Breathe In Union
by Laura Spudzmom
Chapter 16
Jasper Whitlock leaned casually against the wall, his arms crossed loosely over his chest as he took in the controlled chaos that was the living room of the Cullen mansion.
All of the furniture had been hastily pushed to the sides of the room by Emmett and Rosalie before they left to go collect the massive amounts of blood required to heal Edward.
Speaking of Edward, he—'or what's left of him anyway', Jasper thought dryly—now laid out on a blanket in one side of the cleared space while the other side was left for sorting operations.
His attention then shifted to Alice and Esme and their macabre task of sorting various bits and pieces of rigid yet twitching flesh as they worked to lay them out in some semblance of order in spite of their almost overwhelming anxiety.
Next to draw his attention was a stoic Carlisle who worked to patch said pieces back into his most beloved childe despite the many cries and whimpers coming from him due to the injuries. Jasper raised a brow at this; seems wolf bites hurt like a bitch too and that thought served to bring a wicked smirk to his lips.
'Serves the arrogant little shit right,' he thought with the grim satisfaction of one in the position to say 'I told ya so'. He wouldn't though. Such a thing was beneath him, but he'd be fucked if he wouldn't sit back and enjoy this small victory over the spoiled brat silently. It was gold, damn it, and he would cherish it.
The sound of Carlisle's voice rising above the infant's anguished cries snapped him back to the present as he registered the conversation.
"Just what in seven hells were you thinking Edward? Sneaking into the Chief of police's house—into his daughter's room—the daughter who happens to be the bonded mate of the most proficient warrior wolf I've seen to date?! Have your senses left you completely?!" He paused and raised a brow at Edward's relative silence. "Well, stop whining and answer me!" he demanded as he continued working.
"I—I don't kn—know Carlise!" Edward stuttered out between uncontrollable twitches and moans of pain. "After m—my encounter with B—Bella at the di—diner I guess I felt threatened by her kn—knowledge of u—us and her friendship w—with Angela." Anguished eyes met with those of his sire as he continued. "I th—thought she'd t—tell her and An—Angela would break up with m—me."
To Jasper's surprise, a wave of anger came from Alice who growled before speaking. "You faithless idiot! I told you Angela will never leave you, even after you tell her what we are! I TOLD you she will choose to become what we are!"
Edward growled despite his pain. "And I TOLD you Alice, I can't do that to her!"
"So what?" Alice questioned with a sneer. "You're obviously willing to go to extreme measures for the girl—you're not willing to let her go to love another"—at this Edward growled loudly—"you're not willing to have a sexual relationship with her—so I ask you yet again Edward—what are you planning to do with her? Display her on a shelf under glass as she moulders away year after year until she dies like some sick, sad tribute to your piousness? What about giving her the CHOICE she's due Edward? Huh?!"
"Alice, please," Carlisle cut in with a sigh. "Let me get him healed and when he's feeling better, you two can continue your conversation."
Edward scoffed and turned his head away as Carlisle furrowed his brow and tsk'ed. While his first childe was many decades away from his human age of seventeen, there were still times when he acted the age he'd been turned at, which required a firm hand from his sire. It was clear to Carlisle, this was just such an instance. "Yes Edward, this is a conversation that must happen and I will be taking part. These are serious issues which must be resolved; either with you ending things with Angela, or with her knowing everything and making her own choice, which I will hold you to. But also know Edward, no matter what you choose, this is the only time I will tolerate your involvement with a human. There's just too much at stake and it isn't only about you. When you take such risks, you take the rest of this coven with you."
It was then that Jasper felt the need to speak up and he pushed off the wall and stepped toward them. "I'll be involved in that conversation too because this also involves me and my mate. Ya see, if ya go tellin' Angela and she decides to end things with ya without turning…" he shook his head slowly, "—well, at that point, we're all outside the law, a situation I find unacceptable."
