Absolute Beginners (Absolute #1)

by S. J. Hooks

“Lunch?”

  “No.”

  “Julia, when was the last time you ate?”

  “Yesterday…maybe. I’m not hungry.”

  “I’m making you something,” I said firmly.

  “OK,” she said, nodding her head. I was happy that she didn’t argue with me.

  “Just come out whenever you’re ready, all right?” She nodded again and I turned to leave.

  “Thank you, Stephen,” she said quietly.

  I gave her a smile and then left to give her some privacy. In the kitchen, I decided to make a simple pasta dish. It was quick and I knew that she liked Italian food. I was exceedingly happy that she had decided to come here in her time of need and that I was able to take care of her. I made a few calculations in my head while I was cooking, and came to the conclusion that her grandfather must have died sometime Saturday since I had seen her on Friday at the club. I wished that she would have called me when she found out, but I hoped that she had at least been with Megan and Sophia the last few days. I hated the thought of her going through all of this on her own.

  I had just finished making dinner when she came out of the bathroom, looking skittish and out of place, wearing my pajamas that were so big on her she had to roll up the pant legs several times to avoid stepping on them.

  “Thank you for the clothes,” she said, shifting her weight.

  I gave her a smile, hoping it would ease her nervousness. I didn’t want her to feel awkward around me, even though things were so different than she was used to right now.

  “You ready to eat?” I asked.

  She nodded and helped me carry the food to the table, though she hardly touched it and her mind seemed like it was a million miles away. I reached over and covered her hand with mine.

  “Are you OK?”

  She looked up at me and nodded. “I guess. It’s not like I wasn’t expecting this. He’d been sick for a while. Alzheimer’s.”

  “Was it…bad?” I asked carefully. Her eyes watered again and I could have kicked myself for asking inane questions that only made her more upset.

  “I’m sorry, you don’t have to tell me anything,” I said quickly.

  “No, it’s OK. Yeah, it was bad at the end. He didn’t know who I was.”

  “That’s awful,” I whispered.

  “He thought I was one of the nice nurses,” she said bitterly. “They should be nice, with what I was paying them.”

  “You were paying?”

  “I was his guardian of sorts,” she explained with a sigh. “There wasn’t anyone else and it’s not like he could manage his affairs himself. It’s pretty poetic, really.”

  “What is?”

  Her bottom lip trembled and she drew a stuttering breath. “He…took care of me after…my parents. And then I took care of him.”

  She picked up her glass and had a sip of water.

  “That’s why we moved here, you know,” she continued. “The home he was in. They’re really good with Alzheimer’s patients. I tried to visit as much as I could. We had dinner together a few nights a week. Not that it made a difference to him. He…he forgot me.”

  Her voice cracked on the last word and she buried her face in her hands. I had never seen her like this, so vulnerable and unguarded. She was usually in complete control of herself, and it pained me to see her so hurt and frail. I knelt next to her chair. I put my hand on her knee and she lowered her hands again. She looked as though she was going to say something, but instead she launched herself into my arms.

  I sat on the floor for a while with her curled up on my lap. She sniffled and wiped her eyes with the sleeve of the pajamas before sighing heavily.

  “What is it?” I asked softly.

  “I’m so tired,” she whispered. “I haven’t really slept. The funeral arrangements took a lot of time.”

  “You did all of it by yourself?” I asked incredulously.

  “No one else to do it,” she answered, shrugging. “I’d like to go to bed now.” She stood up and started clearing her plate, but I told her to get ready for bed and that I would clean up. She gave me a grateful smile and padded into the bathroom while I quickly cleared the table.

  “Stephen?” she called. “Do you have an extra toothbrush?”

  Damn.

  “I’m sorry, I don’t.”

  “I’ll just use yours, OK?”

  Normally, the thought of someone else using my toothbrush would have bothered me, but because it was Julia it made me smile. Maybe it was stupid, but somehow it made everything more real. She was really going to spend the night with me.

  “OK,” I called out.

  I used the bathroom next and changed into my own set of pajamas. Julia was already in bed and I wasn’t sure how to proceed.

  “I can, uh,” I said and motioned toward the living room.

  “Just come to bed, Stephen,” she mumbled. She was on her side facing me and I lay down on my back. I didn’t know if I should hold her or not. I didn’t want to overstep and risk that she’d want to sleep on the couch. I really, really wanted to hold her, though. When she moved a little closer, I decided to take the plunge. Slowly, I reached over and pulled her against my chest, and much to my delight she melted into my embrace, wrapping her arm around me.

  “Thank you for letting me stay,” she whispered.

  I kissed her forehead and caressed her hair. “Don’t thank me,” I murmured. “I meant what I said before. You can stay as long as you like.”

  “And thank you for the flowers,” she said, pressing her lips against the side of my neck. “They’re so beautiful.”

  “You really like them?”

  “I love them,” she said softly. “I didn’t get them until I went home today. I was staying with the girls. My neighbor found them and put them in water for me.”

  “Oh, I, uh, I thought maybe you didn’t like them, or…I didn’t hear from you.”

  “I’m here now, though.”

  I kissed the top of her head and stroked her hair again. She sighed a little and soon her breathing became deep and regular. I had never spent the night with a woman before, and now I was glad for that fact. I only ever wanted to sleep with Julia. I was finally able to hold her for more than a few minutes and it was wonderful to know that she would be here all night and that I would see her again in the morning.

