"Baby, we had a deal." Leah whispered after climbing into bed with Bella.
"You weren't here and I was cold." Bella mumbled. She pulled her night shirt over her head and snuggled into Leah's chest. "Better?"
"Much." Leah rubbed her hand up and down Bella's bare back. So silky smooth. Bella was already asleep again. Leah soon followed.
o.~*~.o
Bella woke with the sun the next morning but Leah was still passed out cold. She had been looking forward to this very moment since Leah had left for patrols. She wanted to wake up like this every day for the rest of her life. Once again, she had her face plastered against Leah's right boob and her hand clutching her left.
She wondered how much she could play with the boob without waking Leah. She didn't want to wake Leah, her strong and brave protector. Leah needed her sleep. If Leah came across Victoria, Leah would need to be fully rested. She couldn't endanger her love like that. So she stayed still as long as she could.
Finally, her bladder gave her an ultimatum. Either she needs to get to the bathroom right now, or she was going to pee on Leah, which would definitely wake her up.
So, she started to inch away. Leah gripped her closer. "No. Mine."
"I need to pee," Bella whimpered.
"Ok, but be fast."
Bella was fast, but it didn't matter. Leah was awake.
"I was trying to be good so I wouldn't wake you." Bella whispered as she climbed back into bed, snuggling into her spot.
"You were trying to be good?" Leah asked sleepily.
"Yeah, my hand was on your boob but I didn't play with it because I wanted you to be well-rested and strong in case you had to be my fierce protector on your next patrol."
"So you were being good by not playing with my boob?"
"Yeah, I wanted you to get more sleep." Bella sounded proud of herself.
"Ok, thank you for being so sweet, baby, but for future reference, I would much rather wake up to you playing with my boob than you leaving our bed."
"I'll remember that for future reference. Why don't you go back to sleep and I'll try again in a few hours."
"Mmmm, okay, I'll try." Leah agreed. She started rubbing Bella's silky back, up and down, so smooth. She wondered if she could reach her butt. She stretched her arm and her fingertips brushed over the top of Bella's ass. Nice. She found the crack and was able to pinch some flesh between her thumb and index finger. It was so supple, firm and soft.
"Are you really trying to sleep?" Bella asked.
"Yes, this is how I go to sleep. You always fall asleep before me so you don't notice." Leah teased. Bella giggled. "Maybe I'd fall asleep faster if we switched positions. Maybe that's the key."
"Yeah! Let's try it!" Bella agreed. She started shimmying herself up the bed while Leah pushed herself down. Leah had to curl her legs around Bella's to keep her feet on the bed but the payoff was worth it. She nestled her face on Bella's left boob and clutched the right boob in the hand. This pillow was heavenly. She squeezed the boob once, twice…
Bella was so glad that Leah was asleep. She watched Leah's face as she slept. She looked like an angel, her pouty lips nestled right on Bella's areola. With her eyes closed, her lashes were so long on her cheek. No, Bella thought, she did not look like an angel, but like a goddess. Bella had a goddess cradling her body and napping on her bosom. Gratitude filled her in waves and she fell back asleep.
A few hours later, Bella felt a tickle on her breast, a wet tickle. She looked down and her goddess was gently licking her nipple. Leah's other hand was still clutching at Bella's right breast, gently squeezing it now and again.
"Hi," Bella said, in a seductively deep voice. Where did that come from?
"So. what. do. you. think. of. waking. up. this. way." She licked between every word.
"It's divine. You're divine, Leah. My own personal goddess."
Leah had stopped licking and was staring into her eyes. "Is that what you think?"
"Definitely." A darkness crossed Leah's face, then lifted.
Leah pulled herself up so that her head was on the pillow next to Bella's. She kept her hand on the boob. "I don't feel like a goddess, Bella, I feel like a monster." She rested her forehead against Bella's temple.
"Well you look like a goddess. And you act like a goddess. And you are powerful like a goddess. I mean your skill with those potatoes was inhuman. And your tongue work is masterful!"
Leah giggled. "Thanks, but in the woods, as a wolf, I kind of hate it. The only time I didn't hate it was when, well, when I got hurt the other day. I felt like I was doing something real for you."
"Thank you for protecting me, baby."
"Bella, the pack hates me."
"They don't hate you, Leah."
"Oh yeah, what do they call me?"
Bella smiled. "I don't know." She lied.
"You don't know?" Leah started tickling her.
"Stop!"
"Tell me what they call me." Leah tickled harder.
"Pack bitch! They call you pack bitch!" Leah stopped tickling. "But that's just because of who you were. You were a super-bitch from the moment you joined the pack, right? I think I would have been too if my dad died right after I joined the pack. You know who I think is to blame? Seth. He was so cheerful and chipper. It made you look bad in comparison. I think you just got into a bad behavior pattern with the pack and you can break it, make things better. I can help."
"You can help?" Leah asked. "You mean because they all love you so they'll love me by association?"
"Well that doesn't hurt, but that's not my plan. I have a two part plan."
