"A Very Sexy Un-Birthday Contest"

Title: Make a Wish

Author(s): AmberStar63

Disclaimer: SM owns Twilight, Jasper just comes to play with me when he's bored.

To view other entries for this contest, please visit:

http://www (dot) fanfiction (dot) net/community/A_Very_Sexy_Un-Birthday_Contest/78947/

Make a Wish

JPOV

I fucking hate taking the bus. I know it's good for the environment and it's economical, but I just don't find it convenient or comfortable.

I put my internal bitching on hold to climb the two steps, pay my fare and make my way all the way to the back to my usual seat. Once I have my book bag stowed beneath my seat, I close my eyes and crank up my iPod, effectively blocking out my surroundings enough to blissfully zone out and settle in for the hour long ride to school.

It bothers me when I gripe about stuff like this, and believe me; I never do it around my sister. Rosie would likely kick my ass if she ever heard me complaining, especially since she was nice enough to offer me a place to live when I was accepted as a mid-term transfer student to the Journalism Program here in Seattle. So for now I'll grin and bear it, because until I find someplace closer, I'm stuck taking the damn bus.

APOV

I'm not sure why my luck is so good today but believe me, I'll take it.

It started raining the moment I stepped foot on my first bus this morning, but this wasn't the unusual part because it was always raining in Seattle. The lucky bit was that it miraculously stopped when I had to transfer off to wait for my second bus, and held off until just now when I boarded the third and final bus I had to take every day to get to school.

It really is out of the ordinary for stuff like this to happen to me, especially since I've been living under this dark cloud of misery for the past year and had sadly gotten used to feeling cursed. I almost never freaked out anymore over things like having to sit through my classes damp or even sometimes soaking wet, so I can't help smiling as I make my way down the aisle of the bus, happily dry for a change.

Then when I notice the empty seat near the back, I practically had to force myself not to skip down the aisle to get it. Wow… all this on a Monday morning even. I was humming cheerfully as I sat down. The pouring rain was now sheeting against the bus windows and I silently sent a word of thanks to my lucky stars. I also couldn't help wondering, somewhat pessimistically, when all this good fortune was going to come to an end. I mean, let's face it, there's no way this lucky streak was gonna last. Right?

That's what I was thinking anyway when I turned and faced forward. Then, for a moment, I thought I might actually spontaneously combust. Holy sweet mother of God! Sitting directly across from me was the world's most gorgeous man. Maybe my luck really was changing after all.

My eyes perused the goods in front of me… Blonde wavy hair, gentle face, juicy lips; I swallowed hard, forcing my gaze off his lips. Long neck, lean body encased in a black leather jacket – yum! Slim, jean clad legs ending with what looked like worn, but well loved biker boots that were settled shoulder width apart on the on the floor between us. He looked utterly mouth watering.

I felt my tongue dart out and run over my lips as I realized where my eyes were now focused. Jesus, I'm a dirty whore… My eyes were glued between his open legs and I was quite obviously checking out his crotch. Well, he was slouched down in his seat and it was sort of jutting out in my direction so I really couldn't help it. I pressed my lips together, trying to suppress the smile I knew was coming with my sudden embarrassment, and I quickly looked around to see if anyone had noticed my indiscretion. Nope, I'm alone with my eye candy and my depraved mind.

I reached to get my book from my backpack, hoping it would help distract me from my rude behavior. I started flipping through it until I found my page and held it open, but my eyes were still focusing well above the pages, they were back on the guy across the aisle. He had his eyes closed and his head resting against the widow behind him. I could tell he was very relaxed, maybe even asleep, because of the way his head kept swaying with the motion of the bus. His hands were in his pockets, pulling his jacket open enough to allow me to see that he was wearing a white striped button down over a navy t-shirt and both were tucked into his jeans. He wore a belt with a shiny silver buckle and his jeans were a washed out, faded blue, slightly frayed around the bottom. I could tell he was tall too, his knees stuck out into the aisle pretty far.

Glancing up, I quickly made sure his eyes were still closed and that he wasn't showing any indication of opening them any time soon. I bit my bottom lip as I let my eyes roam back down to his belt, and then down a little further until I was once again staring at his zipper, or in that general area at least. It seemed fascinatingly packed down there.

