Hey guys, it's been awhile since I updated but I really want to thank all the people that have continued to read and leave reviews for this story. I don't think I got back to everyone so I wanted to quickly but wholeheartedly say thanks first before I continued with the story. There's no excuse except that Life just got in the way. I will do my best to be more consistent (again with the promise) in regards to updating.

I'd like to also thank my two betas for this chapter: evelyn-shaye & kitchmill for all their help. They had a lot of my grammatical errors to read through and they did an awesome job! If I missed any errors, they belong to me, not them.

Please enjoy…

Chapter Summary: Bella and Paul take the time to explore their new relationship together with very promising results of what's to come. Also Paul tests the waters, in his own way, trying to figure out the new boundaries of the imprint-wolf relationship.

Chapter X: "The Lover," by Alesana

BPOV

I can't believe it, I'm kissing Paul, I mused. I'm kissing Paul, I'm kissing…Paul.

Oh my God!

Paul breathed into my mouth, and I yearned to accept every last breath he could give me. I felt his hands wrestle back and forth, tugging on my sweats, and I crashed my mouth into his shoulder when his heat touched me on my bare lower back. I made an attempt to grab his wrists when my injured hand began to throb, feeling as if a small boulder was flattening it. I teared up as I stepped back, Paul still fingering the top hem of my loose pants.

He looked confused, anguished, as his eyes focused on mine. "What's the matter?" he asked tentatively. "Should I not have kissed back?"

Oh no, I thought, how could Paul even think such a thing? I was amazed that neither of us had thought to kiss before. Or at least maybe I should have acted on his many suggestions to sleep together.

I shook my head fervently, both at my last thought and from the fear that I would cry out Don't leave ever if I actually opened my mouth. Would that have shown my desperation? I so craved his warmth, even more now than before our kiss. It was a drug. A wonderful, amazingly great drug. I wanted more!

I grabbed him again as I sighed willfully, blinking back tears; the pain from my hand was intense and it replaced the center of everything that I stood for a moment ago. I attempted to pull Paul closer once more, anxiously waiting to feel his body next to mine, again, and my hand twitched less as it moved across his covered chest. I flexed the fingers on my broken appendage as tenderly as I could manage, feeling much like I was ravishing his skin with my fingertips alone. Oh, how I wanted to. I felt his heart pump faster the further my hand moved away from his center of his chest and slower when it was close.

I was strangely at ease, knowing that just my hand had the power to calm and excite him. My thoughts were lost once more as Paul kissed the side of my face, and with my nose nudged him closer to my mouth. I pulled on his lips, taking charge now that the pain in my hand was subdued, and I heard him grunt enthusiastically, his thumbs moving up and down my arms.

Our hips began to gyrate with each other's, and my outer parts began to anticipate and imitate my insides, almost immediately creating a small pool of wetness in my panties. I threw myself more into the kiss, making a small noise, and standing on my tip-toe to accommodate the large height difference. Paul drew back a little, and I almost whimpered in excitement when I suddenly felt his hands under my butt as he hoisted me up against the wall of the stairs with my legs open and closer to his still moving mouth. He kept me elevated by sitting me on his thigh.

"You're too damn short," he breathed, laughing a little.

"You're too darn big," I whispered back.

"Yeah, but I think you like it." He dipped his head into my neck, making me move to the left, and slowly moved his fingers up my t-shirt. I held my breath as his fingertips draped over my already hardened nipples and shuddered as he made his first contact, breathing on their heightened sensitivity through my thin, cotton shirt. "I think you like when I do this too." I nodded at him with little affirmation otherwise. "Are you okay with this?" he asked.

I nodded again, fisting his hair again with my good hand. Something firm pressed into my open thighs and I giggled, feeling a little out of character. Paul moved and kissed me again, this time pushing his shoulders closer to my body. I moaned under the pressure and suddenly did a sharp breath.

"Paul, my hand again."

Without another word, Paul kissed my bandaged wrist and fingers and placed it on his neck. "Don't move it from there, okay?"

