Bushy Eyebrows

Disclaimer: Me not own. Really.

"You play your cards right, mister, you never know what might happen."

Jasper's jaw dropped as Mary Alice Brandon winked at him, a giggle falling from her lips. She lifted a perfectly manicured hand and wiggled her fingers, before slowly turning around and sauntering away, glancing back over her shoulder, her eyes dancing with flirtation. Jasper swallowed as he watched her leave, hand reaching up to run through his matted, honey-blond curls. He blew out a breath. Had she just said yes? She hadn't actually said the word. She'd more hinted at a maybe. So what did that mean?

Did he have a date for the dance or not?

Groaning slightly in frustration, he turned around himself and headed back towards his truck, the errands he'd come into town to do that day forgotten. He'd finally plucked up the courage to ask the elusive Miss Brandon out, and she gives him a non-answer. Why would she do that? He'd seen the way she looked at him. He may be a simple country boy who kept mostly to himself and didn't talk much – at least not to people he didn't know – but he did know how to recognize approval in a woman's eyes. It didn't make sense. What he needed… he sighed as he pulled the truck onto the road and headed back to the ranch. What he needed was a woman's perspective. Who better to know the workings of a female mind than another female?

He couldn't go to his mamma about it, however. She'd tease him mercilessly, as would his twin sister. Which only really left one other person.

Unfortunately, he wanted to go to her even less than his family.

Grimacing, he slowed the truck at the turnoff before his and headed for the neighbouring ranch. Bella would know what to do. She always did. If there was one woman in Texas with a solid head on her shoulders, it was Isabella Swan. She was his best friend, had been since they'd been in diapers, and she was exactly the right person to turn to when he had a problem that needed sorting out. He'd done it many times in the past, just as she'd done with him, and she'd probably be a little put out if she realized he'd had a problem and hadn't come to her. They were that close.

Of course, the fact that he'd been in serious lust with her since he was 14, and the one thing they didn't really talk about was relationships and the opposite sex, threw a tiny bit of a spanner in the works.

Bella didn't know that, however. He'd been damn sure to keep it from her. His best friend saw him as exactly that. A friend. That wasn't going to change, no matter how hard he wished it would, and it was the confirmation of this that had Jasper gathering himself and blurting out the invite to Mary Alice in the middle of the street. He may be hopelessly in lust and very seriously in like with his best friend, but that didn't mean he had to suffer. He was going to move on with his life if it was the last thing he did.

Getting a 'maybe' from Mary Alice hadn't been in the plan. And asking Bella the reason why she'd said maybe instead of yes hadn't been either. He shifted uneasily in his seat at the thought, the dry dirt road filling his cab with dust as he approached the farmhouse. It just felt… wrong to be going to her about something like this. Unnatural almost.

Dude, suck it up. Just because you've got a boner for your best friend doesn't make her any less your best friend. Grow a pair and deal with it.

The imagined advice from Emmett had a wry smile twitching Jasper's lips. His farmhand and friend was right, crude though he may be. Bella had been there through thick and thin for as long as he could remember. He was determined that a silly little crush wasn't going to change that.

A crush? Yeah, you keep telling yourself that, Whitlock.

Pushing his annoying thoughts aside, Jasper pulled the truck up to the barn and clambered out, shoving his hat on his head as he did so. He knew where she'd be. Bella would spend 24 hours a day with her horses if she could, and he smiled to himself as he leaned back against the hood of the truck and watched the barn doors open. She would've heard him pull up, and it was with a curious grin that his best friend stepped out into the sunlight, hay dusting her jeans. She pulled off her hat to wipe her sweaty forehead, painting horse muck on her skin in the process, and Jasper felt his smile widen. There she was. Salt-of-the-earth, always willing to get down and dirty, Isabella Swan.

He cursed his stupid heart for leaping at the sight of her.

"Jasper! What are you doing here?"

"You sound as if I'm not welcome," he drawled, grinning at her. Bella rolled her eyes, walked over and hit him over the arm with her hat.

