(no subject)
Title: Dancing With Wolves
Fandom: Twilight
Pairing: Jacob/Bella
Rating: T, maybe?
Summary: Bella can't dance and Jacob decides to teach her a few moves.
Thanks to thankthatstar for being ultimately awesome and beta-ing this for me. ILY, BB! ♥
“What do you mean you don’t dance?” Jacob asks with his hand outstretched for Bella to take while all she does is sit on the stool and glance around quickly with her hands folded on her lap, trying to see if anyone’s paying attention to them.
Of course they are. And even if they aren’t, the wolves’ super hearing will catch on their conversation anyway.
She only shrugs, “I just don’t.”
“Never?” he arches one doubtful eyebrow.
“No,” she shakes her head, “I can’t.”
“So what? No real dancing, just clubbing?” He snorts at the end of the question, folding his arms tight against his chest.
“I don’t dance that either.”
Jacob chuckles at the sobriety with which she’s speaking to him. “How can you not know how to club dance? It’s dark and crowded; all you have to do is follow the beat. And even if you suck, no one will notice anyway.”
Bella shrugs again and her shoulders slump as she looks away from him and focuses on a small rock sitting on the ground, next to her left foot. She gives the rock a little kick and sends it flying and rolling around.
Jacob’s eyes narrow down and he leans closer to her. “Have you ever been clubbing?”
Her head jolts up on a reflex. “Of course!” she replies, but as the seconds tick by, she deflates, “Not really…. no.”
She can see his muscles flexing and moving as she stares at his neck when he shakes his head from one side to the other.
“We have to fix that.”
. . .
Charlie laughs for almost two minutes straight. Although Bella is locked in her bedroom, she can clearly hear his booming laugh coming from downstairs and it annoys her greatly. She huffs to herself as she tugs at her clothing of choice.
When Charlie regains control of speech, he leans one hand on the wall and shakes his head in disbelief.
“Bella dancing?” he repeats Jacob’s words, “I can barely shuffle my feet and her mother can’t dance to save her life.”
They hear a loud thump and Bella mumbling something from upstairs. She sounds irritated and Charlie only shrugs.
“Sorry, kid,” he shouts to her and turns back around to face Jacob. “Bad genes.”
Jacob is amused and nods with a smile. “Practice leads to perfection.”
A door is opened and both men stop their conversation. They both turn their heads to the top of the stairs and watch as Bella climbs it down, step by step, trying not to trip over her own two feet.
She can barely walk down a staircase, dancing should be a piece of cake. Yeah.
Of course Bella Swan doesn’t own a pair of skinny jeans. But the ones she’s wearing are snug enough to an unadvised eye to think otherwise. She’s not wearing heels because she hasn’t lost her mind yet - but the flats have a little bump on the heel that make her calves flex a little and look more toned than they actually are. She has a white tank top with a little black bolero cardigan over it, with little bright beads around the shoulder. She’s wearing her hair down and tucks some of it behind her ear when she stops on the last three steps to look at Jacob and Charlie.
Jacob lets out a low whistle. “And perfection it is.”
She blushes, and when Jacob looks at Charlie, he’s sending him a warning look that makes the boy straighten himself up and take one careful step back.
“You kids behave yourselves,” Charlie says as he points at Jacob and glances at Bella who only rolls her eyes, climbing down the last few steps and going to stand next to the boy.
Charlie leans over to kiss Bella goodbye and when she goes to give him a kiss on the cheek, he whispers to her, “Try to keep your distance from his feet.”
She groans inwardly, kisses his cheek and turns around for the door, listening as her father yells to them, “Have fun!”
. . .
The club is packed with people every which way. Bella has a firm grasp of Jacob’s hand as he pulls her through the crowd. She has to be careful with her feet not to step on people and not be stepped on by the same people. When Jacob comes to a halt, she collides with his back and almost loses her balance. She huffs and tugs at his hand for him to lean down to hear her.
“This is too crowded!” she shouts over the blasting music, though he could hear her even if she was whispering.
His other hand points up, “They have another dance floor upstairs.”
She only nods and lets him push their way through the crowd.
The second floor is much less crowded but still has plenty of people dancing on the floor which worries Bella. She doesn’t need a big audience to witness her surely-to-be-failed attempt to dance at a nightclub. She feels Jacob letting go of her hand and when she scans the room she sees him standing a few feet away from her with his arms open.
“Shall we?” he asks in a formal, mocking tone.
She giggles and steps into his personal space. He easily wraps one arm around her waist, bringing her closer to him. She puts one hand over his shoulder and doesn’t quite know what to do with her other one. He notices her uncertainty and brings her free hand over his heart, between them, as he starts to move them around the floor.
