you can't use that as a payoff." She pouted once again.
"But then how am I ever going to get square with you?" She asked playfully.
"I'll think of something" I told her, pulling her in tight against my body. My voice grew low and husky, almost a growl. "After all." I said "I wouldn't want you to be in debt to me now, would I?" The shower fantasy forced its way back into my head, refusing to be chased out so quickly this time and she swallowed, probably able to clearly see the lust in my eyes. I moved in for a kiss and at the last second she turned her head so I caught her on her cheek.
"Now, now." She said "I've got to be going, remember. I groaned in frustration. Giving me a quick peck on the lips, she stood and walked towards the door.
"I'll see you at the drop-in centre tomorrow then?"
"Sure. Tomorrow." I answered, standing myself to walk her out to her truck. After one last little kiss she climbed in and, with a little wave, drove home.
I kept my word the next day at the drop-in centre by making sure Paul worked with me so that Bella would definitely be able to avoid him. I gave him the dyslexia information without telling him where I'd gotten it, and we read through it together after his initial negative reaction had passed. Once Paul and I had finished up his assignment, I went over to where Bella was still working with Colin and Brady, two 9th graders who I'd noticed recently were showing alarming signs of being likely to phase. I was hoping that it wouldn't happen – they were both so young and it wouldn't be fair for them to miss out on so much of childhood by phasing so early and having to take on adult responsibilities. They both had the bloodlines to be potential wolves though, and so I encouraged their visits to the drop-in centre as much as I could without creating suspicion so that I could keep an eye on their physical development, and also so I could get to know them, and they me in case they ever did phase. It would go easier on them if they didn't feel they were suddenly amongst strangers.
"She's not working you guys too hard, is she?" I asked the boys with a grin.
"Nah, we're cool." Collin replied
"She can work me as hard as she wants." Brady said cheekily, giving Bella a little smirk. I fought down my inappropriately jealous reaction and just gave him a light tap on the back of the head.
"Watch yourself there, kid. I don't want to have to hurt you." I moved to stand directly behind Bella, putting both my hands on her shoulders and leaning down to plant a kiss on the top of her head. I had managed to fight off my jealous over-reaction to Brady's inept flirting, but I couldn't help but give a little display of possessiveness. I just hoped she either wouldn't notice or wouldn't mind too much. From the table the two of us had been working on over in the corner, Paul gave a disgusted snort of derision. I shot him an angry, warning look. Paul scowled and, picking up his books, stalked out of the room.
"Oh. Sorry, Sam. I didn't know she was spoken for." Brady apologised, looking a little nervous at having upset me.
"Well now you do, so try not to drool all over poor Bella" I replied. I knew she'd definitely notice that as a territorial claim, and again could only hope she didn't mind too much. She blushed a little, and then I got a faint but definite hint of that delicious arousal scent from her. "Hmmm. She really does seem to like the whole cave man thing." I thought, remembering too her reaction to me grabbing a fistful of her hair in the parking lot on our date. The smell of her arousal, combined with the memory of the parking lot kiss and my realisation about her liking of dominant displays had me clearing my suddenly dry throat and hardening in my cut-offs instantly. For what felt like the thousandth time since meeting her, I had to resort to the freshman classic and shove my hands roughly into my pockets to hide my hard-on.
"Well anyway, It's time to start wrapping things up now. Can you boys manage the assignment yourselves from here?" I asked them, and when they nodded cheerfully I told them. "Ok then. So you wanna grab up your stuff then? Bella and I need to lock up here and she's promised me some more of her famous lasagne. At this my stomach growled loudly enough for everyone to hear. "And as you can hear, I'm one hungry guy!" We all laughed lightly, and the boys started collecting up their books
When we got to my place I let her pick out the movie from the selection I'd gotten together and I was pleased when she asked if we could watch more than one – she was obviously as eager to spend time with me as I was with her.
"If you don't have to be rushing off this evening, I'm happy to watch as many of them as you like." I said. "Do you have a curfew on weekends?" She shook her head.
"No. Charlie's pretty cool as long as I let him know where I am and let him know what sort of time I aim to be back." She told me. "On the weekends anyway. He's a bit tougher on school nights
"Great. Then it's entirely up to you. I'd be happy to keep you up all night." She immediately blushed, so I quickly added. "To watch movies, I meant. Not anything to do with sex….. Not that I wouldn't be happy to keep you up all night with sex, but…I …we….you…it." I finally managed to get my mouth to stop moving and spilling out more embarrassing word vomit. I sounded like a desperate freshman and was even blushing. "Sorry. Just ignore all that rambling, would you?" I asked and took a breath. "What I meant to say was, I'd be really happy if we sat up all night watching movies, or talking, or pretty much anything. I'd really enjoy your company."
