Mosaic Moon

by Jamie Craig

  "Well, you don't have to do that then," she said. "I just thought, you know, it would be hot." She smiled, trying to draw him back from the place she'd led him with her questions. "Plus, you can't blame a girl for being confused. You were very much not a bottom with me the other night."

  Jesse smiled, his confusion fading as he allowed himself to be distracted from his thoughts. "What can I say? You bring out a side of me that I didn't know existed. I always knew what I wanted from Gideon. But you...you're a delightful surprise, Emma." He looked away, his eyes focusing on her chest. "Would you ever...be interested in switching the roles in your fantasy?"

  The tilt of his head put his forehead just inches from her mouth, and Emma leaned forward to skim her lips over it, letting the tip of her tongue trail above his brows. "You mean, get a turn to be bossy and make you do whatever I want to get off?" She nipped at his temple. "I think I could do that."

  Jesse tilted his head back, and she moved her mouth down his cheek until she found his lips again. He nibbled playfully at her, catching her lower lip between his teeth and applying just enough pressure to make it sting before releasing her. "When will you be able to take some time off?"

  "Nothing but my usual Tuesdays and Saturdays until this installation is done. Why?"

  "Because as soon as we settle this business with John, I think the three of us need to go away somewhere. Gideon needs a vacation, and I need to dedicate several uninterrupted days to doing this," Jesse murmured, his hands moving over up her back, over her shoulders, down her breasts, along her ribs, like he wanted to touch every inch of her.

  Emma was trembling by the time his hands settled at her hips again. "I like that idea. I like that idea a lot. Just the three of us, nothing else." Her lips twitched, trying to hold back her teasing smile. "Maybe Montana."

  "We could do that. Or we could go somewhere fun."

  "Are you saying Gideon and I aren't fun enough for you?"

  "That's exactly what I'm saying," Jesse deadpanned.

  "We'll just have to make our fun, then." Emma curled a longer strand of his hair around her finger as she spoke. "Like the other night. Tie you up and make you watch us. Except this time, no touching."

  Emma's eyes widened at the sudden bright flash of excitement. Jesse smiled, almost sheepishly. "I suppose I don't need to tell you what I think of that idea."

  Even without having her walls down, the line of his erection against her pussy was far too evident. He was aroused--they were both aroused--and sitting there, talking about sex and not doing anything was going to push one of them too far. Emma didn't care what Bev thought about what she did in the privacy of her own office, but she did care about not losing her job, and Bev would be the first person to report her if she suspected anything untoward was going on. For all its liberal thinking, management at the Institute had a policy about keeping up appearances.

  "I'll remember that," she murmured before pressing one last kiss to his mouth. "You do realize our food is getting cold, right?"

  "I'm not that hungry," Jesse said, reaching for the sandwich he discarded earlier. "But," he added, holding it front of her mouth, "You should eat."

  The look in his eyes was a combination of guilelessness and desire, and though she knew it was playing with fire, Emma bent her head, opening her mouth wide enough to take a bite. Her teeth sank through the soft bread, the spicy meat, the tangy yogurt that made her taste buds water, and all the while, she never looked away from him. It was daring. It was foolhardy. And it felt sublime to be able to be both those things with Jess.

  There was another swift spike in the energy flowing between them, and the small room seemed to shrink further. He offered her a drink, holding the cup with his free hand while her lips closed around the straw. His eyes never left her mouth.

  "You have a little something..." Jesse murmured, leaning forward to run the tip of his tongue along her chin.

  Her mouth was dry, her ears were burning, and the way his lips grazed over her skin made her want to throw the food away and demand he stop teasing her. It was as much his desire as hers. If she made even the smallest move, she knew he would yield. He would bend, and he would give her what she wanted, and if she was lucky, he'd take as much back at the same time.

  The sudden knock at the door made both of them jump.

  "Ms. Coolidge?" Emma closed her eyes at the sound of Bev's strident voice. "Carol just called. She said somebody sent the wrong canvases and she needs you right away."

