A/N: You love me, you really love me... or rather, you love my story. ;-) I'm so glad it was worth the wait for you!!! Don't worry, it's not over yet. :-D Thanks for all of your reviews. Please keep them coming, they make me happy!!! And hey, any readers from Hawaii?? I'm moving there in December, I got a job for AmeriCorps. :-D Anyways... yep. Thanks to LittleLea05 for being my groovy beta and assuring me I'm not moving this too fast. ;-)
Disclaimer: Only the plot's mine.
Edward refused to leave Bella alone, and Rosalie and Emmett were still too handsy for Jasper's liking, so I drove Rosalie, Emmett and Garrett home, while Jasper took Bella and Edward in his car. Jasper glared at Garrett the entire time we were arranging who went in what car, but when I kissed his neck I knew all was forgiven.
My body was still humming from his touch, and my heart was aching to be close to him again. The very idea of being separated for just an hour on the way home was nearly unbearable.
"Meet me at my house?" I whispered in Jasper's ear as the others slid into the cars.
He nodded solemnly, and brushed a kiss against my lips. I nearly gasped in pleasure. It was so familiar, yet so incredibly new, I didn't know what to do with myself. I just wanted to jump into his arms and let him kiss me into oblivion. "I'll be there," he said huskily. His eyes were still incredibly dark, and I jumped on my tiptoes to give him a kiss on the forehead before tearing myself away.
There was nothing in this world but Jasper. I slid into my car with weak legs, my entire being tingly thanks to Jasper's touch.
He wanted to kiss me. Me. He'd gone and kissed me, and he wanted to do it again. And hopefully again and again. The best part was that we weren't drunk. That was 100% Jasper there, and 100% me.
"Alice?" Rosalie slurred as she cupped Emmett through his pants, which I tried my best to ignore out of the rearview mirror.
"What?" I asked, fully aware of how dreamy my voice was.
"Don't make out with him in front of me, okay?"
I snorted. "A bit hypocritical, don't you think?"
"Whatever," she said, and started biting on Emmett's neck. Emmett was too blissed out to say anything, and I was glad, because I was fully aware of how relentlessly I'd be teased later.
Garrett just smiled at me from the shotgun seat. "It worked," he finally said when we were on the outskirts of Port Angeles. I turned up the radio to drown out the sucking sounds I could hear from the backseat.
"Yeah," I said, blushing. Thank God it was dark in the car.
"You're welcome," he grinning, shutting his eyes. I turned up the radio more when I realized Garrett was out for the count, and Rose and Emmett were about to make the car smell like sex.
"Knock it off, you two!" I shouted. "I don't wanna hear it."
Luckily, my three drunken passengers settled down, and soon they were all fast asleep, and I was free to let my mind replay the kiss over and over in my mind. I was constantly seconds away from whimpering. I realized that once I dropped off Rose, Emmett and Garrett at the Hale's house, Jasper was going to be dropping off Bella and Edward off at my house, and then he could stay with me.
My nipples hardened in anticipation.
I dropped off the drunks at Rose's house as fast as possible, and zipped over to my house less than a minute later. Jasper's car was parked in front of my house, and I practically leapt out of the car towards the front door where they were waiting for me.
Jasper was smiling at me, a private smile that I now knew he saved for me only. I returned it, barely remembering that Edward and Bella were standing there, too.
"Allllice," Bella whined. "We need to go to bedddd." Bella always got grouchy when she came down from her buzz. She was hanging off of Edward, which I knew probably had less to do with romance and more to do with a need for stability. She was klutzy when she wasn't drunk, and now that she'd downed at least four shots, I was surprised she hadn't gone down with them.
"Fine, fine," I said, and the two drunkards hovered behind me impatiently as I unlocked the door and swung it open. They scrambled up the stairs, either to fuck or pass out… I sincerely hoped for the latter. The last thing I needed was to overhear my previously celibate friends getting it on and making up for lost time.
I was incredibly aware that Jasper and I were alone in the dark house. I was suddenly nervous. The air between us was crackling with energy, and I was almost certain that he'd be able to hear my heart pounding in my chest. I swallowed hard, my stomach twisting with need.
Jasper walked slowly towards me, reaching out to grasp my hand in his. My pulse jackrabbited. "Should we go somewhere a little more private?" he asked, and while his tone wasn't suggestive, it held the weight of all it implied.