My hand, already feeling lighter and less constricted by the bandages, began to lose its swelling as I flexed my fingers in the bandaged brace on Paul's skin. His fingers swept back my damp hair, my body already growing with excitement from him, and he gently bumped my nose with his. Paul's actions grew bolder still as his hands slid to the top of my underwear, fingering the elastic.

"Don't think you'll get very far with me sitting on one of your legs," I joked.

He nodded, and his eyes darted toward the beginning of the stairs. I looked away, feeling a bit shy now. I knew that he was asking my permission to take me upstairs, and I truthfully didn't mind going up there with him, but I was afraid. I wasn't sure how far I would let him go, and I was even more fearful that I didn't want him to hold back from me either. Was I willing to do this? Was I ready to lose myself? I put my head on his shoulder, and he withdrew his hands, placing them back around my lower stomach.

He looked as if he had drawn into his own conclusions before I could answer him. "Too fast for you?"

I averted my eyes to the top of his chest. "Yes?" I almost cowered even while wrapped in his arms. I really hated to disappoint him and I thought that he might get angry again, but before I could explain why I just couldn't...couldn't do it yet, my face was already being angled up with a gingerly touch.

"That's cool. I can keep kissing you, though, right?" he asked. I giggled again, my face growing hot under his hands. "I'll take that as a 'yes,' then."

I subconsciously began to rub his leg with my already wet inner thighs as I gave in to another one of his kisses, this one bringing a pleasant humming from the inside of Paul's chest and throat. I smiled again as I heard him utter my name. I started to moan his back when Paul suddenly froze under me, removing his leg and gently setting my feet down on the floor. I watched his eyes grow alert as he exclaimed, "Shit!"

"What?"

Paul hit his head with a hand and took a step back. "Quil's coming; he's relieving me for a few hours. I had just called him before we started to…talk things out," he finished carefully.

I put my hand to my lips and looked at him. "Can you take it back? Can you send him away or ask him to come back later?"

"I can't." He looked antsy as he said it.

I slowly accepted that I was about to be out of reach from him for a few hours. I was already missing him. "So…what do you want to do, then?"

Paul groaned and pulled me to him, placing numerous chaste kisses on my throat and chin for some seconds before answering, "I want to stay here with you."

My eyes brightened. "So then stay."

"If I don't go, he'll wonder why, and then the image will be played back for the pack. Quil is too damn nosy and he can never keep a secret or his inquiries to himself."

"What? But how?"

"As a pack, we share one mind when we're phased," Paul quickly explained. "My pack mates see, hear, know, and feel everything that I've done. Or want to do."

Suddenly I grew nervous, paling at the mention of Paul's words. The pack could hear and see all the thoughts of the other wolves. The shared pack mind. Jacob was in the pack. Jacob would see what I had done, and my friendship would be lost. Jacob would never forgive me for kissing Paul willingly as I did. I would lose him for sure. I fought the spinning room and my labored breathing, clutching on to the rail with my bad hand. Paul's eyes went large, and he increased his hold on me, immediately prying my fingers from around the cold metal rail and back around his neck.

"Easy, babe, easy," he soothed.

"Stop calling me 'babe,'" I muttered in between gasps.

Paul grinned. "What's the matter?" he whispered into my hair. "What are you worried about?"

"The pack mind," I insisted. "Jacob will see. Jacob will see—"

"He'll see nothing from tonight. I promise. Jacob isn't even on patrol right now, and most of the time, no one ventures inside my head, anyway. We're safe," Paul proclaimed.

How could he know? How could he really know?

I felt my head move, but I was not sure if it was shaking or nodding. Paul didn't seem to notice either way. "You're going to make me have to kiss you again, Swan," he said.

I wheezed out a breath, trying to focus on how Paul's voice was affecting me in such a way that even Edward had been unable to do. I gave in, forgetting momentarily that this thing between us had just started. It already felt like I had been fighting it off too long.

I gave him a counter-offer. "Promise?" I stared at him, thinking of everything that I was asking Paul to do for me when I heard myself ask him. I wanted him to stay quiet and not share any details of what had transpired between us this evening. I wanted to not feel ashamed of being against him, catching and meshing with his hot flesh with nothing to stand in our way, not even sheets. And I wanted him to promise to come back. I wanted him to keep kissing me like he had, making a promise to fulfill my body's intense desire to be with him.