At this point I finally had to close my eyes, scolding myself for being such a perv. I don't know what the hell is wrong with me... I'm on a crowded bus and I just openly stared at some guy's crotch. Suddenly I was feeling overheated and more than a little flustered. I am absolutely certain I have never, ever done anything like this before and yet now here I was, checking out a guy's 'you know what' and practically drooling. I took a deep steadying breath before I opened my eyes again, this time concentrating earnestly on my book in my own lap.

Ж -- Ж -- Ж

By the time the bus jerked to a stop outside the Humanities Building on campus, people were out of their seats, crowding the aisle as they waited for the doors to open. I could no longer see the guy I'd been admiring even though I searched the crowd for a glimpse of him, wondering if this was his stop too.

I contemplated waiting until the last possible second so I could see if he was still in his seat, but I decided against it. He had no idea I was even here and it felt like a better idea to just leave it that way. I put my book away and joined the throng.

JPOV

I sat up in my seat, stretching before lowering the volume on my iPod. It hadn't been a bad ride; I'd managed to sleep pretty much all the way and in fact, I may not have even woken up at all if the other passengers hadn't disturbed me as they jostled by.

A smile came to my face when I looked outside and saw the sun shining for a change. I grasped the strap on my satchel, preparing to stand once everyone else had cleared out of the way.

Ж -- Ж -- Ж

APOV

Two days in a row it didn't rain a drop while I was waiting to catch my buses. Two days in a row I got to ogle Mr. Perfection as I rode to school.

Then, he just disappeared.

Every morning when I got on the bus for the last leg of my journey I'd carefully, but casually look for him. It became my ritual, scanning every seat as I slowly made my way to the back of the bus. Even after school I'd rush to the bus stop just in case he showed up for the trip home. Unfortunately, he was either on a completely different schedule than me, or my luck really was only a two day fluke, because so far I'd hadn't seen him again.

Over a week later I still hung back, waiting until most of the people disembarking at my stop had filed out, just in case I missed him on the way in. I sighed, heaving my heavy backpack over my shoulder and carefully stepping off the bus.

"Alice!" My head swiveled when I heard someone calling my name. "Alice!"

My best friend was making her way towards me, her head popping up and down amidst the crowd, "Hey Bella." I waved, letting her know that I saw her.

She was a little out of breath when she finally made it to my side. "I thought it was you, how are you today?" We began walking together.

"Okay, I guess," I said, sounding dejected.

"You still haven't seen him again?"

"Nope, I'm beginning to think he may have been a mirage." She chuckled at my pout.

"Just a figment of your imagination, huh?"

"Nah, even my imagination isn't that good," we giggled together. "It's more like my mind was playing tricks on me, taunting me, dangling perfection in my face like water to a woman dying of thirst."

"Aw, I'm sorry honey. Are things that bad?"

"Let's just say, I think I'm ready for the dry spell to end."

We laughed and continued chatting until we reached the building where our first classes were being held. Bella and I made plans to meet up during the break between my third and fourth classes and she promised to have a sandwich and a hot cup of tea waiting for me so I wouldn't have to waste time waiting in line.

All morning, my lectures went much like expected. The teacher's droned on, packing more information than any normal person is capable of absorbing into each class and managed to make it as boring as possible. I don't know how they did it, but the only reason I was able to stay awake was because I spent the entire class madly scribbling notes. As soon as the professor stopped talking and waved us off, I packed my books and hurried upstairs to meet Bella. True to her word, she was sitting at a table near the windows waiting for me with a steaming cup of tea and a brown paper bag.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you… You know I love you like crazy, right?" I dropped my stuff and slid into the chair across from her.

"No problem. All they had was turkey, I hope that's okay."

"It's perfect." I opened the sandwich and started wolfing it down.

Today was Wednesday, the worst day of the week as far as I was concerned. My schedule was packed solid and I barely had a break between classes. Bella was a great friend and always made sure I got something to eat and she usually waited patiently for me to finish before she started talking.

"So... any plans this weekend?"

I shook my head, balling up the paper from my sandwich, "No, not really. I thought I might start looking for a place closer to campus."

"That sounds like fun," she smiled. "Are you giving up on finding love on the bus then?"

"I never thought I'd find love on the bus, Bella." I said, rolling my eyes. I was beginning to regret that I told her about it in the first place, which I only had because she was bugging me to get myself out there again.

"I just thought it would be a happy coincidence if you did, you know, find him and fall in love."

"Yeah, well don't hold your breath." I threw back, hopefully killing the subject.

