Disclaimer: OHAI. Yes, been long time. Miss CarminMoon and I 'pologize. Neither Twilight nor Dukes is ours, as if you had to ask, but we shore do like us these suthern boys and their, uh,... manners. :D Enjoy.
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*snooooore....* Huh? What? Oh weeeell, howdee thar, folks! Been a while, ain't it? Well, you know how life dun git busy sometimes... I s'pose y'all are wonderin' what happened when the front door o'the cabin closed behind Jasper, ain'tcha? Well prepare yerselves ladies, I cain't even believe I havta tell this part o'the story…
Alice paced back and forth, repositioning herself against the bed, the wall, the table...every pose felt ridiculous and contrived. Jesus, you'd think I'd never been with a guy before! she thought incredulously, and she continued to place herself about the room and try to look sexy. I've already kissed him, for Heaven's sake! For Heaven's sake? SINCE WHEN do I say that? Shit! I'm going Southern. I'll need a week at the Plaza Hotel in a suite with full room service and in-room spa services to get rid of this new impediment. She paused to see the licks of bonfire peeking through the gap in the simple cloth curtain on the window. But maybe I don't want to...
When she heard the latch click, she froze in the middle of the one room cabin. Suddenly nervous and self-conscious, she glued her eyes to the floor as Jasper entered, quickly closing the door behind him.
"Feelin' aw'right, darlin'?" His voice was low and clear, a tone that caressed her in sensitive places and stole her breath. "I heard tell of a sweet gal needin' some tender lovin' care in here...that wouldn't be you, by chance, would it now?"
Lifting her eyes to his teasing with a timid smile, she nodded mutely, afraid her voice might make her appear desperate... cuz she was feeling exactly that.
"Don' tell me you done got shy on me, Miss Alice?" He continued towards her; slow, shuffled steps sounding across the floorboards.
Her breath picked up, and she finally found her voice. "No!" She appeared somewhat insulted as he stopped directly in front of her. His eyes, dancing with anticipation, captured hers, leaving her to stutter. "I-I want—"
She gasped as Jasper's lips interrupted hers. His strong hands grasped her by her bottom, lifting her to his height. Alice squeaked into his mouth at the rapid movement, but the muffled sound quickly dissolved into a moan.
"What you want, baby?" He mumbled against her lips before moving his own along her chin. When he reached her earlobe and began to nibble, he demanded gently, "Tell me."
Her limbs now locked around him, she moaned again as he began kissing and sucking the skin along her neck. "Your skin against mine.... I want to trace your tattoos with my tongue.... I want your hands on me...everywhere.... Want...you...and I don't want you to stop...." As Alice was gasping in between each want on her list, Jasper halted the trail to examine her face in awe.
"Well, fuck me sideways, darlin', if this gets any better, I may haveta hire someone t'help me enjoy it." Jasper's rough whisper sent shivers down her spine and heat pooling low in her belly. She giggled uncontrollably as he reattached himself to her neck and explored her collarbone.
"Baby," she sighed, pressing her face to the ear behind his messy blonde curls, "I do believe we jus' got started."
He tore himself away momentarily to reply in earnest. "Keeerist, woman, you's fixin' to kill me dead, ain'tcha? You know yer soundin' more 'n' more suthern?" Her only response was more breathy giggling and an impatient kiss, effectively shutting him up.
Jasper walked them to the bed, soon bumping up against the edge with his knees. Slowly, he lowered her to the mattress and pressed his lean body into hers. Alice hummed at the feeling, greedily sucking at his lower lip before sinking her teeth into it. A growl rumbled his chest as he heatedly took control of the kiss, devouring her mouth while exploring her body with his hands.
Before long, desperate fingers pulled at hems, yanked straps, and hurriedly unfastened button-flys, urging them both to get at least the skin-on-skin point of Alice's wishlist (and let's face it, Jasper's, too) checked off immediately.
The salt of his skin tingled on her tongue, her tastebuds rejoicing as she followed the stripes of the tiger, the scales of the dragon, and sooner than later, the crests of the waves on his hip. Loud groans and hisses escaped him as her mouth found its way elsewhere, teasing him and shoving him to the brink of a gentleman's patience.
With not a word, but a grunt, he pulled her up his body by gripping her arms. Her soft skin whispered across his before settling comfortably on top of him. "I wasn't done," she said, delivering her statement with a smirk.
"Ladies first," he tipped a wicked grin at her as he swiftly rolled her underneath him.
"Ladies what first?" she panted, a look of mock-ignorance painting her face.
As he leaned in, his lips barely settled against hers, his voice was low, quiet, and devastating. "Come."
Right then, she very nearly did.
Her whimper was lost to his kiss, which slid lower and lower. Open-mouthed and warm, his mouth made good on his promise when she found out how talented his tongue really was.
