Hiya there! Thanks for the reviews, favs and follows! You guys are awesome!

Thanks to SunflowerFran3759 for her beta skills. Any mistakes are mine for deciding to add at the last minute! She's so patient with my error filled days. I really don't know how she does it. I would have stabbed myself with a red pen already.

Chapter 6- Just for Tonight

"The Lord says that if you disobey your father and mother-"

"Please, father, I didn't mean what I said. I was just mad."

He doesn't listen and hits my face.

"Be a man of God! Be a God fearin' man! Or you'll die and go straight to hell, boy!"

My tired eyes study the lines on my face as I stand in front of my bathroom mirror. My reflection has changed in the past few months since movin' here. The saying goes that the doors to a man's soul are his eyes, and I would like to think that I've cleaned up my soul. My eyes are no longer reddened by some evil substance I've put into my body, and the person I see in the mirror, no longer looks angrily back at me.

But the lines on my face from workin' long hours under the Texan sun and my scruffy chin from not having time to shave remind me that I'm still just a regular man on this earth. Ain't nobody care what I've been through in the past. Ain't nobody caring about what scars are left on me or where they came from. All that matters is who I am now.

I'm proud of being a hardworkin' man. I might not be rich and I might not live in a fancy house, but I got good intentions, and even though I have a short temper, I'm a good man.

I wish Isabella Swan would see that.

I wish she would stop thinkin' for one minute of how different the contents of my wallet are to hers and just listen. I don't know why I obsess over that girl. She's mean, young and clearly not wantin' any savin,' but like I said, her eyes let me see what she tries to hide.

She's a good person. I just know it. Ain't nothin' wrong with being a good person. She's just young and lost. I guess I'm obsessed with tryin' to help her because I've been in her shoes before.

I was worse when I was her age. Much worse.

You feel like there is no tomorrow. You don't even make plans or look forward to the new opportunities each day brings. You just wake up, maybe have somethin' to eat, go to work, have a few mindless conversations and then go back to sleep. You know it. You know the kind of life you're livin' ain't leading nowhere and it drives you mad, but at the same time, your sad mind won't let you do anything about it.

She needs someone to wake her from this coma she's livin' in. I don't know why I've taken it upon myself to be the one to do it. Maybe it's because I see her father being busy as hell and the kind of soulless friends she has. I can only imagine how her mother is. They love her; there is no doubt about that. But ain't nobody payin' attention.

Ain't nobody payin' attention to those sad, brown eyes.

Today is Saturday. The boys had planned to drink and dance at our usual bar. They're a bunch of fun so I said sure, promising to only have one beer. But then Bella made plans that I didn't like.

Now, I know I sound like a possessive son of a bitch, but Hershel's Saloon ain't no place for a lady. It's full of racist hicks and drunken gals with no brains.

So I made a plan. I'll go to Hershel's Saloon, check the place out, and if it's okay, I'll leave.

But I'm a damn fool and a liar. I know I ain't gonna leave.

I get dressed, throw some cologne on and place my raggedy ball cap over my fucked up hair and head over to the bar. I don't know when she plans to get there or if she's changed her mind. I sure as hell hope she does and turns the other way and goes back to those bimbos she calls friends. At least they wouldn't know not to go.

Emmett, Eli and the rest of our friends from the rig invited me to the same old bar we always go to for some drinks. I promise the boys to get to the party as soon as I can, but I don't know if that's gonna happen.

I park my old truck and realize the place is already full. As soon as I walk in, my nose is full of cigarette smoke and the smell of this old place. I look around, studying the noisy people. Some are playing pool, others are drunkenly dancing by the jukebox that's playin' some old, country song. There is a huge biker man flirtin' with one of the bartenders and another one throwing darts. It ain't so bad, but I know these people.

They'll find someone to fight with or someone to hurt.

I find an empty barstool and order a beer. After a while my neck starts hurtin' from lookin' towards the door.

A girl comes up to me, places her hand on my crotch and it don't take much strength on my part to push her drunken self away.

"Darlin,' you best head home. Do you have a ride? You shouldn't be drivin' like that. Do you want me so call someone for ya?"

She rolls her eyes, flips me off and walks away.

I shake my head and continue lookin' towards the door. It finally opens again and there she is.

I mutter a few curse words to myself. I'm angry at a few things, actually I'm pissed. I am mad that she's here lookin' like she's already had a few drinks, but she's so young and stupid; she don't know how much trouble she can find in the world.

It ain't safe.

I am also pissed at myself for finding her so goddamn beautiful. She's wearin' a simple little blue dress that shows off her creamy skin and her long legs. Her brown curls frame her gorgeous face and the light make-up makes her eyes shine.

