Infinite Ties (All That Remains #3)

by S. M. Shade

  “Fuck me,” she exclaims, sliding down my body and placing her feet back on the pond floor.

  “Again?” I murmur, kissing her cool, sweet lips.

  “No.” She giggles. “You dirtied me up before we finished getting clean.”

  “I didn’t hear any complaints a moment ago.”

  “Not hearing any now, either.”

  “Let’s get cleaned up and dry, ladybug. I don’t want you to get sick, and if I have to keep looking at you soaking wet with those hard nipples, I’m going to take you again.”

  It’s lunchtime when we make our way back to the RV and change into dry clothes. The rain has dissolved into a light mist, and a few rays of sunshine struggle to peek through the clouds, giving the sky an odd orange hue.

  Abby’s pensive gaze out the window betrays her growing concern. “You should stay with Airen tonight,” I murmur, coming up behind her to wrap my arms around her waist. “I’ll be fine.”

  A sigh echoes through the room as her head falls against my chest. She’s torn. Caught in the middle. It’s the last thing I want. “I wish I could be two places at once,” she whispers.

  My lips find her warm cheek. “It’s okay. Go see Airen. I’m sure he misses you.”

  “It’s been one day!”

  “Trust me.”

  “I’ll just go check on him, but I’ll be back.”

  “Abby, you don’t have to…”

  I’m shushed with a finger across my lips. “I’m coming back,” she insists.

  My beautiful stubborn girl. “I love you.”

  “Damn well better after you defiled me in public.” She hesitates, a hand on the doorknob. “Is there anything you want me to tell him?”

  “Invite him to go fuck himself.”

  “Joseph.”

  “No, ladybug. No message.”

  “I’ll be back in a little while,” she promises, pulling the door shut behind her.

  Silence settles around me, pressing in on all sides, allowing me to think when it’s the last thing I want to do. I think a part of me expected Airen to come back last night, to admit he freaked out and apologize. I should’ve known better. Arrogant bastard never apologizes, never thinks about anyone but his goddamn self. I’m better off without him. Fuck, I wish I believed that.

  I just need to focus on Abby, on making my girl happy. I can’t lose her too. Why the hell did I try to break up with her? She played it off, acted like it was no big deal, but I know I hurt her. Her response was to stay with me, comfort me, try to distract me from heartbreak. A knock on my door breaks my train of thought. I can’t help but feel hopeful it’s Airen. I’m fucking pathetic.

  “It’s open,” I call, slipping a shirt over my head. I’m stunned when Troy and Nic step through the door. The look on Troy’s face tells me he knows Airen dumped me. I left Troy for Airen and cheated on him with Abby. Anyone who doesn’t know Troy would think he’s here to gloat, to see me get what I deserve. Instead, he sits beside me and touches my shoulder.

  “I’m sorry, Joseph. I heard what happened. How are you doing?”

  The word fine sticks in my throat, and to my horror, a choked sob fights its way out. I’ve done so well, held it together and not cried over him. A kind word from Troy and I fall to pieces in front of him and his larger than life, gorgeous boyfriend. Someone please throw me a rock to crawl under, or at least knock me unconscious with it.

  Familiar arms embrace me while I struggle against the surge of emotion flooding through me. As if that isn’t bad enough, the door opens again, and I get a glance of Airen’s face as his expression shifts from shock to hurt to anger. “Airen,” Nic says, “Troy just wanted to check on him. He’s upset.”

  “Where’s Abby?” Airen demands, glaring at me.

  “She left a few minutes ago to look for you. Look, Air…”

  He holds up his palm. “Don’t bother. None of my fucking business anymore is it?” He turns to leave.

  “We weren’t doing anything! Nic’s standing right there!” I plead, getting to my feet.

  Airen’s glare shifts to Nic. “You always did like to watch. Enjoy.”

  “Airen!” I hate the plaintive sound of my voice. I can’t believe he’s insinuating I was going to fuck around. Why the fuck is he jealous, anyway? He left me.

  “I don’t give a fuck what you do, anymore, Joseph,” he barks.

  “Yeah, you made that pretty fucking clear yesterday!”

