A/N: Let's just get on with the show, shall we?

*Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended. SM owns all, I'm just playing in her toy box for a while. I promise to clean up before I leave.

Chapter 21

After he'd lifted me off the ground, I'd been so lost in his kiss that I hadn't even realized we'd moved until he'd stopped and pressed my back against a large tree.

"I know this isn't very romantic," he said, trailing his lips down my neck. "But I can't wait any longer. The scent of your sweet pussy is driving me insane."

There was so much we had to discuss, but he was virtually vibrating all over and the force of the lust pouring out of him set me aflame, my entire body tingling with longing.

"I don't need romance. I just need you," I breathed.

He lowered my feet to the forest floor and within the blink of an eye I was naked from the waist down, the brisk breeze coaxing goosebumps to spread over my skin.

The crackle of dried leaves joined the chirping chorus of crickets as he knelt in front of me and swung my left leg over his shoulder. "I want you to come on my tongue. Once I'm inside you for the first time, I don't think I'll last. I've wanted you for so long."

My breath caught in my throat and my muscles tensed from the initial swipe of his tongue, my head lolling back against the tree. He latched onto my clit and sucked the sensitive bud between his lips as he entered me with two fingers, thrusting in time to the glorious suction of his mouth.

When he'd thoroughly explored and tasted every inch of my sex, the pace of his tongue quickened and my lower abdomen tightened, my right leg trembling, struggling to keep me upright. I peered down, wishing I could watch what he was doing to me, but the night around us was so dense I could barely see my hand in front of my face.

The flicks and lashings became voracious and frantic and in no time at all I was done for, my moan drawn-out, an offering to the Gods, piercing the inky sky above. Before I'd even reached the end of my release, he swiftly stood, repositioned my legs so they were wrapped around his waist, and with one quick shunt of his hips was sheathed deep within me.

My inner muscles clenched and throbbed around him, and he stilled. "Mmm, darlin', you feel so damn good." Hee H attacked my lips and squeezed my ass firmly with both hands. "I'm sorry. This is gonna be quick."

I draped my arms over his shoulders and tried to move against him. "I don't care," I panted, "just love me."

He wedged one hand behind me, between me and the tree, resting against the middle of my back and protecting my skin from the scratch of bark. "Always, Bella. I'll always love you." He kissed me again, this time meticulous and slow, and as the first drops of rain pattered on the apple of my cheek, he finally allowed our lower bodies to dance.

He'd opened himself up, his raw, unfiltered emotions penetrating me with the force of a tornado. I closed my eyes and felt as if I was freefalling, my head spinning and my stomach fluttering with the wings of a thousand butterflies. The depth of his love rolled through me, overwhelmed me, and tears of joy streamed down my face as I squeezed him tighter within my arms and legs, grounding myself to him like he was my connection to the earth.

"Tell me again," he demanded.

Angling my hips forward, the head of his cock touched the spot inside me that sent me insane and I mewled against his shoulder. "I love you, Jasper. I love you so much."

His thrusts became more powerful and the drumming of heavy rain grew louder, as if applauding his efforts and spurring him on. Soaked to the bone, my hair plastered to my face, the edge of another orgasm licked at my veins and I chased it, determined to meet him at the finish line. Within moments, every tightly-wound cable inside me snapped and I soared high, gasping for breath as I quivered in his arms. Like a prayer, my name spilled from his lips with his final thrust before he came with a roar, throbbing and twitching inside me, his cool seed soothing the hot, crackling static of my battered nerve endings.

We fell to the ground in a puddle of tangled limbs and sated breaths.

My heart jackhammered against his chest and I felt so alive, so liberated, so satisfied. If that was his idea of quick, I couldn't wait to see what he'd do when he'd take his time.

Once I'd regained my senses, I lifted my weary head to find the moon had finally peeked out from behind the clouds, the glow just bright enough for me to make out his features. I expected to see his smile, but his face was screwed up as if tormented by something terrible.

"I came inside you," he hoarsely whispered.

"I know. And it felt wonderful. So why do you look like it's the end of the world?"

"I wasn't thinking and I came inside you." He practically threw me off his lap and I groaned from the emptiness, mourned the loss of no longer being joined with him at the hips. "Oh God, what have I done to you? Get up. Get dressed. Now."

By the time I'd dislodged the confusion and gotten to my feet, he'd already put himself back together and shaken out my jeans, kneeling before me, waiting for me to slide my legs into them. "Jasper, you're panicking over nothing. I feel fine. Great even." Once my feet were through the holes he yanked the denim up to my waist.

"But we have no idea how long that will last, do we. We have no idea if…" He pulled at his hair. "Fuck. We have to get home right away. We need to speak to Carlisle and driving will take too long. I'm gonna carry you back." He bent down to lift me, but I quickly stepped out of his reach.

"Are you out of your mind? You're not carrying me seven hundred miles back to Forks."

