A/N Like always thanks for reading and reviewing and putting my story on alert. I am pleased to see that so many people seemed to like my story.

I know some of you guys were a little mad with me, for leaving you with a cliffhanger last chapter. Well I could say that I am sorry, but that would be a lie …what can I say I like cliffhangers. I know, it's evil, but hey, it makes you want to read further, doesn't it? But just so you know I won't do that too often … don't want to lose any readers. ;-)

Well here is the next chapter … it's a little shorter than usual, but I thought I give our lovebirds a chapter of their own.

Enjoy!!!

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Previously …

Bella placed both of her tiny hands on my face, thus forcing me to look into her eyes. "Whatever it is ... just know that I am here for you." She said, full conviction and love.

With her being that close, her warm hands on either side of my face, her brown eyes full of love ... my brain just shut down, and my desire and instinct took over. I gently but determinedly copied her posture, placing my hands on her cheeks, slowly closing the distance between our lips ...

Chapter 12 Small Steps

Jasper POV

Of course, I was hyper aware of what my action was doing to Bella. I could hear her heartbeat quickening; her breaths came out in fast intervals. She was definitely nervous, but not afraid. I took great comfort in that fact, and proceeded. Then my lips met hers.

Bella's lips were as soft as I'd imagined them to be. Soft, warm and sweet. I truly was in heaven. I might have even sighed in relief, when she reciprocated, but I wasn't paying much attention to anything else but the feeling of our lips, moving in sync … slowly and very gently.

I was overcome by the strangest feelings. The warm and tingly feeling I'd experienced before … more than once this day in fact by only touching her skin … was now amplified. My whole body became affected, almost like I was coming alive. This experience was so new for me. Not the kiss itself, because I surely had my fair share of kisses in my long existence, but the feelings behind it. True this was the first time I kissed a human, with me being a vampire. But I knew perfectly well that this wasn't the only reason why I felt this way. This kiss was gentle and innocent, and oddly that was what made this experience that much better, more real. Even without excess to Bella's current emotions, I could sense that she was taking pleasure in this deed as much as I was.

I slowly moved my lips over hers, but as good as this was I wanted … no needed more. I carefully placed my hands on her waist and pulled her into my lap. She didn't fight me, but she didn't encourage me to do something more either. I knew perfectly well that she didn't have any experience in this matter, with my brother always acting like a prude around her. I knew that I should take this slow, not forcing her into doing something she might not be ready for.

But the vampire and the man in me couldn't wait any longer. I really wanted to taste her. When my tongue traced her lower lip, cautiously begging for entrance, she froze. I pulled back immediately. Although I still couldn't get a good read on her emotions, I was able to see that this bold move hadn't been a good idea. Her eyes were wide open in shock; her cheeks were flushed, and she was breathing heavy.

Fuck …

Suddenly I felt horrible. I had crossed a line. Here she was trying to comfort me and I had to fuck it up, by taking advantage of her. Maybe she didn't want this at all? Maybe she had just allowed this to make me feel better?

Oh God, I hope not. But who am I kidding here? Of course she doesn't want me the way I want her … why would she … she could do so much better …

"Bella, I am …" I began, worrying that it might already be too late to fix this, but she quickly put her hand over my mouth, stopping me from finishing my apology.

"Don't!" She said. It was both a plea and a demand. Suddenly all gates were open, and I was assaulted by tidal waves of her emotions. Surprise, realization, determination, lust … and love?

To say I was shocked was a total understatement. But before I was able to sort through her various emotions or could say anything else, her mouth was back on mine, picking up right where we'd left off. Her hands fisted into my hair as she pulled me closer to her, her lips literally attacking mine. This kiss was different … not gentle and soft, but full of passion. I let her take charge this time, gladly allowing her access to my mouth. We both moaned, when our tongues met.

She tastes even better than she smells … so sweet, somehow fruity … I want more … I want her to be mine … completely … too soon … don't rush her … just enjoy the moment … I cautioned myself.

Though I knew that the small trace of venom in my saliva wouldn't do her any harm as long as she didn't have any open wounds in her mouth, I carefully guided her away from my sharp teeth. Our tongues began to duel for dominance. We were desperately clinging to each other, leaving not a fraction of space between us. I was pretty sure she could feel my erection, but I couldn't care less at the moment, and it didn't seem to bother her. As a vampire I was a sexual being by nature, and I'd never felt ashamed of showing it. One of my hands fisted into her hair, while the other went around her waist, thus keeping her in place.

