Thank you all so much for the reviews, alerts, and fav's. They keep me inspired!
Huge thanks to Kitty Cullen-03. She's my super beta. And... my husband Ryan for his constant support. He reads BH at the same time you guys do and his words of encouragement mean so much.
I still don't own.
Jasper
The walk up the driveway was daunting. I could tell something was eating at Bella, but I knew not to push. As we neared the front porch I had to work to keep the grimace off my face. Tyler had never been my favorite person, but I put up with him for Alice. I always wondered what she saw in him, but it wasn't my place to judge. It didn't look like things had changed much since high school. His polo was crisp, his jeans ironed and starched to perfection, not a hair out of place, and he wore a brand new pair of his favorite, trusty, Adidas shell toe's. At least they looked new. In passing we were always friendly… cordial maybe a better description, but we never once had a one on one conversation about anything significant.
Alice jumped out of her seat and bounded down the two stairs that lead to the porch. She grabbed Bella by the hand and with a wry glance in my direction, pulled her in towards the house. The two girls stopped in front of Tyler who was looking at Bella with too much enthusiasm. I followed with my head down, feeling defeated. I hoped that other than the awkward family dinner we were bound to have, I wouldn't have to make small talk.
"Bella, this is my… boyfriend, Tyler. Tyler this is my bestest friend ever, Bella." Alice wrapped her arms tight around Bella's neck and pushed their face's together. If I didn't know any better I would have thought Alice was relieved we were home.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Bella," Tyler said happily.
"Tyler." I nodded, wrapping my arm around Bella's waist. I noticed his gaze shift to my hand that held Bella's hip firmly. As she melted into my touch, pressing her back against my chest he seemed to shake whatever thought he was having.
"What's up, Hale? It's been a long time. How's Dartmouth?"
"Couldn't be better, thanks for asking," I couldn't keep the smirk off of my face as I answered his question. Things couldn't be better. I was excelling in all of my classes, had an amazing woman on my arm, and better than that, I got to rub it in the face of ever sly motherfucker that ever thought he was better than me. "How are you?"
"Good, good. Can't complain," he said, his lips quirking up in a tight lipped grin before he moved over to Alice and took her by the hand. "Is your mom home? I'd like to say hello."
"Sure," she answered hesitantly. She turned to face Bella, giving her a look I didn't understand. Bella gave her a sympathetic glance before nodding. She made no move to walk into the house as she watched the couple retreat behind the large red door. Her weight shifted against me as she turned in my arms.
"He's different," her observation made me chuckle.
"That he is, but why do you say that?"
"Well, first of all, he is definitely not what I would have expected, especially not for Alice. Secondly, he was blatantly gawking at me, which only leads me to believe what Alice said is true. And, lastly, it is pretty obvious that the guy hasn't aged a day since high school."
"He only said two words. How can you possibly know that?" She shrugged and looked off as if she were deep in thought.
"I can just tell."
We moved over to the porch swing and sat down. Bella seemed preoccupied, but instead of prying, I asked the question that had been burning in my mind since she brought it up.
"Hey, what did you mean when you said, what Alice said is true? What did she say?" As hard as I tried to keep my face neutral, I knew she could read me like a book. Since our first night home I was curious as to what Alice could have been hiding. Bella's eyes widened briefly as she immediately realized her mistake.
"Um…" she paused, worrying her lip between her teeth. She didn't want to tell me anything that may betray Alice's trust. "Anything I tell you stays between us, right? I mean, I know it does, but please don't say anything."
My feelings were hurt for a fraction of a second before it dawned on me that Bella was only trying to be a good friend to one of the few friends she had. I nodded slowly, wanting to add that she didn't have to tell me anything, but I didn't. I wanted to know.
"The other day Alice and I were talking and she said that people have told her he wasn't faithful," she whispered, looking around to make sure no one else heard her.
"Hmm. Doesn't surprise me. That guys a tool." Truth of the matter was, I too had heard rumors about Tyler. I'd never been one for gossip, and brushed it under the table like that's what it was.
"Not like your Tyler," she giggled.
"My Tyler?" My brows scrunched up in confusion.
"Yeah, you know… Tyler… with the mom."
