Under a Rogue Moon

Chapter 10

Chapter 10She must have dozed. The next thing she knew, Jason was rocking her slowly awake, his mouth at her ear.

“Your father’s up,” he murmured. “The lights are on in the kitchen.”

Flanna stiffened in his arms, her eyes flying open. Colin had a definite routine to his mornings; after he’d had his cup of tea, he would come straight out to the barn to organize his work for when he got home from the shop. If he did that, the first thing he was going to see was his daughter lying naked with their houseguest.

Scrambling away from Jason’s warm body, Flanna grabbed her nearby jeans while she looked around frantically for her shirt. “Get dressed,” she ordered when she saw him stretch out on his back. Her gaze lingered for a second on the long length of his hard c**k lying on his lower abdomen, remembering how it had felt both nestled in the crack of her bottom and sliding in and out of her p***y, and faltered as heat rushed to her hips.

He must have seen the momentary desire in her face. “I don’t have anything to hide,” he said with a smirk. “And besides, your father likes me. I don’t think he’ll have a problem if he finds out what happened between us.”

“He might have a problem that we did it in the workroom,” she shot back. Scooping up his clothes, she dropped them unceremoniously onto his bare chest, spying her shirt just a few feet away. “Show the man a little respect. He’s the reason you got to stay here in the first place, remember.”

That seemed to do the trick. By the time Flanna felt like she was presentable enough to go into the house, Jason had pulled his jeans on and run his fingers through his hair. She still thought he looked too self-satisfied not to give away what they’d done, but his appearance could also be attributed to just waking up. She would just have to trust her father’s blind spot when it came to her personal life.

She reached the back door as her father was stepping into the back garden. His brows shot up in surprise when he saw Flanna, then drew together in a frown when Jason ambled up behind her.

“Were there more troubles?” Colin asked, his eyes jumping between the two.

“Quiet as a church mouse,” Jason said before she could speak up. “I tried to convince Flanna that she didn’t need to stay up, but you know what it’s like trying to tell her not to do something.”

That seemed to satisfy Colin’s initial curiosity, and he jerked his head back toward the house. “Let’s talk.”

* * * *

In spite of Flanna’s arguments, Colin refused to budge on the subject of leaving. “We’re safest here,” he said. “If you want to protect us, you can’t do it if we’re scattered to the four winds.”

When she turned to Jason to back her up, though, he merely shrugged.

“Your father’s right,” he said. “You’re familiar with this area. That gives you the advantage. You don’t want to just throw that away.”

She couldn’t argue with any of it, and in the end, gave up on trying to convince her father to go away for a few weeks. There was a part of her that wondered if Colin wanted a piece of this fight as well, but she refrained from even hinting at the possibility in front of him. If he wished to be there when the time came, she wouldn’t stop him. She just hoped he realized that he wasn’t as young as he used to be and let her and Jason take care of the actual killing.

“That doesn’t mean we’re not going to be prepared, though,” Colin said. “After this morning, Flanna will take time off work to focus on finding Romm before the full moon. Our odds are better if you’re both searching for him, and her nan and I can cover at the shop just as we do when she’s off on her hunts.”

“Why not this morning?” she asked.

“Because I want you to come into town and find out what you can about Mrs. Lange,” he explained. “Talk to the police, the hospital, whatever you need to do to get details. Then, you’re to bring what you find out back here for Jason to help you sort after lunch.” He looked to the younger man. “I know you tend to sleep a spot longer, but we can’t afford that today, I’m afraid. There’s too much to be done. Hopefully, we’ll be able to prevent anybody else from getting hurt.”

That settled the matter for him. Flanna could only sit back and smile while he kissed the top of her head before heading out to the bakery.

“It won’t be that bad,” Jason said when it was just the two of them. Standing, he stifled a yawn while he stretched, his back arching like some kind of feral cat. “Your father has complete faith in you, or else he wouldn’t be leaving your nan in this sort of risk.” He grinned, coming around the table to pull her to her feet. “And just think of the added bonus. You get to spend all that time with me without parental interference. I think that’s worth the price of admission alone.”

