Thanks to everyone who's reviewed, alerted and favourited this so far – I love you loads and I'm amazed that people are liking this. so far. Chapter 2...I hope you enjoy it and reviews are always highly appreciated, I respond to them all (unless they're unsigned in which case I can't).

*** A shoutout to SydneyTwiMum for being my adorable fangirl & pimping this shit hard. And to SunKingFF for being a rockin' beta, as always. ***


Song: Use Somebody - Kings Of Leon

Chapter 2: Azure

Bella's POV

A pair of brilliant blue eyes met mine. "What can I get you, darlin'?" he said, with an easy smile. I detected a distinctive Southern US accent, and the way the vowels and consonants rolled off his tongue made his voice sound like liquid sugar. I wanted to hear this gorgeous man speak again.

"Double whiskey please, straight up," I replied, biting my lip nervously.

He raised an eyebrow, but turned away instantly to get it for me. My eyes instinctively lowered to see a tight, firm ass clad in blue jeans.

God, he looks good.

What the hell was wrong with me? I'd slept with guys I barely knew before, sure, but just students from the university that I'd met at the union bar or through classmates. They were fumbling, inexperienced boys and the encounters had always been disappointing: nothing like what I'd been used to. Although, I was pretty sure my nightmares were part of my inability to enjoy myself during sex - a product of guilt from what had happened sixteen months ago.

Bella, don't think of that. You can't.

Still, I hadn't had sex in five months and truth be told, I was pretty frustrated. My favourite Rabbit vibrator needed replacement batteries a little too often. I jumped as he turned and carefully placed my drink on the bar in front of me. "There you are."

I pulled my purse from my bag. "How much do I owe you?"

He merely waved a hand and I frowned, puzzled. "On the house. You look as if you could use a drink. Plus, it's a slow night and the free drink might bribe you to sit here and talk to me." He flashed a devilish grin at me, and I could feel a familiar heat in between my legs. This god wanted to talk to me? It terrified and thrilled me at the same time. I longed to watch his beautiful lips form words again, but was concerned I was in too fragile a state to maintain my brittle veneer of normality.

"What makes you think I'd want to talk to you?" I heard myself say, and cocked an eyebrow.

The bartender chuckled, a throaty, deep sound that came from within his chest. "Well, you're here alone, aren't you, Miss Mysterious?"

"Maybe I want to be alone," I replied through pursed lips. This was becoming a war of words, a sparring match, and I had to admit I was sort of enjoying it. It looked like he was too, for despite the stern expression I carefully held on my face, his eyes were dancing with interest. I took a sip of my whiskey, grimacing slightly as it burned my throat. It wasn't normally my drink of choice, but tonight I wanted something different, and that didn't just go for the drink.

"You don't drink whiskey much, huh?" He smiled kindly at me and, for a reason I couldn't fathom, it tugged at me deep inside. Emotions welled up in me, and I could feel a tear at the corner of my eye before I blinked it away. No need for a random bartender to see how screwed up I was. He never took his eyes off my face, and I was pretty sure he'd noticed what had just happened, but he thankfully chose not to question me about it.

"I thought I'd try something different." I grinned at him, and he winked back at me.

"Good choice. I was born and raised in Atlanta, so whiskey is pretty much mother's milk to me," he said teasingly. "The preferred beverage for a good Southern boy."

"I could tell you were," I told him, and he smiled.

"So whereabouts in the good ol' US of A are you from? Are you studying here in London?"

"Yeah, at Queen Mary. I'm from Forks, Washington - a couple of hours drive from Seattle."

"Long way to come. I guess you're used to this fucking awful weather, though," he said, smiling to himself. "Being from Atlanta, I do get sick of the great British rain and cold. I've been here three years though, so there's been time to get used to it." The word fucking from his mouth sounded ridiculously hot. I realised that I was staring: I had to get a grip on myself. His blue eyes suddenly looked earnest, but then he blinked and they had changed. I opened my mouth to ask why he'd moved here, but I saw something stir behind his eyes and I bit my lip to silence myself. He apparently thought the same about me, because he immediately changed the subject.

