A/N: Okay, so I was wrong – almost everyone has said that the pace of the story is fine. WHEW! I really don't want to rush this, so I'm glad. And also, I didn't have time to answer reviews from Ch 23 so I'll answer them tomorrow or something. Sorry, but at least I'm posting a new chapter mid-week!

Thanks so much for all the reviews! Hope I got to everyone with answers / acknowledgement. I love hearing from you guys. And I hope you all like the next installment – lots of fun and excitement. Like I said, I'll TRY as hard as I can to update on Wed and Sun, but there may be some times when I can't. Please bear with me. I know you will, you all are amazing!

Oh, one more thing. Don't get confused. Bella is being billed as Bella White, and Rosalie is her cousin, daughter of her dad's brother, so her name is Rosalie Swan. Just so you know.

CAMSI!

Chapter 24

Because yeah, I had some ideas. The way she'd reacted to that 'performance' out there, as she called it, and the shit she'd pulled all day, had put a plan in my head that was just begging to be tried. And I was gonna do it. Starting tonight.

She didn't want to fuck me, huh? Even though I was in love with her? Okay, so I didn't exactly tell her that yet, but come on. Not to beat a dead horse or anything, but I'd never done this before. I wasn't going to be the first one to say the four-letter L word. Not me.

Okay, so we've established that she didn't want to fuck me. She wasn't sure of me. You want sure, baby? When I get through with you, you'll be more sure of me than you are that the sky is blue, that the grass is green, that water is wet. I chuckled just thinking about it.

Because I was gonna tease the ever lovin fuck out of her.

That little show I'd put on for the audience? That was nothing. I had a lineup of ideas that put that to shame.

And it was starting as soon as she got back to the dressing room.

She came in, clicking along in those stripper boots, still looking like a vision in her little costume. I was kind of surprised she didn't want to change right after the show, since the skimpy little thing she had on wasn't her kind of clothes at all. But I figured she'd been in a hurry to see her mom, so she'd let it go. My theory was proved right. As soon as she closed the door behind her, she leaned against it and let out an expansive sigh. She turned to lock it, and I knew she was going to exchange her costume for something more comfortable.

"Ugh, I can't wait to get out of these boots!" she said, leaning over and unzipping them. I didn't bat an eye as she bent over in front of me, her ass framed perfectly in those little red shorts. I sat on the ratty sofa, one ankle crossed over the other knee, leaning back and watching. The show she was putting on was nice. I liked it. I let that cocky smirk spread across my face, so when she finally looked up, that's what she saw.

Her face tinged a little pink, just like I expected it to. "Oh, um…Jake? Is it okay if you wait outside for a minute while I change?" she asked.

I huffed out an amused little snort. "Nah, I'm good here," I said. Then, just to throw her off, I winked at her.

"Oh…" she said, completely at a loss.

"So I guess it's okay to drop trou and shoot me the moon when we're in a fight, but after we make up – not so much? I don't think so." I cocked my head to the side questioningly, but kept on grinning so she wouldn't think I was pissed or anything - but damn! She'd been punishing me all day for nothing. It was payback time.

She seemed a little flustered, but she recovered quickly. "Okay, fine" she said, only a little testy. The sofa was staged right in the middle of the room, so she went around behind it so we were effectively back-to-back, taking the hanger that held her street clothes with her.

Did she really think it was gonna be that easy?

Without even really changing my position much, I twisted my upper body around and laid my arm along the back of the sofa. I could see her perfectly. She glanced back at me, shook her head in exasperation, and reached back to unhook the bra thing.

"You want some help, baby?" I asked, still grinning.

"No," was her snippy answer. It made me smile all the more.

"So, didja get a look at the new bus?" I asked, all casual. Like I watched girls get undressed every day. Well…I did, up until about a week ago.

"Yeah. It's nice," she said in a clipped tone. The bra was now sliding off her arms. She was careful not to turn, but I did get a nice shot of side-boob.

"How so?" I asked. She wasn't getting off that easy.

"Jake, I'm sort of uncomfortable having you watch me undress," she said, her voice curt. Carefully, she hung the bra up on a foam-covered hanger.

"Are ya?" I asked. "You didn't seem to care if I saw you naked last night when my tongue was doing all the work. In fact, as I recall, you weren't even wearing underwear. Am I remembering that wrong?"

I almost didn't hear it, but a tiny, high pitched gasp escaped through her open lips. I don't know if it was from surprise or arousal, but I liked the sound of it. She cleared her throat, looking away from me. She was sliding those tiny red shorts off now. And this time she was wearing panties, but it was only a wisp of gauzy white material covering her ass. On top she was bare. She kept her back to me and said, "I think I was a little drunk last night." I watched as the shorts came off and she folded them over another hanger.

