The Wolf Within - Updated FINALLY!!!!
Title: The Wolf Within
Chapter: Fourteen - Home For The Weekend
Time: New Moon
Rating: Mature
Notes: I don't own or claim to own these characters, they belong to SMeyer.
Summary: Jake and Bella are now together and spending a blissful weekend on their honeymoon of sorts. This chapter is from Jake's POV.
This chapter has been a long time coming, so it's very long to make up for the time it took to write. I hope you all enjoy it!
Previous Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13
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I had no intention of waiting this long to update this story and actually didn’t realize how long it had been until last week. For those of you I kept promising an update to, here it is, even if it’s a bit late. I’m not sure why this one was so tough, but I also had the holidays in there too. Thanks to everyone for reading my stories.
Also, I have some exciting news everyone!! I have been very fortunate to have several of my fics, To Live Again, Finding The Light, and The Wolf Within nominated in The Howling Wolf Awards!! Thanks so much for the nominations and I would appreciate your votes.
Vote Here - http://thehowlingwolfawards.webs.com/voting.htm .
Further, Finding The Light and A Stranger In His Land have both been nominated in the 2009 Twilight Awards!! Thanks again for the nominations and I would appreciate your votes.
Vote Here - http://forumfanfiction.net/forum/CuriosityKilled_The_Cat/69076/
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Chapter Fourteen
Home For The Weekend
Jake’s POV
Her cheek was against my chest, when I woke up that afternoon. Her breathing was slow and steady, her heart beating a slow rhythm in tune with mine. I stroked the chestnut strands of her hair that pooled across my chest and shoulder, kissing her softly.
She was mine now and I loved the woman sleeping in my arms in ways that were beyond words. It was hard to fathom how two people could love each other so much-so much that it felt like she was inside of me-a part of me.
Just the thought of how much I loved her, made the need build inside of me to the point that I felt like I might evaporate if we weren’t joined together. The way she looked curled up on me in my black shirt, unbuttoned down to her waist, was breathtaking.
I let my hand brush across her chest and teased at the top of her breast. Her eyes fluttered and she looked up at me with sleepy eyes that began to fill with desire the moment they met mine. She pushed herself up onto her elbow and bowed her head down over my chest.
Her tongue was quick and hot as she slid it along my chest coming to rest on the already aroused nipple. I never knew how much pleasure could be gained from having your mate manipulate this part of the body.
"I want you even more now than I did last night. How can that be possible, honey? I can’t get enough of you," I almost growled against her lips as I began greedily claiming them for my own.
"Jake, I love you," she whispered, between our labored breaths.
I got up and slid her onto her back on the couch, pausing long enough to see her beautiful body, framed in my black shirt. I pulled one leg up and ran my hand down its silky length, as I placed kisses from her ankle all the way to her inner thigh.
She was luring me to her with her fresh, sweet, scent and I couldn’t resist. I had no intentions of resisting, but I knew she was still the dominate part of us during this first mating ritual and she would guide me to what was pleasing to her.
She sat up and before I knew it, she was straddling me, sitting across my lap and pressing against me. Reaching down, she and unbuttoned the last two buttons of the black shirt, and opened it exposing herself for me. I waited and watched her eyes for a hint of what she wanted me to do, but she soon made it very clear what she wanted, as she sat up on her knees, pressing her chest to my lips as she caressed the top of my head.
As she ran her fingers through my hair and along my scalp, I couldn’t help the shiver that ran down my spine. I had slid by hands under the shirt and was holding her up by her ribs as I moved over her chest, tasting, kissing, and teasing her tender flesh.
"Jake.....Jake.....," she called out and all I wanted to do was please her.
"Yes baby, tell me what you want," I panted, still kissing her chest.
"The bedroom," she said, motioning toward the hallway with her head.
I scooted forward and stood up, holding her tight against me, as I ran my hands over her hips. Her arms were wrapped around my neck and our lips met, then she slid her tongue across my lips and whimpered, as she begged for admittance.