When I noticed Bella drumming her fingers on the table I got an uneasy feeling; I knew what was coming next. I looked anywhere but at her, trying to avoid it.

"Alice?"

"Hmm?" I took another sip of tea, checking my watch. Damn, I still had a few minutes.

"I know it's your birthday this weekend… you can stop trying to hide it." She snapped annoyingly as I narrowed my eyes at her.

"I wasn't trying to hide it; I'd just rather ignore it."

"Why, because of James?" She was obviously done being cordial. I started to stand, not wanting to get into it again. Her hand smacked down over mine, halting my escape. "Listen… I'm sorry Alice, but I don't want to let this go. I know he hurt you; the guy was honestly the biggest jerk in the world for dumping you in the first place, let alone doing it on your birthday last year. But you're better off without him… you survived; you seem like you're getting over him and now it's time to pretend he never happened at all."

I sat back in my chair, she was right of course; it was a really shitty thing for him to break up with me the way he did and I hated him for ruining my party. But as the date grew closer, I was beginning to regret my vow to never celebrate a birthday again. I wanted my day to be special and I was starting to wish there was going to be a bit of a fuss.

"Bella…"

"No, don't argue." She held up her hand, "We're going out on Friday to celebrate. Be at Edward's place by seven. Okay?"

"Okay."

Ж -- Ж -- Ж

By Friday morning it looked like the weather was returning to normal and I wasn't at all surprised to find that neither my mystery man nor a vacant seat were there waiting for me when I climbed aboard the bus. It definitely seemed like my good luck had run out. I leaned against the pole, hanging on as the bus rocked its way down the road.

My day was uneventful and by noon, I was planning on leaving early to give myself extra time to get ready for my night out with Bella and her friends. That was until I got to the library and completely lost track of time. I ended up staying an hour later than I normally would on a Friday night and had to rush for the bus stop, grumbling to myself the whole way there about the weather. The wind was making the clouds churn in ominous ways and I knew a storm was definitely imminent. I also knew I wasn't going to make it home before it hit.

The bus was already waiting and quite a few other students were also rushing across the quad. I found a seat and was busily securing my bag under my feet when, from the corner of my eye, I saw a familiar pair of boots hop lithely onto the top step. I looked up in shock, watching as he stepped around the door guard and sat down across from me. I knew I was totally distracted when I boarded, worrying about the stupid rain and all, but I didn't notice until now – I was sitting in exactly the same seat as the last time.

I kept my chin down but my eyes kept popping up, sneaking glances while he got himself settled. I was right, he was tall and he slouched down in the seat again. This time his pants were baggy, army green cargo pants, his t-shirt was white and he was wearing a thick cotton hoodie. In my head I may have been freaking out a bit because he looked just as good as I remembered.

He pushed his hair back, it was longish and I liked how it looked when he put it behind his ears. This was the first time I'd seen his hands and I bit my lip. Um, wow… I'm seriously pathetic. I wiggled slightly in my seat, trying to be nonchalant, like I was just trying to get comfortable instead of dampening the heat in my panties over some weird thing I had for this guy running his fingers through his hair.

Oh. My. God.

Focusing again, I was in time to see him finishing up what had to be his usual routine, putting his iPod and his hands into his pockets and his head back against the window with his eyes closed. The only thing different from last time was what he was wearing and I was fairly certain I could now safely raise my head and feast my eyes fully. After all, who knew when or if I'd ever see him again? I didn't even try to fight it when my eyes zeroed in on their favorite spot.

Unfortunately, I also didn't worry about being discreet or checking periodically to make sure I wasn't being watched while I was enjoying my slow, lingering look at his body. Until I noticed the guy sitting next to him watching me intently; I quickly reached for my book, holding it up to block my face. Uh-oh… I closed my eyes, praying that I wasn't just caught in the act. I moved the book slightly to the side so I could peek around it, but still block out Nosy Guy's face.

Crap, Mr. Perfect's eyes were open and he was looking directly at me… God, they're blue, I bit back a moan. Fuck he's smirking at me, I was definitely busted. Oh please, someone kill me now. I quickly buried my nose back in my book.

JPOV

The guy sitting next to me was elbowing me persistently.

What the hell? I cracked an eyelid, shooting him a dirty look for disturbing my nap. It was Seth, a guy from my class and he was giving me an odd sort of look, tilting his head like he was trying to give me a signal or something. I shifted my eyes to where was indicating and found myself looking at the cover of a book. I looked back at him dubiously.