I laughed softly. It really was funny. She was going to try and pass that off as being drunk because she'd had a couple of swallows of my Ketel? She was as horny as I was last night. She'd wanted it too.

"I guess that's why you made sure you shaved in the shower, huh?"

This time the gasp was clearly audible and she turned her head to look at me, caught off guard. The upper part of her body twisted too, and my eyes went right to her melons, which - of course - she noticed right away. Her arms went up instinctively to cover herself. I watched the blush start at her hairline and travel all the way down her neck to her cleavage. I kept my eyes riveted on her chest, which was now covered inadequately by her forearms, her hands cupped over her hooters. She turned away finally, but not before I got a good long look.

I dragged my eyes away. Now she had her back to me, her arms still protectively over her tits, and she was looking at me over her shoulder, all disgusted. I looked her square in the face, my smart-ass smile firmly in place. "What'sa matter, babe?" I asked, pretending to be really curious.

To her credit, standing there in just her panties, with her midriff still glittering gold, she held it together. Keeping her arms over her boobs, she put her nose in the air. "You don't have to be deliberately crude!" she said.

"How is that crude?" I asked, my eyes dancing. "It's what happened. So you shaved for me – so what? I loved it." I changed my cocky grin to a sweeter one.

"You did?" she asked, her face changing. She was suddenly a little shy. "You didn't think it was trampy?"

"Trampy? No," I said decisively. I wiped the grin off my face, dropped my voice an octave or so, and let my eyes fall about half-closed. "It was hot as hell."

Damn! How did she still blush when she was already cherry red? I could see her trying to hide a little smile. "That wasn't the first time you've done that, was it? Shaved?" I asked, keeping my voice low and sexy.

She was quiet for a beat. "Wouldn't you like to know?" she finally asked, trying to be sassy - but I could see she was flustered. I suppose Blondie had given her that helpful hint as well. I could hear it now. 'If you want that dream you had to come true, shave your pussy, and he won't be able to resist going down on you.' Sad part is, she was right. Even though I'd pretty much planned it before I knew my virgin was shavetail, that was definitely the clincher. I shook my head – Blondie…batshit-crazy, am I right? The stuff that girl came up with.

"I would," I said, letting a smile creep into my voice. I thought it was funny that she was trying to turn the tables on me. But I'd been teased by her enough. She was through teasing me. It was my turn now.

Besides, I already knew the answer to my question. Yeah, it was definitely the first time she'd shaved down there. I could tell. What girl who did that all the time would think it was trampy? If a girl did that regularly, it was because she liked the feeling. It wasn't because she wanted to be thought of as trampy. Only a girl who was trying it out for the first time would think it might be a little trampy.

And it's not. Trampy, that is. Nothing is hotter to a guy than a girl who emphasizes that pretty little equipment she keeps in her secret places. Sexy, yes. Trampy, no.

I stood up and went around the back of the sofa until I was standing right behind her. Then I put my arms around her from the back, avoiding her tits altogether. I kissed her neck, soft and sweet, barely brushing my lips across it. Moving her hair away from her neck, I piled it all in front of her left shoulder, and went to work on her right ear.

"You look beautiful tonight, y'know that?" I asked softly, feathering little kisses across her ear and her neck just under it. She squirmed up under my hold, letting out a little giggle. "Jake, that tickles," she protested lamely. She didn't really want me to stop, though. I was raising chills on her skin, and I could see over her shoulder that her nips were bunching up tight and firm.

I stepped it up a touch. It was just so damn easy with her. I remembered when I'd thought a virgin was too much work. And to be honest, it was kind of a pain in the ass getting her to give it up. But on the other hand, she was so easy to tease! I had a million scenarios in my head that, if executed properly, would have her begging me for more. This was just my first try.

"Mmmm," I sighed, letting the vibration from my throat rest against her shoulder. The shivers increased, raising bumps all across her skin. I could feel it under my fingers on her belly and sides. I knew she'd liked my little display out there, but who knew she'd be this responsive now?

I knew something she didn't, though. We were leaving very soon. Bells thought we had time, but we didn't. Now was a perfect time to light a fire and let it heat up, only to take the heat source away so all that was left was smoldering embers. You like my analogy? Yeah, me too.

Very slowly, I inched my hands up her sides, moving them in light little circles. Not light enough to tickle, but not firm enough to satisfy. She wanted to turn around, but I kept her the way she was, with her back to me. She wanted to kiss me, I knew it. Wanna know why? Because I was making her feel amazing, and she loved it. She wanted more. So naturally, I dialed it up. Only a little. I didn't want things getting out of hand – for her or for me.

