Absolution: A Salvation Society Novel

by Leaona Luxx

  I nod. “Yeah, but it’s not something I’m used to, and I keep waiting for the hammer to fall.”

  “Why, because of the past? Do you think that’s fair to Creed or to yourself?”

  I hear her, but what she doesn’t understand is this situation is different, and I’m afraid no matter how I handle it, in the end, I’ll still be alone. And that’s what terrifies me.

  “No, but I’m proof that life’s not fair, and before you ask, yes, I know how I sound. It turns out, I’m sick of being the poster child for what not to do in a relationship and making bad decisions.”

  “You know what you have to do, right?”

  “No?” I scratch my head, kind of annoyed with her.

  “Stop! Don’t show up for that shit. Refuse to take anything less than you deserve.” She laces her fingers behind her head, resting again.

  I slip from my chair, grabbing the water gun as I slink over to her. The smile playing on her know-it-all lips incites a riot in me. She knows damn well, Walker taught her to do that and now she’s pretending it’s her gem of knowledge.

  I take aim, getting her in my sights. I squeeze the trigger and fire! “Gotcha hooch!”

  “You little twat waffle!” Reese flips the hammock, crashing to the ground, and I haul ass around the side of the house as she yells. “I’m gonna get you!”

  I’m too busy cackling to notice the mountain of a man I’m running face-first into. “Shit!”

  “Caught’cha.” I rear back, staring into his eyes only to be dazzled by his rugged good looks. “I think I like it here.”

  I follow his gaze, now locked onto my cleavage hanging from my bikini top. I snap my fingers, directing his eyes up. “Hey… I’m here!”

  “Yes, you sure the fuck are.” His grip digs into my hips, holding me to his hard body. My face heats, as a deep ache grows in my belly.

  Reese bumps into me, as she drinks all that is Creed Hatcher in. “Hey, there handsome. I’m Reese, the older and more experienced cousin. Volume One, if you will.”

  “Volume One goes hand in hand with older if ya know what I mean.” I waggle my brows, grinning like a fool. “Besides, she’s married and full of shit!”

  “Nice to meet you, Reese.” Creed offers his hand, kissing the back of hers when she takes it. “But I enjoyed my test ride if ya know what I mean.” He winks at me as I gape.

  “Oh, you did not call that out.” Reese covers her mouth on a snort. “For the record, my husband and I are attorneys, in case you need to make your final arrangements.”

  Creed clutches his chest; a smile works across his face. “C’mon! I didn’t mean it like that!”

  “Uh-huh,” I pull away from him, narrowing my eyes as I raise the water gun and thumb my nose. “say hello to my little friend.”

  His eyes widen, cutting to Reese and back. “You’re kidding me, right?”

  “My friend does not joke, Ese.”

  Creed holds his hands high over his head. “You had me at boobs! Take me and do with me as you will.”

  “Are you saying you will be my slave?” I narrow my eyes as Doc dances at our feet, ready to play.

  Creed steps closer to me, his eyes smoldering. “Only if we’re talking about sex and loving you, then yes, I’ll be a slave for you.”

  “Dayummm!” Reese fans herself and grabs the water gun. A few quick squirts, and she starts fanning herself again. “Y’all hot.”

  “Yes, she is.” Creed’s brow cocks as he peruses my half-clad body once again.

  “Oh my gracious, I’m the worst hostess!” I step back, taking aim. “Let me help cool y’all off!” I fire as they scatter! Reese takes off again around the house with Creed fast behind her.

  Reese runs through the gate, slamming it shut as she does. “Ha! Can’t get me now, bish!”

  “Doc!” Creed yells. “This way!” He scales the fence like a monkey, hurling himself over the side. I cut him off from helping Doc, jumping between them to soak him as fast as I can.

  “Yesss! I got you!” I scream and take off for the front of the house. “C’mon girl, we’re gonna teach your daddy who the boss is.”

  Doc and I hit the front door in a full-on sprint, only slowing when we get to the back door. I peek through the blinds, spotting our prey pacing the fence. I start to giggle when Doc licks my feet.

  “You’re gonna get us caught.” I pat her side, holding her next to me: another quick look and its all-out war. We bust through the door and begin the onslaught. “We’re backkkk!”

