Harvest Moon (14 page)

Bruises had already startled to blossom on his skin,
but Jase didn’t flinch as Dawn let her kisses move over each light purple
blemish that traced across his strong chest. In the light, she could see scars
peppering his flesh as well, and she let her fingers trail over them one by one
as she worked her way down until she reached his belt.

Even through his jeans, she could see the beginnings
of his erection. Dawn was a woman incensed, and she moved to unbuckle his belt,
removing it with a hard tug.

“Dawn, you don’t have to,” Jase began, but she stopped
him.

“I want to,” she whispered as she undid his jeans.
With his strong arms, Jase pushed his hips off the couch as Dawn tugged at his
pants and freed his waiting cock. It was already pulsing and hard, and it only
served to drive Dawn’s desires harder and deeper as she kissed and nipped at
the tender flesh at the base of his stomach.

“Oh, God,” Jase groaned as Dawn teased him. She let
her fingers trail ever so close to the base of his shaft, but never close
enough to touch him there. It was a delicate, deliberate dance, and Dawn wanted
to drive him into a frenzy before she gave him the one thing he wanted most.

She listened as his breathing turned harder and faint
demands of aching need left his lips, but still she tormented and teased him.
The anticipation made everything better, not just for him, but for her as well.
Watching him writhe under her touch ignited a fight deep between her legs, and
it wasn’t until he begged her that she was going to give him what he needed.

“Please,” he moaned. “I can’t take it.”

With a devilish smile, Dawn caught his eyes and saw
everything she wanted from him there. His look was pleading with her and said
everything that his words couldn’t. It was only then that she let the tip of
her tongue trail across the head of his cock, and she shivered with pleasure as
he moaned deeply from her touch.

“Yes,” he groaned as her lips worked their way down
his shaft. “Oh, Dawn, yes.” Precum began to spill from his tip. It was salty on
Dawn’s tongue, but she paid it no mind. Controlling Jase’s pleasure was all she
wanted at that moment, to make him ache for her and need her while she slowly
and passionately gave him what he needed.

His breathing had turned shallow and his cock began to
pulsate on her tongue. Dawn knew what was coming, but she wasn’t finished yet.
Though she enjoyed pleasuring him with her mouth, she pulled herself away from
him and met his eyes.

“Oh my God,” Jase breathed as she released him. “Holy
shit.”

“We aren’t done,” she purred at him. Like a cat, she
prowled her way over his chest and her lips found his again while her fingers
moved to her own t-shirt and began to tug it upwards. Her own need was starting
to swell, and she knew it wouldn’t be long before she gave in to her own carnal
impulses, but until then, she was going to have her fun.

Jase’s hands went to explore her body, but she caught
them and pressed them down on the couch. “Not yet,” she cooed as she released
him and sat up. As if she was performing for him, she pulled her shirt over her
head. She’d taken her bra off when she’d gotten home from the bar, and she
bared her breasts to Jase as she threw off her shirt.

Again, he tried to lean forward, to put his lips all
over her body, but she stopped him. This time, she was in charge, and she
leaned back and began to unbutton her own pants while he had no choice but to
sit and watch.

“I want you,” he growled. Though she hadn’t said it
with words, he quickly understood just what she was up to, and despite his own
need, he sat back and watched while she pushed down her pants and then her
panties, finally baring herself to him.

“I’ve thought about this for days,” she murmured as
she moved back on top of him. Her long, lean legs straddled his hips, and she
teased his cock with the lips of her sex, but she wasn’t ready to give in yet.
She wanted to toy with him, tease him, and make him wait for her like she’d
waited for him.

“Me too,” he groaned. “God, all I’ve wanted is to be
inside you again.”

His admission sparked a fire inside her, and no amount
of teasing could stop her. Expertly, she lowered herself on top of Jase and let
his cock fill her. He fit her so perfectly, so snugly, and her body hummed with
pleasure as she took him all the way into her body.

There were no words then, only moans as she grabbed
his wrists and held them over his head while her hips started to buck on top of
him. Though she knew he could easily overpower her if he wished, he did no such
thing and let her dominate him while she rode his cock.

Pleasure rose up inside Dawn’s body, and she knew what
was coming. His body so perfectly aligned with her own that the pressure of her
pelvis on his was enough to bring her close to the edge, but she knew she would
need help if she wanted to find her release.

“Make me cum,” she moaned as she released one of
Jase’s hands. “Oh, God, make me cum.”

Totally attuned to her game, Jase was happy to bring
his hand between her legs, and his fingers easily found the bud of her pleasure
that was hidden there. Gently he stroked it, but as her hips began to buck
wildly, his touch grew hungrier and needier until she was right near the edge.

