"I don't understand why you can't just tell them," Jessica said in a voice Jasper would have sworn was that whiney on purpose.
"I can't 'just tell them,'" he replied evenly, "because you're a human and I'm a vampire. It's not that simple, Jessica. We've talked about this a million times."
"But they know about Bella and Edward," she countered, and Jasper sighed. It was a tired argument.
"Bella and Edward are…different." His voice remained steady, and that wasn't good enough. Jessica stood and made her way to where he sat on her bed. The homework piled up on her desk could wait.
"You're so full of excuses, Jasper," she complained, straddling his legs and kissing the tip of his icy nose. "First it was Alice, but you sent her away."
"I didn't send her away,"he corrected, his eyebrows furrowing. "It was something we both decided. Being together wasn't right anymore. She left on her own."
"And then it was because you thought this would be too dangerous," she went on, ignoring him. "But I think you've proven yourself quite nicely." She leaned forward and forced her mouth against his, allowing herself to get lost in the split second before he pushed her away. She backed off without a fight.
"I'm…still…dangerous," he replied, gasping for air he didn't need and desperately trying to hold his composure.
"But you don't have any excuses left, Jas," she continued, settling into his lap. She licked her lips slowly, savoring the frigid taste of him there and knowing exactly what she was doing. "Sure, I'm a human, but we're in love. Aren't we, Jasper? Don't you love me?"
It took less than a second for him to grab her by the shoulders, swing her around and pin her to the bed. His hands were like steel vices, and his face was dangerously close to hers. She felt her chest hit his as it rose and fell rapidly, but what she was experiencing wasn't fear. He felt a forbidden anger well up within him, tangling itself messily with a lust that was both familiar and completely foreign to him. It wrapped itself around his heart and mind, tightening his throat in a way he did his best to stave off every single day of his life.
"Of course I love you," he growled, forgetting himself. "You know I love you. Damn it, Jessica, are you trying to make this harder on me?"
She smirked. "Actually, I am. You showed some emotion there, Jas. That's what I wanted to see." His face softened abruptly, as did his grip. She pulled her arms away from him and wrapped them around his back, drawing him to her. "I love you too, my animal," she whispered.
Jessica might be the death of him, but God, did she make him feel.
