Steamin' at the Seams

You would think that being home alone all night with Jacob, now that I know about imprinting, would lead to sex. Good luck with that thought.

Jacob and I are on the couch in my room, watching a movie. Arsenic and Old Lace. It's totally rad.

"Hey, Jake?" I say quietly.

"Yeah?"

"What were you afraid of? When you didn't want to tell me about imprinting?" I ask.

Jacob sighs. I turn in his lap to look at his face. He looks…almost in pain. "I was afraid that you would be afraid of what we are. Of the whole idea of imprinting. Of me in general. I didn't want rejection from you. It would have killed me."

Me too, you.

I wrap my arms around Jacob's neck, holding tightly as I bury my face against his neck.

"I wouldn't have been afraid of you."

Jacob doesn't respond. He tightens his hold around my waist, holding me closer. Our bodies are pressed tightly together. I press my lips softly against the hot skin at Jacob's throat, then giggle as I feel his heartbeat speed up. He laughs, too.

"I bet I could make your heart speed up twice as fast," He says.

"Oh?" I say. "I'm intrigued."

I look up to find him smirking at me. He kisses me, his lips hot on my own, as one of his hands slides along the skin at the top of my pants. He hooks his thumb around my hipbone as his other hand slides up underneath my shirt.

I squeal as his touch sends shivers to my core. He pulls away, laughing, as blood pounds loud in my ears.

"So you were right. Just watch the movie," I say, turning my head and fixing my gaze on the black-and-white figures flitting across the TV screen.

The aunts are sending Teddy to dig in Panama.

I yawn, my eyes slowly closing.

"Tired?" Jacob asks.

I shrug. "I guess."

He laughs, then slips his arms underneath me and stands up. I squeak, holding even tighter around his neck.

"I'm not going to drop you," Jacob says, a big grin on his face.

"You better not," I growl. His smile grows.

"You're cute when you're trying to be intimidating," He says, setting me gently down on the bed.

"You're intimidating when you're trying to be intimidating," I say darkly, making Jacob laugh. I pull the covers back on the bed, saying "Here, you get in first."

"Oh, I'm staying tonight?" He says nonchalantly.

I turn and look up at him, terrified by the thought of him leaving. "Please stay?"

He laughs, moving to crawl under the blanket. "I was just joking, calm down. I won't leave you."

I roll my eyes, standing up and turning the air conditioner on and the TV off. "Ass."

He grins hugely at me as I crawl under the covers next to him, using his chest as a pillow. He wraps his arms securely around me.

"Hey, Jake?" I say in a quiet voice.

"Yeah?" He's just as quiet as I am, his voice low and husky.

"What's your opinion on sex?"

I can almost feel him grin into the darkness. "Sex is good. Especially if it's right."

"Right?"

"With the right person," He clarifies.

"Like, the person you'll be with forever?" I ask.

"That would work."

"The person who loves you?"

"Who loves me?"

"Yeah." I don't really know where I'm going with this. It might have benefited me to have had a plan going into this. Oh, well.

"Love is good."

"Good." A few minutes pass in silence, then I say "Hey Jake, guess what."

He laughs and says "What?"

"I love you."

Well, wouldn't you know. You were thinking right.