  “Eek!” Reese squeals, as she tries to hide. “Get him, he pissed you off last!”

  I have her in my sights when I’m ambushed. Creed wraps his arms around my waist, wrestling me to the ground. “Gotcha!”

  “Arghhh! Caught in my own snare.” I roll over with Creed hovering over me. “Let me go!”

  “Never.” Creed’s starry-eyed, sending tingles vibrating through me. My lips part, ready to take his when suddenly, we’re attacked from the rear.

  “Ahhhhh!” The herd of toddlers jumps on Creed’s back, flipping and slipping everywhere. It’s not until Doc crashes the party we give up, laying under the pile, hands locked and laughing.

  Our day is spent in the backyard, spilling into the dusk with family and laughter. Creed even plays in the kiddie pool to their delight. Emmie is fast asleep on his chest when Reese loads her brood up to go home.

  She inclines her head toward them. “I gotta give it to him, he’s a helluva guy.”

  “Don’t I know it.” I squeeze her tight. “It makes me worry he won’t stay once my baggage is unpacked.”

  “Have you considered tossing it out? Don’t get me wrong, I know it’s hard to trust or love again, but you won’t know if you don’t try.”

  “Ha! That’s what he said, essentially.”

  Reese hugs me one last time before leaving. “Later, hoe.”

  “Only for you, bae!” I blow her a kiss and wave as she drives away. I turn to find Creed on the front porch, grinning and sexy as hell.

  “Hey, I was thinking…” The lust in Creed’s gaze says everything he’s thinking. Or so I thought. “I missed July fourth with you.”

  I bite my lip, wondering where he’s going with this. “You sure did.”

  “Then, I think you need to get your bomb-ass body over here and let me light that firecracker up.” He winks, and there’s nothing boyish about the look on his face. I have to admit, pure unadulterated sex on legs is a helluva look.

  “If you can catch me, you can have me any way you want.” I whirl around, running at breakneck speed. Well, maybe not that fast because of this damn man. When his arm catches my midsection, I’m over his shoulder without a fight.

  He smacks my ass, maneuvering through the door. “You could’ve made this easier by not running.”

  “Where’s the fun in that?” I gasp when he gropes my ass under my shorts. His fingers work into my bikini bottoms, and I’m immediately wet.

  “Fuck if I know or even care.” The door shuts with a click of the lock. I slide down the front of his body, and finally pinned against the wall.

  I fist his hair, taking his mouth by storm. My legs lock around him as he grinds against me, adding just the right amount of friction. He jerks my strings loose, and my breasts sway from the freedom.

  Creed cups me, breaking away from my lips to replace it with my nipple. Swirling his tongue around the hardened peak, my head falls back against the wall. He sucks it into his mouth, plucking a trigger point in my pussy.

  “Just do it, Creed.” I pant, needing him to take me.

  Once again, his lips sweep mine as he plunges his tongue into my mouth. Releasing me, he works his way down to just beneath my ear. His breath is hot, raising my temperature by a hundred degrees.

  “Tell me what you want, Scarlet.” Creed nips at my lobe as I ride his cock.

  “Stain my lips with your love and make me forget everything but you.” I rasp, as my breath hitches from want.

  His gaze l
ocks on mine, peering into my soul, capturing it forever. “There’s nothing I’d rather do than spend my life loving you as you should be.”

  “Promise me,” I rest my forehead against his.

  “Anything.” He breathes heavily.

  “You’ll find me in the dark.”

  He studies me for meaning, finally accepting the challenge. “Forever.”

  I pull his mouth to mine, as we fall into a world that only exists for us. Creed carries me to bed, slowly taking my clothes off my body. He reaches behind his head, dragging his shirt over it, and drops it on the floor with his shorts.

  His lips press against my center, licking me until I squirm under the pressure of his tongue. I arch from the bed, tangling his hair in my hand. I yank on it, pulling him up my body.

  I slide my hand between us, fisting his cock, I rub it against me. His mouth drops when I guide him in, and he slips deep. Our bodies rock into the other, working together toward one goal.