In spite of her fears, Flanna relaxed in his arms, allowing herself the luxury of smiling at his teasing. “I’ll take as much time in town as I can,” she said. “That’ll give you more time to sleep.” She paused, gnawing her lip. “If you want…well, it’s ridiculous for you to sleep on the couch when there are three perfectly good beds. If you want…”

She stopped, feeling her cheeks flush bright red with embarrassment. She didn’t know why this was so hard to say out loud.

Jason wasn’t making it any easier. “Why, Ms. McRae,” he drawled, putting on his best innocent act. “Are you inviting me into your bed?” When she tried to pull away, he laughed and locked his hands behind her waist, keeping her firmly against him. “I definitely want,” he said, leaning in for a warm kiss. “Thank you for the offer.”

For the briefest of moments, she melted into the caress, clinging to him as his mouth worked over hers. When the sound of her nan’s door opening and closing drifted from the outer room, however, Jason was the one to pull away, stepping back with a smile that said he understood her need to keep the moment private. It made the kiss even better. It meant he knew just what her family meant to her.

It meant he honestly cared.

* * * *

The morning passed in a whirlwind. All of Birley was abuzz with what had happened to Mrs. Lange, and speculation abounded about the mysterious American who’d reported the attack. Flanna learned that in spite of the animal nature of the injuries, the police suspected the American was involved somehow in the violent crime, and were currently tracking down any new visitors to the area. Mrs. Lange was alive, but doing poorly, and her vague descriptions of her attacker didn’t help to exonerate Jason. Flanna made a mental note to remind him to steer clear of public places until the issue was better explained. Well, closed. There was no way the Birley police would be able to resolve a demon attacking the local café owner. Not without looking crazy.

She left town just before one, laden with a bag full of sandwiches that Helen insisted she take home to Jason. Her father had been unnaturally quiet most of the morning, but when she announced she was leaving, he followed her out to the car, holding the door open and then leaning into the window after it was shut.

“Did you and Jason get a chance to…talk last night?” he asked.

Flanna frowned, perplexed. This was an unexpected topic. Colin hadn’t uttered a word about his request from the previous night all day today. “Yes,” she said warily.

“Did you…come to an understanding?”

She had the sudden fear that this was more than wanting her to get along with Jason. “What did he say to you?

“Nothing you need to be fussed about for now, lassie. But he’s a good man. You can trust him.”

Then it dawned on her just what her he was doing, and some of the fear began to dissipate. “I know, Dad,” Flanna said, a half-smile softening her features.

With a nod, Colin pushed away from the car and turned to head back to the shop. She watched his retreating back, emotion swelling up inside her. Outside of her demonhunting, he would never overtly step in and tell her how to run her life. The few times she’d dated, he’d kept his silence, letting her make her own mistakes. But she knew he wanted the best for her. He wanted her to be happy. This was his way of telling her that he considered Jason someone who could fill that role.

The drive back to the house gave Flanna the time she needed to come to a decision. As long as they were discreet, there was no reason for her to hide her feelings for Jason from her family. Her nan loved him, and her father approved, so the only real hang-up had to come from her. And she didn’t want to be hung up. She wanted to take what he was offering and enjoy herself, like she’d never enjoyed herself before. She had no illusions that it would last beyond this trouble with Romm, but ultimately, she and Jason were in the same business. Their paths would likely cross again at some point. Those encounters could always be pleasant ones.

By the time she got home, Flanna’s mood had lifted from the sobriety of the morning. She unlocked the front door, the bag of rolls swinging from her hand, and then froze when she heard a muffled voice. It was obscured by the sound of water. Running water. Her lips twitched. Jason was singing in the shower.

Shutting the door quietly, Flanna set down the bag and crept toward the closed bathroom door. He was singing some American pop song that had been a hit a few years earlier, the lyrics something about the size or shape of the singer’s heart. A boy band, she thought with growing amusement. She wasn’t sure whether she should be charmed or repulsed by that.

