Hi, all! Thank you for the support on the last chapter, be it having read it or having reviewed it, I appreciate it so damn much. Finishing that last chapter spurred me on a little and I decided that I needed to knuckle down and pop more out.
I'm trying to still make this whole thing kind of cute and fun while still moving the plot along, so I think I've come to the decision that we'll have cute chapters and we'll have plot chapters. If anyone's at all uncomfortable with anything that I mention/wants any kind of warnings then please let me know! I'm also considering writing out more in-depth sex scenes (because why the heck not) and posting them on AO3 so let me know if that would be wanted or wasted! Further than that, apologies for my rambling and enjoy!
Brooke had long since fallen asleep, having drifted off in Paul's bed. She was curled up into a ball in River's side with her head on her sister's arm.
Their relationship may have been rocky, but neither of them was afraid to use the other as a comforting crutch of sorts when needed. River had felt a little bad about kicking Paul out of his own bed, but he'd gone with a smile, telling her simply that it was nice to see them getting along even in these circumstances. He really was so freaking good.
That evening, Brooke cried herself dry. She sobbed about their dad being mad at them, then grew angry over it. The angry tears were the worst as she raged, but River held her through it all. Then came the fear, fear that their parents would break up. River comforted her, assuring her that they wouldn't ever break up over something like this. Admittedly though, she couldn't help but think that their mother deserved more than what their father was currently bringing to the table.
A woman so kind, she figured, deserved the kind of happiness that she found in Paul, not the anguish that her father was bringing her. Of course, she knew that they had their happy times, but she couldn't help but begrudge her father for the pain he was causing.
All the same, when Brooke had finally finished crying and all but passed out on River, the older sister found herself staring into the darkness of the room.
As she thought, she realised that she didn't want to go back. She knew it was fast, that it was a huge thing to have decided so quickly, but she didn't want to go back to live at home, not when her father was so clearly disapproving of almost everything about her. From her choice of who to date to how she planned to approach her future, she wanted things that he didn't seem to think she should. Moreover, he seemed entirely unwilling to give her the freedom to make her own choices. He was still trying to get her to pursue a future that she no longer saw as plausible.
Carefully, so as not to wake Brooke, she slid her arm out from beneath the sleeping girl's head. Then, just as carefully, she clambered over her sister, shuffling out of Paul's room and closing the door softly behind herself with a gentle sigh.
Barely five feet away, there he was, sitting on the couch. He wasn't looking at her, watching videos on his cell with earphones in. She knew that it was to give her and Brooke what privacy he could, to show her that he wasn't listening. It was adorable to say the least. She couldn't help the grin that spread across her face as she neared him.
When she was right behind him, barely a foot away, he locked his cell and slumped back into the couch, leaning far enough back that he could let his head hang off the back and look at her upside down.
In spite of everything that had happened that afternoon with her father, she grinned down at him. Her Paul.
He returned it as she framed his head with her forearms and leaned down to lay a gentle kiss on his lips.
She couldn't get over him. She couldn't get over how simply perfect he was. Sure, she knew when she took a step back that neither of them were perfect, but there's that whole thing about perfectly imperfect, right? Not that it mattered. All that mattered was that he was hers and that they had one another's backs, which it seemed they absolutely did.
Their kisses were soft and relatively silent, not rushed as they simply enjoyed one another. As Paul's hand came up to cup the back of her neck, hers fell to lay on his chest.
She pulled away a second later, giggling lightly as he made a pathetic whining sound at the loss of contact. He beamed up at her as she stared adoringly down at him. She brought her hand up from his chest, running it up over his throat to place it just under his jaw, holding him looking at her. "Thank you." She told him, feeling a sudden rush of emotion wash over her.
A tear threatened to form in her eyes but she blinked it quickly away, sniffling lightly as she made to stand back upright.
Paul had other plans however as he snaked arms around her and dragged her over the back of the couch with ease, planting her on her backside beside him, leaving her top half practically laying across his lap and her legs up by his head. Her calves and feet still hung off the back of the couch, so she shuffled a little, placing them on the seat beside her, nuzzling into Paul's strong chest, inhaling the very scent of him.
It was amazing how quickly it calmed the brewing emotions within her. Sure, she could still feel it all just below the surface, she could still think about it and feel her stomach drop at the thought of the new dynamics in her home after the day, but it was lesser. With him, none of it felt like an urgent thing, nor did any of it warrant any kind of panic.
"You don't have to thank me." Paul grumbled against the top of her head, arms wrapped protectively around her. "I didn't want to overstep but... the things he was saying." She could hear the anger creeping into his tone as he relived it. She felt terrible. Just when they were finally doing well and her dad had to go and stick his oar in.
Breathing him in, she nodded against his chest. "Brooke's really broken up about it." She told him, leaning up to lay a kiss on his chin. Anything to distract herself.
Nodding, he stroked the messy fringe out of her eyes. She noted that she needed a freaking haircut again, silently cursing herself. She had a good three or four inches of floppy, messy hair now, though the side was still not even half as long. "Just Brooke?" Paul prompted, a careful smile on his handsome features.
She stilled, not even breathing for a second. "What?" She muttered, shuffling uncomfortably under his gaze. Something about the way that he looked into her made her squirm. She knew without a doubt that she couldn't get away with anything, not with him.
He chuckled for a second, kissing her forehead to rid it of the concerned lines. "You don't have to be okay with it all, you know." His words, while true, felt like a kick. Even as he used a firm but kind hand to rub circles into her shoulder, she couldn't help but be on guard a little. She felt like a kid caught in a lie. "You know, I get why you don't want to talk to me about it. The way he was about you and Skylar... I get that you don't want to talk to me about her, but you can, you know? And, you know, you can talk to her. I don't mind if you want to, like, call her or something."