  My body tenses, sending my pulse into a frenzy, and my heart thundering against my chest. Creed reverberates my beat with every sway and motion of our love.

  His forehead rests on mine, as we gaze into the other's eyes and find our rhythm. His thrusts meet my bumps, propelling us over the edge. My name on his lips sends me spiraling, and we’re lost.

  “Scarlet.” He murmurs like an anthem.

  We lay, ensnarled, legs, and arms everywhere. Our breathing slowing from a pant to an even calm. I’m lost in this world, but here with him, he has found me. I never want to leave this place of solace.

  “Did you have a good day?” I mutter almost incoherently.

  His body jerks as he chuckles. “As a matter of fact, I had a great day.”

  “You’re ridiculous.” I pat his chest, loving how I can feel the beat of his heart. “I meant with your parents.”

  “They were in complete support of me, and we were able to get everyone that has files on me to agree to let me see them.” His heart rate decelerates, he’s torn with this decision. I raise up on my elbow, studying him. Doc lays at the foot of the bed, watching him closely. She feels it too, something’s worrying him.

  “Tell me.”

  “What do you want to hear?”

  “Why you’re so concerned about the documents.” I trace his jawline with the tip of my finger. I want him to be comfortable without thinking I’m studying his every move. He adjusts himself, rolling to his side. I take his hand, and he kisses the back of mine.

  “What if there’s nothing there? I’ve run from it for so long; to realize it was all for nothing, I’ll be devastated.”

  “So, you’re hoping to find something?”

  He slumps toward me, and my stomach knots. Doc traipses over to the edge of the bed, laying her head on the side. “I don’t know, it’s like my dreams keep trying to tell me something, but I hit a dead end when I try to pinpoint what it is.”

  “I don’t want you hurting or thinking that what you went through was for nothing.” My stomach knots and I fear if I did the right thing by encouraging him to look into his past.

  I scoot closer, wrapping my arm around him and holding him until we doze off. My thoughts haunt my dreams, as I see Creed in a cell with dirt floors. It’s dark, but I can tell he’s bleeding and in pain.

  As I reach for him, he jumps back and scrambles from me. I’m jarred from the bed when Creed’s voice cuts through the night. I spring from the bed, rushing over to him.

  “Stop!” His hands are straight out in front of him. I lean over to switch on a light, and he screams. “It’s blinding me, turn it off.”

  I knock the lamp over, hurrying to turn it off. It crashes to the floor, waking Emmie. Her cries pierce Creed’s ears, he covers them and begins to sing.

  “She sleeps with her hair over his pillow. His heart belongs only to her. Her hair is as fiery as her soul. She’s all the love that he knows.” His lips tremble with every shake of his hand. Emmie grows quiet, and so does Creed.

  I want to hold him, keep him safe. My heart is breaking as I watch the man I love disintegrate into nothing. He’s crumpled in the corner, quaking from whatever nightmare he’s living.

  And it’s all my fault.

  “Creed…” I have to try and reach him, bring him from the depths of this hell he’s lost in. I hold his hand, waiting for a sign he can hear me or recognize my voice. “Baby, I’m here.”

  His eyes are fixed on the wall across the room. I try again, lightly touching him. “Hey, baby. I’m here with you.”

  “Scarlet? Can you hear them? Americans.” He shudders, sending chills through me from our touch.

  I lay my hand on his cheek, beckoning him to me. “Here, I’m right here.”

  “Scarlet?” His eyes begin to focus, they’re not as dilated as they once were.

  “Yeah, baby. I’m here, come with me.” I take his hand as tears stain my face. The pain written on Creed’s face shatters me, I’m not even sure how he can be okay after what he’s endured.

  He tugs on my hand as I stand. “How did you get here?”

  “You called for me, so I followed the sound of your voice.” My chest tightens, making my voice quiver. He stands with me, stumbling over to the bed. I hand him some water, fearing to leave him, even to check on Emmie.

  “You saved me.” He curls up on the bed, closing his eyes again. His body quakes, even heaving from time to time.

  I sit, holding his head in my lap until the sun begins to rise. He’s in a pool of sweat and hasn’t been still the whole night. The tremors and ticks, rattling him in his unconsciousness and ripping my heart out as it does.

