Absolution (The Infinity Series Book 2) Read online

  Balancing the saucer on top of one cup, I pick them up and take a deep breath, making my way to the bedroom. Arriving at the doorway to my room, I find her sitting on the edge of my bed, gazing at a photo I’d framed of the two of us sitting at her parent’s dining table. The floor creaks beneath my foot and she looks up at me.

  Her green eyes lock with mine and my stomach somersaults. As the corners of her mouth curl into a smile, recognition settles over me. She's recalling a fond memory – and I’m certain it’s a memory involving us both being naked. I know that look; she's hungry – but not for tea and biscuits.

  ‘I’m glad you found your way,’ I say, crossing the room and placing the cups down on the bedside table.

  ‘Instinct,’ she replies, as she places the photo back down beside the cups and turns her face up to mine. The flirtatious glint in her expression boosts an arousal I wasn’t expecting. Shit!

  At her touch, the warmth in my chest bursts into a wildfire and spreads over my whole body. I harden immediately.

  I look down at the tight bulge in my jeans and her eyes follow my gaze. ‘Look what you’re doing to me.’

  She lets out a small laugh. ‘I’m glad I still turn you on, in my condition,’ she says.

  ‘Oh, I’m turned on alright.’ Impulsively, I help her open my jeans and pull them down – I’m burning with need. Rock hard.

  She moves smoothly, but I know from the look in her eyes that she’s on fire, too. There’s an avalanche of heat engulfing us. I’ve missed this. It’s a rush that takes me higher than any drug ever has. I let her take me higher – this is why I could never go back to the clubs, cheap girls and the crack – this high lasts way more than an hour.

  I sit on the bed and pull her up to stand in front of me; I want to look at her. I pull the straps of her dress down from her shoulders and let it fall to the floor. My heart thumps loud and hard. Her skin is like porcelain, stretching slightly over a small baby bump. I wrap my hands around her waist and kiss her stomach. She unbuttons my shirt and I notice she’s trembling.

  ‘Are you cold?’

  ‘A little,’ she smiles down at me. Her eyes twinkle with mischief – I’ve never seen her like this and it sends my need sky-rocketing. I run my hands over her face, down her neck and cup her breasts. I know this place. The curves and the moans, so familiar, but it feels like the first time.

  I pull the quilt back and motion for her to lie down. ‘I’ll warm you up.’ I grin when she slides into my bed. I can’t believe she’s actually here. Really here.

  She puts her hands out to touch me, so I obey her unspoken command and lean over the top of her. Her hands are shaking a little as she caresses me – long liquid pulls and a firm hold – it probably feels like the first time for her, too.

  We trace our fingers and lips over each other’s bodies, highlighted by the midday sun, until her trembling subsides. When our movements run smooth, we add some fuel to the fire and I enter her. She gasps in pleasure and it sends me even higher. She moves under my body, her hips lifting and wanting more. Her nails push into my skin and this just arouses me beyond belief. I give her what she wants, firm but gentle. I don’t want to rush this.

  Our fingers entwine and for the first time in months I feel like a man. I close my mouth over hers and she lets a groan escape; her teeth tug at my lips.

  ‘Are you okay?’ I whisper.

  ‘Very,’ she croons. ‘Don’t stop.’

  And I don’t. It’s been far too long.

  Her warm breath on my ear and delicate murmurs send me over the edge. Like an inferno, the passion rushes to my groin, whipping me forward and I know I’m about to explode under the pressure. Abbie groans and shudders.

  We collapse. Exhausted.

  She’s mine. She’s always been mine and she’ll never know heartache again.

  ‘Princess?’

  ‘Hmmm, yes.’

  ‘I love you.’

  She takes a deep breath and as I move to look into her bright green eyes, she giggles softly. ‘I love you, infinity,’ she whispers.

  Chapter 2

  I let her sleep while I have a shower and try hard to compose myself. Normally I’d be popping an upper, downing a whisky and wallowing in self-pity. Today is a new day. It’s a new sunrise, and a new future – I’d better not stuff it up.

  ‘Princess,’ I say softly. I want more of her luscious body, but it’s not the time. She’s been asleep for a couple of hours now, and she’ll be fuming if I don’t get her back to the hospital.

  Zane.