"A two part plan? How? When did you think of this? What's the plan? At this point, I'll try anything. I need the pack to work with me to take down Victoria and I'm worried that I've jeopardized that."
Bella, leaned over and pressed their lips together. "You haven't, but my plan will bring you closer to the whole pack. Ready for it?" Leah nodded. "Part one: food. I'm dead serious that you are a goddess in the kitchen." Leah chuckled at that. All she could make was grilled cheese and toast. "Seriously, it usually takes me half an hour to peel and chop potatoes for stroganoff. You did enough potatoes for a double batch in ten minutes. That's an hour's worth of work in ten minutes. Do you see where I'm going with this? If you help me in the kitchen we can make double the food in half the time. You'll get credit for the surplus."
"So, labor?"
"Well, yeah. Why does the pack love me?"
"You care for them, bring them food, you're funny and silly and you are kind to them. I think a lot of them appreciated how happy you made Jacob."
"So, part of that is labor. Now, the same formula can work for you. Care for them, bring them food, be funny and silly, be kind to them, and make me happy."
"Ok, I can definitely do that. I actually really enjoy cooking with you, so that would be fun. What is the second part of the plan?"
"I need you to have an open mind, Leah."
"I'll try," Leah hesitated, "but I'll admit, I'm already a little scared because you are asking me to have an open mind."
"It's not bad, I promise." Bella said hurriedly. "The second part of the plan is the 'make me happy' part. I think it will go a long way if they can see us together, and not just holding hands and sitting close to each other. They need to see us snuggle, kiss, flirt, tease, giggle. Maybe even let a few spicy memories into the pack mind."
"Ok, what's the end game there? They're all turned on by us and you think that will lead them to respect me? I don't see how that will work."
"They need to like you, first, Leah. They don't hate you, but they don't like you. Let them see why I like you so much. They'll be more comfortable with you if they can see that there is more to you than just bitch."
"We can try it. And I already let a memory into the pack mind, so I guess I already started."
Bella slapped her arm, "You already let a memory in? What memory? Did they all see me nude?"
"No, well yes, but not from me." Leah explained, "We all know everything you and Jacob did. He is terrible at guarding his thoughts."
"Oh, sorry you've had to see all that. But weren't you patrolling with Jake yesterday? What did you show him? And why?"
"He said there was no way that the imprint was romantic because you're not gay and that I was just misunderstanding your kindness for flirtation." Bella was seething that Jake would say that to her Leah. "So, I showed him a memory where I was looking down at my body, you were looking up at me seductively while licking my tit. Your hand was between my legs and you were pleasuring me."
Leah examined Bella's face for a reaction. "Are you mad at me?"
"No Leah, Jake was being an ass."
"Yeah, he really was, Bella. But I wanted you to know that I chose that memory because, one," she held up one finger, "it showed my body and not yours and I didn't want to disrespect you like that. And, two," she held up a second finger, "it clearly showed that you were into me in a non-platonic way "
"And that memory is really hot, and a great start," Bella said, "but it doesn't clearly show you making me happy. Right?" Leah nodded. "Tell me honestly, how did the pack react to Jake dumping me?"
Leah squirmed. "It's complicated. Everyone agreed that Jacob handled it in a shitty way, even Sam. Everyone loves you, like really loves you, Bella. Many of them like you as a person more than they like Jacob. But they have a loyalty to Jacob that is stronger than a family bond, so they were happy he imprinted. But they were also heartbroken for what you had to go through, and they were heartbroken that they lost you."
"Thank you, Leah, Do they have that same loyalty to you, that more-than-a-family bond?"
"Yeah, but they all like you more than they like me."
"This isn't a competition. They like me more right now, but they are bonded to you. Do you think those that know that you imprinted are happy for you?"
"Oh definitely, I know they are, maybe even Jacob. His feelings are pretty muddy, though."
"And are they happy for me?
"Yeah, they are. And they are glad to have you back, too."
"So you see? We have something to build on here. Part 2 is less tangible, but I think over time, it will have a big impact. We can start at the bonfire tomorrow night."
Leah groaned. She knew she had to go to the bonfire. It was partly in her imprint's honor. But she didn't want to. "What do we have to do at the bonfire?"
"Well, we have to do part one and part two of the plan. Part one, let's bring way too much food. I was thinking about cookies and cupcakes. Do you have any other suggestions?"
"Brownies!" Leah said, thinking of Jacob. "Jacob had an erotic memory about you and brownies."
Bella looked whiter than a sheet. She was pretty sure she knew the memory that Jacob had thought of. "When was he thinking of that?"
"Yesterday, on patrol." Leah answered.
"What the fuck!" Bella did not want Jacob thinking about her like that, especially showing Leah those memories.
"It was my fault." Leah confessed. "I was trying to talk to him and his mind was unfocused so I told him to think about brownies. That time in his kitchen - "
"I remember, don't remind me. So do you really want brownies or are just saying that to prank Jacob?"