“More,” she moaned. “Oh, God, more!”

If he had planned to tease her, he failed miserably as
his touch brought her over the edge. Her orgasm exploded white hot from within
her belly and flowed through her like lava, warming her entire body while she
struggled to continue riding him. Despite her efforts, she faltered as her
orgasm filled her, but Jase was there to catch her. He leaned up on the couch
and held her tightly against his strong chest until her orgasm subsided,
leaving her breathless and shivering.

“Oh my God,” she moaned, but they weren’t done yet.
Jase was still hungry for his own release, but he was gentle with her
post-orgasmic body as he took control.

With Dawn on his lap and his strong hands on her hips,
he began to rock her body on top of his own. Slow, deliberate, and yet full of
passion, his lips found hers again and kissed her as he claimed her.

It wasn’t long before Dawn could feel his breath
speeding up against the bare skin of her neck. He was close, but she was so
spent there was little she could do to aid him. She only let him take her as he
needed, and she moaned deeply as she felt him spill himself inside her.

“Wow,” he breathed as he smoothed her sweat-soaked
hair off her face. “You are incredible.”

“I know,” she said with a coy smile. “Although this
time, maybe don’t leave in the middle of the night.”

“I won’t,” he assured her as his arms tightened around
her. It was a comforting sentiment, but she didn’t know if he would be able to
keep that promise. She could only wait and see what the morning brought.

Fear and anxiety crept over Dawn’s skin like a
well-worn jacket as she let her eyes flutter open. She’d let Jase stay the
night again, and now she felt that all-too-familiar regret.

He probably left in the middle of the night
,
her mind sneered as she stared at the exposed wood beams of her ceiling.
Although
maybe this time, he at least thought to leave a note.

The bed creaked beside her, and it startled her so
much that she almost shrieked. Luckily, she kept her reaction internal, and
when she glanced to her right, she saw she’d been wrong. Jase hadn’t left. He
was still right beside her, the comforter of her bed resting haphazardly around
his muscular stomach.

“Morning,” he said, smiling at her. It wasn’t a warm
smile, or a comforting smile, but an uneasy one at best. Maybe he regretted
staying, but at least he’d stayed, and she was thankful for that.

“Morning,” Dawn said as she forced a smile of her own.
She tried to meet his eyes, but her gaze was locked on the exposed muscles of
his chest as he stretched. The room was still dark from the curtains hanging in
front of the window, but she could make out was enough to tempt her to ask for
another go.

“How’d you sleep?” he asked.

“Good,” she said. “Actually, really good.”

Dawn had never been a sound sleeper. Years of waiting
for the wrong sort of man to come to her bedroom each night had left her unable
to achieve a deep sleep, and two more years on the run had only compounded
that. Somehow, Jase erased all that. With him nearby, she found herself
sleeping like she had as a child.

“Good,” he said as he rolled over and kissed her bare
shoulder. “Thanks for letting me stay.”

“Thank you for staying,” she said as she blinked the
last of the sleep out of her eyes. “How about I make some breakfast?”

“Now you’re speaking my language,” Jase said as he ran
his fingertips down her arm. “And coffee?”

“Of course,” she said as she pushed the covers off
herself. Like Jase, she’d slept in the nude, something she’d never done before.
She wanted to feel him against her body while she slept, and pajamas just
seemed an inconvenience.

Without the warmth of Jase and the covers, Dawn
realized the cold was more invasive than she’d noticed when she first woke.
Though it might not have been sexy or alluring, she grabbed a pair of fleece pajama
pants, the ones with the penguins on them, and an old hoodie, pulling it over
her head to keep herself warm while she left the room.

The breakfast offerings at her house were lacking, at
best, but she had enough bits and pieces to come up with food for two people. A
couple eggs, the remainders of some bacon she’d brought home from the bar, and
the last of a stale loaf of bread were easy enough to turn into a palatable
meal, and she got to work frying the meat before she cracked the eggs.

While the food began to sizzle on the stove, Dawn
clicked on the coffee maker and added some fresh grounds to the pot. The
offerings in Goosemont for coffee were nothing compared to what they’d been in
New York, but Dawn would take the bitter flatness of store-bought beans over
returning to that city any day.

“Mmm,” Jase’s voice broke through her concentration as
he stepped out of her bedroom. “Smells delicious.”

He’d only put on his jeans, leaving his chest bare.
Dawn could see the light purple of the bruises she’d seen the night before had
bloomed into deep blue blotches that covered his chest and arms.

“Oh my God,” she said as she looked him over. “Are you
okay?”

