Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to Stephenie Meyer

Many thanks to my pre-reader SwedenSara and to UKJay and afmtoo from Project Team Beta for their awesome help and their suggestions.

A/N:

I would like to thank mw138 for mentioning the story on Jasper's darlings. You made my day :)

Also, many thanks to all of you who reviewed, put the story on alert or added it to your favorites. I am so glad you enjoy it.

beanothercullen was wondering about Mergers and Acquisitions. I've added a note to the first chapter. Also, the website seems to handle hyperlinks differently now, so I will update A/N in several more chapters too.

Pictures for the story:

The Obon horse and cow Jasper talked about (a pic)

: / / haikugirl. me/2010/07/09/obon-horses-and-cows/

Arashiyama, Bamboo forest and the Sagano romantic train

: / / www. japan-guide. (c o m)/ e/e3912. html

Arashiyama lantern festival

www. flickr. (c o m)/ photos/jussipanula/6048964767/in/set-72157627322563005/

Lanterns at Hirowava pond

youtu. be/z69mYpXG_r4

Gozan no okubiri – what E and J could have seen

youtu. be/hM0uqaqBjsw

Gozan no okubiri – the rest of the fire characters above Kyoto

youtu. be/x0E-wnmJ7C4

Chapter 10 – Obon

2011

EPOV

I trace Jasper's face with my finger. I've been staring at the picture for ever. I gave up on sleeping a while ago and turned on my laptop, skimming through my picture album.

This photo is one of my favorite ones.

Jasper is laughing, and his fingers are clutching the shirt on my chest — in fact my chest is the only part of me that you can see on that pic. I'd moved the hand that held the cell phone, effectively cutting myself out of the picture and making Jasper slightly blurry.

I remember cuddling with Jas on the couch in Tokyo weeks later. He was downloading all the pictures from his cell to his laptop, and I was playing with his hair, watching the slideshow. He deleted the picture without a second thought, saying that he looked awful in it, and I wasn't even there. The rainbow rays caused by the Sun, shining directly into the lens sealed the doom for the pic.

I secretly dug it out of the recycle bin that evening. I wasn't ready to explain to Jasper how I loved the blurriness of the picture that softened his features, making his hair glow. I wasn't ready to explain that the holographic effect of usually-invisible rays of sunshine above the Nijo was making my heart melt.

It was like even the sun loved my boyfriend and wanted to touch him.

I still don't know much about the Nijo Castle. Other than we shared our feelings there. I don't remember the colors of the castle, but I know the blue shirt Jasper wore did wonders for his eyes. I don't know how many gardens we saw, but I am sure we found our bench in each of them. I don't remember if we were allowed to explore the whole compound, but I was painfully aware that I couldn't explore Jasper's body the way I craved to.

...

2007

EPOV

The driver on subway didn't miss the glass doors in the station this time either, but if Jasper didn't tell me with his mischievous grin, I wouldn't have noticed myself. We were heading somewhere west, don't ask me where, because the only thing my mind had captured was that perhaps we would have time just for us.

We changed from the subway to a train, and when we got off, I smelled water in the air.

"A lake?"

"A river. Are you a sailor or what?" Jasper looked at me with a question in his eyes and then led me south, along a busy street, to a bridge.

"We are in Arashiyama, just on the outskirts of Kyoto," Jasper, playing tour guide, announced. "It's a popular place to visit during spring, when sakura bloom. They call the holiday Hanami. It's one word in Japanese, but you need two characters to write it – hana – a flower and mi – to look. It's a very popular holiday; all parks get crowded, and people have picnics everywhere near sakura trees. They even make a sakura flavored ice cream. The hana character is quite pretty by the way. It does remind me of branches and flowers." He smiled.

"Hanami, huh? You mentioned it once, in the koi garden, didn't you? What was that other word? You said you would have liked to see it in autumn."

"Hmm, momiji?"

"Yeah, that sounds like it. I remember thinking that I would go to see anything with you, even though I had no idea what you were talking about."

Jasper smiled, wrapped his arm around my shoulders, and leaned against my side as we walked across the bridge.

"So, do I get to know what we are going to see in autumn?" I smirked at him.

"Momiji is also written in two characters. They mean 'red' and 'a leaf.' If you write them together, it means 'autumn.' It's the way Japanese works; you join different characters together, and you get a new word. But I really love this one. I don't know much about it, but for me, it says something about the love ancient Japanese people felt for the nature."