"Both. It's been too long since I've had one of your brownies."
"They'll be our brownies now." Bella kissed her firmly.
"But how do we do part two at the bonfire?"
"We just have to be ourselves. I'll rub my face on your boobies and you'll stick your fingers in my butt crack."
"Ha ha. Very funny. But we don't want to fall asleep and burn to death, so we might want to have another plan."
Bella laughed. "True. Let's see," she tapped her chin pensively. "Maybe, think of how Kim and Jared are at any pack function. They are always together, touching, playing, whispering. That's all we have to do. That's what we've been doing for the last few days so we should just continue it there. I also think you should get the word out about the imprint before the bonfire. Do you know who you are patrolling with tomorrow morning?"
"It should be Paul."
"Oh that's perfect. He's such a gossip! Show Paul the imprint at the diner. Then 'accidentally' slip with your spicy memory of me pleasuring you. That will show him the intensity and intent of the imprint. Ask him to do you a favor and show the imprint memory to Embry and Quil before the bonfire. He'll definitely show both memories. Then you won't have to have any awkward side conversations at the bonfire. Everyone will know why I'm there and I won't have any awkward explanation either."
Leah leaned over and kissed her. "Thank you baby."
"You're welcome, my love."
Leah loved that Bella just called her 'my love.'
Leah let go of Bella's boob and reached around her shoulder. She pulled Bella's face to hers, first kissing around her mouth, then finally pressing their lips firmly together. She parted her lips and sucked Bellas lower lip. She could spend days suckling that lip. But she couldn't. She had other body parts to worship.
By the time the girls got out of bed, Charlie had gone to work. "What do you want for breakfast?"
"What do you have for cereal?" Leah asked.
"I think we have frosted flakes, cinnamon toast crunch, and honey nut cheerios. But I don't mind making you something."
"I usually have cereal for breakfast, Bella. The last two days have been nice, but I'm craving cereal."
"So, what's your favorite kind?"
"At home I like lucky charms. From your options, I'll have honey nut cheerios."
Bella wrote lucky charms on the shopping list. "Can you grab the milk?" Bella got out the cheerios and cinnamon toast crunch, then the bowls and spoons.
"Thank you for putting lucky charms on the shopping list for me. Just an FYI, my mom gets those malt-o-meal bags of cereal. They have a lucky charms flavor. They're cheaper since Seth and I go through so much. If you're going to get me cereal, please get me that kind so that I can feel comfortable eating more without being a burden, ok?"
"Sure, thank you for telling me."
After breakfast, they cleaned their dishes and sat on the couch.
"So, what's the plan for today?" Bella asked.
"Well, I'm going to have to go to bed early tonight because my shift starts at midnight."
"That makes sense. So when do you usually go to bed for that shift?"
"I have to go to bed at 6pm."
"Oh," Bella was hoping they'd have more time together today.
"And I should probably go home. My mom hasn't seen me in two days."
"Yeah, that makes sense, too." Bella was crestfallen.
"Hey, why are you looking sad? You don't like it at my house? We can confine Seth to his room if he gets annoying."
"Oh, Leah!" Bella flung her arms around Leah's neck, then kissed all over Leah's face. "I'm so stupid sometimes. I thought… I thought you didn't want me to come, that I wouldn't get to spend time with you today."
"Bella, honey. No. Although we'll need to work out the logistics of the 6pm bedtime when we're together. Will you be comfortable waking up at my house in the morning without me?"
"I'm pretty sure, yes. I think I can sneak out before Seth asks me to make him breakfast."
"Yes, do that. That boy was way too demanding of you. Now that he knows you're my imprint, I hope he backs off."
"Hey, do you think there are any peanut butter cookies left?"
Leah sighed. "Probably not. I should have brought them here and shared them with Charlie."
"Maybe, but we can make more for the bonfire. I was thinking, can we do the bonfire cooking at your mom's house? She has that awesome stand mixer and better counter space."
"Yeah, that sounds perfect." Leah loved seeing Bella in her kitchen.
"Ok, what kind of cookies should we make?" Bella asked
"Peanut butter and chocolate chip are pack favorites." Leah suggested.
"And cupcakes? What flavor cupcakes?"
Leah didn't hesitate. "Chocolate."
"Is that for the pack, or just you?" Bella teased.
"Both. Everyone loves chocolate."
"Ok. So I'm making a shopping list now of all of the ingredients we'll need tomorrow. I was thinking we could swing by the store on the way to your house this morning? Then you can help me bring everything in."
"I love this plan, Isabella. I just adore you." Leah said and Bella beamed up at her.
The run to the store was very quick, even though they got a lot of items. Almost everything was in one aisle, the baking aisle. Then they had to swing by the dairy for milk, eggs, and butter and then grab peanut butter and they were done.
They brought four, large paper bags of groceries into the Clearwater's home and realized they hadn't figured out the next step. Where were they going to put all of this?
Seth offered, "You can put it all into my room as long as you let me lick the bowls."