Bella keeps her head and eyes down, fixated on their shuffling feet. Jacob lifts one finger to tilt her chin up, “Don’t look down.”
She does as he says and locks eyes with him. The way he looks at her and licks his bottom lip at the same time as his hand and fingers dance around her lower back makes Bella feel goosebumps up and down both of her arms.
She blushes and tries to hide it by ducking her head. and Jacob gives her hip a squeeze to regain her attention. She doesn’t raise her head, only her eyes as she peeks at him from under her lashes.
“You’re looking down.”
She shakes her head and glances away from him, “If I don’t, I’ll step on your feet.”
“I wouldn’t feel it.” He shrugs and leans closer to her ear, “And you won’t.”
His warm breath against her ear makes her jump. She clenches her hand to his shoulder, and the one that is still in his other hand imitates the other. Feeling her whole body tense against his, Jacob rubs soothing circles against the exposed portion of skin on Bella’s lower back.
She closes her eyes and leans her forehead on his shoulder.
“Relax, honey,” he softly whispers in her ear, making her dizzy.
. . .
Five songs later, Bella asks for a break. Her feet hurt and she can’t all properly breathe with their close proximity so she needs some air.
She goes to the bathroom and waits what feels like forever in line. When there are only two other girls in front of her, the one directly in front of her glances at her through the mirror and squints her eyes.
“Hey. That guy you were dancing with… are you two together?”
Bella feels a little taken aback by the sudden question and only nods. Are they? They did go to the club together so technically they’re together. There, in the club.
“Um… yeah.”
“You’re lucky.” The girl observes herself as she fixes her hair on the mirror, “I couldn’t even bring my ex to clubs. He was that embarrassing on the floor.”
Before Bella could respond, the other girl at front replied with a knowing smirk, “I couldn’t date a guy who can’t dance. ‘Cause you know what they say about a guy who can move on the floor…” -she wiggles her eyebrows suggestively- “he can move even better in bed.”
Both girls erupt in giggles as Bella only watches, blushing, and when they’re both in their booths, she is left alone to look at herself in the mirror and sighs to shake the goosebumps that already forming on her arms again.
. . .
When Bella comes back to the floor, she can’t find Jacob in the crowd. Just great, she thinks to herself. The bar is less crowded than it was before, so she slips between two couples making out and leans her stomach against the counter, trying to get the barman’s attention. She could use a refresher.
She huffs in annoyance when the barman ignores her for the fourth time. Somebody presses their body up against her back and suddenly a set of arms is around her shoulders, leaning the hands on the counter. She doesn’t have to move or even look around to see who it is; the warmth that surrounds her can only come from one person.
“Ready for round two?” His voice is low and husky in her ear.
“Yeah,” she giggles to ease her nerves as he twirls her around and they head back to the dance floor.
He puts his hand again on her back to guide her and she tries not to blush this time around. She glances around, avoiding eye contact and trying not to look down, and she notices how his body seems to flow around effortlessly.
She steals a quick glance up. “Jake?”
“Yeah?”
“Where did you learn how to dance?”
“Guess I’m a natural,” he shrugs and pulls her closer before the guy walking behind her bumps into them and turns their bodies to the other side. “Don’t worry, I’ll help you get there,” he says with amusement and then shoots one eyebrow up. “I don’t think you’ll move as good as me, though.”
Bella half chuckles, half coughs at that.
“You just have to be comfortable with your body.”
Jacob speaks at the same time as the music picks up a faster rhythm. He lets go of her and holds her only by their fingertips. His shoulders move more than the rest of him and Bella tries to do the same. He laughs at her for a moment and places both hands on her hips.
“Can you feel it?” he asks, referring to the thump of the music that feels like it’s coming from inside his chest with every loud beat.
Bella nods agreeing, but she’s referring to something else entirely.
“Yeah.”
She sways awkwardly from side to side. Jacob pulls her closer to him, still holding her by the hips and tries to make her sway to the rhythm of his hands.
“Move your hips to it.”
Her breath gets caught up on her throat, “I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“You’re holding me too close,” she admits on a mumble that is barely a whisper but that sounds clear enough for Jacob’s ears.
He shakes his head and presses his hip closer to hers, placing his right leg between hers so that they’re entangled together.
“I’ll move with you.”
Bella panics for a moment but when Jacob’s hand slide from her sides to her back, stopping just above her ass; she looses control of her conscious actions. She can distinctly feel one of his pinkies tickling the soft skin that meets the waistband of her jeans. She’s not entirely sure he’s doing any of this on purpose, but she doesn’t think it’d matter anyway since her body seems to be reacting despite her better judgment.