He didn't hesitate. "Promise," he answered.

I started to pull him forward when I heard a knock. Paul whispered a small curse again and pecked my lips briefly. "I'll be back." My face fell as he backed away, straightened my shirt with a small jerk, and watched him walk over to the kitchen door to let Quil in as if nothing had happened.

What did happen, Bella? What's going on?

PPOV

I couldn't believe my luck, good and bad. Not only had I been able to kiss Bella, finally making the other women in my past seem dull in comparison, but now I would have to wait to have her again because Quil had shown up.

Fuckin' Quil Ateara, the V. He had shown up, and now I had to leave Bella behind. I fuckin' forgot that I had even called him! I would have to leave my imprint behind. There was no other way. I couldn't stay in the house and not be able to kiss her. It was like letting a kid open up his presents a day before Christmas and not letting him play with them until the day of. I was right before; I could not stay in the house and not kiss her, even with my pack mate there. It would have been way too hard. I would have had to take her.

No, no, no, I screamed inside my head. She is not like them. She is not like those other girls. What had my Bella called them? "Dogs in heat?" Is that what I was like before her? Had I just gone from girl to girl, wooing them, sleeping with them, and then breaking their hearts straight after? Yes, yes, yes. Well, Bella wasn't like them. My Bella wasn't like them.

But she can't possibly be like me. Aren't imprints your perfect match? Unmistakable replicas of yourself? I didn't know. I had to know suddenly. I had to ask Sam. No, wait, I had to leave the house first. I had to find out if I would never be able to look and see another girl like I saw my Bella. I had to know this for myself, and then I would find out all I could about imprinting. Then I would see the bond that exists between us. But I had to make it out of this house first. I had to let Quil in and leave this house first.

"Yo, man, open the door. You had me rush over here and now you seem to be dragging your feet. Move your hot, werewolf ass and lemme in," Quil said jokingly.

I let out an annoyed grunt and squeezed the door knob, granting Quil entrance. I had to catch my breath once I turned around and saw Bella peering from around the doorway of the living room. She smiled brightly at Quil, and my heart leapt when I saw her reaction. I wished that I could always be able to make her smile like that.

"Hi, Quil," she said happily.

Quil whistled. "Hello, Bella. Nice, natural blush on your face. What happened? Sat too close to a fire?"

Bella laughed it off and I bit back a nasty retort meant for Quil.

"Something like that," Bella answered. "Thanks for coming over."

"Anything for you, Bella." Quil grinned and looked back at me. "Hey, get lost. You had your shot with B, now it's my turn."

I grew defensive, anger becoming the force that made me shake. "You don't get a shot."

Quil brushed me off with a hand. "I think Bella and I would make a very cute couple. She's a girl and I'm a boy."

I gritted my teeth, my trembling fists now seeking to wrap themselves around Quil's neck, when Bella abruptly called my name, breaking my angry thoughts of maiming my pack mate.

"Paul, hurry up and come back so we can make dinner."

I glanced at her; that was not what we would be doing when I finally did get back. "Yeah, okay."

"Oh cool, whatcha making?" Quil asked excitedly.

"Chicken," Bella answered.

"Ooh, chicken. I get the leg."

"You'll need one after I break yours," I threatened. "Don't touch my chicken." Or my Bella, I added to myself.

Quil nodded, not paying much attention as he threw an arm casually around Bella's good shoulder, and I had to clutch the counter before I would jump on top of Quil to pummel him. I had to check something and could not get caught wasting time on Quil; I had to know if Bella was indeed my imprint. Was she truly destined for only me to have for the rest of our lives?

I almost didn't remember to put on my shoes. I threw open the back door and nearly jumped off the small porch, landing on the balls of my feet and into the cold night. The internal reflections of my mind were driving me crazy, and I sought refuge; I wanted peace and quiet.

I turned quickly down a street, feeling the blood under my skin rage on like an angry ocean. The air pricked at my warm body, making it sting, and the only thing that made it bearable was when I thought of Bella's smooth lips over my mouth or my arms covering her little body. The memories of our kiss that had happened such a short time ago taunted me, played with my emotions, and unraveled the bandages of a misused heart.

