by S. M. Shade
“Abby and I are just friends, and I have no intention of cheating on Troy.”
“Bullshit. I’ve seen how you act with her,” she replies, her features hardening. “If you aren’t interested in me, fine, but I hope you know as soon as Airen returns she’ll go back to him. I won’t wait around forever,” she snaps. Tossing her head like an angry horse, she stalks out the door in a cloud of blond hair and arrogance.
What the hell just happened? Shit, she’s going to fuck up my relationship with Troy. I have to tell him I kissed her. And what is her problem with Abby all of a sudden? The last thing I need is for her to make Troy suspicious of Abby and our friendship. Abby is the only one who knows how I feel about Airen and we need one another now more than ever.
During dinner, Emma acts as if nothing out of the ordinary took place. If only I had her poker face. Troy places his hand on my knee and murmurs, “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” He doesn’t look convinced. I’m a terrible liar.
“Why don’t you let Walker stay with us tonight, Joseph?” Abby suggests.
“Can I?” Walker bounces in his seat.
“Are you sure?” Troy asks.
“Yes, I need a partner to play Battleship.” She grins at Walker. “You and Troy never get a night alone.”
“Quick before she changes her mind.” Troy pretends to run from the table, and everyone laughs as I pull him back into his seat.
“I believe that’s a yes, Abby.” She laughs. It’s so good to see her looking bright-eyed again. Before they leave, I caution Walker not to mention Airen. “Abby really misses him, so let’s not make her think about it tonight, okay?”
“Okay, Dad. See you tomorrow.” He bounds out the door hand in hand with Carson.
It’s late when Troy and I return home, and I flop heavily onto the couch while Troy kindles a fire in our fireplace. “I have to tell you something,” I confess, my voice wavering.
“That doesn’t sound good.” He sits beside me, a wary expression on his face.
After a deep breath, the words come tumbling out. “Emma kissed me.” My stomach is in knots as he stares at me incredulously before lowering his head into his hands. “I’m so sorry, babe. I didn’t want her to. She caught me off guard, I swear. I pushed her away,” I babble. His shoulders shake and he won’t look at me. Damn it, I knew he’d be hurt. “Troy, please.” When I pull his hands from his face, a chuckle escapes. Is he laughing at me?
“I’m sorry.” He laughs and shakes his head. “You really didn’t see it coming, did you? Oh Angel, I love you, but sometimes you can be so clueless.”
“It’s not funny!” My voice is vehement, and my response only makes him laugh harder. “Fine, asshole. I’ll just give her what she wants,” I taunt.
“Joseph, I’m sorry.” He snorts, still chuckling. It’s hard not to smile when he’s enjoying this so much.
“Nope, it’s decided. I’ll just grab her and bend her over the couch and…” My words are cut off by a yelp as his hands grip my hair, pulling hard, his tongue invading my mouth like he owns it.
“You’re the only one bending over tonight.” His words and the hot breath flowing across my ear send shivers down my body, an involuntary groan giving away my instant arousal. “Bedroom. Now.”
His tone isn’t to be argued with, not that I would have. I’ve seen glimpses of this side of Troy’s personality, assertive, commanding. Fucking sexy as hell. If he leaves me hanging this time, I’m going to lose it.
Ten minutes later, I’m lying face down on our bed enjoying a head to toe massage. “Mmm,” I hum as Troy’s hands knead my sore calf muscles.
“Better?”
“So much.” His hand smoothes up my thighs and over the curve of my ass. His naked body drapes over mine, an open mouthed kiss landing on the nape of my neck.
“You want me here?” he teases, trailing a finger down my spine and between my cheeks.
“Fuck yes, Troy.” I feel his smile against my neck when I groan into the pillow as his long finger slides into me. My leg is nudged out by his knee, his weight on my back pinning me to the bed.
“Hmm, I like you like this, Joseph…trapped underneath me.” He licks into my ear, and I squirm while his fingers work me relentlessly, stretching and preparing me for him. Fuck, it feels good. His warm tongue, those talented fingers. No one has touched me like this since Tim died. I’m going to come before he even gets inside me.
“Troy,” I plead. I want him fiercely. We’ve waited so long for him to be ready for this.