She giggles at somethin' one of her blonde friends says. The sound is so beautiful and pure, that in order to keep my distance, I fight the urge to run to her and wrap her up in my arms and protect her from all these assholes starin' at her.

It don't take long before a few boys, and I do mean fuckin' boys, go up to Bella and her group of friends. They roll their eyes in obvious rejection and thankfully the fuckers give up and walk away. One of the girls comes up to the bar and orders drinks. I pull my hat down just in case they remember my face.

I decide to wait until the girls get bored and leave. It seems that is what is happenin' to Bella's friends. They keep pullin' at her arm and lookin' towards the door, but she won't budge and keeps scannin' the bar as if she's lookin' for somethin' or someone.

After a few minutes and a few arguments, the two, tall blondes leave and it's only the petite, stubborn brunette who is left, lookin' tipsy as hell all by her lonesome.

I'm angry that she surrounds herself with friends that would just leave her like this. She should know that there are other people in the world that would be better friends than them. Why don't she hang out with Alice more? Alice seems like a nice gal.

I pay for my unfinished beer and start makin' my way over to her when suddenly James fuckin Hunter grabs her by the arm and pulls her into his body.

"Hey, gorgeous, why don't you and I dance?" He asks.

Bella tries pulling her arm out of his grasp, but the asshole won't let go.

"Please let me go," she pleads.

"I just wanna dance, hon. Then maybe we can go to my place and dance some more."

Without thikin,' I grab James by the collar of his shirt, pull him off Bella and shove him against a wall as beer bottles fall and a chair tips over.

"The lady asked for you to let her go, motherfucker. I would think that meant she ain't interested in your fuckin' dancin,'" I shout.

He takes one good look at me and starts laughin.'

"Well, look who it is! Edward, the fuckin hero. Why you always gotta fuck with my fun, Masen? I was just tryin' to get some pussy," James shouts.

Quickly Bella runs behind me and grabs onto my arm, hiding from James' evil gaze.

"She apparently didn't want to fuckin' talk to you. I know you was raised by goddamn animals, James, but you gotta remember that when a lady says no, you back the fuck off and find what you want somewhere else."

James drunkenly stumbles back to his feet and raises his head as if trying to dare me to fight.

"We both remember how our last fight ended," James says. "I walked away and you were on the damn ground."

I chuckle humorlessly. "Are you talkin' about the time I broke your nose before you cheap shot punched me? I don't mean to offend you, but you're a terrible fighter and a lousy son of a bitch of a loser."

James is about to jump at me and Bella screeches pullin' at my shirt. In an instant, a tall man is suddenly in between James and me.

He turns to us and points at the door.

"Take that bitch and get your redneck ass out of my bar," he huffs, and without needin' him to ask again, I gently take Bella's hand in mine and head the hell out of there.

I don't turn and look at her, I just pull her towards my truck. But suddenly the sob that escapes her chest makes me stop and finally let my eyes take her in.

Her make-up is ruined and some of her curls are sticking to her tear stained face, and my heart breaks. I really do have a soft spot for this girl. I sigh and squeeze her hand before pulling her into my chest. I don't give a damn what her last name is and how much money she's got. I don't care that she's acted like a spoiled brat to me. All I care about is makin' her feel warm and safe in my arms.

I'm surprised how quickly she wraps her own slim, tiny arms around me. She quietly sobs into my chest while I rock her right and left and whisper words of comfort in her ear.

"I don't why I do the things that I do," she says after a few minutes. The moon is shinin' down on us and everything around don't seem to exist. It's just her and me in the middle of a dirt parkin' lot. "I don't know why I say the ugly things that I say to you or everyone else. I don't why I think the things that I know I don't really feel. But I'm really glad you were around, Masen," she whispers. Her bottom lip quivers and her warm breaths hit my skin.

"Oh, Bella," I whisper and take her face into my hands so that I can stare into those broken, brown eyes of hers. I caress her cheeks with my thumbs and wipe away at the big, fat tears easily fallin' and runnin' down her pale skin.

"Please, I don't wanna be alone tonight. It's my birthday." She takes a hold of my shirt and pulls me closer to her small body.

"Then why didn't you leave with your friends?"

She sniffs, glances at my lips and then her wandering eyes stare into mine. "I just knew you would come," she says lowly. "I knew you would come and I wanted to wait for you. I wanted to see you. I wanted to fight with you." She smirks, her eyes still filling with tears.

I sigh. "You silly gal," I mutter and without thinking or askin' I place my lips against her warm forehead and she lets me, lettin' out a broken breath and tightenin' her hold on my shirt.