Before she can finish her inner struggle, she hears Jacob’s chuckle and looks up to see him smiling down at her. She can’t help but smile back and when she looks back down she realizes they’re moving as easily as he was before. Together and in perfect sync, from one side to the other, to the front and back again.
She notices he’s looking at their joined bodies as well and she’s suddenly feeling a lot hotter and it’s not because of the heat emanating from him. She pushes her hair back with both hands and holds it on top of her head as Jacob runs one of his hands up her back, making her arch her body even closer to him, pressing their chests together.
Just as she’s about to lose her mind, the song dims down and finishes it with a louder beat. She puts one hand on Jacob’s chest to push him back.
“I need a drink,” she sighs heavily, looking for the bar again.
. . .
Bottle of water in hand, Jacob takes her to the porch so she can get some air. Her cheeks are tinted with pink but she swears she’s not embarrassed; she’s just too hot and needs to cool off for a bit.
“So that was awesome,” Jacob slides to her side and leans his elbow on the porch rail.
She nods taking a gulp from the bottle, “Yeah. I didn’t know I could move like that.”
His lips stretch on a sly grin and he cocks his head to the side, “There’s a lot you don’t know about yourself.”
Their faces are too close and she feels like they shouldn’t, but she doesn’t back away when curiosity gets the best of her, “What do you mean?”
He half shrugs, “It’s just that you’re very introspective but not very… reflexive. I bet you’re capable of a lot more than you think. You just have to put your head into it.”
. . .
Outside the club, the night air is cooler and there’s a soft breeze blowing Bella’s hair away from her face. She sniffs a little and runs one hand up and down her arm. Jacob wraps his own warmer arm around her shoulders, squeezing her close to him.
“So… home?”
She shakes her head, replies, “It’s still early,” and glances up. “Wanna go for a drink?”
He frowns, “You don’t drink.”
“Maybe I do,” she shrugs. “One of the many things I don’t know about me just yet.”
She winks at him and he laughs.
. . .
“You know, I can’t get drunk.”
He’s swigging his tenth beer while Bella stares at him, amazed.
“What?”
“Wolf thing,” he says like it explains everything in the world. “I mean, I can, but I’d probably have to drink the entire bar or something.”
Bella considers this piece of information for a while and then tilts her head, “Huh. Must be rubbing off on me ‘cause I’ve had three of these and I don’t feel anything different.”
Her tongue sticks out of her mouth as she tries to grab the straw of her Piña Colada, but fails miserably. Jacob stifles a chuckle.
“Having trouble with the straw there, Bells?”
She waves a hand at him, “No, I’ve got it!” She tries again and when she can’t get it, she pulls the straw out and tosses it aside. “Oh screw it!” and swallows the rest of the drink in one huge gulp.
. . .
She’s giggling like mad and he’s trying to find the car keys inside his pockets. It’s a much easier task when you can use both hands, so he takes his hand from around Bella’s forearm to check his pants, but before he notices it, she’s giggling louder and making her way to the ground.
In one swift motion, Jacob scoops her up in his one arm and steadies her. She throws her head back, laughing out loud. He laughs along because her laugh is just that much infectious and he only realizes what she’s doing when her arms are already locked around his neck and her mouth is already half-way down to his lips.
He feels her leaning on his neck for support and then crushing her mouth against his. Their lips don’t even move for whole five seconds, before Bella starts moving hers around and he takes that as a sign to move his along. He wraps his arms around her small figure to bring her closer when she pulls back abruptly and frowns at him.
“The girl in the bathroom said you’re good in bed.”
He blinks a couple of times, catching his breath. “What?”
“She said…” she explains she slurring the words, “If you can dance then you’re good in bed.” She rests her forehead against his and their noses touch, “You are an amazing dancer, Jake.”
He snorts smugly and stares at her light pink lips, “Yes, I am.”
She smiles drunkenly and kisses him again. She knots her fingers among his hair to hold him close and arches her body against him. He’s not sure where she’s going with this, but he really doesn’t care at all, as long as she doesn’t stop. He kisses her back gently and slowly as he slips his fingers under her shirt, on her back. She tightens her grip of him at the sudden touch and moans quietly against his lips. He smiles between their kiss and she starts to giggle at his reaction.
“I can’t dance,” she mumbles against his lips.
He kisses her cheek and then her jaw, “You did tonight.”
“’Cause I was with you.” She drags her fingernails across his scalp.