Edward's eyes widened and he looked to a grimly nodding Carlisle. "That's true Jasper," he said with a sigh. "And I agree, this needs to be a discussion for the whole family."
Jasper braced against the wave of panic that rolled off of Edward. "You can't be serious Carlisle! You would—"
"Edward, let's not get ahead of things here. We must first present everything to Angela and allow her to make a decision. Anything after that will be dealt with as it comes. We'll worry with it then. Now, let's get you healed, shall we?"
Jasper hit Edward with a heavy dose of lethargy and he relaxed back with a reluctant nod as Carlisle continued his task.
'Yep,' Jasper thought. 'Ain't no way I'm lettin' that boy squirm his way outta the hard choices this time. Come hell, high water, or Carlisle's and Esme's coddelin', that girl is gonna either turn or die.'
~o0o~
As soon as the last vampire left the moonlit clearing, Sam shared a wary look with a quiet Charlie before approaching Paul and Bella who were holding each other tightly. Clearing his throat lightly, he handed an extra pair of shorts to Paul before speaking, the words he was going to say tasting like ash on his tongue. Sometimes being the responsible alpha was a distasteful job, not that he held any authority over Paul, but still, he had his pack and tribe to think about. "While I understand your need to tear the hell outta the leech, I really have to stress to you the importance the tribe places on the treaty we have with the Cullen coven…" He trailed off as Paul snarled while slipping into the shorts.
"He was in her room! He touched her! I meant what I said—treaty be damned—he dares such a thing again, I'll end him."
Sam nodded while blowing out a breath. He really couldn't argue that. If a leech, even a Cullen, had done such a thing to his imprint, he'd have reacted the very same way. "I get it. I do, and I can't say I blame you. I feel the same way and I know Jared agrees." He glanced between Charlie and Bella. "For now, we're gonna head back to the rez, give you guys time to talk and work things out. We can meet up tomorrow and finish talking about things."
Paul nodded and pulled Bella close with one arm. "I'll check in with you guys when we get home." He glanced at Charlie warily, knowing he probably had some conflict coming.
The walk back to Charlie's was silent as they all seemed lost in thought; Paul with how he was going to get Charlie to agree to Bella moving in with him on the rez, Bella with just trying to take in all that had happened and Charlie…well, he was just trying to come to terms with how grown up his daughter was and all that entailed.
He'd heard what Paul had said about moving to the rez but what the kid didn't know is that Lisa had been trying to get him to move in with her for a while now. He'd been reluctant since they weren't married yet, but with what had just happened…well, he really couldn't say he was against it for any reason now. If moving onto the reservation would be a safer option for Bella, then he'd do so, no questions asked. Tonight had been a real eye-opener for him, to say the least. He smirked mentally. The kid didn't know any of this though and he saw nothing wrong with making him sweat a bit. Bella was still seventeen after all, and with what he knew of Paul and his record with females—he wasn't above giving the kid a bit of hell while he still could. He was her father after all…
They entered the house through the kitchen door and took seats at the table, all silently agreeing the ruined front door would wait until after their talk. Bella was the one to break the tense silence.
"Coffee?" she asked with a raised brow as she stood and began filling the pot with water.
"Sure kid," Charlie said with a sigh. "I don't see any sleep happening any time soon so coffee would be great."
Paul got up and went to the fridge. "Think I'll go with water. I'm amped enough on adrenaline," he muttered as he grabbed a bottle and sat back down. Cracking the lid off, he downed most of the bottle before meeting Charlie's steady gaze. "You heard what I said out there? About Bella moving and why?"
Charlie gave him a single nod. "I did." He pinned Paul with a steely gaze. "She's still my minor daughter," he said firmly as he watched the kid's jaw clench and nostrils flare. He knew Paul, and knew he had one hell of a temper so he was pretty impressed as he watched him breathe deeply as he brought that temper under control before responding.
