Chapter 13: And it started out so well...
I might have discovered the path to perfect happiness. You just need to have Jasper Whitlock wake you up by running his cool fingers through your hair. Goddamn, what a fucking way to wake up!
I squinted my eyes open, fearing for a painful blast of daylight right to my face, but the room was still dark. The only real light was coming from the TV. He really did watch the night chat again. Poor guy...
I yawned and stretched my body. I was completely draped over Jasper again. Like, no part of my torso touched the mattress. It was all good. I did like my mattress to be on the harder side... wink wink, nudge nudge.
"What time is it?" I asked sleepily. It was that blissful moment between being fully awake and half-sleeping. Before my brain caught up with all of my problems. This was pretty much as close to a perfect moment that I'd ever get.
Maybe we could do sleepovers after the fake boyfriend business was over and done... what were the chances that Alice would be okay with that? A girl could always dream... right?
"It's a little over 5 am. Did I wake you up?" Jasper spoke in a hushed tone. Shivers right down my spine. I snuggled my way even closer to his body if that was even possible. What can I say, I was seizing the moment. This magnificent thing would only last for two more days.
"Mmm... maybe? I don't know. But it's a good time to wake up."
I didn't want to wake up, but it really was the perfect time if I wanted to get a good workout before I had to face my relatives again. And Jasper needed to eat or people would start to wonder about his stony skin and suddenly black eyes. He was feeling mighty hard already...
Hardy-har. Was there anything better than dick jokes in the morning? I should consider becoming a comedian. My life was just one big joke, so I would have endless material to work with.
"Really? I somehow get the feeling that you are not a morning person."
What could have possibly given him that impression? Was it the fact that I was curled up into a ball against his torso, or maybe the fact that my eyes were drooping and I had to blink like crazy just to stop them from closing again? Or maybe the fact that I jolted back awake every few seconds.
"Yeah, I'm not... but we need to go jogging..." Work brains, damnit. It was time to wake up. Face the music and all that shit.
"Jogging?"
Okay, why did Jasper feel so damn comfy when he was starting to feel like a cold marble? How was it possible for me to feel all warm and fuzzy while essentially laying on top of a really nice-smelling rock?
I groaned and rolled away from his wonderful chest and pushed myself into a sititng position. I yawned again. I needed coffee...
"Well, I need to work out and you need to find yourself a nice, juicy deer or something and eat. If someone will see us, they'll only see a loving couple going for a morning jog together. Duh."
He looked at me like I was a crazy person. Which, to be fair, was entirely possible. But, was he confused about people working out while attending to a wedding or about me ordering him to eat? That was the real question.
"It kind of feels like you're judging me right now." I said. I got out of the bed and winced as my bare feet touched the cold floor. A fucking kingdom for carpeted floors...
"Well, you are suggesting that I'll go hunting while you are near me. It's almost like you want me to attack you."
What did he mean by that? I wasn't looking for any more bruises on my skin, thank you very much. Now, if he wanted to attack me in the fun, sexual way then I was on board. But I somehow got the impression that he wasn't talking about sexy times.
I raised my eyebrow and silently asked him to elaborate. My head disappeared in the depths of the wardrobe as I tried to find the leggings I had worn yesterday for the hike. Yeah, I know it was gross to have your used clothes mixed in with the clean ones, but it was better than having them scattered all over the room. I did have a system so the clothes didn't actually touch!
…the system just happened to be 'throw everything in a big pile at the bottom of the wardrobe and hope for the best'. I glanced at Jasper's side enviously. How the hell did he manage to have everything so neatly organized? And how much would it cost for him to clean out my walk-in back home?
"When vampires hunt, our instincts take over. So trying to hunt while near humans usually end up with us attacking the humans instead of the game."
Well shit. The more you know. I clicked my tongue. Did I want to risk it? I mean, I didn't have a death wish, but would it really be all that bad? At least I wouldn't have to play nice with my nemesis anymore.
No more disapproving glares from my parents. No more verbal abuse from Granny May. And once again, no more Ariel Reagan to ruin my day. Yeah, being mauled by Jasper didn't sound so bad.
"Ehh, I'm sure it'll be fine. I trust you." I said.
And I did. Strangely enough. Fuck, I had known Jasper for just a couple of days and here I was, actually trusting him to keep me safe from his vampy side. Shit was getting weird and serious.
"You are insane, Ella. Do you understand that I might accidentally kill you if I catch a scent of your blood?" He said. He was speaking in a low voice, but whoa boy did his words pack some anger in them. He was getting all feisty and it was still so early in the day.
Honestly, how was it possible for him to be so damn insecure about his bloodsucking ways when he had been a vampire for so long? Like, what the fuck had he been doing for the last 100 years if he still had no confidence in himself?
And how hypocritical was it of me to think like that? Me, the most fucking insecure bitch I knew? But that was so beside the point.
"Well just get far enough so you can't smell my blood. You do have super speed so it's not like you can't get back quickly once you're done."
