Craving (22 page)

“Hey, Gabe. How ya doing?” She snapped the gum back and winked at Gabe, pausing just a few feet away from him. Dante groaned as Gabe straightened his back and spoke coldly.

“Do I know you?” 

“Nah, maybe not.” The girl walked up to him and stood on tiptoe, cupped one hand around his ear, and whispered directly to him.

His reaction was immediate. He jerked back as though slapped, his eyes opening wide as he stared at her. His gaze flicked across to Dante, scanned the room, and then darted back to Eve, standing there with a grin on her face.

“Bye bye, Gabe. Pass on my best wishes.” Her sparkling tone a direct taunt.

For a moment, we all hung in the balance. I’m not sure I even breathed.

Then Gabe leaned down, so close he could kiss her. His snarl, “you haven’t seen the last of me,” made me shiver, but in the blink of an eye, he disappeared.

I swallowed, my throat dry and tight and looked round at the others. Josh stared blankly into space while Suki buried her face in the crook of her arm, and dropped to her knees beside him.

I looked to Dante for guidance, to find him staring at Eve. “What just happened?” He sounded as baffled as I felt.

“To Gabe?” Eve gave us an innocent smile. “I scared him away.”

“Huh? What did you say to him?”

“Oh, it was something along the lines of ‘my dog’s bigger than yours’. He’s gone for the moment, and as long as I hang around with you, he’ll stay away.” She pursed her lips and pulled a mock worried face. “That is, until he comes back with his mates and they all bring
their
dogs. And that’s when the shit will really hit the fan. But that won’t happen for a while.”

“Define
‘a while’
. Are we talking days or weeks?” Josh had been paying attention after all.

Suki’s tears were reducing to a ragged sniffle, the only sound in the room besides our harsh breathing as Eve scratched her nose, a frown on her face. “Well,” she hedged, “that’s a bit tricky, but yeah. You know.”

“No Eve, we don’t know.” Dante shook his head. “Would you like to explain?”

She dropped to a crouch, not far from Josh, and peered at his face. “He’s cute.” She glanced at Suki then resumed her study of Josh. “Way hotter than Blondie, I can see why you picked this one.”

“
Eve
.” Dante’s voice held a warning note, and she pulled a face in return.

“Okay. Like I said, I was bored. There’s not a lot to do on the other side, you know.” She trailed one finger down Josh’s cheek making him shiver, a look of astonishment flashing across his face. “Yeah, I’m outta here. Laters.”

Josh raised his hand to his temple, his brows tugging together into a single dark V. “Did she just
touch
me? I didn’t think they could
do
that. And how come I could see her? The circle was broken.”

“No idea.” Dante resumed his seat on the floor. “Wait till she pops up in the bathroom with you. That’s, uh, scary.” He shuddered.

There had been too much upset today. I claimed my place next to Dante and slipped my hand into his.

He linked our fingers and gave me a small, tight smile.

Josh and Suki had still not spoken to each other, and I felt horribly embarrassed at Gabe’s revelation, if it was even true. They needed some privacy.

I tugged at Dante’s hand and nodded my head toward the door. “Let’s go and get a drink of water.”

10.6 Josh

The dining room door banged behind us, and I silently blessed Katherine for her tact. For once in my life, I was completely and horribly stuck for words. I had a first-class degree in bullshit and charm, but I couldn’t find the right thing to say to Suki as she fell apart in front of me. Why didn’t she tell me? I bit down on my anger, that wasn’t going to help. I cleared my throat, loud in the silent room, and found my voice. “Suki, babe. Come here.”

She hunched on the floor, just out of my reach, her face buried in her sleeve. Without looking at me, she shook her head.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.
She’s in shock too. She’s not thinking straight.
I shuffled across the floor to her, trying to cross the rift that had blown up between us, a cold space I hadn’t thought could exist.

“Suki.” Ignoring her token resistance, I wrapped my arms around her and rocked, smoothing my hands over her hair, down her back, cupping her neck. “Talk to me, babe.”
Is he telling the truth?

She made a muffled sound against my shirt, her entire body trembling.

“What was that?”

Slightly clearer this time. “You hate me, don’t you? For not telling you.”

My tongue lay thick and useless. I feared the pathetic words that might come tumbling from my mouth so I clamped my lips shut.

