Katie's POV

I must've fallen asleep on the car ride home because I woke up in my bed, well the guest bed that I'm staying in. I groan as I swing my legs to the side of the bed, wow I'm super sore and what am I wearing, I think to myself as I look down at the giant sweatshirt that goes down to my knees. Oh yeah. Running. Boys. Assault. More boys. Jacob. The memories of yesterday slammed into me one after another, but a few particular images stayed in my mind. The boys helping me, Jacob cleaning out my cuts, Jacob giving me the jacket I'm currently wearing, Jacobs carefree smile and laugh. Oh god. I've got way to many thoughts in my head right now, I shouldn't be thinking this early in the morning, especially about a boy.

I look at the clock it read 7:00am, I've got two hours to kill until I see Jacob. Oh god, just the thought of hanging out with him sent nerves, excitement and a strange sense of longing shooting through me. I start to scan the room for something to take my mind off him and my eyes snag on my running shoes. Yeah, cause that went great last time. Well it's either running into potential danger, or the danger of being alone with my thoughts. Screw it, I think as I hop off the bed and change into my running gear. I run down the stairs and Bella is still asleep so I scribble a note for her: Hey Bells, going for a run, back soon, yes I'll be fine, no you don't need to worry. Love ya!

Then I hurtled out the door and into the mist chilled morning.

Five minutes into the run, I was cruising along at my warmup pace and my thoughts kept drifting to yesterday, the boys, and Jacob. "Ugg!" I yell into the green forest, veer off the trail and sprint away. As it turns out jumping and dodging branching and roots at a full sprint does wonders for taking a hormonal mind off boys for a while. After about 20 minuets of that grueling pace I jog slowly up to the front door and shake my legs out as I walk inside. My mind blissfully empty and riding the runners high. I walk into the kitchen and see Bella cooking eggs and fumbling around. I step behind her and say "Anything I can do to help?" She jumps a foot in the air and says "Jeez! Katie you scared the crap out of me!" I laugh at her and glance around the kitchen at the massive plate of eggs, toast, and bacon piled up. "Hungry?" I say with laughter in my voice. She gives me a knowing look and says "I'm not, but you probably are." I smirk as I grab and scarf down a piece of toast and two slices of bacon. "You thief!" Bella squawked at me. "Get out! No food for you until you shower!" I groan but trudge my way upstairs and zip through the shower because despite the toast and bacon, I'm ravenous. Which is strange for me. I normally eat more than the average person, but ever since I moved, I've been eating a lot more. I step out of the shower and dress in jeans and a gray short sleeved shirt and a maroon jacket (courtesy of Bella). I towel off my hair and sprint downstairs and into the kitchen, my stomach grumbling. Bella just laughed at me and gave me the food. As I ate, she told me what she was going to do today (visit Edward). Then asked "What will you be doing? I can come back and we can watch a movie or something." I answered after taking a long sip of water and said "Have fun, and I don't know when I'll be back, I'm actually hanging out with Jacob today. He should be here in..." I clicked my phone to display the time and finished saying "about 15 minuets" Bella looked shocked but then a crooked grin spread over her face, which alarmed me immediately. "What? Why are you making that face?" I asked Bella. She just smirked and sang "Katie and Jacob sitting in a tree K I S S I" She was cut off by me saying "For someone who is 17 you act surprisingly like a 8 year old. And please Bella I've barely known the guy for a full day." Even though I was objecting a blush was creeping over me cheeks, turning my face bright red. She sighed good naturally and held up her hands in defeat. But then smiled and said "He's a good guy Katie. If I were you I would trust your instincts." Outside an engine revved down the street, I stood up suddenly, put my dishes in the sink, and gave Bella a quick kiss on the cheek saying "That's probably Jacob, see ya later Bell." She hugged me back and said "Have fun Katie!" Just as a knock sounded at the door. I went to open it but Bella beat me to it and threw it open, revealing Jacob.