"We'll let you lick one beater and you'll thank us for it." Leah countered.
"Deal." Seth agreed.
Sue also thought that was a good solution, since she didn't want it all cluttering the kitchen.
"Bella, can you do me a favor?"
"Definitely." She would do anything for Sue.
"I'm not a good baker, but Harry was. So we have lots of baking supplies, powders and flours and oils. I imagine a lot is expired, but some are almost certainly still good. Can you use those up before you start opening the new ingredients. It just feels so wasteful to open new ingredients when I know we have some of it in the cupboards."
"Of course, Sue, I was actually going to ask you about that, you know, pantry rotation and all. And do you want us to throw away anything that's expired?"
"That would be wonderful, Bella, thank you. I haven't had the heart to go through that stuff yet."
"No problem, I'm happy to help."
"So how did Charlie take the news that you two are dating or whatever you told him? I'm guessing well since Leah spent two nights there?"
"He was really sweet about it. He didn't even set a noise limit on our hanky panky." Leah replied.
"Oh, is that why you haven't been home?" Sue asked. "Nevermind, I don't want to know. The noise limit stands."
"Mom, we're going to stay here tonight, if that's okay. I have the midnight patrol tonight. And Bella's working early tomorrow morning, right, baby?"
"Yeah, I'm planning to leave here at 6:00 am, so I won't bother anyone."
"You are never a bother, Bella," Sue spoke with sincerity. "Of course that's alright. It's just about time for me to head out the door for work. And I'm guessing I won't see either of you when I get back at 10." She kissed both of their foreheads, having to stand on her tippy toes to reach Leah's. "You two have fun." She kissed Seth's head on the way out, but he was on the couch so she didn't need to stand on her tippy toes.
"Can we sort the expired food now?" Bella asked Leah excitedly.
"Yeah, Bella, that sounds like a blast." She said sarcastically.
They did have fun though. They pulled everything out of the baking shelves first and put it all on the floor. Then Bella sprayed and wiped the shelves. They were very dusty and even a little grimy from unnoticed spills.
They went through each item finding the expiry date. There was a huge pile of expired items but most of them were almost empty. They found three cocoa powders, two expired.
"Cocoa powder?" Seth was intrigued. "Is that like chocolate?"
"Yeah, it is," Bella answered. "You can have some. This one is not expired." She handed him the newest box.
Seth put a big scoop in his mouth. He quickly ran to the sink and spit it out. "Very funny." Leah was rolling with laughter as he tried to wash it all out of his mouth. This woman really was her soul mate, she thought.
When they were done sorting, the baking shelf was sparse and clean. It would be restocked the next day with all of the leftovers from their baking day.
Bella made paninis for lunch, Leah helped cut things up, and gather and then later put things away. Leah noticed that paninis were like grilled cheese but with extra steps and extra flavor. She thought she could try making them herself and add them to her list of foods she could make to impress Bella.
After their meal, Seth played video games and Bella and Leah went and sat on Leah's bed.
"Leah, I'm nervous about the bonfire, about seeing Jacob and Jen. Why didn't you tell me she was your cousin?"
"Oh shit. I wasn't trying to withhold that. I just wasn't thinking about her at all, you know? What do you want to know about her? I can try to prepare you."
"Kim told me a lot, that she was visiting you, that you kicked her out and she moved in with Jake. Kim said there was something wrong with their imprint, that they're both messed up from it and all they do is violently fight and fuck away the rage. So I'm worried that they're going to be nasty… to me."
"Well I can kick both of their asses if needed. The whole pack is annoyed with them so I'm not even sure they'll let it get that far. What Kim said was all true. They are a hot mess."
Leah pulled the smaller girl into her lap. "I can't promise they won't be nasty. They probably will be. But I can promise they won't get anywhere near you if they're not being nice. I won't allow it. Sam won't stand for it either."
"Okay, thank you." Bella kissed her on the cheek. "Leah, I've been wondering about a couple of things."
"Great. Please ask me anything. It's weird, you and me. We've known each other all this time, but there is just so much we don't know about each other. What have you been wondering?"
"Well first, you first phased months ago. Why did you only imprint on me a few days ago? We've seen each other tons since then."
"That's an easy one. You need to make eye contact to imprint. Before the diner, when was the last time we made eye contact? Maybe one of those multi family dinners when my dad was still alive? I don't know. I barely made eye contact with anyone since he died."
"Why?" Bella asked.
"Because…" Leah sighed heavily. She needed to be honest, tell Bella everything. "because I killed him, Bella. I phased, he had a heart attack and died. People keep saying it was inevitable, it was his lifestyle, blah, blah, blah. But that's not what happened. I phased and he died. Cause, effect."
Bella thought for a minute. She didn't know if she should try to convince Leah she was wrong, or if you should just meet her where she was, in her grief. She decided that meeting her where she was would be the best option for this conversation. "But what does that have to do with eye contact? Why didn't you reach out for help from your family, from the pack, from the wolf girls? Any of them could have helped you through your feelings of grief and guilt."