  I felt terrible for her loss and I hoped that she would stay for at least a few days so I could take care of her and be there for her. I was shocked to learn that she was all alone in the world. She should be with people who loved her in this difficult time. Well, technically she was with a person who loved her. She just didn’t know it.

  Hugging her closer to me, I sighed. I loved her, but I still had no idea what the future held for the two of us, if there even was a future. What would happen tomorrow? Would she simply leave and that would be that? Nothing had been resolved. She had come here for sex and I had denied her, offering her food and comfort instead, which she had accepted. Did that mean something? Would she still only see me as a good “lay,” to use her expression, or could I somehow convince her to give me a real chance? She had said she didn’t do relationships and I was sure there was a reason for that. Had someone hurt her once? Was that why she rejected the idea of romance and love?

  I still didn’t know much about women in general, but I did know her. She had taught me so much about sex and physical pleasure. Perhaps it was time I taught her about romance and the art of wooing. I could do that. I would do that.

  I didn’t have an exact plan, but that would be my mission from now on. I would make her my lover, in every sense of the word.

  I listened to her breathing, making sure she was fast asleep, before I whispered, “I love you.”

  End of Book 1

  Read on for a glimpse of Julia and Stephen in the sequel to Absolute Beginners…

  Coming 6/24/2015

  * * *

  The moment I felt her come, I lost all control, grabbing hold of her to chase my own pleas
ure. It was wild—savage—and nothing had ever felt better. My orgasm completely took my breath away and the delicious contractions that her climax created prolonged mine for what seemed like an eternity. I was vaguely aware of the fact that I’d roared out her name, but all I could focus on were the mind-blowing sensations flowing through my body.

  I collapsed on top of her, panting and shaking just like she was underneath me.

  “Oh, God,” I groaned, rubbing my face against her neck.

  “Holy shit,” Julia gasped. “What the hell was that, Stephen?”

  “I don’t know. But I loved it.”

  “So did I. You were in control, so amazing—”

  “Stephen?” I heard a voice calling from somewhere.

  My entire body froze. Someone was in the apartment!

  “Who the fuck is that?” Julia whispered.

  “Shhh,” I whispered back, rolling off her.

  “Are you OK?”

  I recognized the voice and my blood turned cold.

  Fuck!

  “I’m all right!” I called out, completely panicked. “Don’t come in here! I’ll be right out!”

  Julia quickly covered herself with the duvet.

  “It’s my mom,” I whispered.

  “What?!” she shrieked, sitting up.

  “Don’t worry, she won’t come in here,” I whispered, praying that I was right.

  I jumped out of bed, closed the door and started dressing frantically while Julia watched me with an expression that was somewhere between amused and panicked.

  “What are you doing here?” I shouted while I tried to remember how buttons worked.

  “We’re here for lunch,” a second voice called out. “You invited us, remember?”

  Oh, God! Richard!

  I wanted to kill myself for being such a gargantuan idiot. I had completely forgotten that my parents were supposed to come over today. In all my excitement it had slipped my mind, and my idiocy was the reason why Julia now looked like a deer caught in headlights.

  “Stephen,” she whispered. “My clothes are on the living room floor. They know you have a girl in here.”

  My blood went cold.

  “Either that, or they think you’re a cross-dresser,” she added with wide eyes.

  I honestly can’t decide which option is worse right now.

  * * *

  Acknowledgements

  A very heartfelt thank-you to the following list of people, who supported the publication of the Absolute Novels from the very beginning: Christie Lanza, Hilda Torres, K Scanlan, Guy Vincent, Helle Lolck, Anne Moerk, Lone Johannessen, Dooba Writes, Emilie Dyhr Thomasen, Jeannie Boom, Kerri Perrotti, Mira Borggreen, Mille Drejer, Meagan Gibson, Ducks, Joanne Griffiths, Judith Sokolowski, Rita Oliveira, C Mor, Emmanuelle Leroy, Lea Strickland, Meredith Cullen, Lisa Mikita, Veronica Roberson, Sara Hassan, Carey Williams, Mette Viby, Winter Horses, Melissa Benson, Dianne Mickey, Diane Tant, Donna Pennell, Rae Stanford, Maria-Elizabeth Granda, Azucena Sandoval, Melissa Robinson, Sally Hopkinson, Jane Arbogast, Shannon Lang, Tracy Kosednar, Trine Bernicken, Jenn Granat, Samantha Streger, Michelle H, and, with love and embarrassment, my mother, Ellis Justesen.

  About the Author

  Although she is a native of Denmark, SJ Hooks has always had a keen interest in the English language. She has a BA in English Literature and is close to finishing her MA in American Studies. As a student and a working mother of two special needs children, her days are busy.

  At night, when she isn’t passed out on the couch, she’s in front of her computer, writing stories of love, humor and passion—the best things in life. Her dream is to build a career as a full-time author and give her children the life they deserve.

  Visit her online:

  Website: http://sjhooks.com/

  Facebook

  Twitter: @she_viking

  This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.

  Full Fathom Five Digital is an imprint of Full Fathom Five

  Absolute Beginners

  Copyright © 2015 by Sille Justesen

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this text may be used or reproduced in any form, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in review, without written permission from the publisher.

  For information visit Full Fathom Five Digital, a division of Full Fathom Five LLC, at

  www.fullfathomfive.com

  Cover design by Jada D’Lee

  First Edition

  The author published an earlier, not-for-profit, serialized version of this story online.