"What rambling?" She asked, letting him off the hook. "I didn't notice any rambling." We both laughed. "So how about I get the dinner started off cooking, and we watch 'Time Bandits while the lasagne is cooking?" She suggested. I was happy to take the change of subjects and nodded, bending to pick up the correct DVD.
I really loved watching her work in the kitchen. That awkward clumsiness that seemed to plague her all the rest of the time was nowhere in evidence and she moved in a grateful dace, chopping, browning and stirring. I was beautiful to see. I made the mistake only once of trying to nab a taste while she had her back turned. She caught me without even turning around, seeming to just know that I was reaching towards the pile of chopped mushrooms she had sitting on the chopping board, waiting to be added to the tomato sauce.
"I'd stop right there, before I got a hot, sauce covered spoon slapped across the back of my hand if I were you." She told me without bothering to even turn her head. I was taken completely by surprise both by her perception in catching me, and at the seeming seriousness of her threat. I hadn't thought she'd have it in her to so much as swat a fly.
"Are you serious?" I asked
"Does a bear shit in the woods?" She responded, the same tone of voice, the same phrasing as my mom, hell it was even the same sort of situation I might've gotten busted in by mom. My surprised laughter burst out of me.
"My mom says that one too." I told her between chuckles.
"Sounds like a sensible woman." She grinned over her shoulder at me. She was right too. Mom was a sensible woman, though she'd never taken any nonsense, and I seriously thought that if they ever got the chance to meet they'd like each other instantly. If it wasn't for the Leah situation that it. As it was, my mom was so hung up on the idea of having Leah in the family that I genuinely thought I could bring home Miss Native American USA, with a degree in medicine and another in Native American history and she'd still not be happy with me.
Finally Bella had things in the kitchen far enough along that we could go start on the movies and we went into the living room and sat on my huge, comfy couch. As the film started, I pulled her over to sit on my lap. She looked up, startled at the sudden move and I gave her a warm smile.
"This ok?" I asked. She nodded, and I got yet another waft of her arousal as she wriggled a little on my lap, trying to get a little friction where she most needed it. Of course this caused her ass to brush firmly against the hard-on I was once again sporting and I gave a small moan. She quickly froze her movements.
"Sorry." We both spoke at the same time and I gave a little chuckle.
"Maybe I shouldn't have done that; it's gonna be kind of hard to concentrate on the movie now." She snorted in amusement even as she blushed.
"I'm sure we can handle it." She answered with a raised brow. It was my turn to give a snort.
"If you insist." I said, and determined to win this little game she had just started, I leant back against the back of the couch and made my face pleasantly blank, turning my face towards the TV screen and pretending to be completely unaffected by her presence on my lap. "We'll see." I added. A little disgruntled, she went to slide off my lap but I firmed my arms around her, a gentle but iron tough cage round her waist keeping her from leaving my lap.
Clearing her own face of expression, she stopped trying to leave my lap, instead wriggling more firmly back into my hard on, deliberately teasing me against her ass. "Fuck. I might've miscalculate here." I thought. "I'm not sure I can win this game." Her arousal spiked again, which combined with the feel of her ass grinding into my hard cock, dragged a quite groan from between my clenched teeth. She looked up with fake innocence.
"You ok?" She fluttered her eyelashes a bit.
"Just fine, thanks." I ground out through my clenched jaw, and she turned back to the screen and somehow managed to successfully combine watching the movie unconcernedly with an occasional, well timed wriggle of her ass whenever she felt my hard-on soften a little. After about the fifth time she'd pulled this little trick, I couldn't take it anymore. My hands dropped to her hips and when she tried it next, my hands suddenly firmed, holding her lower body completely still against me. What I had thought was a clever move turned out to be a big mistake as once again my forceful dominant action caused another rush of her arousal. Her tiny moan was echoed by mine as I rapidly sped to a loss of control. She was going to win. Losing concentration for a moment, my grip lessened for a fraction of a second and she quickly shifted her hips, rubbing against me and providing herself with a little friction the same time without her expression or her attention on the screen wavering for a second. I threw my head back against the couch cushions and muttered.
"For fuck's sake, you've got to be kidding me." She finally turned to face me.
"Shhhh. I can't hear what they're saying." She said, gesturing at the TV and pretending to be disgruntled. I let out a low growl, giving up on the game and leaned towards her for a kiss. I could've strangled her at that moment, because instead of graciously accepting my defeat, she pulled back, and struggled out of my lap to stand up in front of me. I looked up in confusion, frustration and concern.
