Falling Together (All That Remains #2)

by S. M. Shade

  “Nice to meet you. Sorry if they scared you.” I gesture to the guys. “They’re harmless, I promise.”

  “We were just surprised. It’s been months since we’ve met anyone else,” Emma says and smiles at Walker, who suddenly becomes shy and clings to Joseph’s hand.

  “Say hello,” Joseph encourages. After Walker mumbles a greeting in the direction of his feet, Emma squats and smiles at him.

  “Hi, I’m Emma. It’s nice to meet you, Walker. Would you like a piece of gum?” she offers, and holds out a pack of grape flavored bubble gum. Still cautious, Walker glances at Joseph for permission before accepting the pack.

  “Thank you,” he replies with a shy smile, and pops the gum in his mouth.

  “He’s adorable,” she exclaims, rising and regarding Joseph. “He looks just like you.”

  “Thank you.” Joseph grins, embarrassed. We spend a few minutes finishing the introductions and getting to know one another.

  I have to stifle a laugh at the blatant way Eric ogles Emma as she speaks, but I can’t blame him. She’s a beauty. Deep blue eyes gaze from beneath long feathery lashes, regarding Joseph with particular interest. Plump, pouty lips stretch into a coy grin as she flips her dirty blond hair over her shoulder, allowing it to fall in waves down her back. Add to that a figure that would make a Barbie Doll envious, and it’s not hard to understand why Eric is tripping over his tongue. She’s far from shy, and within a few minutes we learn she’s thirty years old, grew up in L.A., was a second grade teacher before the plague, and never had kids, but wants them.

  Lexi is tall and slender, with long dark brown hair that frames her heart shaped face, hazel eyes, and an easy smile. Her demeanor is more reserved, bordering on shy, but there’s a mischievous air about her that makes me think she isn’t an innocent as she seems. After agreeing to have dinner with us, they accompany us back to Julie’s house, where she offers them her guest room for the night and they happily accept.

  Airen and I volunteer to make an early dinner for the kids. Carson and Jayla agree to babysit for Lane and Walker at our house while we spend the evening at Julie’s.

  “They seem okay, don’t they?” I ask Airen, quickly throwing together a pasta dish for the kids while he bathes Lane in the sink.

  “So far, but we don’t know anything about them.”

  “I realize that, but I want you to give them the benefit of the doubt.”

  He gives me an exasperated smile. “Yes, dear.”

  “Emma is really pretty. I thought Eric’s eyes were going to fall out of his head,” I say with a giggle. “I don’t think he blinked the entire time he was ogling her.”

  Lane chews on the towel while Airen struggles to dry his wiggly body. “She only had eyes for Joseph. Didn’t you notice?” He smiles and shakes his head.

  “Not really. Besides, Joseph’s with Troy.” Yeah, I noticed, and I didn’t care for it one bit. I tell myself it’s because I like Troy and I don’t want anyone to screw up their relationship. I don’t want to admit I had a moment of pure irrational possessive jealousy, and it wasn’t over Airen.

  “Mmm,” he replies noncommittally. Slipping Lane into his sleeper, he kisses his cheeks until he giggles. “Do you want to breastfeed or should I give him a bottle?”

  “Feed him the cereal and pears first, then I’ll breastfeed. He’ll sleep better.”

  “Up you go, booby thief. Let’s get that belly full.” Lane grins and blows a raspberry while he straps him into the high chair. Airen chuckles, amused at his antics until he repeats his trick with a mouthful of food, ejecting an amazingly accurate spray of pureed peaches. Airen stares at me with yellow goo dripping from his hair and splattered on his face and shirt, while I do my best not to laugh. It would only encourage Lane to do it again.

  “What do you expect from your little clone?”

  He snorts. “As if I haven’t seen that mischievous grin on your face a hundred times.” When Lane begins sniffing, trying to imitate Airen’s snort, we both crack up.

  “Yeah.” I giggle. “He’s nothing like you.” Lane chortles, thrilled with his success.

  “I’m going to trade you in for a new one,” Airen teases, tucking the bib back around his little belly.

