Once we're inside, we settle down a little, no longer acting like drunken crazed, college freshmen but more like tipsy, sophisticated women. It's a weird thing that happens... we go from being completely ridiculous, to acting like we have class within minutes.
We sashay up to the bar where I'm introduced to Chaz, Embry, Quil and Seth.
Alice has become bored with our drunkenness and our agreed upon man hunt, so she's bailed to help behind the bar. Angela goes with her.
Briggs is nowhere in sight.
At this point, anyone will do, but it looks like I might be going home with Rose tonight, if Briggs doesn't show up soon.
Or him.
A zing of thrill sweeps through me as Jake bangs through the silver door, bumping shoulders with Chaz and heading to the corner to speak with a man sitting at the bar.
Rose and I are in stools, knee to knee and she sees where my eyes are.
I can't help but stare.
He's gorgeous.
He turns and meets fists with Embry and they exchange a quick conversation as I take inventory of his clothes.
Black jeans. Ripped and distressed short sleeved white t-shirt. Black boots. Silver dog tags, identical to the ones Briggs wears, hang low around his neck. Caramel skin. Glowing hazel eyes... that look my way.
This. Is. It.
"Hey cowboy!" Rose catcalls to him as he walks this way. He smirks like this is completely normal... Rose, yelling out to him.
He strides up to the bar where we are. His jet black hair looks freshly cut and glistening, his eyes gleam and his teeth are whiter than the white tee he's wearing. Two deep dimples on either side of his smile draw me in to him. He's perfect. His smile is wide, showing his stark white teeth, surrounded by gorgeous lips. His dimples make him hard to resist... giving him a babyface yet, the face of a man at the same time.
It's hard to believe that this trashy old barn houses two of the most beautiful men I've ever laid eyes on. Which makes me think of Edward, and how his beauty is the same but so different. How he would be totally out of place here.
How he's such an asshole
How he turned me on tonight.
The need to be touched grows stronger and stronger as the images of Edward's tongue and teeth, on her skin, flicker through my mind.
Jacob's eyes are wild when he finishes speaking to Rose and looks to me. "What are you two birds gettin' into tonight?"
"What are we not getting into is the question." Rose spits out before I can speak.
Jacob completely ignores her, staring at me. "You came back..." He wipes his hand on his jeans before holding it out to me. "Jake Black," I place my hand in his. He grabs ahold, bending to kiss my fingers while keeping his eyes on me.
My smile grows wide, my need for sex stronger.
Even with this beautiful man in front of me, holding onto my hand, I have somewhat of a radar, still out, scanning for Briggs... whom there's still no sign of.
"I'm Bella."
"Yes. Yes you are." He walks around to the other side where there isn't a bar separating us.
I get Alice's attention and mouth the word 'water' to her when I realize it's definitely time to cut myself off. The thought of getting off of the barstool and walking in these heels is a little iffy at this point.
Quil has sidled up next to Rose. She seems to be a regular here, they all know her by name, and she, them.
He's got his arm wrapped around her, his fingers caressing her shoulder, touching mine in return.
I don't feel danger here. I feel comfort, fun and thrill. And when Jake comes closer and I smell his cologne, I feel arousal. Wild. Strong. Need.
He leans against the bar next to me, eyes only on me, not worried about anything happening around us. So focused. All attentive.
He speaks into my ear, "So, now that we have names out of the way, I owe you drinks."
From the other side of the bar, Alice slides a bottled water my way and I smirk grabbing for it, holding it up, letting him know I'm cut off for the night.
"Well, that's no fun... maybe we should just skip right to the making out part then." He smiles, blinking softly, looking straight at me. It makes me laugh but at the same time, I just want to kiss him. He's so close, leaning against the bar, leaning into me.
He's sure in his confidence. No games... he's making it clear that he wants me, when he grabs my hand again and starts talking, while caressing my fingers.
"So, tell me about Bella." His eyebrows go up in curiosity as he leans in. I look at his collar and clench. The tarnished silver necklace that lays against his bronze skin gives way to the dog tags that lay flat against his chiseled chest. I can see the outline of his pecs and I catch the movement of the muscles in his arms each time he moves my hand closer to him.
He's holding my hands against his chest, softly rubbing my fingers, getting closer to my face with every word I spill, which at this point, I don't even know if either one of us are paying attention to any of the words we exchange over the next five minutes.
When the sounds of our words blur into the sex and static in the air, we no longer speak in words... we're speaking in bodies as he comes so close that I can feel his breath on my skin.
I'm on fire.
My hands do what they want and my fingers lay flat on his chest, his hands holding me to him. "Come with me," He speaks with lips touching my ear. "I wanna show you something."
.
.
.
Once we pass through the silver door behind the bar, we walk through the large open warehouse... a set of free weights to my left, the pull up bar I first saw Briggs on in the center. The large room closes to a hallway that we enter hand in hand, me following closely behind him.
He walks me through the compound, pointing out different rooms, telling me who normally stays in them... I actually pay attention to maybe fifteen percent if what he says, distracted by his golden defined triceps as he pulls me along behind him. With each word he looks back to me smiling, with his gorgeous eyes, and his strong hand in mine. We pass through a doorway and he leads me into the last room on left.