  "Tell her I'll be right there." She waited until she heard the footsteps fade away before opening her eyes again to look at Jesse. "I'm sorry," she said. "I have to go."

  Jesse sighed. "I understand. I don't like it, but I understand."

  With a hand on her hip, he helped her to her feet, and then used the desk to pull himself from the floor. Emma bent to gather the food, but he caught her elbow and pulled her against him. "Just one more kiss to tide me over until tomorrow night."

  The heat radiating from his body drew her just as strongly as the swell of emotion he couldn't hide. As she lifted her hand to the back of his neck, she wondered how it was that either of them had ever thought they could contain their feelings indefinitely. Jesse practically blazed, and she suspected she was pretty transparent as well. One thing was for certain; he would never be able to deny the force of her love for him. She would make him feel it for as long as he allowed her.

  It took will she didn't realize she possessed to break his hungry kiss this time. With a trembling hand, she pushed at his chest, physically putting space between them as her other fingers rubbed at her swollen mouth. "I am never going to be able to concentrate this afternoon," she said. "And it's a very good thing tomorrow is my day off."

  Jesse grabbed a napkin and wiped the smeared lipstick from his mouth. "I don't think I'll be doing much concentrating either." Another sharp knock on the door interrupted them and quickly gathered his untouched half of the food. "Do you want me to leave this here for you?"

  Emma nodded. "I'll just eat it later." She quickly smoothed down her blouse before doing the same with her hair. "I don't look too much like I was just ravished, do I?"

  Jesse handed her another napkin. "You look a little mussed, but otherwise, you look fine." He looked down at himself, running his hand over his thigh. "Do I look like I didn't just get ravished?"

  The line of his erection was clearly visible beneath his pants. She grinned. "You might want to wait a couple minutes before leaving," she teased, pulling the door open. "I'll see you tomorrow night."

  As she followed Bev down the hall, Emma glanced back over her shoulder. Tomorrow night was not going to come soon enough.

  Chapter 16

  * * *

  The steady tick of the cooling engine was the only thing that broke the silence of the garage. Jesse tapped the wheel with his fingers, sweat rolling down his neck in the stuffy truck. As soon as the air conditioner stopped blowing cold air, the summer heat invaded the cabin and clung to his skin, but he barely noticed it. His mind was on something else. Emma's simple question.

  Have you ever asked him?

  Of course, he hadn't. Why would he? And did he want to? Would he ever want to?

  He didn't know the answers to those questions. Every time he tried to imagine asking Gideon, something in his brain caught, leaving him unable to get past the first word of the sentence. And if he did ask, and somehow Gideon did agree, which Jesse thought was entirely unlikely, how would he explain this impulse? How would he do it?

  Face to face.

  That was easy. It was the only thing Jesse knew for sure. Gideon would have to be on his back, so Jesse could see his eyes. His stomach clenched. His mind didn't carry the picture further. He had a great imagination--an overactive imagination. His imagination had kept him company on many lonely nights, and it could usually call any person, any scenario, to his mind's eye with vivid clarity. But he couldn't get past the idea of Gideon on his back.

  Jesse shook his head and p
ushed the door open. He wasn't going to obsess over this. Maybe he would talk to Gideon about it later. It wasn't as though they had any taboo subjects between them, and it wasn't a crime to be curious.

  It wasn't like he was dying from the curiosity.

  Gideon would probably just confirm Jesse's suspicions, and then maybe they'd have to talk to Emma about roles, about where everybody and everything fit. But he didn't have to worry about it now. A quick glance in the bedroom once Jesse reached the apartment confirmed that Gideon was still asleep. Maybe by the time Gideon woke up, Jesse wouldn't be so agitated and they wouldn't have to talk about it at all.

  Jesse hurried upstairs to the office, so lost in his own thoughts that he almost walked directly into Ethan before he saw him standing there.

  "What are you doing here?" Jesse blurted, more surprised than annoyed.