He kept jerking his head, pointing with his eyes until I finally took out one of my ear-buds and he whispered, "The chick, behind the book. She's checking you out man."

I looked over again, the book was still in place and I couldn't see her face at all.

"She did it twice last week too. She's wondering what you got in your pants." He snickered before turning away.

When I saw the book shift slightly to the side and her bright green eyes met mine, I sat up and took notice; they were beautiful and I had never seen any eyes sparkle like that in my entire life. By her expression, I could tell she was horrified at being caught and she ducked back out of sight again quickly. I chuckled, that was damn cute.

While she continued to hide, I took my time and studied her. She was little thing and couldn't have weighed much more than a hundred or so pounds, but her body seemed nicely rounded in all the right places. Her legs were shapely in her tight jeans and I let my eyes travel all the way down to her ankles, which she had crossed neatly over her backpack, before dragging them back up again. Her arms had dropped enough so that I could now see hair, it was a dark, rich brown, almost black in the dim light and it was short, but I liked it. It was cute the way it was tousled and kind of spiky on top.

Suddenly the book was gone; she slammed it into her lap, snapping it closed with a huff. "You're staring," she said in an exaggerated whisper.

Laughing out loud, I turned off my iPod and leaned forward, "From what I hear, you've been doing some staring of your own."

She sort of sputtered and stuttered. I was totally smitten.

"W-Well... At least when I did it, I wasn't obvious about it."

Seth and a few others snorted, snickering out loud at her declaration. She glared at them scathingly until they shut up and looked away. She was spunky, I liked that too.

"That's okay Darlin', I don't mind." I turned on the charm. "I'm Jasper by the way."

Her eyes shifted back to me and she gave me a long hard look. I met her stare, holding it until a smile slowly lit up her face. She was extremely beautiful. She patted the empty seat next to her and I moved over to join her. We introduced ourselves, talking and flirting while we rode towards home.

I liked Alice immediately, she was smart and funny and she had a quality about her that made me feel like I'd known her forever. In fact, the feeling of familiarity was so strong I had to resist taking her hand or touching her like I wanted to. I didn't want to scare her off by being pushy.

We spent so much time laughing together and I was totally engrossed in our conversation that it wasn't until I heard someone noisily clearing their throat that I noticed the bus had stopped.

APOV

"End of the line folks!" The bus driver shouted over his shoulder. My head popped up and I looked out the windows, trying to get my bearings.

"Oh my God, I missed my stop."

"Huh, me too... Although, I don't think by far," Jasper said, turning his attention back to me.

I stood, calling out to the driver, "What time is the next bus going south?"

"No more busses tonight. This is a special route, we only run Monday to Friday, six to six."

Jasper was looking at his watch, "It's a quarter past six."

Damn.

The rear doors opened and a gust of cold, damp air came rushing in. It was pouring rain. I was zipping up my jacket as my feet hit the glistening sidewalk with Jasper standing right beside me. The bus roared away and there was no sign of shelter anywhere.

"Come on," Jasper said, pushing on my shoulder, indicating that I should start walking.

"Where are we going?"

"I live this way. If my sister's home I can use her car to drive you home. If not, you can call a cab or a friend to come get you."

I stood for a moment, trying to decide if that's what I wanted to do. It seemed silly not go and it sure beat standing in the rain or walking all the way back to my place. In the end, it was the icy trickle of water dribbling down my back that finally made up my mind for me.

"Okay, thank you. Let's go."

It really couldn't have rained much harder if it tried. It pelted against us, stinging where it hit bare skin.

"It's not much further," Jasper said just as lightning lit the sky and thunder shook the ground. He took my backpack, transferring it to his shoulder, "Jeeze Alice, whataya got in here, rocks?" he teased, grabbing my hand and holding it tightly in his as he started to run.

He practically dragged me, splashing through puddles for the remaining three blocks. The storm was getting worse and I was panting from exertion, soaked and chilled to the bone when we made it to his house. It was dark and I noticed there was no car was in the driveway while he was fumbling with his keys.

We stood together on the mat just inside the door and Jasper flipped the light switch, nothing happened. "The storm must have knocked out the power. Stay still." He ordered and I heard our bags drop with a thud.