I sighed and stopped, realizing that I had walked all the way to Main Street in such a short time. The small numerous walkways were abuzz with people, shuffling in and out of the small Mom and Pop stores that existed in Forks. Not many were open past six, but the few that were were almost filled to capacity.

I glanced at the small Forks theater that was located further down the street; they only played two movies at a time, while the big theater in Port Angeles played as many as seven. It seemed as good as any a place to be to think about what I intended to do about Bella. What else can you do, Paul? Be with her? I asked myself. Yes, I could be with her. I really could be. So what if the prince had a crush on her? She was mine and our ancestors proved it. I nodded, almost pleased with myself.

"God, he's cute," I overheard, small amounts of girly chuckling ensuing almost immediately after.

"Think he's from the rez?" another voice asked. I had to estimate that they were maybe twenty or thirty feet behind me.

"Well, duh," another voice chimed in. "Look at that skin. Look at that body. Any guys from Forks built like that? That's it; I'm visiting the rez to snag myself a boyfriend."

I grinned without turning around. This was what I was used to. I liked the attention that I got from other girls. Everywhere I went, it was the same—stop long enough to catch a few eyes and the rest soon followed. A few lines, a number, a place to meet, fuck, and then leave. It had been that way for me since I hit puberty, and even at nine, I was unsnapping bras. Willingly, at least.

I heard one of the pubescent girls gasp. "Oh my God, that smile. Cindy, do you see that?"

"I see it, I see it," the other girl, I assumed Cindy, whispered back excitedly.

"I'm going to say something. I'm going to say something," yet another girl chanted.

That was another thing I liked; I liked forward girls. They were easier to get into bed with and they let you off the hook more willingly too. They can't expect much if they only just met you.

I played along, waiting for her to approach me, and turned around when I felt a light tap on my shoulder. I stared into her slate-colored eyes and pushed the images of Bella's beautiful, brown, doe eyes far from my mind. I'm doing this for us, baby. I have to be sure that I'm good enough for you. I have to see if our bond is real.

"Hi there."

"Hey." I placed both hands in my pockets and tilted my head so not to appear as tall. She glanced down shyly and pushed a few strands of her blonde hair back. She pushed her hair back just like Bella, I realized. My eyes widened. Stop it!

"What's your name?"

"Paul."

"Paul," she repeated. "I'm Beverly."

I smiled again as she stepped closer. The wind picked up suddenly, and I caught a whiff of her. She had just done her nails. I hated the smell of acrylic, artificial nails. It smelled gross. She was also wearing cucumber melon spray deodorant, which did not help her general body odor in the least. Her aroma was that of dirty socks drenched in Downy; you could dress a pig in makeup all you wanted, but in the end it was still a pig. God, she really did smell wretched. Did all girls smell like this?

I sniffed toward her friends. Mango orange was the next smell that invaded my nose. That cheap, scented lotion from Victoria's Secret pulled at my small nose hairs, making my face wrinkle and the girl in front of me withdrew. Her two friends faired a little better than Beverly did; their combined scent just reminded me of stale perfume. The only thing that smelled worse than them was a vampire—the sweetened candied smell of death. I almost would have preferred them to be vampire. I would at least then know why I wasn't attracted to the girls. I had never minded what kind of scent a girl wore before, so why did it matter now?

"Are you okay?" Beverly asked, drawing my attention back.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I looked at her again, and her face held uncertainty. I had my answer; I knew I wouldn't be able to see anyone but Bella ever again. "Nice to meet you, but I've gotta go," I said hurriedly.

"Well, are you going to be around town for a while—?"

I nearly ran away from her and the smell of her friends. It was too many tropical scents, and I couldn't take it without feeling nauseous. Why did girls feel the need to put on so much shit for a night out?

I panted as I neared Bella's house. I started to barge in, but I placed my palms on the front door and waited. Not enough time had passed. I doubted that I had even been gone an hour. I was going under. I was drowning in my own self-denial, fighting something that wasn't even in my power to control.

