Essence of You
by Momma2fan
Chapter 6
Watching her talk to and touch Jacob was agonizing for him. He knew she only felt friendship for him, but Paul also knew Jacob wanted more. She had told him numerous times he was her best friend and only her friend, but he was still worried.
Q: Will you stop. Bella will never be with Jake. Trust me, I watched and heard her turn him down enough. She always kept him in the friend-zone.
P: I know. Let’s just get this done. It’s almost time for the bonfire.
Since there were now six wolves, they were supposed to have two man patrols. Sam and Jared were the ones who were supposed to be phased during the bonfire, but Jared convinced Sam to enjoy the bonfire for at least the first hour and then phase with him. They hadn’t had any sign at all of the red-headed leech in days, but Sam wanted at least one wolf phased at all times.
By the time Bella and Jacob made it back over to the group, Sam had lit the fire and someone had turned on some music. Bella joined Emily and Kim as they danced around to Carrie Underwood. She couldn’t remember a time when she’d had more fun.
Jared bounded over to kiss Kim and left to relieve Paul and Quil. Bella was helping Emily put hotdogs on the sticks to put near the fire so they could cook, when she felt warm arms wrapping around her waist.
“Hey,” Paul kissed the side of her neck.
“Hi. Are you okay?” She asked as she turned around in his arms.
Paul shrugged, “I should be asking you that. How’d that conversation go?”
“Only time will tell. You didn’t listen to us, did you?”
“No, Iz. I knew you needed to speak to him privately. When Jake saw me I had just gotten there.”
Bella nodded and ran her fingers through the hair at the base of his neck. “I’m not hiding anything from you, I promise. I’ll tell you all about it later, okay?”
“I trust you, baby.” The endearment slipped out before he could stop it. He waited for her to say something, but all she did was kiss him.
“Thank you.”
“Come on. You should probably run up to the house and change.”
She nodded and grabbed her bag. Fifteen minutes later, she was back on the beach wearing jeans and one of the t-shirts Paul had left in her room. She had a hooded sweatshirt tied around her waist in case she got cold, but with Paul’s temperature, she doubted she would need it.
“Is that my shirt?”
Bella blushed and nodded. “Do you mind?”
Instead of answering, he kissed her, hard. “You have no idea what seeing you in my clothes does to me, Iz.”
She only smiled and took him by the hand, leading him to the fire where everyone was eating hotdogs and talking. Embry had even broke out his acoustic guitar and was lazily strumming it. Conversation, jokes, food and plenty of laughter accompanied his music, until she heard him start something familiar.
Leaning up from where she had been resting against Paul, “Hey, Em, do you know that whole song?”
“Sure. Do you?” At her nod, he grinned. “Then get over here, Bells. I know you’ve got the pipes, I heard you at Jake’s one day.”
Kissing Paul’s cheek she walked over to sit on the log next to Embry, staring at Paul through the flames of the bonfire. Embry started the song over, only playing louder instead of lazily strumming. Licking her lips, Bella began to sing along.
That Arizona sky, burnin’ in your eyes
You look at me and, babe, I wanna catch on fire
It's buried in my soul, like California gold
You found the light in me that I couldn't find
So when I'm all choked up
But I can't find the words
Every time we say goodbye, baby it hurts
When the sun goes down
And the band won't play
I'll always remember us this way
She stared into Paul’s eyes through the flames, hoping he could see what she was trying to say with her eyes.
Lovers in the night, poets tryna write
We don't know how to rhyme, but damn we try
But all I really know, you’re where I wanna go
The part of me that's you will never die
So when I'm all choked up
But I can't find the words
Every time we say goodbye, baby it hurts
When the sun goes down
And the band won't play
I'll always remember us this way
Oh, yeah
I don't wanna be just a memory, baby, yeah
Embry was smiling at her as he played along. He figured once she was done, she and Paul would be going off by themselves for a few minutes.
So when I'm all choked up
But I can't find the words
Every time we say goodbye, baby it hurts
When the sun goes down
And the band won't play
I'll always remember us this way, oh, yeah
When you look at me
And the whole world fades
I'll always remember us...this way
“Wow, Bella. I didn’t know you could sing like that.” Emily commented as she wiped a tear from her eye.
“I did.” Paul got up and took her by the hand, leading her toward the water. Once they were far enough away he knew they couldn’t be heard, he turned to her. “Iz, I have to tell you something. I’ve been holding it in because I didn’t think you were ready, but after that...”
“Paul?”
