Once again, I have to thank audreyii_fic for coming up with the idea for this.

A Better High

„If I told you I could not fix these bikes, what would you have said?"

He was terrified of the answer. Horrified. Petrified in the seat of the ancient truck he had rebuilt – just like the bikes, but with more success he was sure.

"Are you doubting your mad skills?"

She was surprised by his question. Worried. Nervous about the two bikes in the back of her truck.

"No, definitely not. I mean, they'll run fine." He was unsure how much of this was true. How could he know? He had not tried, there had not been much time invested. "It's just…Maybe if I were smart I would have dragged out the rebuild a bit."

Somehow, he had known all along that the bikes were the only thing keeping Bella by his side. At least, they had been the trigger. What if they really belonged on the junkyard? Would she stay?

"If you told me you couldn't fix these bikes I would say that that's really too bad but that we're just going to have to find something else to do."

She did not consider his fear of her leaving him at first, of her not needing him anymore. But behind his smirk, she could see something that – in a happier, easier past – she would have defined as hope.

x

"You look scared."

She was. But not of the danger, or the rush or the potential broken jaw. It was her broken heart she was afraid of.

"I'm not."

Jacob's smirk was knowing, and Bella felt the urge to punch his stomach, teach the boy a lesson. The urge to grin that was blossoming inside of her felt strangely inappropriate. She had not come here to feel this. Warmth, comfort, happiness.

"Alright," he said, and then rested his hands above hers.

Warmth, comfort, happiness. A rush of heat in the pit of her stomach and Bella knew immediately that she would never leave. That there had to be other things to do with Jake, things that were not conditional on the hole in her chest – a hole that was slowly being filled by his warmth and devotion.

She did not realize that she had been staring into his eyes until he lowered his head, the faint hint of a blush causing Bella to feel special. He was blushing. Because of her.

He was talking to her, explaining something about the bike, technical words that she did not want to listen to. Instead, she just pushed the red button as if she were in a trance. But nothing happened.

She did not know much about motorcycles, but wasn't the engine supposed to start? The only sound she could hear was her heart and the birds singing.

Again. Nothing.

"Jake?" she asked, looking back into his face, his forehead wrinkled.

"Try again," he ordered, his bottom lip caught between his flawless teeth and Bella could not help but stare. Why had she even thought that she had only ended up in Jacob's garage because she needed a rush, adrenaline? Something else must have driven her there. Warmth, comfort, happiness.

"Watch out!"

She heard Jake's loud warning the very second she felt the bike slip beneath her, the world shifting, an empty feeling spreading in her guts before she felt her head hit something hard and the heavy weight of the bike crush her to the ground.

"Bella!"

The weight of the bike was lifted from her body as quickly as it had buried her underneath it, two warm hands running up the entire length of her legs, leaving a trail of heat and shivers behind them.

Slowly, Bella dared to open her eyes, the warm hands now gripping her upper arms to hold her straight.

"Jake?" she whispered, his worried face full of fear.

"You're head," was all she could hear, his lips barely moving to form the scared whisper. Like a reflex, her hand pressed against a dull, sticky ache on her right temple, feeling the warmth of her blood coat her fingertips.

"It's alright," she attempted to assure Jake, his own fingertips gently pressing into her skin, and Bella was surprised by the sudden need to take of her jacket. To feel his warmth directly on her skin.

"No, nothing is alright," Jacob said, his eyes filled with despair.

"Why?" Bella whispered, looking at him intently, lips slightly parted, breathing calmly.

"The bikes aren't working." His voice was dry, hands clutching her tighter, never wanting to let her go.

"We haven't tried the other."

"Are you trying to get yourself killed? No more bikes."

Staring into the onyx pools in front of her, Bella felt her tongue brush over her bottom lip, her heart beating faster as if in anticipation of something.

"Then we're just going to have to find something else to do," she whispered, repeating her earlier words, reassuring Jake, wanting the worry to disappear from his features, needing her Jake back. Warmth, comfort, happiness.

"What did you have in mind?" Jacob whispered hoarsely.

Slowly, Bella lifted her hand to rest it against Jacob's flushed cheek, the skin warm and soft. She trailed her fingertip along his jaw, his cheekbone, accidentally brushing the corner of his lips, his sigh shooting electricity down her spine.

"You're sort of beautiful."

Maybe it was a strange thing to say, maybe she hit her head too hard. But it was the most honest thing she had said in a long time.

"You are beautiful," Jacob whispered, and then his lips were suddenly pressing against Bella's, hesitant at first, waiting for her response, but then her hands circled his neck, fingers scraping through his long hair, pulling herself up against him.

Everything stopped mattering as she sighed against his lips, pulled him closer, his hands gripping her waist to push her up the large rock she had hit her head at. His name fell from her lips as a pleading sigh, the sound of her zipper being undone mixing with heavy breathing and heartbeats drumming in their ears.

Jake pushed Bella's jacket down her arms, leaving it trapped between her and the rock, hiking up her shirt, warm and shaky hands stroking up her stomach – a groan rumbling in his chest as he felt her shiver beneath his touch – pulling down the cotton of her bra just enough so he could lower his mouth to her breasts, leaving gentle kisses against her flushed skin. Her hands were still buried in his silky hair, legs wrapped around his stomach to pull him closer. How did he even think she would leave? All she needed was for him to be closer, so much closer.

With a needy sigh, she forced herself to pull her hands out of his smooth hair, trailing her fingertips over his chest, grabbing the hem of his shirt, pulling it upwards, feeling the smooth skin beneath against her touch.

"I don't think I want the other bike to work," Jacob groaned against Bella's skin, his teeth carefully nibbling at the swell of her breast, fingertip rubbing over her nipples, as she arched her back beneath him, hands pressed flat against his chest.

"Me, neither," Bella moaned, opening the button and zipper of Jacob's jeans, impatiently trying to push the resistant denim down his legs.

"God, Bells," he groaned in response, leaning back to pull his shirt over his head and his jeans and boxers down his legs before removing Bella's jeans in a haste, leaving wet kisses along her stomach.

"This is so much better," Bella sighed hoarsely, feeling bolder than she ever thought she could be, comfortable in Jacob's arms as she reached between them to wrap her hand around his length, feeling nothing but right when he buried his head in the crook of her neck, groaning, trembling because of her.

"So much better," he mumbled against her neck, breath warm and damp, hands running down her side to gently spread her legs wider, hands lingering against her inner thighs. She squirmed beneath him, moving her hand up and down faster, biting carefully down Jacob's neck, feeling his fingers slowly travel upwards.

The moment his fingers touched her wet heat, Bella knew that this was why she had come to Jacob's garage that day. Not because of the bikes and in seek of adrenaline and danger. This, right now. His fingers unsurely stroking her, his lips finding hers, her own hand stroking his length, skin against skin, warmth, pressure, friction, comfort.

She whimpered his name as he finally slipped inside of her, nothing there to hold him back. He parted their kiss, her protesting sigh not stopping him, confusion wrinkling his forehead.

"Don't ask," she moaned, moving her hips carefully, adjusting to him, feeling better than she had in a long time, "You're the only one."

He groaned at the sound of her words, pushing deeper, swallowing her moan with his lips, hands holding her waist in place, setting a quick rhythm, lips moving, hips thrusting, breaths mingling, Bella's finger gripping his back, legs wrapped around him, moving against him urgently.

It's was different high she felt as Jake stiffened above her, groaning her name like a prayer, pushing her roughly against the cold rock, a better high. Healthy. Something else she was sure they would always do from now on.

Warmth, comfort, happiness.