I threw my head back and laughed. Of course that is how Bella would remember him. They only met a handful of times at that point and it was only in passing. She wrapped her arms around my waist and looked up at me with a smile.
"Tyler with the mom? There's more to him than that, Bella. In fact, I think you guys would really get along. Next to you, he's the most intelligent person I know. He's also an English major and a fan of the classics."
"Sounds like my type of guy," she winked. "We should hang out with him once we get back."
"I'll set something up. He's been trying to get us to come out for weeks. I think he just wants to show off his new girl."
"Sounds good," she smiled. I took her by the hand and led her into the house. As much as I wanted to spend time with my family, it was important to me that Bella and I got to have some alone time while on break. Once we returned the next semester things would get hectic and I wasn't sure how much time either of us would have. Besides, since our disastrous iHop brunch with Rosalie, neither of us had said the L word and I felt we needed to talk about it. She needed to know I meant what I said.
We walked into the living room where we found Esme putting the finishing touches on her Christmas decorations. Bella and I each said a quick hello before running out of the room and up the stairs, not wanting to get suckered into hanging the large roll of artificial pine she had sitting next to the mantel.
As we walked into the room, both of us out of breath; I pulled Bella into my embrace. She looked up at me and smiled as I lowered my lips down to hers briefly.
"We should do something tonight." My face was at most an inch from hers. She let out a breath, the air ghosted across my face, cinnamon swirled around me. I inhaled greedily, an involuntary shiver running down my spine. It seemed like everything she did clouded my vision, my judgment, with lust and need so great it almost brought me to my knees. Never in my life had I wanted a woman the way I wanted her.
I hoped she wouldn't make me wait much longer.
"Did you have something in mind?" she asked, looking up at me, her hands resting on my arms.
"Not really. Maybe dinner?"
"I thought we were having dinner with your family tonight. Don't get me wrong, I don't care if we don't. I guess I just assumed since Tyler was here and all."
"We don't have to."
"Good. Can we nap first?" A nap sounded wonderful.
"Anything you want."
"Anything?" she asked with her brow raised and a beautiful, playful smirk on her lips. For a moment I froze. This is it, I thought. My chance to take the initiative was staring me in the face. I moved my hands from around her waist and placed them on the swell of her hips. I hooked my fingers into her belt loops and tugged her forward. My erection pressed against the waist band of her jeans, but as her eyes widened in mock horror, I knew she felt it. She gasped, placing her hand on her chest playfully.
"Is that a gun, Mr. Hale, or are you just happy to see me?" she winked, cupping my raging cock through the denim.
"I'm always happy to see you, Miss Swan. "
"Mm, you're so hard. I think we should take care of that." She began unbuttoning my pants, but I stopped her. She rarely let me pleasure her, and I was ready to explore. I turned us so that her back was facing the bed and walked her backwards. She fell on her ass as the back of her knees hit the mattress. Her expression was curious; yet, she stayed quiet and let me take the lead. I was terrified.
I lifted my knees onto the bed, on either side of her body as my hand gently pushed her chest to make her lay back on the bed. My breathing was heavier than usual. If she noticed she didn't mention it. I licked my dry lips that were begging for attention and lowered them to her neck. After placing a line of soft kisses down across her neck, over her clavicle, I lifted my body to look her in the eyes.
"I want to taste you," I rushed through my words. They were not what I initially wanted to say. I wanted to tell her that I loved her and that I needed to be with her, feel her. The words were well thought out in my mind, but at that precise moment, I could think of nothing else but having the taste of her on my tongue. The scent of her arousal had swirled around me so many times as we fooled around that I could almost taste her in the air, and I needed it before anything else could happen. It was logically the next step, right?
Her hips bucked in response. I held back a chuckle as I slid my hand down her torso to her sex, playing with the seam of her jeans that ran from her ass to the zipper, while I waited for her to say something. Our eyes were locked, neither of us budged. She was intimidating, and it was awkward, but I didn't relent. My fingers teased her lips through the material, heat seeped out of every pore, the back of my hand rubbed against my balls - the friction was daunting. What was she waiting for? It appeared that she was fighting some kind of internal battle. I wondered who was winning. Surely, she wouldn't deny me.