"Idiot. Of course you are. But I thought you were in town today? Didn't you say you had so much to do that you wouldn't be surprised if you ended bunking down there for the night?"

She cocked her head at him, folded one long, denim-clad leg over the other and arched an inquiring eyebrow. Jasper's gaze dragged slowly over her before he forced himself to look away. Those jeans were no tighter than what any other of the female hands wore, but on her, they were almost sinful. And when you added the tank that all but hugged her breasts, a V of sweat at the front… he shuddered out a breath and stared down at his hands.

Bella wasn't a goddess. Not by a long shot. She wasn't short, but she wasn't tall either, and her figure wasn't lush with curves. She worked too hard to carry any extra weight, and most of the time she dressed like a man. But to Jasper's eyes she was the perfect example of womanhood. Her skin was rough from the sun, but it was deeply tanned and warm to the touch. Her chest was small, hidden most of the time, unless it was a particularly hot day, and nobody's fantasy – except his. She wore jeans rain or shine, but he was one of the privileged few who'd seen her legs uncovered, and those defined calf and thigh muscles were the reason for plenty of his sleepless nights. And don't even get him started on her ass. He couldn't think about her ass without needing a cold shower.

Then there was her face, wide and open, sun-kissed with a stray freckle here and there. Her mouth was chapped a lot of the time, but full, with a lush, thoroughly biteable bottom lip. And her eyes…

He could drown in her eyes.

A deep, chocolate brown that showed every emotion and seemed to look right into his soul. She saw everything, his Bella did. It was just a little disconcerting, and it was surprising that he'd been able to keep his lustful thoughts from her because of it.

And to top the whole package off, a feature that had starred in every single fantasy he'd had about her; her hair. Falling almost to that amazing ass when out, wavy one moment and then pin-straight the next, the mahogany shone in the sunlight, lit up with hints of fire. It was his greatest wish to see that hair spread wantonly across his pillow, messy from his hands and sticking to her forehead as she panted under him. Or maybe trailing across his stomach and thighs as she took him into her mouth and-

"Earth to Jasper!"

Startled, Jasper's head shot up, the pulse-racing images in his brain rapidly dissolving. Christ, what was he thinking? He couldn't dream about her doing that with her standing right next to him! He blinked a couple of times and cleared his throat, meeting the concern in Bella's eyes with a slightly strained smile.

"Sorry, ah, I sort of zoned out for a minute there."

"You're telling me," she muttered, watching him closely, her eyes narrowing. "What are you doing here? Is everything all right?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine," he sighed, running his hand through his hair again. "But there is… there's something I wanted to talk to you about. You free?"

"Sure, I could do with a break anyway. Sue made a fresh batch of lemonade last night if you're interested?"

"Lead the way, Bella Mia," Jasper grinned, waving her forward. Bella rolled her eyes again, the age-old nickname from when she'd had an obsession as a young girl with anything Italian making her shake her head. She'd told him time and time again not to call her that, said she was nothing like those beautiful Italian girls, and time and time again, he ignored her. He'd only just begun to call her it again after a long time of not being allowed too, and he certainly wasn't going to stop.

He scowled as he followed her into the house, his eyes locked unconsciously on her ass. Edward Cullen. Fucking prick. Bella had broken it off with the possessive, controlling asshole a couple of months ago, and, after four years of off and on, it actually looked like she wasn't going to go back this time. In fact, it was the confirmation of that in a conversation he'd heard her have with his sister Rosalie that had him asking Mary Alice out. Bella had been over the evening before, and she and Rose, who was home from college for term break, had been sitting in the dark on the porch swing. They'd been talking quietly, but the stillness had carried their voices, and Jasper had been heading in after a long, tiring day when his approach had been halted dead in its tracks. Bella was telling Rose that Jacob Black had asked her to the Ashlyn House Fundraising Dance, and she was seriously considering saying yes.

His Bella was moving on. And it wasn't with him.