  Julie’s impromptu dinner party is a success. Lexi and Emma are friendly and talkative. They’re amazed to discover we have electricity, and Joseph assures them he can outfit another house with solar power if they want to stay. Emma gazes at Joseph as if the sun may shine out of his ass. Joseph seems oblivious, but Troy and Airen glance at each other with amusement.

  “What did you do before the plague?” I ask Lexi, when a lull in the conversation stretches into an uncomfortable silence.

  “I was a waitress,” she replies, like she’s confessing to a crime.

  “I tried that in college, and I was terrible. I couldn’t keep the orders straight, and the customers were so rude,” I exclaim.

  “Probably because you kept bringing them the wrong food,” Joseph says, laughing.

  “Shut up. I only worked there a few days. I got fired when some jerk smacked my ass.”

  “He smacked you, but you were fired?” Lexi asks.

  “I may have kneed him in the nuts and suggested he perform a lewd act upon himself.”

  Laughter fills the room, and Airen shakes his head, grinning at me. “Why aren’t I surprised?”

  “Because you see through to my inner bitch,” I reply with a smile.

  We all retire to the living room for after dinner drinks, and Airen turns to the two new women. “I don’t meant to interrogate you ladies, but would you mind if I ask you about your families?” he asks, flashing that charming half smile he knows women can’t resist.

  “We’re both the only survivors from our families,” Lexi volunteers.

  “Did you have any children before?”

  Lexi shakes her head. “No.”

  “Did your parents die of the sickness?” he persists.

  “No, my mother died when I was twelve and I’m not sure about my father. Last I heard, he was living in Las Vegas. I was raised by my aunt. She died in the plague.”

  “Are you an only child?”

  “Yes.”

  Airen turns to Emma. “How about you? Did you have children? Brothers or sisters?” he demands. He could be a little more sympathetic. Emma regards Airen with suspicion until Joseph intervenes.

  “He isn’t trying to be nosy or unkind,” he explains. “We’ve been trying to figure out the role heredity plays in being immune.”

  “I apologize if I sounded rude,” Airen says diplomatically.

  She smiles at Joseph and directs her answer to him. “It’s okay. I didn’t have any children. I was adopted at birth so I’m afraid I have no information about the whereabouts of my biological parents. My adoptive parents and sister died of the plague.”

  Airen nods, satisfied with their responses. We talk for another hour, trading survival stories, before Joseph and Troy excuse themselves.

  “We really should get back to the kids,” I announce. After Airen and I say our goodbyes and thank Julie for dinner, he pulls her aside.

  “Keep your radio close and call me if they cause you any problems,” he murmurs.

  Julie smiles, patting him on the shoulder. “I will. Don’t worry about me. They seem to be perfectly nice young ladies.”

  “They always do at first,” he mumbles before taking my hand and leading me out the door.

  Airen’s skepticism wanes after a few weeks. Lexi and Emma stay with Julie and she’s happy to have them. Emma is upbeat and bubbly, and Jayla enjoys spending time with her. Lexi is kind and quiet, but she can be witty and sarcastic when the mood strikes her. She and I have become fast friends. After being surrounded by these men for so long, it’s nice to have a girlfriend to talk to.

  Chapter Four

  Airen

  “Mmm…Airen.” Warm breath wafts across my ear, raising goose bumps along my arms. Soft lips press against my neck, trail
ing roughly over my skin. Teeth scrape over my jaw before biting my earlobe, hard. I gasp, inhaling a spicy scent. It’s familiar, but it slips away before I can recall what it is. Who it is.

  I want to touch. I have an overwhelming urge to caress and squeeze and taste, but I can’t. All I can do is float and feel and moan as a warm tongue moves leisurely across my chest. Thick lips tease my nipple before opening slightly to draw it in. So good. It’s so fucking good. A hand wraps around me and strokes firmly.

  “So hard for me.” Dark whispers emanate from every corner of my universe. “Always so hard for me.” Suddenly, I’m buried to the root in a hot wet mouth—oh fuck—and my hand moves to burrow under soft curly hair.

  “Look at me.” The rough hypnotic voice echoes through my brain, while smooth heated walls tighten around me mercilessly.

  “I can’t,” I moan. So much pressure, drawing and pressing; push and pull.