"Okay," she whispered, tracing the contoured muscle of my arm. A smile spread across my face; it must have been contagious because Bella's worried glare turned into something lighter. Slowly, I brought my lips to hers. Her arms wound around my neck, her hands finding my hair instantly. Immediately, my thoughts drifted to the piece of heaven between her thighs. Would she play with my hair while I was down there? Fuck, I hope so. A shaky groan left my throat as she opened her lips, letting me access her sweet mouth. Our tongues played happily. I could have kissed her for days and not known it. When it was just us, she drew me in, time seemed to stand still, and nothing in the world seemed to matter, but I had other plans… a sweeter destination; one I was sure to love equally, if not more.
Bella moaned into my mouth one last time as I palmed her pussy, squeezing it firmly. I broke our kiss and sat straight up, causing her arms to fall at her sides. Her body withered beneath me as my hand slide from her center to the hem of her shirt. Quick as I could I had her t-shirt up and over her head. Her creamy skin was flush. Her mint lace bra screamed to be torn off her tight body, but I reminded myself that I was a gentleman. I slid the straps down her shoulders, thankful when she slipped her arms out of them. My fingers hooked into the material bunched at the sides and tugged it down around her ribs. My mouth attacked hungrily, sucking, licking, and nipping her hardened nipple. She cried out, her hips bucking; she was begging for friction and I was ready to give it. I kissed slowly down her abdomen, to the waist of her jeans.
"God, Jasper. Please." For someone who wasn't so sure of themselves a mere fifteen minutes earlier, she was fucking eager. I popped open the button of her jeans and unzipped the zipper. I stood off the bed and kneeled in front of her. In one swift motion I had her jeans and pretty pink panties around her ankles. She closed her legs instantly.
"Are you sure?" I questioned, not sure why she was acting so shy. I had seen her before. Of course, not that close, but still. She nodded, biting her lip. I silently thanked the heavens.
I tapped one of her knees gently. Reluctantly she opened them, but not far enough. I nudged her right thigh further with my elbow. Once she was completely exposed, I leaned forward. I couldn't help myself, I smelled her, inhaling as deeply as I could. My cock twitched against the inside of my pants. As I lifted my head, I noticed she was looking at me skeptically. I smiled reassuringly as my fingers made their way between her soft folds. She was soaked. My inner virgin danced – I was doing something right. I circled her clit quickly, making sure it was hard. That was when she seemed to be the most sensitive. My body scooted forward as I slid two fingers into her entrance. I watched in amazement. She let out a whimper as I pumped in and out of her slowly, probably too slow. I inched my face forward. My tongue darted out of my mouth, testing the waters so to say. It ran up and down, from my fingers to her clit. I closed my eyes in delight. She tasted better than I imagined. Instinct soon took over and my entire face was buried between her legs.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck… oh my… Jasper…" her words had me moaning against her clit. Hearing my name roll of her tongue as I performed such an intimate act was tantalizing. Her body moved against my face. Her hands twisted in my hair, pushing my face deeper, harder, into her. I moved my free hand between our bodies and freed my erection from the restraint of my jeans. My hand stroked my length feverishly as my teeth nipped at Bella's tiny bundle of nerves.
"Are you touching yourself?" she asked breathlessly.
"Yes," I spoke against her wet, sensitive, skin, immediately resuming my previous actions.
"Christ… I'm… Jas… Jasper… I'm… " Fuck, yes. Her body began to tremble. She surprised me by clamping her thighs down on the sides of my head. My hands were busy, so I decided to not let it detour me. I continued, licking and kissing rapidly, my fingers plummeting in and out of her. A feral sound escaped her lips as her body stilled against my face. She gushed around my fingers, harder than I thought possible. I slipped my fingers out of her, bringing her juices down to lubricate my cock. The act felt dirty, only adding fuel to my fuel. My lips continued their assault on her pussy as she rode out her high.
"Ung, Jasper, stop. Please. It's too sensitive." Her body began to jerk wildly; and giggle escaped her lips when I placed a final chaste kiss against her. I slipped my tongue into her entrance, wanting to taste her release. A moan stuck in my throat as I rounded the walls of her pussy. My grip on my cock tightened as I felt my balls begin to swell. I pumped fiercely until I came violently onto the bed skirt. I pulled away from Bella, panting. I sat my hands, palm up, at her sides and lay my head down on her abdomen. My eyes closed. I basked in the feeling of my high. Pride rushed through me as I thought of the pleasure I brought her.
