Rating: M for mature situations
Pairing: Jasper/Bella
Title: Between he Lines

Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight and its characters; I simply get the pleasure of broadening their horizons.

A/N: This little ditty was written for the Writing for Spencer Bell...a cause to support the late Spencer Bell and to fight against Adrenal Cancer. I learned about Spencer Bell through the band 100 Monkeys. Their love and admiration for him is truly inspiring and led me to learn more about him. With that being said...go check out his great music and enjoy this one-shot. It will not be continued if anyone asks. Lastly, thank you to Vi for pre-reading this for me.

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The rain was beating down on the hood of my truck in torrents. I'd almost called in sick at the bookstore, but my need to see him kept me from dialing the number.

-#-

I'd found myself in the historical fiction section of a small bookstore close to my college apartment one Sunday. There were plush chairs nestled into the corners of the small shop. I gathered a small amount of books and made myself comfortable in one of them.

Hours could have gone by for all I knew. The only thing bringing me back to reality was the shuffling of feet and the occasional book being reshelved. Eventually the movement came into the aisle I was currently occupying. A throat cleared, forcing me to pull my eyes away from the page I'd been reading.

Immediately all activity left my brain as I took in the man before me. It was apparent that he was older then me, probably by at least five years. His blonde hair was pulled back in a short ponytail; a black t-shirt was fitted and showed off the hint of tattoos on his biceps. He was a good foot taller then my 5'5" frame.

"Sorry to interrupt you ma'am, but we'll be closing soon." His green eyes crinkled at the sides when a smile overtook his features.

"I completely lost track of time. Your store is very relaxing." I stood up and stretched my back, feeling the stiffness leave my body. Next I gathered up my pile of books and walked around the man who moved slightly to let me by.

"I do that all the time. It's not uncommon for me to come in here on my days off," he said.

"Working here would probably be very rewarding." I pulled my bag from the chair, making my way behind him to the front. "I wanted to purchase this before I go."

I handed him the book and noticed a contemplative look on his face.

We wordlessly passed my credit card back and forth and it wasn't until I was signing the receipt that he spoke up again.

"You know…we just had a position open up last week. I wouldn't mind giving you a chance."

"Really? What would the job entail?" I inquired.

"Mostly just odds and ends. Ringing up costumers, re-shelving returned and new books. Occasionally you'll need to open and close."

"I think I'll take you up on that offer." I gave him an excited smile

"Great. I'm Jasper Whitlock. And you are…?" he asked while holding out his hand.

"Oh! I'm Bella Swan." I grasped his large hand in mine, giving a slight squeeze in greeting.

"So nice to meet you Bella. When would you be able to come in to go over the routine?"

"I have class tomorrow morning, but I'm available anytime after one."

We settled on the best time for me to come back and soon I was on my way to my apartment.

I learned that Jasper was a part time professor at the University of Washington where I was currently a student as well as the owner of Rainier Books.

There were two other employees, Peter and Angela. Both were exceptionally welcoming and had taught me the ropes – not that it was particularly hard to catch on.

Plus it always seemed that I was working alongside Jasper. About a month into my employment Peter had let it slip that Jasper rearranged everybody's schedule to where he magically worked with me during the three days a week I was there.

"Those used to be his days off. Guess something changed, or maybe I should say who?" he said with a smirk, waggling his eyebrows.

I playfully pushed his shoulder, immediately writing off any chance that Jasper had any other intention besides a boss-employee relationship.

Still, I found myself going home that night with the heat of a blush on my face. It did not help matters when Jasper had reached across the front counter to swipe a dangling tendril back behind my ear as I was leaving.

As the weeks passed I still found myself thinking about Peter's words. From the very first moment that my eyes settled on him, I had a physical connection. He was beautiful, masculine and yeah.

Then I got to know his mind. Jasper was a very private person – he wasn't known to freely talk about his family unless asked point blank. I was never clear on his relationship status since I'd seen a few girls come and go with him at the end of the night a few times.

However I knew that he had a great love for books – anything from the classics, to books on the Civil War. Even, with a blush on his part, cheesy romance novels. That led me to believe he was a romantic at heart.

No man had ever reduced me to a puddle of hormones in my life.

It did not help when he began touching me more. Just innocent things such as holding my lower back as I climbed to the higher shelves with the ladder or playfully pulling on my ponytail. All I knew was that each touch got my heart beating a little faster then normal.

-#-

I finally pulled into a parking spot alongside Jasper's car in an empty parking lot. Quickly I trudged through the puddles and into the dry building. Immediately my senses were overridden with the smell of books and ink – heaven.

After I shrugged out of my raincoat, I stashed that and my bag behind the counter. As was my routine on rainy days, I slipped out of my rain boots, sighing in relief when the heat hit my socked feet.

"Bella?"

I gasped before turning towards Jasper's voice. He must have been in the backroom because I hadn't seen him when I came in.

"Hey Jasper. What a day, huh?" I mumbled, pointing towards the front windows.

As he looked to where I was pointing, I took advantage of ogling him as I did at least once every time we worked together.

Today he had on the usual distressed jeans paired with a black long-sleeved henley shirt. I was a bit disappointed that his tattoos were hidden away.

"I guess you didn't get my message," he stated quietly.

"You called?" He'd never used my number before.

"I've only had two costumers come in today…so I was just going to close down early. I tried calling to let you know."

I pulled out my phone, frowning since I usually could hear it go off. "When did you call me?"

Before he could answer I noticed the bookstores number dating back to five minutes prior to my arrival.

