A Family Affair - Next of Kin (14 page)

“Huh.”

Nikki hadn’t noticed the dark lines under his eyes until that moment. She had been so preoccupied with her own news. He looked as if he hadn’t slept in days, or perhaps he was upset. It was hard to imagine Kane sad, and particularly so given his acquisition of this fabulous new home. “What’s wrong, Kane?” Nikki asked, putting a hand on his shoulder. It felt nice to touch him again. “I can tell that something is bothering you.”

He looked at her hand. “What do you care, Nik?”

She didn’t understand how he could ask that of her. “You should know exactly how much I care by now.” Everything she did demonstrated that.

He pulled away and looked in another direction. “I gave Ellen one more chance yesterday afternoon.”

Nikki didn’t want to hear about Kane’s feelings for Ellen. They were ludicrous, totally misplaced, and clearly not reciprocated.

“I heard that she started university, so I drove around the campus looking for her. I thought that… maybe we’d be able to talk without her entourage there. I’d just picked up my new car, and I wanted her to see it.”

“Your new car?” What else had he bought?

Kane ignored her question. “I always thought it was money that she wanted. Now that I’ve got my own, I...”

Suddenly Nikki remembered the court case. “Oh, Jack’s estate. I’d forgotten. The court case obviously went well.” It all made sense. Kane must have succeeded in acquiring wealth via the will, which explained how he was able to buy this new home, and quit his old job. Nikki hoped he hadn’t spent it all. She looked around at the opulence in a new light. This was Jack’s money.

“Er... well no. It turns out my lawyer was a dud. He didn’t get me anywhere. And he took off without talking to me at the end, which really pissed me off.”

“What?” That couldn’t be right. How had Kane bought a new apartment and car if the court case hadn’t succeeded? “I don’t understand then…”

“Look, it doesn’t matter. You’re missing the point. I could give her all of this now,” he said, spinning around and indicating at his new home. “She could live in the most amazing home in Melbourne here with me. But she still said no.”

“You know she is happily married, Kane.”

“I know she is married, but I never bought it personally.”

Nikki shook her head, not enjoying the conversation.

“I guess it hit me pretty hard - her rejection, I mean. It was the way she looked at me... I always thought it was Tom keeping us apart.”

Nikki reached out to touch him again, but he pulled away before she could.

His mood changed from sad and reflective to angry. “I mean, she is parading my kid around and pretending it’s his...”

“Wait... what are you saying?” Nikki must have heard wrong. Why the hell would Kane say something like that? Angus couldn’t be his son, could he?

Kane looked up surprised. “Oh, you didn’t know. I suppose no one would have told you...”

“Told me what?” Nikki was speechless. She hadn’t realised there was any basis for Kane’s feelings. She’d thought his obsession with Ellen purely one-sided. This new information was incomprehensible. Had Ellen cheated on Tom by sleeping with his own half-brother? That was despicable and unforgivable. No wonder Kane had feelings for her. She had used him at some point in the past, and spat him out. Poor Tom! Did he even know? “You and Ellen were intimate?” Nikki said, finding it hard to say the words out loud.

“Yeah, back when I was her trainer. She had feelings for both Tom and I for a while, I guess. She chose him, but I thought it was a money thing. After today, I’m not so sure...”

“I can’t believe this... and you think that there is some chance that Angus might be your son?” Nikki was still shocked with the information she was hearing. If it was true, then Angus and Alice would be related - they would be half-brother and sister.

Kane nodded.

“Well, maybe that explains why the kids look so similar. We know that Alice is yours, and Angus and Alice could easily be brother and sister. What about the dates? Do they line up? Have you worked out the month that Ellen got pregnant? Have you asked for a paternity test? You can, you know? If Tom doesn’t know about you and Ellen, he has a right to.”

“Of course I asked for a paternity test. It said it wasn’t mine.”

Nikki was relieved to hear that. “Oh, well, these things are pretty accurate, as I understand.”

“I suppose so. But there was something wrong with the doctor who did it. He was the one who told me I was infertile.”

“Ah...” Well, Kane was certainly not infertile, so she had to agree with that point. There must have been something wrong with his doctor, but questioning the paternity result seemed a step too far.

Nikki suddenly remembered the day Ellen mentioned that she knew about Kane’s supposed infertility. At the time, it had seemed a fact too personal for her to know, but Nikki hadn’t questioned it. Gee! With hindsight, Ellen had been quite dishonest with her throughout their supposed friendship. Nikki had confided in her when she became pregnant with Kane’s child and Ellen had sat there - stony-faced throughout the whole conversation, not admitting one word about her own relationship with Kane or the question of Angus’ paternity. The two women suddenly had more in common that Nikki could have ever guessed.

“Anyway, as I said, it was the way that Ellen looked at me.” Kane was still lost in his ocean of unreciprocated feelings for Ellen. “She really loathes me now, and I know she used to care. I guess I fucked up somewhere along the line. Maybe today is the day when I forget her.”

Nikki didn’t want to hear another word about Mrs Tom Bradley. “I think that’s a good idea, Kane. There are other women out there, you know.”

“Are there?”

She raised her eyebrows. “Yes, like me. I love you, Kane. More than I can tell you.” Nikki held her breath, wanting Kane to understand the depths of her feelings, the lengths she would go to be with him. “I’ve loved you since the first moment we met. Let me look after you while you go through this period. If nothing else, let me do that.”

Kane turned to face her. He’d been talking to her while looking elsewhere for the past few minutes. “Why do you keep pushing me when you know I don’t feel the same way?”

Nikki reached for him again. “I just have this feeling about us, as if we were made for each other. I have faith in you. I think it’s just a matter of time for us. But I don’t want to rush you. There’s no hurry. Just let me be there for you when you need someone.”

