A/N: Thank you everyone that has read my Christmas story and this one. You are awesome. For those of you that have not seen it yet, the Christmas story is called A Very Merry Twilight Christmas and it is my Christmas present to you. As for Moving On, yay Jasper and Bella are finally together! I know you saw that one coming. LOL. I guess we just need to see what happens next…
Chapter 18 – First Date
Jasper pulled back from Bella's lips, "I am assuming, and I could be wrong here, that you missed me just a little bit." He was smiling down at her. He felt so happy and perfect with her in his arms.
She grinned at Jasper looking into his eyes, "Not at all. I am not sure where you got that idea."
He chuckled and leaned in close to her face. He watched her try to bring their lips back together and he pulled back, "So you trying to knock me down didn't mean anything?"
"Nope, nothing at all," she said offering what she hoped was a small pout when he pulled back.
Jasper released Bella from his arms and strode over to his bed to lie down, "Well if it was nothing, I guess you can leave then. I think I might take a little nap." He covered his eyes with his forearm and grinned.
Bella laughed. She wanted nothing more than to get up on that bed with him and continue with the decadent kisses she had just received. Those kisses made her body tingle and her toes curl. She lusted after Edward and liked his kisses, but none of his had ever made her feel the way Jasper's kisses had. She felt like she was in heaven or was transported to another universe. She could see them becoming very addicting.
She walked slowly over to the bed. She knew that Jasper was watching her and so she may have put a little extra swing in her step. She never thought of herself as the aggressor or seducer, but being around Jasper right now made her feel sexy and wanted. She wasn't sure what it was, but she wasn't going to fight it. When she got to the bed, she started to pack up all of her books and notebooks, putting them all in her backpack. She hefted the bag onto her back, "Well if you are going take a nap, I guess I will see you later."
Bella didn't have time to take one step away from the bed before two arms encircled her waist and pulled her onto the bed gently. Jasper took her bag from her and let it drop to the floor next to the bed, "Well I was thinking a certain beautiful human could lay down with me. What do you think?"
Bella was having a hard time thinking with Jasper behind her and nuzzling the side of her neck. She tilted her neck just a little bit more, "I think that can be arranged. I am feeling a little bit tired."
Jasper pulled back and turned her around in his lap. He looked at her face and her eyes. There were some dark circles under them, but he had seen her with darker. "Are you ok? Do you really need a nap?"
She rolled her eyes, "No, I was just playing along. Don't worry about me. I am fine. I think I slept better last night than I have for a while. I love having you at my house, but your bed is very comfy." She was grinning at him.
"Yah, it is. I know I don't need a bed, but I like to be able to kick back and read if I want. Plus, you were able to use it," he ended on a wink.
"Yes, but now I might not want to go home," she giggled.
"And that would be a problem because why?" Jasper smirked. He was having fun having this small battle of words with her.
"Good point. I am moving in," she said laughing.
Jasper joined in her laughter. He knew that she wasn't serious and he wasn't sure if he was totally, but he did know it felt right for her to be there in his room with him. They may not be ready for that now, but maybe one day they would be. They needed to talk, but that could wait for a bit longer.
"Grrr," both of them heard the noise as they were leaning in to kiss again which caused another round of laughter.
"I am guessing that your stomach is trying to tell you that it wants some food?" Jasper asked as he got up off of the bed. He grabbed her hand and helped her off of the bed and didn't let it go when she got to her feet.
"Yah that is a good indicator that it is hungry. Since I don't have eyes that change color yet to tell me how hungry I am, we better go with the noises of my stomach," she laughed as she stood on her toes and gave him another short kiss before grabbing the roses.
"Well, we can't have you starving," Jasper grinned and guiding her out of his room and down into the kitchen.
They arrived at their destination. Jasper took the flowers from Bella to put them in water. He got out the vase and added water before arranging the flowers and placing them near her seat. Bella opened the fridge and pulled out her leftover pizza. She put a couple of slices on a plate and grabbed a third slice and started eating it cold. She heard Jasper's laughter and turned around, "What?"
"Can't decide if you want the pizza cold or hot?" Jasper said making fun of her.
"No, I am heating it up because I do want it hot, but I am hungry now, so decided to eat a slice of cold pizza. I actually don't mind cold pizza sometimes," she smiled and turned back to the microwave as she finished her cold slice.
Jasper sat down at one of the chairs by the breakfast bar. He knew that Carlisle was in his office, Esme was in the living room with Rosalie and Emmett, and Edward was up in his room. They all seemed to be giving him some space with Bella. He was pulled out of his thoughts when said human sat down next to him. He smiled at her as she ate her food. He could tell that she liked it. When she was done, he took her dishes from her and washed them quickly. He turned back to her and studied her for a second before he opened his mouth, "I think you and I need to discuss some things and I was hoping you would do the honor of letting me take you out on a date tonight."
