Ride It

"Uh…pull it a little harder, Bella."

"Jasper…it's…"

"Tug it like that…yes…right there…"

"Um, I don't think it's gonna fit."

Sighing with exasperation, Jasper stood up from where he had been casually leaning against the fence. Without a word, he pushed my hands aside, lifted the buckle, yanked the girth upward hard, and then fastened it. He pressed two fingers underneath, still eying me, and then frowned.

"I'd have thought an expert like you would know something simple like checking a girth. If it had been any looser, you'd be on the ground in one New York minute."

My face flushed, but I didn't dare to respond. Jasper sighed harshly, his blue eyes filled with irritation, before he leaned back against the fence and pulled the brim of his cowboy hat over his brow.

"Mount up, and start at a walk," he called out mockingly as I dragged the stool towards the ever-patient Sam, gritting my teeth. "I don't think it's safe for you or the horse to go any faster."

It was no secret to anyone at Sunnydale Farms that Jasper Hale really had it out for me. I couldn't really understand why. From the moment I'd met him, I'd practically bent over backwards trying to impress him. If you'd see him, you wouldn't blame me. Jasper was a Greek god, carved out of pale marble with tufts of silky blonde hair and flashing blue eyes that contained the wrath of a thousand heroes.

Okay, so maybe I really had a crush on him.

It didn't help matters that he was a cowboy. In a school full of hormonal English-trained girls with black velvet helmets and tidy blue blazers, it was like an oasis in the desert to see a man with a six-gallon hat and a straw dangling from between his teeth.

Sigh.

Unfortunately, Jasper just wasn't that into me. Okay, so he hated me, which I didn't understand because I was doing everything right! I wore low-cut t-shirts and shorts, and pushed my ass out when I went into two-point, hoping to get his attention. Nothing worked.

So maybe I accidentally sprayed him with the hose instead of rinsing off Embry, and maybe I'd been the cause of that slight little accident with that stray horseshoe and the nails…

(Our resident farrier, Mike Newton, was a blatant lover of ass---male ass. So it might have been considered my fault that he got distracted when I invited Jasper over to bend over and check out the horse's foot.)

I'd tried to make it up to him, really I did, but as the list of incidents kept growing, it seemed that I just wasn't myself when I was around Jasper Hale. If anything, I was an even worse klutz than I already was in general.

And Jasper hated it.

So I tried my best to keep away from him.

But that was pretty hard, particularly when Esme pulled out of the stables for her maternity leave, and Carlisle decided that it would be "nice" if Jasper could help me out with my private lessons in her stead. I was too terrified of offending the man who was like my second father to refuse.

And so I got stuck with a guy who hated my guts, and a horse who didn't think much better of me.

"Walk, damnit," I muttered, kicking with my heel as Sam plodded around the ring. Jasper watched indolently, chewing on his straw. I knew he was probably getting more fodder for his "I Hate Bella Swan" campaign by the minute, and the idea was enough to make me sick.

Still, I wasn't willing to pull out the big guns---namely, the green crop dangling in my right hand. Esme always taught me that violence was a last-ditch effort, and I wasn't going to break her code of conduct. Knowing my history with Jasper, I'd just fuck it up.

Of course, Jasper had other ideas.

"Give him a whack on the hind quarters, Bella," he called out finally.

Shit.

"I think he's about to go," I hedged, giving Sam another wallop near his ribs. He didn't even flinch, but I did feel a slight bounce as he picked up the pace. Triumphantly, I turned to wave at Jasper…

…And then he stopped.

Apparently, Sam did have to go – to the bathroom.

I could feel my cheeks burning as I leaned forward, feeling the horse beneath me quake as he did his business. I didn't want to look and see Jasper's expression. Feeling his eyes boring holes into my face was enough.

When Sam finally decided he had soaked down the dirt in the ring, I was beyond human compassion. Screw Esme's code of conduct; I had to save face in front of my crush before it all went downhill. Without thinking, I raised the crop.

Thwack.

Sam was off like a racehorse after hearing a starting bell. As he lurched forward, though, I lost my balance. As a result, I found myself hanging sideways off the saddle as he tore across the ring. There was a blur, and then a yelp as Jasper jumped out of the way, before Sam rocked sideways, and I was flying out of the saddle.

I screamed, waiting for impact, and then fell on something hard and warm with a thump.