"Jasper, are you asleep?"
"No," I laughed. "I feel like I could sleep for days though."
"Me too. Why don't you get cleaned up and come lay with me?"
I couldn't refuse. I stood up, zipping my pants, before running to the restroom. After washing my hands, I grabbed two washcloths and wet them. As I walked back into the room, I was momentarily stunned by Bella. She laid on my bed, naked, her entire body flush from what I had done to her. With all the grace I could muster, I quietly walked over to the bed and kneeled down. I laid one wash cloth over Bella and gently wiped her. Her eyes never left my face. I threw the rag to the side once I was finished and proceeded to clean the cotton material of the bedding. I'm sure Esme would not appreciate walking into my room after we left only to find my dried spunk.
"Take off your clothes. I want to feel you," Bella whispered as I climbed onto the bed after discarding the dirty rags in my hamper. I sat up on my knees and pulled off my shirt. I sat down, kicking my pants and boxers off the edge of the bed while watching her crawl to the head of the bed and get under the covers. I moved to lay beside her, wrapping my arms around her, and pulling her into my chest. She adjusted herself for comfort, wiggling her ass further into my lap. I kissed her temple and whispered a 'thank you'; she didn't respond. It took me a few minutes to realize she had fallen asleep.
Less than an hour later Bella and I were woken by a knock on the door. She sank deeper into the covers, her wide eyes staring into mine. I shrugged.
"Yeah?"
Rosalie opened the door slowly and peeked inside. I thought I heard Bella groan quietly, but I couldn't be sure. My eyes rolled on their own accord. Of course Rose would come in and fuck up my day.
"What is it, Rosalie?" I spat, through gritted teeth.
"Actually, I was hoping to speak with you, Bella. I apologize for the intrusion, but maybe if you have a few minutes you could join me in my room?"
"Uh…" Silence hung in the air. Bella's eyes searched the room frantically. She took a deep breath before looking over at me and answering Rose. "Yeah, just give me a couple of minutes."
"Okay. Thank you, Bella," she said quietly. What did she want? Why was she being so cordial? Fuck!
"No problem?" she stated as a question; her confusion apparent.
After Rosalie shut the door, Bella turned her body to face me. My legs tangled with hers. It wasn't the first time I felt her naked body pressed so closely to mine, but it was the first time it happened with no intent to go any further. My inner virgin sighed – heavily.
"You don't have to do this."
"Yes, I do. I'm never going to get anywhere with her if I don't face her. She needs to learn that I'm not afraid of her. Her intimidation isn't going to force us apart." She leaned forward and placed a gently kiss on both of my eyelids.
"Just know that you don't have to do it for me," I sighed.
"I know."
Bella got up and threw on her clothes. She turned around, looking at me hesitantly before blowing me a kiss and sauntering out the door. I ran my hand over my face in frustration. I had just let Bella walk into the lion's den and I had no clue when she'd be coming out, or if she would at all. Resigned to the fact that she wasn't coming back, I got out of bed and dressed myself. There was something I needed to take care of; a demon that constantly stared me in the face and mocked me at every turn around. If Bella could be strong enough to face Rosalie, I could be strong enough to face Emmett.
I threw my bedroom door open and stalked down the hall, hoping that my walk exuded the confidence I didn't really feel. There were many open doors – I didn't find Emmett in one. I walked down the stairs and found him sitting at Edward's piano, staring at the keys as if they were an enigma. Maybe to him they were.
"Emmett, do you have a moment?"
"Jas man, what can I do for you, brother?" he bellowed. I chuckled, any fear I felt disappeared.
Some things never change, I thought shaking my head as I walked further into the room and took a seat on the couch across from him.
"I don't even know where to start…"
So, nothing of importance, just a little J's POV. Next chapter will be Bella's and of course we'll get to see what Rose has to say, plus get a little of B's story. I know some of you are getting impatient, but please keep in mind that this is only chapter 10.
As always, please read and review. It is the polite thing to do. We don't get paid, people.