Jasper shook his head. He stepped into my personal space and took a hold of my hand. My stomach fluttered and I could feel my face warming up again. He was such a manipulative bastard. And fuck if I wasn't loving it.
"We are surrounded by woods you aren't familiar with. It's still dark out. How could I leave you by yourself? You are a trouble magnet if I ever saw one and I'm afraid of what would happen to you if I left you to your own devices while I was too far away to save you."
Dear god I wanted to jump his bones. I craned my neck so I could look up into his eyes. I wasn't sure if it was the general lack of lighting or if his eyes had turned fully black by now, but I knew that he needed to get his munchies on today.
And I could use the exercise. My body was feeling all sorts of restless because I hadn't been hitting the gym in a couple of days. I felt fat. Or flabby to be more exact.
"I'm sure I'll manage. I'm a big girl, Jasper." I said softly. He was looking so worried that I wanted to make him feel at ease. But I also wanted to get my way, so I wasn't backing down. No matter how cute he looked with his worried frown.
"Ella..." He whispered. Begged me to see his point of view. Damn it was effective. It might've worked if I didn't have my mom's words ringing in my ears. I didn't look beautiful if I was fat. And I had to look beautiful. I gave Jasper a small smile.
"You can't be around my family if your eyes are all black all of a sudden. You need to eat something. Now, I appreciate your concern more than you can even imagine, but I am going for a jog. I would like for you to come with me, but I will go alone if you decide to go hunting on your own."
What can I say, I was stubborn. And fucked up in the head. Jasper Whitlock would just have to deal with my bullshit for now.
Truth be told, I was scared shitless by the thought of going out in the dark woods by myself. While it was highly unlikely that there was some creep prowling the woods, it made me nervous. I didn't know what was out there. I didn't know what to do if a fucking mountain lion walked up to me. Forks was a small town, but I was so not one with the nature.
But I wanted to go for a run anyway. Even if Jasper wouldn't come with me.
Jasper sighed, pulling his hand back. I missed the feeling, but I pushed that thought away from me with lightning speed. I was so not going to go there. There were only bad things in that direction and I was all about that comfortable living. Instead I grabbed my clothes and excused myself to the bathroom so I could get dressed and brush my teeth.
I decidedly did not look at myself in the mirror too much. There was no point in me obsessing over my fucking looks when I was going to work out. I mean, I still wore a full face of make up when I went to the gym, but that was mostly because I usually went there after school.
It had to be some sort of a record for me. I was suuuuper slow when getting ready but I was on a schedule if I wanted to be presentable by the time breakfast rolled around. I pulled my only turtleneck sweater over my head and quickly checked to see if it covered the green-ish bruises completely. Thank fucking god it did. It was a fucking process to cover them up and I didn't want to do that so early in the morning.
Jasper was pacing around anxiously as I stepped out of the bathroom in my full workout gear. He stopped practically mid-step and gave me a good once-over. His jaw was twitching and I kind of wanted to reach up and run my fingers along his jaw line. You know, to soothe his anxiety away and totally not because I liked touching him. No sir.
"Are you seriously going to do this?" He asked. I bit my lip and tried to think about something else than how fucking cute he was when he was worried.
"Yeah. I need the exercise. And I would really like some company."
Another sigh. I guessed that this morning was not going exactly the way Jasper had intended. He straightened himself to his full height. Well, that got my attention. And the full attention of the hormones that were waking up.
There was just something about the way he carried himself... all yummy self-confidence and poise. Right... what was I thinking about?
"Fine. I will come with you, but I have some conditions. Firstly, I will pick the area where I'll leave you. I'll make sure it is perfectly safe for you and then I will leave you by yourself for exactly 30 minutes. Don't leave that spot until I'm back. And scream as loud as you can if anything happens."
Ooooh, his serious tone of voice made shivers run down my spine. I could see why he had been made into a major. If he always sounded like that when he was giving orders, I could see why people would follow him. Of course my stupid-ass horny brain could only think how fucking sexy it was. Like, I wanted to kick off my leggings and offer myself up to him as a snack.
Fucking hell. What would it be like to have him tell me what to do in bed?
Bad Ella! Get your fucking mind out of the gutter. I needed to get laid so badly. Jasper was seriously messing up my head.
"Aye aye, Captain. Or Major. Damn you are hot."
I swear that I usually have a filter between my brain and my mouth. I groaned and slapped my warm cheeks. It was hopeless.
Jasper was polite enough to just smirk devilishly. What a gentleman.
000
Fucking hell it was cold. Like 'hell is freezing' cold. Note to self; never ever go running at 5.30 am in May again. God I wished I could hate my mom. Life would be so much simpler if I didn't give a rat's ass about what she thought...
"We can still go back, you know." Jasper said. There was some very not-appreciated amusement in his voice.
I rolled my eyes at him and pushed forward. I was probably going to get a fucking pneumonia, but I was not backing down. No way in hell. This fucking workout session was going to happen and I was going to fucking like every single second of it.
We took off jogging at a steady, calm pace. Warming up was very important if you didn't want to end up with your muscles so stiff you looked like a penguin when you walked. Or if you wanted to get out of bed to begin with.