"Shit," I muttered. My revelations were becoming too deep for me to handle. "Bella," I moaned into the night.

Three hours and forty-nine minutes had to be enough time, and if it wasn't, it would have to suffice. I couldn't take not holding her anymore. I was sounding like a real pansy.

I pushed the door open as slowly as I could but still managed to bang the door knob into the wall, and as the metal echoed in the house, I heard Quil laughing in an uproar. I counted the seconds and walked into the living room, where I saw Quil sprawled out on the floor in front of the television. No Bella.

"Hey, you're back early," Quil commented.

Fuck! It hadn't been long enough.

"Yeah, I guess I am," I answered back. "Where's Swan?"

He barely glanced at me, watching an old cartoon. "Hey, that kid from Bella's school phoned."

I tensed, forgetting my previous inquiry for the moment, knowing full well which fucker it was that called. "What fucker called?" I demanded anyway.

Quil had always been immature and could never resist poking around until something snapped at him to stop, which is why he didn't even hesitate to elaborate. "Guy that went with Bella and Jake to the movies that one time," he said with a small, devious grin forming on the left side of his mouth. I guess he needed the drama.

I rolled my eyes, trying to keep my anger in check. Oh, that asshole. That little dipshit was becoming more and more of a problem, and it was something that I could not tolerate. The marshmallow may have been Bella's friend at school, but I would make sure that it would go no further than that.

"He's nothing, fuckin' nobody important."

Quil shrugged. "That Mr. Nobody Important offered to drive Bells to school tomorrow morning—"

I leapt over Quil's head and the entire length of the couch and yanked Quil to a standing position from the floor, grabbing the collar of his shirt. Quil looked momentarily taken aback, and either he didn't think his whole "poking the bear" theory through or he honestly thought that I wouldn't kill the messenger. "Excuse me?" I growled.

"Fuck, Paul," Quil gulped, trying to pry my fingers loose from his shirt. "Fuck is wrong with you?"

Through clenched teeth I replied, "Who offered to drive who to school?"

"Huh?"

I shook my head. "Don't play dumb, you know what you said." I pulled him closer, tips of Quil's scraping lightly across on the floor with "Flight of the Valkyries" playing in the background from a Bugs Bunny cartoon. "Speak," I commanded.

"Relax," Quil said, finally seeming to get the hint that I was not to be fucked with tonight. Or any other night. "Dude offered a ride tomorrow morning before school, but she told him 'no, thank you.' She barely even held the phone for five seconds. We cool now?" he asked when I didn't release my grip.

I nodded once and flung him back into the couch, the furniture groaning a bit under the other teen wolf's weight. Quil tried to nonchalantly straighten his shirt back, but it seemed to have angry, permanent marks from my fingers indented into the fabric. In another two breaths, I figured that I had enough of Quil Ateara, the V, for the night.

"You got somewhere to be, No. 5?" I asked pointedly. "Now's the time to get there."

Quil grinned again. "Well, I thought you'd take longer. I sorta figured that you only got upset with me just now because you didn't get laid."

I glared at him. "Think again."

He attempted to pry once more. "You get any?"

I ignored him. "Where's the Swan?" I asked again, trying to appear casual.

Quil would not leave well enough alone. "What gives, man? You get any or not?"

I shrugged, finally giving in. "No cute girls out tonight," I replied.

"Really?" Quil raised an eyebrow and sat up a bit straighter to look at me. Perceptive little fucker. "You always come back with something, Paul."

"Not this time," I said, growing annoyed again. "Swan?" This time, I balled my fists as I asked.

Quil noticed and quickly motioned over toward the stairs. "She went to bed not long after you left. Said she was tired. I've been watching TV ever since. This was the best babysitting gig ever. Next time you go out, call me first."

"No need," I announced before I could stop myself. I never intended to leave Bella willingly again, but Quil didn't need to know that.

Quil narrowed his eyes. "You sure there were no pretty girls out tonight? Maybe you didn't look hard enough. Did you visit the rez? I heard Lyndsay was looking for you to—"

I cut him off with a hand and a nasty look. Lyndsay was old news. Way old news. Like from almost a year ago. She was six years my senior, and I still had her wrapped around my finger. Or my dick, depending on how you looked at it.

