The Heat of You
by Wizardtho
Chapter 12:
I pulled another piece of perfectly crispy bacon from the tray in the center of the table, which Bella had piled with bacon, lettuce, tomato slices, onion, burger buns, and the jar of dill pickle slices. “Damn, Swan. Anytime you feel inclined to cook, I’m definitely not going to complain.”
Charlie chuckled, “You and me both, kid,” as he sat back and patted his belly.
Bella smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. Then it hit me. We’d been sitting here, not touching at all, for more than 30 minutes. My wolf urged me to shift, letting me know his larger mass would be welcome. I kissed the top of her head, then said, “Time for a stretch I think. I should check in with the pack, too.”
I stood and went to the edge of the patio, then turned and smirked at Bella, “No peeking, Swan. We have a no nudity policy unless in extreme emergency.”
That got a chuckle out of her as she dramatically covered her eyes with her hands. As soon as my hands went to my shorts, Charlie turned his head, so I dropped them and shifted.
When my front paws met the ground, I padded back onto the patio, my nose nuzzling Bella’s cheek. A pure, sweet giggle came from her, so I nuzzled my whole head against her. With a hum, she tried to wrap her arms around my neck, saying, “So warm.”
She stood up, so I sat back on my haunches. Exactly as I suspected, Bella brought herself flush with my chest, then wrapped her arms down under my front legs. She sighed as she went lax against me, “Perfect. I could live right here, and not ever move.”
Then I noticed Charlie smiling at Bella. After a second, his eyes met mine, and he gave me a silent nod. After a minute of looking me over, he shook his head, “I still can’t get over how massive you guys are. Just out of curiosity, which one of you is the fastest?”
Bella mumbled with her face buried against my chest, “Paul.”
At Charlie’s questioning look and the groan from Jared in my mind, I gave Charlie a wolfy grin. He gave an appreciative nod, then asked, “Who’s the strongest?”
This time, Jared whined, ‘Man, really? Don’t make his ego bigger!’ and Bella chuckled, “Again, Paul.” My grin to Charlie got bigger.
Charlie chuckled, “Impressive,” then seemed to ask for permission to come closer. At my nod and nuzzle against Bella, he came to stand a foot from me. He stopped and shook his head, “Damn, kid, you’re a furnace!”
Bella chuckled against my chest, then turned to put her back against it, wrapping her arms so she was essentially holding both my front legs, “You’re only noticing now because there’s a lot more mass giving off that heat, Dad, but he’s the same temperature now that he is in human form.”
Charlie stepped back a couple of steps, saying, “No offense, kid, but you’re going to make me sweat.”
I let out a wolfy chuckle, then dipped my head down to nuzzle against Bella again. She grinned, then offered, “I know you want to go stretch. I’ll be fine for a few minutes.”
She kissed the side of my muzzle and released me. I didn’t move until she went to stand with Charlie, then I went out to the middle of the backyard and did a full body stretch, thinking, ‘Jesus, that feels good.’
Jake’s thoughts were a bit jealous, but he asked through the link, ‘How is she?’
I was going to answer him, but then his jealousy spiked as Bella smiled an ear-to-ear smile at me. My wolf growled internally, ‘Be as jealous as you want, pup, but the first time you make her even the slightest bit uncomfortable, I will fucking put you down. She will never be yours, so squash that little teen crush before I squash it for you.’
My growl must have been more than just internal because Charlie suddenly looked worried as Bella came to me. I shook my head and let out a huff, putting an end to that warning, then nuzzled Bella. She asked quickly, her heart racing, “Is there trouble? Are they back?”
I shook my head as my eyes met hers, then put my left paw over my muzzle, covering my eyes. It took her a second, then she gasped, “Oh, cover my eyes. Got it!”
She jogged back to Charlie and explained I was going to shift back, so they both turned toward the house at the same time. In a last statement, my wolf snarled in my mind, ‘That’s the only warning you get, pup. She is even more fragile than Sam knows right now. That little uneven thump-thump is her heart racing, Dickhead. Fucking hurt my mate in any way, and this pack will be minus one wolf.’