She was driving me crazy. I couldn’t walk and kiss her like she wanted, at the same time, so I moved over to the wall and pushed her carefully against it, as I raised her hands up over her head. The feeling was so strong and I wanted to be one with her again, but she wanted to be in the bedroom.
I began bringing our arms down and as I did, a picture fell off the wall and the glass broke when it hit the floor, but even the sound of breaking glass didn’t deter us from our passion-filled task at hand. I quickly grabbed her hips again and pushed us off the wall as I started down the hallway to my bedroom.
When we got inside, I was about to lay her on the bed, when she whispered, "Let me down, Jake."
I complied and slid her down my body, making sure she felt everything on her way down. I moaned as certain parts of our bodies collided and was aching when the brief contact was broken. Then she was pushing me down onto the bed and reaching to remove my underwear at the same time.
I helped her, by moving my hips upward as she slid them off and down my thighs. She was looking at my entire body as she let her fingers trail back up my thigh. She got off the bed, and stood beside it, dropping first the shirt, and then her own underwear onto the floor.
Our eyes meet, she took a deep breath, then climbed back onto the bed and straddled my waist, as she lay down upon my chest. I stroked her hair for a moment, kissing trails along any exposed flesh I could reach, but my need was so incredibly strong that I found my hands on her hips, lifting her up with ease, as I positioned myself and brought her down to meet me.
She gasped and so did I as our bodies became one, moving in motions so graceful yet ultimately satisfying. I caressed her back and slid my hand under her hair, pulling her forward to meet my lips. I explored her mouth, our tongues dancing along with each others, then she pulled away and sat up on me.
I was pinned beneath her and I couldn’t think of any other place I’d rather be, but I needed to move, so I began pushing against her, but she bore down on me, holding me in place with the increasing strength of her gorgeous thighs.
But I couldn’t take her being the dominate one this time. I needed her and she needed me. She must have seen the frustration and want in my eyes, because she nodded her head, releasing the grip she held me in with her thighs and let me began to move and together our bodies danced in harmony.
She took my hand and led me to the perfect spot on her body and I knew she needed me to touch her there. When I did, it wasn’t long before she began to shudder and she pulled me with her to that wonderful paradise where love and passion coexist.
I held her in my arms for a long time, not wanting to let her go, but she finally raised her head and motioned toward the hallway. She grabbed some Kleenex and we both went to the bathroom to freshen up. When we came back to the bedroom, we collapsed on the bed and just held each other.
Bella’s head was resting on my chest and my arm was around her, nothing between us, and it was natural the way it should be, both of us exposed to each other-to our mate. I breathed in inhaling her sweetness and sighed, "I have one more night with you and most of the day tomorrow, but I’m already missing you," I whispered against her soft, chestnut hair.
"I know. I was thinking the same thing. But you’ll come see me sometimes, won’t you, Jake?"
"I have a feeling I’ll be in your room every night for a while at least, until you can get away and come down here maybe on the weekends. We’ll make it work, honey. I promise."
"I feel different now, Jake. I feel like you and I are a part of each other and no one will ever come between us."
"I feel it too, Bells. I feel it too."
I traced patterns across her shoulder and kissed her hair. When we had been like that, lost in our own little world of tender caresses for what seemed like hours, she propped up on her elbow and asked if I was hungry. It was now getting late in the day and our late breakfast had worn off.
We got up and Bella pulled my black shirt back on along with her underwear, while I pulled on my underwear and a pair of cut off shorts. We walked hand in hand toward the kitchen, but when we got to the spot where the picture had fallen off the wall, Bella pulled me to a halt.
"Jake, I’m so sorry," she said, kneeling down to pick up the shards of broken glass.
"It’s okay. I suppose if that’s all that gets broken, we’ll be doing good," I said, laughing.
I took the pieces of glass and wrapped them in paper towels before putting them into the trash can. Bella swept up the smaller pieces with the whisk broom and dust pan then washed up to start making something for dinner.