Regaining her breath took some doing, but this was no time for a nap. Jasper sat back on his knees, scooping Alice up and settling her in a straddle over his lap. His hands held her hips, and her arms pulled her closer, pressing her chest to his, both slick with sweat. Their lips and tongues reunited as she finally took him inside her. The earlier frenzy dissolved to rapture as their bodies entwined, rhythmically writhing and searching for release.
Gasping, Alice threw her head back to unleash a disjointed request. "Lay...ladies...ladies what? First!"
An amused Jasper licked his way to her ear to growl, "Come."
She did as she was told, her orgasm engulfing her and catching him in the undertow. As they were crushed and released by the powerful tide, soon thrown to the beach, they collapsed in a fleshy heap at the foot of the bed.
"Holy shit," she breathed, after several minutes of comedown.
"Yeah."
In the few remaining moments of consciousness, Alice lazily traced the small sparrow tattooed above his heart with her finger, wondering what, or who, it was for.
AHEM. Er, well…um. Yeah. So they, uh, got to know each other better, didn't they? Okay then, moving along. If'n ya cain't remember, Edward an' Miss Bella done slept out by the fire, doin' a little 'quaintance-makin' o'their own.
Bella woke wrapped in a pair of strong arms, just after the crack of dawn. The light snore from over her shoulder made her grin in remembrance of the night before. Maybe she wouldn't be too mad at her temper tantrum-throwing, toddler-sized best friend. Making love in front of a fire had surpassed her best memories. Even the time she had a cast on her arm and accidentally smacked it into some stranger at Starbucks spilling both their coffees all over the guy (who turned out to be Tom Selleck). He was luckily uninjured and happily signed her cast. She still had that piece of plaster.
The arm draped over her side tightened, and the work-roughened hand gently grasped her still-nude breast causing her to squeak and giggle.
A simple, "Mornin', Sugar," breathed into her ear, and she turned her head slightly to take in his drowsy features.
"Mornin', yourself," she returned and blushed.
"Mmm, I could wake up like this ever'day." His lips lightly brushed the pinked apple of her cheek.
"With your hand on my tit?" She giggled again, and it was his turn to color up with a slight blush.
"Sugar, you keep talkin' like 'at and you gon' find other parts of my anatomy rubbin' up on ya too." His body snuggled closer to hers, and she felt the other part he was referring to very distinctly. Just as she was about to turn over completely, she heard the rumble of a motor in the distance. They both froze in their embrace.
"Shit. That'll be Uncle C. Git yerself dressed, sweetheart. I ain't sure his ol' ticker could take the sight of ya in all yer nekkid glory."
"Edward!" she chastised, laughing. "He's not that old!"
He chuckled, wiggling his fingers on her ticklish sides, earning a series of squeals coupled with giggles.
They both fumbled for clothes, but Bella couldn't locate her bra anywhere. Edward had forgone his flannel shirt, settling for only his beat-up jeans and t-shirt, his back to her as he knelt in front of the fire he was rebuilding.
"Edward? Do you mind if I borrow your shirt?" Bella was clutching the well-worn, soft button-up to her chest in the cool morning air.
"Sugar, what's mine is yours; have at it. Besides, y'ain't gon' be wearin' this again." His eyes lit up with mirth as he twisted to show her what was left of her bra after it spent the night halfway in the fire.
"Aw, hell. That was my favorite bra, too," she muttered, taking in the half-charred pink fabric dangling from his talented fingers.
"I was a might bit partial to it, too, but I hav'ta say I like it better off." He winked before he tossed it into the rising flames with a flourish.
"Wait until I tell your mom you burned a bra! She'll be on her Women's Lib soapbox for weeks over that one!" A much too jovial voice sounded from the doorway of the cabin. Bella spun and shot Alice the bird, before noticing that she was wrapped in the quilt from the bed.
"You'd better get dressed, you shrill harpy. Uncle Carlisle is on his way in."
Alice's eyes went wide as she squawked like a startled hen and slammed the door.
"Are you hungry, sweetheart? Should we start up some breakfast?" The gravelly voice in Bella's ear made her insides quiver like the Jell-O mold at a church social. Nodding her head, she turned to catch his twinkling eyes and smiled.
Just then, Jasper emerged from the cabin, shirtless and barefoot, carting the cooler full of food out the front door. Moments later, Carlisle pulled through the trees surrounding the area. Parking a way's past the fire at the edge of the yard, Carlisle slid out of the truck and headed over, a strangely cloudy look on his face. Bella noticed and threw a questioning look to Edward, but he just leaned forward and kissed her temple. "No worries, Sugar," he added.
"Mornin's" were exchanged, and Bella offered to make coffee for everyone since they were still awaiting Alice's appearance. Carlisle asked how everyone slept causing Bella to cough before she could even get a response out.