With a little smirk I knew she couldn't see, I moved my hands nearer and nearer to her jugs, purposely not touching them but coming extremely close. To ramp it up a little, I ground my hips into her ass from behind. I'm not gonna lie – it felt fuckin great. I tried to fight the boner that was threatening, but I gave up and let it grow. I might as well get a tiny bit of gratification, too. But I had a different mind-set now, and I wasn't as urgent. I knew where it was gonna end. This time, I was in control instead of her, and I knew just exactly how far I was going with this.

I could tell she was getting off on the skin-to-skin feeling of her back on my chest, because of the way she was breathing. I'd never changed out of my performance clothes after the show, so I was still wearing my vest and no shirt. I milked it for all it was worth, too. I pressed against her, dipping my knees down and moving my hips like I was actually fucking her, just barely kissing her neck and ear and still moving my hands along her sides really light and soft. She made a little moan of impatience – just what I was waiting for. I panted into her ear like I was about to lose it, finally touching just the very bottoms of her boobs with my fingers. As I brought my palms to the front, slowly sliding them over her creamy belly, my fingers curled across her skin feeling the chills rise in their wake. I stretched one finger up…and so light it had to feel like a feather, I started stroking a nipple.

I couldn't have timed it more perfectly. As soon as I touched her nip, I mean right then, someone tried the door. "Bella? Is Jake in there with you? We're getting ready to leave!" we heard Blondie's anxious voice call. Good thing it was locked, or we'd be caught with her topless and me grinding into her like the beginning of a bad porn flick. She gasped a sudden, frustrated little mew, causing me to grin in triumph.

"Awww," I breathed into her ear, the sound coming out all disappointed. I drew away from her and picked up the hanger with her street clothes off the back of the sofa where it had somehow landed. "Here, baby. Get dressed. The bus'll be leaving soon."

"What?" she asked. She was suddenly bewildered and her face was flushed. She looked like she'd just been yanked out of a very pleasurable dream.

"Sorry, babe," I said, giving her a tiny little kiss on the cheek. I put my lips to her ear, "Don't worry. We'll pick it up later," I whispered. I turned to go.

"Jake, wait!" she said, frantic. "Where are you going? Wait, I'll walk with you!"

"I thought you wanted some privacy," I said innocently, walking out the door and running into Blondie. "Hey," I greeted her casually, and grinned down at her as I readjusted my cock in my jeans. Blondie eyed my crotch skeptically, moving into the room as I closed the door nonchalantly behind me.

Was that mean? Maybe. Was it necessary? No, I guess not. But she needed a taste of her own medicine. I'd been getting cockblocked at every turn, and I'd been a great guy about it, too. I hadn't pushed her, I hadn't tried anything I thought she'd be uncomfortable with. I respected her choice to wait until she was sure of me, whatever the fuck that meant. The most I'd gotten out of this was a dry hump that didn't end in my satisfaction and one – albeit more than adequate – handjob. All I had to show for my trouble was blue balls and a long day of being penalized for doing nothing more than concentrating on my estranged mother for a few hours when Bella thought I should have been paying attention to her. Maybe it was selfish. Maybe it was immature. But it made me feel a little better and after all, she was the one who wanted to wait.

I stood outside the door for a second, hoping to catch them saying something. This eavesdropping thing was getting out of control, but I was getting so much info every time I did it, I just couldn't give it up. I heard Blondie say, "Why are you undressed when he's fully clothed?"

"I don't even know what just happened, Rose. We saw my mom…"

"Yeah, how is Aunt Renee?" asked Blondie snidely, emphasizing the aunt with sarcasm. Oh, yeah, that's right. Blondie came from Bella's dad's side. She probably didn't know Bella's mom, or at least hadn't seen her since Bella's parents split up. I'd thought Bells and Blondie had been close cousins for life, but now I figured maybe Bells had only seen Blondie when she was off visiting her dad. Hm – you learn something new every day.

"She's fine, and Phil's still weird," Bells answered quickly. "But okay, so I walked her out and I came back in here, and he's here, waiting, like I expected. But somehow it turned into a makeout session…only there wasn't much kissing…" She broke off, confused.

"But you're practically nude!" Blondie said. "Get dressed already, we're leaving in like, fifteen minutes."

"I was changing out of my stage clothes," Bells protested, distracted. "And he…like…watched."

A smile entered Blondie's voice. "You were stripping for him?" she asked happily.

"No!" Bella said hotly. "I told him to leave, but he wouldn't. And he said something about the shaving."

"No! What did he say?" Blondie was like a kid on her birthday with a big pink present to open. All eager and excited.

"He was like, oh, you shaved for me and it was your first time," Bella said.

"Oh my God! How did he know that?" she cried. See? I knew I was right about that.

"I don't know!" Bella answered irritably. "You tell me, you're the expert!" Bella's voice went all high and squeaky. ""Oh, shave for him! It'll make him crazy!'" she mocked. "Did it ever occur to you that playing that way is mean? He's trying for me, Rose! And you know how I feel about him! Why do you always tell me to do this stuff that ends up blowing up in my face?"