And now I was thinking what it would be like to be stuck in a bed with Jasper all day long...
Running with Jasper was bound to be an interesting experience. I had never worked out with anyone who I couldn't keep up with. I doubted Jasper would show off, what with him being such a gentleman and all, but it was possible that I would get jealous of his ability to stay completely unaffected while I was a red, huffing and sweating mess on the ground.
"So what is the safest route to take, Major Whitlock?" I asked with a grin. His eyes got another shade darker and I felt super accomplished. He clearly liked it when I called him that. Maybe now he realized what his nicknames did to me. Like, it was sinful for someone to say my full name like that.
"I suppose we should take the yesterday's hiking path. It's familiar to both of us so we won't get lost. And you'll be able to find your way back if something happens."
Wow. He gave me way too much credit. I was horrible with directions and navigating. I had lived my entire life in Forks and I still didn't know my way across town completely. And it wasn't like Forks was a big place or anything.
I only used one marked path that I ran on whenever I wanted to run outside. It was a path that was well-lit, it had more signs than I could or bothered to count, and I had been using that route ever since I was 10 years old and running with my parents.
I had none of Jasper's confidence that I would be able to get back to the venue if something unexpected happened, but I kept that tidbit of information to myself. He would call this entire thing off if he knew how easily I got lost.
We picked up the pace and headed towards the start of the hiking path. The sun was starting to rise so it wasn't so dark anymore. I could see where to put my feet so I luckily didn't fall over every root and rock. While the idea of Jasper catching my fall was fucking hot as hell, I preferred to keep myself upright. Womanly pride or whatever.
I stopped paying attention to where we were heading, trusting that Jasper had a solid idea of our intended route. It was a bad habit of mine whenever I was travelling with someone I trusted. I had no fucking clue where I was half the time I was with my friends. I tended to get lost in my own thoughts and just focus on my body moving the way I wanted it to.
My breathing got heavier, my body warmed up and I was in the fucking zone. I was sure my face was a complete mess by now. I just hoped I didn't have a trail of snot running down my face. Or that if I had, Jasper wasn't paying any attention to it.
I found my behavior around Jasper interesting. I always wanted to look as put together as possible whenever I was around people and especially if I was around people I found attractive. Jasper was turning me into a hormonal beast so logically I should be super concerned about my looks at all times. And to some extend I was.
I wanted him to think I was beautiful. I wanted him to want me so fucking bad. So it was interesting that I was so okay with letting him see the less flattering sides of me. Like, I would never had sweating like hell and with my hair looking like a rat's nest.
Why was it like this? Was I so into him that I wanted to sabotage myself in advance? Was my brain protecting me by deciding I should let him see the worst of me so he wouldn't be interested? Or was I taking this whole honesty thing to a whole new level?
Fuck it all to hell. Did I actually trust Jasper Whitlock, the 167 year old married vampire who had tried to kill me just like a week ago, so much that I was comfortable with showing him all of me. The good, the bad and the ugly as fuck?
You are an idiot, Ella Johnson. Why the fuck did you do this to yourself?!
Vampire. 167 years old. MARRIED.
Don't you fucking fall in love with him, you stupid girl.
I pushed myself harder. Anything to distract myself from my very scary thoughts. Jasper easily kept up with me just like I figured he'd do. As I got more and more out of breath, the tension in my body started to ease up. There really was nothing like good old exercise to keep you sane. Or whatever the correct term to 'not quite as insane' was.
It took us a good 20 minutes to get to our destination. I was gasping for breath and probably looking like shit, but I did feel better. More like myself again.
I looked around. The clearing Jasper had chosen looked really familiar. It took me a moment to piece together that he had chosen the spot we had stopped at yesterday. Wow, he was trying his hardest to make it easy for me to navigate back to the cabin if something happened. Yeah, that was not happening. I didn't even remember which way we had come...
"You are pretty fit." Jasper remarked. It might've been because he was looking just as flawless as before, but his comment felt just a little bit mocking. I waited for my breathing to even out before I paid him any attention. Let him stew for that slightly arrogant comment.
"Pretty fit? I'm sorry, have you seen my body? I'm fucking shredded."
What can I say, I was a complex human being. I was insecure about myself but hot damn I also was very aware of my looks and I knew for a fact that I had a fucking amazing body. Or I knew it whenever I couldn't hear my mom's snide little comments ringing in my ears.
I stretched my arms high above my head and leaned left and right to stretch out my core. I was also very aware that the hem of my sweater and jacket lifted up just enough so he could see a little bit of my torso.
And he looked. Whoa boy, did he look. His dark eyes followed the movement of my hips. Well, well, well... oh how the tables had turned.
Was it wrong that I was enjoying every single second of Jasper's maybe-not-so-pure impulses? Fuck yes. Did I care? Hell no!
Okay, so maybe I needed to rethink the whole concept of me being a decent human being. I was more than happy to play this little game with Jasper. And that wasn't right at all, but how the hell was I supposed to fight this insane attraction? Seriously, the boy was a walking, talking sex god wrapped in catnip or some shit.