The silence grew and stretched. I couldn’t ask, and she wouldn’t tell. A tendril of panic had already taken hold, winding up from my stomach and creeping through my chest, squeezing the air from my lungs.
Come on, Suki
, I begged in my head.
Please tell me he’s just jerking my chain.
The longer this was left, the harder it would be to talk about.

She sighed. Pushing my chest with her palms, she sat upright and scrubbed wildly at her red, swollen eyes.

I tried to catch her hands but they fluttered away from me, eventually dropping to rest in her lap.

She kept her face averted, and the panic inside me ratcheted up another level. “I didn’t get my period. So I did a test first thing this morning.” Her voice was dull as though all the life had been sucked out of her. I reached for her hands again, and she moved them away. “It was positive.”

I forced a tiny smile and concentrated on keeping the look of fear at bay. “It doesn’t mean that—”

“We used condoms when we first got together, Josh. And I’ve been careful about taking the pill regularly.”

Finally, her eyes met mine. The brown warmth I usually saw had muted and been overtaken by horror.

This time I stretched out and grabbed her hands, tugged them forward, and enclosed them in my own. “Suki, babe. We face this together. Talk to me.”

“It has to be Gabe’s. The medication I was taking—I’m sure it affected the pill, stopped it working.” Her throat moved and fresh tears sprang from her eyes. “Why can’t it be yours, Josh.” The cry burst out of her. “You can’t… I can’t ask you…”

My core skill, my default setting, was my ability to lie. I squeezed every atom of that into making myself sound convincing. “Babe, there’s nothing to ask. It’s your baby, so it’s our baby.”

“I don’t know if I’m going to keep it.”

I froze. “Condoms do fail sometimes. The pill doesn’t come with a 100% guarantee.” I managed a tiny smile, I felt sick inside. “It could be my—
our—
child.”

“Oh, God. I only found out a few hours ago.” Her gaze burned into my soul. “I don’t know what to think.”

Without even thinking about it, I started to stroke my thumbs over her hands, trying in my clumsy way to soothe her.

She looked down at where our hands linked and slowly, carefully, extracted hers before scrambling to her feet and wrapping her arms around herself.

“Suki, I—”

“Do you know what is possibly the worst thing about this, Josh?” Her voice harsh, on the edge of breaking. “He knew. Somehow, Gabe knew.” A quick rasping breath. “And that means he really is haunting me, watching me.”

“
No
. He’s here, haunting this house.”

“I did the test in the hotel, Josh. Not here. And if he can see me there, he can watch me
anywhere
.” Her breath hitched, voice rising higher. “In the shower, on the frigging toilet.
In bed with you.
He’s stalking me. I feel
violated
. There’s nowhere for me to hide.” She covered her mouth with one shaking hand, and I closed my eyes as her words sank in.
Jesus
.

He’d screwed with her mind when they were married, but that paled into insignificance against this.

10.7 Dante

Kitten curled up next to me in the back of Josh’s car. With her head on my shoulder and one hand resting easily on my thigh, she quickly fell asleep, and I marveled at the feel of her body close to mine. Her hair smelled like spring flowers, and I had the perfect excuse to bury my nose in the fiery softness as she slept.

Bizarrely, Eve dozed next to her, with her head resting on the window glass and little snores emerging. She’d kept her word about staying close to us.

The journey to Josh’s weekend cottage would take a couple of hours, and I tried not to fidget while Kitten leaned on me. I wasn’t used to long car journeys. I traveled most places on my bike with the wind on my face, so I felt confined just sitting there. It’d be nice to follow the girls’ lead and crash for a few hours, but my mind had gone into overdrive, and I couldn’t relax.

Things were strained in the front of the car too. Although Josh held Suki’s hand as he drove, for the most part she gazed silently out of the window, refusing to be drawn into conversation.

Motorway traffic gave way to a fast and wide road through open countryside, but I didn’t pay attention to the scenery. I recapped the brief conversation with Alistair and realized the obvious question I’d missed. Why did Alistair want Josh? I felt like smacking myself on the head. Now that my brain had finally switched back on, a rush of lesser puzzles swept in: how did Alistair know Josh to be Raphael? Did Josh know Alistair? And the one that I’d danced around the most: could Josh really be my brother?

“Josh? Do you know Alistair?”

His eyes met mine in the rear view mirror, his surprise visible. “Know him? I’d never even heard of him before. Why?”

“Ah, no reason.”