I listened while he was banging around somewhere above and a moment later I saw a light moving towards me, Jasper appeared at the top of the stairs with a lit candle in his hand.

"Be careful you're on a landing… I live down one flight." I toed off my shoes, and led the way.

At the bottom of the stairs was a large living room, it was cushy under my feet and I felt bad that I was dripping water on his carpet.

I continued on, through the room with his hand on my back guiding me passed a kitchen and down a hallway. He had me hold the candle while he opened a closet and began loading his arms with towels.

"Go straight, there's a door just on your left." He indicated the way with a nod of his head because his hands were full.

I entered the bathroom, placed the candle on the vanity and turned to take the two fluffy towels Jasper was offering me.

"You can take a shower if you like; the water in the tank should still be hot enough." Before I could protest he continued, "You're shivering and the warm water will keep you from catching a cold. I'll get you something of my sisters to wear and we can put your clothes in the dryer," he started chuckling, "actually… never mind, that won't work until the power comes back on. I'll go get you the dry clothes."

"What about you? You're cold too and if I use up all the hot water what'll you do?"

Jasper cocked an eyebrow, smirking down at me.

"Not a problem Darlin'. Upstairs is on a separate tank, I'll shower up there." He put his hand on door knob, "I'll leave the clothes just outside the door for you." I nodded and he closed the door as he went, leaving the candle behind for me.

He was right, the hot shower felt great. I used his soap and shampoo, managing to get rinsed off before the water started cooling down. Wrapping myself up in the towels, I quietly opened the door and found the clothes he'd promised me. I dried off and quickly got dressed.

"What is she, an Amazon?" I asked, giggling as I stood in the hallway wearing yoga pants that fit me almost perfectly around the waist, but were about ten inches too long. The top was comfy, but was clearly stretched out in the chest area – she must have enormous boobs and ape arms, I thought as I rolled up the sleeves a few times and pushed them up over my elbows. Jasper was in front of me, grinning.

"Yeah, Rosie's a bit taller than you, but you look fine."

"A bit?" I scoffed, laughing again as I used both my hands to pull up each pant leg so I could walk without tripping. "It's okay, I don't mind. At least I'm dry."

"That's the spirit!" he said cheerfully.

He'd been busy while I was in the bathroom; candles were glowing all over the place. Some were lined up along the island separating the kitchen from the living room, a few were on the coffee table and on the other surfaces scattered around the room. He also had a fire blazing in the woodstove and it was already warming things up.

"You have a nice place here, it's cozy."

"Thank you. It's my sister's house and she's just letting me live here. Her plan is to start renting it out to help her with expenses."

I nodded as I looked around. Jasper came from the kitchen with a kettle and placed it on the stove to heat.

"You're a regular Daniel Boone aren't you?" I was impressed by his ingenuity.

"Hey, I'll have you know I was Boy Scout… I know how to rough it." He went back to the kitchen. "Are you hungry? I have leftover pizza."

"I'm actually supposed to be meeting some friends for a party." I looked around for a clock.

"Yeah… sorry about that, I tried calling my sister and I couldn't reach her on her cell. I have no idea when she'll be back with her car."

"No problem. Um, what time is it?" He looked around too, not finding any working clocks he went down the hall and came back with his watch.

"It's seven thirty."

"Oh," I sighed, looking around again. "Where's my backpack?

He looked up, pointing towards the stairs and I went to retrieve my cell phone. I had six missed calls, all of them from Bella. I pushed the button, returning her last call while I sat down on the couch, waiting for her to pick up.

"Ali, what's wrong? Where the heck are you?" She was all but shouting into the phone.

"I'm fine Bella. Sorry, but I missed my stop and got stuck in the storm and now the powers out."

"Are you just trying to get out of celebrating your birthday?" I raised my eyes; Jasper was taking the kettle off the boil and returning to the kitchen with it.

"No, I'm not trying to get out of anything. I'm telling the complete truth, the power is out. Anyway, it's too late for me to meet you now, but I promise we can celebrate another time." I held the phone away from my ear, listening for a few more minutes while she prattled on about how I wasn't going to get away with avoiding my birthday before I hung up.

"I made you some tea." Jasper called from the kitchen.

I got up and went to the island, sitting at one of the bar stool. "Thanks."

"Do you take anything in it?" I shook my head. "Me either," he said with a smile.

The tea was good, soothing; I was beginning to feel more relaxed.