Ah, the virgin was a little frustrated now, wasn't she? A little cranky, sniping at her cousin. I allowed myself a grin. This was pure magic right here. It worked just exactly how I wanted it to.

"Nothing blew up in your face," Blondie said dismissively, and I could practically hear her rolling her eyes through the door. "He's still hanging around you hoping for more. Believe me, I'm keeping very close tabs on him. He told Emmett that…" She paused, letting the anticipation build.

Oh hell no. I had to stop this now. It was an emergency. I banged on the door. "Hey, are you ready yet, Bells?" I called.

Cue the crickets. I waited, listening. Total silence. Then quiet, muffled noises. Goddamn. If Blondie told Bella that I was in love with her…

What? What would I do? I couldn't tear Blondie apart. I couldn't even ream Emmett a new one. I felt all my power slipping away. Shit!

Wait, what had Bella said – 'You know how I feel about him'…how did she feel about me? Did she admit something to Blondie? Shit!

I could hear them again. Little squeals. Happy little squeals. Ah, fuck, if Blondie told Bella that I love her…Shit!

I rattled the door handle to give them a second's warning. It was unlocked, so I opened it and stepped in.

Bella hadn't gotten very far in her attempt to get dressed. She was still in her panties, but she'd at least put a bra on. They both turned to me, stunned that I'd barged in. Or were they just caught red-handed discussing something about me that they shouldn't have known – that they wouldn't have known if Emmett hadn't opened his giant trap?

"You're still not ready?" I asked. Blondie handed Bella her blouse and Bella put it on quickly. "Come on, Bells, chop chop!" I said. "Get a move on, or the bus is gonna leave without us!" I had to get her away from Blondie before she spilled the beans. If she hadn't already.

They looked guilty, there was no doubt about it. I had to get her out of there, and I had to talk to Emmett and find out what he'd told Blondie about me. I looked around the dressing room. "Is there anything you need to take?" I asked. "I'll get Emmett in here to pick it up."

"I already told them," Blondie told me, distracted. "Bella! Move it!" She flung Bella's jeans at her and Bella put them on, struggling to close them.

"Okay, okay!" she said. "I thought we had more time! Sorry." She pulled on a top and a shorter, flat heeled pair of black boots. "There! I'm ready. Let's go."

I grabbed her hand, pulling her out of the room so she'd be with me and away from Blondie. I didn't want Blondie telling her anything else. She followed me willingly, with Blondie tripping along behind us, trying to catch up.

When we got to the back door of the venue, the security guys were there, headsets in place. They talked into the mouthpieces briskly, fingers touching the earpieces so they could hear better, just like the security guys in every TV show and movie you've ever seen. The closest one held a palm up to stop us.

"I have Black, White, and Swan," he barked. "Are we clear?"

He listened for a second, frowning. "Roger that. Sending subjects." He made a little motion with his hand, taking it from the palm-out position and sweeping it toward the door. The door opened from the outside, and the first guard said, "This way, Mr. Black, Miss White… Miss Swan, you're in the second bus with Mr. McCarty." He directed Blondie with a sweep of his hand.

Mr. McCarty? He was Mr. now? I giggled like an idiot. Mr. Nobody, maybe.

I was glad, though. It got Blondie away from us. I had to keep Bells from the danger of Blondie feeding her info on me. She was like poison to the relationship – and I didn't want her ruining it. But it also kept me from Emmett. I guess I'd have to text him to find out what he'd told Blondie about me.

There were two guards waiting outside the venue. One escorted Blondie to the second bus, and the other took Bells and me to the first bus.

And what a bus it was.

It was sleek and modern, and smelled brand new. In the past, Edward had always set up leases for the buses, so they were usually a few years old and had been leased out before. This one still had remnants of the window sticker on it.

This thing was a true rock star bus. Granite countertops, dark wood cabinets, plush seats. The couches and recliners along the sides were leather. The little dining area had a glass-topped table and actual chairs instead of that booth thing in the other bus, and it was covered with the remains of the dressing room food – sandwiches, fruit, desserts and snacks. I assumed the drinks would be in the stainless steel fridge. I could see the bathroom was either granite or marble. The TV had to be 60", and we'd gotten new video game systems – probably because they'd left our other ones in the old bus. And at the back was the bedroom. I couldn't see much, because the door – a real door, with hinges and a lock – was only slightly open. But I could see mirrors everywhere and a huge bed, which was enough for me. "Wow," I breathed, taking it all in.

Edward was in the passenger's captain seat, and he gave me a grin like I'd never seen on his face before. "You like the new bus?" he asked.