I nodded and we walked out to my back yard, out where Bella and Edward couldn't hear anything, and we couldn't hear them. Jasper dragged me to the bench my dad built on one of his "home improvement" kicks. I think he was just trying to make up for the fact that he was never home long enough to make it feel like an actual home.
We sat on the worn wood, and I suddenly felt like a teenager on my fist awkward date. I didn't know what to do with my hands. Would he want to talk? Or just make out? Or neither? Luckily, Jasper made his mind up for us.
He took my hands in his, and he turned towards me, looking me straight in the eyes, his look intense and full of emotion I couldn't quite decipher. He swallowed hard, and then leaned forward. I couldn't breathe. He was initiating another kiss!
I met him halfway this time, letting him know I was just as eager as he was. Our lips brushed together, and I couldn't hold back the moan that escaped. Our mouths moved together slowly, sensuously, never deepening but simply enjoying the sensation of our lips massaging together. My bottom lip was caught between his lips, and he nibbled at it slowly, driving me out of my mind.
My body and brain were melting. I leaned forward to wrap my arms around him, eager to be much, much closer to him. It took a lot of will-power not to straddle him and just plain old have my wicked way with him. I scooted as close as I could get without spreading my legs. Mmm, spreading legs…
Jasper let go of my hands, and pulled me close to him, his fingers splayed out across my back. He ran his tongue along the seam of my lips, urging them apart, and our tongues met together, torturously slow, lingering and savoring before moving on to explore more. I tilted my head, and heard him moan as we deepened the kiss further.
I was floating, flying, all of those good, incredible, amazing and unbelievable adjectives. This kiss was endless, and I wasn't about to pull away. I wanted this always, just him and me, and the soft, wet connection between our mouths.
Finally needing oxygen, we reluctantly pulled apart. If I had been moon-eyed about him before, I was a goner now. There was no way I'd ever get over him ever, not after those two kisses, each so different in tempo, yet still so intense.
"That," he said softly, running his hand through my cropped hair, "should have been our first kiss."
I nodded mutely, unable to speak. My body was throbbing with need.
"Alice, is this what you want?" he asked softly, touching my face like he was trying to memorize each curve. My breath hitched when his thumb brushed over my bottom lip.
"Yes," I replied just as quietly. "More than anything."
He brushed his thumb against my top lip, and then replaced it with a soft kiss. I wanted to whimper. I felt so cherished beneath his hands.
"Good," he said, his voice husky. "I have no idea how this happened," he admitted.
"Me either," I said. "But I'm not complaining."
He laughed. "I'm glad."
I almost wanted to laugh. It was almost as if he were the one trying to convince me of this, that it was okay, that I wouldn't run away from him. Really, that was my own fear.
"This bench isn't exactly the most comfortable place to continue this," I said. "Should we…?" I jerked my head towards the house.
"Yeah," he said, taking my hand in his again and pulling me from my seat. I was not surprised to find that my knees had no support in them whatsoever. How was I expected to perform regular bodily movements when everything I'd ever dreamed for, ever hoped for, ever fantasized about, was finally coming true?
Jasper's arms wound around me, and then he dipped his head to bring me into another bone-melting kiss. I wondered briefly if he were giving it his best, or if he was just a damn good kisser.
"Jasper," I moaned. I couldn't stop saying his name. It was as if I were trying to validate that it was really him, that I wasn't just imagining this. Then again, my imagination hadn't been one tenth of this. Fantasy paled in comparison to his real lips.
Oh my God, what would happen when we had sex? I would fall apart, I was sure of it.
"Upstairs," he rasped, and we made it into the house, up the stairs, and towards my bedroom. My heart leapt. We'd never spent a lot of time together in my room, not since we were kids, and the day we went on the hike and I'd drawn our clasped hands.
I closed the door hard behind us, slipping the lock shut. I didn't know what was going to happen here tonight, but I sure as hell didn't want any surprise guests from the outside.
Now it was Jasper's turn to look nervous. "We don't have to do anything tonight," he said, trying to reassure me. "I just wanted some time alone… all comfortable and whatnot…"
I smiled at him, taking his hand in mine and kissing his wrist. I was pleased to feel his pulse thrumming underneath my lips. "Jasper, I trust you. You can't push me to do anything I don't want to do."