For some reason, it felt like he was trying to catch her out.
Huffing petulantly, she pushed away from him, sitting with her back to the couch's armrest, her feet against his thigh as the headphones fell from his ears. "There's nothing to talk about." She shrugged, guarded.
Paul smiled and shook his head. "River Nivalis, you're a lot of things but a good liar isn't one of them." He told her, chuckling to himself as she blushed. "Look, the way the imprint works? It means that I don't worry about stuff that a lot of guys would. I don't worry about whether or not you want me or her, whether she was... better than me. At the end of the day, if you didn't want to be with me, the imprint would tell me that and I wouldn't want anything but friendship."
She knew that he was trying to help, to soothe her, but it wasn't working. "So you're saying that you don't get a say?" She asked, knowing immediately that she was being unfair, but she couldn't stop herself. This was something that had been on her mind for some time now, only now she had the opportunity to bring it up. "That I'm the one trapping you." She then added, eyes finally brimming with tears once more.
He startled at that, quickly jumping up to his knees to lean over her, cupping her face in his hand. "No." He was firm when he spoke, holding her face, forcing her to look at him. She tried to pull away, to look anywhere but his eyes, but he held her chin and moved closer. "River." He warned softly. While his voice and tone toyed with her insides, she was still upset. "I'm saying that this is the happiest that I've ever been. I don't have any insecurities in our relationship, none at all, because I know that the spirits are looking out for us." The spirits. She practically scoffed.
While she knew she wasn't being fair, she still couldn't get it out of her mind, the thought that they wouldn't have ever gotten together through will alone.
Shaking her head, she finally pulled her face from his hands. "You don't like me. The spirits... they're the ones that did this. Right?" A single tear shot down her cheek. Gods, how had this happened? She couldn't figure out why the hell she always found a way to turn everything into a fight.
"I don't like you?" Paul scoffed, rocking away from her, back onto his heels. For the first time since their first kiss, she saw anger in his eyes, all for her. "You really think that?" He asked her, sounded so very hurt.
Another tear fell as she shrugged. "We won't ever know, will we?" She was being difficult and she knew it, but she'd have been lying if she'd said that this wasn't something that was heavy on her mind.
He watched her for a second, looking down at her with an animalistic glare. It almost scared her if she was being honest. Then, with a sigh, he stood. He turned his back to her and stalked over to his small kitchen area.
She wanted to call his name out, to say that they weren't done, but she didn't want to wake Brooke.
From her spot on the couch, she pondered things as she watched him. What the hell had she just done to them? While she knew he wouldn't ever tell her or Brooke to leave, she couldn't help but feel stupid at having picked a fight with the one person that had helped them to get out of their home. Seriously, that was a new level of stupid.
"I'm sorry." Her voice was nothing short of defeated when she spoke, but his back was to her as he carried on doing something or other at the kitchen counters.
He didn't turn, nor did he give any indication that he'd heard her. She knew, of course, that he had, but neither of them said anything.
As more tears fell, she finally let her head drop between her arms as she rested her elbows on her knees. She mopped at her cheeks with the hem of her t-shirt, dabbing them dry with each new one that fell. She cried silently, but she knew that Paul could probably still hear each and every sniffle, every sob that threatened to choke her. Still, he offered no support.
It wasn't long before she could smell cocoa on the air, almost choking a laugh from her. He really decided that they needed cocoa in the middle of all this?
She stood as silently as she could, intent on simply going back to get into bed with Brooke, but he was beside her in an instant, arm stretched out lightly to block her path.
Looking up at him, confused, her heart broke. A single tear had streaked down his cheek. Had he really gotten up so that she hadn't seen him cry?
"Paul." She spoke softly, reaching up and swiping the offending drop away with the pad of her thumb.
He trapped her hand there, holding it against his face as he looked down at her. "I'll find a way to break it." He told her, a second tear falling at the thought. "The imprint. If that's what you want, I'll find a way."
She felt like he'd just punched her in the gut. She snatched her hand back from him, stumbling back a step. "What?" She hadn't known that was even possible, but the thought alone made her feel sick. She had to wonder, was that part of the magic? "Break it?" She could hear the disgust in her tone as much as she felt it in her blood.
His eyes, so very sad, were glassy with unshed tears as he wiped his cheek with a sniffle. "If you need for me to prove to you that, no matter what, I'll always love you, that's what I'll do."
Love.
That word. The one that they hadn't said to one another yet. It struck her quickly, all but stopping her heart. "You..." Her words failed her. She cleared her throat. "You love me?" She asked him dumbly.
He stood there for a second, watching her through confused eyes. "That was ever in question?" He asked bluntly. "Jesus, River. Of course I do. I can't- Fuck, I can barely breathe without you and it's sure as shit not just the imprint. I love you. I love you. I love you so fucking much that it hurts my chest if I think about it for too long."
She hadn't realised that he'd advanced on her, not until she found herself pressed firmly against the wall, barely two feet from the bedroom door. He was standing over her, huge, so handsome, vulnerable. "I love you." She breathed, feeling relief wash through her. A sob came out, shocking her. He was quick to reach out, steadying her when her legs decided to begin to give out.
The second that his hands were on her, she was clinging to him, pulling them impossibly close. "I love you." She repeated firmly. It was the first time that she'd said it to anyone other than family and actually meant it. Sure, with her first girlfriend she'd thought at the time that she meant it, but looking up at Paul, she knew that she meant it now. Nothing compared to what she felt for him, spirits be damned.