Kane tilted his head, as he watched her closely. “Tell me something, Nik, on a completely different subject. How much money are you worth?”

Nikki was slightly taken aback by the question, as she’d been enjoying talking about the possibility of them having a relationship one day. However, no subject was off the table, and if Kane wanted to talk about money, then she was happy to do so. Money was never an overly important issue to her. It provided options in life and opened doors, but she felt no strong pull towards its acquisition - not the way that other people sometimes did anyway. Even if Kane was penniless, she would have gladly shared everything she owned with him.

Nikki summed the value of her properties, shares, and various bank accounts in her head. “Er... six, maybe seven million.”

“Huh,” said Kane. He looked impressed and paced the floor, deep in thought. “And how long did it take for you to accumulate that much wealth?”

Nikki narrowed her eyes, wondering where his questions were leading. He still hadn’t explained his own recent acquisition of wealth, and her curiosity was growing. He was a difficult man to read at times, and was obviously holding back information from her. “Are you going to tell me where your money has come from?”

“No.”

He was stubborn, but she wanted him to trust her. Perhaps giving of herself was the first step to achieving that trust. “Well, let’s see. I started writing songs when I was about thirteen. I was signed to my first recording label when I was fifteen. I guess I started receiving royalty payments the year after that - when I turned sixteen. So, all in all, it took about seven years to make that money. Kane - you know I want us to share everything together. My money will be your money too if we can find a way to be together as a family. For the sake of our daughter who is depending on us, I hope that happens. She is going to love you too, you know. I really think the three of us belong together.” Not expecting anything in return, Nikki walked towards him and put her hand on his cheek, trying to comfort him, and wishing there was some way to remove the pain Ellen had inflicted.

He surprised her by putting his own hand over hers. “You’re not like other women, Nik. You do mean more to me than most I know.”

She smiled reassuringly, gladly taking whatever affection he could offer.

“I’m not promising you anything. I’m not in the right place at the moment to do that, but perhaps there could be something between us... one day.” He dropped his hand to her waist.

Nikki breathed in sharply, enjoying each moment his hands were on her. For months now, she had waited for this moment. With proof of their being unrelated, and proof of Alice being his daughter, there was nothing keeping them apart.

Kane pulled her closer, and leant down until his lips were on hers. Nikki’s heart was beating so loudly; surely he could hear it. She didn’t move a muscle as he placed the lightest feathery kiss she could imagine. Suddenly his grip on her waist tightened and his lips crushed down on hers. She responded by running her hand up his smooth taut back. He pulled her back towards the staircase which led to the roof, his hands reaching under her bra to explore her breasts along the way.

Nikki realised with some trepidation that she was being led upstairs. There were nearby apartment buildings which overlooked Kane’s rooftop. “Shouldn’t we stay inside?”

“Live a little. If someone wants to watch us, well... let them.” He pulled her towards the bubbling hot tub, ripping her clothes off with little care for buttons and seams.

Nikki thought she heard a fabric tear, but didn’t mind. Fulfilling his desires was her number one priority, although she couldn’t help but feel somewhat exposed. She hoped nobody was watching, being somewhat embarrassed about her post-baby body which was not yet perfect. But of a more pressing need was her desire for him, her body aching for his touch. She wanted him to know every part of her, to love every inch, and he would - starting today. Ellen wouldn’t be on his mind any longer if she had anything to do with it.

Kane yanked his own shorts off, revealing his hard and erect cock. He pulled her into the hot tub, and began rubbing her breasts while kissing her lips, her cheek and her neck. He sucked on her neck until it hurt and then moved downwards towards her breasts, taking each nipple into his mouth. He was being rough with her, but she liked it that way.

After a few minutes, he lifted the lower part of her body out of the water, and pushed her against the side of the hot tub, before slamming himself inside. Their naked bodies fitted perfectly together, as Nikki’s body readily received him.

She enjoyed every moment while it lasted, and followed his commands willingly, hoping it would not be the last time they made love.

Despite the passing of weeks, Kane continued to be surprised by Nikki Lucas. Having her around wasn’t as bad as he imagined it would be. In fact, he was enjoying her company. There was something about her which intrigued him – a quality he hadn’t noticed previously. They were parents together too. Since Nikki had entered his life again, he had gotten to know Alice. She seemed like a nice baby, as far as babies went. It was clear Nikki was a good mum to his daughter too.

Nikki had other qualities worthy of appreciation - she was certainly attractive, but more importantly she wanted him. Given what had happened with Ellen, he needed to be wanted at the moment more than anything else. Nikki seemed to understand his needs in a way other women didn’t. She seemed determined that they be together, and for the moment anyway, he was happy to be persuaded by her conviction.

He had thought her uninteresting and shallow when they’d first met, but perhaps he’d been hasty in his judgement. She had been successful in life, having accumulated wealth from music. She hadn’t relied on Jack for money as he’d thought. Although her earnings over many years were impressive, Kane by contrast had achieved his wealth overnight. On some level, he felt equal with Nikki. Maybe they were good together after all.

Kane wanted to do something nice for her. She had really started glowing when he offered to drive her to Lakeside Hospital. So that was how Kane found himself spending the following Saturday afternoon in Nikki’s company. She chatted about various things on the way, and occasionally made him laugh. He was actually feeling happy, for the first time in a long while. Perhaps he could live without the love of Ellen after all. Each day was better than the one before.

When they arrived, Kane led Nikki towards the reception desk where they were confronted by a middle-aged woman, who seemed preoccupied. She was clearly more interested in her crossword than attending to visitor enquiries.

“Yes,” she said, not looking up.

“Good morning,” Kane said, trying to sound extra friendly.

“Yes,” she repeated.