"Didn't see anything I wanted," I insisted, trying to keep my voice level. What I wanted was upstairs.

"Well, I can wait around some more while you look a bit longer. I know how you get when you haven't been laid, and I don't think Bella needs to see that." Quil chuckled.

See it? She was causing it. I groaned again, this time really close to losing it where I stood. "Not in the mood anymore. Take the hint and fuckin' leave."

Quil sucked his teeth, standing up. "Fine. Last time I do you a favor."

"Noted. Bye," I said as I shoved him out.

"I'm going, I'm going," Quil chanted, pulling off his shirt and reaching for his breakaway pants. I panicked. Quil was going to phase immediately. He might think too much about my attitude and make Jacob aware that was something was off. Quil really couldn't keep his mouth shut. He had been replaying happy memories of when he had first turned into a wolf for weeks, and then when he had imprinted on baby Claire a few days later, all he could think about was how much the little girl had made him feel.

I shuddered; thank goodness Bella was no infant.

"Quil," I called out before he could phase to his chocolate brown colored wolf. "Three girls hit on me at the movies tonight, man."

Quil stopped and turned around completely, anxiously awaiting more. "And?"

I forced a grin. "I'm all tuckered out."

Quil laughed, slapping his leg. "No way. Only a couple of hours with three girls and you're tired already? What happened to the guy that could last longer without food than he could without sex?" he teased.

"They pulled out the unexpected. Who knew, man?" I was half right; those girls had only proven that I couldn't see, smell, feel, or want anything else but Bella at that moment. And she was still waiting for me upstairs.

"Damn, that is messed up. Kudos to you, bro, for the tag-team." Quil shook his head, unable to hold in his laughter as he threw off the rest of his pants and phased, changing the sound to a wheezing cough-fit of a large animal.

I closed the door and looked up the stairs again. Bella was mine, finally. The wait had paid off.

BPOV

I showered. My entire wrist was thumping, the blood's pool ending at my swollen fingertips. It turned my pale skin ruby, but I had showered. It didn't matter how much it had hurt; I didn't want anything stopping Paul and me once he got back.

I groaned at the thought, tensing as I wrapped the blankets more over my shoulders to shut out the bit of hallway light from under my covers. I was shaking with anxiety. Oh God, Paul was amazing. His kisses were nothing like I had ever experienced and I couldn't believe that he seemed to have felt the same way about us.

'Us'? So there's an 'us' now?

I nodded, answering my own question, and pushed my face into my pillow. What do I say to him? How do I say it to him? Should I just blurt out that I want to take our relationship further? What relationship? I asked myself. You just started kissing only a few short hours ago. I mouthed, "I don't know, I don't know," into my hands, not even caring that my hand had started to hurt again. Where was Paul? Why wasn't he back yet? I pondered, thinking of my swollen hand.

I wrapped my hair around my eyes when I suddenly heard footsteps on the stairs. I held my breath, wishing and not wishing that it was Paul. It had better not be Quil; I liked his company, but he was not the one I hungered for at this point.

"Swan, you up?" a voice called.

I quickly moved and threw a pillow at the doorway. Paul had better stop calling me by my last name if he expected us to get closer. Much closer. My inner thoughts did not help keep my voice flat and calm as I said, "It's Bella."

Paul grinned, already holding the pillow I had previously thrown. He had probably caught it when I was still turned around in my bed. "I know your name."

"What else do you know?" I inquired.

"That you missed me."

I scoffed. "How do you know that?"

"Your hand is throbbing."

"So what? Ice works just as well as heat sometimes, so I don't need your freakishly high body heat for that."

Paul's grin turned predatory. "And that's not the only thing that's throbbing either."

I looked down sheepishly, burying my hands in sweat covered legs. I hated his sense of smell.

"Can I return your pillow to you?" he offered.

My eyes lifted back up. "Yes."

Paul moved slowly across the room, removing his shoes with his toes, and slid under the covers with me, placing the pillow under my head.

"You returned my pillow," I said, carefully trying to avoid his body without much avail.