His lips came down, crushing hers beneath them. "I love you." He grumbled practically into her mouth, eliciting a soft moan when he scooped her up into his arms. Then came the three fateful words, muttered down into the skin of her neck as his lips strayed. "I need you."
She nodded immediately, a slave to her emotions.
They barely made it back to the couch before River had managed to yank Paul's shorts down and, in turn, he had pulled her shirt straight over her head and thrown it across the room.
Neither of them worried about whether or not Brooke would appear at any second as they sank onto the couch's plush surface, instead seeing only one another. They kissed and ground against one another for as long as either could bear, only stopping when they were both entirely naked.
Looking down at her, panting, Paul planted a heavy kiss on her neck before speaking, leaving her panting and arching up into him. "Flip over. On your hands and knees." He told her, moving her by the hip with a single hand before she could even respond.
She followed his request quickly, frankly excited by it all as she flipped and settled on all fours.
Paul used his fingers on her first, leaving himself to twitch against the back of her thigh as he brought her to orgasm with his palm flush against her, the other hand holding her firmly up against his chest. It was directly over her mouth, keeping her quiet when worries of Brooke had long since left her mind.
She writhed against him as she rode out her high, hungry hands desperately grabbing at any and all exposed skin she could find.
When he finally pushed into her it was slow. He fed her inch after inch with a single hand still mindlessly toying with her, driving her insane. His other hand stayed high up, pinning her to his chest by her throat, only straying for long enough to guide himself into her.
If the pants and whines were anything to go by, he was doing a great job.
"I love you." He growled gruffly into the side of her head as he finally hilted himself inside her.
Even so far gone, one hand stretched up to tangle in his hair, the other raking her nails against his thigh roughly, she melted at his words. "I love y- ah!" She yelped as he moved in her, eyes fluttering closed. "I love you." She tried again, practically mewling as she desperately ground back against him for friction. "I love you. Fuck, Paul, I love you!"
The sex lasted a little longer than usual this time, mostly down to the fact that Paul was using everything in himself to not just pound her with all the strength that his wolf offered up. The wolf wanted her as much as the man did. It wanted to claim her, to mark her at it's own. It wanted to sink it's teeth into that soft, supple flesh at the crook of her neck and leave it's mark imprinted on her skin for all to see. The man in him would never allow it, but the wolf wanted it all the same.
When they were finally done, the beast sated, River chuckled that they'd forgotten a condom yet again. Paul, in turn, said that they should probably start leaving stashes around the place if they ever wanted to remember. It probably didn't help that they almost never seemed to have sex in the freaking bed, but River knew that he was right. They needed to get better if they wanted for her to not end up pregnant. She thought about for a second, thinking that a child with Paul would be a perfect future, but the thought was too much. As much as a tiny Paul would be adorable, she wanted to actually live first, as did he.
They both slept on the couch that night, having sleepily pulled their clothes back on, drinking cocoa with dopey grins and post sex adoration coming off each of them in waves.
.
.
.
.
.
"Jesus." Brooke grumbled with wide eyes, looking over at her sister with perplexed eyes. "How the fuck does he look like that?" She demanded as Paul disappeared into his room, clad in nothing but a towel around his hips.
River couldn't help but smirk. That was her hunk. All hers. "He works out a lot." She offered up, realising that he hadn't once left to patrol with the others for the three days that she and Brooke had been there.
Brooke simply scoffed. "Dude, even when you were practically living in the gym, you didn't look like that." She snickered at the expense of her sister. "It's steroids, right?" She then asked, sipping the iced coffee that she'd made herself. River was silently proud that the younger girl hadn't simply gone and gotten it from a store or something. It was rare for her to not buy everything, though River couldn't help but wonder how much of that was the younger girl simply usually not wanting to be at home.
She shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Paul's not on steroids." She told Brooke, getting a snort in return. "I looked how I looked because I was fighting. He's just built muscle, kinda like a bodybuilder. I wasn't ever trying to look like a bodybuilder, I just wanted to be strong." It was difficult, she decided, pulling logic out of her ass for something that she knew was... magic.
Whether Brooke was convinced or not, she had no idea, but she didn't really care. It wasn't as if the younger girl would ever guess why Paul was actually so muscular.
Paul was back out a second later, dressed in a pair of shorts and a tee. River knew that he didn't really want to be wearing the shirt, but she was thankful all the same that he was being so considerate of Brooke. "Ready?" He asked her with a smile.
She returned it quickly. "Ready." She confirmed as she hopped off of the kitchen counter, walking over and taking his hand. "You want to come?" She then asked Brooke.
They had bother offered, of course, but Brooke had little interest in meeting Paul's friends, especially at Sam and Emily's house. River understood it of course, she was still a little anxious around them so she could easily see why Brooke wouldn't feel comfortable, but she offered all the same.
Brooke shook her head, scrunching her nose up. Then she glanced at Paul with somewhat shocked eyes, seemingly suddenly in a state of panic that he may not have been okay with her staying in his place alone. "I mean, as long as it's okay that I stay here." There was a light, embarrassed blush on her cheeks. She seemed to remember from time to time that she was a guest in his home.
Chuckling, he waved her off. "It's all good, seriously." He assured her, pulling River into his side and throwing an arm around her shoulders.
"Jacob will be there." River then added, watching her sister go crimson.
"River!" Brooke yelped, wide eyed as she leapt up.
River, however, simply laughed her ass off. "Later!" She called out as, with a roll of his eyes, Paul lead her out of the front door.
They both got into her truck, leaving Brooke to text Krystal about how terrible River was or whatever the hell else she was planning on doing. "You're a menace." Paul told her as they pulled away from his home, smirking. "She really like Jake?" He then asked, brow furrowed.