Patting her back gently, Edward answered, "Fine, Uncle C. We slept like Cooter after a bottle o' shine!" He threw a wink to Jasper, who smirked and remained silent. Carlisle eyed the two warily. They both cleared their throats as their grins faded and went back to preparing breakfast.
Shortly thereafter, breakfast was almost ready, and Alice finally decided to grace them with her grand entrance, traipsing out the door of the cabin in a little sundress and heels.
"Well it's about time, Princess! You almost missed breakfast…or were you expecting to be served in bed?" Bella questioned the tiny woman jokingly.
"Ha ha! I just had to take a few extra minutes to make myself presentable for y'all." Her tone had just enough twang to belie the glare she was aiming at Bella's (apparently) less-than-approved flannel shirt.
"Did you just say y'all, Miss Alice? I do think the south might be rubbin' off on ya, sweetie." Carlisle's face was grinning wider than a jack-o-lantern on Halloween.
A husky duet of gravel and silk was suddenly flowing around the campfire as both Edward and Jasper mumbled none-too-quietly, "Not right now."
Bella choked on her sip of coffee, spitting it out in a perfect imitation of a busted sprinkler and soaking Uncle Carlisle's pant leg in the process.
"Boys! Manners!" Carlisle growled like an angry badger. Bella swore she heard him say something about "minds in the gutter" and "momma's rollin' in their graves" under his breath as he wiped his hands over his face and through his silvery blonde locks.
Alice just stood there frozen and red in the face.
"Oh, Uncle C! I am so sorry! I didn't mean to spit…"
"Don't worry your pretty head, missy. I wash up real good. I should get goin' anyhoo. I just wanted to drop off some stuff fer yer stay. You boys get them boxes outta the truck. Now."
All the fellas headed for the truck. When they approached the bed, the two younger Cullens could tell they were in for a tongue lashin' of epic proportions. They stood tall as they braced themselves.
"Now, I ain't one fer repeatin' myself, an' you boys know that. But if'n you two numbskulls don't git yer act tigether and stay outta trouble, I cain't be responsible fer ya no more. Y'all cain't be gittin' into bar fights and thrown in the pokey all the durn time. I done tried my best to raise ya like yer mother's woulda wanted, but obviously I done failed in a few places. Like manners! And listenin', and I 'spect how to treat wimmen folk. I swear yer mouths need to be washed out with lye soap! I'm done fer now, but you two need to straighten up an' fly right, or yer gonna find yourselves on the wrong end of a gun, or the short end of a stick, or takin a long walk off a short pier! Do I make myself clear?" He was huffin' like a grampus by now, and the boys realized they couldn't remember seeing him this mad before.
"Crystal, sir," they said simultaneously. They had always had strange ways of saying things like that; it was near an art form.
They grabbed the boxes from the truck sheepishly and thanked their uncle for everything before heading back to a pair of very silent beauties.
"C'mon, let's eat afore it gets cold, ladies," Jasper said after they had placed the boxes on the porch.
"Yeah, and we're shore'nuff sorry for our comment earlier, Miss Alice." Edward added in as they sat down. "It was mighty rude."
"It's okay, Edward." She smiled a bit shyly. "It was funny, even if your Uncle didn't think so."
Things were purty quiet over breakfast til Miss Bella mentioned gettin' a shower. That was when Miss Alice had a come-apart and pert near beat poor ol' Jasper fer throwin her in the crick when there 'uz runnin' water. He done smoothed things over with a few whispered words in her ear. I ain't too shor what 'tis he told 'er, but it's been said he was a silver-tongued devil.
The afternoon air was warm as the four of them sat in the lawn chairs that Carlisle had brought, just enjoying the fresh air. They had been talking for an hour or so when Jasper asked a question that had been on Edward's mind, too.
"So, you two never did tell us why you stopped here in our fair town."
"I wouldn't say we stopped here on purpose Jasper," Bella answered, laughing a bit through her words. Her cheeks flushed before she added softly, "though I am glad we did."
Edward squeezed her hand that he was holding and smiled at her while Alice was nodding her head like a dashboard hula-dancer. "We were actually headed for New Orleans," she said, jumping in. "We were on our way to see my aunt Esme; she's working on a movie set there."
Jasper perked up at the mention of New Orleans. "A movie set, huh? What's she do?"
"Oh, she's a set designer. She's done a ton of movies! She's always traveling and moving around for work, so for our graduation presents, she promised to get us in as extras in this one."
"Graduation?" Edward was eyeing Bella curiously. "What'dja major in, Sugar?"
"English Literature. Though, I am not sure what I'm going to do with it yet. I may go into teaching."
"What 'bout you, Darlin'? What was your major?" Alice snorted, looking at Jasper as if the answer was obvious.