“I know,” he murmurs. “Roll over. I want to see you.”
He leans down and dips his tongue deep into my mouth in a slow savoring kiss. His hands wrap my legs around his hips, and his dark chocolate eyes flare with heat when they lock on mine. “Tell me what you want,” he orders, grinding against my ass.
“Fuck me,” I pant.
He presses in slowly, and I groan as the line between pleasure and pain blurs. He stills, giving me a moment to adjust to his invasion. “Okay?” he asks, face taut as he struggles to hold back.
“Yes,” I moan, tilting my hips to push against him.
“Easy, it’s been awhile, and I don’t want to hurt you.” Oh God. Right now he could hurt the fuck out of me and I’d die happy, but he takes his time, sliding in and out smoothly while leaning to softly kiss my lips. “You feel so good.” Soft brown eyes gaze tenderly into mine as he makes love to me, murmuring my name.
Gripping my hips, he lifts them slightly, adjusting his angle, and I cry out when he glides perfectly across my gland. A self-satisfied smile appears on his usually humble face. “You like that?”
“Yes! Fuck.”
Heat flares in his eyes, lust replacing the tenderness. His voice hardens, becomes demanding. “You wanted this, didn’t you? Wanted to be fucked by me. Taken by me.” His thrusts speed up, driving me insane. “Tell me,” he orders, slapping my hand away when I reach between my legs.
“Yes! I want you!” My hands dig into his hips as he nails that fucking hot spot mercilessly.
“Right there,” he breathes, and exploits what he struck upon, demolishing my last ounce of self control.
“Fuck! Troy! Please,” I gasp when his hand wraps around me and strokes firmly.
“You fucking remember this, Joseph. How you begged for me, came for me, wanted me.” My eyes close as pleasure spikes through me. The world fractures then completely shatters while I shudder beneath him. A feral growl vibrates against my neck as he follows, pouring into me.
I fight the urge to close my eyes while we lie together, sweat still drying on our bodies. “You okay?” he whispers.
I grin at him. He’s flushed and his hair is wild. “I knew you’d be good.”
“Ditto.” He chuckles and kisses my neck softly. “You’re exhausted.”
I am. I’ve fought with Abby, trudged uphill for miles, and been lured in and kissed by Emma. I’ve laughed, cried, and had my brains fucked out.
“It’s been a long day.” I smile and pull him against me, cuddling him close. “With a fantastic ending.”
Chapter Seven
Abby
“Go on, have fun.” I shoo Carson out of the house.
“Hey, Ab, I brought chocolate,” Lexi chirps and plops onto my sofa, crossing her legs. “Where’s my little man?”
“At Julie’s house. We’re playing musical brats. Carson and Jayla are staying at Joseph’s.”
“You have the house to yourself?”
“Yep. Want to get high, watch movies, and eat too much?”
“I knew we were friends for a reason. I’ll roll.”
It’s one of our typical girl’s nights. We smoke a joint and giggle like fools over the comedy DVD’s that only seem funny when we’re baked. We gorge on junk food until I’m swollen as a tick. “You know one thing I miss?” I ask.
“What?”
“Gossip,” I reply with a grin. “There’s never anything to gossip about.”
Le
xi smiles from ear to ear and sits up. “Well, then listen up. It so happens I have something juicy.”
“What the hell have you been waiting on? Spill it.”
“Emma kissed Joseph.” My heart plunges, and white hot jealousy jolts through me. What the hell is wrong with me? Joseph isn’t mine.
“He kissed Emma?” I reply, struggling to sound nonchalant.
“No, she kissed him. She got him alone after the sledding party and made a pass at him.”
That bitch. “You’re kidding. What did he do?”
“Shot her down, of course. Haven’t you noticed how he’s been avoiding her lately?” I haven’t paid much attention, to be honest. My scope has been pretty narrow. I’m doing my best to get through the days without succumbing to the crippling fear I feel for Airen’s welfare.
“Does Troy know?”
“Joseph told him.”
“Of course he did.” I smile. “How did that go over?”
