Infinite Ties (All That Remains #3) Read online

  Infinite Ties

  All That Remains: Book Three

  by

  S.M. Shade

  Copyright © 2014 S.M. Shade

  All Rights Reserved. This book may not be reproduced, scanned or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission from the author. All characters and events portrayed are fictitious. Any similarities to actual persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Epilogue

  Chapter One

  Airen

  Early morning fog hangs heavily in the humid August air, enshrouding the landscape in a lacy veil, rendering the everyday nearly unrecognizable. I love this time of day. My feet are propped on the small table as I lounge on the porch and watch the day come to life. Anyone who says the forest is a quiet place just doesn’t know how to listen. Birds sing their songs, but not a cappella. Wind whistles through the trees, a rising and falling tone, while water dripping from the leaves keeps the tempo, tapping out a steady beat. A low rattle adds to the din as a small animal burrows through the underbrush before a loud crash of a deer bounding through the trees completes the symphony of the forest.

  This is the time of day I feel truly alive. The scent of wet leaves and grass, the taste of coffee, and the warmth of the sun on my face when it breaks over the trees, burning away the fog in the air and my brain. It doesn’t get better than this.

  It’s been a long, hard journey to reach this point. The plague that took everything from me—from everyone—is over three years in the past, but it has changed my life irrevocably. My days of acting and modeling are long behind me and my priorities have changed so drastically there are days I barely recognize myself. Instead of casting calls and photo shoots, my days are filled with manual labor, planting and harvesting vegetables, raising livestock, and hunting to keep our freezers stocked with meat.

  The door creaks open and Abby lets Uno outdoors. Her eyes are barely open, and her hair is a wild mess when she kisses my cheek and mumbles, “Morning, baby,” before dragging herself back inside. She’s no morning person, but even bedraggled and half asleep, her face pink and creased, my wife is lovely. Through the window, I see her throw a pillow at Joseph to wake him up. He’s worse in the morning than she is. His indignant voice is quickly followed by her melodic giggle.

  Abigail and Joseph, the two halves of my universe. Things were difficult for a few months when we announced our intention to bring Joseph into our relationship, but after the rest of the family saw how happy we are together, they accepted us and our decision. One bonus of living with a drastically reduced population, there are less people to judge us.

  Not that I really give a bucket of bear piss what anyone thinks of us, anyway. I almost died of pneumonia, Joseph nearly burned to death in a fire saving my son, and Abby…Abby has been through so much in her life. I’m amazed at her strength and resilience. We deserve to be happy. If there’s one thing the last few years have taught me, it’s to hold onto what you love because it can be swept away in the blink of an eye.

  Abby is frying eggs and pork while Joseph and the kids sit at the table. “We need your help at Eric’s today,” Joseph tells Carson. Eric and Lexi have moved into a small lakeside cabin, and we’re helping them get their solar panels installed.

  “It’ll cost you,” Carson replies with a grin.

  “How about a swift kick in the ass?” I ask, flipping his earlobe as I pass by.

  “You couldn’t get your leg up high enough, old man.” Carson has grown six inches in the past year. If he keeps going at this rate, he’ll be taller than me before he’s fifteen.

  My arms slide around Abby’s slender back as my lips close over her soft mouth. “Good morning, Mrs. Holder.”

  “Mmm,” she hums before breaking the kiss. “Good morning. You’re in a good mood.”

  “Guess so. Don’t worry about dinner tonight. I thought I’d grill some deer steaks.”

  “Sounds good. I’ll just make a salad and bake some potatoes.”

  “We have some sweet corn that could be harvested early,” Joseph suggests, grinning. Abby adores sweet corn. “I’ll bring it in later.”

  “Perfect.” She smiles, and he grins back at her.

  “I have something to show you both after dinner tonight,” I announce after the kids have left the table.

  “Should I be scared?” Abby giggles.

  “Should I be naked?” Joseph smirks. “Did you sneak off to the sex shop?”