  "Waiting." Ethan smiled. "The door said the office was open for business. You know, anybody could just come in here."

  "Anybody just did," Jesse muttered. "Do you have some business for us?"

  "I came here to talk about Emma."

  "You could knock me down with a feather," Jesse said, walking over to his desk. He settled in his chair and put his feet up. "I don't really have anything to say to you about Emma."

  "Then you can listen," Ethan said, sitting in the comfortable chair Jesse liked to reserve for troubled and frightened clients. The ones that always needed a little extra time to calm down and collect their thoughts. Ethan did not need the chair.

  "I don't really want to listen to you, either."

  "Look, this isn't fun for me. I don't get my jollies by visiting the man who's fucking the woman I love."

  "Watch your mouth," Jesse snapped. "And that's none of your business. And how did you know anyway?"

  "Did she even wait a day after we broke up? Or did she just hop into your bed?" Ethan asked bitterly.

  "Are you drunk?" Jesse asked, though he really meant to ask if the other man had completely lost his ever-loving mind. How could he think this visit was a good idea? What did he hope to accomplish?

  "No. Not any more. Sober and dry as a bone."

  "Not any more? When did you stop drinking?"

  "A few hours ago when I ran out of booze."

  Brilliant. Just brilliant. "If you don't get to some sort of point, I'm going to throw you out on your ass."

  Ethan leaned forward, the fevered light in his eye only growing brighter. His cheeks and nose were red, the stubble on his face at least three or four days old. His hair was dirty, uncombed. His clothes were wrinkled, and dirty as well. He looked like shit. Jesse could easily carry through with his threat and throw him out on his ass, but only because he didn't look like he had any fight in him.

  "The point is, Emma is an empath."

  "Did you ever hear the story of how we met? I know she's an empath," Jesse said, his vitriol fading.

  "I learned how to control my abilities from my grandmother. I practiced with my two younger cousins. Neither of my parents had this ability. None of my siblings. No aunts or uncles. Somehow, we inherited this from Grandma, and she always took responsibility for that."

  Jesse sighed and shifted his weight. He wasn't going anywhere for awhile. Maybe it was best to just pretend that Ethan really did need the special chair, and just give him the courtesy of listening to him.

  "She knew another empath about her age, and he had children with the abilities. And they knew people. We all formed a network. It's not easy. It's never easy. Even with the shields, it's never easy. Don't you understand?"

  "No," Jesse said softly.

  "My grandma is still alive. She doesn't speak any more. She's shut herself away from people, and we communicate through letters. Because she just got stronger with age. Being around people causes her pain, but we're still there for her, because we know we're looking at our future."

  "Ethan..."

  "You'll never understand."

  "Ethan," Jesse said patiently, "I know that you love her. I know that you're worried about her, that you want her to be happy. But you need to pull yourself together."

  "I'm fine."

  "You're not. She told me that you were leaving town, but she didn't want you to go. She still considers you a friend."

  "Were you happy being her friend?" Ethan asked dully.

  Jesse frowned thoughtfully. "You know, I was. Most of the time."

  "You don't even need her. God, you have somebody."

  "It's not the same," Jesse said.

  "I don't know what to do," Ethan said, burying his face in his hands.

  Oh, my God, what did I do to deserve this? He was not going to sit here and comfort Ethan. He wasn't. Even if he had liked Ethan, it was too weird for him. What was he supposed to say? I'm really sorry I'm in love with your girlfriend. She's fun in bed, isn't she?

  "Ethan?"

  He didn't look up.

  "Ethan, just sit right here, okay?" Jesse said, standing. "Don't move."

  He shut himself in Gideon's office and called Michelle. She picked up almost immediately.

  "What's up, Jesse?"

  "Ethan is sitting in my office right now, pretty drunk and very depressed."

  "That's interesting."

  "Come and pick him up."

  "He's not my problem."

  "Goddamnit, Michelle, he's not my fucking problem either," Jesse snapped. "You're his friend. Probably his only friend in the city right now. I'm not his friend, and I'm not going to get him through this. So get the fuck over here, okay?"

