Hello my dear lovely reader chums. This random little thing popped into my head the other month and I finally got it down. I'm not usually a fan of creating stories that don't feature an OC but I thought I'd try something new. Not sure where this will go yet but be sure to let me know what you think as reviews are my muse and encourage me to write. xx

The day Bella Swan almost drowned was the day her life was saved. It was the day she reached rock bottom. It was the day she truly began to put The Cullens in the past. It was the day she met Paul LaHote… It was the day her life traversed down a path she would never have been able to imagine.

"I can't drink this all by myself." Paul laughed, holding up the large bottle of amber-coloured liquor in his hand.

"Don't be a pussy, Paul." Quil jested; egging his friend on as they sat around the unlit bonfire, waiting for darkness to fall completely before it could be set alight.

"If I drink this, then somebody is getting naked."

His voice was light and teasing but the wink he threw Bella's way was suggestive, and he smirked when he saw a blush rise up her neck and colour her pale cheeks a crimson hue. She bowed her head in response, determined to hide the evidence of her attraction to the resident bad boy wolf. He had been making playful jokes and turning up everywhere she went for weeks now. Ever since Jacob had pulled her from the icy, choppy depths of the sea that lined First Beach and took her back to the reservation, Paul had been there. The day she had slapped him was still ingrained fresh in her memory and it made her physically cringe any time she thought about it. For a while there, it had seemed as if Paul would hate her forever; especially after he had been forced to guard her and protect her should The Cullens, or any other wandering vampires, return for her. Yet, their hostile relationship had taken a sudden, expected turn after he had accidentally seen her naked when she had screamed whilst stubbing her toe on her bed post and dropped her towel in agony. He told no-one of what he saw but in the moments they were together in private, he took great glee in reminding her that she had called out his name whilst naked.

"Dude, keep your pants on for once. " Jared bantered as he threw an arm around his girlfriend, Kim and laughing when he saw her roll her eyes at his best-friend.

"I don't need to take my pants off to have a good time."

"If you say so."

Twisting off the cap, Paul took large gulps of the liquor and coughed when he came up for breath; the bottle now half-empty and the liquid burning his throat and warming his belly. Eyeing the remaining liquor, he shrugged nonchalantly and drank the rest in one go. The burp that left his mouth was loud and obnoxious and caused Quil and Embry to snort with laughter as they sipped on their own beers.

"You know, Sam's going to kill us when he finds out we stole his beer." Jared pointed out.

"Sam's on patrol with Jacob. By the time he finds out it'll be all gone anyway. Besides, what's the worst he can do?" argued Paul as he grabbed a beer from the cooler.

"For you? More Bella guard duty."Quil laughed. "Sorry, Bella." He stopped when he realised how his comment had sounded.

"It's okay, Quil. No harm done."

Tucking her wavy, brunette hair behind her ears, she declined Jared's offer of a beer and took a slow sip of the soda in her hand. Once the sun had set and darkness began to creep in, she watched as Paul and Embry lit the bonfire and felt her face instantly becoming warm as the heat blasted her. It was early spring and she was grateful for the fire's ability to keep the lingering chill from the air but the heat soon became too much when Paul sat himself down beside; his own supernatural body heat coming off of him in waves.

Sweat started to trickle down the nape of Bella's neck but she dared not move to wipe it away. Paul's eyes bore into her but she avoided his gaze; confident that if she remained perfectly still then he would be fooled by her 'invisibility' and leave her alone.

"Did you know that you have a birth mark on your ass that's shaped just like a peach?"

Shock shook her and Bella was one hundred percent certain that if she could see her face, she would see a tomato with her features staring back at her in the mirror. Mortification drowned her body and she shakily lifted her can of soda to her lips and took a long drink whilst she remained steadfastly silent.

"It's kind of perfect really since your ass is also shaped like a peach." Paul mused before leaning in close to Bella's ear and whispering deep into it. "You're my little peach."

"Oh my god, shut up, Paul." Bella finally snapped.

"There she is. I was wondering how long it would take for you to talk to me. I was just about ready to use more persuasive tactics."

There was a joking edge to his voice but his face seemed oddly serious. A sense of uneasiness settled in the pit of Bella's stomach and she fiddled with her hair in a bid to distract herself from it. Next to her, Paul sat nursing a warm beer as he surveyed the brunette beauty. Before seeing her naked, he had paid little attention to her physically. She had always been nothing more than a nuisance; a reminder that his genetic supernatural abilities had been activated because of her poor romantic decisions. But now, he noticed how her hair, always a dark Chesnut brown in the dull, grey skies that usually plagued La Push and Forks, gleamed with hints of caramel when the sunlight caught it at the right angle. Her eyes were wide and doleful, and although too skinny in his opinion, he appreciated her long limbs and pale skin.