He held out a hand to me. "My name's Jasper Whitlock." I liked the way that sounded. It was tempting to give him a pseudonym, but then I thought, what was the point?

"Bella Swan," I told him, clasping his hand in mine in a firm handshake. As our hands touched I felt a frisson of obvious attraction. If I wasn't much mistaken, Jasper Whitlock felt it too. Maybe he didn't find me as desirable as I found him, but maybe enough for what I needed tonight.

"So where's your boyfriend tonight?" Jasper asked, a wicked glint in his eye.

So I was right.

"No boyfriend." I looked down, my teeth grazing my lip, afraid to meet his gaze. He reached out and tipped my chin up with his hand. I trembled slightly at the contact.

"That's interesting," he said, although his expression suggested he thought it was more than interesting. "I had you down for a girl who'd just had a fight with her guy." I felt a sudden pang for the occasional fights Edward and I had had: upsetting at the time but part of the tapestry of our entire relationship, our love.

Footsteps sounded and there was suddenly another man behind the bar, standing next to Jasper. This guy looked tough: he was well built with a shaved head and tattoos all up his arms. He playfully punched Jasper on the arm.

"Working hard, Jazz?" he teased. The man caught sight of me and his eyes ran over me, frankly appraising me.

"Piss off, Peter. There's fucking nobody in here, and you know it," Jasper replied with a laugh.

"True, true," Peter grinned. "There's always a lull once in a while. It'll get busy again."He then turned to me. "Our Jazz likes to chat up the ladies, so watch out for him. He thinks he's smooth as fuck."

I chuckled nervously, and a blush rose to my cheeks. I knew Jasper was chatting me up – that was pretty damn obvious – but I didn't mind one bit.

Jasper rolled his eyes and said, "Haven't you got a pub to run?" Peter laughed and went through the door to the back.

I turned my eyes to Jasper, and he smiled apologetically. "That's Pete, the landlord..and my boss. He's a good guy: he just likes busting my chops. He and his wife Charlotte own this place jointly, but she's not working tonight."

I couldn't remember the rest of the conversation we had that night if I tried. We talked about my studies and his work at the bar, while the flirting kicked up a notch with every hour that passed and every drink we downed. He had to leave his spot leaning opposite me on the bar to serve customers from time to time, but he came back just as quickly. Jasper Whitlock was distracting the hell out of me. Every time he ran his fingers through his dark waves, or absent-mindedly flicked his tongue at the corner of his lip, it just about killed me. Every compliment he gave me sent a blush from my neck to the roots of my hair, and he seemed to enjoy this. As time went on, the sound of the murmured conversations from the other customers in the bar grew quieter. Eventually, I heard the snap of the door shut and realised it was closing time. We'd actually spoken for over three hours, and after three double whiskies I was feeling pretty damn confident, having managed to shrug off the black thoughts that crept into my brain.

"So, want to come back to my place for a...coffee?" he said, adding a pause for suggestiveness.

"You mean, 'do you want to come back to my place for a fuck'?" I replied, arching my eyebrows.

That definitely sounded more confident in my head. Damn it – he obviously thinks you're that kind of girl now.

Jasper merely grinned at me. "Well, I was going to ask that, but you know, it ain't polite to say that to a lady."

He was teasing me. I giggled nervously and nodded as he slipped through the door at the side. For the first time, he was on the other side of the bar, next to me. His hand darted out and fingered the bare skin in between where my top ended and my jeans began. I felt the jolt of sensation right down to my toes as his fingers trailed over my hip, and my panties dampened further.

"You're soft," he said in a low, dangerous voice full of implications. He drew his hand back, and it was a good thing too, as I felt like I was about to spontaneously combust from the feelings he was creating in me.