"Bella, now is not the time to be stubborn. Don't you understand what this could mean? What I might have done to you?"

His concern was valid, I got that, but I'd been just as much lost in the moment as he had, so I wasn't going to let him place the blame solely on his shoulders. Emmett had warned me about the unknown, though I hadn't taken heed. We were in this relationship together, through thick and thin, and if anything happened to me it would be just as much my fault as Jasper's. I could have reminded him of the danger before he came, but I hadn't.

"Of course I understand, I'm not an idiot. But I feel fine. Better than fine, actually. And I agree, we should speak to Carlisle, but there's no need to run me home at the speed of light. Let's ring him and see what he has to say before we make any rash decisions."

With a pained expression, he pulled me toward him and hugged me as if he feared I'd disappear into thin air. "If anything were to happen to you—"

"Nothing is going to happen to me, so please, stop worrying. Don't you think I'd be burning up by now if it was going to affect me?"

He drew back and looked me in the eye for what felt like an age. "Promise me you'll tell me if you start to feel any different?"

I shivered as I softly pressed my lips to his. "I promise."

He picked me up, bridal-style, and kissed my forehead. "You're freezing. I shouldn't have brought you out here."

"But it was worth it, right?"

His soft, alluring smile made me want to jump him again, and for a fleeting moment he seemed to forget about his distress over my safety. "Yeah, it was so worth it. Now let's get you out of this rain and into some dry clothes."

Emmett was waiting for us on the back porch when we returned to the house and the subtle bulge of his eyes when he saw Jasper didn't go unnoticed.

"Bella, would you mind giving me a moment alone with Jasper. We have a few things to discuss."

Jasper put me down and I looked between the two of them as they faced off, my worry building for them both. When Edward had explained what it was to be his singer, he'd told me about Emmett's last slip back in the late 1930's, and how he'd succumbed to the temptation of the stranger's blood that personally sung to him. Afterward, he'd been so disgusted with himself he hadn't drunk from a human since. It was obvious he was trying his hardest to contain his disappointment and anger for Jasper in front of me. I just hoped they could talk it out without the use of fists. We were all on the road to recovery and we didn't need yet another obstacle to trip us up on our way to finding happiness together.

"It's okay, baby," Emmett said, giving me an unconvincing smile. "We'll be done in a minute. I brought your bag in from the car. You should change your clothes before you catch a cold."

I hesitated and turned to Jasper, needing some kind of reassurance that we were on the same page.

"Everything will be fine, darlin'. We'll see you inside."

Charlotte opened the screen door. "Come on, doll. Let's get you warmed up by the fire."

I followed her into the house, still a little wary of leaving the guys alone, but I had faith they could work out their differences in a civil manner. If they hurt each other, they'd also be hurting me in the process and they were fully aware of that fact. There was no doubt in my mind I was at least partially the cause for Jasper going off the rails, and his diet, but that discussion would have to wait for another time. I could only hope he didn't intend to permanently revert back to his old hunting habits. As much as I hated to admit it, even to myself, that would be a deal breaker.

After towel-drying my hair and throwing on new clothes, I sat in front of the fireplace with Charlotte.

"So, did you guys sort everything out?" she asked with a knowing smile.

"We didn't even get to scratch the surface. Jasper had…other things…on his mind."

She laughed, not even trying to hide her amusement. "Oh, I doubt it was his mind he…had things…on."

My cheeks heated, and it wasn't from the blazing fire. "Where's Peter?"

"He went out the front way. Keeping an eye on your lover boys, I suspect, making sure they don't try to kill each other."

I stared into the flames as they danced and flickered over the burning logs. I had so many questions I wanted to ask her and I didn't know if I'd get another chance to be with her alone like this. I needed to suck up my discomfort and put on a brave face. She was one of only two people I could turn to for advice on this subject, and there was no way in hell I was willing to have this conversation with Peter.

"I hope I'm not overstepping my bounds, but how did you deal with Peter having two mates? This whole concept is still so new to me, but I already feel like every step I take is the wrong one and the last thing I want to do is hurt either one of them."

She pulled her eyes away from the hypnotizing fire and turned toward me. "The key to any successful relationship, vampire or human, is to be open and honest with each other. If something is troubling you, you need to tell them."

"Yeah, I know that. But how did you deal with the…intimate side of your relationship? When I'm with one of them, I feel guilty about not being with the other. It feels like I'm cheating. And I don't want there to be any resentment or jealousy between us. How am I supposed to juggle them both without one of them feeling rejected or left out?"

"Well, Sarah and I didn't have that problem. I guess the fact we were both bisexual and attracted to each other had something to do with that. I loved her, almost as much as I love Peter."

My mouth gaped open. "You mean, all three of you would…at the same time?"

"Don't look so surprised," she laughed. "It's common amongst vampires. We're not as hung up on sexuality as a lot of humans seem to be."