"Charlie, I love and respect you like a father," he said as he stared down at his lap before raising his gaze to meet him squarely. "But you need to know I won't budge on this. I respect you and because of that I'll agree to abide by any rules you see fit to set until she's of legal age. Her safety comes first with me though and living on the rez is the safest option for her. While we're on the subject, it's the safest option for you too."
Bella set two cups of black coffee on the table along with cream and sugar before taking a seat as she stared between the two men in her life. "Are you two done speaking like I'm not even in the room?" she asked with one brow cocked. She took time to stir cream and sugar into her cup before leveling a slight glare at Paul whose expression was flat at the moment.
"Let's get something straight here," she said as she pointed at him and then Charlie with her spoon. "I might not be capable of superhuman deeds and I'm surely no match for vampires, but that doesn't negate the fact that I have a brain and a spine, okay? I see the need to be in the safest place I can be, but that doesn't mean you two can just decide what happens to me without even asking my thoughts on the issue."
Paul took her free hand and kissed it. "You're right B and I'm sorry. I guess I'm just on edge and this is all still new to me. The fucking instincts are hellish baby…" He began shaking a bit and pulled her into his lap and she let him, knowing he needed the closeness.
"I get that," she said as she wrapped her hands around her coffee mug. She looked at Charlie. "I also understand this must be hard for you too Dad, especially since you haven't quite adjusted to me being much older and more independent than the last time I spent any time with you. However, we're all dealing with a crash course in dealing with some pretty major shit here and it's clear to me we're all either gonna swim together or sink. I really think our first hurdle toward success will be to maintain respect for each other while working it all out. None of us are stupid and we all need to work together."
Charlie sat back and took a sip of coffee before nodding and meeting Bella's gaze. "You're right Bells. This has been one hell of an adjustment for me to make. You were so much younger the last time I saw ya and now…damn, the changes are so marked, it's like I don't even know you."
The pain and anguish she saw in her father's eyes at that point struck her harder than she ever expected and she slid off Paul's lap to wrap her Dad in a hug. This was her fault. She'd been such a selfish brat for the last few years that she hadn't even stopped to think of Charlie's feelings beyond thinking he wouldn't really miss her since she really had nothing in common with him. She'd obviously been wrong and she could feel that in the tight hug he was currently returning as she murmured an apology to him. "I'm sorry Dad. I know nothing I say or do can change the last few years, but I'm here now and we can get to know each other again." She drew back and he smiled as she sat back in her seat.
"I'd like that Bells."
"Me too Dad," she said as she took Paul's hand.
Charlie looked at Paul and decided not to give the kid a hard time beyond what he already had. He just couldn't do it to the stressed kid. He loved him too much. "Okay, so Bells, Paul, where does that leave us? I think we can all agree we don't want a repeat of what happened tonight. What neither of you know is that Lisa has been bugging me about moving in with her for a while now. I'd wanted to do things right and not consider it until after the wedding, but now…"
Paul smirked. "I don't see a problem then…" he said as he glanced warily at Bella. "Unless you have a problem with moving in B. Then that's really gonna suck because I really want you to move in. I need to know you're safe…"
She smirked at him. "Something I'll never have a problem with…unless you treat me like an object. Now that I would have a problem with. But moving? Not a problem."
After downing the rest of his coffee, Charlie stood. "Great, it's settled. We'll make the move tomorrow. For now though…" He motioned to Paul, "…you and I have a front door to fix."
~o0o~
Three hours later found Paul sneaking into Bella's room from his makeshift bed on the couch downstairs. He'd had to wait for Charlie's breathing to deepen and even out before chancing it. He didn't think Charlie would shoot him but why chance it? At the same time, those instincts he'd mentioned earlier just weren't allowing him to sleep without her and as he took in the lingering vampire scent in her room, he worked to stifle the growl that clawed and rumbled in his chest as he breathed deeply to calm himself.
Crossing the room quickly, he slid open her window to dissipate the scent before climbing into the bed next to her.
