Lisa: Hey beautiful people! It's us, with another chapter from Edward's perspective. *swoons*

Penny: Oh yes, swoon indeed! I love how conflicted and complicated he is :D

Lisa: Me too. We'd like to thank Kerrfrano for prereading, and Harrytwifan for betaing this for us.

Penny: They make our stuff all pretty, and we cherish them :D As usual, we don't own Twilight. Wish we did, though, js. So, we hope you enjoy this chapter! See ya at the bottom!

CHAPTER 11

EPOV

As I reached out to make the alarm clock shut the hell up, every muscle in my arm and shoulder protested. I had never been so sore in my entire life. Was this my dad's way of punishing me for my behavior? If so, it was working. How in the hell was I going to manage when I was this wiped after only one day?

There was only one consolation in this whole thing. Dad had to work late last night, so Mom ended up cooking an early dinner for just the two of us. After making idle chatter with my mother before heading upstairs and taking a long, hot bath, I ended up collapsing in bed early, thus avoiding my father's questions and getting a reprieve...for one night at least.

Groaning as I threw the sheet off my body and swung my legs off the bed, I headed for the bathroom and took a shower, hoping the hot water would help loosen my tightened muscles further. I still had two more days of this to endure before the weekend, and shit, I was wondering if I'd last that long. Not only was every muscle in my body aching, I was one step away from getting blisters on my palms.

Which kind of made an early morning wank in the shower more than a challenge.

It didn't stop my cock from hardening anyways, as thoughts of a certain landscape architect flitted through my mind.

Correction. A certain gay landscape architect.

I couldn't believe my luck, and I wasn't sure how I felt about it. Not only was Jasper beautiful and mysterious, he was gay! How the hell was I supposed to be around him without wondering how good he'd look naked?

Or, how he'd feel pressed up against me, lips, tongue and skin?

Turning the hot water off to allow the cold water to get rid of my unwanted hard-on, I shivered at the thought of seeing him again today. Would things go as well as they did the day before? I hoped so. I also hoped Jasper wouldn't stay in that office all day, so I could not only get a good look, but maybe even see him in action as well.

I washed quickly, because of the cold water, and also because I didn't want to piss off my dad by being late. As I walked into the kitchen to get a cup of coffee and some painkillers for my sore muscles, Dad cleared his throat from the table. I glanced at him, unsurprised to see he was still reading the paper.

"Sore today?" he asked, and I could practically hear the malicious grin in his voice.

"Very," I answered, knowing he'd yell if I didn't speak up.

"Good. That's what I wanted to hear. A little bit of hard work will do you good. You'll learn that nothing in this life ever comes easily...eventually." With a flourish, he folded his paper, stood, and grabbed his briefcase. "Let's go."

I wanted to stomp out of the room like a scolded child, knowing that my life had been more than difficult, but in an effort to not let him see that he could get to me, I kissed my mother on the cheek and strode out to the car. Dad followed right behind, and we stayed silent the whole way to the site. As I got out of the car, my employers waved at me with big smiles on their faces. Dad obviously wasn't happy about it if the annoyed huff I heard from inside the car was any indication. Good. If I was going to be stuck doing this job because he ordered me to, I was going to try to make him uncomfortable in every way I knew how.

As I walked over to the bosses' truck, my dad sped away, and I saw Emmett take out his phone.

"Oh, no sir," he said. "Yes, sir, we are, and will continue...alright...goodbye."

Jasper was looking at Emmett with his eyebrows raised, and I shook my head. I knew exactly who that was and what he said.

"Was that...?" Jasper asked, surprise in his voice.

"Sure was," Emmett said. "He told me to make sure we weren't 'going easy' on Edward here, and to let him know what hard work was."

"Holy shit," Jasper commented, then turned to look at me. I knew my face must have been all sorts of red, but I couldn't make it go away. "Damn, Edward. What on earth did you do to piss him off so much?"

"My, uh...career choice...wasn't what he wanted, and I guess he hates me for it," I said.

"Hates you? What was your choice? Contract killer? Drug dealer?" He was teasing, and had the sexiest smirk on his face I had ever seen. It made one of his dimples stand out so much, I could hardly take my eyes from it.

"Um...an artist," I mumbled, then waited on the laughter that was sure to follow.

"No shit?" Emmett asked incredulously, looking genuinely surprised.

"Yeah," I hedged. "You don't think that's...stupid? A big waste of time?"

"Aw, fuck no, man," Emmett laughed. "How do you think we get the jobs we get? Someone has to draw up the plans. Is that the kind of artist you mean?"

My God, I was getting more uncomfortable by the minute. "No, not really," I said quietly. "I am a surrealist painter." They both looked confused as hell at what I had just said, so I waved it off. "Brush, oil paint...a canvas," I told them.

"Wow...you got any work hanging in a gallery somewhere?" Emmett asked.

I blanched.

I was one rung beneath starving artist, and the man had the audacity to ask if I'd made it? What a joke!

"No, unfortunately. I'm not trained in any way...painting is just something I have passion for."

"I know what it's like to feel passionate about something," Emmett said with a faraway look in his eye.

"Yeah, so when you gonna put us all out of our misery and tap into that passion you so eloquently speak of?" Jasper joked, laughing as he spoke.

"I will if you will," Emmett retorted, wearing an evil grin before winking at me.

What the hell was that all about?