"Because I didn't think I deserved it. I felt like a monster. I still do sometimes. I'm sorry that I'm so broken, Bella."
Bella smiled, "You're not broken, my love. Just hurting." Bella rubbed her cheek on Leah's cheek softly, back and forth, slowly comforting her.
Eventually Leah asked, "Anything else you were wondering about?"
"Yeah, tons, I need to start carrying a little notebook and pencil in my pocket to write them all down. So, one I do remember. We were talking about our gay fantasies before the imprint. I told you how I felt about boobs. I was thinking back, wondering if I had ever lusted after your boobs but I realized I never remember seeing your boobs. You always wore oversized t-shirts and sweatshirts, then boxy dresses as part of the pack. I didn't really think about your boobs until I saw you naked, and now they're pretty much all I think about." Bella started squeezing them.
"That isn't a question, babe." Leah noted.
"Yes it is! I just wasn't finished yet because I got distracted. You said you sometimes thought about tasting women's lips. Did you ever think about mine before the imprint?"
Leah covered her face with her hands. "Bella, that's so embarrassing!"
"What is?"
"The answer to your question."
Bella pulled Leah's hands off of her face and wrapped them around her waist. "Well now I really want to know." And she pressed her lips to Leah's softly.
"The first time I noticed your lips, you were 14 and I was 15." Leah explained. "It was the first time I had ever wanted to taste a girl's mouth. Then when you moved back to Forks, I always noticed them. I secretly savored all of Jacob's memories of kissing you, where he was looking longingly at your lips. He was able to see them from the best angle and right up close. I had never gotten that close to them. They're just perfect, Isabella. I couldn't help it!"
"Leah, that's adorable. I love it." Their lips joined again. Bella was running her fingers through Leah's hair, then massaging her scalp with her fingertips. Leah's hand was working its way up Bella's shirt to her bra.
"Oh, I just remembered another question!" Bella announced. Leah dropped her hand. "You didn't have to do that, though." Bella reached behind her back and unclasped her bra. She pulled one arm out, then pulled the bra off through the sleeve of the other arm. She threw the bra towards Leah's desk. Then she lifted Leah's hand and put it on her tit. "There. We can multitask while we talk."
"Thanks, baby," Leah said, carefully fondling the breast under Bella's shirt. "So, question?"
"Why don't you have as many questions for me? That's not the question, just something I thought of right now."
"Because I already know a ton about you. Jacob doesn't guard his thoughts in the pack mind and he thought about you constantly for months, long before you guys got together. You're friends with Quil and Embry too, so their memories add even better perspective. And you're friends with Emily and besties with Kim. I didn't see all of their memories but I saw a lot of memories of you spending time with them when Sam or Jared were around."
"So you know me, but I don't know you." Bella said.
"Kind of. I know about you. Like I've watched hours and hours of documentary footage about your life with some key moments played over and over and over again in Jacob's mind." Bella blushed. "But how we are together, that's all new to me. Also, Bella, I thought everyone was looking at you with rose colored glasses. I didn't think a real person could be as sweet and funny and beautiful as you in real life. I'm so glad that I was wrong."
Leah pinched Bella's nipple then and Bella jumped. Leah had a thought. "These are like a stress ball but way better. Do you think that is how stress balls were invented? Like some guy always fondled their wife's boobs to relieve stress. The problem: the wife couldn't always be there to help her man relieve his stress. The solution: a portable boob, aka, the stress ball."
"Maybe." Bella responded. "I had never thought about the invention of stress balls until right now but your theory is definitely possible."
"Right, we're getting off topic. What was the question?" Leah asked.
"Yeah, so, it was about work and it was a cluster of questions." Bella counted them on her fingers, "what did you used to do for work before joining the pack? What were your plans after graduation before you phased? What are your career plans now? And what do you do for money? You can answer them in any order."
"I used to work at the diner. I was a dishwasher on the weekends. I wanted to be a nurse like my mom. My grades were really good before Sam disappeared when he first phased. I missed a lot of school when I didn't know where he was or what happened to him. Then I missed a lot of school again when he dumped me. That's why I had to repeat my senior year."
"What do I want to do now?" Leah continued, "I think I still want to be a nurse. I'll have to go to community college to prove I can handle nursing school. But none of that makes sense while I'm still phasing."
"What do you mean, while you're still phasing?" Bella asked, a little alarmed. "Jacob said this was a lifelong commitment. Are you going to quit or something? Will that break the imprint."
"No, I know that won't break the imprint." Leah said in a soothing voice. "Remember Taha Aki? He chose to grow old with his third wife because she was his imprint and he would never be able to love anyone after her. So please don't worry about that."
"As far as quitting," Leah went on, "we all dream of quitting. Theoretically, once there are no more vampires coming around, we won't need to phase anymore and we can all resume our lives. Maybe all we'll need to do is take out Victoria and then we can move on with our lives."
"Okay," Bella said, "so the final question, what do you do for money? Or are you living off your savings, saving money by living at home?"