We worked together in the kitchen and she put two well-seasoned steaks in to broil while I put a couple of potatoes in the microwave to cook. I took the lettuce, tomato, onion, and carrots out of the refrigerator and got the chopping board.
Bella started washing the vegetables, while I pulled out the knife, and I started cutting things up while she got the bowl. It was amazing how we seemed to know almost what the other was thinking and our moves, even in the kitchen, were so in tuned with each other.
I offered a bite of tomato to her and she nipped at my finger before taking it into her mouth along with my finger. She was playful, yet sensual at the same time, and I couldn’t keep from pulling her into my arms.
"What do you say after we eat dinner, we go for a run? It’ll be dark soon and I would love to have you by my side for a moonlight jaunt?" I said, kissing from her lips down her neck.
So after we ate and cleaned up the kitchen, we slipped out the back door and stood in the shadows of the forest and took of our clothes. I watched Bella as she fastened the shirt and her underwear to the leather string she had brought with her around her leg.
"You’re even more beautiful out here. You belong in the forest, we belong here together," I said, moving over to give her a kiss.
"This is where I want to be, Jake. I do belong with you. I’m so glad I finally realized that."
I stepped back and thrust myself forward, letting the wolf take me, then I watched as Bella turned into the gorgeous sable wolf and we took off running together. We ran at speeds that would make a normal person dizzy, as we darted through the underbrush, ferns, and broken branches.
The freedom we both felt then was immeasurable and I thought life couldn’t get much better than this. Our minds joined as we ran and I began to hear Bella’s thoughts more clearly than ever before.
"I can hear you loud and clear now. Maybe it’s because we’re now mates," I speculated.
"I like the sound of that. You know you’re my one and only. Don’t you?" she said.
"I better be," I replied and punched it into high gear.
We ran all the way to Forks and made a loop around Bella’s house. She wanted to check on Charlie, then we ran back toward my house. We were just about to cut through the stretch near the shore when two other minds connected with ours.
"Hey, I thought you two wouldn’t emerge until the last possible minute on Sunday?" Quil said, and I could imagine the smirk on his face, had he been in human form.
"Well, we wanted to get out for some fresh air. Besides, you know it’s hard to tame the wolf within," I chimed back.
"So, Bella, how’s it feel to be Mrs. Black?" Embry asked.
"I wouldn’t trade it for anything," she replied, and I saw a few flickers of our passionate last couple of days as she began remembering, then she realized she had slipped and closed her mind as she sealed those thoughts for a more private time.
When we got closer to my house, Bella and I stopped. I phased and had just pulled on my shorts when Quil and Embry emerged from the tree line. They were both looking smug, whispering to each other, and Quil even punched Embry in the shoulder.
"What are you two doing? Aren’t you supposed to be on patrol?" I asked, folding my arms over my chest.
They just stood there looking at me with goofy grins on their faces and I’m sure they had a million and one questions for me along with a few cocky wise cracks, but I wasn’t in the mood for their antics.
Bella had stayed back waiting, I’m sure hoping that Laurell and Hardy would move on so she could phase. After all, she just had my shirt and her underwear with her. I had just moved from the shadows into a stream of rays flooding the forest from the moon, when Quil spotted the mark Bella had given me last night.
"Jacob Black, what in the hell is that on your shoulder?" he asked.
But before I could answer, Embry was whispering, "Jake, she.....she marked you?"
I hadn’t realized it was that noticeable and found myself reaching up to feel of the spot. Okay, maybe it’s just a guy thing, but I couldn’t suppress the eat your freaking wolf heart’s out smile that spread across my face. And as I recalled how it had felt when Bella did it, I found myself wishing we were alone right now.
"Jake, we so have to talk, man....." Quil started, but was stopped stone cold when Bella walked out of the shadows, wearing my black shirt and barely anything else.
He and Embry both swallowed hard and I smiled like the king of the castle when she came up behind me and wrapped an arm around my waist.
"Hey, Bella," Embry said, taking in a gulp of air.