She buries her face into my neck and her warmth and softness against my skin drives a shiver down my spine. It's not like I haven't been with a female in recent weeks, but there ain't no girl or woman that can compare to how she feels. It's like now that I've held her in my arms, ain't no way I'll survive if I let go. I dig my nose into her silky hair and breathe in her scent and I know this is punishment. It has to be. Ain't no way in the world that I can bear this feelin' in my chest for this spoiled, rich, and obnoxious brat. She's much younger than me and we're from different worlds. She will never care for this poor, tattered heart of mine.

Hesitantly, I start to pull her away, but she clings with all her might to my chest. She runs her hands up to my neck and then up to my scruffy cheeks. She gently runs her small fingertips through my stubble.

"I love it when you don't shave," she whispers, before glancing at my lips again. "You make me so mad, Masen. You make my heart hammer against my chest and my blood boil and I love it. I love feeling something for the first time in months." She places my left hand over her chest. "You feel it? It's my heart. It's loud and I don't know why. I'm not even pissed at you, but I feel a million tingles in my skin."

She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. When she opens them, their back at my lips. Before I realize what she's doing she raises up on her toes and places her mouth against mine.

Now, I've said that this is punishment and I ain't changin' my mind about that. The softness of her bottom lip, the feelin' of her small hands clingin' to my cheeks as she pulls me deeper into the kiss, the smell of her strawberry, scented shampoo and her tongue running along my own is goddamn torture.

It feels too good.

It feels right.

I may be a gentleman, but my cock don't give a shit about that.

I let my hands slide down to her hips and hold her closer. I know I should pull away. I should stop her, but I can't seem to let go of the warmth that is her body and soul. It isn't until she has to take a breath that she lets go of my lips.

I open my eyes expectin' her to look horrified and hear her bitter remarks about how I shouldn't have kissed her.

But instead, I find her eyes still closed and small fingers tracing her lips. She takes a deep breath and finally looks up. She runs her cold, index finger alongside my jaw and places a kiss on the corner of my mouth.

It is then that I can smell the alcohol on her and my foolish heart breaks.

She's drunk.

"You're beautiful," she whispers against my lips.

Even though I'm angry at myself for lettin' her kiss me like that in her drunken state, I can't help but chuckle at her comment.

"Come on, Ms. Bella let's take you home. You ain't got a ride?"

She wipes her face and shakes her head. "Lauren drove us here. They left me."

"You should really find yourself some new friends, Ms. Bella. Them ladies didn't hesitate in leavin' you all alone in that horrible bar."

She huffs and stumbles a bit as she tries to walk. "They said they were gonna come back…but maybe they were lying…why don't you take me?"

I help keep her balance by holding her by the arms. "Would you mind givin' me your address?"

She shakes her head. "No! Don't take me home. I don't wanna go there. Take me dancing, Masen. I know you know where to go for a dance."

"Ms. Bella…"

"Stop callin' me that! How about you call me Bella?"

"Bella, you ain't in no condition to go dancin'. I think you should go home and sleep this off."

"No, let's go dancing. Come on!" She says, as she takes my hand and leads us to my truck, tripping along the way.

We argue a little as we get into my truck. She demands that I stop openin' the door for her and that I shouldn't help her with her seatbelt. She claims she ain't no damsel in distress.

She starts blabberin' about how she hates my stupid hat, but loves it too.

She's confusing.

She takes said ugly hat off my head and places it over hers.

I laugh as she sings along to some rock song on the radio. God gave her beauty, but not a single spark of singing talent, but that doesn't seem to stop her and I don't dare tell her. It's adorable anyway.

"You know this song, Masen?" She asks and scoots her ass over to sit next to me. She sits so close I can feel how warm she is and smell that nice shampoo of hers.

"No, ma'am."

She wraps her arms around my right bicep and snuggles her head against my shoulder.

"Well, you should. It's a good song."

"Wouldn't have thought you'd be into rock music," I say, smirking at the road ahead of us. I jump when she slaps my arm.

"Why the hell not?"

"Well, now I don't mean any offense, but you seem too uptight and fancy to rock some guitar solos."

She giggles. "Screw you, Masen. You would be surprised at what I know or like." She starts singin' along to the next song.

I love this version of her. I want to believe that it's not only the alcohol. I want to believe that the damn devil's water has broken that wall she hides behind and it showin' who she is deep down.

She's some silly and rockin' gal.