Bella was the quiet sort, Paul had observed, and he knew how chauvinistic he sounded any time he acknowledged to himself that Bella's accidental show of nakedness was the sole reason why his interest in her had been piqued. Still, he couldn't help it so there was no use in denying it. He was a man and she was unknown… forbidden. The thought of crossing that boundary was exhilarating; pissing off Jacob Black in the process would be the icing on the cake.

"Hey, Bella."

"Hey, Dad." Bella replied when she heard her father shout his greeting.

Shutting the front door quietly behind her, she hung her coat on the wall rack to her left and slipped off her shoes. With a weary shuffle, she walked over to where her father sat slumped in the arm-chair; nursing a beer in his hand and eyes focused on the evening news that blared from the old tv monitor. He gave his only daughter a quick glance before switching back to the television; grunting out responses as Bella attempted conversation.

"How was work?"

"Fine. You spend all day up on the res?"

"Yeah."

"Hope you didn't cause any trouble." Charlie fired with amusement before frowning.

Charlie Swan knew his daughter well and he believed to his core that she would avoid trouble at all costs. But since her experience with The Cullens, he had watched her become a shell of her former self. Still, there seemed to be some hope in the form of Jacob Black and his friends. He had seen them hanging around with Bella on more than one occasion and although he trusted the judgement of his oldest friend, Billy Black, and Billy's son, Charlie worried like every father in existence. The young men on the La Push reservation were almost freakishly tall and well-built. Still, they seemed to keep Bella safe and entertained so he did not probe for fear that his daughter would close herself off from him completely.

"Oh yeah. We danced naked under the moon and engaged in a wild orgy." Bella snorted, choosing not to inform her Police officer father of the underage drinking that she had refused to participate in.

With raised eyebrows, Charlie shook his head as a wry smile tugged at his wrinkling face. "Just so long as you used protection. I'm not ready to be a grandpa."

Bella rolled her eyes and bid her father a good night. She knew that he would be up a little while so she took her time in showering before bed; the hot water and shampoo washing away the smell of smoke that had infiltrated every hair on her head and every pore of her skin. Feeling refreshed, she brushed her damp hair into a pony tail and cleaned her teeth. Before leaving the bathroom, she made the conscious decision to change into her sweatpants and vest; not wanting to tempt fate and be caught again in a compromising position with Paul. She saw him as soon as she entered her bedroom. He was crouching on the window ledge and leaning forward with a huge grin on his face as he watched her acknowledge him silently.

"We meet again, Miss Swan. This has to stop becoming a habit."

His jovial greeting made her roll her eyes but she found herself fighting back a reluctant smile that tugged unforgivingly at the corner of her mouth. Still remaining quiet, she pattered over to the double bed that was stood against the wall and pushed into the corner of the room and climbed beneath the covers. She grabbed her copy of 'Pride and Prejudice' – required reading for her English class but a personal favourite of hers – and thumbed the worn and dog-eared pages until she found her place in the book. She read silently but was unable to lose herself in the novel; too distracted by Paul's presence.

"You're always reading that book."

"It's my favourite book."

Paul nodded in understanding. Shutting the book, Bella sighed with exasperation and tossed it onto the bedside cabinet. Flinging back the bed sheets, she walked to the trunk that stood next to her dresser and pulled out a knitted, rainbow coloured blanket and threw it at Paul. She heard it hit him gently and a low chuckle left his mouth. Praying that her father would not come to say 'good night', she got back into the bed and switched off the lamp. The room descended into darkness and she could hear Paul moving about. The window ledge creaked with relief as he stood and soon, he was settled down on the floor at the foot of her bed.

They lay together in the pitch black as a chilly breeze snuck in through the still open window. The minutes ticked by and eventually they broke their silence; their voices a whisper in the night as they tried hard to avoid detection by Charlie.

"I don't need a babysitter, Paul."

"Never said you did."

"You can tell Sam I don't need you around anymore. Surely you have better things to do than to be here every night."

"I don't mind." Paul answered honestly.

Turning onto her side, Bella stared out of the window and focused hard on the artificial orange glow of street light. The street was quiet but she could imagine how families were each retiring to their own beds for the night; mothers kissing their children good night and somewhere, there would be friends laughing and joking as they finally made their way home. The lives of those people were normal. None of them had a human-wolf hybrid camping out on their bedroom floor.

"Hey, Paul?"

"Yeah?" he hummed, his eyes closed and listening out for any sign of movement in or outside of the house.

"Do I really have a birth mark on my bottom?"

A chuckle rose up from Paul and he resisted the urge to sit up and smirk at Bella. Shifting so that his head now rested upon his arms, he stretched out and mused over the memory that played like a record in his head. Despite all of his efforts, he couldn't keep the mischievous tone in his voice at bay and he found himself grinning incessantly.

"I think I need another look just to be sure."

The pillow that came racing through the air put an end to any conversation as it landed impressively on his face with a thud, and he breathed in Bella's scent as she grumbled out a curse at him and he laughed with a freeness he hadn't felt in years.