"You look cold."

"And what would I have done without my heat, right?" I smiled coyly.

"Exactly. And I promised you something when I got back."

"Am I going to get it then?"

Paul grinned and touched my face as I wrapped my arms around his shoulders. His tongue was inside of my mouth, making it difficult to form a coherent thought, as I felt his lips on me. I embraced his body as he hovered over me, fingering my sides and pressing his abdomen against mine. My head started to spin, my depth perception becoming lost as Paul's head moved to my neck and my thighs angled up to meet his warmth. I found the bottom of his shirt and made it clear with my frequent pulling that it was oppressing his body. Paul took the hint and ripped it off, throwing it behind him, and returned to push his tongue further into my own.

"You're a great kisser," I taunted, trying hard not to bite him as I spoke. He grunted an inaudible answer and held my body closer to his. Somehow I doubted that I was the first to tell him that.

A thumping noise in the room started and grew louder as Paul's hands flew under my shirt. Was that my heart? I pushed my bandaged hand in-between our two bodies and winced as his hard abs brushed against the still healing bones beneath my epidermis. He grabbed my waist and rolled me over, placing me on top of him. His hand continued to rub my breasts under my shirt, but he made no move to remove it. My pants were sticking to me as if they were tights instead of sweats, and his jeans did nothing to cover his growing urge as it continued to rise and beat against me, only being held back by the two clothing fabrics that we both wore.

Paul's hips suddenly bucked forward into mine, and I gasped, Paul holding onto me fast as I grew dizzy from the new sensation. The beating of my center only worsened as Paul pulled me forward, rubbing his fingers along my spine and grinding my chest with his. I groaned, sighed, and withered under his care. My eyes closed, unable to take the commotion that now seemed to take hold of my ears in the bedroom until it became the only thing that I could hear, with the exception of Paul's breathing keeping pace with mine.

I gently rocked with him until I suddenly jerked back, feeling a tug as Paul's fingers got tangled in my hair. I let out a small wail as my body grew numb from the inside, starting from my scalp and traveling down my chest, plunging into my stomach, running gracefully over my thighs, legs, and stinging my toes. I clawed at Paul's arms, begging to be released, but all I could feel was his lower half meeting mine, slamming me back down to him as soon as I would pull myself up and away from him. He tilted my head back with a not-so gentle pull to my hair, and I yelled in relief as my body trembled on top of him.

I felt a pleasurable burn run a course. My feet shook slightly as they laid half folded underneath Paul and the wonderful feeling journeyed back up the way it had seemingly entered. All that became of the sound leaving my mouth was a joyous exhale and simple shudder. Paul's hands dabbed my face lightly and I heard a snicker. My eyes flew open then and darted searchingly across his face.

"Kind of intense for our first orgasm together, huh?" Paul laughed, louder this time.

I shook my head, noting that the banging in my room stopped. Had we been making that noise with the bed? "Wha—that's what that was?" I questioned, feeling incredibly stupid. Of course that was what it was. "I have never felt anything like that before."

"I see that by the look on your face," Paul chided. "Kind of makes all those self-servicing attempts seem rather dull and pointless, don't you think?"

I narrowed my eyes. "You heard me masturbating?"

"Heard you?" Paul looked at me incredulously. "God, I could hear you, smell you, and taste it from every room in the house. You have no idea how much I wanted you," he admitted.

I glanced at our sweaty bodies, suddenly worried that we had gotten too carried away with our urges. "Oh my God, did we just have—"

"What? No! No, we didn't have sex. I'm just…really that good," he bragged.

I breathed a little easier, peering down at him. "Would you have? Had sex with me tonight?"

"If you wanted to, fuck yeah."

I grew nervous, feeling uncomfortable but knowing that this was the best time to bring it up. "What if tonight was not the night, but I admitted to you that I would like to…one night?"

Paul nodded slowly.

I swallowed hard and pushed back more of my fallen, sweaty hair from my face. "Would you mind taking things slow then, with me?"

"Yeah."

"What about keeping it a secret? Can you keep hiding things from your pack mates?"

