A/N: I really can't help myself, but knowing I have the first few chapters written makes it too much of a temptation not to upload! Thanks for all the favourites, follows and reviews, I love to read them. Please review and let me know what you think, they make me very happy!
Disclaimer: As always, Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight, I do not.
What the hell was I thinking, inviting her back here? Jasper raged to himself as he unlocked the front door. He may have been a soldier, but he was no knight in shining armour. And now he had invited some crying woman he didn't even know up to his apartment. And not just any crying woman. One that made him hard just thinking about the way she looked; the swell of her tits in that dress, the curve of her hips, the perfect round of her ass. Fuck, I need to stop this, he thought. That's not the reason he had brought her back here. No matter how much he was thinking about running his hands down her body, grabbing her ass and pushing her back against the wall. For fucks sake Whitlock, calm the fuck down, he thought, not for the first time that night. Jasper turned to see Bella looking at him with a worried expression on her face and realised he had been stood with the keys in the lock for some time.
"Sorry," he apologised "Come in." Bella walked in, looking more nervous now. "Um, can I get you a drink of something?" Jasper asked, needing to do something to distract him from his inappropriate thoughts.
"Just a glass of water, thank you. I think I've had enough alcohol for tonight," she said with a small smile.
Jasper went to the kitchen, returning with Bella's glass of water and a beer for himself that he had grabbed as an afterthought. He stopped at the door, leaning against the frame, watching her as she perched on the edge of his sofa.
"Uh, hi there," she said, noticing Jasper watching her. A blush began to cover her cheeks and her chest started to rise and fall more rapidly as they stared at each other.
"So, Bella," he said, letting her name roll off the tip of his tongue as he crossed the room in a couple of fast strides. He sat down on the sofa next to her. "Are you ok?" he asked. "You've had me worrying about you tonight. And I must admit, it's not something I'm used to doing."
"Why were you so worried about me?" she said with a puzzled look on her beautiful face. "You don't know me and judging by your reaction when you first saw me tonight, you don't even appear to like me that much."
Her last words were said with a raised eyebrow and a suspicious tone. Jasper felt almost glad that he had not been entirely let off the hook for his earlier behaviour. He didn't like his girls to be pushovers. Jasper chose to ignore Bella's enquiries, not finding the answers to be anything he wanted to think about or was ready to discuss with her. He countered her questions. "Or why don't you tell me how you ended up getting shitfaced in a bar and agree to come home with a man you don't even know? You're dressed for some cocktail party for fucks sake, where were you meant to be going?"
Tears filled Bella's eyes again as she looked at him. "I was at my engagement party," she answered, looking down at her bare feet which were now tucked up on the sofa. "I had to leave, I just, I just had to leave ok?" she said with a flash of her eyes, before giving an involuntary shiver.
Jasper was not sure how to reply to what she had just revealed. "Let me get you something else to put on," he said, glad for an excuse to rise from the sofa. Digging around in his bedroom, Jasper returned with his old Queens of the Stone Age hoodie, drawing a watery smile from Bella.
"I haven't listened to them for ages," she said.
"Why don't I put some on now?" Jasper asked, eager for any distraction from the beautiful woman sat in front of him, now wearing his clothes.
Bella glanced down at her watch and then back at Jasper with an apologetic look on her face. "Actually, it's been a long night. Do you mind if I get some sleep?" she asked, secretly wanting to put some distance between herself and the man in whose house she would be sleeping that night.
"Of course," Jasper answered, unable to think of any reason to keep her up and talking for any longer. Although, he would be glad to put some distance between himself and the woman who had more effect on him than anyone else he had met. "You can take my bed, I'll sleep out here."
Fifteen minutes later and after some protestation, Bella was tucked up in Jasper's bed while he was in the living room, trying unsuccessfully to get comfortable on the makeshift bed on the sofa. After tossing and turning for some time, he got up and pulling a t-shirt over his head as went, walked briskly out onto the balcony for a cigarette, hoping it would calm him enough to get some sleep. Jasper had not slept well since his army days, but knowing that Bella was lying on his sheets, probably with very little on, had him so on edge that sleep felt miles off. He lit up and took a deep drag, exhaling slowly and instantly feeling more relaxed. With a pang, Jasper realised he could hear the muffled sounds of Bella sobbing through his open bedroom window. He felt his heart plummet, wondering what the hell had happened to upset her so much.
Finishing his cigarette, Jasper headed back inside and paused at the bedroom door, unsure of what to do. He wanted to check on her, but was concerned that a strange man going into her bedroom in the middle of the night may actually be more disturbing than it would be of help.