We stopped at the middle of the bridge and leaned against the wooden handrails.

"It's also the name of one type of Japanese maple tree. Like hanami in spring, enjoying momiji in autumn is an old tradition. They even show it on TV every day or so, in which areas you can already see leaves turning red, and where they already have the deep color, or where flower buds are still closed, and where they already started to unfold in spring."

"Wow, that's something."

Jasper noticed my amusement and elbowed my ribs. "Don't be a jerk. It really is beautiful, you know? Some areas or gardens get really popular during that time." He looked around and added in quiet voice, "I would love to see it with you one day."

I wasn't very tactful. "Haven't you already? You've been living here for six years now."

Jasper looked at me, and after a while he said, "Alone. How did you put it on the subway? Where is the fun in that?"

We were now standing face to face, my back pressed to the handrails, Jasper's hand resting on it just next to me. I could feel his thumb touching my ribs. He reached toward the handrails with his other hand, effectively cutting off my escape. Not that I thought about escaping. I stayed trapped more than willingly.

I felt the warmth of his thumbs through my thin shirt, and the electricity from his touch spread through my body. I couldn't take my eyes off his lips.

I can't, I can't, I shouldn't, I ought not to… must not… not allowed to, but shit! I need to.

I slowly licked my lips, and not taking my eyes off his, I reached for the collar of his shirt and leaned closer. The closer I got, the stronger pull I felt. I could already feel his breath on my face. Two inches more. I felt his right hand moving from the wooden handrails to my back. One inch. His hand already between my shoulder blades pushed my body to his, and I finally felt his lips on mine.

I didn't deepen the kiss, but when our lips parted my heart was thumping like mad. I rested my forehead on his shoulder. I couldn't believe it. I was in the closet in Seattle because of my insecurities. And here I was thousands miles away, closeted yet again, this time because of our respect to a different culture. Now, where was the fun in that?

"Let's get to the island and see how the preparation for Obon goes," Jasper said in hoarse voice as he pulled away.

We crossed the bridge and wandered along the water's edge, eyeing hundreds of lanterns arranged on the ground and in the tents that were already pitched near the water.

"When does it start?"

"Around seven. We have several hours left. How about a lunch?" he asked.

We found a restaurant facing the river. Jasper immersed himself in reading a menu, and I watched couples on rowboats.

"Are you hungry?" he asked from behind the menu.

"Starving."

"What about Gyoza and Yakisoba?"

"Depends on what it is, you know…"

Jasper put the menu down and rolled his eyes at me. "Gyoza are dumplings with meat and vegetable filling and sauce. Yakisoba means fried noodles. Honestly, I don't know if it goes well together, but I'd like to try the local version of both, and it's not a fish." He winked at me.

I chuckled. "Thanks, one or two fish for every breakfast-time is really enough. So, what will happen tonight?" Seeing the sudden amusement in Jasper's eyes, I bit my lip. "I mean here… Obon, remember?" I reached for a pair of chopsticks and then briefly glanced back at him, grinning.

"Oh, you meant Obon, right… Baby, I'd tell you exactly what will happen, but the images I'd paint in your mind." He leaned closer, and I needed to take a deep breath when I felt his fingers moving up my thigh, "yeah, they would make your hands shake."

He eyed my hands on the table between us, and I curled my fingers into fists so that he wouldn't see —

"Too late, baby." He chuckled. "The chopsticks are still a challenge for you, so let's not make it even harder." He put emphasis on harder, and I jumped up to — well, to do something, anything, but he quickly leaned back.

"Okay! I get it, man, Obon…" But then he looked at me, and I at him, and the wordless, passionate exchange that followed made my palms sweat.

I was the first to break the eye contact, and I grabbed the chopsticks again to keep my trembling fingers busy. The evening and the privacy of our hotel room couldn't come fast enough.

Jasper had a broad smile on his face as he relaxed in his chair and switched to tour guide mode again. "I told you that Obon is a festival of the Dead. In some areas, in Tokyo for example, it's held in July, but it starts August 13 in Kyoto. We were in…" he paused. "Never mind. People light—"

I'd already done the math. Monday. "The Golden Pavilion…"

"Yes," he said quietly, and then he softly added, "You know, not everything that happened in that garden was bad." He looked at me with a smile. "You said you loved me that day."

I stopped toying with the chopsticks.

"It helped me a lot to get through all the downs," he admitted quietly.

