The Last Woman (All That Remains #1) (10 page)

He pushes me away from him and
stares at me. “Look at me, Abby.”

I raise my eyes, and bite my
lip.

“I’m insulted that you think I
could be that shallow, as if all I care about in a woman is her appearance.
Personally, I prefer a woman with curves.” He runs his hands down my hips.
“Still, that’s beside the point. Beauty isn’t the most important thing to me, and
besides you’re—”

“Don’t!” I interrupt him.
“Please just don’t. It makes me uncomfortable. I have a mirror. I know how I
look.”

He holds my head in his hands,
and his gaze burns into me. “You don’t know how you look to me. I want you to
understand I don’t see you the way you see yourself. I see the woman I love.”

I can’t fight him anymore. I
never had a chance. All I can do is nod and press my face into his shoulder. “I’ve
tried so hard not to love you, Airen.”

“How did that work for you?”

I can hear the smile in his
voice. “It didn’t. I just did my best to hide it.”

He snorts and threads his
fingers through my hair. “You did a good job. I was afraid I’d lose you to
Joseph for a while. Thank goodness he’s gay.”

I shake my head in disbelief.
He was jealous? His hateful attitude toward Joseph and me really was due to
jealousy? Joseph knew, and he tried to tell me, but I didn’t believe him. I can
hardly believe it now.

I have to hear it from him. “You
were jealous?”

Looking away, he mumbles, “Not
one of my better qualities, I know.”

I giggle, and he raises his
eyebrows. “It’s a trait we share.” He sits on the couch with his arm around me,
and I lean against him, inhaling his scent and reveling in the closeness of his
body to mine. “Are sure you want this? I mean, we can’t exactly just date when
we’ve been living together for so long.”

“Hmm,” he hums, nuzzling his
face in my neck. “I may have had fantasies of sharing that big closet you have
in your room, but we can take things as slow as you want. I just want to be
with you, Abigail.”

“You have to promise me
something.”

“Anything,” he whispers,
kissing my earlobe.

Oh, that’s distracting. Get it
together, Abby! I pull away and stare at him. “If someone else comes along, a
woman who is more your...um, type.” I sigh, looking away. This is so hard to
say out loud. “I mean, if you ever think you’d be happier with another woman, I
want you to be honest about it. You’re such a good person, and I don’t want you
to stay with me out of loyalty or because you don’t want to hurt me. I promise
if that day comes, I’ll let you go without a scene, and I’ll find a way to stay
friends and keep our family together.”

“You want me to say if someone
better comes along, I’ll replace you?” he asks, his voice hardening.

“I want you to promise you
won’t let me hold you back. I don’t want you to feel like you’re stuck with me
because you happened to meet me first, when I was the only one available.”

He shakes his head. “You have
some real self-esteem issues, Abby. Has anyone ever told you that?”

“Yes, but I don’t think that’s
the case. I know there are good things about me, but I’m also realistic.”

“I promise I love you, and
there’s no one better for me than you.” Soft lips press against my temple. “I
promise if that should change—and it won’t—I’ll be honest with you about it,
but you have to promise me something also.”

“What?”

“If you meet another man you’re
attracted to, you have to tell me—immediately—so I can throw him down the dry well
and put the cap on.”

I giggle and rake my fingers
through his hair. Oh, I’ve always wanted to play with that soft, dark hair. “There’s
no one as beautiful as you,” I whisper.

“Do you have to use the word
beautiful? You’re undermining my manhood a little,” he jokes.

“Sorry, but you are beautiful.
I suppose I could add gorgeous, sexy, kind, caring, and well, I could go on all
night.”

“I’m not stopping you.”

“Let’s not forget arrogant and
brooding,” I add, rolling my eyes.

“Brooding?”

“Yes.”

“I brood?”

“On a daily basis.”

“Maybe I’m just thinking about
you,” he replies, pulling me into his lap and taking my mouth with a long,
slow, searching kiss, setting me on fire.