Once we're both inside, the light of a computer screen on the desk is just enough that we can see. He doesn't even close the door all the way, but leaves it cracked and before I can speak, his lips are on mine and we're moving backwards. My hands reach around him and come to rest on what feels like a gun strapped into his belt, where he reaches, pulling it out, setting it on the shelf we pass. We come to a stop, where my back is pressed against the wall.
This hot, wet kiss feels good.
I feel wanted, with his hands all over me, rubbing up my thighs, his hot mouth on my neck, my collarbone, he's everywhere and I let him be.
It's been months since I've even been touched this way and to say that I need it now, more than ever, is an understatement. I can feel a building ache between my thighs and with every touch of his tongue to my neck, it increases.
His heavy breaths are growing more desperate as our hipbones meet and he pulls my leg up, to rest high on his side. When he presses where I need him most, I lose all of my faculties and am led by need and passion alone.
Once I've got his shirt off and we've stopped kissing just long enough to get it off of him, we clash back together with raging passion. I reach between us as his tongue touches mine and unclasp his belt. His hands find my neck, and he steps back just enough to help me get him loose.
Once he springs free, I stroke his hard length and I can barely wait to get him inside. I ache to fill this unstoppable need.
It's merely seconds before my panties are pulled to the side and my heel lifts off the ground with the long, hard thrust he presses into me.
My dress pulls against my shoulders as I'm pressed to the wall and sliding up and down in long, slow strokes. Each thrust brings me closer to the key that unlocks the door that will spill all of this built up tension, anger, pain and desperation to feel anything anymore. I need this release more than anything.
He's got me stretched and full, sliding along his length, threatening to break me apart with every move he makes. Changing his rhythm from torturous long strokes that lift me, to small fast pumps that make me want for more. The clinks of his dog tags against his bare chest and our desperate kisses are the only sounds in this room.
He can tell it's the long hard ones... when he fills me to the hilt and lifts me off the ground, that get me there, but he won't give it all to me yet.
When I hear a motorcycle rumbling outside, buttons are popping, my dress is sliding over my head, my bra springs free, and we're both naked, aside from his jeans and boots, and my panties pulled to the side.
He drops to his knees, before I can keep him pressed deep, right where I need him. He doesn't take his time but bites one side, while tearing the other, my panties ripping, falling to the ground.
His eyes are animalistic in the blue glowing light, a gleam shines brightly through them as he stares at me from below. He wastes no time lifting my heel over his shoulder and spreading me open for his mouth.
A slow torture at first, he lightly teases me with his tongue... just enough pressure to get me moving my hips. When he senses the time is right, he holds my hips close and goes in for the kill.
My naked body is in heaven as I stand propped against the wall, one foot on the ground, one leg dangling over his shoulder, my pussy in his mouth.
This is what life is all about.
Girls get what they want, boys get what they can... and this one can have it all.
When my legs stop shaking he rises and picks me up, walking me over to a paper covered desk, laying me on my back, where the light on the screen bathes my body. He wipes my wet all around himself until he glistens and plunges right back in, sending me over for the second time.
This is what I've needed all along. This is my answer for everything, the numb I've been looking for. No thoughts of guilt over not spending enough time with Charlie, no thoughts about what I'm going to do with my life now, no pain, no sadness, no stress, just pleasure... just sex. And damn good sex at that.
"You're beautiful, you know that?" His breath isn't short, he doesn't sound like he's been working hard at this at all. He's in good shape.
I look into his hazel eyes and glance at his muscular shoulders, telling him that I think he's beautiful too. He slows the pace, kissing me gently, and his soft lips feel nice on mine.
I slowly start to notice a tiny voice of pain speaking lightly deep down inside. I don't want to hear her, I don't want to talk, I just want mindless sex, so I grab his butt and push him into me, telling him, "Harder now," and he obeys.
.
.
.
When I wake the next morning, my first thought is how good these butterflies in my tummy truly feel. It's been awhile, you know? Such a new, but not new feeling, and it's so welcome.
I think about how different it would be if it had been Briggs that walked into that bar when we got back instead of Jake, and that too, piques my interest. I think about how different they are but wonder how similar they might be in bed, before I drift back off to sleep.
.
.
.
Later that afternoon, after I've recovered from one of the worst hangovers I've had, Jess and I are sitting on the steps of her front porch when Briggs pulls to his normal position, on the side.
He blatantly ignores me when I say hello and opts for tussling the hair on top of Jess's head when he walks between us, up the steps and through the front door, slamming it behind him.
"What's his problem?" I look at her with a sour face.
She twists her hands, "I dunno. Something must've happened at the club last night, because he came home around two this morning, stormed inside to grab something and didn't even speak to me when he turned to go right back out. This is the first I've seen him since." She picks up a leaf and turns it over. "I'm so ready for him to just find a new job, new friends, a new life." She looks at me dead serious.
I put my head on her shoulder. "I know you worry about him, Jess. He's a big boy though. He'll be fine... he'll figure it out."
I can't help but think about him, myself, though. It stings that he didn't speak to me. It stings more than it should.
.
.
.
A/N: For those of you that have asked, yes... this is a Bella/Edward story. I must warn you though... this is also a Bella/Jake as well as a Bella/Briggs story... they will not all be together at the same time EVER. Thank you so much to all who review and to all who have given this story a chance and kept reading despite its nature. You guys are rad. I appreciate, hold dear and read every word of every review. See you guys soon... we're almost back to the prologue and from there it gets real.