Her hand hovered over the handle for only a moment. It wasn’t like she hadn’t already seen everything anyway, she reasoned as she turned it.

The tiny bathroom was filled with steam, thick and scented of the Marks and Spencer shower gel she’d bought for her father the previous Christmas. Through the white shower curtain around the tub, she could see the vague form of Jason’s nude body, his arms stretched over his head as he washed his hair. His singing was louder in here, but the second Flanna stepped inside, it stopped.

“Knew I’d get you to take me up on my shower offer one of these days,” he said, his tone mischievous.

Her eyes were wide as his head appeared around the edge of the curtain. His hair was plastered to his head, still shiny from the not-quite rinsed out shampoo, and he sported a grin too infectious not to respond to. “You heard me come in?” she asked.

“Never sneak up on a hunter,” Jason warned with a waggle of his finger.

“I wasn’t sneaking.”

“You didn’t knock.”

“It’s my house.”

“Technically, it’s your father’s. So are you joining me or not?”

The proposal automatically drew her gaze to his blurred outline, tracing over the slope of his shoulder down to the taut curve of his ass, just visible by his half-twisted stance. Memories of his defined muscles merged with fantasies of Jason standing beneath an open spray, water rolling down his body in lazy rivulets, clinging to dips and swells that begged her to catch them on her tongue. Flanna’s mouth went dry as all the heat centered between her thighs.

Jason chuckled. “I’m going to take that lovely little blush as a yes.” The curtain fell back into place, and he raised his voice slightly in order to be heard over the driving shower. “Now get your clothes off and get that luscious ass of yours in here. It’s going to be messy if I have to come out there and get you myself.”

Her fingers were fumbling with her clothes before he’d finished speaking, and Flanna flushed even deeper when she realized how eager she was to do as he said. It was freeing knowing she didn’t have to worry about anybody walking in, or that she didn’t have to deny the attraction to Jason any longer. She could just enjoy what he had to offer, knowing he wanted her just as much.

His head suddenly appeared around the edge of the curtain again. “You’re taking too long. The water’s going to be cold by the time you get in here.”

Kicking off her pants, Flanna grabbed an extra towel from the cupboard and set it within reaching distance of the tub. When she turned around to climb in, though, she found Jason’s eyes sweeping hungrily over her.

“We really should’ve done this last night,” he said. He held his hand out to assist her, then grabbed Flanna around the waist and dragged her against him as soon as she’d pulled the curtain shut behind her. “One of these days, you’re just going to have accept that I have good ideas and go with them instead of giving me grief and arguing.”

He cut her off with a smile and a kiss, devouring her mouth while he turned her around so that she was the one under the shower’s stream. The hot water pelted her skin, drawing goosebumps to the surface. Those could have been from the expert way Jason’s hands molded over her hips, though. It was hard to tell which sensations were caused by what.

Her body was singing when Jason finally stepped back. His arousal nudged her stomach and when she saw him start to turn to reach for the shower gel, Flanna decided to take matters into her own hands. Literally.

“I want to wash you,” she announced, curling her fingers around his c**k.

He froze, a groan escaping his lips. “You know there is no way I can say no to that, don’t you.”

“Yeah, I’m pretty much counting on that.” She pumped his c**k once and then twice before letting it go and picking up the gel. “Back first,” Flanna said, pouring some of the soap into her hands.

The look on his face was priceless. “What happened to washing me?” he complained, prodding her with his erection.

“I am. And I’m starting with your back. Now turn around.” Enjoying his slight disappointment, she watched him do as he was told, her breath catching in her throat when she finally caught sight of his back up close. Each muscle was carved from his flesh, glistening in damp glory. This perspective made his shoulders look broader, tapering down to his slim hips and the delectable curve of his ass, and Flanna’s mouth watered as she lifted trembling fingers to begin lathering him up.

Jason shuddered at the first touch, leaning forward to brace himself against the tiled wall. As she ran her palms over his back, the muscles twitched and flexed, visible testimony to how she affected him. Above the sound of the water, she heard his breath grow ragged, and when he spoke, his voice was gruff with desire.