"Like I said, no one goes into my mind. Our secret is safe. Besides, I'm discreet. Remember?"

I nodded and lowered my face to his. "Then I would like to be able to be with you, Paul. For…for as long as we can be together," I announced with uncertainty, not knowing how else to phrase the fact that I was aware of just how fickle his appetite could be. It may not have been the best move, considering that he could leave me at anytime he chose to, but I couldn't imagine wanting anything more than him.

"Okay," he agreed, seeming to understand my apprehension and not wanting to push me further.

My next question reminded us both of just how naive and new I was to all of this. "Do you want to sleep with me?"

"You mean fuck?"

I gasped. "Don't say the f-word!" I chastised.

Paul gave me a small smirk, staring at me for a few more seconds before he spoke with definitiveness. "Yes."

I bit my lip. "Okay, then it's settled." I moved from atop of him and pulled the covers around my legs, thinking that it might shield me of some embarrassment from still being sticky. I watched him sit up in the twin, and I held a breath, not wanting him to leave my side yet. "Do you want to stay in the bed with me?" I blurted out. "I mean, is it too small for you to stay here?"

"As long as I don't hiccup in the middle of the night, I'll be fine."

I twisted the sheets and nodded slowly. It was a lot to ask of him, I felt. I started to reply that I understood when he pulled me closer to him, hugging me.

"You sure?" I asked.

I felt his chin move onto the top of my head. "I can't sleep without being able to hold you anyway," he said softly. "I'm kind of spoiled already."

"That's like saying you're already a little bratty and hot-headed."

His chuckle vibrated throughout my body, and he kissed my eyelids closed. They fluttered back open against his moist lips, and I moved my head down his neck, listening to his heartbeat gently thump in his chest.

"Paul, can I ask you something?" Though I already felt tired and worn out, I just had to know.

"Yeah," he answered, sounding just as sleepy as I was.

"How far will you go with me?"

"As far as you want."

"What kind of stuff do you do?" I asked; however, I had a feeling that even sex education books could learn a few tricks from him. I had no idea what I was really getting myself into.

"I do everything. You tell me what you like and I'll do it. Didn't the leech help you your first time together? Somehow I get the feeling that he liked to play 'the boss' in the bedroom."

Stunned, I met Paul's mocking eyes. "What makes you say that?"

He shrugged. "The way you were kissing me, I thought that he never let you take charge—"

"I'm a virgin," I announced, cringing back from him.

"Wait, what?"

I started to feel like crying again until the words poured out of me like a ruined dam. "You were right; he never let me do anything. We rarely kissed. He thought he would lose control and do things to me that he would never be able to take back. It was horrible; he never wanted to do anything and it was always like I had to force him. Even kissing him was like a chore. I'm sorry that I pushed myself on you like that. You must have thought that I—"

Paul's lips quieted my ranting sob, kindly pushing air into me again so that I could resume breathing normally. My mind went blank, my pulse racing, and the house stirred continuously in the background as we stayed lip locked with one another for several minutes. He fingered my face and sighed lightly when our kiss had ended.

"Don't worry about it. I'll wait."

"You will?" I asked, surprised.

"Yeah, I will."

"Why?"

I watched as Paul hesitated before he gave in to my question. "Because you're worth it. Besides," he whispered softly as he continued to stroke my cheek, "It hurts the first time, and I want to break you in slowly."

I smiled, feeling Paul's ever-present cockiness take a hold of him once more, but for the first time, I didn't mind. "I'm not a horse, darn you."

"Yeah, well, I'm pretty big, in case you didn't feel it while you were wildly thrashing on top of me not so long ago." He smirked.

"Ugh!" I playfully pushed him, my hand immediately reminding me of why I didn't lead with it, and pulled him closer to me. I was anxious to get rid of the pain my hand but more so wanting to hold him again. I gripped him tighter than I ever had before. "When I'm ready, can I see it first?"

"You can see it before then, babe."

Knowing that it was pointless, and just like when he called me "Swan," I still requested, "Stop calling me 'babe,' I keep telling you."

Paul's grin grew wider. "You're in my arms now; I can call you what I want."

A/N: **Happy Friday, the 13th!**