He shivers and places another kiss just below her jaw line. “Right.”
“Will you teach me the other thing?” she asks in a small voice.
He smiles against her skin and kisses her neck. “Only if you want.”
“I do.”
She pulls his face back up to kiss him. She wraps one leg around his waist when he stops her, fishing her knee up and then placing her leg down again.
“We should probably get you home.”
“Humph,” she huffs and keeps her strong hold around his neck.
“We’ll talk about future lessons later, ok?” he says, effortlessly taking her arms from around him and gently pulling her by the hand.
She leans her body against his for support and starts to walk with him. “Okay.”
. . .
It’s way past her curfew and Jacob first makes sure that Charlie is sound asleep before cracking the window and somehow managing to put Bella over his shoulder and climb her bedroom window to sneak her inside the house.
Once he places her in bed, he takes off her shoes and throws her blanket over her, tucking her in. One of her hands shoots up to take his arm.
“Stay with me,” she mumbles sleepily with her eyes already closed.
“I will,” he whispers, placing a kiss on her forehead. “I’ll be right back.”
He goes downstairs, grabs a bucket and a bottle of water in case she gets sick in the middle of the night - or before morning. Then he lays on the bed next to her and he’s sure she’s already asleep when she tosses to her side, swinging one leg over his stretched ones and cuddles next to him.
. . .
Bella’s hair is a mess. She can see her reflection on the black liquid inside the mug she’s been holding between her hands for the last ten minutes. She doesn’t hear a knock, she doesn’t even hear footsteps, she only hears the slight amusement in his voice.
“Hey.”
She groans loudly, “Why did you let me drink?”
Jacob takes a seat by the kitchen table, openly smiling. “You were getting to know yourself better.”
She chooses to ignore how he’s enjoying her misery, “I danced,” she says as she starts to remember the previous night. “We danced.”
He nods, “Yep.”
“I…” she frowns and then shuts her eyes tightly, “…kissed you, didn’t I?”
He nods again, “Yep.”
He waits for her to open her eyes and holds up three fingers with a grin. She moans painfully and closes her eyes again.
“Was that all I did?”
He nods again even though she can’t see him, “Only because I’m very strong-willed.”
“Ugh.” She pushes the coffee mug away and leans her forehead down on the table. “My head’s pounding.”
“You also made a friend in the bathroom.” Jacob watches as Bella’s head rises just an inch so she can glance up for him to continue. “You were talking about a girl you met in the bathroom in the club.”
She frowns, trying to remember something, “Oh yeah… I remember.”
He leans back on the chair. “She was right, by the way.”
“What are you-” she’s about to finish her question when she fully remembers her conversation with the girls in the bathroom. “Ugh!” she groans again. Jacob’s already too amused by her misery, she’s sure.
“In theory, at least,” he explains with a casual hand wave. “I plan on proving her right pretty soon, though.”
Bella’s lost again, “How?”
“By having sex,” he explains.
“Oh.”
“With you.”
“What?!” she practically shrieks and wincing at her own voice at the same time.
“You said last night you wanted me to teach you the other thing.”
“What-no! I-I didn’t even… I mean, I-”
She’s stopped by the erupt of Jacob’s laughter. He’s actually sitting across the table from her, laughing loudly at her while her head is about to explode. She considers throwing the coffee mug at him for a moment.
“Geez, Bella. I’m kidding, relax!”
“Oh.” She narrows her eyes at him. “That wasn’t funny.”
“It was a little funny.”
“No, it wasn’t.”
“You didn’t see your face!” He’s still laughing.
“Shut up.” She rolls her eyes. Bad idea, it hurts.
When his laughing ceases, he catches his breath and leans over the table. “You did kiss me, though. Three times.”
“I know,” she winces again, “I’m sorry.”
His eyebrows go up to his hairline in surprise. “Why? You’re a good kisser, you do it right.”
“I know that…” She runs a hand through her messy hair. “I just didn’t really mean to kiss you.”
“Why not?”
“Because… we’re not like that. We’re not together,” she explains, praying for him to understand and be happy with it for now.
“What are we, then?” he asks her the very question she was hoping he wouldn’t.
She shrugs as she looks at him with a tight smile, “Us. Like this. Jake and Bells.”
He smiles back at her, “I like us.”
“Me too.”
He slides his hand over the table with his palm up. She places hers on top and they squeeze their hands together, intertwining their fingers around each other.
“You’re a good dancer,” Jacob says suddenly, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. “You catch on quick.”
As he adds a wink, Bella pulls her hand back and swats his arm.