As I was pulling my shorts back over my hips, I said aloud, “Nothing’s wrong. Jake was just being a dick.”
Bella quickly turned and grabbed me in a hug, begging me, “Promise? No trouble?”
I gently took her face in my hands and promised, “Slow down. Look at me, Swan. No trouble. Jake was seriously just being a dick, and it pissed me off.”
Charlie gave me a serious look, but without knowing the reason I couldn’t answer him. I just let out a long breath as I wrapped my arms snugly around Bella. He nodded, then said, “If there’s no emergency, I think I’ll head home before it gets much later.”
Bella let me go, then turned to hug her dad tightly, “Can you come back for dinner the day after tomorrow? I think I want a quiet day tomorrow.”
Charlie kissed the top of her head, then rested his cheek against it, promising, “You can count on it, Bells. If you change your mind and want me to come out tomorrow, all you need to do is call me.”
Bella nodded, whispered, “Thanks, Dad,” and then let him go to come back to me. He smiled at her one more time before making his way around the house to leave.
Bella went to start cleaning up the table, so I offered, “Why don’t you start pulling out containers to put this stuff in, and I’ll bring all this into you. That way, if you want, we can still sit out by the cliffs for a bit. Either that, or if you just want to lay in bed with the door open to hear the ocean…”
She nodded, grinning at my idea, “I think I want to do that… curl up together in bed and listen to the ocean. We can sit by the cliffs tomorrow when it warms up a bit.”
She headed into the house, and I was right behind her, my arms full of leftovers and a stack of plates.
It took about 10 minutes for us to have dinner put away and the dishes in the dishwasher, then Bella started turning off the lights. I made sure the fire would die down on its own and the screens were securely in place.
Bella headed into the bedroom just as I finished up. She was looking through her drawers as I came in, so I suggested, “Since your temp has come up, you might get too hot if you wear something long-sleeved.”
She nodded, then pulled out a tank and a pair of shorts. I said, “You should be comfortable in that, I think. We’ll still keep the heavier blanket on the bed, in case I get up for a snack.”
She bit her lip, then ducked into the bathroom. While Bella was in the bathroom, I pulled out a pair of boxers to change into.
I pulled another piece of perfectly crispy bacon from the tray in the center of the table, which Bella had piled with bacon, lettuce, tomato slices, onion, burger buns, and the jar of dill pickle slices. “Damn, Swan. Anytime you feel inclined to cook, I’m definitely not going to complain.”
Charlie chuckled, “You and me both, kid,” as he sat back and patted his belly.
Bella smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. Then it hit me. We’d been sitting here, not touching at all, for more than 30 minutes. My wolf urged me to shift, letting me know his larger mass would be welcome. I kissed the top of her head, then said, “Time for a stretch I think. I should check in with the pack, too.”
I stood and went to the edge of the patio, then turned and smirked at Bella, “No peeking, Swan. We have a no nudity policy unless in extreme emergency.”
That got a chuckle out of her as she dramatically covered her eyes with her hands. As soon as my hands went to my shorts, Charlie turned his head, so I dropped them and shifted.
When my front paws met the ground, I padded back onto the patio, my nose nuzzling Bella’s cheek. A pure, sweet giggle came from her, so I nuzzled my whole head against her. With a hum, she tried to wrap her arms around my neck, saying, “So warm.”
She stood up, so I sat back on my haunches. Exactly as I suspected, Bella brought herself flush with my chest, then wrapped her arms down under my front legs. She sighed as she went lax against me, “Perfect. I could live right here, and not ever move.”
Then I noticed Charlie smiling at Bella. After a second, his eyes met mine, and he gave me a silent nod. After a minute of looking me over, he shook his head, “I still can’t get over how massive you guys are. Just out of curiosity, which one of you is the fastest?”
Bella mumbled with her face buried against my chest, “Paul.”
At Charlie’s questioning look and the groan from Jared in my mind, I gave Charlie a wolfy grin. He gave an appreciative nod, then asked, “Who’s the strongest?”
This time, Jared whined, ‘Man, really? Don’t make his ego bigger!’ and Bella chuckled, “Again, Paul.” My grin to Charlie got bigger.