  “You wish, buddy. Come on, let’s get to work.” We head to Eric’s house, leaving Abby to watch Lane and Walker. I wouldn’t trade jobs with her for anything.

  The day passes in a haze of broiling heat, and I’m happy to be back at home in the air conditioning. We’ve made a lot of progress on Eric’s house. Another day or two and we’ll be finished. After dinner, the kids run off to play, and I drag Abby and Joseph around the house to the rear field where the game is set up and waiting.

  “What are we doing?” Abby asks.

  “We’re going to play cornhole.”

  Joseph grins. “In public?”

  “What’s cornhole?” Abby asks.

  Joseph slings his arm around her neck. “Well, remember last Thursday when Airen ripped off my boxers?”

  “Shut up!” Abby smacks him on the arm, and he pinches her ass before turning quickly to catch the bean bag I toss at his head.

  “Come on, darlin’. I’ll show you.” Earlier that day, I’d placed the wooden platforms the standard twenty-seven feet apart and propped a white erase board against a nearby tree. Handing Abby a red bean bag, I explain the rules. “You have to stay behind the front edge of the board when you throw. You get one point if the bag lands on the board and three points if it lands in the hole. There are a couple of ways to keep score, but to keep it simple, we’ll just play to twenty-one.”

  “Sounds fun. Let’s do it.” Abby flashes a smile that never fails to light up my day and tent up my shorts.

  “You and Joseph play first, and I’ll beat the winner.”

  “Were you born this arrogant or did you have to work at it?” Abby asks, rolling her eyes at me.

  “When you’re good, you’re good.” I wink. “And I’m a master.”

  “Master of cornholing?” Abby giggles.

  “I have to back him up on that one,” Joseph says with a grin.

  “The maturity level here is astounding,” I remark, trying hard not to laugh. “You take red, Abby.”

  She takes the red beanbag from my hand, and Joseph scoops up the blue. “As you wish, Captain Cornhole.”

  Joseph snorts with laughter. Abby gets two on the board and one in the hole on her first turn. Is there anything my girl can’t do? “She’s kicking your ass, dimples.” I can’t help but rub it in when Abby sinks another one, making the score nine to two.

  “No way, I have the hang if it now. Sorry, ladybug. You’re going down.”

  Abby scoffs. “Don’t bet on it.”

  “Now there’s an idea. How about a little wager?” I suggest.

  “What do you have in mind?” Abby asks, using her palm to shield her eyes from the sun.

  “Late night bedroom Simon Says. Winner gets control.”

  “Bedroom Simon Says? Where do you come up with this shit?” Joseph asks with a grin.

 
; “Pulls it out of his cornhole,” Abby replies, giggling.

  “Winner gets to call the shots in bed tonight. So when I win, you two have to do whatever I want.”

  “Just agree, Joseph, before we suffocate in all the smug.”

  Joseph turns to her. “You just think you’re going to win.”

  She shrugs and grins. “If you win, you get to boss Airen around.”

  “You’re on.” He laughs.

  Perfect. I may have neglected to mention this was my favorite game in college. I can hit the target dead drunk. Both of them under my control. I’m hard just thinking about the possibilities.

  Two rounds later, Abby only needs four points to win while Joseph trails with a paltry nine points, all of them earned by landing on the board. Abby squeals and jumps up and down when her first two throws put her over the top.

  “Lucky little brat,” Joseph grumbles good naturedly, hugging her.

  “Hey, if you can’t put it in the hole then we shouldn’t put you in charge in the first place,” I taunt.

  “Airen! Be nice.” Abby grins at Joseph. “Just for that, when I win I’ll make him give you an hour long blow job.”

  “Never going to happen, sweetheart.” Abby is the love of my life, but I’m going to kick her sweet little ass. I’m already picturing tonight’s fun in my mind.

  “Uh Oh.” Joseph laughs. “You better win, girl. He has that look he gets just before he tries to fuck you to death.”