"Fuckin awesome," I said. "Bells and I are in the bedroom, right?" I knew we were, but I wanted to be sure.

"Of course. In this bus, no one will have to sleep in recliners. There's the master bedroom, all the couches fold out, and up here is a loft." He pointed above his head. There was indeed a loft above the driver. "Oh, and there's a powder room inside the master bath area, so you now have your two baths."

"Perfect," I grinned. The rest of the Wolves, Alice, Leah, and Diego were on this bus, so I assumed the principal roadies would be on the second bus with Blondie and Emmett. I bypassed all of them, dragging Bella by the hand back to the bedroom. As I passed Diego, I checked on the status of my 'fly. "Dragonfly's on board, isn't she?" I asked. He nodded in the affirmative, patting the case next to him that I hadn't noticed. I grinned and nodded at him, disappearing into the bedroom. "See you suckers later," I said, winking as I closed the door and locked it.

No sooner were we in the bedroom than the bus started moving. There was an overhead paging system, which I could see becoming a real fuckin nuisance, but for right now it was good, because I heard Edward come over it and say, "We're on our way, Wolves. Estimated time of arrival at Smoothie King Arena, two-thirty pm. Please get as much rest as possible on the road, because immediately after the New Orleans show, we'll be on the way to Austin."

Shit, a thirteen hour drive. I shrugged the vest off my arms and tossed it on the bed, then sat down and took my boots off. I noticed that our bags were already in here, thanks to Diego's amazing attention to detail. Bella dug through hers, I assumed for the t-shirt she wanted to wear to bed, and I took off my jeans, dropping into the bed in just my boxers.

I turned to look at Bells, who was crawling into bed next to me. Instead of the t-shirt I'd been expecting, she'd put on a lacy, silky little underwear thing. Sexy as fuck. I toned down the boner that started raising its eager head. Not now.

She snuggled up to me, kissing my ear. "Where were we?" she whispered.

It took everything in me to shut her down. "Baby, I'm exhausted. Let's sleep awhile, huh?"

She drew back, a confused look on her face. "I thought…" she stammered.

"What, baby?" I snuggled in sweetly, still holding her off.

"Well, back there, in the dressing room…I thought you said we'd pick it up later." She smiled. "You meant later, like now, right?"

I stretched, exploiting it for all it was worth. "Eh, I'm too tired," I said. I had to keep this ruse up. She wasn't going to win this time. I wasn't gonna just give in. I had to hold off, like she'd been doing to me. "Seriously, Bells. What with my mom, the show…it's been a long day." I wanted to throw the mom thing in there. Give her something to think about.

"Oh," she said in a small voice. "Okay." She sounded disappointed, but how many times had I been disappointed in the past week? I didn't know the exact number, but it felt like a million.

"I'm sorry," I said, spooning her from behind. That's what she always said to me when she was holding me off. Like she couldn't do something about it.

"No, I understand," she said. "It's just that…well, we're not going to have much opportunity to be alone in the next few days."

That was just what I was thinking. Just what I wanted. She was right, we wouldn't have much alone time. Now was the perfect time to put my plan in motion. Leave her hanging, leave her frustrated, ramp her up and shut her down – I wanted her to give in to me, not the other way around.

"I know, baby, but you heard Eddie. If we don't sleep now, we'll be beat for the show. Sometimes touring sucks." I managed to put some frustration in my voice.

"Maybe if you rest awhile, you'll be more…" she reached back and cupped my balls through my boxers. "Open to suggestion."

Whoops. Now I was starting to get hard, and her soft hand on my stones wasn't helping that situation any. Ironic, huh? Here I am, trying to hold off – just like she always did to me, mind you – and she was the one pushing. I nudged my hips back, out of her grasp.

"Ohhh-kay, babe. That's enough of that," I said. Maybe if I changed the subject. "So, about earlier today. What were you really pissed at me about? Was it the tickets for your mom?"

She sighed, and I guess she gave up on trying to get me to engage with her. "Yeah, partially," she said. "It was really a few things that set me off."

"Like what?" I said, bringing on the storm.

"Well!" she began tartly. "First of all, it was the tickets. Then secondly, I was sort of pissed that you didn't say anything to me about Riley getting arrested. I mean, I know you didn't have anything to do with it, but you knew, didn't you?"

"Not before it happened. I read about it in the morning paper. And as far as the tickets go, yeah, I forgot. It totally slipped my mind, and I apologize for that. I'm not making excuses, but the thing with my mom was front and center with me. And you got your tickets, your mom saw the show, so what's the big deal? It came out okay in the end."

"I know. And I'm not pissed anymore. I realize I was acting like a baby about it. I'm over it now. But what I was most mad about was the thing with your mom."

I didn't say a word, just waited for her to continue.