I was stunned. Not because I didn't remember, but because I'd actually managed to say it so long ago.

"Perhaps my heart already knew." I covered his hand with mine.

Unfortunately, we were disturbed by the waitress bringing our meals. It looked delicious. I had noodles, and Jasper grabbed dumplings.

"Hmm, the noodles smell delicious, but the dumplings look delicious." I smirked when looking at his plate. The dumplings were quite big, moon-shaped, and one of their sides was golden fried. They were served with vegetables and a bowl of brown sauce.

"I bet both will taste delicious. Dig in."

They did. To tell the truth, we switched our plates halfway through.

"So," I asked, when we'd ordered a large pot of green tea. "How does Obon start?"

"During Obon people invite their ancestors' spirits back to their homes. Everyone wants to spend these days in his hometown together with his family. That's why traveling is not easy now; the whole country is on the move.

"People light lanterns in front of their houses and also make a small altar, either in front of their houses, or inside, with fruit and vegetables and other offerings. Some also light a small fire on a tray and place it on the ground in front of their home.

"On that first day people go to their family grave to invite the spirits back home. The last day is August 16, and it is a bit similar, I mean the fire, lanterns, and the visit to a cemetery.

"Do you want me to order another pot?" he added.

"No, I'm good. Do you think we could rent one of these rowboats?"

"Come." Jasper smiled.

...

The water slowed as it reached the bend, making it easy to row and talk. I took the oars, and let Jasper sit at the stern of the boat.

"I still don't know why we've come here on the last day of Obon, you know?" I reminded him.

"Arashiyama is one of many places in Japan where you can watch a floating lantern ceremony."

He smiled when he saw my reaction. "Yes, it's as beautiful as you can imagine. It's held to send ancestors' spirits back to their world. You can also buy a lantern, write a prayer or your wishes on it and send it on its way together with the others.

"When someone dies in Japan, it's believed that his spirit stays in our world for forty-nine days. The first Obon after that period is called Hatsubon. That one is the most important. Hatsubon is celebrated in many ways. I heard that some families make a horse and a cow from vegetables — from cucumber for example — using wooden sticks for the legs. Horse, because it runs fast, so the spirit of the dead can come quickly to his family. A cow moves slowly, so they make a cow to express a wish that the spirit stays with the family for longer time…What?"

"I love listening to you."

"Come here."

We sat down on the bottom of the boat, checking every once in a while how far away we'd drifted, and if we were in the way of the others. It was still an early afternoon, and there were just several other boats on the water. The weather was nice, and the boat sheltered us against the light breeze. Jasper's body was so warm, so soft, and so conveniently close…

"I don't want to go back to Tokyo," I sighed and rested my head on his shoulder.

"What about Seattle when your work in Japan is done?"

My fingers stopped playing with the button on his shirt, and I frowned. Yeah, what about Seattle? Are we ready for that conversation? Will Jasper leave Japan? Will it be a long distance relationship? Will he break up with me? Will we live together? Come out? No, I am so not ready for this talk.

"Baby steps, right? Tokyo is definitely better than Seattle. We'll see." I sat down on the bench, rowed the boat further up the river and joined Jasper at the bottom of the boat again.

"I like this secret place of ours." I grinned and captured his lips with mine, my fingers running through his hair. The sun had warmed the boat, and Jasper's mild scent was mixing with the smell of paint and wood. My mind registered the gentle slapping of the water hitting the side of the boat just inches from our bodies. The sounds of the rest of the world — kids' laughing, teenagers' whooping, sounds of cars driving across the bridge — everything was muffled and far away.

Jasper filled my entire mind, and there wasn't a place for anything else in my brain. I unbuttoned the first two buttons on his shirt and slipped my hand under his collar, massaging his shoulder. He sighed in pleasure, and encouraged I moved my hand to his abdomen and then lower.

When my hand wandered to his crotch, he stopped me.

"Baby, the risk of being caught really turns me on…"

"That I can see."

"But I don't know what would happen if we did get caught. Like really don't know. It could be anything from nothing to nasty."

"You're being the voice of reason."

"At least one of us should be." He chuckled and pulled me closer.

...

"Wow!"

We stood in the middle of a trail, our necks bent painfully backwards.

"How tall do you think they are?

"Cloud-reaching. Honestly, I have no idea. Feels like we are two ants in high grass."

Tall, straight bamboo stalks, with almost no leaves, were everywhere. We were in the middle of a bamboo forest, not far from the river.