River, as they drove, rolled her eyes. "God, he's all I used to hear about." She grumbled annoyedly. "I'd come home from work and she'd be talking about his hair or something to my mom. Damn near broke her heart when he cut it off. Seriously, she's been crushing on his for years."
Paul couldn't help but laugh at that. Of everyone, Jacob? "Doesn't hurt that he's gonna be chief and alpha someday, I guess." He stated, internally rolling his eyes.
Glancing briefly away from the road, looking across the cab at him, River raised a brow. "He is? I mean, the whole alpha thing." As uncomfortable as all the wolf stuff still made her, she was still intrigued by it. She'd have had to have been stupid to not be interested in it all, or just a liar.
There was a grunt from Paul before he spoke. "It's in his blood. He never fucking lets us forget it." It was clear from his tone alone that, in that moment at least, Paul wasn't keen on his so-called brother. There was familial love there of course, but like? Not so much. "Seriously, you step an inch outta line and he's crying to Sam, telling everyone's asses how we gotta respect our future alpha. Really grinds my gears."
She wasn't sure why, but listening to him grumbling, she found it adorable. Sure, the content matter was still something that she couldn't really understand and be comfortable with, but his little mumbles were adorable. It made him seem more him. Like any other teenager, moaning and groaning about someone who pissed them off. "You guys don't get along?" She asked him as they neared about half way to Sam's.
Scoffing, Paul slumped in his seat a little. "I mean, I love the guy, right?" He started, but she could hear the distain. "He's just... I don't know. He's too much sometimes, especially about that paleface girl. Swan." That peaked River's interest.
"Bella? As in, Bella who just got married?" She asked, intrigued. She practically heard his eyes roll. "Wait, Jacob likes Bella? Jeez, Brooke's gonna die."
"Likes?" Paul laughed humourlessly. "Little asshole thinks he's so deep in love with her, feels all slighted or whatever by her getting married to that bloodsucker-"
"What?" A chill ran down her spine. Sure, Jacob's reaction to Bella just wanting to be happy sounded worrying, but that word. "Edward. He's a..." She trailed off, eyes the size of dinner plates as she looked out at the road.
Paul's hand settled gently on her thigh, comforting. "The whole damn family. Vampires." He confirmed for her. Her heart raced. "Apparently they're okay. They don't hunt people or whatever, but they're still wrong. Hell, they're the reason we all phased." She could hear something behind the anger and disgust. She could hear sadness, possibly as he mourned the normal teenage years that he and the others should have gotten.
She was quick to clasp his hand in her own as her mind raced. "I felt sick at their wedding." She admitted into the truck's cab. "When I shook his hand, I mean." She then added, knowing that she had thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the event.
With a deep inhale, Paul nodded. "I hated knowing you were there." He told her, his thumb rubbing at her hand.
There was silence for a moment before she spoke again, having needed a second to think. "Is that why they're so rich? I mean, they've gotta be old, right? Shit, I'll bet they just fuckin' invest or whatever all the time." It had never made sense to her how a doctor and a housewife had such an amazing house. Even family money only went so far, yet their kids always had new cars. Not only new cars, but expensive ones at that.
Paul confirmed it for her.
She couldn't help but feel some genuine hate for the vampire family as she learned that they not only knew what they were doing to the local kids, but also that they kept on coming back.
"You know, if you have to patrol or whatever while we're staying with you, just let me know. I'll think of something to tell Brooke." She told him as they eventually parked up.
Chuckling, he shook his head. Quickly, he pulled his cell out of his pocket, miming a shushing motion before pointing to the house. She understood. There were some of the wolves inside, some that he didn't want to hear what he had to say.
She waited as he typed, then read the message that was on his screen. "It's okay, we'll work something out." He told her, though his face told her not to listen.
"Jake and I had a fight the other week and he's stuck with all my patrols for a while"
She wanted to know the full story, to know what they'd fought about that had landed the other boy with all of Paul's patrols for weeks, but she simply nodded with a light smirk. As odd as it all was, she was glad to know about it all. She liked being able to talk to him about these things.
They entered Sam and Emily's place together, hand in hand, but River was swept up into Emily's hug all too quickly. "Oh, River! How are you? Paul told us that you and your sister are staying with him for a while. Is she here?" Emily Young, she realised, was almost a copy of her own mother.
"Hey." She smiled, hugging Emily back. She was a sweet woman. "Yeah, home issues and all that. This guy was good enough to let us crash for a while, we're doing our damndest to make him regret it though, one sibling fight at a time." She chuckled as she released Emily, glad the other woman seemed to find her funny. "Oh, Brooke. Right, she's stayed home- at the house. She's stayed back at the house." She almost blushed, realising that she'd called Paul's place home.
With a reassuring touch to her back, he left her there, sauntering over to where Embry and Seth were laughing about something. They both greeted him animatedly, shouting their delighted greeting over to River as well.
Jared came from a small bathroom the other end of the room, fake howling across the room before launching himself at Paul. It was cute to watch, seeing that he really did have a band of brothers.
She followed Emily into the kitchen where she had clearly been sitting with Kim and Leah before coming to the door, glad to see them both. She honestly hadn't expected to get along with Leah after the whole beach incident in which Leah had assured her that she would happily break the human girl's ribs for hurting Paul. Hell, maybe it was the fighter in her that respected that, or maybe it was the love that she held for him.
The four of them chatted for a while before Sam returned. He kissed Emily briefly, but it was just as passionate as the kisses that she and Paul shared, leaving her silently in awe of the whole imprinting thing. She couldn't help but feel bad for Leah though. Sam had done to her what she had done to Skylar, though he had at least been able to explain it to her eventually.