Suki lifted her head. “If you two want to talk, I’m happy to get in the back seat and let Dante come up front.” Her tired voice caused Josh to frown, and I replied quickly.

“Nah, I’m good back here, if it’s all the same. Katherine’s asleep.”

She shrugged in reply and sighed, before turning back to stare out of the window.

Josh followed her with his eyes, his face a picture of concern.

I tightened my arm around Kitten’s shoulders and nuzzled the shell of her ear as I continued to mull over Alistair. The only thing linking Josh and myself was our Talismans. They had to be connected.
Think, Dante
. Did Alistair want Josh’s Talisman? He’d just ask me to steal it, if that was the case. And he’d not shown any interest in mine.

I had four days left. There was no way I could ever betray Josh, this maybe-brother of mine. I watched Suki for a little while, seeing her hand tightly clasped around Josh’s, thinking about how much she relied on him. She was pregnant, quite possibly with his child. They had a future together, a family and a life with each other, and I could not take that away. He’d been nothing but decent to me, and I respected that.

Kitten murmured and shifted slightly, cuddling even closer, and I swallowed hard, blinking past the sudden dampness in my eyes.

I was no hero. The prospect of sacrificing myself to Alistair made me want to run screaming in terror, but I couldn’t carry on like this. For once in my life, I was going to do the right thing and my resolve strengthened. Alistair could go fuck himself.

I sucked in a breath and forced myself to focus on the feel of Kitten in my arms. Four days left. I would make the most of every last fucking minute.

T
he sun hung low in the sky as Josh cruised through a quiet looking village and down a narrow, hedge-trimmed lane.

Dante sat quietly beside me, gazing out of the window, one hand idly stroking my neck.

Suki yawned and stretched, turning to look in the back of the car with a tired smile. “Have you been to Rhosneigr before?”

“No.” Her yawn was infectious. “I don’t know the area at all.” I looked at Dante.

“Uh, no, not much.” He frowned. “We’re not far from the Grey House, are we, Josh?”

“Fifteen, twenty minutes away.” Josh glanced over his shoulder at us. “That’s where I met Dante, if you were wondering. It’s been sold now, but we know the owners. I can find out if they’re home, if you want to go and visit sometime?”

“Yeah, maybe. Thanks.” Dante pressed a kiss against my temple and hugged me a little closer.

“Anita’s here.” Suki sounded exhausted.

As Josh parked neatly in front of a small stone cottage, she flipped open a make-up compact and examined her reflection, rubbing at her eyes and smoothing at a few stray hairs. Her smile reappeared when a young woman rushed out to greet us, a border collie bouncing at her side.

“Hello—you’re early! The van’s just left, and we’ve got most of your basics unpacked.” The woman pulled Suki into a massive hug when she climbed out of the car, her chatter continuing. “I’ve rounded up a few volunteers to help, I thought you’d be tired, and the prospect of unpacking all those boxes would be a bit much.” She turned to hug Josh, beaming when he kissed her on the cheek. “Hello, Josh. I bet you’d like a beer and you’re both hungry…” Her voice trailed away when she noticed us.

“These are some friends of ours.” Josh drew us forward. “Katherine and Dante. This is Anita, a good friend of ours. She lives nearby and helped us find this place.”

I stuck out my hand and smiled. “Hi. Nice to meet you.”

She didn’t look much older than me. Slim to the point of being skinny, her corn-blonde hair had been pulled back into a loose ponytail, emphasizing a narrow face and big brown eyes.

Dante nodded and shook her hand briefly.

Her gaze darted across his bruised face and Josh grinned.

“It looks worse than it is. Dante and I had a disagreement with a couple of bouncers.” He winked at her. “He’s a pussycat really.”

“Bouncers?” She looked aghast. “I don’t think I want to know.” She turned back to Suki and walked into the house with her, while Josh hung back with us.

“You can trust Anita and her husband Jon. But I think it’s best to keep your story quiet until all this has been sorted out.” The sound of a baby’s wail split the air, and Josh grinned. “I think that’s our new neighbors. Come along and meet them.”

Dante took my hand. “So much for the quiet cottage in the middle of nowhere.” His jaw tense, he radiated unease, and I squeezed his fingers.

We didn’t have to go very far. A man stood at the bottom of the stairs jiggling the shrieking baby, a look of exasperation on his handsome face, turning to relief when a slender young woman appeared and took the crying infant.