“Fine,” he said as he walked over to her and put an
arm around her waist. “Bruises heal. I’m just a little tender.”

“What about your eye?” she asked as she looked at her
mishmash of a stitch job.

“Also fine,” he said. “Although, I should probably
throw some more whiskey on it.”

“Enough with that,” she said as she shrugged off his
embrace. “I’ve got some rubbing alcohol in the bathroom, and some antibiotic
cream, too. Use those. They’re bound to be a little more sterile.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Jase said with a playful smile.

As much as she was trying to resist it, maybe even
trying to find something wrong with their domestic morning, Jase seemed
genuinely happy to be there, and she couldn’t help but realize she was too. He
was nothing she ever thought she wanted, but having him in her home just felt
so right.

As Jase moved to the bathroom, Dawn began to pour the
percolated coffee into two mismatched mugs. For a second, she debated grabbing
the bottle of Johnnie Walker out of the cupboard below the sink, but she
thought better of it.
It’s only ten in the morning
, a voice reminded
her, and then added,
and when did you start drinking so much, anyway?

That last thought was what stilled her hand, and
instead she grabbed a carton of milk that was nearing its expiry out of the
fridge. She didn’t know if Jase took milk in his coffee, but she poured it
anyway. Something told her he wasn’t picky when it came to caffeinated
beverages.

“Much better,” Jase said as he left her bathroom.
“It’ll make for a great addition to my already impression collection.”

She knew it was a joke, but she couldn’t help but
worry. She couldn’t deny that the bruises and faded scars added to his bad boy
sex appeal, but at the same time, it troubled her, especially when he seemed so
nonchalant about it.

The worst of his collection were three faded white
lines that stretched across the right side of his lower ribs. A new bruise had
brought them to life, and her eyes stayed fixed on the scars she’d only just
noticed.

“How did you get those three?” she asked as she handed
him his mug.

“These ones?” he asked as he raised his right arm and
twisted. “I was young and green, didn’t know what I was up against when I took
on a changeling.”

“A what?” Dawn asked. “Is that like a werewolf?”

“Nah, you wish,” Jase said as he flashed her a smile.
“They’re horrible little bastards. They kill kids and take their shape. They
look innocent until you catch one in a mirror, but then they’re all teeth and
claws. I guess I got a little too close to the claws.”

“Jesus,” Dawn gasped. “I’ve never even heard of that
before.”

“Most people haven’t,” Jase said, shrugging as he took
a sip of his coffee. “Most people only know the big ones: werewolves, vampires,
demons, you get the drill. Stuff like changelings fly under the radar because
really, they aren’t the sexy ones.”

As he said “sexy,” Jase raised his left hand and made
an air quotes sign with his fingers. The way he was so casual about such
horrible things put Dawn at a weird sense of unease, but she didn’t stop him.

“Really, most of what I end up seeing is ghosts,” he
said as he drank his coffee. “People call all sorts of mediums and phonies, but
we hear about it and take the case. Sometimes it turns out to be something a
little more sinister.”

“Ghosts are real, too?” Dawn asked as she divvied up
the breakfast she’d made on to two plates. “God, I don’t know if I can keep
believing all this.”

“You don’t have to,” Jase said as Dawn put the plates
on the table and he took a seat in front of one of them. “Most people don’t.
It’s easier that way. Better for us hunters, I mean. It keeps people out of our
way while we take care of business.”

“It’s just…” Dawn sighed. “It’s almost too believable,
I guess,” she said as she took her own seat. “You see this stuff in movies and
it sometimes seems plausible, but the realer it gets, it somehow seems easier
to deny.”

“Well, it can get a little weird,” Jase said as he dug
into his breakfast. “Now, what about you?”

“Sorry?” Dawn asked.

“Don’t be,” Jase said as he mushed a strip of bacon
into his eggs. “I tried to ask you last night, but then we got a little
distracted.” With that, he gave her a soft waggle of his eyebrows, and she
couldn’t help but laugh.

“There isn’t much to tell,” Dawn lied to him again.

“Cut the crap,” Jase said, his attitude shifting. “You
live in a barely-furnished house in the middle of nowhere. You dye your hair,
you wear colored contacts… Come on. What’s going on?”

“Why do you need to know?” Dawn shot back at him.

“Because maybe I can help,” Jase said, turning
serious. “I’ve already told you more about myself than I’ve probably told
anyone, and I think you could offer me the same courtesy. Honestly, I can’t
help but be concerned about what the hell is going on with you.”

“It’s nothing,” Dawn said. “Besides, you’ll just think
I’m some poor little rich girl like everyone else.”

“See, now we’re on to something,” Jase said as he
munched on some toast. “A rich girl, huh?”