"So… you're missing a birthday party?" He smiled knowingly. "You said you were supposed to be at a party and your friend talks really loud," he explained with a wink.

"Not normally, she's usually as quiet as a mouse." I scoffed.

"So it's her birthday?" I shook my head, dreading what I knew his next question would be, "Yours?"

I looked up and our eyes met, his expression changing immediately from curiosity to regret. "Oh wow – you're missing your own party because of me."

"How is it because of you?" I asked, wondering how he jumped to that conclusion.

"If I hadn't been talking your ear off all the way home, you wouldn't have missed your stop."

"I think I was doing just as much talking as you were, but don't worry about it though; I really wasn't looking forward to it anyway."

"A girl not excited about her birthday, that's a new one. What's the matter, getting too old?"

"Hardy har… I'm ages away from worrying about that, thank you very much."

We were both laughing, and the ease of how comfortable it was between us struck me again. I loved feeling like I'd known him for years and not only a few hours.

"So your birthday's today?"

"No actually, it's tomorrow." I said, placing my empty cup on the counter.

He smiled as he put it in the sink with his. It was wonderful just watching him move, he was charming, attractive and exuded such confidence that I was completely drawn in by him.

"All warmed up?"

"What? Oh yeah, much better thanks." I blushed at being caught staring at him again.

"Are you sure you're not hungry?" He asked hopefully. When I declined, he seemed pensive, like he was trying to come up with ways to get me to stay.

"Maybe we should have a drink to celebrate since it's almost your birthday. I can offer you a beer or I'm sure Rose has some wine upstairs?" He gave me a lopsided grin while he was pointing at the ceiling.

I hastily turned away from him, the mention of my birthday made my comfortable, familiar feeling all but disappear. "I should get going," I went to where I left my cell phone, scrolling through my contacts for the number of a taxi service.

"Wait, you don't have to go... It's still pouring and the powers probably off at your place too." He gave me a sweet look, lowering his voice, "Please stay Alice, we can keep each other company."

When he put it that way, it really only took a second for me to think about it; I live on the seventeenth floor and if the power was off, I'd have to walk all the way up. "Sure, I guess a glass of wine would be great."

We both stood grinning awkwardly. He looked happy and I tried not to look nervous.

Ж -- Ж -- Ж

We sat on the floor, leaning up against his sofa, enjoying the fire and getting to know each other better. It was nice and the more we talked, the more I comfortable I felt again. He really was a nice guy.

I listened, totally enraptured while he told me about his home in Texas, and about moving here almost a month ago to take the Honors Program in Journalism. He was smart, well spoken and had the cutest drawl. Put that all together with the blue eyes and everything else I'd seen on the bus and he was damn near irresistible. That's it, no more wine for me.

Of course, my last thought went straight to hell as I watched him refilling my glass and didn't say a word.

"So tell me… why aren't you looking forward to your birthday?"

JPOV

I watched her smile fading and she shrugged. For a moment I was worried she was going to tell me she was leaving again, but then she started talking.

"Last year on my birthday, my boyfriend dumped me instead of proposing like I thought he was going to." She smiled weakly.

"Ouch, that's harsh." She nodded in response. "Did he tell you before the party or after?"

"During..." I winced, as I sipped my drink. "Actually, I should have probably suspected something when he brought some cheap looking red head with him."

I sputtered my beer, "He brought a date to your birthday party?"

"Yep."

"And you thought he was going to ask you to marry him?"

"Yep."

"How long did you go out with him?"

"Three years. I met him in Biloxi where I grew up. He was studying to become a doctor and I was still trying to decide on a major. When he decided to go into the graduate program here, he asked me to come with him." She shrugged, "So I did."

"The guy's a fucking idiot."

"Yeah… It was a bit of a shock." She said, taking a sip of her wine.

I couldn't take my eyes off her, she was so beautiful and yet at the moment she seemed so sad. I desperately wanted to make her smile again. I also wanted to kiss her too – a lot. I know my eyes kept drifting to her lips while she was talking, but I forced them back up to her eyes, trying to keep the inappropriate thoughts running through my head at bay. She seemed as if she had more to say.

"I was lost for a while after that. James and I lived together and I had nowhere to go, no furniture, nothing. When he met me in Biloxi, my parents had just passed away so I didn't even have anyone to go home to." She shifted looking sheepish and a little uncomfortable. "Sorry… Things are better now; they have been for a while actually. I just lost track of time, you know? I'd almost forgotten it even was my birthday until just last week and it sort of brought things back."

