The Consequences {Jacob Black}

Chapter LXIII

All things considered, Nate had handled himself really well at dinner. Leah's new haircut looked great. I wanted to laugh as I remembered the look on Quil's face when we'd dragged him into the hair salon to get it cut. The kid would play Barbies with a toddler all day, but ask him to step into a salon and he transformed from wolf to pup. Whatever, it must be a guy thing.

Nate and I had our own little pow-wow during which he thanked me for making Leah spar with him. They were both a little closed off and it wasn't hard to see that they were both fighting this imprint with everything that they had. The good news was that we were all pretty sure that they were going to be great for each other. If they didn't kill each other first.

Leah and Nate went out on a walk. Seth and Sue took off to their own home. Dad had gone home after dessert. Billy went to bed, kissing my cheek as he rolled out. Jake rested his feet on the coffee table, regardless of how much I protested. I sat beside him, resting my head in a pillow on his lap.

"Dinner was good," he said, his hand messing with my hair. "I can't wait for you to actually be living in this house."

"Where did that come from?" I asked, twisting to look up at him.

"I was just daydreaming," he said with a shrug.

"You were daydreaming about me living in this house?" I laughed.

"Well, I was thinking about other things... and that led me to us having a family and finally to you living here," he said. He turned a little redder than his usual skin tone. I loved when he got embarrassed; almost as much as I loved when he admitted that he dreamed about our future together. "You okay?"

"Yeah; I was just letting you relax a little," I said, placing my hand over his heart. "I may not be able to hear like you, but I feel it."

My head hit the couch and Jake's weight was suddenly on top of me. His elbows were resting against my shoulders, keeping his chest off of me.

"I can hear your heart," he said, his face a few centimeters from mine. I pressed my hands against his chest, feeling his pulse thrumming underneath my hands. I licked my lips, trying to keep my pulse under control. His lips tickled across my jaw.

"You know, there are some wolf things we need to talk about," he whispered. I nodded, trying to catch his lips, but he only pulled away.

"Like what?" I managed to get enough air to say.

"You ever noticed Emily's scar?" He was kissing down the side of my neck.

"Kind of hard to miss," I whispered.

"Not that one." He had his lips on my throat now. I could feel his teeth against the skin of my throat.

"The one on her neck." I was trying to think about any scars that Emily had, but I couldn't manage a thought beyond my name and Jake's.

"It's a marking," he continued. "It lets everyone else know you're mine."

"Like a hickey?" I laughed. He smiled, nipping my throat. My breath hitched in my lugs. Jake moved his lips to my jugular, where my pulse could vibrate against his lips.

"A little more important that a hickey," he chuckled. I could feel him moving his way down my chest, his mouth now over the hollow in my collarbone. "The marking lets anything supernatural know that you belong to me."

"How?" I managed, my chest press up against his.

"I don't really know the specifics," he said, moving to my shoulder now. He had never done this before. He was always affectionate, doting; altogether the best boyfriend that a girl could ask for. But he had never pushed me for anything more than just sleep and some kisses.