We walked along the designated path, the back of our hands touching every now and then. My heart was swelling with happiness — the feeling I had been afraid I might never experience again.

When we walked out of the forest, Jasper look carefully around and then secretly stole a kiss from me. "Time for a surprise for our five-year-old. Come with me!"

"You know there are no sliding doors, but I hope you'll love it. It's called the Sagano romantic train." He smiled when we reached the station of the scenic railway.

The journey took about half an hour, and I didn't let go of his hand the entire time. The train followed the course of the Hozu River on a narrow-gauge track through the canyon, from Arashiyama to Kameoka area.

Naturally, we bought return tickets. Both the view from the window and the view of Jasper by the said window, made my heart flutter.

"It's almost time to go back to the river. There is also another place where we can watch floating lanterns in the town. I hope we can make it there tonight too," Jasper said when we got off the train.

There were hundreds of lanterns attached to wooden pads ready to be set afloat. They were all the same design, three colors, white, red, and blue in color. Around seven o'clock, people started to bring lit lanterns to a small water catwalk. Men on the catwalk carefully placed lanterns on the water surface, using their hands or long sticks with hooks at the end, and they set them afloat. One by one, the lanterns floated away.

We stood on the bridge together with hundreds of other people and watched the show.

"This is beautiful, Jasper. Where will they end up?"

"Do you want the romance or the truth?"

"Both. Truth first, please."

"They are probably pulled out of the water several miles down the river. Some towns even canceled this tradition because of possible water pollution."

"And the romance?"

"The romantic answer is they will flow to the other world to light up the way for spirits of those that are not among us any more." Jasper's voice broke at the last words, and I turned around in alarm.

"Jas?"

He shook his head and pointed to the river. "Enjoy the view."

I turned back to face the river again, but I took his hands and wrapped them around my stomach and leaned against him. Whatever it was that bothered him made me worried.

We watched the lanterns disappearing around the river bend. New ones were placed on the water surface, and the river took them and carried them away.

Jasper then suggested that we could take a cab and watch the ceremony at the huge Hirosawa pond.

...

"Let's buy us some lanterns." Jasper led me to a place that was filled with a crowd of people. These lanterns were in different colors - red, white, yellow, blue and purple. We bought two and sat down at one of many tables that were temporarily placed near the pond. A part of the waterproof paper was easy to remove from the lantern, so that people could write their wishes on it.

I didn't look at Jasper's lantern when he was done. I knew how difficult it was for me to come up with my wish, and how private it felt. I mean, it wasn't that I believed that my wish would be granted, but I wanted to believe. It was an opportunity to think about what I would like to have in my life.

I mindlessly tapped the borrowed pen on the table, not sure how to approach the task.

Jasper suddenly looked at his watch and blurted, "Edward, grab it and come, we'll finish it later."

We joined other people who stood at the open area and looked in one direction — into the darkness.

"Jasper?"

"Trust me."

"Oh My God! Jasper, look at that!" My voice was quickly drowned by the cheering and clapping of the others. I felt Jasper's chin on my shoulder.

"I can see it, baby. Beautiful, isn't it?"

There was a fire on the opposite hill. Not one, many. All of them were ignited almost simultaneously. Big bonfires, one next to another. They formed a Japanese character.

"What does it mean?"

"A gate. There are five of them on the hills around Kyoto tonight. The 'Big' or 'Great' was lighted at eight o'clock; the next two, which make up the word 'Myo-ho' that means 'wondrous teaching of Buddha', followed at 8.10. At 8.15 they lighted up fires that are shaped to a drawing of a ship and another character that means 'big.' This one was lighted as the last. Together they are called Gozan-no-okubiri. Maybe we can see the rest of them too. I am not sure how long the fires burn, though."

"Jasper, I don't need to. This is so beautiful. Thank you for the surprise. I'd have never expected this. Thanks." I secretly entwined my fingers with his and watched the opposite hill. The bonfires must have been huge. The area around them was lightened by the fire, and we could even see people with torches setting the last dots that formed the Japanese character in fire.

We returned to our table after a while. I stared at the paper. Don't I have everything already? I thought.

I moved my thigh under the table towards Jasper's. When he felt the touch, he glanced up at me.

"I don't know what to write, I already have everything I could wish for."

He rested his hand on my thigh and smiled. "I am sure you can come up with something. If it is possible for me to fulfill it, I'll be happy to."

"You know, I feel like a little baby with all your attention and care." I laughed.