  “Look at me,” the voice demands. It reverberates throughout my consciousness, and I find that I can move my head. It takes an eternity for my eyes to travel down and settle on the blond head bringing me such pleasure between my legs. So familiar, though the face is obscured.

  “Please,” I groan. I’m uncertain what I’m pleading for. To stop. To move faster. To reveal a face. My last request is granted as two bright green eyes peek up at me. Dimples form alongside a mischievous smile.

  “You want me,” he declares, before dipping his head again and seizing me with his mouth.

  “Oh Fuck!” I cry out, halfway between worlds. Joseph’s face dissolves as my eyes spring open and attempt to adjust to the darkened bedroom.

  “Air? You okay?” Abby questions in a sleepy voice. I’m on top of the blankets, dripping with sweat, and I can feel the wet spot spreading on my crotch, the remains of my hard on wilting. What the hell was that? Christ, I haven’t had a wet dream since I was a teenager.

  “Airen?” she repeats, running her hand down my back.

  “I’m fine. I just have to pee.” I can’t escape her gaze fast enough. The dream was so vivid. It seemed so real. I can still see Joseph’s eyes staring at me while his lips part and…whew. Shaking my head does nothing to dislodge the persistent images. What’s wrong with me? My wife is in my bed just around the corner, and I’m getting off on a dream about a man blowing me.

  Abby’s scrutinizing eyes follow me when I emerge naked from the bathroom and climb back in bed. She snuggles against me, and I’m hopeful that she didn’t notice. After a few moments, she kisses my jaw and slides her hand between my legs to squeeze and caress.

  “Did you save some for me?” she murmurs. I can feel her smile against my neck.

  Shit. “You aren’t funny.”

  “It’s a little funny.” I’m never going to hear the end of this.

  “Abby,” I warn.

  “If you’re going to mess up our sheets, we should both reap the benefits. That’s all I’m saying,” she teases. Okay, I’ve had enough.

  “I’ve got your benefits,” I growl, pouncing on her and sucking on the spot below her ear that drives her wild.

  She moans, “It must have been a good dream.” I feel my face heat, though I know there’s no way she can know who I was dreaming about.

  “One more word from you, lady, and I’m going to bend you over this bed and fuck you until you scream.” Pinning her arms to her sides as my tongue explores her nipples, I wait for the inevitable while my words sink in. I know my stubborn girl will say something, and she doesn’t disappoint.

  In a quivering voice, she asks, “Who…who were you dreaming about?” She squeals when I stand, flip her onto her belly, and drag her legs over the edge of the bed. “Airen!”

  “I warned you, sweetheart.” Her panties hit the floor as my hand strikes her ass. She has such a great ass and I’m instantly hard again at the sight of it bent over in front of me.

  “Ow!” she cries with a giggle.

  “You know you like it.” I run my hand down the smooth skin of her back and plant a line of soft kisses down her spine, delighting in the way it makes her shiver. “Are you going to let this go?” I ask while I press into her slowly, eliciting a long drawn out moan. “Is that a yes?” I tease, moving faster.

  “Yes,” she cries. “Don’t stop.” My hands slide beneath her to caress her breasts while I pound into her. A faint whimper tells me she’s getting close. God, I love that sound. She cries out in surprise and pleasure when I plunge deeper, harder, my forehead dropping against her spine, completely lost in her. Her entire body stiffens as she climaxes, burying her face in the bed with an agonized moan that travels straight to my groin, making me come for a second time.

  Coconut scented hair drapes my pillow, lying across my cheek like a ribbon of silk as we spoon together. As I turn my head to feel it feather across my lips, my hands caress the soft curve of her hip and waist. I could spend the remainder of my life right here, wrapped around my girl, buried in the scent of her skin, breathing her sweet breath, her warm flesh pressed to mine. I can never get enough of her.

  “Love you,” she murmurs, already slipping back into sleep.

  “I love you, darlin’.” I do. I love her with every ounce of my being. My Abigail. Still, as I drift off…those sea green eyes.