Bella's gut twisted a bit when he said that they needed to discuss some things. Was this going to be a good or bad kind of talk? If it was a bad talk though, why go through the motions of asking her out on a date?
Jasper felt her emotions change from happy and love to fear and wariness. He realized that she was afraid when he said they needed to talk. He grabbed both of her hands in his and leaned in to give her a small kiss, "Bella, it isn't a bad thing. I just thought that we needed to talk about us and we could have a real date if you wanted to."
She exhaled a sigh of relief, "Ok, I would love to go out on a date with you."
"Good, I will pick you up at 6:00. Is that too soon?" Jasper said smiling when the fear left her. There was still a touch of wariness, but he was sure by the time the date was over with that would be gone too.
"Why not just go from here?" Bella asked. "I can call my dad and tell him that I am staying here a little bit longer and we can just go from here."
"No, I think it would be best to pick you up like a real lady and go out from your house," he said leaning in and giving her a lingering kiss. He could taste the pizza on her tongue when they deepened the kiss for the first time. Both pulled back with they heard a clearing of a throat behind them. Jasper watched as Bella proceeded to turn multiple shades of red before his eyes like magic. He looked up and saw Esme standing in the doorway of the kitchen, "Um Hi Esme, we were just talking about our date tonight."
Bella's eyes grew large and she whipped around to face the mother of the group, "Yah, Jasper is taking me out tonight for dinner." She hoped her voice didn't show how embarrassed she was to be caught by Esme.
Esme laughed, "It's alright you two. I remember how it was and still is. I just wanted Bella to know that Charlie called and he just got home."
"Oh thanks. I guess it is time to go then. I need a ride home," she looked at Jasper expectantly.
Jasper gave her a side grin, "Come on then sweetheart. I will take you home and you can get ready for our date. I will make sure Emmett or Rose is there before I leave."
"Fine, I guess I am still being babysat," she mumbled.
Jasper turned very serious and Esme left the room, "Yes, you are. Until I know that there is no longer a threat on your life, you will be watched. I am sorry, but that is not going to change."
Bella lifted her hand to his cheek, "I know. I just wish that it was over with." She gave him a kiss and then hopped off of her seat and went upstairs to get her things while Jasper talked to Emmett. They were in his truck and on the way to her house within ten minutes.
As they arrived at Bella's house, Bella and Jasper could tell that Charlie was waiting on the front porch for her daughter to return. They both got out of the truck and walked up to where Charlie had stood watch.
"Hi Charlie, my mom wanted me to tell you that Bella is welcome any time. Since a few of us went camping this weekend, she was thankful for the extra company," Jasper said as he shook Charlie's hand in greeting.
Charlie smiled at the young man in front of him. He was always so polite and seemed a bit more mature than his younger brother. Overall, he liked Jasper a lot more than he liked Edward. "Good to hear. I know I won't worry when I am gone overnight then." He turned to his daughter and noticed that she had color in her cheeks and seemed to be glowing. He didn't know what the change in her was from, but he could guess that it had something to do with the person standing next to her. He had noticed how close the two of them had gotten and how they bonded over their break-ups. "How are you doing Bells? Good to have you home."
"Thanks dad. I am ok and I had fun last night," Bella replied. She had a feeling Charlie knew something was going on between she and Jasper.
"Well come on in you two," Charlie told the two teens as he turned to go inside.
All three of them walked inside and moved to the living room. Charlie sat in his chair while Jasper and Bella sat on the couch side by side and hand in hand. The father didn't miss that or the significance of it.
Jasper cleared his throat, "Sir, I would like your permission to court Bella and to take her out on a date tonight. She and I have gotten a lot closer to each other the past few months and feelings have developed. We would like the chance to see if something is there or not." Jasper knew that there was something, but it was best not to move to fast for the father.
Charlie watched as Bella looked up at Jasper and smiled. Jasper had eyes for only Bella also. He wasn't ready to lose his baby, but he knew that Jasper was a good man and he wasn't going to be the one to stand in their way, especially when he was a gentleman and asked permission first, "Okay, but I recommend that both of you take this slow. I know that sometimes disasters in our lives sometimes open up doors that weren't there before, but sometimes it isn't real. I want you two to take this slow and make sure of your feelings. I don't want my daughter hurt because this was a rebound thing for you."
"I understand sir and I can tell you that I have been fighting my feelings because I thought it might be a rebound and realized that it wasn't, but I do promise you that we will take it slow. The last thing I want to do is hurt her in any way," Jasper said seriously looking directly at Charlie.
"Good to hear," Charlie replied.