“They’re kissing!” Walker
yells, running back down the hall to Jayla’s room.

“We’re busted.” Airen smiles,
and I chuckle, burying my face in his sweet smelling neck.

“Walker! Stay out of there and
hush!” Joseph scolds, trying to hide the amusement in his voice.

We’re still cuddled together
on the couch an hour later when the kids finally go to bed. Joseph says good
night with “I told you so” written all over his face.

“Are you tired?” Airen asks.

“Depends.”

“On?”

“Are you coming to bed with
me?”

He studies my face and strokes
my cheek. “Are you sure?”

“Do you want to?”

“More than anything,” he replies.

He kisses the corner of my
mouth and stands up, offering his hand. His fingers curl around mine, and he
leads me to my bedroom. Oh, this is really going to happen. Once we’re behind
the closed door, I fight the urge to attack him and rip his clothes from his
body. It’s been so long, and he’s so fucking sexy standing there with his shirt
un-tucked and his hair a mess.

When he turns on the lantern,
I suddenly feel self-conscious. I’m going to be naked in front of this Greek god
of a man. Sensing my anxiety, he reaches around me and gently grasps my hair,
tilts my head back, and kisses me tenderly. A long, slow kiss makes my whole
body quiver and sing. Oh, he can kiss.

“You have no idea how many
times I’ve pictured this,” he murmurs.

Kissing again, my hand slides
down to cup his perfect ass, squeezing it, and his breath hitches in response.
“You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that.” I reply, and he chuckles. I
unbutton his shirt and run my hands across his chest, my fingers trailing
through the dark curls, sliding over his nipples as they harden. I love the way
he tenses under my fingers, the small moan he tries to smother against my neck.

He unzips my dress and peels
it off, leaving it in a pool at my feet. I’m standing there in my bra and
panties as he gazes at me, up and down, a look of pure carnal satisfaction on
his face. He scoops me up and lays me on the bed, covering my body with his.
The feel of him on top of me, his bare chest and stomach pressed to mine is
sublime. He has barely touched me, and I’m already out of my mind with desire
for him.

I reach between us to unfasten
his pants, and he makes short work of removing them, tossing them aside along
with his shirt. He trails soft kisses across my face and down my neck, sucking
gently, and I moan, tilting my head to give him better access. It feels so
good. His fingers run over my breasts while my hands explore every muscle on
his back, tracing the lines, and savoring the feel of him. His lips scorch a
trail of kisses down my stomach as he slips my panties off of me and tosses
them aside.

“Airen,” I whimper, breathless
as he moves lower.

“Shh. Let me take care of
you.” My muscles clench as his dark head slides below my waist to press wet
sucking kisses on the inside of my thighs. I gaze down at him as he looks up at
me, his eyes smoky and intense. Oh, it’s so intimate, so heavenly, and so damn
hot. I look away as he glides his tongue up my trembling thigh until his breath
is hot between my legs. I can’t watch this. I’ll explode.

“Ah!” I cry out at the warm
wet pressure of his tongue against me.

“Mmm,” he hums in response,
continuing to lick in slow tight spirals. Oh God, Airen’s going down on me. When
he presses a finger inside of me, and then another, I stifle a moan.

“Let me hear you, sweetheart,”
he murmurs.

He pushes up with his fingers,
rubbing firm circles over the most sensitive spot inside of me. His tongue is
relentless, alternately licking and applying pressure as his fingers keep massaging.
I’m going to come already!

“Airen,” I whimper again. The
feeling building is so strong. Fuck, he’s good at this. I cry out as my orgasm
rushes through me in scorching waves. My hands are in his hair, tugging at the
soft strands while my body trembles and shudders. He lays his head on my
stomach while I find my way back to reality. I run my fingers through his hair,
scratching at his scalp, and he peeks up at me with a boyish grin.

“Do I have a bald spot?”

Okay, so maybe I pulled his
hair a little hard. “Sorry.” I giggle, gazing down at him.