"Uh... So, I can't sense any humans or beasts in a five mile radius. It should be safe enough... Now, what do you do if something unexpected happens?"
Wow, and we were right back to treating me like I was made of porcelain. I wasn't hating on it, to be honest. It felt so fucking good to have someone care about my well-being this much. Even if it did enforce some old-fashioned gender roles that made Angela foam at the mouth. She was a revolutionary one. Me, I was fine with being pushed into the traditional role of a damsel. As long as my prince charming respected me and worshipped the ground I walked on.
"Sit down and wait for my imminent death."
"Ella, please..."
What a buzzkill. He could be so serious. I shook my head and reached up to pat his hard cheek reassuringly. Ooh, it made me feel all tingly and shit.
"I'll scream so fucking loud that I'll make people deaf. You worry too much, Jasper Whitlock."
Jasper got this super sly look on his face. I could feel it coming and it was so unfair. I just knew he was going to get the last word in and run away before I could come up with anything good.
"Oh the irony of hearing you say that, Ella Johnson. Which one of us has made a fool-proof battle plan for this weekend again?"
Fucking hell. Touche and all that shit. He left me standing in the middle of a clearing with his fucking angelic laughter ringing in my ears.
Vampire powers were so fucking unfair.
000
Time sure flies when you're having fun. And by that I mean pushing your body to its limits so you can burn those sweet, sweet calories in just 20-ish minutes. It felt like I had just started my stretching when a certain undead someone crept up behind me.
"Sorry to interrupt, but I'm back from the hunt."
Scaring the living shit out of me in the process, of course.
"Holy fucking hell! Can you like make some noise when you approach?! I nearly fell on my face." I screeched out. Bird-dog is not the stablest of positions to be in, especially if you weren't using a proper yoga mat.
"I'm sorry... I tend to forget that you don't have vampire hearing."
Okay, that tone of voice was way too fucking smug. It was almost like he found my puny mortal ways hilarious. It was time to do something that I did amazingly well.
Make Jasper Whitlock flustered.
I laid down on the ground, thanking my lucky stars that it hadn't been raining in a while so I wasn't playing in the mud, and pushed my upper body into a cobra stretch. I had ditched the jacket during my workout so it was just the form-fitting turtleneck and it did wonders to my figure. There was a limit to what even a good sports bra could squish down and I had boobs to share. So might as well use what my mama gave me.
I didn't even need to take a peek to know that Jasper was suddenly very focused on me. I was really liking this 'Jasper thinks I'm hot' thing. Made me feel like I was fucking invincible. I let out a deep sigh as my abs stretched deliciously and then I pushed my body up into a downward dog.
Jasper was being very quiet, so it was my time to strike.
"Are you staring at my ass?"
Sorry, not sorry. It needed to happen. I looked at him under my arms and I got to see his reaction in all of its glory. He flinched like he had been burned and hurriedly turned his entire body to face the opposite direction. And now I could confirm that even the well-fed vampires couldn't blush. Jasper would've been so damn red if it was possible.
"N-no! Of course not!" He stammered, rubbing his neck and apparently he had discovered a passion for bird-watching all of a sudden. A satisfied smirk took over my face. So much for that sexy arrogance.
"Because I don't mind. It's a great ass."
And it was. I never skipped the leg day and I did my squats religiously. It was the fucking perfect bubble butt.
"Uh..."
Oh my god. His reactions were just too cute! How was it possible for anyone to be that adorable and that sexy at the same time? Shouldn't it be just one or the other? Fuck, it made me want to tease him a little bit more. Call me a bitch, or whatever. He was just way too irresistable like this.
"What, you don't agree? Do you think I have an ugly ass?"
"I- uh... What?"
I pushed myself up, brushing off any dirt I might've gotten on my clothes. Jasper was refusing to look at me. I started to giggle. It was just too damn funny.
"I'm just messing with you. But you know, I really don't mind if you check my ass out. God knows I've been checking yours at every chance I get."
Uh... Did I actually just say that out loud? Me and my fucking mouth. And it was going so well! I was actually winning for a chance and then I just had to blurt shit out. Like, was it too much to ask to have a fucking filter between my horny thoughts and the words that actually come out of my mouth?
"It's your fault that I keep saying stuff like this!" I said defensively. I glared at him suspiciously. That smug smirk was tugging at the corners of his lips.
"I wasn't going to say anything."
Yeah right. And I was the fucking president of Ariel Reagan's fan club. I rolled my eyes and grabbed his hand, tugging him along to what I thought was the route back to the cabin.
"Let's just head back. I would say I'll race you but you would just cheat with your superpowers."
"I would never!" Jasper said with a mock gasp. Now he was just making fun of me again. He would so get his once I had him as my homework slave. He would crawl back to his house crying after I was done with him. Jasper Whitlock would learn the true meaning of 'high maintenance'.
We started to jog back. Jasper was a gentleman and carried my jacket for me. I was starting to understand why Angela always looked so damn pleased when I carried her stuff for her. There was just something heartwarming about someone showing a little courtesy to you.