"Paul," she breathed as she wrapped herself around him even as she slept.
"Hi baby," he whispered as he pulled her impossibly close while nuzzling and kissing his mark on her neck.
"Mmm," she moaned lowly as she arched against him. Her eyes slowly opened and she smiled a sleepy smile. "I was having the most amazing dream," she mumbled as she kissed his bare chest.
"Yeah?" he asked as he pushed her back and hovered just above her. "Care to share it with me?"
She looked thoughtful for a moment before a playful smirk quirked her full lips. "I'd rather show you."
He groaned and dropped his hips to brush his burgeoning interest against her heated center. "Should we risk it with Charlie right next door? Can you be quiet B?" he whispered into her ear between light kisses.
She smiled cheekily. "I'm up to the challenge. Are you?"
He slanted his mouth over hers in a deep kiss that took her breath away before pulling back to answer. "Fuck yes I am." He reached down and with a tug and a rip her panties were a thing of the past and before she knew it, her breath caught as he slowly slid into her. Nothing in the world compared to the feeling of being filled by him.
"Yesss," she hissed lowly as her hands glided down the flexing muscles of his back to rest on his perfect ass. "Don't stop there Paul," she whispered. "Help a girl out, will ya?"
Wrapping one arm under her hips, he smirked down at her and whispered back, "My pleasure baby," as he drew back and surged forward firmly, setting a torturous pace as she bit her lip and held on to him all the while praying she could manage to stay quiet when all she wanted to do was moan and cry out.
"Kiss me damn it," she whispered fiercely as she buried a hand in his hair and pulled him down to meet her where she nipped his lip to punish him for the cocky smirk she found there. She sucked on his lip to soothe it before opening to him fully where he took charge of the kiss as his tongue slid into her mouth to play against hers languidly. That effectively solved the problem of her need to cry out but to her horror, the bed began to squeak and she couldn't resist the giggle that bubbled up from their situation. Couldn't they buy a fucking break here? It seemed not as the damn bed got louder and louder and he broke the kiss with a quiet chuckle.
"Shit B," he whispered stopping all movement. "What now?" he asked as he glanced around the room. They looked back at each other and laughed quietly.
"The desk?" she questioned and he shook his head.
"No way would that be quiet enough," he said as he ran through their options quickly before standing and pulling her up with him. He picked her up then and she just barely stifled a squeak as he pinned her to the wall opposite Charlie's room. He placed her arms around his neck and grinned. "This'll have to do. Hang on and don't forget…"
"Yeah, I know," she whispered into his ear as she tongued the diamond stud. "Be quiet."
He supported her with his hands under her ass and slid into her smoothly as she gasped. "Oh fuck, you feel good."
"Shh," he reminded as he covered her mouth in a kiss while pounding into her, her whimpers swallowed by him as her peak built quickly in this position. He was hitting her damn g-spot with every thrust and she really, really wanted—no—needed to scream. Instead, she settled for kissing him fiercely while her fingers dug into his muscled shoulders.
Finally, he broke the kiss and began to quietly chant her name hotly against her neck, "Bella, Bella, Bella… Oh fuck B, come with me…are you ready?" he murmured into her ear between desperate, hard thrusts and she nodded while biting her lip with a gasp when her dizzying peak finally hit.
"Paulllll," she hissed as quietly as possible as he stilled with a low moan while pulsing deep inside her.
When they'd both caught their breath, he pulled out and let her down to her feet while they shared a soft kiss. "I love you," she murmured while playing her fingers through his silky hair.
He cupped her face, his thumbs stroking over her cheeks gently. "I love you too B, more than you'll ever know."
A deep voice coming from behind Bella's closed door froze them both in place as their hearts took off in their chests. "And I love you both," the voice fairly growled, "but I'm not above breaking out my gun if a certain young man isn't back on that couch downstairs in five.
"Now go to sleep…for real this time."