"Bella.....Jake.....oh man...." Quil stuttered out.
"Well guys, if there’s nothing pressing going on out here tonight, I think my wife and I will retire for the evening," I said, bending down picking Bella up bridle style and giving them a flashy grin as I turned toward my house.
"Yeah, I’m sure you two have a lot more to do than stand around here talking to us," Quil, said sounding almost regretful.
"Bye, Bella. I’ll see you around," Embry said, giving her a little wave.
"Bye guys," Bella called over my shoulder as she snuggled up next to me in my arms.
As we walked toward the house, I could hear Embry, "Ouch, what was that for?"
"You didn’t have to stare at her like that. Jake won’t let us be around her anymore," Quil said.
"What? I wasn’t the one with my mouth hanging open. You were. But, dang she looks good. I think being a wolf and being married has brought out her inner beauty."
Leave it to good ole Embry to be the philosophically romantic one of the two.
"Man. She’s just freakin hot. That’s all. Jake is one lucky sucker," Quil finished, as their voices began to fade.
I could tell Bella was blushing, by the way she hid her face against my chest. I knew if I had heard those two jokers then so had she.
"It’s okay. They’re right you know. But I’m the only one who gets to appreciate you being so freakin hot," I said, laughing as I picked up the pace and ran the rest of the way back to the house.
"I’ll tell you who’s hot," she said, as I put her back on her feet, "And that would be you," she said, running her finger under my chin, teasing me, before turning and sashaying up onto the porch and into the house.
She was two steps ahead of me and as I closed the door behind me, I saw the black shirt lying on the floor, then a few feet beyond that were her underwear. I heard the water running in the bathroom and she called to me, "I’m taking a shower, if you’re interested."
Who could resist an invitation like that, so I dropped my clothes and went to join her in the shower. We stayed in there playing, rubbing soap on each other, laughing and talking, until the hot water was all gone.
When we had gotten dried off, we got ready for bed and Bella smoothed out the sheets from earlier before we lay down. As we settled down into bed together and found our way into each other’s arms, Bella peeked up at me and said, "You know, so much has happened so fast. If you stop and think about it your head might start spinning."
"Then don’t think about it. We just have tomorrow, and the day after, and the day after that to look forward to. We have our future to think about now."
"Yeah, I’ll be graduating in a few months, then we’ll have the summer. I was thinking I might get a job at the library or that collectibles book and music store downtown in Forks. If I work the whole summer, we can put the money up and save it to try and get our own place."
"I don’t want you to work unless you want to. I’m going to see if I can get on at Trey’s Garage in Forks and maybe work at the general store on the weekends here in La Push. I’ll take care of us, baby."
"Hey, we’re in this together, so we’ll both work."
"What about after the summer? Do you want to go to college, maybe in Seattle?"
"We’ll see. Right now we just have to think about us for the rest of the weekend and I’m sure everything else will come in good time," she said, then she closed her eyes and rested there on my shoulder, wrapped safe and secure in my arms.
I watched her sleep for the next two hours, listening to her breathing, her heart beating against my side, and I was content. When I finally became drowsy, I pressed my face into her hair and fell asleep inhaling her sweet fragrance.
The morning came too quickly and I knew that we were down to the last few hours we would be spending together for the weekend-our honeymoon weekend, so I wanted it to be special.
I slipped out of bed and down the hall the bathroom. I brushed my teeth and freshened up then went to the kitchen to make Bella a big breakfast. When I had everything ready, I found the bed tray that my mom used to use for me when I was sick, placed a plate full of eggs, biscuits, sausage, hash browns, and orange juice on it and made my way back to the bedroom. I was giving Bella breakfast in bed.
I sat the tray on the floor beside the bed and leaned down over her, kissing her forehead, her nose, and her cheek, "hey, beautiful. Wake up. It’s time for breakfast."
"Um, wha....Jake, I.....mmm, it smells good in here," she said, groggily looking up at me.