"One time," she whispers, and I have no idea why she's whisperin'. "One time in high school, my friend Lena, who nobody knew I was friends with because I kept it a secret since she was weird to everyone else and a loser in their eyes, won concert tickets." She's blabberin' again, but I listen. "She asked me to go with her and her other friend, some other weird kid. Well the concert was in Lubbock and I knew my parents would never let me go to a rock concert much less one in another city… so I lied. I told them I was gonna hang out with my usual friends at the mall and spend the night with them, but I really snuck of with Lena and her friend. Masen, it was the most fun I ever had. I wasn't worried about being a 'righteous,' good, Christian girl and I wasn't worried about not being able to do some cussing and drinking."

"You were free," I say.

"Yes. I was very free."

"So what happened? What happened to your freedom?"

"Peter and my parents took it," she says, starin' off into the dark, night sky.

~RN~

Bella and I walk in awkward silence as I lead her through the parking lot of Bud's bar, where Emmett, Rose, Jasper, Garrett, Eli and his wife are all waiting for me. What they don't expect is that I am about to show up with Isabella Swan. I don't know how they'll take it, but they best be polite to her.

On the ride here, Bella made me stop at the duck pond so she could "see the duckies." I didn't dare tell her no. We spent an hour just walkin' and talkin' to some dumb ducks. She also blabbed about her daddy takin' her to a lake when she was a little girl and how her mom never liked to join. Apparently her mom is a city slicker and hates the outdoors.

As we walk towards the bar doors, I realize Bella's drunken daze seems to be wearin' off, but that doesn't stop her from slowly placing her hand in mine. I don't question this and lightly squeeze her tiny hand to let her know it's okay. She's so small compared to me as she walks by my side.

She gets even closer to me as we enter the bar. The country music is blastin' loudly from the speakers and the place roars with laughter and chatter. I look around for my friends and find they're at their usual corner. But unlike the usual, they're starin' at Bella and me in disbelief. Rose has her typical high raised eyebrow as she takes in Bella's fancy clothes.

Jasper is wide eyed and gulpin' down his beer as if it'll help him calm down, while his date, Alice, is grinning brilliantly wide.

I look down at the lovely brunette and give her a reassuring smile.

"You ready?" I ask.

She just nods and returns a shy smile.

"Who would have thought it? Bella Swan is shy," I say, makin' her grin.

"Oh, you hush, Masen. Just take me to have fun. I swear if I don't have fun, I'll never speak to you again."

I chuckle. "Let's have the time of our lives then."

I pull her through the crowd, and when we finally reach the table with all of the widened eyes, I pull Bella to stand in front of me.

"Hey, guys," I say, while scanning the group. Their eyes don't get smaller and their mouths are still hangin' open. "This is Bella. Bella these are my friends. Garett, Emmett and his wife, Rose. And then we have Eli and his wife, Adriana. All the men here work for…um…"

"Your daddy!" Emmett shouts and Rose slaps his arm effectively shushing him up.

"Also, of course you know Jasper and Alice."

Bella nervously nods at everyone and slowly makes her way to stand behind me.

"It's her birthday today, so ya'll best make it fun."

"Well, that's great!" Eli shouts in his broken English, surprising the hell out of everyone. "Cheers to Ms. Bella's birthday! May God bring you many more amazing years!" And just like that the entire group is cheerin' and the girls are pullin' Bella into their embraces.

"We are gonna make it a hell of a night!" Rose says, wrapping an arm around Bella's shoulders. Rose's tattoos and torn jean shorts are such a contrast to Bella's pale skin and fancy clothing. It's obvious the girls don't shop at the same store.

"Let's get Bella a birthday drink!" Emmett suggests.

"She's already had a few. I don't think-"

"Don't be a prude, Edward," Alice cuts me off. "Bella, this place makes the best margaritas!"

"No they don't," Eli says.

"Bella, this place makes the best margaritas by a white person!" Alice says and everyone laughs.

Alice makes room for Bella to sit next to her and Jasper, but Bella doesn't sit down until another chair is brought for me to sit next to her. Once I'm at her side, she visibly relaxes and even starts to joke around with Rose and Adriana.

I know I must look like a fool, grinnin' the way I am, but the way Bella quickly gets along with Rose and Adriana, two different women from completely different worlds, gives me hope. They slowly pull her away from me and have her sit in the middle of all of them, leavin' the boys to talk. I try not to sulk at the fact that they took her from me, because I'm glad she's talkin' and laughin' with them. They'll be better friends than the ones she has already. The girls all gossip and chatter about shit I don't know or care about and the men talk about somethin' I don't hear because all I do is stare at her. Occasionally, she'll turn and give me one of them shy smiles she seems to have found when lookin' at me.