How exactly is she supposed to know you're an option if you don't let her know, you brainless dolt?

Shut up, Rose, he grumbled to himself, sitting at the kitchen table and taking off his hat, smiling in thanks when Bella placed a tall, sweaty glass of ice-cold lemonade in front of him. He wasn't an option. At least not in Bella's mind. The girl had never given him any indication, not one single iota of a hint that she wanted to be more than just his friend. He wasn't going to mess with a happy status quo because he, as Emmett so eloquently put it, 'had a boner for her.' He was happy for her for moving on, and anything, anything was better than Fuckward Cullen.

Even if it was with a puffed up, steroid-taking dumbass like Jacob Black.

"So, what's on your mind, Jazzy?" Bella asked, taking her own seat and smirking at him. Jasper grinned to himself and shook his head. He hated that name, but payback's a bitch, after all. He settled back in his chair and took a sip, wondering where to start.

"You're a female, right?" he began slowly, stopping when she let out a loud snort.

"Glad you noticed," she said dryly, pushing her chair back and resting her socked feet on the table. Jasper swallowed, his gaze fixed on those long, long legs.

Oh, I noticed, all right. You don't have to tell me twice.

The chair creaked and Jasper snapped back, clearing his throat again. Jesus, he really needed to stop fantasizing with her in the room. Those sorts of thoughts were meant for the dark of night, not for when she was sitting two feet away from him!

"Jasper?"

"Ah, yeah. Umm, so you're female. What exactly does it mean when a woman says 'maybe' instead of 'yes' when you ask her out?"

The chair creaked again, a lot louder this time, and Jasper shot to his feet and caught it before it tipped right backwards and sent Bella to the floor. Her eyes were wide and startled as he stood over her and stared down into them.

"Not to sound like our parents, but you really shouldn't lean back in your chair. You could get hurt."

Her breath hitched and then blew out a little shakily. "Yeah, I know, you just… surprised me. We don't usually talk about this stuff."

"Only because the last time I tried, you were having trouble with the douche and told me, rather forcefully, to stay the hell out of it," Jasper pointed out as he lowered her chair to the floor. Bella blew out another breath, her cheeks taking on a hint of colour.

"I apologized for that, didn't I?" she muttered, frowning. Jasper sighed and took his seat.

Still doesn't mean you didn't punch a hole in my gut, he thought, but didn't say. She had apologized. Two weeks after the fact when everything was good with Edward again, but still, it was an apology, and it was one he'd accepted.

The fucker she'd started seeing at 16 was always going to be a bone of contention between them, even now, when they were no longer together. He couldn't help the way he'd felt – the way he still felt – and she couldn't help being defensive. Therefore, it was best to move on and leave all that in the past.

That's what asking Mary Alice out had been about, hadn't it?

"Yeah, you did. Enough of that. Wanna answer my question?"

"In a minute," Bella replied, the eyes on him surprisingly intense. "Who'd you ask out, Jasper?"

Jasper frowned and shifted in his seat, that uneasy feeling back with a vengeance. Which didn't make any sense. She was sitting there, staring at him, and there was a strange sort of tension in the air. Why was she looking at him so hard? He felt like he was sitting in the principal's office, about to be punished for doing something wrong.

"Do I have something on my face?" he asked, confusion making him swipe his fingers over his cheek. Christ, he wasn't wearing his breakfast, was he? It would explain the way she was staring, and it would probably explain why Mary Alice hadn't given him a definite yes or no.

Bella blinked and more colour invaded her cheeks. "Just your bushy eyebrows," she answered, tone a little higher than usual. "You should really do something about those, you know."

"I don't have bushy eyebrows!" Jasper protested.

"Yes you do," Bella grinned, getting up and putting her empty glass in the sink before turning and leaning back against it. "Who'd you ask out?"

"Mary Alice Brandon," Jasper grumbled, eyes angled upwards as he tried to peer at his eyebrows. They weren't bushy, were they? Was that the reason why she hadn't said yes?