  I wonder what he’s like. He’s obviously a decent guy: he was there for Abbie when I wasn’t, and there was obviously no ulterior motive if he bats for the other team. Shit, he’s a homosexual – what does that even mean? I know he does it with other guys, but in reality, he’s probably no different to me. Or maybe he’s better? Yeah he’s a good looking guy, but he’s more than that. He goes to church, which I gave up a long time ago, after I lost Dillan and my world crashed down around me. God was nowhere to be found, the bastard. Anyway, that was a whole other life. Now I’ve got Abbie, we have our baby and Tyler is going to flip when I tell him he’s going to be a big brother.

  ‘Princess, you need to wake up now,’ I whisper again, as I kiss her face gently.

  She moves slowly. Stretching her arms out and wrapping them around my neck. Her eyes open and they’re as green as emeralds caught in the sunlight. Her wild red hair is sprawled out around her like a halo and that warm sensation floods back through my body.

  ‘Come on, baby girl, don’t you want to go back to the hospital?’

  Her smile slides and an unhappy shadow settles over her face. My heart sinks. Shit, why’d I say that? I’m such a dick.

  ‘Yes. Um, yes, I do. But I’d like to freshen up before we go, in case he wakes up while we’re there,’ she says quietly.

  He’s obviously very important to her, and I need to make sure she’s happy. For now, he’ll be important to me too. ‘Would you like a cup of tea before we go?’

  ‘No, thanks. I just need a quick shower.’ She offers me a forced, pain-filled smile, but I accept it for what it is. I know she’s happy to be back in my arms ‘I’ll go make myself a cup then,’ I say, kissing her as I slide off the bed.

  Hearing the hot water system fire up, I struggle to resist the urge to join her in the shower. I imagine the water soaking down through her hair and trickling over her perfect breasts. I want to kiss her and make her climax as the steam wraps around her body.

  Fuck! I’ve got to stop this. She doesn’t need me carrying on like a tomcat on the prowl.

  I pour a coffee and flick through yesterday’s newspaper – there’s a couple of stories that catch my eye. It seems that ‘gay bashings’ are rife in Northbridge these days. This is crap. I throw the paper in the bin – Abbie doesn’t need to see it.

  The hot water system cuts out. Now I’m uncomfortably aware that she’ll be drying herself with one of my towels, moving her hands over her skin and bending over to dry those beautiful silky legs…

  That’s it, I’m done. I can’t do this.

  I make my way over to the front door and gaze out through the security screen, breathing in badly-needed fresh air, trying to get a firm grip on my rampaging hormones.

  ‘I’m ready,’ she calls out. I turn instantly to face her.

  She appears in the doorway wearing blue jeans and a white cotton blouse – with wet curls and bright eyes. She looks rested. Beautiful.

  ‘Okay, Princess. Let me grab my keys,’ I say, heading toward the kitchen. She stops me as I pass, grabbing my hand and pulling it toward her stomach.

  ‘Can you feel her?’ she whispers, looking up at me.

  My heart catches and so does my breath. She? Maybe this little bump is a girl. I’d like that. ‘Yeah, I can feel a little bump now.’

  ‘She feels comfortable. I think she’s happy.’

  ‘I’m sure she is.’ I pull Abbie toward me and bend to plant a kiss on the ar
ea I’ve touched, where I hope the baby can sense me.

  Abbie palms my cheek and gently draws my face upward, so our eyes meet. ‘We’ll be good parents, won’t we?’

  ‘The best. And I know one little man who’s gonna to be over the moon about being a big brother.’

  ‘Tyler? Oh, God, I hope he will be.’

  ‘I know he will. He’s missed you.’

  Her smile grows wide, and this time, it’s a real smile. I know she’s going to make a great mum and a wonderful step-mum. ‘I hope Jacquie lets him come to the hospital when she’s born.’

  ‘One step at a time. Come on, let’s go and check on Zane.’

  Her smile slips again, and I wrap an arm around her.

  One step at a time.

  ∞~∞~∞~∞

  When we arrive at the hospital and make our way up to the ward, Abbie’s pace is determined and doesn’t slow until we reach his room. I hope she gets the good news she’s wishing for.

  Mr. Bennet meets us in the corridor, his hands reaching out to take hold of Abbie’s. She lets go of mine and goes to her father. I notice Sam leaning up against the wall, one foot up against the paintwork and his hands in his pockets. He looks like shit.