"So, what did you catch, oh Master Hunter?" I asked as we ran. We were keeping our pace relatively relaxed so talking was possible for me. It was the best way to burn some fat, not that I had that much to burn. I was just mostly a little bloated from the change in my diet.
"I was hoping to find a mountain lion, but unfortunately I had to settle for a moose."
Aww, he sounded so upset. I gave him an awkward pat on his bicep. Shit was difficult when you were on the move.
"I'm so sorry for you. Is there like a difference in taste or something?"
I was interested in knowing. Like, did different types of blood taste different the same way something like cookies and steak tasted different? I assumed that there was a difference between human blood and animal blood since apparently vampires couldn't resist one and the Cullens were
'surviving' on animal blood. Or maybe it was like a nutritional difference? Who knew...
Well, Jasper obviously knew and that's why I asked him. I just hoped I would remember all of this information once I was back home and updating my Cullen Files. This weekend was a fucking educational experience.
And emotionally confusing, but that was a whole different thing. One that I did not want to think about.
"Yes. There is a difference between carnivores, omnivores and hebrivores. Human blood is of course the tastiest to us, but even then different people taste different. There are humans whose blood is sweet like honey to us. We call them Singers. Then there's a difference between adults and children. If the human has drugs or alcohol in their system, they taste different. The best tasting humans, after the Singers, are young adults who eat meat and exercise regularly."
"So, I'm not as tasty because I'm vegan?"
This shit was fucking interesting! Jasper gave me a heated look that made me actually fucking miss a step. I stumbled and nearly fell on my beautiful face, but luckily my personal superhero was there to catch me. Guess I did get that cliche 'the hero catches the girl' moment after all.
"Don't fucking do that!" I huffed. Did he have to give me those fucking bedroom eyes when I was trying to run? It was so fucking dangerous!
"Don't do what, exactly?" The cocky Jasper was back and my ovaries were in danger of spontaniously combusting. My face was no doubt red as fuck again and unfortunately it had nothing to do with the running.
"You know exactly what I mean! You're using your sex powers again. It's like so unfair!"
He laughed. Loudly. And there went my heart again. I swear I was going to see a fucking doctor as soon as I could. It couldn't be normal for a heart to get this worked up over a guy!
And I really didn't want it to. I was so not going to fall in love with Jasper. I just had to keep reminding myself of that. I just needed to show some self-restrain. I could do that. I just had to change the way I looked at him.
"It's hardly unfair, lil' darling. You happen to affect me quite strongly too. It's not the scent of your blood, as divine as that is, that makes you irresistable to me."
Hit the fucking brakes! What did he just say? I looked up at him, completely fucking under his spell. Did he just say that he was into me? Was I understanding something wrong?
"Umm... what?"
I was such a fucking well spoken intellectual. I bit my lip and just stared at him, trying to figure out what he was saying to me. Our eyes met and I swear his beautiful golden eyes were fucking glowing.
Shit. Shit shit shit shit shiiiiiit.
"It's the scent of your skin. Of your hair. Your perfume... your pheromones. All of it drives me crazy, because I selfishly want to know what you taste like... and I'm not allowed to know."
Danger! Danger! Ring the fucking warning bells! I licked my lips and I saw how his eyes followed the movement. I was fucking shivering and my body was very aware of what it wanted. Needed.
"I wouldn't mind..."
Oh will you just fucking shut up?! My heart was beating like crazy and seriously, what was it that I was supposed to remind myself of? I couldn't think a single reason why we shouldn't just fuck right there on the forest floor.
Jasper stepped into my personal space. He put his hands on my hips and I swear his fingers were burning me. Warm vampires were so damn dangerous... It was hard enough to resist them when they were walking statues, but these warm and... fleshy ones were going to be the death of me. And my ovaries.
"Ah, but if I were to indulge, I'm afraid I couldn't stop. I would want more and more. And we cannot go there, my little Ella..."
Work brains, I beg of you. I leaned into him, taking a deep breath of his fucking intoxicating smell and tried to fight through the lusty fog that invaded my head. My legs lost their strenght and I was feeling all sorts of wobbly in my knees. I don't know how much of work they were doing and how much of my upright position was thanks to Jasper's grip on me, and I honestly didn't even care.
He bent down and dropped his head on my neck. I could feel his nose tickle my skin. All fucking sense left me. He was too close and not close enough at the same time. My hands gripped the front of his hoodie and tugged his body closer.
Jasper took a few steps, making me walk backwards until my back touched a tree. So this was happening. I swear someone was going to die if this didn't end with wild forest sex.
He inhaled deeply and fucking hell it shook me to my core. God, could he just kiss me senseless already?
"Why are you so tempting, Ella Johnson?" He growled softly. Fuuuuck. I would have to tie my jacket around my waist because my leggings were fucking soaked.
Vampire. Married. Married. MARRIED, ELLA!
I groaned out loud. Why the fuck couldn't my fucking brain wait a few more minutes before reminding me that this couldn't happen. Fuck it all to hell.