Jasper Whitlock leaned casually against the wall, his arms crossed loosely over his chest as he took in the controlled chaos that was the living room of the Cullen mansion.
All of the furniture had been hastily pushed to the sides of the room by Emmett and Rosalie before they left to go collect the massive amounts of blood required to heal Edward.
Speaking of Edward, he—'or what's left of him anyway', Jasper thought dryly—now laid out on a blanket in one side of the cleared space while the other side was left for sorting operations.
His attention then shifted to Alice and Esme and their macabre task of sorting various bits and pieces of rigid yet twitching flesh as they worked to lay them out in some semblance of order in spite of their almost overwhelming anxiety.
Next to draw his attention was a stoic Carlisle who worked to patch said pieces back into his most beloved childe despite the many cries and whimpers coming from him due to the injuries. Jasper raised a brow at this; seems wolf bites hurt like a bitch too and that thought served to bring a wicked smirk to his lips.
'Serves the arrogant little shit right,' he thought with the grim satisfaction of one in the position to say 'I told ya so'. He wouldn't though. Such a thing was beneath him, but he'd be fucked if he wouldn't sit back and enjoy this small victory over the spoiled brat silently. It was gold, damn it, and he would cherish it.
The sound of Carlisle's voice rising above the infant's anguished cries snapped him back to the present as he registered the conversation.
"Just what in seven hells were you thinking Edward? Sneaking into the Chief of police's house—into his daughter's room—the daughter who happens to be the bonded mate of the most proficient warrior wolf I've seen to date?! Have your senses left you completely?!" He paused and raised a brow at Edward's relative silence. "Well, stop whining and answer me!" he demanded as he continued working.
"I—I don't kn—know Carlise!" Edward stuttered out between uncontrollable twitches and moans of pain. "After m—my encounter with B—Bella at the di—diner I guess I felt threatened by her kn—knowledge of u—us and her friendship w—with Angela." Anguished eyes met with those of his sire as he continued. "I th—thought she'd t—tell her and An—Angela would break up with m—me."
To Jasper's surprise, a wave of anger came from Alice who growled before speaking. "You faithless idiot! I told you Angela will never leave you, even after you tell her what we are! I TOLD you she will choose to become what we are!"
Edward growled despite his pain. "And I TOLD you Alice, I can't do that to her!"
"So what?" Alice questioned with a sneer. "You're obviously willing to go to extreme measures for the girl—you're not willing to let her go to love another"—at this Edward growled loudly—"you're not willing to have a sexual relationship with her—so I ask you yet again Edward—what are you planning to do with her? Display her on a shelf under glass as she moulders away year after year until she dies like some sick, sad tribute to your piousness? What about giving her the CHOICE she's due Edward? Huh?!"
"Alice, please," Carlisle cut in with a sigh. "Let me get him healed and when he's feeling better, you two can continue your conversation."
Edward scoffed and turned his head away as Carlisle furrowed his brow and tsk'ed. While his first childe was many decades away from his human age of seventeen, there were still times when he acted the age he'd been turned at, which required a firm hand from his sire. It was clear to Carlisle, this was just such an instance. "Yes Edward, this is a conversation that must happen and I will be taking part. These are serious issues which must be resolved; either with you ending things with Angela, or with her knowing everything and making her own choice, which I will hold you to. But also know Edward, no matter what you choose, this is the only time I will tolerate your involvement with a human. There's just too much at stake and it isn't only about you. When you take such risks, you take the rest of this coven with you."
It was then that Jasper felt the need to speak up and he pushed off the wall and stepped toward them. "I'll be involved in that conversation too because this also involves me and my mate. Ya see, if ya go tellin' Angela and she decides to end things with ya without turning…" he shook his head slowly, "—well, at that point, we're all outside the law, a situation I find unacceptable."
Edward's eyes widened and he looked to a grimly nodding Carlisle. "That's true Jasper," he said with a sigh. "And I agree, this needs to be a discussion for the whole family."