"I'm not that sort of girl," I forced myself to say, though all the while I was aching for him to touch me again. His hand on my bare skin had kindled burning fires beneath my skin, puncturing the icy numbness that dominated my existence. I wanted to feel his skin on mine again, to know what it was like not to be numb and frozen inside for once.

"I promise you, I'm good," Jasper whispered, his hot breath tickling my ear, and I shuddered pleasurably, closing my eyes in anticipation.

What the hell.

"Okay, but don't you have to close this place up first?"

He nodded, and I waited while he wiped a cleaning rag over the tables, collected the glasses and took them in the back to put in the dishwasher, and stacked the chairs on top of the tables. I offered to help, but he waved me away with a laugh. Watching him work was almost mesmerising. He did it all so quickly, and I felt honoured to be the cause of his speed.

"Shall we?" Jasper grabbed his jacket and held the door open for me.

"Don't we need to lock it?" I asked.

"Pete locks up, he lives over the bar – remember?" he replied calmly, and he set off down the street. I followed his lead. I felt more than a little awkward and nervous, considering I hadn't experienced decent sex in over two years, and considering he was a bartender, he'd probably fucked hundreds of girls who were far better in bed than I was. I was going back to a complete stranger's apartment, something I normally would never have dreamed of doing, for the express purpose of fucking him. But I had to. Tonight, I needed someone to chase the shadows away, and Jasper was that someone.

He grasped my hand and pulled me sideways. I looked around, noticing we were in an alley, and he laughed under his breath. "I couldn't do this in front of the punters, now, could I?" The sound of that British idiom in his silky Southern accent made me tremble.

What the hell was he -?

I thought no more as his lips found mine for the first time. He tasted delicious, with a hint of whiskey and sweetness. His lips were hard and insistent against mine, and I opened my mouth to allow his tongue to intertwine with mine. He ran his hands down my body and brought them to rest on my ass, cupping it in his hands. I moaned into his mouth, breathing in his heady scent. I brought my hands around to the the front of his pants and hooked my fingers into his waistband, slipping them down beneath his boxers till I felt him hard as rock against my hand. Jasper let out a groan and he squeezed my ass tightly. His lips dragged down over my neck and shoulder, pushing the hoodie off my shoulders to expose the bare skin.

"You know, you're not the sort of girl I usually fuck," he said, and I melted at the sound of his velvet-smooth twang. "Maybe I shouldn't be doing this." I almost laughed at how half-hearted it sounded, considering his blue eyes were aflame with lust for me.

"How do you even know what sort of girl I am?" I replied before he was kissing me again, one hand skimming over one of my breasts to gently pinch my nipple through the fabric. I gasped, glad I hadn't worn a bra today. My nipples were stiff peaks, from the combination of the cold and my arousal. I grasped his ass with one hand, my nails finding purchase against the denim. Jasper growled.

"Fuck, that's enough!" he cried. "Otherwise I'm going to end up fucking you in this alleyway, and it's really damn cold."

I laughed, and pulled my hand from his jeans. Jasper's eyes flashed with desire, and he ran his thumb along my lip, leaving me wanting more. "C'mon, let's go. My place is just round the corner."

I just nodded, unable to speak as he took my hand and dragged me along, turning off onto a side street. We stopped outside a town house containing several apartments. Nice. I speculated briefly on how a bartender could afford that, but he was already turning the key in the lock. I knew I wanted Jasper Whitlock more than anything right now, but I was afraid. He was likely experienced enough to make it good for me, but that wasn't what worried me. I was only afraid of what this would mean to me, given that he was the first human being I'd felt a real connection to in a long while.


Yes – I know I'm a cockblocking bitch. Good things come to those who wait...the lemons are coming. I will post as often as I can when time allows, but hopefully at least every two weeks.

As ever, chapter teasers/picteases will be on my blog before each posting (p0rn warning!), as well as the playlists for each chapter of the story. http:/glitteratiglue(dot)blogspot(dot)com.

Leave me a review if you liked it, they really inspire & encourage me. Thanks for reading xxx