Before long, the boys had all come in. Jared had literally scooped Kim up and sat in her chair with her on his lap, but Paul didn't try it. Instead, he draped himself over her and kissed the side of her head before hopping up to sit on the counter behind her. She chuckled at the fact that he'd managed to seat himself beside the food.
Meanwhile, Seth and Embry grabbed other seats, leaving the nine of them sitting in the kitchen, all chatting happily.
"Nope." Leah growled, throwing a napkin at Jared's head. "No sex talk around my little brother." She told him as he made a joke about having kept Kim up all night.
River had to admit, they were an odd couple, Jared and Kim. She was so quiet and sweet and he was... well, he was Jared. He was loud and boisterous, but it was clear to anyone with eyes that he loved her more than anything in the world. "Leah! I'm not a little kid!" Seth protested, leaving a smile on River's face.
Leah, ever the big sister, rolled her eyes. "The fact that you think that, Seth? Proves my point." She grumbled, amusing River further.
"Wait, how old are you?" River asked, ignoring the way that the eyes in the room all went to her. "I mean, you look like my age." She then added, realising that he really did look as old as she did.
Grinning, positively beaming, Seth's chest puffed up a little. "I'm fifteen!" He chimed happily.
River's eyes went wide. "Oh my god, you're so young!" She blurted before she could help herself, earning a smirk from Leah as Paul chuckled behind her. She knew, of course, that he was younger than they were, but seriously, fifteen. "Sorry, I just... Seth, you're so young!" She couldn't help it as she smiled, finding his annoyance adorable as he grumbled.
"You guys are only seventeen." He grumbled, practically pouting.
Laughing, Paul softly kicked the younger boy. "Relax, kid. You'll be knocking girls dead in no time." He told him, earning a disgruntled but good natured grumble in reply. "Say, don't you have a crush on that one girl? You know, in the year above-"
"Paul!" Seth was stood up quickly, flushed right from his ears down to his chest as he clamped a hand over Paul's mouth while the older boy barked out a laugh.
River couldn't help but notice the guilty eyes that Seth shot her way. It got her thinking.
The year above who? Well, not them, they were about to be seniors. Maybe above him. Why the eyes, though?
Oh! Her eyes went wide. "Oh my god, are you crushing on Brooke?" She asked immediately, hearing a couple of the other guys making teasing noises, pretending to kiss one another.
Seth, bless him, looked mortified. "No!" He yelped, his voice cracking. "No, I mean... who even is that?" His blush only deepened.
As he slowly became a deeper and deeper red, River's heart swelled. "Oh my god, you're crushing on Brooke." She said, this time not a question. His reaction had been answer enough. "I gotta warn you, she's a psycho." She told him, smiling. Seeing them all like this, being such kids, it was amazing.
Though Seth didn't respond, she could see that he practically burst when he realised that she wasn't at all mad in any way.
There was more light teasing, mostly from Embry and Jared, then from Quil when he arrived. Leah's sex talk rule was eventually overruled when Seth left, apparently on the patrol after Quil. Poor kid seemed thrilled to get away from River, embarrassed by his crush on her sister. She found the whole ordeal positively adorable, but the thought soon soured when she realised that they could never date even if Brooke liked him back, not so long as there was the chance that he could imprint and break her heart.
It didn't take long for the conversation to grow sexual. Naturally, it was mostly Quil and Jared, practically bouncing off of one another, giggling.
It wasn't that River minded talking about sex, she figured she had a healthy relationship was sex, but it was strange to think that these people had possibly seen her naked in Paul's mind. She could, if she so choose, tell them a story only for them to say that they'd already seen it.
As respectful as Emily and Leah had assured her he was, it was still a daunting thought.
"What is it with boys and needing to talk about sex all the darn time?" Emily asked, laying a huge bowl of baked goods on the table as she rolled her eyes, settling back into Sam's arms.
Chortling, Quil responded. "It's DNA, Em. Guys are horny all the time and chicks aren't. Dudes enjoy sex more." He told her, shrugging.
Even Jared looked at him with what the fuck eyes, but River's laugh caught his attention. "You actually think that?" She asked, feeling bold.
Quil, undeterred, shrugged. "It's basic biology. I got a C minus, so I know." She knew that he was being joking as he bragged about his grade, but she couldn't help but feel more amused again.
Snorting behind her, Paul shook his head. "River's acing bio, dude." He told his brother, almost a warning of sorts. "And she's had sex with real chicks, unlike your sorry ass." He added, earning a fist bump from Jared as they both laughed. She, however, blushed and shot him a look.
"Wait, really?" Quil asked, seemingly suddenly lost in thought.
Gross. "Well, I dated girls. It kind of comes with the territory." She responded, feeling a little on edge. She knew that they'd all known about her and Skylar, but she didn't know that they were all accepting. It wasn't something that she had thought to bring up to Paul.
"Comes. Nice." Embry laughed.
Quil snorted too, though he didn't seem to feel ready to admit defeat. "Okay, but like, chicks can't get chicks off like guys can, right?" She wasn't sure if he was really asking, but she felt like her brain had been dumped into a juicer. Was he serious.
In spite of everyone's eyes, she replied all the same. "Girls, who grow up getting to know their own bodies, can't get other girls off?" She asked him with a raised brow, smirking lightly. She heard Paul's snort behind her, spurring her on. "Girls know where the clit is, Quil." She then added, getting a laugh from all three of the other girls in the room.
In turn, Quil rolled his eyes. "So they know where it is. Big deal."
