Chapter 11: A boy named Sue

BPOV

~ Four weeks later ~

He picked up after the first ring, as always.

"A boy named Sue," was the first thing Jasper said.

"Ah, Johnny Cash, good choice," I answered. We had this tradition of answering the phone with the title of the song we were listening to. A couple of weeks ago we had discovered we liked a lot of the same music and Jasper had made it into his own personal project to broaden my musical horizons.
"Why that song?" Most of the times, with Jasper, there was a reason he was listening to each specific song.

"Because it's funny," he answered, " but it's also about how hard times can make you stronger."

"I see. I'll google the lyrics some time to see what you're talking about. I don't have a perfect memory, you know."

"Ow boohoo, you poor human," he said sarcastically, but I could hear him chuckle on the other side of the phone. That's also something we did, compare the benefits and weaknesses of being human or vampire. Sometimes I won, other times he won. We came to the conclusion that we were both flawed and pretty messed up at the same time.
"So is there any special reason you're calling me or are you just checking up on me?"

"Well, actually there is a reason, but it's a bit embarrassing," I started and paused not sure about how to phrase things.

"It's about Edward then."

I sighed, which gave me away. Jasper had this way of seeing right through me even though we were miles apart and he couldn't sense my emotions.

"Just spit it out, Bella. You'll feel better afterwards."

Another deep sigh and I was ready to spill. "I don't know what to do anymore. He still refuses to touch me. Earlier today we had this passionate kiss and I really thought he was going to take it further, but then he just stopped. And now he has run off to go hunting. I can't handle this rejection, Jasper, but I need to be with him…"

For a moment I thought I had crossed a line, rubbing it in that I still had someone, but then he started talking.

"You have to understand it's hard for us to keep in control. Sex and bloodlust are two sides of the same coin. We can't separate them."

"But how…" I was confused. Didn't Edward tell me Jasper seduced his victims? I stopped in mid sentence, realizing what I was about to say.

"How do I have sex with humans?" Jasper said crudely. "Is that what you wanted to ask?"

I nodded.

"I can't see you through the phone, Bella."

"Yes," I whispered.

"They were never meant to live through the experience, so there never was need to be careful."

Although I already knew about him taking lives, it shocked me deeply. But I still couldn't judge him. What was wrong with me? And I had to know more, now he was finally talking about it.

"Do you think you can do it? Keep them alive, I mean?"

That had him stunned for a minute.

"I don't know. Do you want me to try?"

Wow, awkward. Am I asking Jasper to experiment on women for my sake?

"I don't know. Would you do that for me?"

Pause.

"I guess I can try…"

Another pause.

"In the mean time," he said switching subjects a little, "I've thought of something you and Edward can try. How do you feel about a back rub?"

"I like that?" I wasn't sure where he was going with this.

"Well, you can ask Edward to give you a back rub. There will be partial nudity, so he can work on his control with that, and you can explore how much pressure you can take before he hurts you. What do you think?"

"That's a great idea, Jasper," I exclaimed enthusiastically. "Why didn't I think of that?''

"Because you don't have my countless years of experience," he answered jokingly.

We talked for a while after that, carefully avoiding mentioning the 'experiment', so I didn't know if he was actually going through with it. We ended the call when Charlie got home and I realized I was late preparing dinner.

My head wasn't really into making dinner, because I kept thinking about Jasper and those poor girls he was feeding on. There had to be a way to bring him back to the Cullen style of life. It was clear to me that the other vampires weren't getting through to him, so maybe it was up to me. But what could one simple human accomplish when five vampires were failing?

These thoughts kept haunting me the rest of the evening. And that was a good thing, worrying about Jasper kept my mind busy, so I didn't have to think about Alice…

I was nervously awaiting Edward's arrival. Jasper's advice in mind, I had bought massage oil and scented candles to set the mood. All I could do now, was hoping Edward would go along with the plan. I was placing the candles all around my bedroom, when I heard a chuckle behind me.

"Plans, love?" Edward whispered in my ear, his voice already huskier than normally.

I spun round and placed a chaste kiss on his lips, not wanting him to back off before we even got started. I sat down on the edge of the bed and he sat down next to me. I explained him what I had in mind for tonight and he listened intently without interrupting me. When I was finished, he kissed my forehead and said: "I think that's a wonderful idea, Bella. You're an amazing girlfriend. I don't know what I did to deserve you."

That made me feel a little uncomfortable, since it was Jasper's idea after all, but no way I was telling Edward that. I went into the bathroom and put on a pair of shorts and a towel. When I entered the room Edward had just finished putting on a CD, romantic music flooded the room and suddenly I was nervous.

Why am I nervous? It's just a freakin' back rub, I mentally scolded myself and laid down on my stomach on the bed.

Edward removed the towel, careful not to touch any other part of my body than my back. At his first touch I shivered.

He chuckled. "Your plan is flawed, love. You didn't think about my cold hands."

I had to laugh. Why didn't I think of that? "Oke, go hold your hands under the hot water in the bathroom. Next time I'm at work I'll buy some of those hand warmers hikers use. That should do the trick."

Before I had even finished my sentence, he was gone and I heard water running in the bathroom. Maybe he was as eager as I to make this work. Now that was a comforting thought. After a couple minutes Edward returned with steaming hot hands and I relaxed under his touch.

He was handling me just right and after a couple of minutes I couldn't hold back my moans. The second the first one escaped my lips, Edward quickly withdrew his hands.

"Please don't stop," I sighed, "this feels so good."

He snickered at my pleading tone and continued. He kept working on my back, kneeding away all the knots in my muscles, encouraged by the sounds I made. The man was a natural. Was there anything he wasn't good at?

Half an hour passed with nothing but the sound of my moans. I was wondering if he'd ever get tired of this, because I sure wouldn't. As if he'd read my mind, he said: "Let me know when you've had enough, because I could do this all night."

"Just keep doing what you're doing," I sighed which made him laugh. It was nice to hear him laugh again. I hadn't heard a genuine laugh from him for ages. A smile broke through on my face and I sighed.

"What are you smiling about down there," he asked playfully.

"You. It's nice to hear you laugh again. How are you feeling?"

He thought about this for a moment as if he was surprised about something. "Actually I'm feeling a bit better when you keep me occupied like this. Is this part of your masterplan to make me better?"

"Not really," I admitted. I honestly hadn't tought about it that way. I had my needs and wanted Edward bad physically. But if doing this made him feel better I would gladly subject myself to his touch every night. The thought alone made me all tingly inside and before I could stop it, I was getting wet.

Edward abruptly stopped touching me and sat back, holding his breath. I turned my head and saw that his eyes were pitch black. He had smelled my arousal and was probably fighting to hold on to his control. I grabbed the towel, draped it around my chest and sat up.

"I'm sorry, Edward. I didn't mean to get all excited. You just have that effect on me."

He didn't answer, just looked at me, seemingly unable to form a coherent sentence. I thought it was best if I gave him some space so he could get his act together.

"Stay here, I'll hop in the shower. Try to calm down by the time I get back."

I probably stayed in the shower a little too long, but I wanted to make sure I got rid of the smell of my arousal. So I washed and rinsed three times over my entire body. There would not even be one pheromone molecule left when I was done.

When I finally entered my bedroom all evidence of the back rub were gone, the candles neatly stashed under the bed and Edward was laying on the bed. I crawled next to him and he hugged me tightly and whispered "I'm sorry" in my ear. I fell asleep in his embrace, my last thought going out to Jasper, reminding myself to thank him for his advice.

AN: So, what are your thoughts on Jasper's little experiment and Bella's back rub? We'd like to know...