He was wearing a tight tee shirt and jeans that showed off his muscles. He was wearing his trademark grin that widened when he saw me standing behind Bella. I tried to calm the fluttering in my gut that occurs when he looks at me that way. "Hey Bells, Hey Katie!" Jacob said brightly. Bella returned the pleasantry and I waved as my attention snagged on the vehicle in the driveway. "No way!" I exclaimed moving past Bella and Jacob to get a better look at the motorcycle. The bike was a beautiful 1970s dual sport that was all black and sleek with an exposed engine. "Oh it's gorgeous! I'm so jealous!" I said as I walked around the bike. I felt Jacob move up behind me and her the shock in his voice when he said "You like motorcycles?" A second later Bella came out saying "Katie I don't know if I want you getting on that death machine." Jacob and I scoffed at the same time, ignoring her. I looked back at Jacob and said "It's beautiful, did you build it yourself?" When he shook his head yes I let out an impressed whistle and said "Next time I need a repair job, I'm going to you." Jacob laughed quietly and said "How'd you get into bikes?" I answered with "I bribed kids into letting me use theirs, in exchange I would do their homework or something." It didn't matter to me, the feeling of freedom going that fast was an even better rush than running. Shaking off the memories, I turned to Jacob to see his eyes shining with surprised happiness. Then I turned to Bella and said "I'm promise to do my best to not die. See ya!" Then I got behind Jacob as he sat down on the bike. I could feel his warmth as soon as I sat down and leaned into it to fight the chilled morning. I wrapped my arms around his waist, savoring the contact. He started the engine then all the he said was "Hold on."

We lurched off the driveway and launched into the road, when we pulled on to the empty stretch of highway he slammed us forward at breakneck speed and my arms automatically tightened around his waist until I could feel the strong muscles of his stomach shift with his breathing. The wind whipped at my hair and I felt the familiar rush that comes from this speed. He really opened it up and I let out a shout of delight at the freedom of it. He chuckled and let out one of his own. Too soon, the ride ended as we pulled into a little house on the Rez. Jacob parked the bike and turned to offer me a hand to get down. I looked at his hand, debating on whether I should accept it or not. Bella's advice played through my mind, well my instincts are shouting at me to keep the contact and stay with him. But, no. No. I just met this guy and I shouldn't send the wrong message. I tried to ignore the look of hurt that flashed across his face when I denied his hand. I also tried to ignored the painful tightening of my stomach at his expression and ignore how badly I wanted to wipe the sad look off his face. But in less than a second he was wearing that crooked grin again and leading me to a small house half hidden in the woods.

I opened my mouth to ask what this place was, but he cut me off saying "This is my house, and we've got a little garage over there and yeah that's it..." he finished lamely and a blush was creeping up his neck. I smiled at him and said honestly, "it looks wonderful." He gave me a relieved smile and we started walking down the road in a comfortable silence. Jacob opened the door for me then followed me inside. I stepped into the small and crowded living room, but it felt cozy, safe, it felt like a home. Faintly I hear the scuffing of wheels against the hardwood floor. A moment later, an old man in a wheelchair appeared. He had a tanned, weathered face but his eyes twinkled with the same mischief that was mirrored in the eyes of Jacob behind me. Oh yeah this was definitely Jacobs dad. He smiled at me, stuck his hand out and said "You must be Katie, I've heard so much about you, I'm Billy Black, Jacobs dad." I shook his hand and gave him a nervous smile "Hopefully good things, and it's nice to meet you Mr. Black." I didn't know him that well, so I decided to er on the side of formality. "Please call me Billy." Never mind then. He turned his wheelchair away and said "I'll leave you kids to it. Holler if you need me" Jacob responded with "Thanks dad" just as I said "Thanks Billy."

Jacob turned to me with a nervous smile and said "Well, it's not much, but it's home." I shook my head, some of my hair falling from its ponytail, to frame my face and said "No, it's amazing." And it was, I'd only been there a minute or two but it already felt more like home than mine ever did. "So what do you wanna do?" Jacob asked "We can watch a movie, go to the beach, whatever you want." I responded with "I would like to see this famous garage everyone's been talking about." He smiles and said "That's actually perfect, Quil and Embry brought me two bikes to work on. Wanna help?" "Uh yeah" I said in a duh voice. We walked to the door and he said "Race you there!" And took off, I sprinted after him, my sore muscles protesting at the movement. When it became clear he would beat me in the last 50 yards to the small garage, I got as close to him as I could then jumped onto his back. I swung my arms around his neck and circled my legs around his waist. "Ah!" He said in surprise then he yelled "You cheater!" Even still, he wrapped his arms around my legs to help keep me up. I laughed loudly, one of the first real, genuine laughs I've had in a long time, Jacobs own laugh echoed mine and he kept running, hardly breaking his stride as he sprinted with me on his back, as if I weighed nothing. Golly, he must be strong, I thought to myself. Before we reached the door, Jacob spun around in circles, so suddenly that it made me yelp and hold on tighter, and bury my face in his strong, warm shoulder. He laughed and set me down saying with a smirk "Did you have fun up there, spider monkey?" I laughed and said "Yes, yes I did." He opened the door with a shake of his head. The garage was warm and dry and had the familiar smell of gasoline. I looked at the two "bikes" and I almost laughed. I turned to Jacob and said "Scrap metal, how thoughtful of your friends. You should send them a muffin basket in thanks." Jacob just snorted and said "Maybe scrap metal to some, but with expertise, these bad boys can be up and running in no time." "Well, maybe for you, but I only know basic repairs. This is waaaayyyy beyond my skill set," I admitted to Jacob. Jacob grinned from ear to ear and said "Lucky for you, you just found yourself a teacher."