Clearing his throat, Jasper scratched his chin with those long, fine fingers of his before he changed the subject.

"Right. Well this isn't getting any work done." Reaching into his back pocket, Jasper pulled out a pair of suede garden gloves and handed them to me. "For you. We wouldn't want to damage those artist's hands of yours, now, would we?"

"Oh. Thanks," I said, taking them from him, watching as he turned and headed for that damnable office of his. My heart sank as he disappeared inside.

Guess there wouldn't be many opportunities to ogle him.

"Come on, Edward. Let's get started," Emmett said as he clapped his hand on my back, his actions causing me to groan in pain.

We spent the morning laying pipe for the irrigation system, and to my annoyance, during the whole time we worked, Jasper didn't make one appearance. Emmett prattled on about that girl Alice again, and I came to discover she also babysat Jasper's nephew while he worked. It was obvious Emmett was head over heels for the girl, and I found my mind wandering more often than not to the man hiding in the office.

It was kind of him to bring gloves for me, but was the remark about not wanting to damage my hands making a mockery of me, or was he really concerned? It was hard to tell, because when Jasper and Emmett were around each other, they mostly picked on one another and joked around. I wasn't quite used to their dynamic yet, and I certainly didn't want to make an ass of myself in front of them, or become some sort of lame third wheel, either.

Laying the pipe was easier than all the digging I had done the day before, and the morning flew fairly quickly. Ten o'clock break came and went, and Emmett and I were almost halfway done by the time lunch rolled around.

Jasper finally emerged then, and Emmett said something about making a phone call, then disappeared into the office as if his ass was on fire. Good God, what was so great about being in there? Surely, it had to be hot as hell.

I saw Jasper shake his head at Emmett's retreating form, and as the lunch truck pulled up, the other guys started forming a line. I purposely hung back, not really knowing what to say.

"Hey, Edward!" Jasper called. "Come get some grub!"

Knowing I couldn't get out of it, I jogged over to where Jasper was waiting for me at the back of the line. As I removed my gloves and slipped them into my back pocket, the nerves soon made themselves known.

Again.

Why was it that I could talk to Emmett with no problem at all, but when Jasper was around, I became so tongue-tied I was incapable of forming a coherent sentence?

"How're the hands?" Jasper asked, obviously realizing I wasn't about to launch into a deep, meaningful conversation.

"A bit raw, but I'll live," I answered, staring at the caps of my work boots. The heat of the midday sun was nothing compared to the blush I felt rising up my neck.

"Good. Good." He cleared his throat, obviously picking up on my nervousness. "So...enjoying the work so far?"

"Um, sure?" I answered. It wasn't as though I wanted to do this as a career, and Jasper knew I was here under protest, but I didn't want to offend the guy, either. He'd been nice enough to accommodate Carlisle Cullen's wishes, after all. "It's nice being outside, I guess." I shrugged, kicking the gravel under my feet.

"There is that," he answered with a half-hearted chuckle. "I absolutely love being outside. There's nothing like the smell of freshly cut grass on a warm, spring day." He sighed. "Or the feel of a tool in your hands as you create something worthwhile. You get what I'm saying?"

"Yes, I do. I only wish I had the luxury of making a living out of what I love doing most," I said, a little envy lacing my voice. "But I guess being happy isn't what I'm destined for."

"And why would you say that?" he questioned, his words causing me to lift my head and look him square in the eye, the sun as it shone behind him causing me to squint.

"Because, like I said, me being an artist is not what my father had in mind." Jasper's mouth opened as if he was about to argue with me, but I cut him off before he could utter a single word. "Look, before you go telling me to tell my father to go screw himself, and that it's my life and I should do what I want, I've given it the old college try myself, and I just couldn't cut it alone, okay?"

"But..."

"You saw me, remember? That's me not handling things, so please, Jasper, save your words of wisdom for someone who deserves to hear them," I begged, ashamed I'd let as much information slip as I had.

"Look, I know what it's like to feel as though you're alone in the world, with nobody to count on, but let me tell you something. Life turns on a dime, and you need to make the most of it while you can," he blurted, hurt crossing his features.

Oh, hell. As much as I wanted to find out what that was all about, I didn't wanna get into it here, right in front of a listening audience.

Thankfully, we'd shuffled to the front of the line, and as the dark-skinned, bald-headed man behind the counter bellowed, "What'll ya have?" I jumped in response.

"Uh..." Jasper stammered, trying to answer the man coherently. "Two burgers, two fries, and two Cokes, please. Oh, better make that three. Em'll kill me if I don't feed him, too."

"Comin' right up!" the man said cheerfully, and while he filled the order, Jasper surprised me by staring me right in the eyes, his gaze so intense it took my breath away.

"This conversation is not finished," he said loud and clear. "Your dad may have forced you into this situation, but honestly? I'm kinda glad he did. I get the feeling there's more to you than meets the eye, and I want to get to know you and be your friend, if you'll let me."

Before I could give him an answer, our order was handed to us by the man in the truck. Jasper paid before I could even get my wallet out of my pocket, throwing me a broad grin and a wink as he did. I stood there, my arms full of burgers and fries, completely in shock. Never before had anyone shown any kind of interest in me like Jasper just had, and he barely even knew me!

As we walked back toward the site with our lunch, I dared to hope that maybe something good could come out of this hell my father had forced me into.

Hmmm, interesting! :D Hope you liked it! See y'all next time!

Lisa and Penny