“Fine,” Dawn relented a little. “I left home at
eighteen. I grew up pretty well off, but my stepdad really wasn’t good people.
Is that enough for you?”

“Depends,” Jase said. “How not good are we talking?”

“Really not good,” Dawn answered. “The kind of man who
has the wrong sorts of people tucked in his pockets. The kind of people who
would have no problem with making sure a girl who knew too much stayed gone, if
you know what I mean.”

“I think I can figure it out,” Jase said. “So you just
left?”

“I couldn’t take it anymore,” Dawn said. “He, uh… he
did stuff to me. Stuff I really don’t want to talk about.”

Sympathy flashed in Jase’s eyes as he reached for her
hand, but she stopped him cold.

“That’s why I don’t want to talk about it,” she told
him. “I don’t need sympathy, and I don’t need pity. Got that?”

“Fine,” Jase said as he brought his hand back to his
plate.

“Good,” she said before she continued. “So I left, but
stupidly, I took his credit card. I figured I’d need money, and I guess I
wanted to stick it to him a bit by stealing from him. So now I’ve got a warrant
in addition to everything else.

“I got rid of the card after about three months, and I
haven’t used anything but cash since then. I rolled into Goosemont about six
months ago. Jim was hiring, he paid cash, I pay my rent in cash, and this place
has about nothing going on. Well,
had
.”

“Jeez,” Jase sighed. “I assume then that Dawn isn’t
your real name?”

“It is now,” she said. “I like it. It feels more real
to me than the name my mother gave me. It’s who I am now, not who I use to be.”

“Well,” Jase said as he leaned back in his chair.
“Maybe there is something we can do about this.”

“Excuse me?” Dawn said. “I just told you, my stepfather
is not the kind of man you want to mess around with.”

“I’ve dealt with demons,” Jase said. “I think I could
take on some crooked rich bastard.”

“Don’t,” Dawn demanded. “Don’t you even think about
it.”

“I just want to help you,” he insisted.

“I don’t need your help,” Dawn insisted. “I was doing
just fine here in Goosemont until all this shit happened, and once you do
whatever you need to do, it can go back to being a boring-ass town that no one
has ever heard of before.”

“And what if it doesn’t?” Jase asked. “What are you
going to do then?”

Dawn shrugged. “Move on. Get back on the road.”

“That’s it?” Jase asked. “Just pick up and run?”

“So?” Dawn shot at him, her defenses raising again.
“What are you going to do after you kill whatever it is you’re chasing? Just
take off again, right?”

“That’s different,” Jase argued, but Dawn cut him off.

“Like hell it is.”

“Hey, calm down,” Jase said, his deep voice growing
louder.

“Don’t tell me to calm down,” Dawn snapped, her own
voice raising to meet his.

She didn’t know why she was picking a fight with him,
but she couldn’t stop herself. He was picking at a wound she wanted left alone
to fester, and now he had broken the scab. All her rage was coming out, and she
knew she was going to direct it at him and ruin what had been, up to that
point, a decent morning.

“I think you should go,” she whispered, stopping
herself before she could do something she’d really regret.

“Excuse me?” Jase asked.

“Just…” Dawn sighed. “I know I’m not thinking
rationally right now, and I know I’m just going to fight you. Before that
happens, I think it best if you just leave. I know you’re just trying to help.”
Her voice had begun to shake as she spoke. Angry tears were forming at the
corners of her eyes and her rage was barely contained by the last thread of
patience she had.

“Seriously?” Jase asked again.

“Please,” she whispered, fighting back her own demons.
“We can talk later once I’ve had a chance to think about things. I’m trying to
be rational, here. Please don’t fight me on it.”

“Fine,” Jase said as he threw his fork down. “If
that’s what you want, fine. Just don’t expect me to come running. All I wanted
to do was help.”

“I know,” Dawn whispered as Jase pushed himself up
from the table.

She didn’t watch him as he went to the bedroom to get
his stuff. Nor did she watch as he walked out the door. She just couldn’t. If
she did, she knew she’d stop him, and then she didn’t know what would happen.
She didn’t want to push him away by picking a fight with him, but somehow she’d
managed to do just that. There was no winning, but at least she hadn’t said
something she’d regret later.

Once Jase slammed the door, Dawn let herself give into
her emotions. With a strong sweep of her arm, she send her mug flying, and it
shattered against a cupboard door.

“Fuck!” she screamed loud enough that she was certain
Jase would be able to hear it from the other side of the door. Telling him to
go was the right choice at that moment, she was in no state to talk about the
things she’d kept silent for so long, but she still couldn’t help but question
if pushing him away was the right choice.