He stretches out between my
legs and lavishes my breasts with wet kisses, drawing on my nipple and sending
spikes of pleasure through my core. I can feel how hard he is through his boxer
briefs, and I can’t get them off him fast enough. I finally have unfettered
access to his luscious ass, and I can’t keep my hands off it as I kiss his
neck, his chest, everywhere I can reach. He enters me slowly and oh, he’s big!
He moves gently, only pressing forward a few inches. I’m moving with him,
trying to get more, to push him deeper.

“Slow,” he whispers. “I want
to feel you.”

It’s driving me wild. I want
every inch of him and he’s holding back. “Airen.”

“Mmm.”

“All of you, please,” I beg,
shameless in my urgent need. His hooded eyes lock on mine as he pulls all the
way out and then buries himself. “Yes!” I cry out, feeling the pinch as he
stretches me past my limits. He keeps a slow rhythm, out and in, and I’m
already building again. His hips rotate, grinding against me. “Oh Airen...so
good...” My words are mumbled and incoherent.

“Abby,” he moans. “Fuck, you
feel amazing. So tight.”  His eyes are closed, his sculpted lips parted, his
brows furrowed. He’s grinding, around and back. Damn, he can move! I hide my
face against his chest and clutch his back hard as I come again. I feel him
surrender with a low groan, coming hard and hot inside of me. His kisses are
tender on my mouth, my cheek, my neck.

We cuddle up and fall asleep
in each other’s arms.

Abraham

“Please, leave me for a
moment, Brother Cole. I need to speak to our Lord and give my thanks.”

“Of course, Abraham.”

I drop to my knees as he
closes the door behind him. “Oh Lord, please hear my prayer. Thank you for
bringing us all together so we may preach your word and save the sinners from
eternal damnation. Everything is coming together as you promised. There are
eight of us now, and we’ll save the girl, Jennifer, as well. She’s resistant to
your word, and I regret the methods we may have to resort to in order to lead
her down the path of righteousness. I know the alternative is far worse,
however, and someday she’ll thank me. Please continue to watch over us and
guide us in our struggle. Amen.”

Jennifer is a struggle. I’ve
had to lock her in a bedroom and place a guard on her door. This place God has
led us to find is perfect for our needs. The house is very spacious and has many
rooms. It overlooks a stable that will serve as quarters for the men and women
God sends us to save.

Cole and Katie have proven
themselves to be devout followers, despite my initial reservations. We’ve also
been blessed to find Steve, Phil, Tabitha, and Diane, who are all obedient and
enthusiastic. Eric, however, has some issues that need to be addressed. He has
trouble controlling his emotions, and it affects his ability to carry out his
orders. He feels sympathy for Jennifer and argues against our methods of
rehabilitation. I must do a better job of explaining our purpose here on Earth.
He must understand a little pain or discomfort now is nothing compared to an
eternity of hellfire.

He needs to learn now for
there are two men who need our help. I’ve been observing them, and I haven’t
seen an ounce of piousness. The smaller of the two is called Troy, and I have a
suspicion he may be a homosexual. The man named Micah may be his lover,
although I have not seen evidence of such behavior yet. If they are so inclined,
we’ll correct it.

We will save them.

Troy

“Remind me again why we’re
freezing our asses off in an RV instead of sleeping in a warm bed?” Micah
grouches.

“Because I enjoy the sound of
your teeth chattering. Don’t be a pussy. Aren’t you tired of being closed up in
a room, sitting and waiting for spring? I’m exhausted from staring at your ugly
face day in and day out. I want to meet some new people.”

“I’d tell you to kiss my ass,
but I’m afraid you’d accept.”

“Just think, any day we could
run into a group of women just pining for an oversized, slow witted
ex-construction worker,” I taunt with a grin.

“Go fuck yourself. I’m going
to that liquor store across the street. If I have to keep listening to your
mouth, I’ll need some whiskey.” Micah climbs out of the RV and starts toward
the strip mall on the opposite side of the road.