3 eclipse月食-第79章
按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页,按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页,按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部!
————未阅读完?加入书签已便下次继续阅读!
“That’s what I thought;” he said; his face going calm again; but for the turbulent light in his eyes。
“I love you; Bella;” he murmured。
“I love you; Jacob;” I whispered brokenly。
He smiled。 “I know that better than you do。”
He turned to walk away。
“Anything;” I called after him in a strangled voice。 “Anything you want; Jacob。 Just don’t do this!”
He paused; turning slowly。
“I don’t really think you mean that。”
“Stay;” I begged。
He shook his head。 “No; I’m going。” He paused; as if deciding something。 “But I could leave it to fate。”
“What do you mean?” I choked out。
“I don’t have to do anything deliberate — I could just do my best for my pack and let what happens
happen。” He shrugged。 “If you could convince me you really did want me to e back — more than you
wanted to do the selfless thing。”
“How?” I asked。
“You could ask me;” he suggested。
“e back;” I whispered。 How could he doubt that I meant it?
He shook his head; smiling again。 “That’s not what I’m talking about。”
It took me a second to grasp what he was saying; and all the while he was looking at me with this superior
expression — so sure of my reaction。 As soon as the realization hit; though; I blurted out the words without
stopping to count the cost。
“Will you kiss me; Jacob?”
His eyes widened in surprise; then narrowed suspiciously。 “You’re bluffing。”
“Kiss me; Jacob。 Kiss me; and then e back。”
He hesitated in the shadow; warring with himself。 He halfturned again to the west; his torso twisting away
from me while his feet stayed planted where they were。 Still looking away; he took one uncertain step in my
direction; and then another。 He swung his face around to look at me; his eyes doubtful。
I stared back。 I had no idea what expression was on my face。
Jacob rocked back on his heels; and then lurched forward; closing the distance between us in three long
strides。
I knew he would take advantage of the situation。 I expected it。 I held very still — my eyes closed; my
fingers curled into fists at my sides — as his hands caught my face and his lips found mine with an eagerness
that was not far from violence。
I could feel his anger as his mouth discovered my passive resistance。 One hand moved to the nape of my
neck; twisting into a fist around the roots of my hair。 The other hand grabbed roughly at my shoulder; shaking
me; then dragging me to him。 His hand continued down my arm; finding my wrist and pulling my arm up
around his neck。 I left it there; my hand still tightly balled up; unsure how far I could go in my desperation to
keep him alive。 All the while his lips; disconcertingly soft and warm; tried to force a response out of mine。
As soon as he was sure I wouldn’t drop my arm; he freed my wrist; his hand feeling its way down to my
waist。 His burning hand found the skin at the small of my back; and he yanked me forward; bowing my body
against his。
His lips gave up on mine for a moment; but I knew he was nowhere close to finished。 His mouth followed
the line of my jaw; and then explored the length of my neck。 He freed my hair; reaching for my other arm to
draw it around his neck like the first。
Then both of his arms were constricted around my waist; and his lips found my ear。
“You can do better than this; Bella;” he whispered huskily。 “You’re overthinking it。”
I shivered as I felt his teeth graze my earlobe。
“That’s right;” he murmured。 “For once; just let yourself feel what you feel。”
I shook my head mechanically until one of his hands wound back into my hair and stopped me。
His voice turned acidic。 “Are you sure you want me to e back? Or did you really want me to die?”