"I mean, I understand it's private and you have to deal with it on your own. But I think I could help! I mean, that's what I'm here for. I'm your girlfriend. That's what this is – first and foremost – it's a friendship. And if you can't share your problems with your friends, then how are you going to solve them?"

"I don't know, Bells, but that's not me. I don't have discussions about my problems. I just figure them out and move on."

"This is a pretty big one, Jake. Don't you think another perspective on it could help?"

"Maybe," I admitted. "But Bells…you don't even know my mom! You don't know anything about her. I don't even know much. How are you supposed to help with this?"

Bella sighed a short little exasperated huff. "I might not know your mom, but I know some moms. And I know people – the way they think and act. I think I could help if you'd just let me in."

Let her in, huh? Yeah, that's what was bothering me. I mean, I was all good with sleeping with this girl, happy to provide her with some sexual release, and more than eager to hang out with her all day, just shooting the shit – eating fries, strolling down the street, doing all that crap couples do. But 'let her in?' I don't know. That was something completely foreign to me. It scared me, to be perfectly honest. It made me nervous. I might talk to Emmett or Seth about things, but those guys were my best friends in the world and there was some stuff I didn't even share with them. Now Bella wanted me to open up. And I didn't want to.

"Uh…." I said, shifting awkwardly in the bed. I didn't know what to say.

"I know, that makes you uncomfortable. But Jake, if you want to be with me, it only makes sense that we share things. Important things. So…? Your mom left when you were little and you haven't seen or heard from her since." She was trying to lead me in to the discussion she wanted to have. I didn't like it, but I guess I could give her something.

"Right," I said.

"And when you talked to her yesterday, how did it go?" she asked.

I felt something deep in my chest at that moment, and son of a bitch if I didn't get a little emotional. Fuck. I realized that this was what I'd been waiting for. She hadn't even asked me about the call – and she knew about it, too. The natural thing for her to do would have been to at least ask about it. All she'd done was get pissed. But instead of chewing her out for her blatant selfishness, I just said - in kind of a sarcastic tone, I admit - "Thank you. It's about time you asked."

"OhmyGod," she whispered under her breath. "Oh, Jake! You're right! Why didn't I ask you when I woke you up for the meeting?" I felt all her breath leave her body in a defeated sigh. Her shoulders even slumped down, although she was lying in bed. "I feel terrible. I was too busy trying to tease you - to punish you if I'm telling the truth – to even ask about it. God, what a moron!"

She shifted around in the bed so she was facing me and I saw little tears like diamonds in the corners of her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Jake. That was wrong of me. So wrong. I'd been listening to Rose all morning tell me how bad you'd been treating me, and I wasn't even thinking about what you were going through. God, I feel so bad."

"Well, don't cry," I said, starting to panic. I didn't need a crying chick in my bed. I had no idea what to do with that. "It's okay, you're forgiven. Blondie and her constant bullshit could confuse anyone." I gave her a little grin, trying to make it all better.

She shook her head at her own stupidity. "Okay, I guess. Thanks for being so understanding. I'm not listening to Rose anymore."

Good, I thought to myself. "Okay, so you really want to know how the call went?" I suddenly wanted to tell her – a complete about-face from literally two minutes ago. I saw that the reason was that she actually asked about it. She was acting like she cared. And it had been a long, long time since anyone had done that with me on this level. Yeah, my dad cared – but he was far away. The band sort of cared, I guess. But that stuff was pretty superficial when you got right down to it. It made me feel good to know that Bells cared about me the way I cared about her.

"Yes, of course I do! But only if you feel comfortable telling me."

I gathered up my courage, and suddenly the words came pouring out like a geyser. "Bells, I can't tell you how freaked out I am about this," I blurted. "I mean, what does she want? I feel bad, but the first thing I thought of was money, even though she wasn't like that when I knew her. But then, I was only a little kid. What'd I know?"

"Maybe it's not money. Maybe she just wants to see you," she said, and I could hear the emotion in her voice.

"Yeah right." I dismissed that idea right away. "If that was it, why did she wait until now? And y'know, it's weird. I thought of all these different reasons she might want to contact me – maybe she was sick, or she needed money or whatnot – but for some reason, I never even thought of her wanting to see me."

"What if something happened in her life recently and she just now realized what she was missing?" she persisted.

I shrugged one shoulder. "Could be," I said skeptically. There was a pause, then I said, "I don't even know if I'm up to seeing her."

"When are you supposed to meet with her?" Bells asked.

"When we get to New Orleans. She said she'd be waiting at the arena."

"Oh my God, that soon?" she asked, surprised.

"I know, right? And I'm seriously demented just thinking about it. I don't even know what to say. Then there's this: What if she chickens out and doesn't even come? I don't know how I'll even do the show if she stands me up."