"Fashion Design with a minor in Business, silly!" He rolled his eyes with an accepting smile as she continued, "I have to protect this world from the evil fashion faux pas! Like Bella here!" She added the accusation in a overdramatic stage whisper as her tiny thumb jerked in the direction of her friend, wearing an outfit that Edward thought was perfectly acceptable: jeans and a t-shirt.
"Yeah, she's the fashion police, all right." Bella's smirk and eye roll expressed her disagreement quite well. "Did either of you go to college?"
Jasper spoke up first with a laugh, "Naw. Neither of us enjoyed schoolin' much. I went into the army as soon as Uncle C paid my fines to the secretary so's I could get my diploma. I owed quite a few dollars fer all the school books I lost."
Edward snickered remembering how most of those books were lost (or damaged) fishin' and huntin'. "I jumped into my car an' headed to North Carolina to drive a stock car fer some cousins o'ours. I raced fer a couple years, but I had to stop after a little run-in with the law." He grinned crookedly.
"You had a run-in with the law? No! I just can't believe that!" Bella laid a hand on her chest in mock shock. Edward pulled her into his side, tickling her ribs and laughing with her, Alice and Jasper cracking up across from them.
"We are such innocent young men," Jasper played along, his voice pitched high with laughter. "Who could ever think we could get in such hot water?"
They were finally calming back down just as the sound of a troubled engine reached their ears.
"Now who in the ever-livin' hell could that be?" Jasper was shooin' the girls into the jeep just in case when Edward stopped him.
"S'alright. It's Emmett. That's his old army jeep," he announced, adding, "You'd think a mechanic could get that thing to sound a lil' better."
They all sat back down and waited for him to come through the trees. Emmett climbed out of the jeep that had clearly seen better days—having probably been beat to hell since WWII. His face was crumpled in a frown, and he seemed pretty disgruntled. Bella and Alice eyed each other in a silent conversation, both wondering if it had anything to do with Rosalie.
"Sorry to come a bargin' out 'ere like this, but I just couldn't risk sayin it o'er the CB. We's got ourselves a problem." He flopped onto a log sitting next to the campfire and ran a hand over his features. "That dumber'n a box a hammers Pussyboy Newton paid me a visit today, an' he saw y'all's Lammerghini in my g'rage. Somehow, his pea brain put two an' two together an' come up with six. He done started askin' questions 'bout the fancy thing an' two strange girls, an' next thing I know he was a runnin' yer plates through to Bernice fer her to look 'em up. He come back with yer name Alice, an' said he was gonna find you two." His expression was forlorn, reminding Bella of a sad puppy.
"Well, I guess that means we're on the lam too, Bella! Do you think he could get us for aiding and abetting?" Alice sounded almost excited about having a criminal record. My, how things had changed since last night.
"I doubt he could get us for anything at all, Ali, but it does mean that we should probably stay hidden, too. How much longer 'til the car can be fixed, Emmett?"
"Well, I cain't rightly say. I'm still waitin' on that part, an' they tol' me it'd be at least a week. May be ten days. Then I gotta fix it, so could be two weeks?" His voice faded off, and he cringed a bit waiting for Alice to screech or jump up and pummel him.
"We've got to be in New Orleans next week, Bella, or Esme will send out the cavalry. Which would mean Charlie and my Daddy and a whole lot of explaining to do. And that does not sound like any sort of fun, in my book."
Bella nodded in agreement, but before she or Alice could look to Edward and Jasper for suggestions, the two men had gotten up from their seats and stepped a few feet away. They looked thick as thieves as they conferred, their heads close together. When they came back over they mirrored each other with their eerily similar and devious grins.
"So, how would you two lovely ladies feel about a road trip?" Jasper began.
"Jasper, we're already on a road trip!" Alice retorted immediately.
"Yes, Darlin', you are, but what 'bout a road trip with us?" he clarified.
The lightbulb in Alice's brain had yet to come on, but Bella leapt into Edward's arms and squealed with delight. "You mean you two wanna go to New Orleans with us?" Edward nodded, kissing the corner of her mouth. "Oh, this is gonna be so much fun!"
Edward was swinging Bella around in circles when a scream met his ears accompanied by an "OOF" as Alice pounced on Jasper. Edward came to a stop to see Jasper literally grounded by the smallest person among them. He was fine, though, as he was being peppered with kisses. The lightbulb was finally on and burning bright.
I don't know 'bout y'all, but I'mma wonderin' what kinda trouble them boys are gonna git themselves and those two pretty ladies into. It's a good thang that folks in Nawlins are used to bad weather; I think Hurricane Cullen is on it's way. Duck and cover folks!
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A/N: THANKS to LULUBELLE for da betafication. You outta yer bunk yet? ;)
We hope to get these chaps out a little more frequently...we hope you're still with us! Please review!