"No, you are feeling pampered. I like how happy you've looked the whole day."

My eyes left Jasper. I replayed today in my head. The morning, the bathroom, the jeans, the subway, the castle, oh the castle… the bottom of that little boat, Jasper's hand in mine on the train… not one breakdown. I shifted my gaze back to Jasper again and smiled. "I feel happy."

I looked at the paper in front of me. I would like to have Jas in my life forever. I would like for both of us to come out without hassle. And if it's not smooth, to still have each other to overcome all problems. I would love to feel the support of my family. Yeah, I knew what to write after all.

We brought our lanterns to the water's edge. They were loaded onto several rowboats, and the men took them farther from the bank. They kept doing it the entire evening, as people kept coming.

The boats, and the pond itself, glowed into the night. We found a remote place to sit down near the water's edge and watched the boat carrying our lanterns. It took several minutes for the men to reach the central part of the pond and carefully unload all lanterns.

The wind was blowing just very lightly, and the lanterns flowed slowly in different directions, hundreds of them scattered across the large pond. They didn't move as fast as the ones in Arashiyama. The fiery character was still lighting up the sky farther above the pond.

I watched the orange of the fire and the colorful mix of lanterns and listened to the quiet traditional Japanese music that had been lingering above the pond since the ceremony had started. I felt wonderful.

"Thank you for today," I said and turned around to look at Jasper who was sitting further behind me.

I caught him wiping his eye with his palm.

"I am glad you liked it." He smiled.

"Love? Are those happy tears? It doesn't look like it. What's happened?" I started to worry. I was the moody one. Jasper was supposed to be the strong person. If he broke down, who would pull me out of my misery every time?

He bit his lip and shook his head. "It's nothing, really. I am all right."

I moved so I would be sitting behind him and pulled him closer to my chest. I rested my chin on his shoulder and whispered, "Do you want to tell me?"

He shook his head again, and then he broke my embrace and rested his head on his knee. "I just… I hoped it would get easier over the years." He wiped away the new tear, and I was close to panic. I didn't know this Jasper. He had always been here to save me. I'd seen him cry once or twice, but I realized, with a pang of guilt, that it was always because of me. But this…

I glanced at him nervously. He was watching the lanterns slowly moving across the pond.

I wanted to ask, but then I remembered that he actually hadn't wanted to tell me, and I kept my mouth shut.

We sat there for a long time, both of us lost in our own thoughts.

"Ready to go home?" Jasper turned around to look at me. "Maybe we still get to see bon odori in the city."

Hesitantly, I leaned closer, not knowing if he was in the mood. But there were only a few people around, and it made me heartbroken to see him sad like that. I placed a feather-light kiss on his cheek, then moved to the corner of his eye and kissed it too. I brought my lips to his ear and whispered, "I love you, Jas. I am sorry that you feel sad. If there is something I can do, please tell me." I placed a kiss behind his ear and buried my face in the crook of his neck.

"You've already helped," he said and his lips found mine. He kissed me, not paying attention to anybody who may have wandered in our direction. He started slowly, but soon the kiss became feral and hungry, like he was trying to drown himself in it. He leaned backwards to me and laid down into my lap. I hovered above his chest, kissing him and reminding myself all the time that I couldn't take it any further. When our lips finally parted, his were slightly swollen, and his eyes had again that spark I loved.

Good, the old strong Jasper is back and my world has its steady central point to rotate around, I thought.

It was slightly after ten when we got out of the cab near the old city. When we heard Japanese music, we followed the sound. There were lanterns hanging in trees and on a wire across the park. There was also a small stage in the middle. Several women in traditional dress danced on the stage. They were walking around the stage, pausing or making sidesteps and moving their hands and clapping. The dance was slow and seemed easy to follow. At the area around the stage were people both in traditional and modern dresses, mimicking the dance of the women and moving slowly around the stage. I saw several tourists dancing too.

"Bon odori! We must try this!" Jasper laughed and took my hand.

I must admit, I would have never joined the crowd if it wasn't for him. I felt rather silly moving my hands around and above my head. I didn't have the grace and the wide sleeves like the women on the stage had. But we circled the stage twice, and it was fun.

We went to the restaurant at Pontocho again. The streets were full of people and several times we saw geisha or maiko going to or coming from or to work. Jasper explained that they entertained guests of restaurants, not with flirting, but with conversation, and they also performed dancing or playing music in clubs or theaters.