Jasper braced against the wave of panic that rolled off of Edward. "You can't be serious Carlisle! You would—"
"Edward, let's not get ahead of things here. We must first present everything to Angela and allow her to make a decision. Anything after that will be dealt with as it comes. We'll worry with it then. Now, let's get you healed, shall we?"
Jasper hit Edward with a heavy dose of lethargy and he relaxed back with a reluctant nod as Carlisle continued his task.
'Yep,' Jasper thought. 'Ain't no way I'm lettin' that boy squirm his way outta the hard choices this time. Come hell, high water, or Carlisle's and Esme's coddelin', that girl is gonna either turn or die.'
~o0o~
As soon as the last vampire left the moonlit clearing, Sam shared a wary look with a quiet Charlie before approaching Paul and Bella who were holding each other tightly. Clearing his throat lightly, he handed an extra pair of shorts to Paul before speaking, the words he was going to say tasting like ash on his tongue. Sometimes being the responsible alpha was a distasteful job, not that he held any authority over Paul, but still, he had his pack and tribe to think about. "While I understand your need to tear the hell outta the leech, I really have to stress to you the importance the tribe places on the treaty we have with the Cullen coven…" He trailed off as Paul snarled while slipping into the shorts.
"He was in her room! He touched her! I meant what I said—treaty be damned—he dares such a thing again, I'll end him."
Sam nodded while blowing out a breath. He really couldn't argue that. If a leech, even a Cullen, had done such a thing to his imprint, he'd have reacted the very same way. "I get it. I do, and I can't say I blame you. I feel the same way and I know Jared agrees." He glanced between Charlie and Bella. "For now, we're gonna head back to the rez, give you guys time to talk and work things out. We can meet up tomorrow and finish talking about things."
Paul nodded and pulled Bella close with one arm. "I'll check in with you guys when we get home." He glanced at Charlie warily, knowing he probably had some conflict coming.
The walk back to Charlie's was silent as they all seemed lost in thought; Paul with how he was going to get Charlie to agree to Bella moving in with him on the rez, Bella with just trying to take in all that had happened and Charlie…well, he was just trying to come to terms with how grown up his daughter was and all that entailed.
He'd heard what Paul had said about moving to the rez but what the kid didn't know is that Lisa had been trying to get him to move in with her for a while now. He'd been reluctant since they weren't married yet, but with what had just happened…well, he really couldn't say he was against it for any reason now. If moving onto the reservation would be a safer option for Bella, then he'd do so, no questions asked. Tonight had been a real eye-opener for him, to say the least. He smirked mentally. The kid didn't know any of this though and he saw nothing wrong with making him sweat a bit. Bella was still seventeen after all, and with what he knew of Paul and his record with females—he wasn't above giving the kid a bit of hell while he still could. He was her father after all…
They entered the house through the kitchen door and took seats at the table, all silently agreeing the ruined front door would wait until after their talk. Bella was the one to break the tense silence.
"Coffee?" she asked with a raised brow as she stood and began filling the pot with water.
"Sure kid," Charlie said with a sigh. "I don't see any sleep happening any time soon so coffee would be great."
Paul got up and went to the fridge. "Think I'll go with water. I'm amped enough on adrenaline," he muttered as he grabbed a bottle and sat back down. Cracking the lid off, he downed most of the bottle before meeting Charlie's steady gaze. "You heard what I said out there? About Bella moving and why?"
Charlie gave him a single nod. "I did." He pinned Paul with a steely gaze. "She's still my minor daughter," he said firmly as he watched the kid's jaw clench and nostrils flare. He knew Paul, and knew he had one hell of a temper so he was pretty impressed as he watched him breathe deeply as he brought that temper under control before responding.
"Charlie, I love and respect you like a father," he said as he stared down at his lap before raising his gaze to meet him squarely. "But you need to know I won't budge on this. I respect you and because of that I'll agree to abide by any rules you see fit to set until she's of legal age. Her safety comes first with me though and living on the rez is the safest option for her. While we're on the subject, it's the safest option for you too."