Charlie chuckled, “Impressive,” then seemed to ask for permission to come closer. At my nod and nuzzle against Bella, he came to stand a foot from me. He stopped and shook his head, “Damn, kid, you’re a furnace!”
Bella chuckled against my chest, then turned to put her back against it, wrapping her arms so she was essentially holding both my front legs, “You’re only noticing now because there’s a lot more mass giving off that heat, Dad, but he’s the same temperature now that he is in human form.”
Charlie stepped back a couple of steps, saying, “No offense, kid, but you’re going to make me sweat.”
I let out a wolfy chuckle, then dipped my head down to nuzzle against Bella again. She grinned, then offered, “I know you want to go stretch. I’ll be fine for a few minutes.”
She kissed the side of my muzzle and released me. I didn’t move until she went to stand with Charlie, then I went out to the middle of the backyard and did a full body stretch, thinking, ‘Jesus, that feels good.’
Jake’s thoughts were a bit jealous, but he asked through the link, ‘How is she?’
I was going to answer him, but then his jealousy spiked as Bella smiled an ear-to-ear smile at me. My wolf growled internally, ‘Be as jealous as you want, pup, but the first time you make her even the slightest bit uncomfortable, I will fucking put you down. She will never be yours, so squash that little teen crush before I squash it for you.’
My growl must have been more than just internal because Charlie suddenly looked worried as Bella came to me. I shook my head and let out a huff, putting an end to that warning, then nuzzled Bella. She asked quickly, her heart racing, “Is there trouble? Are they back?”
I shook my head as my eyes met hers, then put my left paw over my muzzle, covering my eyes. It took her a second, then she gasped, “Oh, cover my eyes. Got it!”
She jogged back to Charlie and explained I was going to shift back, so they both turned toward the house at the same time. In a last statement, my wolf snarled in my mind, ‘That’s the only warning you get, pup. She is even more fragile than Sam knows right now. That little uneven thump-thump is her heart racing, Dickhead. Fucking hurt my mate in any way, and this pack will be minus one wolf.’
As I was pulling my shorts back over my hips, I said aloud, “Nothing’s wrong. Jake was just being a dick.”
Bella quickly turned and grabbed me in a hug, begging me, “Promise? No trouble?”
I gently took her face in my hands and promised, “Slow down. Look at me, Swan. No trouble. Jake was seriously just being a dick, and it pissed me off.”
Charlie gave me a serious look, but without knowing the reason I couldn’t answer him. I just let out a long breath as I wrapped my arms snugly around Bella. He nodded, then said, “If there’s no emergency, I think I’ll head home before it gets much later.”
Bella let me go, then turned to hug her dad tightly, “Can you come back for dinner the day after tomorrow? I think I want a quiet day tomorrow.”
Charlie kissed the top of her head, then rested his cheek against it, promising, “You can count on it, Bells. If you change your mind and want me to come out tomorrow, all you need to do is call me.”
Bella nodded, whispered, “Thanks, Dad,” and then let him go to come back to me. He smiled at her one more time before making his way around the house to leave.
Bella went to start cleaning up the table, so I offered, “Why don’t you start pulling out containers to put this stuff in, and I’ll bring all this into you. That way, if you want, we can still sit out by the cliffs for a bit. Either that, or if you just want to lay in bed with the door open to hear the ocean…”
She nodded, grinning at my idea, “I think I want to do that… curl up together in bed and listen to the ocean. We can sit by the cliffs tomorrow when it warms up a bit.”
She headed into the house, and I was right behind her, my arms full of leftovers and a stack of plates.
It took about 10 minutes for us to have dinner put away and the dishes in the dishwasher, then Bella started turning off the lights. I made sure the fire would die down on its own and the screens were securely in place.
Bella headed into the bedroom just as I finished up. She was looking through her drawers as I came in, so I suggested, “Since your temp has come up, you might get too hot if you wear something long-sleeved.”
She nodded, then pulled out a tank and a pair of shorts. I said, “You should be comfortable in that, I think. We’ll still keep the heavier blanket on the bed, in case I get up for a snack.”