  “I’ve got this,” Abby says confidently, and tosses me a beanbag. “Loser’s go first.” I almost feel guilty about how badly I beat her…almost. She did great, better than she did against Joseph, but I only missed the hole twice, and only to drag out the game.

  “No!” Abby and Joseph cry out in unison when I sink the final bag, sealing their fate.

  “I’ll be waiting for that hour long blow job,” I drawl before walking toward the path leading to Julie’s house.

  “Where are you going?” Abby calls out.

  “To sweet talk Julie into keeping Lane and Walker overnight. We don’t want the screams and cries for mercy to give them nightmares.” Abby groans and leans into Joseph’s chest. Oh yeah, let them think about that.

  * * * *

  Carson and Walker are spending the night at Gary and Emma’s. He’s promised them a Karate Kid movie marathon. “I’m taking Lane to Julie’s. You have half an hour before you become my sex slaves.”

  Abby rolls her eyes. “I’m going to shower.”

  “Wait for me.” Joseph grins, stripping off his shirt.

  When I return, Joseph is lounging on the bed, fresh from his shower, and Abby is in the bathroom drying her hair. Taking advantage of the fact that she can’t hear me, I explain my plans for tonight to Joseph.

  “You’re giving me control?” he asks, incredulous.

  “Not exactly. I saw your face when Abby commented about you being the sweet one in bed. You didn’t like it, did you?”

  He shrugs. “I don’t have the experience with women that I do with men. She’s so small…I don’t want to hurt her.”

  “You didn’t answer my question.”

  “No, I didn’t like it. She has no idea how bad I want to fuck her brains out.”

  “And that’s what I want to see tonight. You won’t hurt her. If it’s too rough, she’ll tell you.” He looks doubtful. “I’ll be right here, watching. Do you think I’d let Abby get hurt? I’ll let you in on a secret, Joey. As sweet as she is on the outside, she can be a wildcat if you get her going. Give her a chance to show you that side of herself. It’s fucking amazing.”

  A lascivious smile spreads across his face and he nods as Abby joins us wearing only a pair of red lace panties.

  “Why do I have a feeling you guys were talking about me?” She smiles and stretches out lazily on her back. Her long hair fans out on the pillow, and I can see the round curves of her ass when she bends her knees and slips her hands behind her head. Christ, I have to get out of this bed before I change my mind and fuck her senseless.

  “Because we were.” She watches while I drag a chair to the side of the bed and take a seat. “Joseph knows the score. He can fill you in.” Joseph looks up in shock while I sit back and stare at them expectantly. “You lost the bet, dimples. Tell her what I want.”

  He turns to Abby. “He wants to watch us.”

  “He always watches us.” Abby smiles uncertainly.

  “Right now, I want you both to get naked.”

  “Yes, Captain Cornhole.” Joseph smirks and strips off his boxers before pulling Abby’s panties down and tossing them to me.

  “Keep up the back chat and I’ll come live up to my name.”

  “Now what?” Abby grins, uncrossing her legs so I get an eyeful. Oh, she’s going to regret teasing me.

  “Now I’m going to watch Joseph fuck you until you beg for mercy.”

  Abby gasps and her eyes dart to Joseph’s before regarding me again. Her beautiful eyes widen when I walk alongside the bed, trailing my fingers over the smooth skin of her thigh and hip. “I want you to tease her, torture her, and make her beg for every orgasm. Quit holding back. Show her what you’ve got. I want to hear screaming.” My fingers dip between her folds to feel the moisture already gathering. “Take your time with her. We have all night.”

  I bury my hand in her hair, tugging gently until she looks me in the eye. “And I want you to take it.” I can’t resist pressing my fingers into her as my demand sinks in, and she swallows audibly. “Joseph’s in charge. Any objections?”

  “No.” Her voice is small. As if she would pass this up. She’ll wear him out.

  “Good,” I chirp. “Just forget I’m here.”

  “Yeah, that’s likely,” Joseph mumbles as I return to my seat, and he wraps his arms around our girl.