I moved off the bed, retrieved the tray and turned back toward her, "Sit up against the headboard," I told her, then I placed the tray across her legs.
"Jake, you didn’t have to do this. You make me feel bad," she said, smiling at me with watery eyes.
"Why? I thought you might like a little extra lovin today. After all, you’re always cooking and feeding everyone else, so I wanted to give you a little something back."
"This is so sweet. Have I told you lately how sweet you are?" she asked as she took a bite of eggs.
"Well......"
"Okay, come here. You’re sharing this with me."
I sat down on the bed beside her and leaned against the headboard. She took a few more bites of egg and a bite of biscuit then turned to me, looking at me with burning, needy eyes, and offered me a sausage with her own fingers. I opened my mouth and she put it inside, she wiped her fingers along my lips, then licked them herself after she was finished feeding me.
My intentions hadn’t exactly been this seductive, but I was pulled into her web and I was not about to resist her.
She ate a few more bites, then offered me the half of the biscuit she was eating from, again feeding it to me. This continued until the plate was clean and my libido was raging. She moved the tray, leaning over the edge of the bed, sitting it on the floor, then she got up on her knees and moved over to where my legs were stretched out and climbed up on me.
"Jake, I’m still hungry and I only want you to take away my hunger," she whispered as she ran her tongue over my lips removing any excess crumbs that remained.
I pulled her to me, hard and tight, and I heard a huff of wind escape her as our bodies collided, then we were tangled together, two bodies becoming one, and she called my name again and again, as we feed each other’s desires until they were extinguished for now.
After Bella freshened up, we lay on the bed regaining our strength. I leaned up on my elbow and hovered over her, looking into her soft brown eyes. I moved strands of sweat soaked chestnut hair away from her face and smiled down at the woman of my dreams.
"Okay, honey. What’s the plan for tonight, because I have to see you again?"
"Hum, well, I could meet you in the woods after my dad goes to bed around ten thirty, or.....," she said, dragging her nails across my chest gently, "You could sneak into my window later."
"I think until we get good at this sneaking around bit, I might better come to your room. Will you listen for me?"
"Are you kidding? I’ll be waiting, wide awake until you come see me," she said, kissing me tenderly.
"Okay, it’s a date then."
"And now, I need to get this place cleaned up. I don’t want Billy coming home thinking all we did all weekend was....well you know," she said, and I saw her blush as she got up and pulled on a T-shirt, before getting the tray and heading to the kitchen.
I pulled on my underwear and shorts and followed her, "I don’t know. I’m sure he would understand that I had no choice but to comply with the wants, needs, and demands of a she wolf that happened to be trying to tame me. He’d probably say, ‘at a boy,’" I said, laughing.
"Jake. Do I have to make the cliche comment that ‘all you men are alike’?" she said, swatting me on the arm.
"You’d be lying if you did, cause I’m not like all the other men," I said, grabbing her around the waist, then reaching down to pull her against me by her hips.
I kissed her and she smiled against my mouth, "I know. I have the best one in the whole wide world," she said, before pulling away and running to the bathroom.
When she had gotten dressed, she went into super woman mode and stripped the sheets from the bed, putting them into the washer, while she sorted our clothes and made a pile of towels and dish clothes, then she went to the kitchen to clean the mess I had made during breakfast.
We talked and laughed as we worked around the house together, and by late afternoon. We had made the bed with clean sheets, washed, dried, and folded all the laundry and linens. And Bella even insisted on putting a pot roast in for dinner for my dad and me.
"I suppose we need to go check in with Sam. We need to find out what the schedule will be this week," I said, setting the picture on the hall table that we had knocked off the wall yesterday. I’d have to find a new piece of glass for that one, I thought.
"Okay. You want to walk? It looks like a pretty day, or what’s left of it," she said, taking me by the hand.
"Sure, sure."
So we walked out of the house and down the road toward Sam’s. He was just coming out onto the porch when we came up into his yard.
"Well, I didn’t expect to see you two for at least a couple more hours," he said, giving me a look and smiling sheepishly.