"We all get a stipend from the council. It's about as much as I'd get if I got full time hours as a dishwasher, so not a lot, but I'm still very grateful for it. I've been able to save a lot so I can go to college, eventually. I've had to spend a bunch on food though because I don't want to be a burden to my mom."
"So what are your plans?" Leah asked Bella. "What do you want to be when you grow up?"
"Before all this with the Cullens and Victoria, I wanted to be a librarian." Bella answered. "With Victoria after me, I've put all that on pause. I'm going to sign up for classes in Port Angeles this fall. I'm hoping that they have some online classes. If fall comes around and Victoria is still out there and there are no online classes, I'll defer enrollment."
"I'm so sorry that this is affecting your plans like this, baby."
Bella laughed. "You're sorry that this is affecting me? You had to repeat senior year. You lost your dad. And now you can't start college. Baby, you're handling this all so well! I'll be fine deferring. Hey, what if we took community college classes together this fall. Sam said I could go to Port Angeles with an escort. If we signed up for the same classes, had the same schedule, we could both make some progress toward our goals."
"That's a lovely idea, but no way." Leah said firmly. "If Victoria caught your scent there… it wouldn't take much for her to figure out your schedule. It's just way too risky." The hope that Bella had in her eyes looked dimmer suddenly. "But here's what I'll do. I'll sign up for the same classes as you because I love the idea of us going together. Then I'll do everything I can to take down Victoria this summer. If it doesn't get done, I'll defer, too."
"Really?"
"Yeah, babygirl." Leah assured her, "I'm already looking forward to it. Now, I think we need to read those packets that Sam gave us. Old Quil will be at the bonfire tomorrow. If we have questions from the packet, the bonfire might be a good time to bring them up."
"Okay, mine is still in my truck. I'll go get it."
Leah released the boob but wrapped her arms tightly around Bella's core, hugging Bella to her. She took a deep inhale of her hair and exhaled, "Mine." Then she released Bella. "Be quick," she admonished.
o.~*~.o
"What do you think about this marking stuff?" Leah asked when she had read about half of the thick packet.
"Honestly," Bella answered, "I don't understand why the others thought it sounded gross. The act itself sounds hot. And there are all of these advantages, fast healing powers, the deeper emotional connection, and the longevity for the imprint. Does that mean that neither of us will age while you are regularly shifting? Am I reading that right?"
"That's my understanding, yes."
"Hmm. I can see the disadvantages too, being tied to your wolf when they died, dying with them. That part sucks but I can't imagine wanting to live without you anyway, so I don't know. What do you think?"
"I want to mark you." Leah answered without hesitation.
"Uh, ok, but doesn't your wolf have to want it too?"
"Yeah, I already knew that the wolf wanted to mark you. She made that very clear the first time I licked your clit into submission."
Bella smirked at that description. "Ok."
"But I, 'the man,' wasn't sure it was a good idea, especially since no one else seemed to. Reading this packet, I'm thinking it's a great idea. I want to finish the packet before I'm certain, and I definitely need your consent, but right now, I want this."
"Okay, let's finish reading the packet then."
o.~*~.o
"I consent." Bella declared when she finished her packet.
"Just a minute, baby," Leah said, "I still have two paragraphs left before I can agree to that." But the wolf in Leah was already jumping to take her woman.
Bella sat quietly swinging her feet, longing to play with the stress balls hanging below Leah's collar bones.
Moments later, Leah said, "Ok, I want to mark you and you consent. So do you want me to do it next time my wolf wants me to try it? Or do you want to wait?
"No, I don't want to wait. Bite me now!"
"Baby, I was thinking we should have supper now."
"But it's only 4."
"Yeah but I've got to sleep at 6, so we could have supper now, come back here for hanky panky. My mom's not home and I heard Seth leave a bit ago so I can make you scream. And if my wolf's in the mood, I'll let her sink her teeth into you."
"You'll let her?" Bella asked.
"Yeah, I've had to hold her back a few times already." Leah looked a little embarrassed. "She's quite eager so I think she'll be in the mood, if you're okay with that."
"Oh absolutely!" Bella was getting aroused but tried to stay focused on the plan. "So what am I making you for supper? Something quick so we have lots of time for hanky panky?" Bella wagged her eyebrows suggestively.
"Yes, something quick, but I'm cooking for you tonight."
"Nice, I love your grilled cheese!"
"Not grilled cheese." Leah said, "I want to try making paninis on my own. I've been thinking up combinations since lunch. I think I can whip up a stack in about 20 minutes. You can watch me, but I don't want any help or suggestions. I want to try this on my own."
"Oh, I'd love to watch."