With the music on, the warm air of the garage and the witty banter with Jacob as we worked on the bikes, time flew by. Jacob worked happily, his strong hands easily working their magic on the bikes. I worked beside him doing what I could, talking to him, and totally not studying the way he would scrunch his nose when he was focusing. Or the light in his eyes when he laughed. Or the smile that seemed to tug on his lips at all times, especially when he looked at me. Yeah I didn't pay attention to that at all.

"Hey Jake," I broke the comfortable silence that we had built while we worked. He looked up from the bike and answered "Yeah, what's up?" "Can you come take a look at this? The brakes are in relatively good condition after I fixed them, but I can't get it to fit back the way it did." Jacob stood, the powerful muscles of his legs shifting with the movement, as he walked over he wiped the grease off his hands on a spare rag and crouched down next to me. His heat seeped through my clothes and warmed me right to the bone. Jacob studied the brake in silence for a moment his brow furrowing, then he smiled and said "Okay, your almost there, it's an easy trick. Here let me show you." He put the tool back in my hand and left his on mine. His calloused hands scraped gently against the back of my hand as he guided it to the rusted bolt. "See just twist here..." he tugged on my hand and we turned the bolt. He was so close behind me that his breath tickled my ear and neck making my shiver, not from the cold, but from the foreign pleasant sensation that settled in my stomach from his closeness, the rightness of it. He adjusted the tension of something and looked at me and said "Ok try to put back now...and..." he guided my hand from behind me, his breath warmed my neck and a blush creeped up over my cheeks as his heat seeped into my skin. "Oh, I get it, thanks." I said trying to fight the rising heat to my cheeks, he responded with a simple no problem and surveyed the rest of the bike I was working on. "Wow, you got a lot done." He glanced down at me, his warm eyes sparkling with amusement "You lied about your skill set." I stand up next to him and say "I did not. I just watched what you did and tried to replicate it, it just happened to work."

I walked over to the work bench and took a long sip of soda before stretching my arms over my head and saying to Jacob "What time is it?" He glanced at the clock on the wall that I hadn't noticed and said "it's around one" I jumped in alarm "You mean we've been working for 4 hours!" Jacob nodded and smiled at my astonishment and said "What's with the face." I just mutter "The time just flew by." Jacob glanced at the clock again and shook his head. "Somewhere you gotta be?" I ask him, he snapped out of his daze and gave me an apologetic smile and says "Sort of... do you want to stop at Emily's for lunch? It's just that I need to check in with the guys." I laugh and say "That'd be great, we wouldn't want Paul's ego to get too inflated without you there." Jacob laughed with me, the tension going out of his jaw and shoulders. I looked at the bikes, and I was astonished at the skill and how far we gotten in just four hours of working together. Jacob came up beside me and slung his arm around my shoulder causing me to blush deep red. "Not bad for a days work, Katie." I grin up at him "Yeah not bad at all." Just then, my stomach growls loudly, woah, I don't realize how hungry I was and Jacob pokes my stomach saying "Dang girl, no breakfast? Don't you know that's the most important meal of the day?" I push his arm away playfully and respond with "Yup, I do, and now I'm ready for lunch."

We walk to the garage door and a blast of cold air greets me causing me to wrap my arms around myself as I shiver. Then, it starts raining, because of course it does. "Oh great" I mutter, but I tip my head back and let the cold rain calm my flushed cheeks. Jacob runs up and throws me over his shoulder with ease. I shriek, actually shriek, then start cackling manically, "Jacob!! Ahhh hahaha!!" I shriek his name but it soon dissolves to laughter. Then Jacob is sprinting and spinning with me on his shoulder as he runs to the bike. When he puts me down near the bike, we are both laughing really hard, not to mention soaking wet from the sudden downpour. "Hey, at least your not cold anymore," Jake says with a smile on his face, one that instantly tugs on my lips in response. Then we jump on the bike and sped to Emily's house. The rain doesn't bother me as I'm pressed up against Jake during the ride, I'm already soaked but I don't feel cold when my arms are around his waist and my head is resting on his back. And I realize that I've never felt safer or happier than I do right now.

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