“Shut up!”
. . .
Fandom: Twilight
Pairing: Jacob/Bella
Rating: T, maybe?
Summary: Bella can't dance and Jacob decides to teach her a few moves.
Thanks to thankthatstar for being ultimately awesome and beta-ing this for me. ILY, BB! ♥
“What do you mean you don’t dance?” Jacob asks with his hand outstretched for Bella to take while all she does is sit on the stool and glance around quickly with her hands folded on her lap, trying to see if anyone’s paying attention to them.
Of course they are. And even if they aren’t, the wolves’ super hearing will catch on their conversation anyway.
She only shrugs, “I just don’t.”
“Never?” he arches one doubtful eyebrow.
“No,” she shakes her head, “I can’t.”
“So what? No real dancing, just clubbing?” He snorts at the end of the question, folding his arms tight against his chest.
“I don’t dance that either.”
Jacob chuckles at the sobriety with which she’s speaking to him. “How can you not know how to club dance? It’s dark and crowded; all you have to do is follow the beat. And even if you suck, no one will notice anyway.”
Bella shrugs again and her shoulders slump as she looks away from him and focuses on a small rock sitting on the ground, next to her left foot. She gives the rock a little kick and sends it flying and rolling around.
Jacob’s eyes narrow down and he leans closer to her. “Have you ever been clubbing?”
Her head jolts up on a reflex. “Of course!” she replies, but as the seconds tick by, she deflates, “Not really…. no.”
She can see his muscles flexing and moving as she stares at his neck when he shakes his head from one side to the other.
“We have to fix that.”
. . .
Charlie laughs for almost two minutes straight. Although Bella is locked in her bedroom, she can clearly hear his booming laugh coming from downstairs and it annoys her greatly. She huffs to herself as she tugs at her clothing of choice.
When Charlie regains control of speech, he leans one hand on the wall and shakes his head in disbelief.
“Bella dancing?” he repeats Jacob’s words, “I can barely shuffle my feet and her mother can’t dance to save her life.”
They hear a loud thump and Bella mumbling something from upstairs. She sounds irritated and Charlie only shrugs.
“Sorry, kid,” he shouts to her and turns back around to face Jacob. “Bad genes.”
Jacob is amused and nods with a smile. “Practice leads to perfection.”
A door is opened and both men stop their conversation. They both turn their heads to the top of the stairs and watch as Bella climbs it down, step by step, trying not to trip over her own two feet.
She can barely walk down a staircase, dancing should be a piece of cake. Yeah.
Of course Bella Swan doesn’t own a pair of skinny jeans. But the ones she’s wearing are snug enough to an unadvised eye to think otherwise. She’s not wearing heels because she hasn’t lost her mind yet - but the flats have a little bump on the heel that make her calves flex a little and look more toned than they actually are. She has a white tank top with a little black bolero cardigan over it, with little bright beads around the shoulder. She’s wearing her hair down and tucks some of it behind her ear when she stops on the last three steps to look at Jacob and Charlie.
Jacob lets out a low whistle. “And perfection it is.”
She blushes, and when Jacob looks at Charlie, he’s sending him a warning look that makes the boy straighten himself up and take one careful step back.
“You kids behave yourselves,” Charlie says as he points at Jacob and glances at Bella who only rolls her eyes, climbing down the last few steps and going to stand next to the boy.
Charlie leans over to kiss Bella goodbye and when she goes to give him a kiss on the cheek, he whispers to her, “Try to keep your distance from his feet.”
She groans inwardly, kisses his cheek and turns around for the door, listening as her father yells to them, “Have fun!”
. . .
The club is packed with people every which way. Bella has a firm grasp of Jacob’s hand as he pulls her through the crowd. She has to be careful with her feet not to step on people and not be stepped on by the same people. When Jacob comes to a halt, she collides with his back and almost loses her balance. She huffs and tugs at his hand for him to lean down to hear her.
“This is too crowded!” she shouts over the blasting music, though he could hear her even if she was whispering.
His other hand points up, “They have another dance floor upstairs.”
She only nods and lets him push their way through the crowd.
The second floor is much less crowded but still has plenty of people dancing on the floor which worries Bella. She doesn’t need a big audience to witness her surely-to-be-failed attempt to dance at a nightclub. She feels Jacob letting go of her hand and when she scans the room she sees him standing a few feet away from her with his arms open.
“Shall we?” he asks in a formal, mocking tone.
She giggles and steps into his personal space. He easily wraps one arm around her waist, bringing her closer to him. She puts one hand over his shoulder and doesn’t quite know what to do with her other one. He notices her uncertainty and brings her free hand over his heart, between them, as he starts to move them around the floor.