She grins and folds her long legs underneath her. “Troy thinks it’s hilarious. He’s been teasing him mercilessly. He’ll never let him live it down. Emma was super pissed when she overheard him. She didn’t expect Joseph to confess.”
“Then she really doesn’t know him,” I reply dryly.
Lexi smiles, nodding. “Joseph’s a good guy.”
“Yeah, he is.” We talk for a few more minutes before Lexi announces she’s tired. “You can have my bed or the guest room,” I offer, stretching out on the couch.
Her hazel eyes fill with pity. “You’re still sleeping on the sofa?”
“Yes.” I can’t bring myself to sleep in my bed beside the empty space where Airen is supposed to be. Lexi settles into the guest room, and I drift off on the sofa.
I’m awakened hours later by the screams.
What the hell? My over tired brain struggles up through the layers of sleep. The room illuminates when Lexi flips the light switch and stumbles in. “That’s Emma!” she cries, and darts out the front door.
“Lexi, wait!” It takes me a few seconds to throw on my shoes, and I have to run to catch up. It’s freezing outside, but I hardly register the cold. I have no idea what time it is, but there is no sign of the dawn approaching. The sound of our feet crunching through the frozen snow echoes through the silent forest.
We’re almost to Julie’s when Lexi turns to me, wide-eyed, and asks, “Do you smell smoke?”
Oh God. Lane is at Julie’s place. The sight of Julie’s house with smoke pouring from the windows strikes a fear into me like I’ve never known. My stomach drops into my feet. Lane. Emma runs to us, screaming, just as Troy and Joseph break through the tree line.
“I couldn’t get to them! Julie and the baby! In her room!” An invisible hand slams into my chest and the edges of my vision darken and narrow. Breathe, Abby, don’t panic. Everything comes into focus as I force frigid air into my lungs, gulping for oxygen. Tiny silver sparkles dance before my eyes.
“Lane!” I scream, sprinting for the door, finally breaking through the terror that had paralyzed my vocal cords and nailed my feet to the ground. I have to find him.
“No!” Joseph barks. He shoves me at Troy. “Hold her. Keep her here, no matter what!” Their eyes meet, passing a grave message between them, and Troy nods. “Carson! You and Emma get a ladder and put it against the roof!” He points at Julie’s window. They nod and dart away.
“No! Let me go! Goddamn it!” I twist and punch Troy with all my might in his jaw, but his grip on me never falters. “Lane’s in there!” Troy wraps his arms around me from behind, pinning my arms to my sides, and pulls us both down to our knees.
“Joseph will find him, Abby. Stop fighting.” I stare in utter terror while Joseph runs through the front door and into the smoke with only a flash light. No, I’m going to lose them all. Airen. Lane. Joseph.
“No!” The scream tears from my throat.
“Don’t look, Abby,” Troy whispers, tightening his hold on me as I go limp in his arms. “Don’t look, sweetheart.”
Don’t look. Don’t watch them burn. But I can’t look away.
Carson and Emma manage to get the ladder extended and secured against the roof. I see Julie’s panicked face at the window for a moment before it shatters outward. She yanks the curtains loose and drapes them over the jagged glass before slowly climbing onto the roof. Empty handed.
Bile rises in my throat for a brief second before I see Joseph’s pinched face appear at the window. He hands a large white bundle to Julie, and Lane’s terrified shrieks cut through the night air. Relief floods through me. He’s alive.
Troy spins me around to look me in the eye. “Abby, if I leave you to help them, do you promise to stay put?”
“Yes, I promise. Go, go!” He eyes me doubtfully, but dashes to the bottom of the ladder. Carson and Emma hold it steady while he climbs to the edge of the roof. Jayla crouches beside me and we watch Joseph shout instructions to Troy.
He retreats a few rungs to allow Julie onto the ladder in front of him. They descend carefully, and it seems like an eternity before Troy helps Julie step onto the snow. He returns to the ladder, ascending midway before pausing to stare upward. I grasp Jayla’s hand, my heart in my throat as Joseph begins to lower the bundle slowly off the roof. He has wrapped Lane in a makeshift harness of bed sheets. Additional sheets are twisted and tied to the harness to fashion a rope. I dart to the bottom of the ladder when Joseph’s intentions become clear.