Too soon I had no choice but to let go of her, remembering that she had a need for oxygen. After all, she was only human. We reluctantly broke apart, both panting very hard. I wanted to laugh out of sheer happiness but I thought better of it. Something told me that despite her voluntary participation and reciprocation she probably was just as overwhelmed and confused by what has just occurred between us as me, and might misinterpret such an action, and think I was making fun of her.

"That … that was …" She finally managed to say, while she was trying to catch her breath.

"Mind-blowing." I finished her sentence, smirking at her.

"Yes," she agreed, still panting, gracing me with a small, but sweet smile. Her whole face was flushed, and I felt my throat burn with thirst. The feeling wasn't unmanageable but still a little uncomforting. Though I still didn't crave her blood, I knew I should better go hunting as soon as possible, just to be on the safe side.

Bella carefully entangled herself from my embrace, and moved from my lap. She sat down beside me. As I'd predicted her emotions were all over the place, but at the same time I was glad that she hadn't put the lid back on, so to speak. But even though, all I could ascertain for certain was that she was pretty much overwhelmed, and again very nervous. She didn't look at me, fidgeting with the hem of her shirt.

"What are you thinking about, Darlin'?" I softly demanded her attention.

"What does this mean?" She asked tentatively, sounding uncertain and a little afraid all of the sudden. Was it just me, or did she fear rejection?

"Well, I don't know." I replied honestly. "I can't explain why or how … but I want to be honest with you here. I do have feelings for you, feelings that are far more than just friendly. I know it's way too early to jump into any kind of romantic relationship … if that's where we're heading. But I don't think that I can fight this anymore … actually I don't want to. I really want to get to know you better." I confessed, smiling at her. Bella's heartbeat accelerated again.

She took in a deep breath, trying to calm herself. A small smile played around her mouth. "I want that too." She said, timidly. "Actually I did want that for a very long time. And I have feelings for you too, but truth be told, I am afraid … partly because I don't know why I feel that way about you, so deep and so fast. I think I need some time to work things out …"

I sighed in relief, a feeling I seemed to share with Bella at the moment, along with confusion. "I know, darlin'. It's too soon, too fast. But nevertheless I think it's genuine, whatever it is, we are feeling. And I don't say that because I'm an empath." I chuckled, but continued at once. "Anyhow, I agree with you. I think we both need more time to come to terms. We've been through a lot … not only today … but in general. Small steps, alright."

She nodded in agreement. "Thank you." She whispered.

"Anything for you, Bella." I said, having a brief flashback. This wasn't the first time I'd said those exact words to her. Back in Phoenix, in the hotel, I'd used the same phrase. The meaning behind those words hasn't changed, though. This was a promise I intended to keep … no matter what.

Not knowing what to do or say, I stood up. "How about you get ready for bed? I know you are tired. We can talk more tomorrow. There is a bathroom you can use across the hall." I said. "I go and fetch your blanket and see if I could find you a pillow, too."

"Okay. But you'll stay with me …here." Bella requested shyly. She blushed again. I was amused to see her acting so innocently, almost like she was embarrassed by her previous naughty behavior. Truth be told, I liked both of those sides of her.

"Of course." I conceded at once. There was no place on earth I would rather be than with her.

Then we parted for the moment. I went downstairs to pick up the quilt, and then back to my closet to search for a pillow, while she was taking care of her human needs in the bathroom. I guessed we both needed a little alone time, to calm down. But then again I had to admit I already missed her touch, her lips on mine …

I couldn't wipe the grin of my face. Bella has kissed me. But what made me almost delirious with delight was the fact that she'd admitted that she had feelings for me too. Not that I'd needed the verbal confirmation, because I'd already sensed her love, but it was nice to hear it, nevertheless.

Alice was the only female I have been kissing for the last five decades or so, and I'd always thought that she was it for me, my true other half. But as it turned out she wasn't, because what I'd felt whenever I had been with her … intimate or otherwise … didn't even come close to what I felt right now. I could only imagine what it would feel like when I'd finally made Bella mine.

Yes, I'd promised her to take it slow, but the beast in me wanted her, badly. Especially, since I'd smelled her arousal. In my entire existence I'd never smelled a more delicious scent than hers. It literally made my mouth water. But for the time being I would have to stick with just kissing her and that was fine … for now.