"Well I better go now," Jasper stood up from his place on the couch and pulled Bella towards the door with him, "Emmett just got here. He is upstairs. I will see you in a few hours." He bent and gave her a kiss on the cheek and walked out of the door.
Bella walked back to the living room and sat back down on the couch. She had a dreamy look in her eye and Charlie knew that she was already gone. He also knew that it was not a look he had ever seen before even when she was dating Edward. "Do you know where he is taking you tonight?"
Bella jumped. She forgot that her dad was still in the room. "Not yet, but he said he was going to take me out to dinner," she grinned.
"Well, just be safe. Take your pepper spray with you. I trust him, but you are still my daughter and I trust you more," Charlie said as he got up and moved to the kitchen to get a drink.
Bella got up from her place on the couch and walked up the stairs to her room. She felt like she was floating in a dream and did not want to wake up. She was shocked out of her daydreams when she walked in her room and was startled by Emmett.
Emmett laughed at her reaction to his presence, "I so got you."
"Yah yah, whatever," Bella grumbled.
"Well the house is clear of intruders, so I will do a quick sweep outside and then stand watch," Emmett said as he leaped out the window and ran to the woods.
Bella lay down on her bed and started to think about everything that had happened today. She could feel nothing but elation at the results of Jasper's return. She loved him and was excited about what was going to happen next.
Jasper pulled up at 6:00 and knocked on the door. Charlie answered and let him in. They shook hands and Charlie asked what the plan for that night was. Jasper answered him, "I am taking her to dinner in Port Angeles and then I will drive her home."
"That will be fine," Charlie said smiling. He knew Jasper was antsy to see Bella so he called up to her and a couple of minutes later, the door to her bedroom opened and shut and her footsteps could be heard at the top of the stairs. He watched Jasper watch the stairs and when Bella descended, he watched Jasper swallow hard and look amazed at his daughter. "He is a good one Bells. At least he appreciates you more than that Edward did," Charlie said to himself.
Bella stopped on the last step and looked at Jasper. He was dressed in black slacks and a dark green button up shirt. She thought he looked good enough to eat. She definitely loved the look on him. Although she also loved him in jeans, t-shirt, and boots; she didn't think she had ever seen him in something that looked bad on him.
Jasper moved towards Bella and whispered, "You look beautiful tonight." He couldn't tear his eyes away from her. She was wearing a simple black dress that came to her knees and had a blue sweater in her hand to ward off the chill. Jasper took the sweater from her and helped her put it on, gently brushing her shoulders when it slid on.
Charlie watched and gave a small smile, "You two have fun."
Jasper and Bella turned their heads towards him. They had almost forgotten that he was in the room. Jasper shook his hand and told him thanks; while Bella ducked her head and told him good bye. They left the house and got into his truck.
"So where are we going?" Bella asked when they were on their way.
"Port Angeles or I should say right outside of it," he grinned.
"So are you just going to watch me eat while you sit there and we talk?" Bella joked.
"Actually, we are not going to a restaurant. I was thinking of doing a little star gazing in the bed of the truck because it is a clear night and I brought you a picnic dinner."
"Really? That sounds perfect! Why go all of the way to Port Angeles though?"
"Because we will be far enough away from prying eyes and ears. I wanted our first date to be special and just us." He took her hand and brought it to his lips.
Jasper pulled into a small park and rolled out a small pad and blanket for them to lie back on. He then helped Bella into the back of the truck. From their vantage, stars could be seen for miles. He watched Bella, she looked so excited and he admitted that he was very excited also. He grabbed the picnic basket and a couple of blankets from the back seat of his truck and jumped into the bed. He watched Bella eat her dinner and gazed up at the stars; and when she was done eating, he kissed her unable to hold back any longer.
Bella had been waiting for that kiss since he showed up at her door step and it did not fail to impress, "Wow that was…"
"Yes, it was," Jasper said gazing into her eyes after he pulled back. He laid them both down in the bed of the truck and they watched the stars. Bella had her had on Jasper's chest and a blanket surrounding her.
"Tonight was perfect. Thank you," Bella said quietly a while later. They had been lying there for about an hour just being with each other. They didn't need words; they just needed to be together.
"I am glad you think so," Jasper said as he kissed her head, "I love you." The words were out before he realized it, but he wasn't going to take them back. They were the truth.
Bella lifted herself from her place on him and looked into his eyes, "I love you too."
They both leaned into each other and kissed. It was not rushed or to encompassing, but it was full of love and passion. When they pulled back both of them were smiling and felt such joy at being together, there were not words. They kissed again.
Unfortunately, the night had to come to an end. Jasper had to get Bella home. He would be there in her room with her though because she still had to be guarded; at least that is what he told himself. The truth was he would be there even when the need for a guard has passed. He couldn't be without her. They still hadn't talked, but enough had been said for right now.