  The silence lasted for so long, Jesse thought she hung up on him. Which wouldn't surprise him, but it meant he'd have to spend a large chunk of an afternoon sweet-talking her and making her tea. He might even have to show up with a gift.

  But she surprised him by saying, "I'll be there in about ten minutes. Can you keep him until then?"

  "Yes. Thank you."

  Ethan was sitting exactly as Jesse left him when he returned. "Michelle is going to come and pick you up."

  "She doesn't know."

  Jesse's heart sank like a stone. Now he would have to explain why he snapped at her like a mad man. "You never told her?"

  "I haven't seen her. I've been busy."

  "Drinking?"

  "Yeah."

  Ethan seemed to fold into himself, then. He shrank in his seat, his eyes dulled, and he was unresponsive. Jesse didn't care. He rested his chin on his hand and watched Ethan stare into space. He hoped Ethan had his own walls up. Picking up Jesse's dislike and pity wouldn't help him, and Jesse didn't know how to block it. He wasn't interested in making things worse than they otherwise were.

  It didn't take Michelle ten minutes to arrive. It took eight.

  "What the hell is going on here?" she demanded, her voice alarmingly loud.

  Ethan jumped like somebody stuck him with a cattle prod, and Jesse waved his hands. "Please don't shout. Gideon doesn't need to be up here."

  "What the hell is going on here?" she repeated, without lowering her voice.

  "Emma broke up with Ethan...."

  "So she could fuck Jesse and that vampire."

  The look Michelle shot him made his balls crawl up in his body. "Really?"

  "I don't really want to explain it right now."

  "How could you do that to Ethan?" Michelle demanded, her eyes hard.

  "How could I do that to Ethan?" Jesse jumped to his feet. "I had nothing to do with any of this. I was asleep. I was asleep, and then I was tied to the bed, and I had nothing to do with any of this. So don't even start with me."

  "Tied to the bed?"

  "I don't want to talk about it right now, Michelle. Could you just get him somewhere and sober him up?"

  Her eyes went from Ethan to Jesse and back to Ethan. "Get up. I had to close the store."

  Ethan stood stiffly and Michelle put her arm around him. She looked over her shoulder to Jesse, and now he wanted to shrink into the floor. "You will explain all of this."

  Jesse could on
ly nod. He would explain it, but not in front of Ethan, and not at that moment. Michelle practically dragged her charge out of the building, like he was nothing more than a wayward child. Jesse sank back to his chair and rested his head on his desk.

  It occurred to him that somebody else he didn't want to see or talk to could come waltzing through the door--they were open for business, after all. Or Michelle could come back to read him the riot act. He stood and crossed the room to lock the door and pull the blinds, then his feet naturally carried him downstairs.

  Gideon was still stretched out on the bed. He hadn't moved an inch. Jesse hoped that meant all the commotion upstairs didn't bother him. He kicked off his shoes and climbed onto the bed.

  In spite of his best efforts, the mattress bowed under Jesse's weight, and Gideon shifted almost immediately to allow Jesse room. "What did Michelle want?" The question was posed without opening his eyes, his voice as low and steady as his body was unmoving. "You get the wrong book at that sale or something?"

  So much for Gideon missing out on the commotion. "No. I called her over. When I got back from visiting Emma, Ethan was waiting upstairs. I didn't know what to do with him."

  Gideon opened his eyes. "Ethan was here? What did he want?"

  "I don't know," Jesse answered honestly. "He's been drinking, and he's a mess. I didn't want to kick him out on his own, and I didn't want to babysit him. So I called Michelle."

  Seconds passed. The only reaction from Gideon was the slow blink of his eyes. Twice.

  "Emma doesn't love him, you know," he finally said. "He's not your responsibility."

  "Emma still cares about him as a friend. But it doesn't matter. I've been dumped before. I can afford to have a little empathy for him and make sure he doesn't get himself really hurt."