  There was a time when I would’ve killed him for touching Abby. Until I realized how much he loves her. I think that’s half the reason I fell in love with him. Now, watching them enjoy each other gives me a unique sense of joy. Still, tonight is about them. They need to relax more with each other, let their guards down. With Abby, I know how to make that happen. He has to get her past that point of no return. Make her forget herself. Make her vulnerable, strip her bare, and then show her that she can trust him to be there when she falls apart. That he’ll be there to put the pieces back together when it’s over. To say she has abandonment issues is an understatement. To my girl, everything is temporary.

  “Do you want to do this, Abby?” Joseph murmurs.

  “Yes,” she breathes. “I want you.” All of Joseph’s trepidation fades away at her words and a wolfish grin appears on his face. She’s in for it now. I’ve seen how Joseph can be when he takes control, and it’s hot as hell.

  He grips her face and thrusts his tongue into her mouth, kissing her as though she holds the only oxygen in the room. She moans and reaches between his legs, but he quickly pins her hand to the bed and slips his fingers inside her, resting his thumb against her clit. Grinding against his hand, she groans with frustration while he glides slowly in and out, flexing his fingers and kissing the sensitive spot on her neck that always makes her lose it.

  “Joseph,” she groans. “Faster.”

  “Look at me, baby.” Her dark chocolate eyes gaze into his. “You want me to make you come?”

  “Yes!” She tries again to grind against his palm, so he removes his fingers. I almost laugh at the shock on her face, quickly followed by her stubborn expression. Joseph isn’t giving in. She isn’t getting her way. Ha, this is going to be a show to remember.

  “I’ll make you come until you see stars, but only if you do what I say.” His voice is stern while he strokes lightly between her legs again, just enough to keep her on edge. “Understand?”

  She hesitates. There it is. That issue with authority that keeps her from truly letting go. Her dislike of being told what to do. We got past it, and they will too. Joseph slows his hand again when she doesn’t respond. “Your choice, Abi
gail.”

  “I understand!”

  “My good girl,” he murmurs. The pleasure she feels at his praise is apparent on her face, visible for only a fleeting second before she pulls the shutters closed. “Keep your eyes on mine, baby. Tell me what I’m doing to you.” He’s tapped into one of her biggest vulnerabilities. Abby loves when we talk dirty to her, but she’s easily embarrassed when the table is turned.

  “No,” she moans, burying her face in his neck.

  “Yes, Abby. You can’t hide. I want you in this moment with me. Besides, I love to see you blush,” he teases. “I love how it sweeps down your neck to your breasts. Now show me those pretty eyes.” Her cheeks are flushed when she obeys. “What am I doing to you?” Her moan fills the room as Joseph thrusts his fingers into her harder and circles firmly with his thumb. “Answer me, or I’ll stop.” His voice is hard.

  “Touching me,” she whispers.

  “You can do better than that.” He starts to slow.

  “Fingering me! You’re fingering me.” Her eyes flash with a mixture of anger and lust.

  “Is it good, baby?”

  “Yes! Joseph,” she groans, her voice desperate.

  “Tell me what you want.” His eyes are heated jade as their gazes lock.

  “Please.”

  “Please what?”

  “Make me come.”

  He grins at her scarcely audible plea. “Only once? We can do better than that.” He adjusts the pace of his fingers and whispers something in her ear. Her fingers dig into his flexing bicep as she cries out, her body shuddering through her orgasm. Before she can recover, he pushes her thighs apart, and wraps his arms around them, burying his face between her legs. I can’t help but chuckle when she squeals and thrashes wildly, pulling his hair. He knows better. Abby’s so sensitive after she comes the first time, she needs a minute before continuing. He’s torturing her.

  “Joseph! Stop! I can’t!” she cries, squirming and twisting. Ignoring her pleas, he eats her ravenously, quenching a voracious thirst for her unique taste. Just as she gains a modicum of self control, he seals his mouth just above her opening and sucks steadily.