  “Fuck this,” he grumbles and stalks outdoors, slamming the door behind him.

  “Self-centered son of a bitch!” I yell to no one in particular. At least he managed to knock back my depression. No more sulking or crying. Now, I’m pissed.

  “Now, Joseph, it’s not nice to be so truthful,” Troy admonishes with a grin. He always could make me smile.

  Chapter Seven

  Abby

  I don’t want to leave Joseph alone tonight. Everything in me is screaming “No! He needs you!” but I’m afraid it’ll seem like I’m playing favorites. No matter what they say, I’m caught in the middle and it sucks. Plus, I know Airen’s suffering as well, not only with the break up, but from the nightmares or flashbacks or whatever the hell is eating him. I don’t even know where he is. He’s not in his little camper, and no one answers at Troy’s cottage.

  Jon sits outside Eric’s RV, a self satisfied grin on his face. “Have you seen Airen?” I ask, ignoring his smirk.

  “Trouble in paradise? Your pretty boys done passing you back and forth? Maybe they read something they didn’t like.”

  “Fuck you.” I turn to leave and his cruel laughter follows me.

  “I heard what Joseph called you, his pretty girl,” he sneers. “Surely, you don’t fall for that, Gail. He thinks a man’s hairy ass is pretty.”

  “My name isn’t Gail!” I snap. I’ve tried not to let him get to me, but everything is piling on, something has to give.

  “You can change your name, move away, get all the degrees in the world. It doesn’t change the fact you’re a whore.”

  “You’re just pissed because they love me.”

  “You really are deluded. They don’t love you. They love Abby. We’ll see how much they love Gail.” Damned if he can’t still see through to my biggest fear.

  Before I can respond, Gary steps outside and intervenes. “Hey, Abs, how are you? Everything okay?” His dark eyes dart to Jon before returning to mine.

  “Fine.” I force a smile. “Just looking for Airen.”

  “Haven’t seen him, baby girl. Do you want to come in?”

  “No thanks. I’ll just wait in his camper. He probably went for a walk.”

  “Well, if you need something, you holler, girl.” His wide white smile makes me grin.

  “Thanks, Gary. See you later.”

  Fucking Jon. Maybe I should let Gary bury him in the woods. The worry over Jon telling my guys my past has paled given the circumstances. Right now I just want this rescue over with and to see Airen and Joseph reconcile. I’ll lose them when they find out. I need to know they’ll have each other.

  As I head back, I see Airen storm out of our RV, slam the door, and stalk toward his camper. Damn. That can’t be good. Who do I go to first? Airen won’t tell me anything until he calms down, so I’ll start with Joseph and go to Airen next. They better work their shit out soon.

  It’s dusk and the windows of our RV glow softly from the electric lanterns. “Hey baby,” I call out, stepping through the door. “I saw Airen…” my voice drops mid sentence. Nic leans against the driver’s seat, his expression blank while Troy sits beside Joseph on the small couch, their arms around each other. Holy shit. What did I just walk into? “Um…” I utter, displaying my genius for dealing with awkward situations.

  Joseph laughs and releases Troy, wiping his eyes. “You should see your face, ladybug.” Troy chuckles, and Nic flashes me a heart stopping smile.

  “I didn’t mean to interrupt anything.”

  “It’s fine,” Nic says. “Why d
on’t we step outside for a few minutes and let them talk.”

  Joseph nods at me. “Yeah, sure.” Like a gentleman, Nic opens the door and gestures for me to go first. He pulls up two chairs just outside, and we sit. “Am I missing something?”

  “Joseph’s upset, and Troy’s trying to help.”

  “And you’re okay with that?”

  He shifts in his chair and gazes at me. His eyes appear dark in the gloom. Two tiny ivory slivers shine in his pupils as the moonlight strikes him. His voice is smooth and calm, not quite concealing an undercurrent of anxiety as he asks, “Should I be?”

  “If you’re asking me if Joseph would try anything with Troy, the answer is no. It killed Joseph to break Troy’s heart. He’d never screw with his emotions just because he’s upset. Plus, this break with Airen is temporary, and he wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize that relationship.”