After hearing another heart wrenching sob, he made the decision with a sigh, gently leaning his forehead against the cool door. "Bella?" he called quietly, pushing open the door. He walked over to the bed and looked down at her. She was curled up under the duvet, looking up at him with wide chocolate brown tear stained eyes. Unable to help himself, Jasper lowered himself onto the bed and placed his strong arms around her.
With a fresh wave of tears, she clung to him, her body shaking with sobs and her tears soaking his shirt. "Why did they do it to me?" she said. "How could he do that to me? He was meant to love me." Her crying took over and she said no more. Jasper held her warm body against his chest, ready to kill whoever had made her feel so bad.
Bella watched as the couple on the bed lay entwined, oblivious to anything but the feel of their bodies against each other. The man played with the woman's nipple, twisting and elongating, eliciting a long moan as she pushed her breasts harder into his waiting hands. Continuing the soft and sensual seduction of her body, he ran his hands down her stomach, following the trail with feather light kisses until he reached the juncture of her thighs. Pausing, he glanced up at his woman, before continuing his kisses down her inner thighs, purposefully skipping over her most sensitive area. The woman groaned in anticipation and need. "Please," she whispered, desperate for his touch to set her free, to release the pent up energy that was building inside of her. He moved back up her body, cupping her face with both hands before giving her a tender kiss, savouring the taste of her plump pink lips. As he pulled on her bottom lip with his teeth, Bella noticed that the man's hair was not Edward's bronze coloured curls that she was so used to, it was longer, honey gold strands falling to cover his face. As his lips parted from the woman beneath him, Bella recognised with a shock that the girl lying there in complete ecstasy, was the image of herself.
Bella woke up with a start, the arousal she had felt in her dream still coursing through her body. Her heart was beating fast and she could feel the dampness from her cleft spreading onto her knickers. Turning over she found herself face to face with a sleeping Jasper. They were lying so close Bella could feel every inch of his body alongside hers. And although he was still asleep, there was definitely one aspect of his anatomy which was up and raring to go. Bella couldn't suppress her grin, pleased it was not only her that was so turned on just from sleeping next to each other. Feeling his hard length against her did nothing to abate Bella's feelings of need, as she fought the urge to reach out and touch him. Instead, she took the opportunity to study Jasper more closely. He really was one of the most beautiful men she had ever seen. His mop of honey gold coloured curls fell almost to his shoulders, and the tanned skin of his biceps were covered with tattoos, something that had been hidden the previous night. Before she could allow her gaze to travel any further down his body, Bella was faced with a pair of bright green eyes, still slightly blurry from his night's sleep.
"Mornin' darlin'," he greeted her in a soft voice. "How're you feeling today?"
"I'm ok," she said, distracted again by his erection against her side. "Thank you for letting me stay here last night…I should get going though, my family will be worrying about me." Bella shifted slightly away from him, anything to put some distance between herself and the man lying next to her in bed, looking sexy as hell with his rumpled hair and drowsy smile.
As Bella moved away, she noticed Jasper glance down his body, flushing red as he noticed how obvious his arousal was, even through his boxers. Bella smirked to herself, immediately glad that her feelings, which mirrored his, were better hidden. Moving swiftly, Jasper walked out of the room, muttering about needing some coffee.
As he left the room, Bella had a moment to think about the events of last night. With the real world calling, she dropped her head to her hands as she realised what a mess she was in. Scrolling through her phone, she yet again had a huge number of missed calls. Dad, Mum, Edward, Alice, Carlisle, Jake, they were all listed. Bella took a double take of surprise, registering the last name on the list. Jacob Black was one of her best friends and had been living abroad for the majority of the last five years. Judging by the number of calls she'd received from him, Bella guessed he must be back in the country.
Before she could change her mind, Bella removed Jasper's hoodie which she had slept in and pulled back on her dress. Glancing down at her attire, she pulled the hoodie back on over the top and nervously left the bedroom. "I'm sorry Jasper, but I really do have to go," she said, walking towards the door. "Oh, and I'm keeping the hoodie for now," she called back over her shoulder with a grin.
Jasper could only watch in amazement as one of the most amazingly beautiful and sexy girls he had ever seen walked out of his door.
Despite feeling guilty, Bella walked quickly down the road to where she had parked her car, pulling out her phone to speed dial Jake on the way.
"Where the fuck have you been babygirl," he said as he answered the phone. "Everyone's been worried sick about you. What the hell happened last night?"
Bella sighed with relief at hearing his voice. "Jake, can I see you, please?" she said. "I don't know what to do." The panic was rising in her chest, threatening to swamp her.