Bella keeps her head and eyes down, fixated on their shuffling feet. Jacob lifts one finger to tilt her chin up, “Don’t look down.”
She does as he says and locks eyes with him. The way he looks at her and licks his bottom lip at the same time as his hand and fingers dance around her lower back makes Bella feel goosebumps up and down both of her arms.
She blushes and tries to hide it by ducking her head. and Jacob gives her hip a squeeze to regain her attention. She doesn’t raise her head, only her eyes as she peeks at him from under her lashes.
“You’re looking down.”
She shakes her head and glances away from him, “If I don’t, I’ll step on your feet.”
“I wouldn’t feel it.” He shrugs and leans closer to her ear, “And you won’t.”
His warm breath against her ear makes her jump. She clenches her hand to his shoulder, and the one that is still in his other hand imitates the other. Feeling her whole body tense against his, Jacob rubs soothing circles against the exposed portion of skin on Bella’s lower back.
She closes her eyes and leans her forehead on his shoulder.
“Relax, honey,” he softly whispers in her ear, making her dizzy.
. . .
Five songs later, Bella asks for a break. Her feet hurt and she can’t all properly breathe with their close proximity so she needs some air.
She goes to the bathroom and waits what feels like forever in line. When there are only two other girls in front of her, the one directly in front of her glances at her through the mirror and squints her eyes.
“Hey. That guy you were dancing with… are you two together?”
Bella feels a little taken aback by the sudden question and only nods. Are they? They did go to the club together so technically they’re together. There, in the club.
“Um… yeah.”
“You’re lucky.” The girl observes herself as she fixes her hair on the mirror, “I couldn’t even bring my ex to clubs. He was that embarrassing on the floor.”
Before Bella could respond, the other girl at front replied with a knowing smirk, “I couldn’t date a guy who can’t dance. ‘Cause you know what they say about a guy who can move on the floor…” -she wiggles her eyebrows suggestively- “he can move even better in bed.”
Both girls erupt in giggles as Bella only watches, blushing, and when they’re both in their booths, she is left alone to look at herself in the mirror and sighs to shake the goosebumps that already forming on her arms again.
. . .
When Bella comes back to the floor, she can’t find Jacob in the crowd. Just great, she thinks to herself. The bar is less crowded than it was before, so she slips between two couples making out and leans her stomach against the counter, trying to get the barman’s attention. She could use a refresher.
She huffs in annoyance when the barman ignores her for the fourth time. Somebody presses their body up against her back and suddenly a set of arms is around her shoulders, leaning the hands on the counter. She doesn’t have to move or even look around to see who it is; the warmth that surrounds her can only come from one person.
“Ready for round two?” His voice is low and husky in her ear.
“Yeah,” she giggles to ease her nerves as he twirls her around and they head back to the dance floor.
He puts his hand again on her back to guide her and she tries not to blush this time around. She glances around, avoiding eye contact and trying not to look down, and she notices how his body seems to flow around effortlessly.
She steals a quick glance up. “Jake?”
“Yeah?”
“Where did you learn how to dance?”
“Guess I’m a natural,” he shrugs and pulls her closer before the guy walking behind her bumps into them and turns their bodies to the other side. “Don’t worry, I’ll help you get there,” he says with amusement and then shoots one eyebrow up. “I don’t think you’ll move as good as me, though.”
Bella half chuckles, half coughs at that.
“You just have to be comfortable with your body.”
Jacob speaks at the same time as the music picks up a faster rhythm. He lets go of her and holds her only by their fingertips. His shoulders move more than the rest of him and Bella tries to do the same. He laughs at her for a moment and places both hands on her hips.
“Can you feel it?” he asks, referring to the thump of the music that feels like it’s coming from inside his chest with every loud beat.
Bella nods agreeing, but she’s referring to something else entirely.
“Yeah.”
She sways awkwardly from side to side. Jacob pulls her closer to him, still holding her by the hips and tries to make her sway to the rhythm of his hands.
“Move your hips to it.”
Her breath gets caught up on her throat, “I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“You’re holding me too close,” she admits on a mumble that is barely a whisper but that sounds clear enough for Jacob’s ears.
He shakes his head and presses his hip closer to hers, placing his right leg between hers so that they’re entangled together.
“I’ll move with you.”
Bella panics for a moment but when Jacob’s hand slide from her sides to her back, stopping just above her ass; she looses control of her conscious actions. She can distinctly feel one of his pinkies tickling the soft skin that meets the waistband of her jeans. She’s not entirely sure he’s doing any of this on purpose, but she doesn’t think it’d matter anyway since her body seems to be reacting despite her better judgment.