She shrugged again and with the corners of her mouth curving up into a little smile, she pushed her bottom lip out in a mock pout and I couldn't hold back any longer, I leaned in and kissed it. She was soft and tasted of dark cherries, from the wine.

I tried keeping the kiss light, but I couldn't force myself away. We held ourselves motionless, faces only inches apart and her warm breath on my face was intoxicating. All I wanted to do was kiss her again. Longer… Harder…

"I should go," she whispered, not moving.

"Do you really want to?" I whispered back.

"No."

"Will you stay? Please?"

"Yes."

"Can I kiss you again?" She didn't answer, she just crashed her lips into mine, flinging her arms around my neck, fisting her fingers in my hair, pulling it in such a fucking fantastic way.

I pressed my tongue against her lips and she yielded, opening for me, allowing me to seek out the warmth of her mouth. We were both groaning as I pulled her closer, nothing had felt this good for a very long time and I could tell she was feeling the same thing.

I lifted her into my lap without breaking our kiss. I wanted her closer, and she seemingly wanted the same thing because she turned, straddling me.

God she was perfect.

I ran my hands up and down her back; I loved having her in my arms. My hands continued travelling until I had them cupped under her ass, pulling her against me as she ground against my straining erection.

Fuck yes – friction good. My inner cave man was taking over and I would have to control myself before I was dragging her off to my bed. Her grip tightened in my hair and I growled at the sharp pain.

She stiffened, backing away. "Oh sorry…"

"No!" I growled again, pulling her back to my mouth and kissing along her jaw until she relaxed. "It's okay, I like it." I heard myself gasp into her ear, making her squeak in response.

I kept kissing and nipping at her skin; we were both moaning and making needy sounds as we dry-humped the other. The sensations we created were absolutely incredible, but it was all about to come to an abrupt end if we didn't stop right now.

I gently pushed her hips back, trying to lessen the building pressure and catch my breath. I immediately missed the feeling of having her against me and quickly changed my mind about taking her to my bedroom, it would take too long. Instead I slid us to the side, cradling her in my arms until we were lying beside each other on the floor. Her body was slightly under mine, and in this position I was still able to grind my cock into her hip, which was really, really good because he was a needy bastard and it was helping to keep him under control while I waited to see how far this was going to go.

APOV

Oh God, what is taking him so long?!

I knew why he backed us off when I was on his lap, we were practically fucking each other through our clothes, but now I felt like I was gonna die if he didn't just touch me already.

I couldn't stop the sounds I was making either. I was mortified by the moans and whimpers coming from my mouth but I couldn't help it, his tentative touches were driving me crazy.

"Jasper, please…" I begged, pushing my hips up and grazing myself against his thigh. It wasn't enough.

"Tell me what you want Darlin'."

Oh Lord, that accent!

I thought what I wanted was pretty clear… Him. Naked. Now. Seriously, one wouldn't have to look too far into the future to see where this was heading. Hopefully. I growled as I pushed him, rolling us over so I was on top of him and he flashed me a lazy, crooked smile. I was pretty sure he knew he'd be getting just about anything he wanted with just that look alone.

"You are a little minx aren't you?" He asked me playfully. I bit my lip; he was sexy when he teased me.

"You better believe it, Tex," I winked, giving him my best 'come and get me' look.

"Here I thought you were this sweet young thing, all shy and demure."

I snorted, remembering where my eyes lingered every time I saw him on the bus. If he only knew.

"Uh-uh, wrong girl."

"Good!" In one swift move, I was under him again and he was looming over me like a predator.

His mouth was everywhere, but his hands were faster and my clothes were quickly peeled away. The heat of his tongue on my neck took me by surprise and I gasped, throwing back my head as his fingers found the wetness pooling between my legs.

"Yes... fuck yes..." I fervently wished I could just make myself shut up.

"You like that? God Alice, I want you so fucking much."

"Me too… Oh… Jasper!" I cried out as he wiggled his finger. I frantically began pushing his jeans down and his shirt off all at the same time. His soft laugh made me stop, "You better start helping me or I'm going home." I warned playfully.

"That's what you think," he pulled back, taking off his shirt. "Now that I have you, I'm never letting you go… you're all mine."