Bella set two cups of black coffee on the table along with cream and sugar before taking a seat as she stared between the two men in her life. "Are you two done speaking like I'm not even in the room?" she asked with one brow cocked. She took time to stir cream and sugar into her cup before leveling a slight glare at Paul whose expression was flat at the moment.
"Let's get something straight here," she said as she pointed at him and then Charlie with her spoon. "I might not be capable of superhuman deeds and I'm surely no match for vampires, but that doesn't negate the fact that I have a brain and a spine, okay? I see the need to be in the safest place I can be, but that doesn't mean you two can just decide what happens to me without even asking my thoughts on the issue."
Paul took her free hand and kissed it. "You're right B and I'm sorry. I guess I'm just on edge and this is all still new to me. The fucking instincts are hellish baby…" He began shaking a bit and pulled her into his lap and she let him, knowing he needed the closeness.
"I get that," she said as she wrapped her hands around her coffee mug. She looked at Charlie. "I also understand this must be hard for you too Dad, especially since you haven't quite adjusted to me being much older and more independent than the last time I spent any time with you. However, we're all dealing with a crash course in dealing with some pretty major shit here and it's clear to me we're all either gonna swim together or sink. I really think our first hurdle toward success will be to maintain respect for each other while working it all out. None of us are stupid and we all need to work together."
Charlie sat back and took a sip of coffee before nodding and meeting Bella's gaze. "You're right Bells. This has been one hell of an adjustment for me to make. You were so much younger the last time I saw ya and now…damn, the changes are so marked, it's like I don't even know you."
The pain and anguish she saw in her father's eyes at that point struck her harder than she ever expected and she slid off Paul's lap to wrap her Dad in a hug. This was her fault. She'd been such a selfish brat for the last few years that she hadn't even stopped to think of Charlie's feelings beyond thinking he wouldn't really miss her since she really had nothing in common with him. She'd obviously been wrong and she could feel that in the tight hug he was currently returning as she murmured an apology to him. "I'm sorry Dad. I know nothing I say or do can change the last few years, but I'm here now and we can get to know each other again." She drew back and he smiled as she sat back in her seat.
"I'd like that Bells."
"Me too Dad," she said as she took Paul's hand.
Charlie looked at Paul and decided not to give the kid a hard time beyond what he already had. He just couldn't do it to the stressed kid. He loved him too much. "Okay, so Bells, Paul, where does that leave us? I think we can all agree we don't want a repeat of what happened tonight. What neither of you know is that Lisa has been bugging me about moving in with her for a while now. I'd wanted to do things right and not consider it until after the wedding, but now…"
Paul smirked. "I don't see a problem then…" he said as he glanced warily at Bella. "Unless you have a problem with moving in B. Then that's really gonna suck because I really want you to move in. I need to know you're safe…"
She smirked at him. "Something I'll never have a problem with…unless you treat me like an object. Now that I would have a problem with. But moving? Not a problem."
After downing the rest of his coffee, Charlie stood. "Great, it's settled. We'll make the move tomorrow. For now though…" He motioned to Paul, "…you and I have a front door to fix."
~o0o~
Three hours later found Paul sneaking into Bella's room from his makeshift bed on the couch downstairs. He'd had to wait for Charlie's breathing to deepen and even out before chancing it. He didn't think Charlie would shoot him but why chance it? At the same time, those instincts he'd mentioned earlier just weren't allowing him to sleep without her and as he took in the lingering vampire scent in her room, he worked to stifle the growl that clawed and rumbled in his chest as he breathed deeply to calm himself.
Crossing the room quickly, he slid open her window to dissipate the scent before climbing into the bed next to her.
"Paul," she breathed as she wrapped herself around him even as she slept.
"Hi baby," he whispered as he pulled her impossibly close while nuzzling and kissing his mark on her neck.