Anger rocked through me like the whiplash after a heavy punch。 That was too much — he wasn’t fighting
fair。
My arms were already around his neck; so I grabbed two fistfuls of his hair — ignoring the stabbing pain
in my right hand — and fought back; struggling to pull my face away from his。
And Jacob misunderstood。
He was too strong to recognize that my hands; trying to yank his hair out by the roots; meant to cause him
pain。 Instead of anger; he imagined passion。 He thought I was finally responding to him。
With a wild gasp; he brought his mouth back to mine; his fingers clutching frantically against the skin at my
waist。
The jolt of anger unbalanced my tenuous hold on selfcontrol; his unexpected; ecstatic response overthrew
it entirely。 If there had been only triumph; I might have been able to resist him。 But the utter defenselessness of
his sudden joy cracked my determination; disabled it。 My brain disconnected from my body; and I was kissing
him back。 Against all reason; my lips were movingwith his in strange; confusing ways they’d never moved
before — because I didn’t have to be careful with Jacob; and he certainly wasn’t being careful with me。
My fingers tightened in his hair; but I was pulling him closer now。
He was everywhere。 The piercing sunlight turned my eyelids red; and the color fit; matched the heat。 The
heat was everywhere。 I couldn’t see or hear or feel anything that wasn’t Jacob。
The tiny piece of my brain that retained sanity screamed questions at me。
Why wasn’t I stopping this? Worse than that; why couldn’t I find inmyself even the desire to want to
stop? What did it mean that I didn’t want him to stop? That my hands clung to his shoulders; and liked that
they were wide and strong? That his hands pulled me too tight against his body; and yet it was not tight enough
for me?
The questions were stupid; because I knew the answer: I’d been lying to myself。
Jacob was right。 He’d been right all along。 He was more than just my friend。 That’s why it was so
impossible to tell him goodbye — because I was in love with him。 Too。 I loved him; much more than I should;
and yet; still nowhere near enough。 I was in love with him; but it was not enough to change anything; it was
only enough to hurt us both more。 To hurt him worse than I ever had。
I didn’t care about more than that — than his pain。 I more than deserved whatever pain this caused me。 I
hoped it was bad。 I hoped I would really suffer。
In this moment; it felt as though we were the same person。 His pain had always been and would always be
my pain — now his joy was my joy。 I felt joy; too; and yet his happiness was somehow also pain。 Almost
tangible — it burned against my skin like acid; a slow torture。
For one brief; neverending second; an entirely different path expanded behind the lids of my tearwet
eyes。 As if I were looking through the filter of Jacob’s thoughts; I could see exactly what I was going to give
up; exactly what this new selfknowledge would not save me from losing。 I could see Charlie and Renée
mixed into a strange collage with Billy and Sam and La Push。 I could see years passing; and meaning
something as they passed; changing me。 I could see the enormous redbrown wolf that I loved; always
standing as protector if I needed him。 For the tiniest fragment of that second; I saw the bobbing heads of two
small; blackhaired children; running away from me into the familiar forest。 When they disappeared; they took
the rest of the vision with them。
And then; quite distinctly; I felt the splintering along the fissure line in my heart as the smaller part
wrenched itself away from the whole。
Jacob’s lips were still before mine were。 I opened my eyes and he was staring at me with wonder and
elation。
“I have to leave;” he whispered。
“No。”
He smiled; pleased by my response。 “I won’t be long;” he promised。 “But one thing first 。 。 。”
He bent to kiss me again; and there was no reason to resist。 What would be the point?
This time was different。 His hands were soft on my face and his warm lips were gentle; unexpectedly
hesitant。 It was brief; and very; very sweet。
His arms curled around me; and he hugged me securely while he whispered in my ear。
“That should have been our first kiss。 Better late than never。”
Against his chest; where he couldn’t see; the tears welled up and spilled over。
24。 SNAP DECISION
I LAY FACEDOWN ACROSS THE SLEEPING BAG; WAITING for justice to find me。 Maybe an avalanche would bury
me here。 I wished it would。 I never wanted to have to see my face in the mirror again。
There was no sound to warn me。 Out of nowhere; Edward’s cold hand stroked against my knotted hair。 I
shuddered guiltily at his touch。
“Are you all right?” he murmured; his voice anxious。
“No。 I want to die。”
“That will never happen。 I won’t allow it。”
I groaned and then whispered; “You might change your mind about that。”
“Where’s Jacob?”
“He went to fight;” I mumbled into the floor。
Jacob had left the little camp joyfully — with a cheerful “I’ll be right back” — running full tilt for the
clearing; already quivering as he prepared to shift to his other self。 By now the whole pack knew everything。
Seth Clearwater; pacing outside the tent; was an intimate witness to my disgrace。
Edward was silent for a long moment。 “Oh;” he finally said。
The tone of his voice worried me that my