Before she can finish her inner struggle, she hears Jacob’s chuckle and looks up to see him smiling down at her. She can’t help but smile back and when she looks back down she realizes they’re moving as easily as he was before. Together and in perfect sync, from one side to the other, to the front and back again.
She notices he’s looking at their joined bodies as well and she’s suddenly feeling a lot hotter and it’s not because of the heat emanating from him. She pushes her hair back with both hands and holds it on top of her head as Jacob runs one of his hands up her back, making her arch her body even closer to him, pressing their chests together.
Just as she’s about to lose her mind, the song dims down and finishes it with a louder beat. She puts one hand on Jacob’s chest to push him back.
“I need a drink,” she sighs heavily, looking for the bar again.
. . .
Bottle of water in hand, Jacob takes her to the porch so she can get some air. Her cheeks are tinted with pink but she swears she’s not embarrassed; she’s just too hot and needs to cool off for a bit.
“So that was awesome,” Jacob slides to her side and leans his elbow on the porch rail.
She nods taking a gulp from the bottle, “Yeah. I didn’t know I could move like that.”
His lips stretch on a sly grin and he cocks his head to the side, “There’s a lot you don’t know about yourself.”
Their faces are too close and she feels like they shouldn’t, but she doesn’t back away when curiosity gets the best of her, “What do you mean?”
He half shrugs, “It’s just that you’re very introspective but not very… reflexive. I bet you’re capable of a lot more than you think. You just have to put your head into it.”
. . .
Outside the club, the night air is cooler and there’s a soft breeze blowing Bella’s hair away from her face. She sniffs a little and runs one hand up and down her arm. Jacob wraps his own warmer arm around her shoulders, squeezing her close to him.
“So… home?”
She shakes her head, replies, “It’s still early,” and glances up. “Wanna go for a drink?”
He frowns, “You don’t drink.”
“Maybe I do,” she shrugs. “One of the many things I don’t know about me just yet.”
She winks at him and he laughs.
. . .
“You know, I can’t get drunk.”
He’s swigging his tenth beer while Bella stares at him, amazed.
“What?”
“Wolf thing,” he says like it explains everything in the world. “I mean, I can, but I’d probably have to drink the entire bar or something.”
Bella considers this piece of information for a while and then tilts her head, “Huh. Must be rubbing off on me ‘cause I’ve had three of these and I don’t feel anything different.”
Her tongue sticks out of her mouth as she tries to grab the straw of her Piña Colada, but fails miserably. Jacob stifles a chuckle.
“Having trouble with the straw there, Bells?”
She waves a hand at him, “No, I’ve got it!” She tries again and when she can’t get it, she pulls the straw out and tosses it aside. “Oh screw it!” and swallows the rest of the drink in one huge gulp.
. . .
She’s giggling like mad and he’s trying to find the car keys inside his pockets. It’s a much easier task when you can use both hands, so he takes his hand from around Bella’s forearm to check his pants, but before he notices it, she’s giggling louder and making her way to the ground.
In one swift motion, Jacob scoops her up in his one arm and steadies her. She throws her head back, laughing out loud. He laughs along because her laugh is just that much infectious and he only realizes what she’s doing when her arms are already locked around his neck and her mouth is already half-way down to his lips.
He feels her leaning on his neck for support and then crushing her mouth against his. Their lips don’t even move for whole five seconds, before Bella starts moving hers around and he takes that as a sign to move his along. He wraps his arms around her small figure to bring her closer when she pulls back abruptly and frowns at him.
“The girl in the bathroom said you’re good in bed.”
He blinks a couple of times, catching his breath. “What?”
“She said…” she explains she slurring the words, “If you can dance then you’re good in bed.” She rests her forehead against his and their noses touch, “You are an amazing dancer, Jake.”
He snorts smugly and stares at her light pink lips, “Yes, I am.”
She smiles drunkenly and kisses him again. She knots her fingers among his hair to hold him close and arches her body against him. He’s not sure where she’s going with this, but he really doesn’t care at all, as long as she doesn’t stop. He kisses her back gently and slowly as he slips his fingers under her shirt, on her back. She tightens her grip of him at the sudden touch and moans quietly against his lips. He smiles between their kiss and she starts to giggle at his reaction.
“I can’t dance,” she mumbles against his lips.
He kisses her cheek and then her jaw, “You did tonight.”
“’Cause I was with you.” She drags her fingernails across his scalp.