The silence from the other end of the room had him looking at Bella again. She was standing with her arms folded across her chest – giving herself a lovely little bit of cleavage, Jasper noticed, then told himself off for noticing – frowning at the floor.

"What? You don't like her?" he asked curiously. Bella and Mary Alice were very different. For a start off, Mary Alice was very clearly a townie. Her family was wealthy and her clothing choices showed that, the expensive garments clinging to a tiny, but very nicely packaged body. She was the definition of petite, only coming up to Jasper's elbow, which made him feel like he had to treat her gently. Not that he'd had the chance to treat her any way so far. But that didn't matter. Mary Alice was sweet and giggly and flirtatious and a little flighty and was basically the complete opposite of Bella Swan.

Which had factored heavily in his decision to ask her out.

"No, that's not it, she's a nice girl," Bella answered, her head coming up, a small smile tugging at her lips. It didn't reach her eyes. "I just didn't realize you were looking at anyone. You've seemed pretty content to be on your own these past couple of years."

Only because I didn't think it was fair to be with someone when I'm pining over someone else, he thought, but once again didn't say. Well, that was going to stop. It was time to worry about himself instead of the girl he was seeing. He was sick of suffering in silence. If Bella could get over Edward, who she was with for four fucking years, then he sure as hell could get over her.

"Things change," he shrugged.

"They sure do," Bella whispered, staring at him. Jasper's eyes narrowed, but before he could question the tone, she continued. "So, she said maybe?"

"Yeah," he answered, still frowning. There was something going on here. Something he was missing. "Her exact words were 'you play your cards right, mister, you never know what might happen.'"

Bella snorted, a snicker escaping her. Jasper's eyes narrowed again.

"Sorry, sorry. I guess everyone answers in their own way. And, ah, going by that answer, I'm guessing she wants you to woo her."

"Woo her?" Jasper repeated, brows drawn down in confusion.

"Yeah, you know, flowers, dinner, walks in the park, holding hands, that sort of thing."

"And I'm supposed to do all this before the dance?" he groaned, falling forward to bang his forehead against the table. "It's this weekend, I don't have time!"

"You asked… oh."

He looked up to find her back to him, washing the dishes that were left over from breakfast. That back was stiff, the movements jerky. Concern and confusion twisted in Jasper's stomach.

"What's wrong, Bella Mia?"

If it was possible, her back stiffened even more.

"Nothing! Honestly, Jasper, I'm fine. The dance, huh? You're right, it doesn't leave you much time. You'll just have to do what you can. In fact," she spun around with a very determined expression in her eyes, "the first thing you can do is let me see to those eyebrows of yours."

Said eyebrows shot up, a hand reaching up to cover them. "What's with you and my eyebrows? There's nothing wrong with them!"

"Apart from looking like hairy caterpillars on your forehead-"

"Hey!"

"-they're perfectly fine. Don't move from that chair, I'll be right back."

She hurried from the kitchen. Jasper scowled after her, his hand still rubbing his brow. The hair bristled against his fingertips. Maybe they were… no. They were fine. The woman didn't have a clue what she was going on about.

None of his past girlfriends had ever complained about his eyebrows. Granted, he hadn't had many, the last one over two years ago, and none of them had spoken their mind like Bella did. He would've been uncomfortable with it if they had. The only person who could get away with telling it like it is was Bella-

Wait. Maybe that did mean his brows were hairy!

Rubbing his forehead frantically, Jasper got to his feet and made to follow the woman who'd made him panic about his facial features. He stopped dead when said woman came back into the kitchen with an instrument of torture in her hand.

"Oh no. Oh, fuck no. That's not going to happen. That's really not going to happen!"

He about-faced and rushed towards the door, very intent on running away. Her voice stopped him with his hand on the doorknob.

"Jasper Whitlock, a monobrow is not sexy! Now, sit your backside down and let me deal with it!"

"A monobrow? I don't have a monobrow!" Jasper growled, glaring back over his shoulder.

Do I?