"We needed to check in with you and see how things were going and what our patrols would be this week. We are somewhat out of touch," I said, pulling Bella to me and wrapping one arm around her.
"You two are glowing," he said quietly, "I mean you both look very happy. Have you figured out how you’ll see each other?"
"Yeah, we’ve made some preliminary plans," Bella said, smiling at me.
"Okay, well, I’ve been thinking that with things being quite since we took out the last vampires, that we would do some rotations. That gives everyone a day off in between patrols. I thought about having you two run together, but I changed that..."
"What?" I blurted out.
"Hear me out, Jake. I think you should pair off with someone else while you patrol, just for a few weeks, until you get more....well.....adjusted to things. You’ll both have clearer heads and be able to assess danger much better if you aren’t distracted by each other."
"Sam, you don’t think that I could get distracted by....."
"You’d better still get distracted by me. We’ve only been together for three days, but our honeymoon is by no means over," I said, giving her a kiss to remind her how much I wanted her to be distracted, just not at the wrong times.
"Okay. Sam’s right. I totally agree. So who are we partnering with?" Bella asked.
"I’ve written out this schedule so you both will have some sort of way to plan all the things you’ll be juggling, but if we all follow the schedule, it will be easier on everyone giving us all a little break."
"Okay, so I’ve got tonight and Bella has tomorrow night, then we’ll both be off on Tuesday night. I see, that sounds good Sam. I think we can fit it all in," I said, looking back at him.
We told Sam goodbye, and went back to my house. Bella started getting her things together and I could tell that she was getting sad, but wouldn’t say anything. She finished up dinner and left it on the stove for us. I had been watching her while she flitted around trying to keep herself busy.
She was making another trip to the sink to wash her hands, when I stepped in front of her blocking her path, "What?" she said, looking all innocent.
"I can see not only see that you’re getting sad, I can feel it too," I said, placing my hands on her shoulders.
"I am. I can’t lie to you, but I knew it would happen. I just don’t want to leave you," she said, with tears in her eyes.
"Okay, this is how we are going to look at things. I thought about this last night while I watched you sleep. We spend so many hours a day at school, we wouldn’t be together then anyway, and so many hours asleep, which we could be together but we’d be asleep and only have the comfort of being near each other, so those will be our special times, the nights we get to hold each other while we sleep. But the rest of the time, we’ll just wait for those precious moments when we can really spend time together and that will make them all the more worthwhile."
"Okay," she said, wiping away a tear, before looking up at the clock.
It was almost six o’clock and she needed to be going back to Charlie’s. I couldn’t think of it as home for her anymore, because home for her was with me, but I didn’t dare say that out loud.
I helped her put her things in her truck and opened the door for her. When she climbed in, I climbed in right beside her and gently slid her across the seat, "You didn’t think I was going to let you drive back alone, did you?"
"I had hoped not," she said, offering a weak smile.
So, I drove her back to Forks and helped her carry her things inside. Charlie wasn’t in yet, but if I knew him, he’d be there any minute. The fish had probably stopped biting by now.
"Well. I guess this is it then. I better get out of here before your dad comes in wanting to know where the Rabbit is. What time do you want me to stop by, my sexy lady?"
"If you talk like that, I won’t let you leave. I’ll lock you in my room," she said in a very alluring tone, as she found her way into my arms.
"I like the sound of that, but would it be locking me up, if I go up there willingly?"
"Funny, very funny. I’ve got to make Charlie’s dinner. But I’ll see you later."
I kissed her all the way to the front door, then watched her through the window as she started picking things up in the living room until she disappeared into the kitchen, then I ran into the woods, undressed, and phased.
As I ran through the trees, I felt the distance building between us as my stride carried me closer to La Push. I didn’t know how all of this would play out, but at least, Bella and I didn’t have to worry about imprinting anymore. It would be our love that kept us strong and bound together.