He shivers and places another kiss just below her jaw line. “Right.”
“Will you teach me the other thing?” she asks in a small voice.
He smiles against her skin and kisses her neck. “Only if you want.”
“I do.”
She pulls his face back up to kiss him. She wraps one leg around his waist when he stops her, fishing her knee up and then placing her leg down again.
“We should probably get you home.”
“Humph,” she huffs and keeps her strong hold around his neck.
“We’ll talk about future lessons later, ok?” he says, effortlessly taking her arms from around him and gently pulling her by the hand.
She leans her body against his for support and starts to walk with him. “Okay.”
. . .
It’s way past her curfew and Jacob first makes sure that Charlie is sound asleep before cracking the window and somehow managing to put Bella over his shoulder and climb her bedroom window to sneak her inside the house.
Once he places her in bed, he takes off her shoes and throws her blanket over her, tucking her in. One of her hands shoots up to take his arm.
“Stay with me,” she mumbles sleepily with her eyes already closed.
“I will,” he whispers, placing a kiss on her forehead. “I’ll be right back.”
He goes downstairs, grabs a bucket and a bottle of water in case she gets sick in the middle of the night - or before morning. Then he lays on the bed next to her and he’s sure she’s already asleep when she tosses to her side, swinging one leg over his stretched ones and cuddles next to him.
. . .
Bella’s hair is a mess. She can see her reflection on the black liquid inside the mug she’s been holding between her hands for the last ten minutes. She doesn’t hear a knock, she doesn’t even hear footsteps, she only hears the slight amusement in his voice.
“Hey.”
She groans loudly, “Why did you let me drink?”
Jacob takes a seat by the kitchen table, openly smiling. “You were getting to know yourself better.”
She chooses to ignore how he’s enjoying her misery, “I danced,” she says as she starts to remember the previous night. “We danced.”
He nods, “Yep.”
“I…” she frowns and then shuts her eyes tightly, “…kissed you, didn’t I?”
He nods again, “Yep.”
He waits for her to open her eyes and holds up three fingers with a grin. She moans painfully and closes her eyes again.
“Was that all I did?”
He nods again even though she can’t see him, “Only because I’m very strong-willed.”
“Ugh.” She pushes the coffee mug away and leans her forehead down on the table. “My head’s pounding.”
“You also made a friend in the bathroom.” Jacob watches as Bella’s head rises just an inch so she can glance up for him to continue. “You were talking about a girl you met in the bathroom in the club.”
She frowns, trying to remember something, “Oh yeah… I remember.”
He leans back on the chair. “She was right, by the way.”
“What are you-” she’s about to finish her question when she fully remembers her conversation with the girls in the bathroom. “Ugh!” she groans again. Jacob’s already too amused by her misery, she’s sure.
“In theory, at least,” he explains with a casual hand wave. “I plan on proving her right pretty soon, though.”
Bella’s lost again, “How?”
“By having sex,” he explains.
“Oh.”
“With you.”
“What?!” she practically shrieks and wincing at her own voice at the same time.
“You said last night you wanted me to teach you the other thing.”
“What-no! I-I didn’t even… I mean, I-”
She’s stopped by the erupt of Jacob’s laughter. He’s actually sitting across the table from her, laughing loudly at her while her head is about to explode. She considers throwing the coffee mug at him for a moment.
“Geez, Bella. I’m kidding, relax!”
“Oh.” She narrows her eyes at him. “That wasn’t funny.”
“It was a little funny.”
“No, it wasn’t.”
“You didn’t see your face!” He’s still laughing.
“Shut up.” She rolls her eyes. Bad idea, it hurts.
When his laughing ceases, he catches his breath and leans over the table. “You did kiss me, though. Three times.”
“I know,” she winces again, “I’m sorry.”
His eyebrows go up to his hairline in surprise. “Why? You’re a good kisser, you do it right.”
“I know that…” She runs a hand through her messy hair. “I just didn’t really mean to kiss you.”
“Why not?”
“Because… we’re not like that. We’re not together,” she explains, praying for him to understand and be happy with it for now.
“What are we, then?” he asks her the very question she was hoping he wouldn’t.
She shrugs as she looks at him with a tight smile, “Us. Like this. Jake and Bells.”
He smiles back at her, “I like us.”
“Me too.”
He slides his hand over the table with his palm up. She places hers on top and they squeeze their hands together, intertwining their fingers around each other.
“You’re a good dancer,” Jacob says suddenly, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. “You catch on quick.”
As he adds a wink, Bella pulls her hand back and swats his arm.
“Shut up!”
. . .