Our hands met on his zipper. He quickly undid his pants while I pushed them off along with his boxers. He hissed through his teeth as I dragged my hands back up his body, letting my fingers skim lightly over him. I bit my lip while I looked down, he looked really good. I'd known all along his pants were hiding something wonderful and I wasn't at all disappointed. I wrapped my hand around him, squeezing experimentally and stroking once or twice to sort of test the waters.

"Ali…" he said tensely.

"Jazzy…" I answered playfully. His eyes closed and he trembled. Oh... that looks hot. "Do you like that?"

"Hell yes!" he said through clenched teeth.

I stroked him again and he pressed his hips forward, pushing his firm cock into my hand. I had never shared anything like this with anyone before and I loved watching the look on his face as I worked him up.

My eyes closed when I felt his fingers sliding over my clit, I was sensitive and oh-so-ready for his touch that my legs parted without any conscious effort. My body knew what it wanted and rejoiced when he slipped his fingers into me. But ohmygod… when his thumb began circling, rubbing my clit as well, everything exploded in overwhelming sensation and color. Rainbows flashed before my eyes and a tingly heat spread from my toes to my head, setting my body pulsing. I had never, ever felt this good before.

It took a few moments before I could finally blink my eyes open and I sighed contentedly. "Now that looked good." He said with a proud smirk, kissing the tip of my nose. I nodded, not yet able to form words.

My hand was still holding his erection. I tightened my grip, swirling my thumb over the head much like he had done to my clit. Jasper groaned, thrusting forward so I was pumping him slowly, the droplet of cum lubricating our movements just a little. I was absolutely mesmerized by him.

"It looks like this feels good too." My voice was hoarse.

He took a deep breath, nodding repeatedly as I continued gliding my hand up and down his length. I paused, bringing my hand to my mouth and his eyes followed my every move. His soft whimper turned to a deep moan when my wet hand once again moved fluidly over him and he began fucking my hand with slow, steady thrusts.

Our foreheads touched as we both looked down.

"Alice…"

The way he said my name literally made me breathless and I tightened my fist slightly around him.

His hips sped, "God Alice, I'm gonna cum…" his hand covered mine, either guiding me or making certain I wouldn't stop, but as we pumped together I felt him harden even further just before he exploded and warm streams of cum shot between my fingers onto his chest and mine.

His expression was beautiful in his moment of bliss and I no longer worried about how I sounded or looked while we gave each other pleasure, every single peep was now a complete and utter turn on. When he stilled I gently let him go, resting my hand palm up on my hip until he used his t-shirt to clean us up. When he finished he lowered his lips to mine, his kiss was soft, lingering, and reverent.

"That was…" he sighed.

"Yeah, it was." I agreed.

He kissed my nose and then my forehead before he got up to cover me with the blanket from the back of the couch. I propped myself on my elbow, taking the wine glass he offered me and giggling as I watched him walk naked to the kitchen and return with a beer for himself. I held it while he snuggled in beside me, under the blanket.

"The power's back on," he smiled, clinking his bottle against my glass before taking a drink. I sipped my wine and licked my lips, laughing when I heard his little growl.

Strangely I didn't feel uncomfortable sitting here naked; under a blanket with a guy I'd only just met and all but had sex with.

"I know this is gonna sound odd, but I feel like I've been waiting all my life for you Jasper."

"Sorry to keep you waiting," he whispered back gently.

I thought he may be teasing me, but he looked and sounded truly sincere. I wasn't sure what else to say. I wanted him again, more of him this time and wasn't sure how to suggest it.

"Here," he reached over to pick up one of the candles from the table and brought it between us. "Make a wish."

I looked at him, puzzled.

"It's just after midnight, so now it's really your birthday. Make a wish."

I didn't close my eyes. I watched the flame flickering and dancing in his eyes as I tried sending him my feelings, hoping he could figure out exactly what I was wishing for as I blew out the candle.

In the darkness that fell between us when the flame extinguished, I could still see his eyes flash to my lips.

He placed the candle holder back on the table beside his beer and he took my glass from my hand.

"I think I can make that wish come true." He picked me up and carried me off to his bedroom.

My birthday was suddenly my favorite day all over again.

A/N: Thanks as always to Robs for her beta skills… love you hard bb.

Special Very Sexy Birthday wishes to our very own birthday girl, K (calin-durus). I'm sending Jasper your way, have fun unwrapping him. Psssst... Guess where I put the bow. Yay!