"This is really bad, isn't it?" I asked weakly. Like, this couldn't be happening to us. It just had to be the situation we were in. Just like Jasper had said. We were getting caught in the moment... nothing more.
He straightened himself and released his hold of me. He put some much-needed and much-loathed distance between us. My knees felt weak as fuck. I wanted to be relieved, I really did. But I was only so fucking disappointed and like literally aching for his nearness. Why the fuck did I have to get a fucking conscience at the worst moments?!
"Yes... This is really bad. It cannot happen, Ella. You deserve more."
Yup. I deserved so much more than a guy who was taken. And like over a century older than me. Honestly, why couldn't I have a simple, normal life? God this sucked...
We started walking again, both of us quiet. I tried to push everything that I was feeling to the back of my mind. I just had to survive two more days and then I could deal with all of my shit. Just two more days...
000
"Can we not talk about it right now? Like, can we pretend that it didn't happen until tonight?" I asked as I stepped out of the bathroom, all dressed up for the day.
Things had been quiet and kind of awkward ever since the forest incident. I was so not in the right headspace to have this talk with Jasper. I couldn't go out there and face my relatives after something like that. What if our talk ended badly and he'd ditch me before the wedding was over and done?
I couldn't risk it. And I really didn't want to have an emotionally wrecking discussion about the doomed crush I didn't have so early in the morning.
Jasper looked up from the book he was reading. His eyes softened and he nodded his head just slighlty.
"Of course. It can wait."
More annoying heart-tugs. This had to end before it got way out of hand.
"What are you reading?" See, now that was a perfectly innocent conversation starter. I could do mundane small-talk between friends.
"The Art of War."
Of course he was reading something called The Art of War. His name was Major Jasper Whitlock and war was his art... you could actually make a good thriller with something like that.
"What's it about?"
My money was on a cheesy romance novel. Jasper seemed like a guy who would have a guilty pleasure like that.
"It's an ancient Chinese military treatise written by the legendary military strategist Sun Tzu." He said, smirking slightly. It was like he knew how dim-witted I was.
Well, he was right. I had no idea what he just said. Something Chinese? I just blinked stupidly and he laughed. I should probably feel pretty insulted, but who could be mad when Jasper laughed?
"So it's basically just some light reading. Got it." Because he was so smart and shit. What an arrogant, beautiful bastard. Let me pull out my storage of Cosmopolitans and then we'd see who is the one with more knowledge...
I picked up the un-godly schedule that my shitty cousin had given us all. I was hoping for a bit of free time since there was the whole wedding rehearsal going on and yours truly was not invited. We had archery scheduled. Fucking archery. Who the fuck wants to practise archery at a wedding? I mean, if I was allowed to hunt down the bride and shoot her then I'd be out on the range practising already, but shooting arrows for funsies? So not my thing.
Jasper put his book down and plucked the schedule out of my hands. He blessed me with a boy-ish, 'we're about to do something naughty' smile and I was fucking melting. Again.
And I had just fucking showered...
"We won't be needing this at all. Brody and I have handled our entertainment for the day."
"Now why does that sound scarier than hanging around the devil's spawn..?"
Should I trust anything Brody came up with? He was Brody after all and while Jasper was a smart and capable guy, Brody was so good at corrupting good people to the dark side. Just look at what he had done to poor, poor Faye. She used to have such potential...
"Trust me. It'll be fun."
Riiiight. Fun. I could use some fun. It was just slightly concerning that my brother and my fake boyfriend got along so well... A week ago I would've said that Jasper was a lone wolf even when he was surrounded by his vampy brothers, but now it seemed that he was making friends left and right. First the whole unholy understanding he had with Justin and now he was buddying it up with my brother? What next, should I expect Harry, Elena and fucking Ariel for afternoon tea?
"I don't know if that word means what you think it means..." I muttered. This could only mean trouble for me and my self preservation was screaming for me to get the hell away from the situation.
Jasper shook his head and took my hand. I had like a second to just bask in the amazing feeling before we were walking towards the main building. Breakfast time.
Of course, the first fucking face I see was aunt Gloria's. My appetite was officially gone. It had left the building. But the good thing was that I instantly felt better about the upcoming day at the sight of the badly covered black eye she was sporting.
"Ella... and Jasper, darling. Good morning." She sniffed. Oh, the bitch was frosty! I hugged my torso under my dark green poncho for warmth to shield against aunt Gloria's freezing attitude.
I was willing to bet good money that my mom had given that shiner to her. And I hoped to god someone had it on camera. I craned my neck to see if I would be able to catch a glimpse of my mom, but she was nowhere to be seen.
"Aunt Gloria! You look... so energetic."
"Truly radiant." Jasper offered. Such a gentleman.
Aunt Gloria gave us a sour grimace and hurriedly continued to the breakfast buffet. Wow. This day just kept getting better and better. I went to get myself a smoothie while Jasper reserved us a table.