"You called me when you knew I was about to arrive?"

He walked over to the door, flipping the lock and hanging the 'Closed' sign.

"Bella…" his voiced sounded gravely…almost in pain. "I've tried to ignore it…I really did."

"Ignore what?"

His green eyes sought mine, intense and unyielding. "These feelings that I have…for you."

He was completely serious and I knew this. But being the awkwardly social person that I was, a snort escaped me before I could stop it.

"Feelings? For me?"

All the sudden I felt this overwhelming urge to run. He'd never let on that he was into me like that. What was with the women he left with right in front of me?

I skirted around the counter and began walking towards the back of the store. He didn't let me get too far though – grasping my arm and pulling me towards him.

In this current position my back was pressed against his hard chest; I could feel him breathing heavier then normal.

"I remember the first time I saw you in here. I spotted you the moment you walked in my door. Carefree. Innocent. Unsuspecting. Then you sequestered yourself in my favorite chair, looking as if you were made to be there. Then I spent the rest of the afternoon trying both to do my job and ignore the beautiful girl in my special corner."

I felt his hands slip into my hair, releasing it from the hair-tie that I always wore.

"Jasper…"

"Then I found myself hiring you on the spot. I didn't really need anybody else working here…but after you said something…I couldn't just let you walk out that door."

He ran his nose along the edge of my ear, wrapping his arms around my waist.

"I knew you didn't need to deal with the likes of me in your life. Going through school…dating the guys on campus."

I turned in his arms, pulling back to look at him. "I don't date. Or I haven't I mean."

"I know," he stated.

I stepped back fully, leaning against the sliding ladder. "You knew? Well then why didn't you attempt to broach the subject with me? What about all those girls?"

"Angela told me that you never talked about anybody…besides me." He once again filled the space between us. "Those girls were merely distractions. They meant nothing…I promise."

I didn't say anything else as he leaned in towards me. He held my eyes, watching to see if I would bolt.

My eyes closed when his lips were a breath away, already feeling the tingle that came with his touch. Finally his lips softly brushed against mine before coming back more firmly.

I let out a groan as I felt his tongue slip between my lips to dance with my own.

I untied his hair, allowing his blonde curls to frame his face. It was the first time I had ever seen it down.

He pulled my shirt over my head, leaving me only in my bra from the waist up. I motioned for him to do the same, my eyes hungrily chasing over the bright colors on his chest and arms. Red, blue, green, black – colors that formed his very own color scheme. All seemed to represent him in some way.

I leaned forward and traced the lines of a flower with my tongue, enjoying the taste of his skin.

He groaned and tightened his hold on my hair. "Bella…don't tease."

Soon all clothing was discarded, nothing but flesh on flesh. Instead of moving at a frenzied pace, Jasper seemed to slow down.

His fingers traced my cheeks, trailing down the sides of my neck and onto my collarbone.

I stepped up on the ladder, bringing my chest level with his face. He looked up at me, a smirk playing on his lips. Slowly he leaned forward and pulled a nipple into his mouth.

"Oh God…" I gasped, not expecting the suction.

"No…Jasper. You'll only be moaning my name," he breathed against my skin.

His mouth returned to my breast, licking before moving on to the other. I felt his hands slip down my abdomen and grab my ass, lifting me from my perch on the ladder.

My legs wrapped around his hips while my back came to rest on the step behind me.

I pulled his head from my chest before leaning down and possessing his mouth with my own.

"Jasper…take me," I whispered against his lips.

He slipped his fingers between us, sliding them against my clit. My hips squirmed at the sensation, bucking towards the movements.

I looked down between us, watching him give himself a few pumps before aligning with my opening.

Slowly I felt him ease himself into me, feeling fuller then I ever have before.

When he was flush against me, his hips pushed my ass into the ladder, almost seating me on the perch.

"Put your hand on the bar above you…it'll steady you," he said breathlessly.

I did as I was told, putting one hand above me and the other around his shoulder.

He began pumping into me, picking up the pace at the sound of the noise emanating from my mouth.

"Oh shit…shit, shit, shit," he said as my walls began to tighten around him.

"Jasper…" I threw my head back, knocking my head into the ladder railing. I didn't notice as the tingling sensation started in my lower back and shot through my entire body.

After I came down from my orgasm, Jasper began to pump faster, making shallow thrusts. Our skin was slapping together from the building sweat.

His thrusts got erratic and after three more he stilled, clenching his eyes shut. The chords in his neck strained as he gasped, my name falling quietly from his lips.

My legs went limp from around him, no longer able to keep a steady grip on him. Slowly he pulled out and set me back down on the ground. His shirt was handed to me where I quietly pulled it over my head.

I had a momentary bought of panic as the silence descended – it was going to be awkward now. I slept with my boss!

"Hey…come here." I looked down and saw that Jasper had sat down after pulling his boxers back on.

I settled into the crook of his arm, both of us leaning against the books.

Suddenly he began to laugh, the sensation playing nicely in our post-coital state.

"What?" I asked.

"Good thing I locked the front door."

"Definitely…" I kissed his shoulder.

Eventually he quieted down, stroking my hair with the arm wrapped around my shoulders.

"Bella…I know we've kind of gone about things backwards. But I really do want to get to know you better…outside of work."

"I do too." I lazily traced the tattoos on his shoulder…watching as he gave an involuntary shudder. "For instance, I want to know the story behind these. I've been fascinated with them since day one."

##

A/N: Thank you for reading.