  Nic smiles and pats my knee. “I trust Troy or I’d never have left them alone. I’ll tell you, Abby, I was all prepared to hate Joseph for hurting Troy, but I can’t seem to manage it.”

  “Joseph is a lot like Troy; sensitive, compassionate, and obviously forgiving. But they weren’t meant to be together. The…spark that I see between you and Troy, well, it was never like that between Troy and Joseph.”

  “But Airen and Joseph?”

  “It’s a damn powder keg.”

  Nic laughs, and glances toward the RV. “This can’t be easy on you, being caught in the middle. We’ll keep an eye on Joseph. Troy will keep him company until this blows over,” he offers.

  “I see what Troy sees in you,” I reply. “You share his compassion.”

  He leans over and replies in a husky voice, “So it’s not just my devastating good looks then?”

  “And now I see why you and Airen were friends.” I chuckle, getting to my feet. “I’m going to say goodbye to Joseph.”

  “If they’re naked, I take it all back. I can learn to hate him,” he jokes as we approach the door.

  “I’d think you’d take the opportunity to jump in the middle.”

  “I believe you’re projecting. I’ve never been between two men.”

  “Well, I highly recommend it.”

  He chuckles and peeks through the door. “Oh no, it’s worse than I thought. They’re watching chick flicks.”

  Laughing, I pat his back. “You’re a good man.”

  After a quick goodbye, I head to Airen’s camper. He’s not expecting me, and I hope I don’t find him shit faced drunk. I know his way of dealing with pain and stress. He’s stretched out on a bunk, eyes closed, earbuds in his ears and his iPod lying on his bare chest. I take a moment just to drink him in. Midnight hair, fluffy and rumpled from his recent shower, rests against his pillow, framing his tanned face. Slightly parted, his sensuous lips cry out to be kissed, and the dark stubble dotting his well defined jaw is irresistible to my fingers. His eyes pop open when I run my fingertips down his cheek.

  “Hey darlin’, are you okay?”

  “I was going to ask you the same question.”

  “I’m fine. I thought you were staying with Joseph.”

  “I’m staying with you.”

  “Yeah, well, he’ll be fine. He has Troy,” he says, his voice bitter.

  “Airen, he doesn’t want Troy. We’ve been through this. He was just checking on him.”

  “I don’t give a shit what he does.”

  “Bullshit. You’re jealous and pissed, but you have no reason to be. Joseph wants you. He loves you. You broke his heart, but if you went to him right now, he’d come back with no hesitation.”

  “I can’t do that. I’m sorry.”

  “Then don’t blame him.”

  “Okay.” He pulls me into the small bunk with him, and I cuddle close, resting my cheek on his chest. After a few minutes of silence, he sits up and swats my ass. “Slip some shoes on, I want to show you something.”

  “What is it?”

  “Just come with me. I just realized what day it is.”

  After tossing two blankets over his shoulder, he leads me to the small wooden dock. My cheeks flame at the thought of my morning with Joseph. Airen chuckles and squeezes my hand.

  “I know what you’re thinking about,” he whispers, and laughs at my look of shock.

  “Shit. Did anyone else…?”

  “No. Nobody could see you. I just saw you walking to the pond and back. The look on your face gave away the rest.” Our footsteps echo across the pond.

  “Do you want to fish or are we going to do it in a boat?” I ask with a giggle.

  “Fresh out of bait.” He grins.

  “Why do I feel like I’ve been hooked?”

  “Because you’re a great catch.” Having exhausted our horrible fishing puns, we step into the boat, and he rows us away from the shore. When we reach the raft in the center, he sits a lantern on the edge and takes my hand, helping me out of the boat.

  A shooting star burns across the sky in a brilliant streak of blue, quickly followed by another. “Air, look!”

  He smiles from ear to ear at my delighted laugh. “Lay back, darlin’,” he says, reclining on the soft blanket now covering the wooden planks. I cuddle closer, resting my head on his chest as he holds me close. “Carson told me there would be a meteor shower tonight. He read about it. I was worried the weather wouldn’t clear up in time.”