"Mmm," she moaned lowly as she arched against him. Her eyes slowly opened and she smiled a sleepy smile. "I was having the most amazing dream," she mumbled as she kissed his bare chest.
"Yeah?" he asked as he pushed her back and hovered just above her. "Care to share it with me?"
She looked thoughtful for a moment before a playful smirk quirked her full lips. "I'd rather show you."
He groaned and dropped his hips to brush his burgeoning interest against her heated center. "Should we risk it with Charlie right next door? Can you be quiet B?" he whispered into her ear between light kisses.
She smiled cheekily. "I'm up to the challenge. Are you?"
He slanted his mouth over hers in a deep kiss that took her breath away before pulling back to answer. "Fuck yes I am." He reached down and with a tug and a rip her panties were a thing of the past and before she knew it, her breath caught as he slowly slid into her. Nothing in the world compared to the feeling of being filled by him.
"Yesss," she hissed lowly as her hands glided down the flexing muscles of his back to rest on his perfect ass. "Don't stop there Paul," she whispered. "Help a girl out, will ya?"
Wrapping one arm under her hips, he smirked down at her and whispered back, "My pleasure baby," as he drew back and surged forward firmly, setting a torturous pace as she bit her lip and held on to him all the while praying she could manage to stay quiet when all she wanted to do was moan and cry out.
"Kiss me damn it," she whispered fiercely as she buried a hand in his hair and pulled him down to meet her where she nipped his lip to punish him for the cocky smirk she found there. She sucked on his lip to soothe it before opening to him fully where he took charge of the kiss as his tongue slid into her mouth to play against hers languidly. That effectively solved the problem of her need to cry out but to her horror, the bed began to squeak and she couldn't resist the giggle that bubbled up from their situation. Couldn't they buy a fucking break here? It seemed not as the damn bed got louder and louder and he broke the kiss with a quiet chuckle.
"Shit B," he whispered stopping all movement. "What now?" he asked as he glanced around the room. They looked back at each other and laughed quietly.
"The desk?" she questioned and he shook his head.
"No way would that be quiet enough," he said as he ran through their options quickly before standing and pulling her up with him. He picked her up then and she just barely stifled a squeak as he pinned her to the wall opposite Charlie's room. He placed her arms around his neck and grinned. "This'll have to do. Hang on and don't forget…"
"Yeah, I know," she whispered into his ear as she tongued the diamond stud. "Be quiet."
He supported her with his hands under her ass and slid into her smoothly as she gasped. "Oh fuck, you feel good."
"Shh," he reminded as he covered her mouth in a kiss while pounding into her, her whimpers swallowed by him as her peak built quickly in this position. He was hitting her damn g-spot with every thrust and she really, really wanted—no—needed to scream. Instead, she settled for kissing him fiercely while her fingers dug into his muscled shoulders.
Finally, he broke the kiss and began to quietly chant her name hotly against her neck, "Bella, Bella, Bella… Oh fuck B, come with me…are you ready?" he murmured into her ear between desperate, hard thrusts and she nodded while biting her lip with a gasp when her dizzying peak finally hit.
"Paulllll," she hissed as quietly as possible as he stilled with a low moan while pulsing deep inside her.
When they'd both caught their breath, he pulled out and let her down to her feet while they shared a soft kiss. "I love you," she murmured while playing her fingers through his silky hair.
He cupped her face, his thumbs stroking over her cheeks gently. "I love you too B, more than you'll ever know."
A deep voice coming from behind Bella's closed door froze them both in place as their hearts took off in their chests. "And I love you both," the voice fairly growled, "but I'm not above breaking out my gun if a certain young man isn't back on that couch downstairs in five.
"Now go to sleep…for real this time."
DISCLAIMER: Twilight and its inclusive material is copyright to Stephenie Meyer. Original creation, including but not limited to plot and characters, is copyright to the respective authors of each story. No copyright infringement is intended.