When I got back to my house, I had just phased and pulled my clothes on, when I heard my dad rolling up onto the front porch. I walked around the side of the house and grabbed his chair from behind, giving him a quick shove.
"Hey now. Is that anyway to treat the man who let you and your mistress spend the weekend in my chateau? You did leave it in one piece I hope? Well, it looks okay from the outside."
"Dad, watch it, or I’ll spin you around and push you back down," I said laughing.
"Get me inside, I want to have a look at you and this old house," he ordered.
When he went inside, he surveyed the interior and took a deep breath savoring the aroma of the meal Bella had prepared.
"She didn’t have to do that, Jake," he said, suddenly looking quite solemn.
"Dad, she wanted you to have a nice meal when you got home to thank you for letting us have the place to ourselves all weekend. She also washed the clothes and cleaned up the place."
"So are you okay, son? I know it’s going to be hard leaving her."
"Yeah, it is. But I’m going back tonight and we’ve sort of got things worked out for now. Are you ready to eat?"
"You bet I am. It smells wonderful and I want to hear all about your weekend. Well, not everything, but I want to know how you two are doing," he said, as he went to the bathroom to wash up.
I put dinner on the table and a couple of plates. I guess I had a big smile on my face when he rolled into the kitchen, as I remembered different things about the weekend.
"I have to say, you look happier than I’ve seen you in ages, Jake. I guess the weekend went well?"
"It did. It was great. We really got to know each other and I feel this bond with her now," I said, looking up at him thoughtfully.
"I do too, son. And my bond is with her cooking skills. No offense, but you’re not the best cook in the world."
"What? Bella thought I cooked like an expert. I cooked for her, um, let me think, twice this weekend."
"Sure, sure, son. Pass me the roast."
We talked while we ate and enjoyed the food Bella had prepared. It just didn’t seem right though, not having her sitting at the table with us. When we had finished eating, my dad and I cleaned the kitchen up together and put the left overs in the refrigerator.
I got things ready for school the next day, did one math assignment that I obviously had not had time to do over the weekend, then tried to lie down and take a short nap, before I went back to Forks. I tossed around on my bed for a few minutes, but I already needed Bella there with me.
I felt restless and wanted to go see her, but I knew I needed some rest, so I set my alarm, and closed my eyes, pretending she was lying beside me. It wasn’t that difficult, considering her scent was still so heavy in my room, so I breathed her in and drifted off to sleep.
When my alarm went off around ten o’clock, I sat up on the edge of the bed and rubbed my eyes, but it didn’t take me long to wake up, knowing I would be seeing Bella in a few minutes.
I told my dad goodnight and that I would probably be in later, then I pulled the door closed behind me. I was on my way to the woods to phase when Sam and Paul came up.
"Hey, you set for tonight?" Sam asked.
"Yeah, I’ll join up with Embry about midnight and we’ll run until one-thirty, just like the schedule said," I replied.
"You okay, Jake?" Paul asked.
"Yeah, and I’ll be even better in about fifteen minutes."
"So you’re on your way to Forks?" Sam asked.
"You darn right I am. So, if you gents will excuse me," I replied, walking further into the forest to phase.
I ran as fast as I could to get back to Forks. When I was finally standing outside of Bella’s house, I phased, pulled on my shorts, and climbed the tree by her window, then onto the eave of the house. She had left the window open, which worried me, but how else could I get in quietly.
When I got into her room, I slid the window closed behind me, then turned around to see her lying in the bed, propped up on one elbow wait for me. I could see her smile in the dim light of the room and that was all I needed.
I stretched out on the bed beside her, pulling her into a tight embrace, and kissing the top of her head.
"I thought you’d never get here," she whispered softly as she scooted closer to me and wrapped her arm around my chest.
We stayed like that, wrapped up in each other’s arms until it was time for me to go patrol. I kissed her gently on the forehead, told her I loved her, and that I would see her tomorrow after school, then climbed back out the window. She was probably asleep by the time I phased, which made me feel a somewhat better, knowing she was getting some rest, even if I wasn’t with her.