“He’s hungry,” she cooed. “I’ve got his bottle ready.” Realizing they had an audience, she glanced at us with dark, smiling eyes. “Hi, I’m Sylvie and this little banshee is Joseph. You must be Josh’s friends?”

“Hi. I’m Katherine, and this is Dante.” I had to raise my voice above the howls.

The man dropped a kiss onto Sylvie’s forehead. “And I’m Alex, the forgotten husband. Nice to meet you both.”

We followed them into a large, airy kitchen where Sylvie claimed a chair and produced a bottle for the baby. The bedlam instantly dissolved into satisfied gurgles, and I turned to speak to Dante, only to find him staring intently at Sylvie. I nudged him. “What are you looking at?” I whispered.

“Huh?” He met my eyes. “She’s got… ah, you know. It’s nothing.”

Meanwhile, Suki stood in the doorway, her attention riveted on the tranquil scene, her face so pale I wondered if she were about to faint. Thankfully Josh appeared and wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

With Josh busy talking and gossiping with the others, I walked up to Suki and touched her hand. “Should I make some tea for everyone? You look as though you need to sit down.”

* * * *

Anita’s husband, Jon, was busy upstairs and between them, they’d unpacked and made the house habitable. Good friends indeed.

An hour later, we trailed behind the chattering group as we explored the beach right next to the house. I yawned relentlessly and held tight to Dante’s hand. So much had happened in the space of a few days, I wondered if it was all just a dream and when I’d wake up?

11.2 Josh

I guessed years of performing in front of a TV camera meant Suki could put on a decent act in front of our friends. As soon as we were alone with Katherine and Dante, she wilted and sagged into one of the kitchen chairs.

“Please tell me Gabe hasn’t followed us here?” She addressed Dante with a shaking voice, and he sat next to her instantly.

“No, he isn’t here. I can’t sense him in the slightest. And Eve, the girl that appeared at the séance, she tells me he’s staying away at the moment.”

Suki nodded and wiped at her eyes. “Thank God for that.” She took a deep breath and blew it out noisily. “Is she here too? I haven’t seen her.”

He nodded, his eyes flicking to the window. “Yep, she’s right over there.”

I was intrigued.

“So we could only see her because you held a séance?”

He shrugged. “You know, I’m really not sure how it works, what the rules are. But yeah, something about the séance can make the spirits visible to everyone, and holding hands in a circle binds them. Usually. The rest of the time it’s just me.”

“So does she follow you everywhere?” He shrugged and I continued. “We’ve been invited for a get-together tomorrow night, by the way. Sylvie and Alex have a house just up the beach, and they were most insistent we all go.” I snorted in amusement. “I guess Eve will come with us?”

Suki joined in. “If Eve is keeping Gabe away, I bloody hope so.” Lines of tiredness cut across her face, and I wrapped my arms around her from behind. If I couldn’t do anything else, I could try to give her my support.

* * * *

I finally had some alone time with Suki when we went to bed. There were still plenty of smaller boxes to be unpacked, but we had beds and the kitchen had the basics. We’d done enough today. Gathering her into my arms felt awkward for the first time. We had so much we needed to talk about, but I didn’t know how to start. Gabe may not have been with us here—
thank Christ—
but he was still the giant elephant in the room.

I figured playful might be a good option. I tugged at the giant T-shirt she wore. “Feeling shy, babe?”

She sighed and pushed herself up to lean against the pillows. “We’ve got company, Josh. It’s not as though we have the house to ourselves.”

“Oh, yeah. I forgot.” I played with the hem some more and gave her my best dazzling smile. “You could leave it close at hand, ready to grab if you need it.” My fingers crept underneath, discovering she also wore a pair of panties.

“
Josh
.” She edged my hand away.

“If you’re cold I can warm you up?” I flattened one palm over her warm stomach and she flinched, wriggling out of reach.

“I’m not in the mood.”
She really wasn’t.
I sat back and stared, anxiety settling in a tight ball in my stomach.

“Is this because I asked Dante and Katherine to stay here?”

“
No
.” Her knees tucked up. “Well not completely.” She wrapped her arms around her legs and dropped her chin to rest on her forearms. Piece by piece, she was closing herself off from me. “I’m just stressed.”

I reached out my hand, but she ducked away. I let it drop to my side. Sucking in a quick breath, I strove for calm. “We should talk about this.”