Bella was silent for a minute. "That…that would be devastating," she said quietly. "If she does that, I swear to God, I think I'll need her number so I can find her and kill her for you."

The idea of Bella – all 110 pounds of her – beating up my mom, who in my recollection wasn't much bigger than Bella either, cracked me up. I laughed for a good solid minute.

"Thanks, Bells. I needed that."

She smiled and snuggled in to my arms. I lay on my back and she put her head on my chest where it belonged and slung a leg over mine. Absently, I traced a pattern on her upper arm. This was so nice, just lying here, the road lulling us and the relative quiet seeping in. I listened to her breath become even and soft, and I knew she was asleep.

My mind wandered. I wanted to sleep, but it just wouldn't come, so I thought about my mom – an old memory, worn and wrinkled from being brought into my mind so often. The last day I'd seen her.

She made me eggs. I'll never forget that. Scrambled, because at age six, that's the way I liked them. She put toast with strawberry jam on the plate, too. And bacon, which is still my favorite. And she'd whipped me up a chocolate shake – for breakfast! Sometimes she made me one when I was sick, but never just for breakfast. I kissed her hard that morning, and hugged her tight. I should have known something was up. Who gets a breakfast like that on a regular, mundane school day?

And she'd hugged me back just as tight, kissed my jam-sticky face, and whispered into my ear, "I love you more than anything in the whole wide world, Jakey."

Just thinking about it had the power to bring me to tears, but I swallowed them back. I was a big dog now, not just the pup I'd been back then. Yeah, I wanted to see her. Yeah, I wanted her to beg me to be a part of her life. And I wanted to say yes – I'd be a part of her life as long as she'd have me. But shit happens, and things change, and I'd built a wall too high and thick to let that part of me free. And with that thought floating around in my head, I finally fell asleep.

The great thing about sleep is that it passes the time like nothing else. I finally surfaced from the deep sea of slumber when I heard Edward's voice over the intercom. "Wolves, we're about an hour away from our destination, right on schedule. Diego and Leah have prepared breakfast for everyone if you'd like some. Otherwise, you can remain sleeping and I'll make another announcement when we're about fifteen minutes away from our venue."

I knew that thing was gonna be a pain in the ass. How was anyone supposed to go back to sleep after that?

Groggily, I turned over. Bella wasn't there, so I figured she was up already. I stumbled to the 'powder room' and made use of it, then pulled on my jeans from last night and opened the door.

Breakfast was laid out on the countertop, looking delicious. Had they really cooked all this food in the bus kitchen? I guess they must have. It was funny that Eddie had given Leah any part of the credit, because I knew this was all Diego. Leah hadn't ever lifted a finger to cook food for the band in the past.

I helped myself to the spread, loading up my plate and getting a cup of coffee and a big glass of ice water to drink. I sat down at the table just as Paul tumbled off the bunk over the cab, looking bleary and slow. Luckily we had awhile before the show went on, because he was gonna need more than a hot shower to cure whatever was ailing him.

Blondie and Bella were sitting in the passenger captain seat, both of them squashed into the one swivel chair. They were talking to Edward, who was standing behind the driver, his hands up on the bunk that Paul had just abandoned. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but it didn't sound dramatic. The girls were giggling nonstop. I wasn't worried about Eddie trying to steal Bella away from me anymore. As if! I knew the kind of man she wanted, and it wasn't some pansy ass Brit tripping along in skinny jeans and Beatle boots.

I ignored them and concentrated on what I had coming up. I wondered if Sarah would show. If she did, was she planning to come when we got there, or try to get in to see us when she got to the show? If she was coming when we got to the arena, I only had a little less than an hour to shower, shave, and change into something decent.

I didn't even think about it, either, until I had already showered and shaved and dressed. Bella came into the bedroom then, when I'd finished getting ready, and cocked her head to the side, squinting in confusion.

"What?' I asked. "Don't I look okay?"

"Look okay? You look incredible, Jake. Is that what you're wearing?"

I looked down. I'd put on a pair of black slacks, real dress pants – the only pair I owned. I'd forgotten I even packed them. I only brought them on tour in case we needed to meet with some of the higher-ups in the label offices. I was wearing a navy and white pinstriped shirt and a shiny gray tie. I looked up at her anxiously.

"Shit, I didn't even realize." I made a face. "I dressed up for her."

"Aw, Jake," Bella said. She walked over to me and put a hand on the side of my neck, playing with the back of my hair. "You look awesome. She can't help but be impressed."

"I feel stupid," I said.

"No," she answered, very serious. "You're great. Go in there and show her that you're a man now, and it's not due to her. Show her how wrong she was."

I know she was trying to build me up, make me feel better. And I did feel better after hearing what she had to say. But I was also a little wary.

"You're sure this won't backfire? I don't want her to think I went to a lot of trouble."