He swallowed. "What do you mean?"
I shook my head. "Never mind. We can talk about it later." I knew we'd have lots to discuss much, much later. I needed him, now. I was overly-eager, but I couldn't help myself.
"Alice, I don't want to rush this. I don't want to ruin anything that could be between us just because our hormones are going crazy." He sat on the edge of my bed, and I had the strong desire to push him back and have my way with him. I abstained, because I knew he was being incredibly serious right now.
I bit my lip, trying to calm myself. "Jasper, I've wanted this for too long to wait much longer."
"Okay, again, I'm going to ask you to elaborate." He gave me his serious face, and I knew that no matter what I did now, he'd just want to talk. I was trapped between my desire and the necessity to discuss things through.
I cupped his face in my hands and kissed him before he could protest further. It was brief, but I hoped it expressed all the love I hoped to convey.
"Jasper, I've loved you my whole life," I finally said. Finally, because it seemed like I'd kept it a secret from him for eternity, like I'd been waiting to say these words my entire life, not just the length of time I'd known him.
"I love you, too," he said, looking confused.
I sighed. "No. No. I'm in love with you."
He looked like he wanted to say "Ohhhhh." I waited in earnest for his response, terrified
I'd given away too much too soon.
"How long?"
"Does it matter?"
He shook his head. "No, it really doesn't."
We were quiet for a long while, a long moment full of tension and ache, at least on my part. I really shouldn't have said anything, I really, really, really shouldn't have said anything…
"I love you, too," he said again. "In love with you."
I was breathless, literally speechless, which was a usual thing for me. Inside, my heart was doing acrobatics, and I realized I'd never been this happy in my entire life. Ever.
"Are you sure?" I asked, unable to trust my own ears. Maybe I was hallucinating.
"Positive," he said. "I never thought… Alice, I never expected it to be you… me… us… but this is right in a way I never thought possible. Somewhere in these last few weeks, I've fallen in love with you, and I don't know how I can live without you. I couldn't. Don't want to. You're it."
I was crying. The emotional overload was killing me, and it was a sweet, wonderful death. I had to be dreaming.
"Alice?" Jasper's voice was filled with concern. "Are you okay?"
"I've dreamed you'd say those words since I was eight," I sobbed. "It's always been you, Jasper. Always. No matter how many times Rosalie rolled her eyes, or I thought I was just fooling myself, that you could ever love me… I always had hope. And I just never believed this moment would come…" I was hyperventilating, and I'm sure my eyes were red with tears. Great. How romantic, how attractive.
Jasper brushed away my tears and kissed my forehead, cradling me to him.
"I'm sorry," he whispered into my hair. "I didn't know, I didn't see…"
"It's alright," I said, sniffling. "You were just taking your time finding your way to me, making sure we'd be perfect for each other now. It was worth the wait."
He tilted my face so I was looking into his eyes, and I could see they were full of tears, too. I'd never seen Jasper so overcome with emotions before, even though he was always full of emotion.
"I love you, Mary Alice Brandon," he declared.
"I love you, Jasper Hale," I returned, and lightly tugged on his hair so he would bring his mouth to mine.
This kiss was triumphant, full of what I now knew was love and contentment. My fingers curled into his hair, instantly asking for entrance to his mouth so I could explore his taste, fully memorize the way his tongue played with mine.
Before I realized what was happening, Jasper had laid me down onto my bed, and was hovering over me, kissing me breathless. My leg hitched up around his hip, bringing him closer as our mouths devoured each others, exploring and sighing and expressing everything we'd held in for so long (at least in my case).
His hands hovered politely at my waist, rubbing circles along my hipbones, and I knew he was just trying to be the good Southern gentleman that Mrs. Hale had always taught him to be. I loved him for it, but I wanted more. I grabbed his large hands in my tiny ones and dragged him up my sides, just underneath my breasts.
Jasper groaned in my mouth, tentatively cupping my breasts in his hands, softly caressing me over my dress. I wanted more, but I also didn't want to push him. We would have time now, I knew. Lots of time to explore each other's bodies, know each other as intimately as we knew each other's minds, hearts.
Right now, I wanted to explore his mouth. I'd spent years fantasizing about it, and now I could freely taste him, nibble on his full bottom lip, feel the way he used his tongue to entice mine into his mouth so he could suck on it. Whenever he did this, I could help but mewl and buck my hips into him. It just felt way too good.