  ‘Is he awake yet?’ Abbie’s voice sounds shaky.

  ‘I’m afraid not, honey.’ He hugs her and glances over her shoulder at me.

  ‘Hello sir,’ I say.

  ‘Hi,’ he replies, without letting go of Abbie. There’s no offer of a handshake.

  ‘Valentine!’ Sam calls out, striding over to where I’m standing. He puts a hand out and we shake, just like old times. He’s obviously okay with me, and I relax a little with the knowledge.

  ‘Where’s Mum?’ Abbie questions.

  ‘She went home with the girls. There’s no point us all hanging around. Zane’s mum hasn’t left his side all day. His father came in for a while, but he left a short time ago.’

  ‘Can I see him?’

  ‘His mum’s still in there, and his friend is with him. I’m sure it would be okay for you to go in.’ Mr. Bennet pulls away from her and she automatically comes back into my arms. He extends his arm and I accept his offer, shaking his hand. It’s the type of hand shake with an underlying message attached, the one that says, “take care of her, or I’ll break both your legs”.

  I nod.

  ‘Valentine, come with me,’ Abbie begs quietly, pulling at my shirt and ushering me inside the room. My chest tightens, I don’t think I should be here. ‘You belong with me,’ she adds, as if she’s capable of reading my thoughts.

  On entering the room, my senses are accosted by sanitiser and gloom – the drapes are open, but it’s like walking into a cold, dark forest where the sun is trying to push its way through a proliferation of leaves. Zane is hooked up to monitors; there are cords and wires everywhere. His face is bandaged for the most part, his right arm is in plaster and his breathing seems awfully shallow.

  The lady sitting beside him must be his mum. She looks to be around forty, pale-skinned, with glossy dark hair. Her large brown eyes are red-rimmed from crying, which just makes me more uncomfortable. She doesn’t look at me, but smiles at Abbie fondly, retaining a strong grip on her son’s hand.

  Sitting in the corner of the room, staring at Zane, is a young man. I recognise him as the guy who rushed out of the club to crouch beside Zane’s broken body and wept. The guy who leaped into the ambulance and refused to get out, even when the ambulance officer told him only family could accompany Zane to the hospital. His reply had been that he was family. Now I know what he meant. This guy is Zane’s partner; his boyfriend. He’s a good-looking guy. Dark brown skin, a hoop earring in his nose and dreadlocks of medium length; the sort of hair girls seem to go crazy about on guys – it’s that Lenny Kravitz thing he’s got going on. He resembles a zombie now, though. I know I’d look exactly like this, if our situation was reversed and it was Abbie lying there in the hospital bed.

  ‘Hi, Jed,’ Abbie whispers to him.

  He only glances at her briefly and replies just as quietly, ‘Hi, Abbie.’

  ‘Has there been any change at all, Mrs. Williams?’ Abbie asks the question as she walks around to Zane’s mum and places a comforting hand on her shoulder.

  ‘No dear, nothing.’ Zane’s mum sounds as if she’ll start sobbing at any minute, but she squeezes her eyes shut and swallows hard. Seeing her gather her strength with such determination, I suffer an unwanted flashback.

  Mum, sitting in the hospital, screaming at Dad hysterically, demanding that he go and fix Dillan. The doctors couldn’t calm her down, and Dad was at his wits end. I clearly remember standing at the doorway to Dillan’s room, desperate to go in, but not wanting to see his body when it was in such a mess...

  ‘Valentine?’ Abbie’s voice jolts me back to the present. I swallow just the way Mrs. William’s had, offering Abbie a faint smile.

  ‘I’m okay. I’ll just wait outside,’ I say, stepping backwards toward the door, swiftly making my way out of the dark, miserable forest that is Zane’s hospital room.

  Sam is right there. ‘You okay, man?’ he asks.

  Trying to look as if I’m okay, I glance up at him. ‘Yeah, just a bit crowded in there. Thought I might go and grab a coffee.’ What I really want is to slug down a double scotch and smoke half a dozen cigarettes, but I can’t. Coffee will have to do.

  ‘I’ll come with you. Dad’s gone home to check on the girls.’

  ‘No worries. Abbie will be in there for a while.’

  ‘So, what did the cops want this morning?’ Sam asks casually, as if it’s an everyday thing to have the police questioning me.