Patience … all in due time …


Bella POV

I quickly went into the bathroom, in order to brush my teeth and change into my pajamas. Though I knew that I was way too hyper to actually go to sleep right now, at the same time I felt utterly exhausted.

I can always ask Jasper for some assistance …

When I took a look into the mirror above the sink, I chuckled. My hair was a mess, looking like I just got out of bed. I blushed, thinking about the reason behind the disarray on top of my head.

I still couldn't believe what had just happened. Jasper Hale … no Jasper Whitlock … has kissed me … me, self-conscious, broken, clumsy Bella. I knew neither one of us had planned for this to happen, but I sure as hell didn't regret anything. Sure, I was on the same page with him, that it was way too early for both of us to jump into anything serious. But then again how could something that felt just so good and right be wrong?

I thought the first kiss between us has been anything but perfect. The odd thing was that his lips weren't as hard and unyielding as I'd expected them to be from my previous experience kissing a vampire. They weren't exactly warm either but not as icy. The kiss was very gentle, but I had been able to sense something stronger underneath even before he'd admitted that he indeed has feelings for me. Maybe he had been projecting his own feelings to me? I didn't know, and didn't really care.

I guessed that was why I'd stopped Jasper from saying that he was sorry, because I just knew that he wasn't.

True I had been shocked ... to say the least ... when Jasper's tongue had touched my lips for the first time, partly because I had no experience with French kissing whatsoever. Other than the gentle, closed-mouth kisses I had shared with Edward I had no kissing experience at all. I hoped that I hadn't screwed up, and made a fool out of myself. But as far as I could tell, Jasper has taken as much pleasure in it as I have.

In the past, I had wanted to kiss Edward like that from the first time we'd shared our first kiss. But he'd always said that it was too dangerous for me, that he wouldn't be able to keep his control if we would take our physical relationship to the next step. I knew now that he'd lied about that … sort of. Maybe with my blood being as tempting as he'd claimed, he'd had a point. But then again Jasper was a vampire too, and he hadn't tried to bite me, not even once today. This was even further proof that he wasn't as weak as he has always been made to believe he was.

I realized now that if Edward really had wanted to kiss me like that and maybe even doing something more, he would have been able to do so. We have been together for a long time and he'd tasted my blood on one occasion and had been able to stop in time. So did this mean that he hadn't wanted me like that? Probably. It made me a little sad, but most importantly mad. He'd made me believe that he had been in love with me, as much as I had been with him. Apparently, that hasn't been the case.

I shook my head, in order to get rid of these thoughts. I surely didn't want to think about my ex, when there was a man in the house who obviously wasn't afraid to get close to me and show me his love.

I giggled, when I remembered how aggressive I'd behaved when I initiated the second kiss. I had wanted this as much as he had. And I still craved more.

Stupid teenage hormones … But then again I knew that wasn't the reason for my behavior. I quickly brushed my teeth, washed my face and changed into my PJ's.

When I reentered Jaspers study, I could see that in the meantime he had transformed the couch into a bed, big enough for both of us. Of course, I knew that Jasper didn't need a place to sleep, but as I had requested of him before, I still hoped that he would stay with me during the night. I felt the strange but strong need to have him close to me, as close as possible. True I wasn't nearly ready to take this any further than we'd already had with the kissing, but at least I wanted to feel his arms around me, while I'd slept.

"It looks cozy." I commented.

Jasper chuckled. "It's the best I can offer you."

I smiled at him, and got under the blanket. Sure, it wasn't nearly as comfortable as my own bed, but right now, this was the only place I wanted to be. Jasper stood awkwardly in the middle of the room.

"Will you hold me, until I'll fall asleep?" I asked, blushing furiously.

"With pleasure." Jasper replied, and quickly joined me on the couch. I pushed the blanket over us both, wanting to feel him. I snuggled closer, laying me head on his chest. Not hearing his heartbeat didn't freak me out, since I was used to this.

"Am I not too cold and hard for you?" He asked, while sniffing at my hair. A low rumble went through his body, sounding almost like a purr.

I giggled. "Oddly, no."

"Hmmm." He sighed in contentment. "I like this."

"Me too." I confessed, yawning.

"Sleep now, my Bella. I will stay right here with you … the whole night." He promised, placing a gentle kiss on top of my head. I smiled, and moments later I was out.

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A/N Well, was it worth the wait? You know, I need your feedback ... so please leave me message. Thanks!!!