"You best not be fallin,' Mase," Jasper tells me while his date distracts Bella.

"I have no idea what you're talkin' about," I lie and drink from my beer.

"You know exactly what I'm talkin' about. She ain't from your world, Mase."

"And you are?!" I angrily and unreasonably whisper at him.

He chuckles and downs his beer. "Nah, man, all I'm sayin' is that she's gonna break your heart. You're a great man, but she's grown up in money and has never struggled in her life for anything. Sure, she's had a very unfortunate thing happen to her, but she'll always be from money and will always be used to the elegance of her upbringing. She's gonna realize you ain't nowhere close to that and break your heart."

I don't respond and sadly look over at her as I realize he's probably right. She's starin' at me with worried eyes and I hate that look. A beautiful gal like her should never worry or suffer. I'm sure she didn't hear a goddamn thing Jasper said since it's so loud with the music, but she can tell somethin' is wrong.

She says somethin' to Rose and the other girls and jumps off her chair. She walks over to me with a small smirk on those beautiful lips of hers. She places said lips against my ear, gently grazin' my skin with them, makin' my heart thump against my poor chest.

"I think you promised me a dance, Masen. Be a gentleman and keep your promise," she says.

I chuckle, take her hand and lead her to the dancin' floor. I hold her close as we slowly dance to Neon Moon.

"You're not a bad dancer," she tells me with another smirk.

"You ain't too bad yourself. Did you take them fancy ballet classes when you was a little lady?"

She giggles. "I did…or I tried. I was so horrible," she grumbles. "I begged my mother to take me out of those stupid classes. She wasted so much money. I went for two years and I never got better."

"I'm sure you weren't that bad."

"You're right. I was worse! I sucked."

I chuckle.

"How about you, Masen? Were you in any sports in school?"

I sadly look away from her eyes. I didn't have a very normal childhood.

"No. I really wanted to play baseball, but my father didn't let me. He got so mad when I bought a ball and glove with the money I earned mowing lawns."

"But why?" She asks, not understanding my father's ways.

"He didn't think it was Christian of me to spend money like that."

"Well…" she whispers, unsure of what to say. "Was he mean to you?"

I smile at her and sigh. "He was, Bella, but let's not talk about my father tonight. It's your birthday. It should be the happiest night, or one of the happiest nights of this entire year."

The song Help Me Make it Through the Night starts playin'. It's one of my favorite songs ever. I pull Bella even closer, feelin' how fast her heart is beatin' and I wonder if she can feel mine. She snuggles her face into the space between my shoulder and neck, her warm breaths sending sparks through my skin once again.

I close my eyes as I rest my head against hers and dance slower than before. I know Jasper is right. He's a smart man. He's always been right about things, but just feelin' the way this girl feels in my arms right now makes him a liar.

He's a goddamn liar.

She's so soft and warm and smells like heaven. She could never break me. She holds me together. She's all woman.

I snap my eyes open and realize again that Jasper is right. She has the power of hurtin' me so bad and she probably will.

"Bella?" I whisper, ruining the moment.

She slowly pulls her face away from my neck and opens her eyes to me. She gives me another one of them smiles I've fallen in love with tonight.

"I know you're a bit drunk right now-"

"Mase, I'm fine. Please don't take me home."

"No, that's not what I mean." I sigh and shake my head. "All I'm sayin' is that I know that when Monday comes, when I'm back to bein' just another roughneck that works for your daddy and I see you again, still beautiful as tonight but sober, you'll be right back to hatin' me."

She furrows her eyebrows. "Masen, I'm not-"

"Just let me finish, pretty girl."

She bites her bottom lip to shush herself.

"Just know that I'll always remember this night and that I'll always cherish it. You know why?"

She shakes her head, tears already poolin' in her eyes.

"Because I finally got to meet you. The real and beautiful you. Don't be mad and sad anymore, beautiful girl. You're so amazin'. Everyone deserves to meet you. I know I can't have you for myself and even though I understand why, it breaks me to know it. But I think I'll be okay. All I'm takin' from tonight is this moment, but you'll go on and be the happiest and most loved gal in Texas."

She doesn't bother to hide the sob that escapes her chest and gently presses her lips against mine. We sway to the music, ignorin' that nobody else is on the dance floor anymore and that everyone is starin' at us as we kiss and hold each other as close as we physically can.

We ignore it all.

Like it should be.

Just for tonight.

*Sigh* Where are these two headed?

Let me know what you think in the review box!

Also, if you do not watch American Idol or if you do, please go watch Kree Harrison's version of Help Me Make it Through the Night. Simply beautiful!