Bella glared right back at him, that horrible tool glinting in the midmorning light shining through the window.

"Of course you don't, but if you're not careful, it could get to that! Sit down!"

The standoff was tense, both parties determined not to back down, but eventually Jasper sighed and turned away from the door.

"You think this will help my case?" he huffed. Bella grinned, sensing triumph.

"Yes, I do. You don't need to lose much. Your eyes are gorgeous enough anyway, this'll just emphasize that."

Jasper's gaze shot to her, surprise rushing through him. She thought his eyes were gorgeous? Well now, maybe he was more willing than he'd thought. He grinned at her, the grin turning smirk-like when he saw the colour flooding her cheeks.

Bella rolled her eyes at the smirk. "Oh, sit your ass down, idiot. This won't take long."

"Whatever you say, darlin'," he drawled, walking back over to the chair and secretly hoping that the playful flirting got more of a reaction than it had in the past. Unfortunately, she reacted the same as she always did. With laughter.

Jasper sighed silently as he took his seat. Had he really expected a different reaction? He didn't know why he continued to try. It was an occasional test she didn't know she was taking, and it was one she failed every time.

Once he was sitting in the seat again, Bella approached him, grasped his knees and pushed them apart, then stepped between them. Jasper gaped at her lower body, his hands wrapping around the arms of the chair so that he didn't reach for her hips. She was standing right there. He could touch her, pull her closer, press his face into her stomach and nose her tank up-

Her body leaned into him, her thigh pressing close to his groin as her breasts nearly touched his shoulder, and Jasper almost had a heart attack.

Oh fuck. Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh, fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck-

Pluck.

His head jerked back in one hell of a hurry. "Ow! Jesus fucking Christ, woman, that hurt! What are you doing?"

"Oh, stop being a baby, I do this weekly. It doesn't hurt that much! Hold still!"

She gripped his curls and leaned in again, her breasts actually touching his shoulder this time. Jasper began to hyperventilate.

Pluck.

"Ow, ow, ow, shit, fuck, stop it! You're enjoying this!"

"Did I say I wasn't?" Bella asked sweetly, laughing when he growled. "Hold still. Here we go again."

Pluck. Pluck, pluck, pluck. Pluck, pluck.

"For fuck's sake!"

It continued like that half an hour, Jasper's attention divided between the body of his best friend pressing into him and the bush-fire his eyebrows were turning into. It was actually rather sobering, the pain in his forehead. Every time his imagination got out of control, she would pluck another hair, and he'd be rudely jerked out of his fantasies.

Well, most of the time. He got used to it eventually, the burn fading somewhat. Now free of the pain, his brain had no unpleasant distractions to stop it going haywire. And boy, did it ever.

By the time Bella nodded in satisfaction and pulled her hands away from his brows, Jasper was so hard, he ached.

"There you go. That's much better. I'll go get you some ice; they're going to hurt for a while."

She patted his shoulder and went to step back, her thigh brushing his groin the process.

Jasper's hands shot up from the arms of the chair and clamped onto her hips.

The gasp from Bella didn't break his hold, nor did it get him to open his eyes, or unclench his teeth. Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck. His heart was racing, his blood was pumping, the watermelon scent of her bodywash was drifting through his head and driving him mad and he didn't think he'd be able to let her go.

"Jasper? It didn't hurt that much, did it?"

That's not what's hurting, Bella Mia.

She leaned into him again, her thigh pressing right where he wanted it, and Jasper groaned, unable to help bucking into her. Bella froze, his erection pressing into her leg.

"O-oh."

You said it, sister.

"Umm. Ah, Jasper, did… ah, did having your eyebrows plucked t-turn you on?"

The lust cleared slightly at the embarrassed, rather tentative question, and Jasper blinked before letting out a bark of laughter. He leaned forward and pressed his face into her tank.

"No, Bella Mia, it wasn't that type of torture that did this to me," he mumbled, breathing in her scent. "Just, ah, just give me a minute, okay? I'll let you go in a minute."