She bit her lip, then ducked into the bathroom. While Bella was in the bathroom, I pulled out a pair of boxers to change into.
When the door opened back up, I was opening the door out to the patio. I turned around, only to find Bella biting her lip again… and now I understood why. The tank and shorts she pulled out were quite simple -gray with white lace edging- but there was practically nothing to the set. The tank hugged her in an enticing way and she was clearly not wearing a bra under it. If I were to make a guess, with how short the shorts were, I’d say that if she turned around, I’d be able to see the delicious line where her ass met her legs.
Without a thought, I opened my arms and said, “Come ‘ere, Beautiful. What do you have to be nervous about?”
She let go of her bottom lip as she stepped into my arms, then mumbled into my chest, “Is this okay? I haven’t worn this since before I moved here.”
I lifted her face to mine, smelling the minty scent of toothpaste, and said in just above a whisper, “You can wear whatever you want, Bella. As long as you’re comfortable, you can wear as much or as little as you want. You will never have to worry about me taking advantage of you, even if you walk around the bedroom in a bra and thong. Until you tell me otherwise, nothing more than me holding you will happen.”
Bella looked into my eyes for a long moment, then nodded before letting me go. Her response was soft but sure, telling me the subject was now closed. “Okay.”
When she turned around, I wanted to groan; I was right. Just below the lace trim of those shorts, I could clearly see the line at the top of each leg where the curve of her ass stopped. Thankfully, Bella pulled my attention away when she asked, “Um… which side of the bed is usually yours? We haven’t really…”
She shrugged, so I chuckled, “I usually take up the whole damn bed, but for you, I’ll take the side closest to the french door. If someone enters the house through any other door, I’ll know in time to protect you, but I’d rather be between anyone coming through this door and you.”
She came back to me, her hands on my bare chest, then asked softly, “Do you really think anyone will break in?”
I shook my head, “Not any human. I can’t guarantee, with how far we’ve stretched our patrolling area, that one of them won’t slip past the border. Sam and the boys are good, don’t get me wrong, but there’s only the 4 of them patrolling all of the rez and Forks on rotating shifts.”
She sighed as her forehead met my chest, “Which means we really need to get this handled quickly. How soon will you start hunting them?”
I guided her to her side of the bed, then promised, “Let me go change, then I promise to answer your question.”
Without a thought, I opened my arms and said, “Come ‘ere, Beautiful. What do you have to be nervous about?”
She let go of her bottom lip as she stepped into my arms, then mumbled into my chest, “Is this okay? I haven’t worn this since before I moved here.”
I lifted her face to mine, smelling the minty scent of toothpaste, and said in just above a whisper, “You can wear whatever you want, Bella. As long as you’re comfortable, you can wear as much or as little as you want. You will never have to worry about me taking advantage of you, even if you walk around the bedroom in a bra and thong. Until you tell me otherwise, nothing more than me holding you will happen.”
Bella looked into my eyes for a long moment, then nodded before letting me go. Her response was soft but sure, telling me the subject was now closed. “Okay.”
When she turned around, I wanted to groan; I was right. Just below the lace trim of those shorts, I could clearly see the line at the top of each leg where the curve of her ass stopped. Thankfully, Bella pulled my attention away when she asked, “Um… which side of the bed is usually yours? We haven’t really…”
She shrugged, so I chuckled, “I usually take up the whole damn bed, but for you, I’ll take the side closest to the french door. If someone enters the house through any other door, I’ll know in time to protect you, but I’d rather be between anyone coming through this door and you.”
She came back to me, her hands on my bare chest, then asked softly, “Do you really think anyone will break in?”
I shook my head, “Not any human. I can’t guarantee, with how far we’ve stretched our patrolling area, that one of them won’t slip past the border. Sam and the boys are good, don’t get me wrong, but there’s only the 4 of them patrolling all of the rez and Forks on rotating shifts.”
She sighed as her forehead met my chest, “Which means we really need to get this handled quickly. How soon will you start hunting them?”
I guided her to her side of the bed, then promised, “Let me go change, then I promise to answer your question.”