  I fight the falling tears between quietening his dreams and giving him peace. His lashes flutter over his cheeks before they open wide. The look on his face is a telltale sign of reckoning for him.

  “Please tell me I didn’t hurt either of you.” He raises from the bed, his head hung low.

  I hold out my hand, waiting for him to take it. He doesn’t. “No, of course not.”

  “What happened? Did I say anything?” He leaps from the bed, pacing as soon as his feet hit the floor. His eyes are black, as dark as the hell he just came from, and I’m terrified.

  “Nothing really in detail, but you did ask if I could hear the Americans.” I watch him closely, praying he doesn’t fall apart more than he already has. I’m shaken to the core, Creed’s a strong man, but the one that was here last night is incredibly vulnerable, and I refuse to allow anyone to hurt him.

  He stops dead in his tracks, blinking rapidly as he stares at the floor. The dream plays out in real-time, the flashes of light bouncing off the walls brings him back.

  “I’m sorry, but I have to go. Let’s go, Doc.” Creed takes off through the house with me right by his side. He’s digging through his bag, yanking out whatever he can find to dress in. “I’ll call you.”

  “Creed!” He stops at the door, recognition marring his features.

  “I’ll be back.” He nods, and I mimic him, fearing I’ll never see him again.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Creed

  I climb into my truck with only a glance back at Scarlet. I’m leaving her in tears, but I can’t stop to explain things to her. I race to my parent’s house, coming to a screeching halt in front of the garage.

  The door opens slowly, so I hit the ground to crawl under it with Doc right by my side. Crawford is on the steps when I find my feet, I knew he’d meet me in here once he saw me drive up.

  “What’s going on?” He hurries over to me when I start tearing through the boxes.

  I fist my hair as I try to form coherent words. “I had a dream last night, but this time, Scarlet was there to help.”

  “Alright, so what are we searching for in these boxes?” He joins me, flipping a top on one.

  “Americans.” I cut my eyes at him, waiting for him to question me.

  He steps back. “Come again?”

  “You heard me, American military personnel. Inactive, missi
ng in action, feared dead Americans.” I glower as the thought rips me apart, and bile rises in my throat.

  “Creed, you know what this could mean?” His hand trembles as he lays it on my arm. The fear isn’t for what we may find, but for me, it’s if we don’t see any.

  I turn to him, tears threatening to breach their confines. “I may have run from my past, but I’m a good sailor. It wasn’t me, but I know the voice. I know who ambushed us if I can just find something to trigger the memory.”

  “I’ve never had a doubt that you’re a good man and sailor, son. I’m afraid of who it might be and what it might mean to you.” Dad lays his hand on my shoulder.

  “I just need the smallest of hint. It’s right here.” I tap my head more aggressively than I should’ve.

  “We’ll find it.” Mom walks over to me, caressing my cheek. “Tell me where to start.”

  My head bounces between them, I can’t believe how lucky I am. “That box, it’s from Jackson. I don’t think Dad’s will have anything in them, this guy is in deep.”

  She picks up the lid, dropping it to the floor and digs in. Eventually, I have her move to the computer to run names as we come across them. Hours later, there’s no trace of anything or anyone. A dead-end again.

  I glance at my watch, counting how long it’ll take me to get back to Virginia Beach. “I’m gonna take off, I have a meeting with Drew in the morning, and I need to get a friend to do a little covert intel before then.”

  “Please be careful and text us when you get there.” Kathryn doesn’t even ask this time; she simply hugs me like she’s wanted to before now.

  “I will, promise.”

  “Do you want me to come with you?” Crawford’s brows are low.

  I throw my arms around him, patting his back. “I’m good, but I’ll call if I need help.”

  “Okay.” He returns my hug, and I turn for the door.

  Doc and I are on the road before nine, I’m doing everything I can to keep my mind on the road and not on everything else. Including Scarlet. My heart thunders to life at the mere thought of her.

  “I love her, Doc. I know we just met, and people will lecture me on the fact it’s too soon, but I don’t give a damn. I love her. Actually, I love them. I want a family, and I need it to be with Scarlet and Emmie.” I peek up at her in the mirror, and she barks.