There was silence from the girl he was holding. Jasper breathed deeply, trying to get his hormones under control. He laughed silently to himself.

Fat chance of that, with her still standing so achingly close.

"Jasper?"

"Hmmm?" he answered, his breath blowing over her stomach. She shivered and Jasper's muscles tensed.

"W-was it… was it m-me who turned you on?"

Jasper's hands tightened on her hips so much, he'd be surprised if she didn't have bruises. Her voice was deeper. Lower. Huskier. Her hand moved off his shoulder and traced up his neck. It made him shiver, and fuck if it didn't give him hope.

Did she…?

"Yes," he breathed into her stomach. Oh God, please, please, please…

Her hands circled his throat, cupping his chin and lifting it, until he was looking into deep, dark, molten eyes, the look in them searching.

"What about Mary Alice?" she whispered.

"What about Jacob?" he countered, just as quietly. Bella's eyes widened.

"You heard that?"

Jasper nodded and took a deep breath. Time to go all in. "Why do you think I asked Mary Alice out? I suffered enough while you were with Edward; I wasn't going to do the same with another one. It hurt too much the first time."

She stared down at him for a long time, that searching expression not leaving her eyes. Finally, after what seemed like eons, a wide smile slowly spread across her face.

"You know, Rose told me. She said that you were getting fed up and that if I didn't do something about it soon, you were going to move on. I was trying to get up the courage, and then you come and tell me you'd asked Mary Alice out. I thought I'd lost my chance."

Jasper's jaw dropped for the second time that day. "You knew how I felt?"

"Of course I did, idiot, you weren't exactly subtle," Bella snorted, grinning at him. "I couldn't do anything about it while I was with Edward, but that changed when we broke up. I was just trying to find the right way."

Jasper let out a growl. "Okay then, then why the fuck did you ask if it was the eyebrows that did this?" he asked, grinding into her leg. He groaned at the friction and Bella gasped again.

"I- I d-don't know the type of things you get off on, do I?" she breathed, a little laughter in her voice as she fell forward onto him. Jasper's hands unlocked from her hips and his arms wrapped tightly around her.

You're going to learn pretty quickly, Bella Mia, he thought as he buried his face in the hair that had loosened from her ponytail.

"I don't get off on pain, darlin'. Your body against mine is all I need, as you can already tell."

She chuckled against his shoulder, subtly pressing her hips down and making him hiss. "I'm glad to hear that."

"Witch," he muttered, grinning as she laughed. "So, does this mean that if I asked you to go to the dance with me, you'll give me a definite yes?"

Bella stilled in his arms and then pulled back, her eyes wide. "You want to go to the dance with me?"

"More than anything," Jasper assured her. "That is of course, if you haven't said yes to Jacob yet."

I'll take the fucker apart if you have, steroids or not.

"No, no, I haven't. I was only thinking about that because… well, because I didn't want to ruin our friendship. I don't want to lose you, Jasper, and I was slightly afraid that if I made a move and it didn't work between us, I would. That's the only reason I was considering his invite."

Jasper blinked up at her in bafflement, before letting out another bark of laughter. Bella's eyes widened further and hurt swam into her gaze. She went to pull away, but Jasper hold tightened, preventing her from moving.

"No, no, stop, where are you going? I'm sorry for laughing, Bella Mia, it's just that the thought of us not being, well, us, is a little laughable. We've been through your parent's divorce, your mamma and then your dad's remarriage, finding out that Maria, the maid that helped raise me and Rose is our real mother, then her demanding money so that that didn't get out, and then we went through the whole debacle with Fuckward Cullen and still came out the other side as strong as ever. Nothing's going to break us, darlin', especially not something as small as a relationship not working. We're stuck together, you and me."

Bella blinked. Then blinked again. Her mouth formed an almost comical 'O' before laughter escaped her and relief lit her face.

"You're right. You're absolutely right. What was I thinking? You, Jasper Whitlock, are a genius!"