"Why not? She'll be completely dazzled. I know I am." She gave me one of those looks, like the one she was giving me last night when she admitted she liked my moves onstage. I was turning the virgin on without even trying. And it wasn't even part of my plan when I took her in my arms and kissed her like it was the last time, shoving my tongue in her mouth so she knew who was in control.

She was surprised, I could tell, but to her credit she didn't miss a beat and kissed me right back, just as hard and hungry as I'd kissed her. "You look in-fucking-credible," she whispered.

"Later I'll show you a few things you can do with that dirty little mouth of yours," I growled back, my lips flush against hers. Her breath caught in a hitch, and she ground her hips into me. Damn – she was simmering just from that? I liked the nasty talk coming through her pristine lips. Hanging out with Jake fuckin Black was corrupting her. Nice.

I was only a little disappointed that we didn't have time for a quick little finger bang. But then again, I was on a mission to make her horny and frustrated. Corrupt her even more, so she'd be asking for it. Begging for it. I grinned at her, pulling away.

"We don't want me to get all messed up for my big meeting," I said.

"No, we don't want that," she agreed. "But maybe we can get some alone time in my dressing room before the show." She smiled a suggestive little smile and turned away.

Eddie got on the intercom and said that we were fifteen minutes away. Bells grabbed my hand as we sat down on the bed. "Nervous?" she asked.

"A little. What if she doesn't show?"

"She better if she knows what's good for her," Bells said menacingly. I had to laugh. The little kitten was gonna fight for me. Adorable.

We just sat there holding hands, saying nothing – and I have to say, it was nice having someone there. It made me feel a lot better. I felt less anxious, less worried, more like I could handle this. If this was what love felt like, why had I denied it for so long?

Pretty soon we turned through the back gates of the arena. It looked nice from the outside and the back was well-patrolled. Nervously, I looked out the window of the bus, trying to see if Sarah was there. I couldn't see her, and I could feel my heart sink. It surprised me how much hope I'd pinned on this.

Edward came on again to give us directions for the security detail. It wasn't one of those stupid follow-the-leader things like in Miami; instead we were instructed to wait until they had cleared a path for us. Path through what? I wondered. I didn't see any big throng of fans.

But then the bus turned and suddenly the crowd was in view. There was a huge group, probably bigger than Miami, mostly composed an odd mix of bubblegum chewing teeny boppers and your average metalheads – black concert tees, longer hair than the girls, you know the type. I was glad to see them back. They were like long lost friends.

I scanned the crowd, but no one stuck out who looked like my mom might have looked now, fifteen years after I'd last seen her. In fact, it didn't look like there was anyone over the age of 25 out there. The disappointment I felt threatened to do me in. I looked at Bells, who was scanning the crowd restlessly, her eyes darting back and forth. She glanced at me, and the pity in her face said it all. She didn't think my mom was coming.

"Jacob? Can you please come up to the front of the bus?" Edward said over the intercom. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding, and looked at Bells, who nodded. She took my hand and led me through the door and up to the front, where Edward waited.

He leaned in like we were in on a conspiracy together. "Okay, Jacob, I'm getting through the headset that someone claiming to be your mother is in the crowd. Do you…would you recognize her, do you think?" He was talking very quietly and carefully, almost like he was afraid I'd blow any minute. I nodded. He said into the mouthpiece of his headset, "Send it." His phone was already in his hand and he held it out to me.

I had to really, really concentrate to hold it together and not cry in front of Edward and the guys. Bells squeezed my hand as I looked at the photo he was showing me. I squeezed back. The woman in the photo was squinting into the sun with no real expression on her face – not excitement, not happiness, not anger. She was older, had gray strands in her long black hair, and there were wrinkles around her eyes and mouth. But those eyes…those eyes were the same. It was Sarah.

"That's her," I said gruffly, listening to be sure my voice didn't break.

"Do you want to let her through?" Edward asked.

"I don't want to meet her in front of the crowd," I said. That wouldn't be good at all – a huge opportunity for the press and all the fans to see me at my weakest.

Diego had somehow materialized next to my shoulder, and he volunteered, "I can escort her in." This dude was the best move I'd ever made. I nodded quickly.

"Yeah, take her in and get her in a room where I can talk to her alone. I'll be in when I can. Keep your phone on so I know where you are." That would be better. Private, plus it would give me a chance to settle down somewhat.

"Diego is on his way out," Edward announced through the headset. "He'll escort her in."

With that, Diego was gone out the door. The crowd shouted for a few seconds, until they realized it wasn't us, then calmed down again. But the excitement was increasing. The shouting was getting louder. I continued to hold Bella's hand and wait for further instructions. But my heart was pounding like a hammer. For the first time in fifteen years, I was going to see my mother.