Chapter Thirty Five

Bella

I watched as he dried his hair and face but he couldn't do anything about his clothes and the water dripped slowly off the bottom of his pants onto the carpet. He looked down and grimaced,

"Bella this really isn't a good idea, I'm just getting everywhere wet. If you like I can help you to sleep."

"How?"

"I can send you the feeling of sleepiness, its one of my little tricks which I hasten to add I don't use without good reason."

"I'd rather you stayed with me, please. Look there's an old sweat shirt of dads that I requisitioned a long while ago, you could change your sweater."

He sighed and started to pull his own wet one off while I dragged the old one out of my drawers and turned to hand it to him but suddenly I couldn't breathe, he stood there half-naked and he looked exquisite, like a marble Adonis and I didn't come back to my senses until he coughed to get my attention when I dragged my eyes away and handed him the shirt with a hasty,

"Sorry I'm afraid I don't have any of Charlie's pants but my old sweat pants are pretty big, I have to roll the legs up."

He grinned,

"Well I've heard of some ways to get a guys clothes off but this beats them all. OK, I can't sit down with these on. Hand them over."

I felt the heat spread up my neck and across my face as I handed him the pants and turned my back so he could change. Unfortunately or perhaps fortunately I could see his reflection in the polished door of the closet and again I couldn't drag my eyes away, he was beautiful and I longed to turn round and see the real thing but forced myself to keep my eyes averted until he called my name.

"I don't think I'll win any fashion competitions but thank you."

The pants were a little too short and I had to giggle but then sat on the bed and patted the space beside me.

"Would it be too much if I asked you to stay with me until I fall asleep? I feel so much better when you are close."

He put an arm around me and pulled me close kissing the top of my head again,

"Bella I'd like nothing better but are you sure? Having a man in your bedroom all night? Especially when you know he's a vampire?"

"You won't hurt me, I know that. Please?"

Jasper

How could I refuse such a plea, besides it was even better sitting in here where I could smell her scent and feel her close, I just felt a little awkward, for all my many years on this earth I had never spent the night in a young girls room, not a young girl I felt so strongly about. I clamped down on my natural male urges and nodded making sure she got into bed and wrapped the covers closer around her so she wasn't chilled by my cold body then I wrapped an arm around her and she snuggled in close to me and closed her eyes.

"Tell me about yourself Jasper."

"What do you want to know?"

"Anything, I just want to hear your voice as I fall asleep. Tell me about your childhood. Did you have brothers and sisters? What did your dad do? Anything."

"OK but its pretty boring."

She snuggled even closer and I felt her warm hand on my chest over the spot my heart had once beat burning through the unfamiliar shirt.

"I was born just outside Houston Texas in 1844, the eldest of four boys to Martha and William Whitlock. They were farmers, mainly cattle but we had a few horses so my brothers and myself learned to ride early. My brothers, Samuel, Jessie, and Bradley, came along in quick succession although my mother prayed each time for a daughter. She finally got her wish come true with her fifth pregnancy, a little girl called Daisy Mae but my mother never saw her, she died in childbirth and my father struggled to bring her up on his own. In the end my aunt who was a widow came to live with us and my father lost himself in his work. Daisy was a beautiful little girl, like an angel with a halo of golden curls, she never cried or made a fuss and we all loved her so much. I knew my mother would have been so happy at her little girl and tried to look after her, make sure she was happy and safe."

When she was six and I was sixteen a lot of things happened at once, my youngest brother Bradley was killed by a wild stallion, my father broke his leg, and my aunt died. Things were very hard for a while, my brothers and I worked the farm until my father was back on his feet but he always had a limp. Daisy had to go away to stay with my mother's sister, we couldn't look after her properly, not and run the farm. It broke my heart to say goodbye to Daisy, I can still see her crying as the train pulled out of the station. I didn't know then that I would never see her again, that I was saying a final farewell to her. My aunt lived in Galveston and when the war started they tried to get to safety but were killed in an attack by the Union Army. Its one of the things that made me decide to join the Confederate Army, to avenge her death."

I stopped as I heard her breathing even out, she had fallen asleep but I didn't try to move, laying here with Bella's head on my chest and her arm around me was just too good and I stayed this way until I heard Charlie begin to stir then I slipped from her embrace without waking her, changed back into my own damp clothes and slipped out of the window pulling it down again so it looked shut. I had time to run home, shower and change, then run back before picking her up for school.

Bella

When I woke up alone I thought it had all been a wonderful dream but then I saw the clothes I'd loaned him neatly folded on my chair and had to smile. I had slept soundly and as I thought about the night I remembered his story about his little sister Daisy Mae. It must have been terrible first losing his mother and then a few years later his adored sister. I wondered if he would continue the story if he came again tonight, I hoped he did. Then I heard Charlie going down the stairs and went to grab a shower excited at the thought of seeing Jasper again soon. I think I'd have broken the world record for speed showering not to mention getting a gold medal for eating toast and drinking coffee that was way too hot. Charlie looked at me grinning,

"You're keen for school...or is it your personal taxi driver I wonder?"

I grimaced at him but he just smiled and then looked out the window,

"Talk of the devil and he will appear. See you later Bells."

I nodded grabbing my bag with my free hand, the other one still held the remnants of my toast and ran down the steps and across the grass to Jasper who waited smiling at me.

"Hello again beautiful, you ready for school?"

"I'm ready to see you again. Thank you for last night and the story, will I get the next instalment tonight?"

"Tonight? Is it going to be a regular thing? I don't think its going to rain."

"I'd still rather you were with me than out in a tree."

He smiled making my heart pound again then nodded slowly,

"I can see this is a decision I can't fight so OK but I bring my own clothes next time."

We both laughed as I got in the car for the short drove to school something that, like the story nights, became a ritual for us.