His face is a mask of concentration as he lowers Lane steadily, hand over hand to Troy, who is waiting halfway up the ladder. The sheets aren’t long enough to reach the ground, and neither man trusts their ability to climb down the ladder while Lane kicks and fights.
A sudden crash echoes through the still night when a section of the second story collapses onto the first, sending a surge of smoke and burning embers into the air. Flames begin to emerge from the broken window just inches behind Joseph. Oh please, please hurry.
Troy reaches out and grabs at my son, and I gasp when he misses and tries again. He finally gets a good grip and pulls him against his chest, calling to Joseph who drops his end of the sheet rope. I nod up at Troy, and he loops the sheet over one rung of the ladder, creating a pulley and relieving some of the weight so he can maintain a good grip. He lowers Lane into my waiting arms while I sob with relief.
Lane kicks and screams while I untangle him from the sheets, and I’m terrified I’ll see burns on his delicate skin. Julie kneels beside me when I search his little body for the third time. With a flashlight, she looks up his nostrils and in his mouth.
“He’s okay, Abby. He didn’t get any smoke, and the flames never touched him. Get him home and warm him up before he gets sick,” she orders.
“Are you okay?” I whisper while I watch Joseph climb down the ladder.
“Fine.” She smiles.
The relief I feel is stopped short when Troy cries out as Joseph steps off the bottom rung and collapses, unconscious in the snow.
Airen
“Damn it! Stop the car before you kill us both!” Eric reaches in front of me and knocks the gearshift into neutral as we slide sideways again. “Let off both pedals and turn to the right slowly. Haven’t you ever driven in snow?” he huffs.
“No.” After a few tense seconds of glaring at each other he cracks a smile and chuckles.
“Why the hell didn’t you say so?”
“It didn’t look that difficult. I mean, if you can do it…” I quip, shrugging. Eric scoffs and we swap places.
“Almost there,” he mumbles, pointing to a sign that reads Orange Grove Elementary as he carefully guides the SUV onto another side street. “Abby said he lived three blocks from the school.”
“There’s seven twenty-eight,” I offer, pointing at a large two story house. The light blue aluminum siding hangs off in multiple places and the wooden swing on the porch dangles by one chain.
“No one has been here today,” Eric remarks. There are no tracks in the snow. In fact, we
haven’t seen one footprint or tire track all day. If there are other people here, they’re staying indoors. The door is unlocked so we let ourselves in.
“Hello! Jon Needham!” I call, stepping into the living room. My voice echoes through the house.
“I’ll look around upstairs,” Eric whispers.
It’s a typical middle class house. The living room is cozy with a large sectional couch surrounding a black marble coffee table. A long floor to ceiling bookshelf stuffed with rows of video games and comic books runs the length of one wall. On the mantle of the fireplace sits models and action figures of various super heroes. Christ, Abby actually dated this guy?
The master bedroom is downstairs, furnished with a queen sized bed, dresser, and nightstand. A flat screen television hangs on a wall above three different gaming consoles.
Eric scoffs and steps into the bedroom, shaking his head. “Something tells me this guy didn’t get laid until he was in his twenties.”
“Are you sure we have the right house?”
“Yes, there’s a kid’s bedroom upstairs. I found this.” He hands me a photo. A small freckle faced boy, maybe four years old smiles for the camera, perched on the knee of a tall red headed man. When I turn the picture over, there’s writing scrawled across the back. Jon Jr.’s Fifth Birthday.
“The boy looks like Carson,” I remark.
“So does the man. It has to be his father. Did Abby mention Jon had another boy?”
“I doubt she knew.”
“Carson had a brother.” I nod silently. “What do you want to do? There are no bodies here, but that doesn’t necessarily mean either of them are alive.”
“I’m going to leave a note just in case. Carson wants him to know he survived the plague, and where to find us. I can do that much, at least.”
“I’ll try to find a few more photos for him.”
“Thanks.” The bed creaks under my weight as I sit down heavily and study the photo. I’m not sure whether to show it to Carson. It seems cruel. Jon abandoned him, but apparently he was raising the boy in the picture. Should I tell him he had a brother that most likely died?