“Actually, there’s something else I want to talk about.” Her head lifted, and she swept a hand through her hair.

I waited and tried to read her body language. Slightly improving.

She turned to face me. “I made some phone calls earlier.” Her voice brisk and businesslike. “I talked to Arran Conroy, one of the investigative journalists at the BBC, and he told me they’re doing a big piece on
Armageddon
. They’ve been pulling it together for months. They had the idea that the police were being paid to look the other way, you know, the usual palm greasing at the top levels, masons and secret societies, all that stuff.” She reached for her phone and flicked through a series of texts as she spoke.

“I’ve talked to my producer too, about hiring Dante for the show. He’s keen to get him for a camera test, and I’ll ask him tomorrow if he’s interested.” She chattered on about her show while I pretended to pay attention.

In one respect this was good, Suki was talking to me. But not about anything that mattered.

11.3 Dante

I awoke to a strange sensation: Kitten sleeping in my arms, her head pillowed on my chest, trusting and vulnerable, and heartbreakingly beautiful.
Four days left
. Or was it three now? When did the countdown start? Daylight crept in through the curtainless windows, and I could see the outline of distant hills. Perhaps we could go walking today if the weather was fine? Time was such a precious commodity. Why did I only realize when it was about to run out?

We’d shagged well into the night. It was no wonder she was still asleep. I’d have to buy more condoms today, there was only one left, and didn’t that make a pleasant change. I lay there cosseted by a multitude of pillows, watching the day get lighter, and trying very hard not to get emotional.

When Kitten stirred, opening her mouth in a delicate little yawn and stretching her arms, I greeted her with a kiss. “Morning, gorgeous.” We’d have one perfect day together, and then I’d turn my mind to everything that needed to be done. I traced one fingertip along her cheek.
So soft.

“Angel,” she murmured, her voice rough with sleep. “I dreamed about you last night.”

Conjuring a smile, I dropped a kiss on her bare shoulder. “Was it good?”

“Mmmm.” She wrapped her arms around me, pulling me down to kiss her properly. “It was
very
good.” Our tongues danced before she eased back a fraction. “It was so intense. End-of-the-world sex, you know, as if we’d never have another chance again.”

I closed my eyes to cover the blurring and kissed her hard, trying to lose myself in her while I still could.

I heard foil crinkling and looked up to see Kitten dangling the last condom from her fingertips—unwrapped.

“Oops,” she murmured, “I seem to have opened it. That means we have to use it.” I reached to take it, but she pulled away. “Let me, Angel.”

She rolled it over me with care, and stroked the length of my cock, making me even harder. Ever conscious of the countdown in my head, I wanted to make it good for her, to leave a good memory of me. We kissed, our mouths hungry and demanding, and then I asked her to roll over, onto her knees. I wanted to take her from behind.

Her arse was almost edible, curved and plump, with skin like satin. I kissed my way up her spine and lifted her to lean back against my chest, just before I thrust inside her. She moaned, her back arching and hips flexing as I pumped in and out. God, she felt good.

I could play with her breasts and reach her clit with ease, while burying myself deeper than I could have imagined.
I need more
. Pulling out, despite her cry of surprise, I flipped her onto her back and spread her legs wide, stroking and smoothing with my hands. Pressing a hot open-mouthed kiss on her pale inner thigh, I licked a greedy trail up to her hip, teasing and making her grind against me.

“Please,” she breathed, “don’t stop.”

What is the matter with me?
I felt remote. I was there, with Kitten, worshipping her body, but at the same time I held back.

She bent one knee, urging me on, guiding me inside in one smooth thrust. I groaned at the sensation, a thousand nerve endings awash with pleasure. From here, I could look into her face and watch her as she came. I breathed in her perfume, holding the scent in my lungs.
It’s like I’m watching someone else.

“Dante,” she crooned, “Angel, that feels so good.”

I pumped harder, bracing myself on one arm and fisting my free hand in her hair, holding her at the perfect angle to plunder her mouth. Her nails raked my shoulder, a flash of pain in delicious contrast to the intensity further down. So tight, she gripped my cock with her inner muscles and created the most divine friction as I pounded into her. Her breasts were covered with a shimmer of perspiration, and I shifted my mouth to take her nipples, one then the other, making her wail before I claimed her mouth again, muffling her cries.