"It is a big deal, moron." Leah laughed. River looked across at her, sensing the start of some kind of alliance.
River nodded, but Quil was speaking again. "Sure, sure, but Paul eats out like a lesbian, right? Isn't that what you said? Point to the guys." He said proudly, almost directly quoting what she'd said to Paul that first time he'd gone down on her.
She blushed furiously, but chuckled all the same. "You see the comparison there? It's still praising women." She was uncomfortable knowing that Quil had known what she'd said, but she reminded herself that he could have heard it from Paul as opposed to seeing it in the pack mind. A concept she was still uneasy about.
"Women can't fuck another woman like a guy can." Quil finally said, crossing his arms triumphantly over his chest.
Rive actually laughed aloud at that. "Oh, they can't?" She asked, leaning forward over the table a little. She watched the look on his face falter a little. "Women can fuck for hours. Before you say anything about dicks, we have fake ones. They feel great, they come in different sizes and they even come in cute colours." She knew she had him beat, she knew, but she still watched as he tried to come up with something else to say.
"That'll teach you." Leah chuckled directly at Quil, seemingly having gained a little more respect for River.
A few feet away, Emily snorted. "No, it won't." She responded, getting a laugh from her cousin and from River.
Just when she thought that Quil was finally done, having accepted his defeat quietly, he blurted out the one word she hadn't expected. "Anal." He said proudly.
There was a light groan followed by the sound of Sam's head hitting a wall, clearly feeling some kind of stupid on Quil's behalf.
Not one to back down, River raised a brow. "Elaborate." She ordered, meeting Quil's gaze with her own. "Come on, you're in the home stretch, right?" She teased.
Paul draped himself over her again, though she figured it was to fix his brother with a glare more than anything.
"Okay." Quil started, huffing through his nose, seemingly amused. "Women can't enjoy butt stuff with a fake dick. What's the point if no one can feel it?"
She sat for a second, letting his words swim around the room as Jared laughed at him and as Kim rolled her eyes. "That your final answer, Quil?" She asked, unable to help the smirk on her face as he shrugged with a light scoff. "Butt stuff, I'm willing to bet, is just the same. Only, where a guy would nut and it would be over, a woman can keep on going with a strap. Again, for hours." Seriously, how did he think that was his point.
Only, his smirk deepened. "So you've done butt stuff?" He asked quickly, snickering.
Was that it? Was that really how he thought he'd embarrass her? She leaned back into Paul softly with a chuckle. "Am I meant to cover my face and say no?" She shot back, feeling Paul's breath hitch against her back. "Sex feels good. Why would you not?" She added simply, feeling Paul's chest as he raked in a single breath. There was tension in the air between them, though not at all bad.
"That's not an answer." Quil snorted.
Smirking, River shook her head. He really needed to hear her say it. "Yes, Quil, I've had anal sex. Have you?" Embry laughed at that, but she couldn't help but feel from Paul's stiffness that she'd crossed a line.
"Okay, so-"
"Enough, Quil." Paul growled. It was low and warning, sending a shiver down River's spine. Was he mad? She hoped not. Dammit, she had just been trying to fit in with his friends.
His arms snaked around her a little tighter.
Though she felt entirely safe in his embrace, there was a small so-very human voice in her head that was telling her that this wasn't natural. This kind of possessive, animalistic behaviour. Though, the warring voice, snarky and sarcastic, growled that Paul was a freaking werewolf, he was bound to display some animalistic tendencies from time to time.
The topic was swiftly changed by Emily, though it did end up rounding back to sex. This time, with Paul's arms barely relaxing around her, she stayed out of things. Sure, she laughed and made small comments, but she avoided drawing anyone's attention.
Almost an hour later, the guys all left the room. Apparently they all played shooter games together from time to time, so they left to the living room to do that.
Paul did ask if she wanted to go with him, still seemingly wanting to cling to her, but she shook her head with a smile, telling him to enjoy himself.
Instead of sitting in the kitchen, Emily took her and the others outside to a small outbuilding. Apparently it was called the "den". It was cute inside, covered floor to ceiling in throws, the floors piled high with pillows, soft and welcoming.
Inside, having settled herself across from Emily and Kim, sitting beside Leah, she couldn't help but feel at home. Whether it was part of the wolf-y magic or not, she didn't care. It had been such a long time since she'd felt like she actually had friends. Sure, she and Skylar were friendly the couple of times that she'd been back to the gym, but there was an understandable dead space of awkwardness between them still.
"Have you really done anal?" Came a small voice. Kim, who then blushed crimson. "Sorry!" She yelped, seemingly having caught herself off guard.
Smiling, River chuckled slightly. "I have." She confirmed, feeling strangely comfortable around these girls. "You can ask, I seriously don't mind. I'm pretty open about... well, anything now I think about it." She then added, wondering what it was specifically that Kim wanted to know.
"You're braver than I am." Emily laughed, shaking her head somewhat fondly. "Was it with Paul? I just- these boys, they're..."
"Big." Kim finished for her, laughing cutely as though she'd just told a secret.
River's smile grew a little. It was nice, talking like this. "Uh, no. Not with Paul. With an ex." While she was comfortable telling them about things that she'd done, she didn't want to name drop anyone they might know. After all, it was a small town.
"Did it hurt?" Kim asked, still beet red in the cheeks.
"Not at all." River decided that Kim was probably looking to try it and was just anxious. "Don't get me wrong, it's weird, but it doesn't hurt."
There was a brief moment where she could see in Kim's eyes that she had more questions, warring with herself as to whether or not to ask them. "Weird?" She eventually settled on.