"Wha---"

I looked down, realizing that the hard, warm object was Jasper's chest. He had fallen sideways into Sam's little treasure pile, and my muddy boots were making streaks down his distressed jeans.

For a moment, all I wanted to do was break down and sob. This was it. Within a matter of seconds, I had completely ruined any chances of Jasper Hale ever respecting me, or my riding. He was going to tell Carlisle, and Carlisle would probably set me back into the Beginner class for life.

Tears pricking at the corners of my eyes, I finally dared to look down at Jasper. His eyes were closed, lines of tension tugging around his lids and tightly-pressed lips. If I wasn't mistaken, it was a look of a man who had given up all hope.

On me.

"Jasper?" I whispered.

He sighed. And then, through gritted teeth, he said, "Lesson over."

-

I didn't cry.

Okay, so maybe I cried a lot.

…Yeah, make that a lot.

As soon as I had finished my walk of shame down the stable aisle, putting Sam away---who, by the way, looked quite satisfied with himself as he started munching on his hay---and packing up my tack, I had taken a detour to the office bathroom and cried my eyes out.

Then I called Rose.

My elder sister had been, as usual, less than understanding at first. She actually laughed when I told her about poor Jasper and the pile of Sam's fresh manure. That made me start crying all over again. Then she comforted me with her usual consolation phrases ("You could have fucked it up more than you already did" and "There are more fine asses like Jasper Hale's in the ocean") before she told me she was going to take a detour to the local Stop and Shop before she came to pick me up for a carton of ice cream---vanilla, of course. A fancy flavor in my current mood would only make things worse.

Comforted by the idea of some quality sister time and some sugary goodness, I hung up, and then set to the task of trying to make myself look presentable. There wasn't much to work with. My face was all blotchy from crying, and my eyes were swollen shut. Some suspicious-looking streaks of brown coated my jeans. I wasn't going to even dare to try and get that out.

I finally settled with splashing my face, and walked back out into the office. The stables were almost empty. Through the door, I could see the abandoned ring I had just left. There was no sign of Jasper. The two smaller rings nearby weren't occupied either.

He probably was lying low so nothing else disastrous would happen.

The thought made a lump rise in my throat, and the tears pricked at the corners of my eyes again. Yes, I knew that Rose was right. There were other guys, guys who might be more attracted to a klutzy girl with mouse-brown hair and two left feet…but for now, the idea of Jasper avoiding me for the rest of our time in the stables was painful.

Swallowing hard, I reached for the doorknob.

"Bella."

My heart stopped and then started beating again, at double time and so loudly that I was sure even he could hear it. He was there, behind me, though I wasn't sure how or why. I hadn't heard the connecting door to the barn open.

Still, Jasper Hale was here, in the office with me.

I knew that nothing good was going to come of this.

"Jasper," I said, closing my eyes and trying to will away the tears that threatened to spill over my cheeks. There was no way I was going to turn around and face him. "I'm---I'm so sorry about what happened at the barn today. I know you're probably mad at me, and I…I want you to know that I'll try my best to---"

"Bella," he repeated, interrupting me. His voice was tired. He sounded almost---dare I say it? ---defeated.

I hung my head. Obviously, I'd messed up things worse than I thought.

Then, I felt his hand on my shoulder.

"Bella…I…look at me please."

Surprised by the abrupt request, I quickly obeyed him, looking up at him through my wet eyelashes. I was expecting irritation on his face, or anger, or worst of all, disappointment.

But, for yet another time, Jasper Hale surprised me.

He was staring at me. But that wasn't what unsettled me. It was the look in his eyes---a blatant, almost animalistic sort of hunger, like he wanted to eat me up.

Something stirred up in me, reacting to his expression. I felt myself getting wet, and under his gaze my nipples pebbled up against the thin fabric of my tee.

Yeah, because that's exactly what I need to fan the flames.

"Bella," Jasper almost moaned, and suddenly I found myself pressed up against the wall as Jasper Hale devoured my mouth. I was shocked, and more than a little turned on, and I was determined to make the most of this…what was it? A vision? The aftereffects of my fall?

Whatever it was, I was going to milk it for all it was worth.

With that thought in mind, I closed my eyes and moaned into his mouth, feeling his tongue probing mine. His hands grazed over my body, lingering on my breasts, before they settled on my hips, tugging me to him. I let him, barely thinking as he made his way up my shirt.

"Jasper," I mumbled as his finger scratched lightly over my nipple.