It took about 30 minutes for Leah to finish making the paninis. Even though she was fast, she still had to wait for everything to cook. She made six paninis. She left one in the fridge for Seth. Bella ate one, and Leah polished off the rest. She couldn't find her cookies anywhere so she assumed they had been consumed. It was okay, because now she always had the cookie maker with her.
o.~*~.o
Bella pushed the bedroom door closed. She turned around to face the room and Leah was standing right behind her. She saw gold in her eyes again. It was so beautiful. She started to lift Leah's dress over her head. Leah lifted her arms but otherwise was eerily still, staring down at her with intensity. She tossed Leah's dress and lifted her own shirt over her head, tossing it too.
"Bella," Leah whispered with so much emotion that Bella felt it in her core.
"Leah," she whispered back, looking up into Leah's face.
Leah lifted Bella up and Bella wrapped her legs around Leah's waist. She carried Bella to the bed and gently laid her down. She started kissing her ferociously. There was so much need seeping from the wolf. She kissed down Bella's neck, stopping to lick the place where Bella's neck met her shoulder.
She worked her way down to her breasts, pausing to give each a little attention. But she didn't have much time for that now. She needed to lick and claim her woman.
She pulled off Bella's shorts and panties without any fanfare. She just needed them out of the way. She pulled Bella to the side of the bed so that her butt was on the edge. She put Bella's feet on her shoulders. Oh, the aroma, so heavenly. She needed to taste. She started licking the clit. She went right for the sensitive nub this time. She licked all around the head of it, then sucked it into her mouth. Bella screamed. She started wiggling her butt. Leah held her hips firmly. She needed her still for this. With the tip of the clit in her mouth, she sucked it deep, then released a little. She sucked and released over and over again, feeling the tremors starting to build in her woman. She wanted to touch her with her fingers but she couldn't risk the wiggling butt so she kept working with her tongue and lips, sucking it in and out, caressing it with her tongue every time it was pulled in. Bella was still screaming, then grunting, moaning, and screaming again.
Finally, the tremors of Bella's orgasms vibrated through her entire core. She could feel it in her mouth, still wrapped firmly around Bella's clit. She could feel it in her hands, firmly holding her hips in place. Bella was shaking violently. She released the clit, turned to Bella's right inner thigh and let the wolf sink her sharpened teeth in. Then she licked the wound and the area around it, trying to clean up the dripping blood.
Seconds later, Leah was moving Bella to the middle of the bed, cradling her in her arms, muttering under her breath.
Bella was breathless. "Oh. My. God. Leah.. that was… oh my God." She did not have adequate words. "What are you saying baby?"
Leah raised the volume of her muttering but could not stop. "Mine. Mine. Mine." She repeated over and over again.
"Yeah baby, I'm yours, only yours. And you're mine. Only mine. Forever."
Bella tried to rub her cheek against Leah's but Leah was holding her too tightly. So she started whispering back, "I'm yours. Only yours. I'm yours. Only yours." She did this on a loop, just like Leah. She repeated it for several minutes until finally, Leah's repetitions slowed down and were spaced out. She was calming down. Bella matched her speed so that each time Leah said "mine," Bella responded with "I'm yours, only yours." Bella couldn't see Leah's eyes because of the way that Leah was holding her. If she could see them, she would see the gold finally starting to recede. It had taken over all of the coloring in Leah's eyes for longer than it ever did before.
"Bella, baby, are you okay?" Leah finally broke out of her chant.
"I feel like a jellyfish." Bella answered.
"What? Honey, are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm amazing. I just feel like a jellyfish. Like every muscle in my body is so relaxed I'm not sure I can move."
"That was really intense, Bella."
"You're telling me! I'm the one that it happened to!"
"I know." Leah sighed. "I didn't know it was going to be that way. As soon as the door closed, my wolf, she took over. I was trying to get her to be gentle but she was just greedy and desperate and I'm sorry it was so intense. Are you hurt?"
"Umm, no actually. The bite hurt for a second, but it felt good too. I don't really know how to explain it. And my clit was so, not sore, but almost like sore. I've never felt anything like that before in my life. But nothing hurts now. Nothing is sore now. Do you think the quick healing thing has taken effect that fast?"
"I don't know. Is the bite still bleeding?"
"I don't know. Do you want to check it?"
"Yeah, okay." Leah kissed Bella's forehead then pulled away slightly. "Spread your legs for me, baby."
"Any time." Bella agreed.
There was a lot of blood. Bella could smell it.
"Oh shit, honey, I'm sorry! This looks gruesome. Let me get a wet washcloth and clean this up so I can see how it looks without all of this blood. Don't move."
Leah ran to the bathroom with supernatural speed but she was slowed down waiting for the hot water to make its way through the pipes. Then she sped back to her Bella.
Leah patted the warm cloth over Bella's inner thigh gently. She didn't want to agitate the wound. As she cleaned off all the blood, she found no wound. There was a raised bumpy scar, the bite marks, a bump for each of the wolf's teeth. She rubbed her thumb against it. Bella shivered. Leah felt a weird sensation in her core. Arousal.
"Touch it again." Bella commanded.