Faye appeared just as I was starting to haul my breakfast and Jasper's black coffee to our table. She looked like she hadn't slept the entire day and can I just say 'ew'? I knew exactly why she looked like that. So disgusting.
And unfair.
"We got you seats. Is his royal stupidness joining us soon?" I said as a greeting. Faye grinned tiredly and nodded her head. Fuck, she looked so damn satisfied. I felt so dirty. And not hungry at all anymore.
"He was still in the shower when I left. I couldn't handle another minute without coffee."
"Get me one as well. My hands are full and my butler is busy claiming our table."
I wasn't going to have coffee because I didn't have enough arms to carry everything, but I was happy to drink some if Faye did the carrying. Why would I do anything myself if there was a way to get someone else to do it for me? I'd be a great boss one day...
"Is that all you're having?" Jasper asked as I put down the stuff I had chosen. So basically just a smoothie and a small bowl of berries for me and his black coffee.
"I'm not hungry."
He eyed me suspiciously. Yeah, he could read my emotions all he wanted, but I wasn't lying. I wasn't hungry. The reasons behind that might not have been the best, but omitting slight details was not lying! He didn't need to know that I had taken one good look at my puffy face and decided that bacon and white bread was so not for me.
"All that hassle about me eating well and you're going to settle for a smoothie. It feels a little hypocritical." He said, that damn smirk tugging at his lips.
Psh, like he had any room to talk. Which one of us ate only like once a week or whatever? I still ate three meals in a day, even if one of them happened to be a smoothie. I'd probably, hopefully, be starving by lunch and then I'd eat more dry-ass chicken or something else like that.
"Are you two having a lovers quarrel? That's adorable." Faye butted in and handed me my cup of coffee. I took a careful sip of the piping hot liquid and grimaced.
"Fuck! It's definitely not Starbucks. This tastes like shit."
It was the most horrible watered down sewage I had ever tasted. And I had drank Brody's coffee! Faye sniffed her cup and darted her tongue out to taste hers. She sputtered in disgust and pushed her cup as far away as she could. So it wasn't just me.
How on earth was Jasper drinking it so casually? That was the real mystery here. This shit was completely undrinkable. Did everything taste like this to him? Was he that good at faking stuff?
"You can't blame the coffee if you forgot to brush your teeth, lil sis."
Great. My brother had joined the party. I was once again reminded that I had to spend an entire day with him. What could possibly be better? Sticking needles in my eyes, maybe? I rolled my eyes and offered my cup to him.
"Try it. I fucking dare you. Let's see if you've brushed your teeth, brother dearest."
Ha! Brody's reaction was so overly dramatic. He took a big gulp of my coffee and sprayed it out of his mouth like in a movie. He spat and stuck his fingers into his mouth like he was trying to wipe the taste off of his tongue.
I cackled. Loudly. If people hadn't been paying attention because of Brody's noisy reaction, they were now thanks to me.
"Oh my god! Why did you taste it?" Faye asked with round eyes. Well, I knew someone who wouldn't be getting any smoochies for a while. You know, besides me.
"It's not that bad. There's no need for this ruckus." Jasper said. He was so clearly mocking us. He took a nice, long sip of his coffee and smacked his lips obnoxiously. He let out a satisfied sigh to top it all off. Who was the dramatic one here again?
My eyes wandered across the dining room like they so often did when I knew I was being watched. Aunt Gloria was glaring at our table and her wrathful gaze seemed to be targeted towards Brody. Well, now it was official. She had gotten her ass handed to her by my mom and she was blaming Brody for having Faye as his fiance. Like he was the problem and not her racist and stupid words.
Granny May was looking at me disapprovingly. What the fuck did I do now? This was all Brody who was making a scene. I had been very discreet with my reaction. And it so wasn't my fault that I had an idiot brother who was willing to taste icky stuff just because someone dared them to!
I felt bile burning my throat when my eyes landed on the Bitch Supreme herself. The Wicked Witch was looking mighty sour this fine morning. She was standing in the buffet line with Justin, glaring daggers at me.
Well, who was I to dismiss the bride-to-be? I looked at her in clear distaste and let out a dramatic sniff before pointedly turning my back to her. I could hear her outraged hiss all the way to our table. Granted, I was sitting relatively close to the buffet table so it was no wonder.
"Let it be..."
"But Justin!"
"Let it be, Ariel."
Who would've thought that Justin could ever sound intimidating in the slightest? He was uptight for sure, but he had never seemed like the type that would take charge like that. I grinned. I was feeling so much better already. There was nothing like knowing I ruined Ariel's day to make me feel amazing.
"So, what are you two rebels planning for today?" I asked, bringing the conversation back to something nobody would be interested in. There was such a thing as too much attention. Especially if said attention came from these snakes.
"Haven't I told you already, lil' darling? It's a secret." Jasper said charmingly. Like, my stomach fluttered from the way he lowered his voice on the word 'secret'. Goddamn that voice of his was seductive.
"I would also like to know, Brody." Faye said and raised her eyebrow expectantly. I snickered. There was no way Brody could keep anything secret if Faye wanted to know. He was powerless before her dark eyes.