“I love you,” he blurted. Taking a deep breath, he lifted his hands to cup her cheeks, “I am so in love with you, Iz.” He wiped the tears leaking out of her eyes with his thumbs.
“I love you, too.” Placing her hands on his wrists, “That’s what I told Jake today. He’s my best friend, but you’re the one I want. I love you so much.”
Paul leaned down and pressed his lips to hers, gliding his tongue across her bottom lip, begging for entrance. Bella opened her mouth, sliding her tongue along his. They explored each others mouths until oxygen became an issue and pulled away, but his lips didn’t leave her skin. He kissed a trail from her mouth, across her cheek to the spot on her neck that made her a puddle of goo.
“Paul,” she moaned breathlessly.
Before their lips could meet again, a howl ripped through the air. Paul picked Bella up and ran them back to the bonfire.
“Stay here. Embry will keep watch.” Paul ordered as he set her down. “Em, get them back to the house. We’ll deal with the fire later.”
Paul ran off and phased before he made it to the woods, followed closely by Sam, Jacob, and Quil.
“Come on, ladies, you heard the man.” Embry ushered the imprints back to Sam and Emily’s house.
Bella had never seen Paul phase like that. She was both in awe of the raw power and scared for the man she loved. Emily, having been through a little something like this before, grabbed four pairs of shorts and placed them on the back deck, while ushering Bella and Kim into the kitchen. If the pack was hunting a vampire, she knew they would be hungry.
Embry had phased and was pacing, keeping watch over the girls and also communicating with his brothers. The girls would periodically hear him growl or whine and couldn’t help but wonder what was happening.
“Bella?” Emily walked over to her. “Come on, they will be fine.”
Bella turned away from the window and followed Emily to the kitchen. The three of them began cooking and baking, despite the late hour. When they couldn’t do anymore, they went to the living room to wait for news or the return of the guys.
Bella was chewing on the nail of her thumb, worry evident in her eyes, when Embry walked into the living room. “Well?”
“They’re coming back.”
“Did they get her?”
“No, Bells, she got away again.”
A tear slipped down her cheek and she shook her head. “This has to end.”
Embry wrapped an arm around her, “We’ll get her, I promise.”
“Not without setting a trap for her, Embry.”
“What are you saying, Bella?” Embry asked, already fearing he knew the answer.
“You need to use me as bait.”
Watching her talk to and touch Jacob was agonizing for him. He knew she only felt friendship for him, but Paul also knew Jacob wanted more. She had told him numerous times he was her best friend and only her friend, but he was still worried.
Q: Will you stop. Bella will never be with Jake. Trust me, I watched and heard her turn him down enough. She always kept him in the friend-zone.
P: I know. Let’s just get this done. It’s almost time for the bonfire.
Since there were now six wolves, they were supposed to have two man patrols. Sam and Jared were the ones who were supposed to be phased during the bonfire, but Jared convinced Sam to enjoy the bonfire for at least the first hour and then phase with him. They hadn’t had any sign at all of the red-headed leech in days, but Sam wanted at least one wolf phased at all times.
By the time Bella and Jacob made it back over to the group, Sam had lit the fire and someone had turned on some music. Bella joined Emily and Kim as they danced around to Carrie Underwood. She couldn’t remember a time when she’d had more fun.
Jared bounded over to kiss Kim and left to relieve Paul and Quil. Bella was helping Emily put hotdogs on the sticks to put near the fire so they could cook, when she felt warm arms wrapping around her waist.
“Hey,” Paul kissed the side of her neck.
“Hi. Are you okay?” She asked as she turned around in his arms.
Paul shrugged, “I should be asking you that. How’d that conversation go?”
“Only time will tell. You didn’t listen to us, did you?”
“No, Iz. I knew you needed to speak to him privately. When Jake saw me I had just gotten there.”
Bella nodded and ran her fingers through the hair at the base of his neck. “I’m not hiding anything from you, I promise. I’ll tell you all about it later, okay?”
“I trust you, baby.” The endearment slipped out before he could stop it. He waited for her to say something, but all she did was kiss him.
“Thank you.”
“Come on. You should probably run up to the house and change.”
She nodded and grabbed her bag. Fifteen minutes later, she was back on the beach wearing jeans and one of the t-shirts Paul had left in her room. She had a hooded sweatshirt tied around her waist in case she got cold, but with Paul’s temperature, she doubted she would need it.
“Is that my shirt?”
Bella blushed and nodded. “Do you mind?”
Instead of answering, he kissed her, hard. “You have no idea what seeing you in my clothes does to me, Iz.”