"Mm…" He growled, in a low, utterly sexy voice that made every hair on my body raise up on end, "you like that, baby?"

I could hardly think coherently anymore.

"Yes…Jasper…please," I whimpered.

With another little growl, his fingers fumbled with my zipper, and then he was touching me over my panties. I knew he could feel how soaked I was through the slip of cotton and lace, and he was obviously really pleased with it. I could feel him, growing hard against my thigh.

His fingers delved in, and at first I tried my best to be quiet---really, I did. But I was no match for Jasper's fingers. I had been fingered before by my ex-boyfriends, but usually as a short, barely felt foreplay before they got to the real "wham, bam, thank you ma'am." None of them had been really concerned with getting me off.

Jasper was a gift from God. He probed me, sucking my bottom lip and occasionally letting go to hiss in my ear, "Yes, that feels good, right? Don't hold anything back. Let me see all of you, my sweet, dirty girl."

I couldn't say anything back. I just kept up a chorus of moans, and grunts.

When I was close though, I knew I couldn't keep quiet. My eyes squeezed shut, and I let out a little keening sound as I squirmed against his touch. Damn, if I could just…

Jasper seemed to understand my dilemma.

"Yes," he growled. "Let go for me, Bella. Let me have it."

With a loud wail that could have woken the dead, I came, gushing over his fingers as he kissed me, biting lightly at the skin underneath my neck.

"So gorgeous," he panted, sounding like he was the one who had just got off. His erection strained painfully against his jeans. So far, the jeans were winning.

I leaned up, and tugged his hands back to my waist.

"Fuck me, Jasper," I begged. "Make me yours. I want to feel you in me. Please."

I had never begged for sex, but after that amazing orgasm, I knew this was no dream. Jasper was here with me, and he wanted me, and I wasn't going to let him go without tasting all of it.

Fortunately for both of us, though, it seemed like please was a magic word. There was a bit of scuffling, as we shared sloppy, open-mouthed kisses, and Jasper kicked off his jeans. I got a glimpse of his erection as he kicked his boxers carelessly to the side and reached for a condom. Suffice it to say, that I was absolutely ruined for any other man.

And then, I couldn't do any more comparison, because he was sliding in me. He didn't even give me any warning. I didn't care. It felt so damn good.

He slid in and out of me, as I pleaded and moaned and called his name. Nothing else mattered to me. I forgot decency, and the fact that we were in a public place. It was just me, and Jasper, and the way we felt together as we moved in perfect synchronization.

"Bella," he panted. "Ever since I saw you there…ugh…I wanted you…you're so damn beautiful…so tight…"

I could barely think, and he could actually string along a sentence.

My ego responded for me and I tightened my walls around him.

"Fuck!" He spat, and that seemed to do the trick for both of us.

I cried out his name, feeling him stiffen inside me. He grunted my name again, and then a string of curse words that sounded positively beautiful in that sweet Southern voice. I went limp in his arms, and he leaned up against me.

"So," I whispered against his neck, "you wanted me, huh?"

Jasper gave a lazy, exhausted –sounding chuckle. He still hadn't pulled out, but I didn't mind. It felt nice, having him there in me. We fit together exactly, like two pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.

"Damn, girl," he drawled, giving a little nip to my neck, "why would I agree to lessons with your sorry ass if I didn't want you? Believe me, I don't think there's a guy on this earth that could tolerate all those accidents without some sort of payback."

I raised my head, scandalized, only to realize that he was chuckling. I smacked his shoulder half-heartedly, and then leaned back against him. There was a peaceful silence for a moment, broken only by the distant nickers of the horses and the ticking of the clock.

It was only after Jasper abruptly hooked my legs around his waist, ignoring my squeal as he tottered towards the glass counter, that I realized he was hard again.

"What on Earth?" I exclaimed breathlessly, and then I moaned as his hand brushed against my clit.

He pulled back to look at me, those blue eyes glinting as he studied me.

"You know," he said in that deep sexy growl that vibrated down to my toes, "we still have some time before the evening classes roll in."

I caught on to his train of thought.

"Ah," I purred, reaching up to lock my arms around his neck, "time enough for another private lesson?"

He chuckled, lining me up on the edge of the counter and then pulling back to study me, with a satisfied, adorable, shit-eating grin on his face.

"Believe me, baby," he crooned. "I always have time to give you a lesson."

And then he slammed back into me, and I was a goner.

Well, damn. Who could argue with that?