Leah slowly traced the entire mark with the tip of her index finger. Bella started with a soft moan that turned into a rumbling growl and then a scream. Leah felt a soothing warmth in her core. She looked at Bella's face. She knew that face. She was in the throes of an orgasm. Bella was gasping. It was so beautiful. Leah captured her lips, swallowing down the sounds of Bella's pleasure.
"Why does that… how does that… oh my God, Leah!"
"I know. The texts never said anything about that pleasure. Maybe Old Quil didn't want us to have access to explicit texts, you know, because he's old fashioned."
"Maybe." Bella didn't think it was her place to question Old Quil. "Should we tell the pack?"
"Well, the pack is going to know about the mark right away, I think…"
"Are you going to let it slip into the pack mind or something?"
"No, baby, it's your smell." Leah explained. "You smell like me, but more than just the sex smell. They might just think the sex smell is different because we're both women. I'm not sure. Or they might not know at all because no one has marked before. Anyway, I don't want to keep the marking a secret. I'll tell Sam before the bonfire tomorrow."
"Ok. Should I be there for that?"
"Yeah, probably. I don't want him to think I did it against your will."
They laid in each other's arms, content in an unfamiliar but overwhelming sense of peace that the marking had brought them. The peace extended beyond their relationship, into every aspect of their lives. They laid like that in their peaceful bliss, losing track of time.
Suddenly, Leah realized it was almost six o' clock and they hadn't come up with a plan for Bella when Leah went to sleep. Leah wanted to hold Bella. It was the best way for her to sleep. But she didn't want Bella to be a human pillow or cuddle toy.
"Bella, it's almost six. What do you want to do?"
"I need to stay with you."
"I want that too. But I need to sleep so I can't chat or play. Do you want to get a book or something so you're not bored while we cuddle?"
"What's your favorite book of all time?"
"Pride and prejudice." Leah answered quickly.
"You have it on your shelf, right?" Bella was pretty sure she remembered seeing it.
"Of course, have you never read it?"
"I have never read it since you marked me. I have never read it since I found out it was your favorite book too. Tonight, I will read it with new eyes. Now, will you release me for just a second so I can grab it?"
Leah released her. Bella grabbed it from its place of honor on the top shelf. She flicked off the light switch. The room was still bright with sunlight.
"By the time the sun goes down, I'll be ready to sleep, too." Bella said as she crawled toward Leah on the bed. Leah was flat on her back, arms open so that Bella could rest on her chest.
"Let's switch positions tonight. I won't be able to read on your boobs and you'll sleep better on my boobs."
"So I can play with your stress balls until I fall asleep?"
"Always, my goddess." Leah shivered. She slid down to cradle her face on Bella's breast, holding the other firmly in her large hands. Bella rested the book lightly against the crown of Leah's head, propping her own head up with two pillows.
Leah was softly snoring before Bella got to the third page. Bella kept reading until the sunlight dimmed so much she could barely see the words in front of her. She closed the book and put it on the dresser. She put one hand on Leah's back and the other on Leah's boob-hand. She closed her eyes and waited for sleep to take her.
o.~*~.o
Bella felt a soft tickle on her nipple. It wasn't a wet tickle, but it didn't feel like fingers either.
She opened her eyes and the room was pitch black. "Leah, is that you?"
"It better be. Did you invite anyone else into my bedroom to play with your nipples at midnight?"
"It's midnight? Don't you have to go?" Bella felt nervous.
"I have seven minutes." Leah said.
"Did I sleep through the alarm but wake up to you playing with my boobs?"
"There was no alarm. Sam uses what he calls the alpha alarm. There is a standing order that everyone has to be awake ten minutes before the start of their shift. So I physically could not sleep any more." She whispered.
"Oh, do you need to get ready?"
"I am getting ready, right now," Leah explained. "All I need to do is wean you into our separation. That's why I woke you up by playing with your nipple. Imagine how jarring it would be if I woke you up accidentally while trying to leave?"
"It's painful, the very idea of you leaving." Bella confessed, "Like, I always wanted to be around you before, but now, you leaving, why does the very idea of it hurt?"
"I don't know." Leah answered honestly. "Well, I know it is the marking but I think the information we have is incomplete somehow. Maybe previous packs wanted us to experience this first hand. Or maybe texts were damaged or lost."
After a few more minutes of embrace, Leah shifted to get up. Bella clung to her. "I'm sorry, baby, if I had known I wouldn't have done it right before a shift so that we'd have more time to adjust. But I really do have to go. Seth is in the next room if you need anything, and my mom's room is next to the bathroom." Leah climbed off the bed. She felt her dress under her feet. She handed it to Bella. "It's my dress. It has my freshest scent. It might help keep you calm, help you fall back asleep."
"Thank you, my love." Bella said. Leah moved her naked form toward the open window. "Leah?"
"Yeah, baby?"
"I love you."
"I love you too, baby, so much." Leah replied, "So much. Now I'm going to go and be your protector goddess, ok?"
"Thank you, baby."
Leah was out the window and in wolf form before her paws hit the ground. Bella was asleep, clutching Leah's dress to her face, before Leah even hit the tree line.