  ‘Not much. I found Zane messed up outside the club, and they wanted to know why I was there, what time it was when I found him, that kind of stuff.’

  ‘And why were you there? I didn’t take you for the kind of guy who hung around places like The Lair.’ He flicks a glance at me and offers me a cheeky grin – he’s good at that happy-go-lucky, easy-natured, larrikin.

  I fill him in on the night’s events, starting with talking Abbie into forgiving a dick like me. He’s angry about Zane. He reckons karma will get the morons who did it, but he’s hoping he gets to them first. For an easy natured, God-loving guy, he has a hellish fire in his eyes when he says this. He’d be one guy I’d like to have my back in a fight, that’s for sure.

  A coffee and a chat with Sam seems to help my nerves. When we arrive back at Zane’s room, I spot Abbie sitting on the sofa in the waiting area with her friends, Hannah and Sarah – I instinctively glance around, searching for Phil, expecting he’ll also be here.

  ‘Hi Valentine,’ Sarah says, as I make my way around to Abbie. Needing to hold her close, I sit down and then reach over and grab her, settling her on my lap.

  ‘Hi, Sarah. Hannah. Where’s Phil?’

  ‘No idea. I haven’t seen him much these last couple of days.’

  Seems I’ve put my foot in it. So, Phil and Sarah seem to have broken up. Weird. Thought he would’ve called me – I guess not. To be fair, he knows I’ve been going through my own shit. I’ll have to give him a call later, or drop in for a visit. Knowing Phil, he’ll no doubt be wallowing in self-pity. ‘Sorry, didn’t mean to—’

  ‘It’s okay.’ She waves her hand dismissively. ‘He’s a big boy; I’m sure he can handle it. I’m not going to put up with his lies—’

  ‘Um, how’s Zane doing? Any news?’ Sam interrupts, deliberately changing the subject.

  Her shoulders sink. ‘His spleen was ruptured. I’m not sure what that means, but they’re worried about infection… and pneumonia.’ She stops talking abruptly and takes a deep breath, and I can see the pain in her eyes at the thought of her friend being so sick.

  I pull her against my chest and kiss her forehead. ‘He’ll be okay.’

  ‘He might not be.’ She rubs at her eyes tiredly with her fists.

  ‘Sarah and I are going to head off,’ Hannah announces, standing up and stepping toward
us. ‘It’s getting close to dinner time, and I need to check on Mum,’

  Abbie stands up, hugging her friends before waving them goodbye.

  ‘What’s wrong with Hannah’s mum?’ Sam asks, taking a seat on one of the cold plastic chairs.

  ‘She’s got Stage Four breast cancer. She’s had all the chemo they can give her, and now she’s in palliative care – there’s nothing more they can do for her.’ Abbie stops and swallows deeply, trying to regain some control over her shaky emotions. ‘It’s all too much,’ she whispers to herself, but I hear her words. And I agree. What the hell is God playing at?

  Chapter 3

  At 8pm, I convince Abbie to leave Zane’s bedside. Visiting hours are over, and it looks as if his mum won’t be leaving his side any time soon. That guy Jed disappeared, but I’m sure he’s not far away – I know I wouldn’t be if it was Abbie lying in there.

  I have Abbie wait inside the lobby while I collect the car. Spring is here; the season of new beginnings – sunny days, but cold when the sun fades.

  ‘I want to stay with you,’ Abbie says softly as she climbs into the seat beside me, pulling her seatbelt across her chest.

  ‘Don’t you want to talk to your parents first?’

  ‘Yes. Can we go there first?’

  ‘It’s late, Princess. I have to get back to work tomorrow – I have a job now.’

  She gasps. ‘Oh, I’m so selfish! I didn’t even think about you… or ask about your new job.’ She reaches out to me, clutching my arm. ‘I’m so sorry.’

  ‘It’s okay, really – it’s just a job.’

  ‘Doing what?’

  ‘Selling used cars.’

  ‘That doesn’t sound so bad. I’ve heard people make quite a bit of money doing that – if they’re good at stretching the truth,’ she adds with a giggle.

  ‘Yeah, I know, it’s not really an honest job. But, I get a basic wage and a cut if I manage to sell a car – so it’s enough – for us.’

  ‘I’m sure we’ll be fine.’ She runs her hand along my arm and entwines her fingers through mine. I bring her hand to my lips and kiss her knuckles.