She only smiled and took him by the hand, leading him to the fire where everyone was eating hotdogs and talking. Embry had even broke out his acoustic guitar and was lazily strumming it. Conversation, jokes, food and plenty of laughter accompanied his music, until she heard him start something familiar.
Leaning up from where she had been resting against Paul, “Hey, Em, do you know that whole song?”
“Sure. Do you?” At her nod, he grinned. “Then get over here, Bells. I know you’ve got the pipes, I heard you at Jake’s one day.”
Kissing Paul’s cheek she walked over to sit on the log next to Embry, staring at Paul through the flames of the bonfire. Embry started the song over, only playing louder instead of lazily strumming. Licking her lips, Bella began to sing along.
That Arizona sky, burnin’ in your eyes
You look at me and, babe, I wanna catch on fire
It's buried in my soul, like California gold
You found the light in me that I couldn't find
So when I'm all choked up
But I can't find the words
Every time we say goodbye, baby it hurts
When the sun goes down
And the band won't play
I'll always remember us this way
She stared into Paul’s eyes through the flames, hoping he could see what she was trying to say with her eyes.
Lovers in the night, poets tryna write
We don't know how to rhyme, but damn we try
But all I really know, you’re where I wanna go
The part of me that's you will never die
So when I'm all choked up
But I can't find the words
Every time we say goodbye, baby it hurts
When the sun goes down
And the band won't play
I'll always remember us this way
Oh, yeah
I don't wanna be just a memory, baby, yeah
Embry was smiling at her as he played along. He figured once she was done, she and Paul would be going off by themselves for a few minutes.
So when I'm all choked up
But I can't find the words
Every time we say goodbye, baby it hurts
When the sun goes down
And the band won't play
I'll always remember us this way, oh, yeah
When you look at me
And the whole world fades
I'll always remember us...this way
“Wow, Bella. I didn’t know you could sing like that.” Emily commented as she wiped a tear from her eye.
“I did.” Paul got up and took her by the hand, leading her toward the water. Once they were far enough away he knew they couldn’t be heard, he turned to her. “Iz, I have to tell you something. I’ve been holding it in because I didn’t think you were ready, but after that...”
“Paul?”
“I love you,” he blurted. Taking a deep breath, he lifted his hands to cup her cheeks, “I am so in love with you, Iz.” He wiped the tears leaking out of her eyes with his thumbs.
“I love you, too.” Placing her hands on his wrists, “That’s what I told Jake today. He’s my best friend, but you’re the one I want. I love you so much.”
Paul leaned down and pressed his lips to hers, gliding his tongue across her bottom lip, begging for entrance. Bella opened her mouth, sliding her tongue along his. They explored each others mouths until oxygen became an issue and pulled away, but his lips didn’t leave her skin. He kissed a trail from her mouth, across her cheek to the spot on her neck that made her a puddle of goo.
“Paul,” she moaned breathlessly.
Before their lips could meet again, a howl ripped through the air. Paul picked Bella up and ran them back to the bonfire.
“Stay here. Embry will keep watch.” Paul ordered as he set her down. “Em, get them back to the house. We’ll deal with the fire later.”
Paul ran off and phased before he made it to the woods, followed closely by Sam, Jacob, and Quil.
“Come on, ladies, you heard the man.” Embry ushered the imprints back to Sam and Emily’s house.
Bella had never seen Paul phase like that. She was both in awe of the raw power and scared for the man she loved. Emily, having been through a little something like this before, grabbed four pairs of shorts and placed them on the back deck, while ushering Bella and Kim into the kitchen. If the pack was hunting a vampire, she knew they would be hungry.
Embry had phased and was pacing, keeping watch over the girls and also communicating with his brothers. The girls would periodically hear him growl or whine and couldn’t help but wonder what was happening.
“Bella?” Emily walked over to her. “Come on, they will be fine.”
Bella turned away from the window and followed Emily to the kitchen. The three of them began cooking and baking, despite the late hour. When they couldn’t do anymore, they went to the living room to wait for news or the return of the guys.
Bella was chewing on the nail of her thumb, worry evident in her eyes, when Embry walked into the living room. “Well?”
“They’re coming back.”
“Did they get her?”
“No, Bells, she got away again.”
A tear slipped down her cheek and she shook her head. “This has to end.”
Embry wrapped an arm around her, “We’ll get her, I promise.”
“Not without setting a trap for her, Embry.”
“What are you saying, Bella?” Embry asked, already fearing he knew the answer.
“You need to use me as bait.”