Brody swallowed audibly and started to fidget. He looked around us to see if anyone was eaves dropping. What a fucking drama queen. I rolled my eyes. Like anyone here would actually care what we'd get up to. Everyone was doing their own shit. We only gathered in one place when it was time to eat or when her royal bitchiness demanded it specifically.
I leaned into Jasper's chest and closed my eyes for a second. I was tired and there was no way I'd be drinking that shit someone dared to call coffee. I wrapped Jasper's free hand around me and used it as a blanket. Fuck he felt so comfy when he was all warm...
"We found a game room in the basement. There's a pool table and a mini basketball hoop. And a huge collection of cd's and a shit-ton of crap we can play with." Brody whispered. He thought he was being quiet, but he was failing miserably. How could anyone whisper so loudly?
Jasper started to rock me gently. I was so sleepy... His smell and his warmth were making my brain all fuzzy and I was so ready to go back to bed. Preferrably with Jasper and without any pesky clothes between us.
Great. Now I was horny again. Horny and tired and so fucking comfy. I was having some serious trouble to decide what I was feeling. Jasper was not helping things by purring quietly. Like, there was barely any sound but I could feel the vibrations in his chest.
"That's your big master plan? A game room?" Faye's voice made me snap back awake.
How long had I been out? It couldn't have been more than a couple of seconds if we were still talking about the game room.
"Sleepy?" Jasper murmured into my ear. This fucking guy. I yawned and straightened myself. His arms were a dangerous place to be. I stretched my back and blinked a couple of times. This was not the time or the place to be sleeping.
"I'm fine. I just need some decent coffee in me. I can't believe the she-devil is serving this shit to her quests."
"Uh... Ella..."
Fuck. Faye was looking pointedly to the space behind my right shoulder. It could only mean one thing. We had a bug. What a perfect fucking way to describe my nemesis.
Okay, the important thing was to not get flustered. She was a she-devil and the coffee did taste like absolute shit. I had done nothing wrong. I took a controlled breath and tasted my neglected smoothie.
It was just as horrible. Who the fuck puts sugar in a green smoothie? Gross! I gagged and pushed the monstrosity away from me. It looked like I would be skipping the breakfast altogether. Yay.
"Honestly, I would be too embarrassed to serve something this awful to my beloved relatives. I have to admire her guts." I continued, raising my voice just the tiniest bit so Ariel knew that I knew she was lurking behind me. That bitch.
God I hated her so much.
I could hear the grinding of her teeth. It was so fucking gross. Jasper was glaring at her and his body tensed up. Well that couldn't be good. But seriously, what could that abomination actually do?
"Here, why don't you try mine. Oops!"
I shrieked when I was suddenly yanked into Jasper's lap. Like, my teeth smacked together painfully and I was pretty sure I got whiplash. Then there was a scalding sensation on my forearm.
The fucking bitch had dumped her fucking boiling coffee on me! I turned to look at her, fucking furious and outraged. How dared she?! I was going to fucking kill her.
Oh fuck! My arm hurt. I wasn't sure if it was the pain or the uncontrollable anger, but my eyes watered up and I started crying. Or like sniffling miserably and clutching my burned arm to my chest.
Ariel's hand was shaking and she was looking at me, terrified of what she had done. Well fucking served her right! She was going to suffer for this. If Jasper hadn't reacted fast enough and pulled me...
Shit!
I twisted my awkwardly bent body so I could look at Jasper's face. All thoughts of murdering Ariel were pushed to the back of my mind. I had something more serious going on that demanded all of my attention.
Jasper Whitlock's golden eyes were pitch black and his face was twisted into something horrible and animalistic. He was growling lowly and this was not the 'let's have sex' growl that I was particularly fond of. Oh no. This was the 'I'll fucking kill you and wear your ribcage as a helmet' growling.
Of course, both of the growls had similar affects on me. But I was fucked up in the head so whatever I was feeling couldn't be considered normal. Normal people would be terrified. And Ariel certainly was.
Fuck it all to hell. Here we go again.
Author's Final Notes:
FUCKING FINALLY! Phew... Do you guys have any idea what it's like to write one single chapter for weeks because you are so incredibly busy and have no time for anything? Let's just say it's no fun. These past few weeks have been so draining. It's the busiest time at my workplace and my body is feeling it...
I'm so sorry that it took me this long to update, but hopefully this extra-long chapter will earn me your forgiveness! I'm going to try my damn hardest that this doesn't happen again. My new goal is to post a new chapter every 7-10 days. Let's all hope that I can stick to it as we wait for this work-madness to calm down!
So, have I grovelled enough? If you are a person who decided to return to this story even after this long break, thank you so much! I hope this will be a satisfying continuation to Ella's story. I'm extremely hopeful that the next chapter will be ready for your enjoyment after this weekend. Fingers crossed!
Okay, I think that's enough rambling for now. I hope to see you all soon and hey; Let's make TSLoEJ Great Again! :D
ps, thank you all for following and favoriting and commenting. Have a great weekend you guys!