  “It’s beautiful,” I breathe. The sky has been dipped in sparkling diamonds. Streaks of light draw glowing lines of blue and silver against the ink black backdrop as we watch in awed silence. He plays with my hair while I rest on his chest, staring transfixed at nature’s light show. “It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

  A soft kiss parts my lips, and the taste of him floods my senses. “Not even close, sweetheart.”

  “Mmm, I love you.”

  “I know. You’re also pissed at me.”

  “No, I’m not.”

  “It’s okay. I’d be pissed at me, too.”

  “I’m not, really. I’m just trying to wrap my head around everything that’s going on.”

  “I’m so sorry. I know seeing Joseph like this hurts you. In the beginning, I told Joseph if this fell apart, you’d be my priority, you’d be mine, and I meant it. But you have to know this doesn’t change things between you two. I’d never try to take him away from you.”

  “He tried to break up with me.” Shit. I didn’t mean to tell him that, but it’s eating at me.

  “What?” Shocked, he rolls to his side, staring at me.

  “Yesterday, right after you left him. He said it was never going to work and told me to go back to you.” My voice cracks at the memory of his words.

  Airen sighs and kisses me. “He’s confused. He loves you.”

  “You’re confused. You love him,” I counter.

  “Abby…” His arms wrap around my middle and pull me close while he rests his face between my breasts.

  “I know. Don’t worry about me. This isn’t about me. Yes, I’m upset and worried. In the last twenty-four hours I thought I was being dumped by both the men I love. It tends to make a girl grouchy.”

  “I was never going to leave you.”

  “I know.”

  He brings his face up until we’re nose to nose, his hand cupping my jaw. “I have never…” he says, pressing a warm kiss on my lips, “ever wanted to leave you.” He punctuates his words with soft kisses on my face. “Not once since we got together, Abigail. Do you understand me?”

  Too choked up to speak, I nod against his cheek.

  “That’s never going to happen. Even if you didn’t want me, I still couldn’t walk away. I’ll still love you when death steals the last beat of my heart.” His words shred the last sliver of wall encasing my emotions and I sob into his neck, really crying for the first time since all this shit started.

  “I could lose you, both of you if something goes wrong at that hotel.”

  “We outnumber them, sweetheart. We won’t let them touch us. I pr
omise.” When I’m all cried out, we lay together silently, the stillness of the night broken only by the sound of skin on skin as we touch and caress, surrounded by celestial fireworks. “What did you say when Joseph broke up with you?” Airen asks softly.

  “I told him I wouldn’t believe he didn’t want me until he could say it when he was over you.”

  Airen chuckles and kisses my lips. “What did he say?”

  “That he couldn’t. That he’d always want me. Then he apologized. We worked it out.”

  “But it still hurt,” he says.

  “He was so quick to do it.”

  “I’m going to kick his ass.”

  “No, he’s upset, but we know this separation of yours is temporary. That’s why he isn’t worse.”

  His face is lit briefly by the blue glow in the sky. “Abby, I don’t want you to hope when that isn’t going to happen.”

  “Can’t stop me from hoping,” I remark.

  “Stubborn girl,” he grumbles pulling me tight against him. I can feel the tension in his body. After a few minutes, he relaxes and I feel the tip of his tongue travel up my neck, ending with a soft bite on my earlobe. “Mmm, Air, someone will see.”

  “Look around darlin’. It’s just us.” A quick flick of the switch on the lantern plunges us into darkness. Stripping off his clothes, he settles his naked body atop mine. My shirt lands in the boat, and he lavishes my breasts with attention, making me forget where we are. Warm lips leave a tingling trail from my ribs to my waistband, and I’m quickly divested of my jeans and panties.

  The moan that escapes his lips when he slides inside me is rough with desire, but his touch is soft, his pace languorous. “This is my favorite place in the world. I love Joseph. I loved being with him, but this, just the two of us, I live for this. For you.”

  “God, Air,” I pant, his words pushing me to the edge, bringing tears to my eyes.

  “Yes, give it up to me. Let me hear you.” I’m confident he’s not the only one who heard me as the fireworks behind my eyelids became indistinguishable from the streaks in the sky. I’m still drifting when I hear Airen curse.