Leah and Emily didn't speak, but it was clear that they were listening. "Yeah, I mean, same way as anything is weird when you're not used to it." She struggled to think of a way to explain at first, then it came to her. She tried not to blush as she thought of sex with Paul, but she couldn't help it. "I guess it's similar to that first time having sex. You know, the... uh, the stretching feeling?" She wasn't sure why she ended it like a question, possibly she was worried that they hadn't experienced that and that only she had found it strange.
Thankfully, they all nodded. She briefly wondered if it was odd for Emily and Leah. If, for example, Emily wondered if all of Leah's sexual encounters and stories had been with and about Sam.
The four of them chatted for a little while longer before River's cell rang. It was Brooke with a life threatening emergency, saying that she'd started her period and hadn't brought anything with her. The poor kid was terrified of bleeding on anything in Paul's house so was standing literally in his bath tub.
River explained to the others before bidding them a goodbye. Naturally, they were sweet about it. Emily offered pads and tampons, but River assured her that she needed to go to the store anyway so they she could convince Paul to eat actual food instead of cookies all the time.
She left them in the den, heading back inside and standing in the doorway to the living room with a grin on her face.
In there, Paul and the others were playing some shooter game that she didn't recognise, each of them crowded round a small TV, shouting and shoving one another.
Almost as quickly as she'd considered just leaving him there and returning later to pick him up, he dropped his controller and spun, practically hopping the back of the couch to get to her. "Hey!" He greeted her excitedly. "Everything alright?"
In the background, Embry cursed him out, yelping that they were going to lose now. Paul paid him no mind. "Yeah, it's all good. I just gotta head to the store for Brooke. You want me to call back for you later?" She responded, absentmindedly reaching out and thumbing the hem of his shorts, silently amused that he'd managed to lose his shirt while they were in there.
He shook his head quickly. "No, let's go." He told her, looking as if she'd asked a stupid question. "Later, guys!" He then called over his shoulder, already shuffling through the doorframe, pulling her with him.
"You sure?" She asked, curious. "I don't mind." She then added, hearing chuckles from the guys.
Paul smirked down at her with a raised brow. What wasn't she getting? "You really think I'd rather slum it with these stinky dorks that come with you?" He asked her, earning adorably boyish barks of laughter from the others.
Smiling, she shrugged. "I didn't want to pull you away from your friends." She admitted quietly, getting wrapped up in his arms as they walked together. "Oh shit, uh, bye, guys!" She then called over his shoulder, feeling a little self conscious.
They, to her silent delight, each called out their goodbyes to her. She really did feel like she belonged when she was around them all, it was such a nice feeling. Something that she hadn't felt before, not from anyone other than her grandparents and family members back in Utah.
While she started the truck, Paul knocked on the door of the den, waiting for Emily to open it before he hugged her goodbye, waving in at Kim and Leah.
As soon as he was sitting beside her, she pulled off, setting them on the road to the grocery store. On the way, with Paul holding her cell, she called Brooke on speaker and assured her that they wouldn't be long. She didn't say aloud what she would get for her sister, not wishing to embarrass her, but she did make a pointed comment about making sure Brooke texted her with specifics.
"So, what'd you guys talk about in there?" Paul asked as they eventually pulled up at the parking lot of the grocery store.
River, assuming it to be a joke, chuckled and shook her head. "Shut up." She grumbled. She knew, of course, that he must have wanted it from the horse's mouth.
Lightly smirking, Paul raised a brow. "Alright, keep your secrets, woman." He replied, shocking her a little.
"What?"
"What?"
"Mr. I'm faster than your truck can't hear through a shed?" She asked, finding that idea highly unlikely.
Realisation dawned on Paul's face. "Oh! No, that's the whole point." He told her, shocking her. She immediately had questions, but he wasn't done. "Sam and I built it a little while ago. Jared had just imprinted on Kim and she wanted to talk to Em about stuff without worrying about us all hearing, so we soundproofed the thing. Took a whole bunch of insulation under those blankets. We can hear a scream in there, you know, in case of danger, but that's it."
For some reason, the whole thing shocked her. Soundproofed. Paul hadn't heard a word. "So you really didn't hear a thing?" She then asked, still needing some kind of confirmation from him.
"Nope." He shrugged, still looking a little expectant.
She mulled over it, over what that means. "Huh." A light blush covered her cheeks. It had somehow been easier when she'd assumed that he already knew. "Okay, well, we were talking about..." As she spoke though, she trailed off awkwardly. If they'd been in there for silence, was she allowed to tell Paul? After all, Kim had been asking questions because she'd wanted to try stuff with Jared. Was it expected that she wasn't to say anything since they'd been in a kind of safe space? Fuck, she had no idea.
Whether he understood her moral dilemma or not, Paul smiled softly all the same, laying a hand on her leg. "You don't have to tell me, River." He told her sweetly, making something in her chest hurt.
She groaned and let her head fall back against the seat's headrest, suddenly embarrassed ."No, I know! I just... I'm pretty sure I can tell you, but what about the whole pack thing? The mind, or whatever?" What was the term he'd used again? The pack mind, maybe?
With a light smirk, he snorted quietly, clearly amused. He was enjoying watching her squirm. "I can control myself, don't worry." He assured her. In the same second, his hand squeezed her leg just right. She wasn't sure if it had been intended to steal her breath and still her heart, but it did all the same. Gods, she really couldn't get enough of him.
"Anal." She blurted quickly, eyes going wide just as she watched his do the same, shocked at herself.
"A-Anal?" He practically choked out. Well, he clearly hadn't expected that.