She laughed again, then darted down and pressed her lips to his in a kiss that was supposed to be innocent and friendly. The instant her lips touched his, however, a bolt of lust blasted through Jasper, and the kiss turned into something the opposite of innocent.

His hands rose to cup her face as his mouth slanted over hers. Bella jolted slightly in surprise and then sighed, melting into him, her mouth opening and offering under his. Their lips moved slowly, tongues searching and twining. There was no tentative exploration that usually came with a first kiss; instead they drank each other in thoroughly, sinking hot and heavy, making everything blur and fade until all Jasper could think of was Bella and heat and pleasure and more, more, more-

The door banged open behind them, making them both jump.

"Boy, you're gonna wanna let my daughter go before you have to have my boot surgically removed from your ass, you hear me?"

The dry drawl had Bella squeaking and hurtling from his lap so quickly, Jasper's hands were still raised after she'd gone. He blinked dazedly at her, before slowly turning his head. Charlie Swan was standing in the doorway, eyeing him as if he was a wild dog trying to go after his stock.

"Ah… Char- umm, Mr Swan, sir, it's good to see you," Jasper croaked. His blood was still rushing through him, his brain still wrapped up in kissing Bella like there was no tomorrow. It was safe to say that he wasn't in the right frame of mind to be facing Bella's father.

The older man snorted and walked further into the kitchen. "Having an early lunch are we?" he asked his daughter, who was now studying the contents of the fridge like they could solve all the world's problems.

"Sure. Sure thing, Dad. You want anything?"

Her voice still squeaked. Jasper found himself grinning.

"If you're doing something, I'll have some of it," Charlie answered, amusement in his tone. He turned to Jasper, who was still sitting in the chair with his legs splayed. His cheeks flushed as his gaze locked on Jasper's groin and then quickly shot away. "Maybe you wanna head home, Jasper? I'm sure your mamma's got her own lunch going, and I don't see her appreciating it if you're late."

Jasper frowned, his gaze following the path the older man's had. He groaned silently, heat rushing into his own cheeks as he saw exactly how obvious it was that he'd been enjoying kissing Bella. He mumbled something about doing just that, jerked to his feet and snatched up his hat, all but running to the door with the head accessory a lot lower on his body than usual. He was mortified. Christ, talk about leaving a bad impression! If Bella was going to be his girlfriend-

Bella was going to be his girlfriend.

Jasper stopped in the doorway, body still facing outwards, but with his head turned back in. "Ah, sir, just so you know, I'll be around at six on Saturday night to pick Bella up for the dance, if that's all right with you."

Charlie pursed his lips, his gaze switching between his very eager looking daughter and the boy he'd thought had taken far too long to get his act together. He liked Jasper. He liked him a lot, and he thought that the kid was exactly right for his Bella. A hell of a lot more than that Edwin ass had been. It had annoyed him a little when it seemed to take so long for both Bella and the boy to see that for themselves.

Of course, he wasn't going to tell the kid that. He'd just found him all but molesting his only daughter at his kitchen table. He deserved to suffer a little.

"I suppose that's all right," he answered slowly, eyeing the boy. He smiled to himself at the way Bella grinned. "But you have her back by 11, you hear me?"

"What? Dad! I'm 20 years old for Christ's sake!"

"Don't you swear at me, Isabella," Charlie warned, turning to the fuming girl and pointing a finger at her. "My house, my rules. You do as I say or you don't go at all."

"But-"

"That's okay, Mr Swan, she'll be back by then," the kid spoke from the doorway. He'd turned further into the room, with his hips still facing away and his hat- Charlie shut that thought down quickly.

Nope. Not going there.

"Good, good," he said, peering closer at the boy. "We'll see you then. And maybe you might wanna get your brows seen too, huh? They're flared up good and red; it looks like you've had a reaction to something or another."

Charlie frowned when Jasper muttered something under his breath and stalked from the house, throwing Bella a glare when she doubled over with laughter.

What was so funny about rashy eyebrows?