"Are Jasper and Emmett—"

"No, doll, they're as straight as a line drawn with a ruler. You'd be hard pressed to find more manly men. You've got your work cut out for you with those two, that's for sure."

I tried to imagine my men together, being intimate, and the thought was almost laughable. No, I could never see that happening, although, it kinda got me a little hot and bothered picturing it. Maybe there were voyeuristic tendencies lying dormant inside me. I was so inexperienced when it came to sex, but I intended to change that, very soon. With just a small handful of encounters so far in my repertoire, I was keen to explore every aspect there was.

"What would you do if you were me? How would you keep them both happy?"

Her smile was wicked. "You really want to know?"

I nodded, eagerly awaiting her opinion.

"I'd ride them both like they were prize bulls at a rodeo. I've seen Jasper in the buff. That boy's got a nice, big dangler. And I'd bet my last dollar that Emmett is packing some serious heat between his legs, too. His jeans only hide so much, and whenever you're around that thing inflates quicker than a windbag in a hurricane."

"Charlotte!"

She snickered. "Well, you asked. And you'd better get used to it. We shoot straight from the hip around here. Besides, there's no need to be embarrassed. You've got two hot, strapping men who would kiss the ground you walk on. Take advantage of it and have some fun together. Trust me, they'll thank you for it."

"But I'm not built like a vampire. I need to sleep sometime and I don't think putting them on a revolving roster would satisfy them enough…sexually." I buried my face in my hands as I felt my blush return, regretting having started this conversation. "Oh my God, I can't believe we're talking about this."

She scooted closer to me on the floor and wrapped her arm around me. "Oh, you sweet thang. Surely you're not that naïve?"

I dropped my hands. "What do you mean?"

"I'm not suggesting you have to make them take it in turns, although, that could be fun, too. I'm talking about taking them at the same time. I'm sure they wouldn't be opposed to the idea."

My eyes grew as large as saucers. "How the hell am I supposed to do that?"

She tilted her head to the side. "I can see I'm going to have use the blunt approach, so prepare those rosy cheeks of yours, doll face." She paused with a grin. "You've heard of anal sex, right?"

I gasped and shot to my feet. "You can't be serious. That's…that's…"

"Very enjoyable, when done right. There's nothing stopping you from being with them both, physically, at the same time. In fact, I'd bet if you tried it, you'd quite like it, and they'd be hot for it, too."

I paced the small living room. "And here I was thinking this conversation couldn't get any more embarrassing."

The front door squeaked open and Peter strutted in with a smile as wide as the Grand Canyon. "Don't stop on my account, ladies. You were just getting to the good part."

I held my hands up, mortified. "Please. Just…don't. Pretend you didn't hear any of that." I looked to the ceiling, praying for a black hole to open and swallow me up. "This is wrong, on so many levels."

He flopped heavily onto the armchair beside me with a frown. "Yeah, you're probably right. It's not the sorta thing I should know about my niece. I'd have to kick their asses from here to Timbuktu just for thinking about doing all kinds of dirty things to you. This could get messy."

I did a double take. "What are you talking about?"

He held his arms out wide. "Come give your Uncle Petey a big hug, sugar."

I laughed at the serious look on his face. "Are you high?" When he didn't laugh along with me I stopped short. "Peter, are you okay?"

Jasper and Emmett stepped through the back door and assessed each of us with an edge of concern.

"What's going on here?" Jasper asked.

Peter hadn't taken his eyes off me and I became more nervous with every second that ticked by. It was as if he was studying me closely, but for what, I had no idea.

"I can't believe I didn't notice the resemblance sooner," he marveled. "You look a lot like her. I can see that now."

Jasper slunk to my side. "What are you saying, Peter. Who does she look like?"

"My sister. She looks just like my sister, only she had red hair and was tall, like me. My human memories have always been fuzzy, but it's as clear as day now." He stood and gazed at me with absolute wonder, gently toying with a lock of my hair, slowly rubbing it between his finger and thumb like it was made of the finest silk. "I felt a connection to you the moment I first laid eyes on you. I just didn't realize at the time how close that connection really was. I never imagined I'd get to see any of my family ever again."

During his speech, I'd forgotten how to breathe and I swayed on my feet. "But… How…?"

"Something told me I needed to look into your family tree when I got back from Brazil, so I went to the library in town to use one of their computers. And there it was. You have her eyes."

A lone tear rolled down my cheek. "I have my father's eyes," I whispered as my head became cloudy.

"Yes. Charles' great-grandmother was my sister, Emily. My twin. That makes you my great-great-great niece. You're my blood, Bella."

My legs turned to jelly and I fell toward the floor as the lights went out.

A/N: Reviews are better than forest sex with Jasper! Pfft…who am I kidding, they don't even come close. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Let me know what you think in the little box below…if you wanna.

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