He was being careful, not letting his hips rest against mine, and putting the least amount of weight on me as possible. I didn't like this. I wanted to feel him, finally feel all of him against me, like I did in the alleyway. I needed to know that I could affect him as deeply as he did me, though I now had his words to prove it.
It was going to take a lot of convincing on his part for me to believe he really loved me as much as I loved him.
I tore my mouth away from his regretfully, needing to breathe, and was delighted to feel his mouth against my neck, feeling the way he eagerly sampled the skin there, taking his time, figuring out which spots made me whimper, and which ones made me buck my hips again. I wasn't sure if he was trying to mark me, but I was more than willing to let him if he wanted. I was Jasper's, now and forever, and I wanted the whole world to know I belonged to him, as childish and anti-feminist as it sounded.
I tugged on his hair, suddenly impatient to feel his glorious lips on mine again. I took charge of the kiss this time, asking for entrance and nibbling at his lips, relishing his taste. My mind began to wander, thinking about what he tasted like in other areas… and scolded myself. Later, later… all in good time.
Jasper had finally decided to make use of his hands, and he created paths of fire up and down my body, igniting me with his fingertips and palms, running his hands up and down the curves of my waist, down my legs and up again, past the hem of my skirt, pushing it up my thighs, making me ache all over for him, as if I weren't already dying for more.
"Oh God, Alice," he sighed. "I never realized…" And then he was back to my mouth, cupping my neck and pulling me in for a fierce kiss. Our lips were going to be bruised, I realized hazily as he crushed his lips to mine, but I couldn't care less. I wanted this. I'd been dreaming of this for so long that I couldn't stop it now.
Unfortunately, Jasper had better presence of mind than me, and pulled back, giving me tiny kisses all over my face.
"We should stop now," he said, his voice deeper than I'd ever heard it before. "Or else I'll never stop."
"Would that be such a problem?" I teased, shocked that I could even find my voice.
He moaned. "Don't tempt me, darlin'." My heart skipped a beat as his smooth Southern accent made an appearance.
I kissed the tip of his nose. "I love you. I'll never be able to stop saying it."
"Me either. I love you, too, Alice. God, I was such a moron all these years…"
"Yup," I said, giggling. He shut me up with a kiss, and I didn't protest. "Will you stay with me tonight?"
He gulped. "I don't know if that's such a good idea. I'm already having a hard time keeping my hands to myself."
I sighed, running my hands up his arms. "You've created a monster, you know that, right?" I noted the goosebumps rising on his skin.
"God, I hope so," he murmured, kissing me again. His fingers dug into my hips, and it felt damn good. I could tell he was trying to gain control over his emotions, something I knew he struggled with, and my inevitable horniness wasn't helping anyone at the moment.
I knew that I would have to be happy with barely second base for now, but that didn't mean that I was going to be satisfied with it. I needed more. I'd always need more.
"Please stay," I said, playing with the ends of his hair.
He nuzzled my neck. "Okay," he agreed. "But you have to wear the most nun-ish clothes possible, alright? You are killing me…"
"Why don't you just give in," I said hopefully. "You know you want to…" I gave him my most seductive smile, and my puppy-dog eyes.
He groaned. "You truly are one frightening little monster," he said, nipping at my neck.
"You can make me do anything, and you know it."
I felt giddy, but I tried to remain nonchalant, though I was sure my pulse and radiant smile gave me away. "Good to know," I teased. "There's this painting I really like, you know, the Mona Lisa, you might've heard of it, and I was hoping you'd help me heist it from Paris."
He laughed. "Unfortunately for me, I'd probably do it, just to make you happy."
"Aww, you're so sweet," I said, giggling, and kissed him. I couldn't stop myself. I had to keep kissing him. It was essential to life now. "Yet you won't let me try to seduce you tonight."
He sighed. "I want it to be perfect, alright?" I swore he was blushing.
I sucked his bottom lip into my mouth. "Sounds perfect," I said after a moment.
Jasper groaned. "Alice, love, you're killing me."
My entire body thrilled at his term of endearment. "Just part of the plan." And then, because I can't help myself, I kissed him again.
"Let's get changed," he suggested. "And then we can neck until we fall asleep."
"Deal!"