"Hey, hey, it's alright," Jake reassured in his deep voice. "Meet me in the café down the road, we'll have breakfast and you can tell me everything."
Glad that Jasper lived so near to the bar where she had left her car, Bella jumped in her Range Rover, hanging up on Jake as she did so. Looking down at Jasper's hoodie with a sudden idea, she rummaged in the glove compartment. Pulling out Rated R, her favourite Queens of the Stone Age album, she put it in the CD player and pulled out onto the road, eager to see her best friend and unload everything that had happened.
Arriving at the café where she had met Jake hundreds of times before, Bella hurried through the door to the ring of a bell and in delight, saw him sat in their usual booth. At 6 foot 7, with olive coloured skin and dark cropped hair, Jake intimidated everyone in the room except for Bella, who had known him long enough to know what a softie he was.
"Hey sweetie," he greeted her, kissing her softly on the cheek and pulling her in for a hug. Bella sagged against him, letting the pain she felt fall onto him. Jake looked down at her with concern in his eyes. "Let's get you a cup of tea and some breakfast and then you can tell me what's happened. From the beginning." Bella smiled, glad to be with her friend who knew her so well.
Their drinks and food arrived and Bella began to tell Jake everything that had happened at her engagement party. As she described what she saw when she walked in on Edward and Alice, Bella felt Jake's body tense beside her. She swiftly put her hand on his arm. "Please let me finish" she said, before he could start the foul mouthed tirade she knew was coming. Bella managed to hold it together as she described what she saw, despite the pain evident in her voice. Although, Jake was not able to do the same when he heard where Bella had gone after leaving the party.
"Let me get this straight Bella. Are you actually telling me that you went to a bar and then went home with a man you don't know?" he said loudly, drawing stares from the other customers. "Why on earth didn't you call me last night?" he asked, almost quivering with rage. "What could have happened to you doesn't even bear thinking about."
Bella looked at the floor, feeling ashamed that she hadn't thought about how her actions would worry her family and friends. Slowly, she came to the realisation that until she had looked at her phone this morning, she hadn't even known Jake was back in the country. "Don't you dare be disappointed with me when I didn't even know you were home," she countered. "Why didn't you call me, anyway?"
"I wanted it to be a surprise for your engagement party," he muttered.
"Well I certainly got a surprise last night," Bella said, irrationally angry with Jake.
"I'm sorry, sweetheart. I should have let you know I was back." Jake looked at her with a knowing look in his eye. "Anyway, you don't seem as upset as you should over the situation with Edward and Alice, and you have definitely glossed over the guy who looked after you last night. Spill it Swan."
"Urgh Jake, I don't know what to think about him. He started off by acting like such a prick and I have no idea why. But then, he was so protective and I felt so safe when he held me last night. Plus," she added, "He is so hot it is unreal, I've never felt the way I do when I look at him."
"What? More than you feel when you look at my hot bod?" he said suggestively, wiggling his eyebrows.
"Eew, Jake," Bella squealed, "You're not exactly my type. And I'm definitely not yours!" She laughed, safe in the knowledge that Jake and his boyfriend Sam were besotted with each other. "And I know he's not immune to me either," she added, briefly describing how she had woken to find his hard cock pressed against her side.
"Well if he's as impressive as you describe, you need to give him a call straight away." Jake said, laughing. "There's nothing like getting straight back on the horse!"
Bella laughed back, then stopped, with a defeated expression on her face. "I can't move on that quickly Jake," she said seriously. "I was with Edward for five years and even though he was often a controlling idiot and a manipulative fucker who betrayed my trust, I did still love him." Jake raised his eyebrow. "Besides, even if I wanted to call him I couldn't," she admitted sheepishly. "I didn't get his number."
"Oh Bells," Jake groaned. "You are hopeless at this! What girl meets a guy who protects her, holds her all night and apparently looks like a God, but then doesn't get his number in the morning? What's his name anyway?" he asked, a thought striking him. "Maybe we can look him up?"
"His name's Jasper Whitlock," Bella answered, before looking up sharply. "And you are not to look him up. Seriously Jake, I need some time to wallow in self-pity for a bit. Meeting some guy was hardly the most life altering thing that happened last night." Shaking her head sadly, she added "I should probably see Edward at some point. I need to give him back the engagement ring."
"Let me do that for you hun," Jake said. "If you're sure it's over and don't want to talk to him, there's no need for you to see him unless you really have to."
"Thanks Jake," Bella answered, resting her head on his shoulder. "I'm so glad you're home."
I'm sorry for the teasing here people…in bed together but no lemon! I promise you it will come, not long to wait. As always, please read and review, I need to hear your thoughts! Lots of love xx