Thank Heaven for Little Girls

"Hey, Jacob?"

"Yeah, Nessie?"

"What's a blowjob?"

Jacob choked on his Gatorade. "What?!"

"I overheard Uncle Emmett asking Aunt Rose for one, and she said she'd give him one if he was a good boy."

Jacob blushed. "Uh, well, Nessie, a blowjob is . . . a very special kind of kiss that someone gives to someone they care a lot about."

"Oh." Nessie's face scrunched up in thought for a moment, then she smiled. "I think I know what it is."

"Y—you do?" Jacob sputtered.

Nessie nodded and smiled brightly. "Can I give you one?"

Jacob, having made the mistake of attempting to take a drink in that moment, did a spit-take. "What?!"

Nessie frowned. "I care about you very much."

Jacob laughed nervously. "That's, uh, all right, Nessie. Your kisses are already special enough."

"Nonsense," she said, then bounded over to him. Then she grabbed his face in her little hands and blew a raspberry on his cheek.

He laughed with relief and swept her into his arms. "Thanks," he said, grinning, "but, uh, maybe you shouldn't tell your dad about giving me—ahem—a blowjob."

She winked. "It'll be our secret."

"Hey, Jacob?"

"Yeah, Nessie?"

"Remember that time I asked you what a blowjob was?"

He rubbed his neck. "Uh, yeah, actually, I do."

She laughed. "Sorry about that. It must have been really embarrassing for you."

"A little," he admitted, then added under his breath, "kinda like now."

"You could have just told me the truth, you know," she said, dragging her feet in the gravel under the swing as she swayed back and forth. "I could have handled it."

"You were six!"

"Actually, I was two. But come on, Jacob. It's not like I haven't been dealing with grown-up things stuff I was born. Remember that thing where I nearly got everyone slaughtered? Kinda makes sex look like not such a big deal."

Jacob smiled uneasily. "Yeah. So . . . you got all that figured out now?"

"Oh, yeah. Aunt Rose explained it to me a while ago. No big."

"So . . ." Jacob cleared his throat. "You haven't . . . tried . . . anything . . . with anyone . . . have you?"

Nessie rolled her eyes. "And just who would I try it with, Jacob? Mom and Dad still won't let me go to school because I'm growing too fast, and these woods aren't exactly overflowing with boys my age. Or, you know, my fake age."

"Heh heh . . . yeah," he said, relaxing.

"I sure would like to, though," she added, digging at the ground with her toe. "Sounds like a lot of fun."

"So I've heard," Jacob murmured.

"Hey, Jacob?"

"Yeah, Nessie?"

"Does this dress look all right?"

"You look great."

"Really?"

"Nessie, I'm telling you. You're hot."

She turned and smiled at him. "Thanks, Jacob. You're hot, too." An unnamed hope began to well up in him at her words, but were quashed when she turned back to the mirror and giggled. "I'm the hottest girl in town. Except for maybe Leah. But she isn't really in town, is she?"

"I didn't mean literally, Nessie." There was a tightness in his chest, fearing how she'd react when she understood his meaning. Was she ready to hear such a sentiment from him yet? "I mean you're . . ." No, it was too soon to say 'sexy'. "Beautiful. Really."

"Thanks, Jacob," she replied dismissively, as if she hadn't thought his opinion on the matter worth any more than her father's or grandfather's.

Nessie frowned at her reflection, then took hold of her own breasts and started moving them around as if trying to find a better arrangement. Jacob stared for an indecently long moment before clearing his throat.

"Um, Nessie . . . is there a problem?"

"I have no boobs," she said simply, catching him off-guard. "Do you think that's part of the vampire thing? Maybe I don't have the right hormones, or the right amount. Then again, Mom has smaller boobs. Maybe it's just bad genes." She turned to him, hands still on her breasts. "But then, you liked Mom for a while. You must have thought her boobs were fine. Mine should get at least that big, don't you think?"

Jacob just gaped at her. "Nessie, I really don't feel up to talking about either your boobs or your mom's, much less comparing the two."

"You mean the four, don't you?" Nessie said cheekily, and Jacob winced.

Nessie shrugged, turned back to the mirror, and started fiddling with the top of her dress. "I'm nearly full-grown," she muttered to herself. "I'd better get some decent boobs soon."

Jacob marveled that she could think such a thing. Though he tried his hardest not to, he couldn't help noticing the way her breasts, and the rest of her curves, had begun to form rather nicely. She was, simply put, the most gorgeous woman he'd ever laid eyes on—and considering all the vampires he knew, that was saying something.

Problem was, she wasn't really a woman yet . . . as he continually tried to remind himself.

"Hey, Jacob?"

"Yeah, Nessie?"

He turned to look at her sitting beside him on the couch, expecting one of her random observations or perhaps a comment on the show they were watching. Instead, he felt her lips on his before he realized what was happening.

Responding immediately, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close, something inside him exploding. When she moved over to straddle his lap, he finally came to his senses and broke the kiss.

"Nessie! What are you doing?"

"I think you know what I'm doing, Jacob," she cooed.

Jacob shook his head, trying to clear it, trying to ignore the burning fire of her thighs gripping his.

"When did—How did—"

"When I came of age, Alice told me about the imprint, about what it really means. Since then, I've been watching you more closely." She laid her palm to his cheek and showed him her memories—his stolen glances when he thought she hadn't been looking, the strange awkwardness with which he'd begun to respond to her touch . . . and several images of just Jacob himself, going about everyday activities, with particular focus on one well-toned body part or another.

He pulled her hand away and fought to keep his breathing steady. "Does that mean . . . you feel . . ."

She laid a gentle kiss on his lips. "I always have, Jacob. I just didn't know it."

Her hands moved over his chest, drifting lower, and he fought for composure. It took every ounce of his strength not to flip her onto the couch and do something completely inappropriate and unforgivable.

"I've waited . . . so long for you . . ."

"You don't have to wait any more," she whispered.

When her hand brushed his erection through his pants, he threw her off of him.

"Sorry," he said as she frowned up at him from the floor. "I just mean . . . I can wait a little longer."

"Why?" she asked. Her childish pout actually helped him to calm down.

"Nessie, your dad is literally a mind-reader. He will literally find out and he will literally kill me."

She could only huff, knowing it was true as well as he did. "Well, what now?"

He shifted in his seat, wishing the tightness in his pants would go away. "Um . . . well, this isn't how I wanted to do this, but . . . marry me?"

"Okay," she said, the words out of his mouth nearly before he'd finished speaking.

For a moment, he was floating, unable to quite process that he'd just gotten engaged to his soul mate. Then he realized that she was still sprawled inelegantly on the floor and he still had a boner from being all but molested by her just a few moments ago.

Then he laughed, long and loud, at the ludicrousness of life, and his body relaxed as the tension and worry drained away.

"So," said Nessie, sliding onto his lap (he hadn't even noticed her get off the floor), "now that we're engaged, can we—"

He grabbed her roving hand and pressed it to his lips.

"Can't we just sit here?" he asked, his heart soaring at the way she was looking at him. "We have the rest of eternity to be together, Nessie. I've waited eight years for this. Let me just . . . enjoy the moment."

"Okay," she said, and snuggled in against his chest.

He rested his chin on the top of her head, hardly believing she'd finally chosen him.

"Hey, Jacob?"

"Yeah, Nessie?"

"I love you."

He held her tighter, breathing in her scent.

"I love you, too."