  * * * *

  “Airen, I’m glad you’re here. You can help us talk Eric out of making a monumentally stupid mistake,” Troy says, as he opens the door and invites me inside with a grim expression. It appears I’ve walked in on a heated debate. Joseph, Troy, and Eric are assembled in the living room, and none of them look particularly happy. I’m tempted to retreat while I still have a chance.

  “Grab a drink and get your ass in here,” Joseph calls. Shit. Too late.

  “All right,” I relent, taking a seat next to Eric on the couch. “What did you do, Eric? Leave the toilet seat down? Use the wrong toothbrush? Get busted watching them shower?”

  “He plans to go to Indianapolis to search for his father,” Troy replies.

  “And you two don’t think it’s a good idea?” The identical looks of scorn I receive are all the answer I need.

  Joseph looks like he’d like to pop me in the mouth again when he replies, “Our little trips are always a disaster, and he plans to go alone, into a large city nearly three hundred miles away. Please, tell him he’s an idiot. Eric stares at me impassively. He has yet to say a word. I don’t know why they think he’d give two shits about my opinion in the first place.

  “Eric, you’re an idiot,” I agree.

  “Thank you,” Troy exclaims, vindicated.

  “It’s too risky to go alone. I’ll go with you.” This idea has been knocking around in my head for the past few days anyway. If Eric accompanies me, at least I’ll have someone who knows their way around the city.

  Eric’s demeanor shifts and he regards me with no little amusement. “Why would you want to do that?” he asks.

  “Abby has a brother there, and Carson has been wondering about his father. I’d like to go for them. It would be a hell of a lot easier to go with someone who knows the city. What do you say?”

  Leaning forward, he slaps the table in excitement, grinning ear to ear. “Fuck yeah, I say we leave tomorrow.”

  Troy shakes his head. “Thanks for the fucking help, Airen.”

  Joseph glances at him with a knowing smile. “Don’t worry. There’s no way in hell he’s getting this past Abby. She’ll handcuff him to a chair first.”

  I turn to face him and Troy. “First, stop fantasizing about me in handcuffs…both of you.” Eric laughs while they both try to suppress a grin. “Second, Abby doesn’t tell me what I can and can’t do.”

  Joseph snorts and props his feet on the table. “Whatever you say.” He slides his arm around Troy’s waist, a smirk on his face. “Honey, they aren’t going anywhere.”

  “Just give me a couple of days, and I’m in,” I assure Eric.

  Shit, Abby’s going to freak.

  * * * *

  “Ar
e you out of your goddamn mind?” Abby glares at me over the goat pen.

  “Didn’t you just tell me you’re concerned about your brother? Don’t you think Carson should know whether his father is dead or alive?”

  “Jon isn’t his father; he’s a sperm donor. And yes, I wonder about Brandon, but I certainly didn’t mean for you to run off and search for him.”

  “I know you didn’t, but I want to do this for you and Carson.”

  “And what if you do find Jon? You want to tell him the son he never claimed is alive? Maybe bring him back for a touching family reunion?” Her eyes blaze and she glares at me. “I told you Brandon is a junky. Do you really want him around your kids?”

  The chances of finding her brother or ex-boyfriend are slim to none, but somehow I don’t think that’s the best argument. “Abby, what I tell them or if I talk to them at all is up to you. I’d like to find Jon’s house and get a picture of him for Carson. I can find out how Brandon is doing and set your mind at ease, one way or another.”

  “Air,” she sighs in frustration. “I love you for what you’re trying to do for me, but it’s not worth the risk of losing you.”

  Stepping carefully around a pile of goat shit, I reach for her hand. “Eric knows his way around the city, darlin’. We’ll be in and out. Two, maybe three weeks at the most.”

  “Your mind’s made up. It doesn’t matter what I say. You’re leaving me alone to worry,” she mumbles.

  “Abby, you won’t be alone. Joseph and Troy will help with Lane. The harvest is over and you don’t need me to help care for the animals. This is the best time for me to go.” I try to hug her, but she jerks away, averting her eyes. She’s upset and fighting to hide it. I’ve never met another woman so ashamed to cry.

  “I’m not the least bit concerned about the work load and you know it. I’m not discussing this anymore.” Dropping the rest of the feed she was distributing, she nudges a goat out of her way, heading for the house. “You’re going to do what you want anyway.”