So ... *smiles sheepishly* ... I finally read my first-ever Imprint fic. Wait ... "WHAT!" Now, I can't really give you a good reason why I haven't read one before, other than that I never really pictured Bella with a wolf *hesitates* ... not even Jacob *winces*. I always saw the wolf pack as Bella's family—a family she can't live without, in a brotherly/sisterly manner. There may also have been a small assumption on my part—because of their age—that the love story will come off as ... juvenile.
It was last week that I realized how wrong I had been to assume all Imprint fics are adolescent because, damn it all to hell, I am now obsessed with wolf fics. *laughs* Particularly Paul and Bella fics, and it was all because I made the wise choice to read Paw Prints & Other Distractions.
It’s safe to say that this Imprint fic is not immature or typical.
We all know that Bella’s considered somewhat “mousy” and that Paul’s the most volatile of the pack. Yet, the author, Danni’n’Taylor4Eva, wrote each character in a way that almost switches their roles while keeping their canon personalities. She gave Bella the inner strength of a woman, at the same time retaining the self-conscious good-goody, and Paul the emotional insecurity of a man in the form of a bitter womanizer.
The author underscores Bella’s mature attitude from the conditions set by her choice to stay in Forks alone, as well as showcasing Bella’s naiveté in her ... unconventional acts. The greatest example is when Bella masturbates. (That’s right. I said that.) But she does it with long nails *cringe* and you get a part of it from Paul’s POV, who’s actually in another room (shower to be exact). *Fans self* Take a peek ...
Her fingernails were much too long for that kind of stimulation. If they were only stroking my cock, it'd be fine, but long nails belonged nowhere near the inside of a woman and my Bella was no exception.
"Come on, honey, relax. Just relax and let me do it," I begged, but my words fell upon deaf ears-the only one hearing me was me.
I wanted to help her. I wanted to turn off the shower, turn the door knob, and see her on the bed, waiting for me to show her how. I would calmly use my sensitive touch to caress her legs, smooth out a few strands of her hair before I would move toward her center of pleasure and release the world for her to enjoy. I would do it till she told me to stop. I would do it even after she told me to stop. Her body was like a problem I wanted the solution for; a recipe with a missing ingredient that only I possessed. I gargled a low, frustrated scream as she came too early and I was still as hard as a rock. I drowned myself in her scented orgasm as best as I could, but I knew it hardly compared to being physically there with her.
This shower was not helping me or my thoughts at all.
"Not working. This shit is not working," I whispered. I was losing it.
Even here, the author gave Paul his own voice. One that confirms his experience and shall I say cocky attitude, all the while illustrating his considerate instruction. Although subtle in this instance, I also think he has a need to please—both sexually and by holding the image expected of him, and thus, successfully managing to keep everyone at distance. Bella herself noted, "it seemed like every time he did something that could be considered nice, he'd suddenly remember that he was Paul and would take extra care to mess it up."
What’s more is that even though the Imprint happens in an instant, the relationship does not, at least not in the way one would expect. I’ve been reading many Paul and Bella fics, and where Paul’s normally portrayed angry and fighting the Imprint, in Paw Prints & Other Distractions he’s both accepting and withdrawn from it. The unstable wolf appears to have the utmost control, as it’s his duty to protect Bella. He still feels the pull, but to him it’s in a sexual way—primal being that it’s his inner wolf that wants to claim what’s his—and he has never wanted a woman for more than sex. However, he and Bella have yet to take it farther than the live-in guard dog and leech loving bait. And it’s not for lack of chemistry. On the contrary, one touch and you’re begging for more.
Paul's eyes lowered to the baked good and then back to me. "You don't know me. Why are you giving me this?"
"I don't know." I glanced down, feeling self conscious. "Do you want it?"
Paul moved his head and arm closer to me. His breathing was slow and even. I could see his chest contracting with each breath he took. He stopped shaking and his thumb rubbed the green plate under my abandoned muffin, making its way toward my finger, still resting on the plate. I choked on a bit of air as my finger felt a jolt; his thumb brushed the skin of my knuckle, making the small hairs on my neck and arms stand, and then he snatched the plate away from me. He sat back in a chair, making it creak and shake under his weight as he fingered the rest of the muffin in his hand before taking a mouthful in front of me.
"Suit yourself. Nothing is better than Emily's muffins."
I looked up angrily and Paul was sitting up, gloating that he had taken my muffin. I took a step forward, but Jacob placed his body between me and the table. And Paul.
"Hey, if she wants to hit me, let her. I do hit back, though," Paul taunted.
*Laughs* Yeah, I’d be pissed, too. Paul appears to be playing a game with Bella by using her kindness and hormones against her. But Bella can also hold her own. She’s got a little more bite and wit to her.
"It'll be fine, Billy. I won't hesitate to rub the kid's nose in the rug if he pees on the floor."
See, there, Bella’s not such a pushover, yet she still keeps to her typical self of trying to reassure everyone she’s fine. Danni'n'Taylor4Eva even makes what would’ve been a dramatic scene, a little more funny. For example, a standoff between Paul and Bella:
My attention was focused intently on the huge Quileute in front of me, and though his lips had barely moved, Paul's menacing grunt shook the ground he stood on. I flexed my fingers as I saw the muscles in his neck tense, looking as though they wanted to break through his russet skin to restrain me.
"Oh, this is bad," Embry said in a low voice.
"Too late now." Jared almost sounded gleeful.
I continued to stare at Paul, not daring to take my eyes off of him. He was completely still, as if holding his breath. He glared at me, but there was something off. Paul's eyes were too bright, sparkling into mine. He didn't blink; his eyes were straining not to break contact with me, and I could see his eyes tearing from keeping them open for so long.
Of course, Danni'n'Taylor4Eva has the wolf pack, but I never realized how funny they could be. And she did it in a way where they are truly family, a unit that knows each other inside and out, and not because they have a mind link, but because they truly do care for one another, especially Sam and Paul.
"It's not my call. Our ancestors saw fit to place you two together."
"Together? No, I don't think so." I argued. "She's a vampire's girl."
"She was, yes." Sam agreed.
"I shouldn't want her in that way."
"That's not your choice either."
"She doesn't even like me you know. She's wanted to slap me twice since we've met, three hours and six minutes ago."
"Since when did you start counting minutes?" Sam asked jokingly.
My face paled. Oh my God.
There’s a developed air around each of the characters; an air that holds them as grown and non-shifting individuals, making the readers wonder where Paul and Bella will really come together. Will it take more than Quileute magic? Tragedy and fate? Will it take the distracting and hilarious (and I do mean HILARIOUS) pack mates? Or will it be a good roll in the sack?
And when all is said and done, will the reasons that brought them together be enough to keep them together?
Find out by reading Paw Prints & Other Distractions and leave Danni'n'Taylor4Eva a review for her sharp and sidesplitting Imprint fic. You won’t regret it.
I don't ... for I fell in love with the unloved—my very own.
Summary: Bella contemplates leaving Forks after the accident of a loved one, but the wolf pack needs her help. Driven to save what family she has left, Bella must decide once and for all if the love for her wolf is real or is it really just another distraction.
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