His hand moved, coming off her leg as he awkwardly stored it in his own lap, clearing his throat. "Are you mad?" She asked, feeling the blush that had snaked up her neck as it tickled her cheeks.
"Mad?" He asked, furrowing his brow. "River, why would I be mad?" As she looked at him, really looked at him, she could see a blush under his skin too as he scratched the back of his neck with a breathy chuckle.
She shrunk a little and swallowed hard. What kind of freaking state had she managed to put them both into? "I don't know, you just- before, with Quil, you seemed like you got mad at me. I know I must have over stepped, I was just trying to join in with your friends-"
"No! I wasn't mad at you, I swear it." He yelped quickly, reaching out with both hands to scoop hers up. She gave them quickly, looking into his eyes.
"You weren't?" It wasn't that she didn't believe him, she'd just been so damn sure that she'd made him mad.
He shook his head quickly, firmly. "God, no." He smiled through his blush, running a comforting thumb over her knuckles. "I was a little pissed with Quil for pushing it, but snapping at him like that, then how I was sitting with you... it's a wolf thing. God, I know how that sounds, but it's true. We all know the boundaries, you know? How to speak to one another's imprints. Like, he wouldn't have asked Em stuff like that, not how he asked you, he was just trying it on and I guess I had to just put him in his place."
Listening to that, to his explanation, it was a lot. She was, after all, still apprehensive about all of this stuff. It's a wolf thing. What the hell was that supposed to mean? Sure, she knew, but still. She wasn't sure how she felt about the whole pack dynamic, moreover about Paul having to put him in his place or whatever. She figured it was what an average boyfriend would do, but it being wolf-y made it all the more strange in her brain.
"Oh." She said simply, softly pulling her hands from his grasp. She didn't miss the faint look of hurt on his features as he gave her the space she had silently asked for, shuffling back along the bench to the other side of the cab. She immediately felt terrible. Would she ever stop hurting him one way or another?
"Is that okay?" He asked, though she could hear the pain in his voice. Fuck.
She took a breath, a deep one. "Can you control it if it isn't?" As much as it hurt in that second, she needed to know.
He chuckled lightly, dropping her gaze for the first time to look down at his own hands. He was deep in thought for a second, just a single one, then his eyes were back up and looking at her with the intensity of a thousand suns. "For you? I can do anything." A heat spread through her at his words. It felt like safety, branching through her, filling her up. It was so very him.
"It's okay." She then said, answering his previous question. He gave her an uncertain look, just a single raised brow. "It is. I just... this is all still so new. I'm just trying to take it all in." She then said, looking to assure him and explain herself. He nodded his understanding, laying a hand on her leg once more.
She didn't push it off, instead unbuckling her belt and scooting across the bench to lean against him. Her head ended up on one of his strong shoulders as his arm circled her back, holding her close.
A comfortable silence settled over them, but River could tell that Paul had something to say. She wasn't even sure how or why she knew, she just knew that if she thought about it, she could practically feel the words on the tip of her own tongue. She had no idea what it was that he was going to say, merely that there was something waiting to leave his lips.
With that in mind, after a moment, she looked up at his expectantly.
He shuffled uncomfortably for a second, seemingly intent on avoiding her gaze. When their eyes finally met however, he spilled.
"So. Anal." The words fell unceremoniously from his mouth and he seemed beyond embarrassed the second that he'd said it.
Chuckling, River rolled her eyes and shoved him away playfully by the chest. "Jesus." She growled, shuffling back to her own seat as even his ears tinged red. "I've never said that word so much in my life as I have today." She laughed, finding his small panic absolutely adorable.
"But you've done it before?" He croaked, rubbing his neck and chest lightly as if to explain away the way his voice cracked lightly. Did he really think he could fake a frog in his throat?
She didn't answer right away as she shucked her sweatshirt quickly, thrusting it at him. It was large enough to fit him comfortably and large enough to be baggy on her. She'd be damned if she was going to let him walk around the grocery store with no shirt on in this freaking weather. Seriously, how did none of them ever get caught out? If she thought about it, most folks on the res had said more than once how weird it was that the pack didn't wear the right kind of clothing for the weather that they had.
He was still waiting, now just with her sweatshirt in his lap.
She practically wrestled him into it like a freaking toddler before she finally answered. "I have, and yes, I'd do it again. I'm guessing that was going to be the next question?" When no answer came, leaving River looking amusedly at Paul with his mouth hanging wide open in awe, she couldn't help but snort out a laugh. "Come on, Lahote. Let's go."
As she hopped out of the truck, it took him a second to catch up. Naturally, he was grinning like a kid in a candy store, wearing her gym sweatshirt like the very cheerleader that he'd assured her father that he could be. It even had her surname printed on the back.
He trailed after her as they went into the store together, seemingly having had his mind blown by the possibilities that lay before him.
Through it all, River couldn't help but grin. This may not have ever been the life that she'd imagined for herself, but she had to admit that it was the happiest she'd ever been.
We're on our way to more plot-based stuff, I swear! I'm doing my best with the interactions with the pack and such, but they may end up being kinda OOC since I'm obviously not SM. Hopefully it's all okay though and the chapter itself was fine. I know my friends and I all talked about sex/sexual stuff a lot as teens, so I'm trying to stuff some actual teenage stuff in there for them since that was what I always found so sweet about the pack. They always seemed, to me, to be the inner teen that Bella was missing, so hopefully that's coming out a little.
River's getting more comfortable with the pack, she and Brooke are still not home, Paul's being a good boyfriend. I'd say things are going well! Let me know if there are any thoughts or feelings one way or another on this chapter, I always love feedback. If not, hopefully you'll stick around for more!
Have an awesome day.