“Remind me never to shower alone again,” he said.

Biting her lip, Flanna pressed against him and slipped her soapy hands around his waist to find his hard c**k. “You’re just going to have to make sure we both get dirty at the same time,” she replied, resting her chin on his shoulder.

He turned his head to capture her mouth in a quick kiss. “Now I know that’s something I can arrange.”

The soap eased the friction between them as Flanna’s breasts flattened against his back. As her hand slowly pumped up and down his c**k, she reached lower to start lathering his balls, rolling their heavy weight around her fingers and enjoying the rumblings that emanated from his chest.

When she began nibbling at his shoulder, traveling upward toward his nape, Jason bowed his head, shuddering as he gripped the wall more tightly. “Harder,” she heard him whisper. Whether he meant the biting or the stroking, Flanna had no idea, so she chose both, sinking her teeth into the sinew at the base of his neck while her nails raked across his ball sac.

The response was electric. Jason began thrusting into her hand, forcing her to speed up. It lasted only seconds, though, before he must have decided it wasn’t enough, twisting beneath the shower spray to grab Flanna and push her into his place. Before she realized what had happened, they had swapped positions and now it was his hands on the front of her thighs, his chest pinning her to the wall.

“What are you…?” she started to ask, but the question was choked in her throat when Jason lifted her right leg just enough to slide his throbbing c**k into her wet channel.

He began thrusting right away, hard and fast, not bothering with the niceties that had predicated their lovemaking the night before. One hand found her clit while the other came up to her breast, and when he pinched both simultaneously, Flanna cried out, the electric shock running through her veins like wildfire.

With her back to him, it was difficult to tell over the spray of the shower when and if he was speaking to her. Her head was spinning, her p***y tightening and constricting around his c**k as he slammed into her over and over again, and she could’ve sworn she heard him growling as he bent his mouth to her neck. The moment she started to thrash in the throes of the violent orgasm ripping through her pelvis, though, Jason pushed her head to the side and sank his teeth into her shoulder.

The biting succeeded both in forcing her still and making her body shudder uncontrollably from her orgasm. Her head was reeling when she became aware of his hands tightening, his c**k pistoning harder and faster into her soaking slit. When he came, he tore his teeth away from her, calling out her name in a guttural cry that echoed between the tiled walls. She had to lean against the wall in order to bear his weight when he finally slumped in exhaustion.

A minute passed where neither moved. The water continued to beat down on them, cooler now than she remembered it being when she’d first stepped beneath the spray. Flanna moved only because she didn’t want to get caught out without any hot water, straightening in tiny increments until Jason took the hint and eased his hold on her.

“Oddly enough, I don’t feel any cleaner,” she joked as she twisted around to look at him.

Something dark lingered in his eyes, and she followed their path to see him gazing at the mark he’d left on her shoulder. “I’m sorry,” Jason said. His voice was faint, and his fingers trembled as he lifted them to ghost over the bite. “The last thing I meant was to hurt you.”

“You didn’t.” She cupped his face and forced him to look away from it. “That was amazing.”

“I bit you.”

“Yeah. I seem to remember being the first one to do any biting, though.”

“But…”

“It doesn’t hurt,” Flanna assured him. Her voice was gentle, smoother than the rampaging aftereffects of her orgasm should have allowed. “You didn’t even break the skin. Don’t worry about it.”

She gasped when he bundled her against him, burying his face in her wet shoulder as he rained soft kisses over the bite mark. His tongue traced the oval shape, soothing whatever imaginary sting he thought it had. When he finally pulled away, the darkness was gone from his eyes, replaced with something warmer that was almost as frightening.

“You make me forget myself,” he said with a half-smile. “That hasn’t happened to me in a long time.”

She kissed him instead of answering. She had no idea how to give voice to the burgeoning feelings she had for this man, and the question of just what he felt for her were just as overwhelming. It was easier to simply slide into his embrace and enjoy the moments he had to offer her.

In the end, Flanna knew there would be too few of them.