"So, what would you like?" Jasper asked me, reading a menu.

"Those dumplings were delicious. I wouldn't mind to have them again."

"Great, me neither. I'll order Yakitori and Donburi too. Don't worry, you'll like it."

He actually ordered five dishes, and we ate them all. We shared the Gyoza dumplings. Yakitori appeared to be chicken pieces on skewers. It was delicious, and we didn't need to share, because Jasper wisely ordered two servings. Donburi was cooked rice topped with meat and vegetables in a thick sauce. Mine was with pork, potato and broccoli, Jasper had deep fried vegetable with a different sauce.

"Thanks for showing me that not every Japanese meal includes fish. It was fantastic. All of it. Maybe you'll have to roll me to the hotel though. I am full." I smiled while we drank sake and watched the river.

"Perhaps I should start, it's nearly midnight. The staff will close the hotel soon." He reminded me, and so we drank up and headed home.

...

I was lying in the bathtub—well, more sitting than lying actually—the tub wasn't long enough. Maybe we could try that public bath after all. There would be more room for relaxing for sure. Strange, the tub feels okay when I share it with Jasper, I thought.

I heard a soft knock on the door and chuckled. Speak of the Devil…

"Are you decent, honey?"

I burst out laughing. Jasper opened the door with a grin on his face and a drink in his hand. "I always wanted to say that one." He shrugged and handed me the bourbon.

"Thanks. Good choice…" I raised the glass. "I've already started to feel homesick."

"Want me to find a Western place to dine out tomorrow?"

"You mean… steak maybe?"

I guess my face brightened like a Christmas morning, because Jasper laughed and nodded. "Deal."

He sat down on the stool and leaned against the tub. I was playing with his hair, leaving wet spots on his dark blue long sleeved button down shirt. "Did you enjoy yourself today?"

"You need to ask, baby?"

I dipped my fingers in the water and let the water drip on his shoulder. "No. But I would love to hear you say it." Another splash on his already water stained shirt.

"Edward? What is it exactly that you are doing?"

"Umm, ruining your gorgeous shirt, maybe?" I said innocently.

I didn't see it coming. He reached under the water, and I inhaled sharply in surprise.

"Is it waterproof?" I asked.

"Shit!" He pulled his arm out of the water and started to remove his watch. "Get out!"

I winked. "Hmm, get in."

He considered it briefly, but then he shook his head. "I am going to save this little baby. No need to have a fish tank on my wrist."

"Come here, I'll buy you another one." I wasn't about to give up so easily.

"It was a gift from my father." He waved on his way out.

I sighed and slid under the water. I always loved those muffled sounds and humming of blood in my ears. I tried to remember what Jasper's watch looked like. He wore it all the time, it was just a part of him, but I never paid close attention, never knew it was a gift.

Then I remembered Logan. I used to bring him small gifts from every business trip I needed to go on. It was my way to apologize for my time away from him.

I wonder if Logan still has them… I should have talked to him before he left. I should have tried to find him. Well, I had tried, but apparently not hard enough. I should have made it right. I should have never… I felt out of breath.

I surfaced from the water, gulping for air. The second my lungs filled, I felt Jasper's lips on mine. He didn't need to ask my permission, my lips were already parted. He nibbled on my lips and then dipped his tongue in my mouth. I sucked in a breath as I felt his hand exploring my body under the water. When his hand wandered to my crotch, and he started to play with my balls, I found myself drowning, even though I had my head above water.

My left hand went to his neck, and my thumb started to draw circles on his skin. He moaned into the kiss, and I pulled myself up, my other hand leaving dark blue handprints on his shirt.

"You have no idea how hard it was to see you under water again. It took everything I had in me to not pull you out. What did you think about down there?"

"I can't remember," I breathed out.

He was placing open mouth kisses on my neck, nibbling on it and grazing it with his teeth.

"Out," he mumbled against my skin, "of the water. Now."

He let me sit down on the rim of the tub. Drops of water were slowly trickling from my hair, rolling down on my skin, teasing my senses. I bent my neck backwards, closing my eyes, taking deep breaths. He hadn't touched me yet; his hand was just hovering above my thigh, but the anticipation made me dizzy.

I grasped the rim of the tub, sitting there with my eyes closed and my heart pounding.

Touch me, Jas! Everything in me was screaming at him, and my imagination was running wild.

And then I finally felt his lips on mine.