"Time to build the lasagne." She said with a cheeky grin, and when I flopped back against the cushions in frustration she gave an all-out laugh and headed for the kitchen. After a few minutes of trying to talk my erection down, I headed off to the bathroom to give my dick a cold water bath treatment. It worked, eventually, but it didn't do anything to ease my frustration. "Who knew that she could be such a tease?" I thought to myself. "I bet she's really amazing in bed." I quickly cut that thought off before it could develop into an all-out fantasy that would have me running the cold tap again, and joined her in the kitchen.
"Better now?" She asked cheekily. I shook his head ruefully.
"You, woman, are a health hazard, you know that?" Her grin widened.
"Well thank you, I'm taking that as a compliment." She said
"Oh it was." I assured her. I hopped up onto the counter next to her. "Can we call a truce for now? Much as I'm enjoying myself, it'd be nice to calm down and relax a little." I asked. "Well at least for a while, anyway." I gave her an evil little smile and she gulped. I was going to step up my game in the next round, and see how she handled that. I wasn't sure if I was going to take it to the ultimate conclusion and sleep with her that night, it was a little too soon perhaps, but if she offered I certainly wasn't going to turn her down.
"Ok, a truce it is." She answered and when she was done with what she was doing in the kitchen again, we wandered back into the sitting room to watch more of the movie. This time I didn't pull her into my lap, I wasn't stupid enough to make the same mistake twice, but instead I wrapped my arm around her waist and let her settle into my side, her head resting on my chest.
When dinner was ready, we ate together on the couch, watching the next movie and when we'd finished eating, I was too full, comfortable and relaxed to move from the couch so I just took our plates and put them on the floor, swinging my legs round, then lifting her up easily, and arranged us both on the couch in a sort of spoons position, my back pressed against the cushions of the huge comfy couch and her pressed against the front of my body, her head resting on one of my upper arms. She was clearly as comfortable and relaxed as me and before the movie finished she had drifted off to sleep. I was feeling pretty drowsy myself, but before I drifted off to sleep I figure I'd better let Charlie know that Bella had fallen asleep and ask what he wanted me to do. I didn't relish the thought of waking her and taking her home, but if it was what Charlie wanted me to do then I would, rather than get on the wrong side of Bella's father. Picking up my cell, I sent his a quick text, telling him Bella was asleep on the couch and asking if I should wake her. After less than a minute I got a reply from him saying he was going to stay at Billy's for the night so I should just let her sleep if that was ok with me. He did warn me though that I shouldn't take advantage of his little girl. I was almost insulted at the suggestion that I would behave that badly, but then I figured it was his job as her dad to say it, and I couldn't really fault him on that. Having let him know where Bella was sending the night, I settled down behind her, my face buried in her hair, and fell asleep myself.
I don't know what time it was when we woke, but she suddenly sat upright, seeming to be panicking about something.
"Charlie!" She gasped, pulling me further from my own sleep.
"Wassa matter?" I slurred sleepily.
"I didn't let my dad know when I'd be back, and I'm…" She looked at the time on her cell, "nearly two hours later than I'd said I'd probably be."
"It's ok." I told her, sitting up and putting my hand over her on her cell. "When you drifted off I texted him and told him you'd fallen asleep on the couch. He said not to wake you as he was planning on staying at Billy's for the night anyway to get an early start fishing tomorrow." I rubbed her shoulders reassuringly. "You can take my bed if you want, and I'll sleep out here." Pulling her up from the couch, I led her to my room. She sleepily toed off her shoes and flopped straight down on top of the covers. Chuckling at her, I lifted her legs and pulled the covers back, tucking her legs beneath them and pulling them up to her chin. I leaned down and kissed her gently, squeezing one of her hands.
"Night, Bella." I said, and, much as I didn't want to leave her, looking so beautiful and dishevelled in my bed, I turned to leave the room. She didn't let go of my hand though. As I reached the full stretch of her arm, when I expected her to let go and let her arm drop, she instead tugged me back gently.
"Stay with me?" she asked me. "I was so warm and comfortable wrapped up in you on the couch. Will you come hold me like that now too?" I was torn for a second; I'd told Charlie that I wouldn't take advantage of her, and somehow this felt like a violation of that, but on the other hand, I wasn't going to do anything but sleep next to her, and it had been her that asked, not me. I made my decision. Walking back to the bed, I sat down on the edge and crawled under the covers with her, turning her onto her side and tucking her back up against my front in much the same position as we'd been in on the couch.
"None of your funny business now, Miss Swan." I teased. "It seems we could both use some sleep as we drifted off before the second movie even finished." She gave a sleepy giggle and agreed.
"Promise." She said, clearly already drifting off. I watched her falling asleep in my arms, warmed and comforted by her presence and as she lay there with a peaceful smile on her sleeping face, I couldn't help but follow her into slumber myself, happy and completely at peace for the first time in forever.