He started slowly, nibbling on my lips, taking them between his teeth. I wrapped my arms around him, my nails leaving traces on his shirt, as I was sliding my hands down his back.

He moved lower, biting on my jaw, sucking on my skin, and I grabbed his wandering hand and put it above my thumping heart to let him know what his simple touch was doing to me. I loved the feeling of his lips curling up against my skin in a smile. My fingers entwined with his, keeping his hand on my chest.

"Kiss me, Jas," I breathed out in sudden need to suck his tongue in, to taste him, to have him as close as possible, to become one. He didn't protest, and I leaned into the kiss.

Jasper's free hand mimicked the movement of the drops on my body, and his fingers were sliding down from my jaw.

Feeling his fingertips on my neck was heaven. So was the tickling of his hair on my chest when he nibbled his way down my body. I didn't try to stop a moan from escaping when he took my nipple between his teeth. I was too far away, my eyes closed, my back slowly arching backwards.

"Whoa, stay with me, babe." He chuckled and grasped my arm before I could fall into the tub.

"You have no idea," I breathed out. "No idea what you are doing to me."

"Oh, I have, baby." He started to nibble on my quivering abs and slowly knelt down in front of me.

He wrapped his left arm around the small of my back to keep me in place, and his other hand slowly traced my inner thigh. The further up he moved, the more my teeth were clenched. His touch was sending sparks into my body, and when he finally wrapped his fingers around my balls, I exhaled loudly, releasing the air I didn't know I'd been holding.

His fingers were doing their magic, rolling, tugging and squeezing, but when he released one and kept just one of my balls in his hand, I opened my eyes. He was a master of unbalance. I recalled yesterday's wet jeans and bit my lip.

"Jas, you can't, really…"

He silently grinned at me and started his teasing game lightly and slowly, his eyes never leaving mine. His fingers were wrapped around my testicle, letting it slide in and out of his fist, his thumb squeezing it at the right spot. But he was touching just one, and this unbalance was like a torture for me. A sweet torture.

When he saw pleasure painted all over my face, he added more pressure. I was becoming a writhing mess under his touch. It felt as if an electric current ran through his fingers. The tingling, that had started in my groin at the beginning, was now uncontrollably running along my spine to the back of my head. When he added even more pressure, my eyes flew wide open again, and I glanced down at him.

He was watching me carefully, probably paying attention to any sign of any unbearable pain. He'd said once that he liked sex rough, and I was surprised how much my body was eager to take; the pleasure from his touch was always outweighing the discomfort.

"Yeah, baby?" he asked.

"More, I need more … oh my… Jasper! Are you …shit! Are you crazy?"

He is, I thought. He definitely is. And my body is too. Otherwise I wouldn't like his teeth on the side of my cock, nibbling and tugging on my skin.

I was close to panting and my fingers were digging into his shoulder. Pain mixed with pleasure sent a swarm of butterflies into my stomach. He was working on my left ball again, and I felt as if the neglected one would explode. My knees were shaking uncontrollably, my heels were pressed to the base of the tub, my back was arched, and I let out the last coherent words I was able to think of.

"Jasper, I… I need more, babe."

There wasn't a way to muffle the sound that escaped my lips when he took me in his mouth. My fingers were pressed to the brim of the tub, my knuckles white, as I desperately tried to stay upright and not to fall backward in the water.

"Oh God, … feels so… so..." I was lost. The things his lips and tongue were doing… the feeling he kept sending into my body… Endorphins slowly flooded my body, and I felt high.

With his fingers tightly pressed to my skin he began to stroke me in long fast moves. I felt his hair in my crotch, the tickle mixing with a scrape as he rubbed his unshaven jaw to my inner thigh. I slowly breathed in, trying to last a bit longer. But when he took my neglected ball into his mouth and sucked hard, I spiraled into oblivion.

Ecstasy was warming my body from the inside; my abdominal muscles tense and shivering; my heart furiously pumping blood through my veins.

My grip on the tub weakened as the last bolt of electricity shot through my body, and I collapsed on his shoulders, my body still trembling, my legs shaking. I leaned against him, letting him support all my weight, because my sated body couldn't do that for me. He pulled me down from the brim of the tub, and we sat down on the wooden floor. I enjoyed his tight embrace and his "I love you, baby."

I leaned sideways and kissed him. "You were incredible. I won't be able to walk tomorrow, though."

I desperately wanted to return the favor, but I fell asleep as soon as I heard rustling of beans in my pillow.