Click (A Night Fire Novel Book 2) (4 page)

Chapter Five

I tried to take the camera off him. Austin pulled it away with a laugh, shaking his head.

“I didn't take that.”

“Really?” He said dryly. “I thought you had super powers that enabled you to use a camera while asleep.”

“Ha, ha. Give it back.”

I reached again and got a little too close, his eyes widened slightly and then grinned.

“No way, look at this one.”

He turned the camera, Monique had taken a picture of the inside of my mouth, far too close. Austin flicked the button, the next picture was of my nostrils.

“She is dead. Give it back, I'll need it as evidence at her murder trial.”

Austin chuckled and flicked the button on the camera again, this one was a little wrong. He stopped laughing and looked at me. It was of my feet but the sheet was flicked away and the bed pants sat a little too high. Yes, it was a glorious view of my ass. He cleared his throat and passed it back to me. I snatched it away and stuffed it into my bag, hoping that we could move past this really quickly.

“You shouldn't be embarrassed Abigail, they aren't that bad. Your friend was just having fun.”

“Oh yeah sure. Nearly pornographic pictures are fun.”

Austin rolled his eyes and I punched his arm without thinking.

“Ow.” He frowned at me.

“Oh, sorry. I uh... made a deal with Monique that she couldn't roll her eyes at me. She does it a lot and it's a little annoying.”

“You do it too, you know.”

I shrugged and passed his book back.

“Yeah but she does it a lot.”

“So her deal applies to me as well?”

I giggled as I settled back into the corner of the lounge. “Okay, no more punching you.”

Austin shook his head trying not to laugh as he packed his books into his bag.

“I'm hungry, you want breakfast?”

“Sure, what have you got?”

He crinkled his face with a slight sneer.

“Nothing appetizing. Come on, I know a great place. Maybe you might even find something better than those lovely pants.”

Ten minutes later we were back at the hotel, I had insisted that I removed the horrid clown pants and quickly changed back into my own. Austin was waiting by his bike with his helmet in hand.

“Okay, ready to go.”

He turned and stuffed the helmet onto my head.

“We aren't walking?”

My voice was muffled by the padding which made Austin smile. When he had a genuine smile, it was hot.

“It's in town, climb on.”

I watched as he got onto his bike, waiting for me to get on. As I lifted my leg over the bike he turned the engine over, the beast of a thing rumbled to life. Austin took my hands and wrapped them around his waist, I was grateful that he couldn't see my red cheeks.

“Feet on the pegs.”

As he turned to show me, I could feel the muscles contort under his shirt. I would lay money on their being one ripped torso underneath this shirt. Austin pulled the bike out onto the street as I lifted my feet onto these little peg things. They didn't look like the kind of pegs I had seen. As the bike lurched forward fast, my grip around him tightened.

A few minutes later Austin pulled the bike into a small car park of a diner, the sign was flickering a dull and faded light. A bell dinged as Austin pushed through the door, rousing the attention of the fellow in the kitchen.

“Hey Oz, two big breakfasts.” Austin turned to me. “You like coffee?”

“Uh yeah sure.”

“And coffees.”

The man nodded, as we sat I could hear the sizzle of something being put on the flat grill.

“So, do you like working at the bar?”

Austin shrugged. “It's alright.”

His fingers gently thumped on the table, his eyes glancing out the windows.

“What about you?”

“Oh well I'm a student so I can only work a few hours at the local cafe.”

“I'll bet it's different to this place.”

I looked around the diner, the place was outdated and in dire need of renovation. It was okay, nothing a coat of paint and new fittings wouldn't fix. I couldn't imagine my boss Benny working in here, I couldn't even imagine him offering the owner money to buy the place. No doubt he would have a pink fit if he had to run this place. He was all about the stylish cafe that served designer lunch meals with a price tag to match. I couldn't afford to eat for the week if I had a meal in his cafe.

“Yeah, worlds apart.”

“Brothers, sisters... parents?”

“One of each unfortunately.” I grumbled. “Brother is a lawyer, sister is dentist. I'm the late in life miracle that they hold great hope for.”

Austin chuckled. “What are you studying?”

“Supposed to be medicine but I gave that away.” I crinkled my nose. “So I work mostly and I'm doing a photography course. It's okay I guess. What about you, got any siblings?”

“Only child, both parents around here somewhere.” He shrugged. “They come and go as they please.”

A plate of food was dumped in front of me, a couple of eggs, sausages, bacon and toast. He had even put a sprig of parsley on the cooked tomato. I looked up at Oz who offered a grumbled muttering as he dumped the plate in front of Austin.

“Thanks Oz.” Austin said way too cheerfully.

He snickered as he watched Oz walk away.

“He was drinking his ass off in the bar last night and he was probably sleeping in the kitchen when we arrived.”

“Oh.” I giggled.

Oz staggered back with our coffees, dumping the half-filled cups onto the table. It was just as well they were only half full, otherwise there would be coffee everywhere.

“Don't bug me again.” He murmured and staggered back to the kitchen.

Austin and I looked at each other, grinning madly until we both burst out laughing.
 

After the enlightening and filling breakfast, Austin showed me around the town. The main street was filled with tourists shops and coffee shops. Once I was done with the trinkets and the crap that I really didn't need, Austin then lead me to the shops where the locals did their shopping. It was a few streets back and far better than the area marketed towards the tourists. I found a pair of hiking boots and I also found myself a pair of long pants that didn't look like a clown had once owned them. By lunchtime Austin was beginning to look tired.

“I need to get some zees before work tonight, I'll drop you back at the hotel.”

“Sure.”

I wasn't a fan of motorcycles but being this close to him seemed all too nice. He pulled up beside the hotel, I climbed off and handed his helmet back.

“Thanks for the fun day. Your secret spot is safe with me.”

The stoic stare made me squirm a little, wondering if I had crossed some line or maybe I had a bit of food on my face.

“No problem.” He said as he twitched a slight smile. “Going to drink your ass off at the clubs tonight?”

I grinned and shook my head.

“Nah. I prefer the quiet pubs.”

Austin nodded with a smirk.

“I guess I'll see you tonight then.”

He flicked the visor of the helmet down and pulled out onto the road, leaving me rather confused. As I walked back to the villa I pondered the mornings events. He made no serious moves or even gave an indication yet he spent the entire morning with me. All he had offered was the view of the jungle but I had been given so much more.

I felt tired, the lack of sleep made me want to sleep the rest of the day away. Maybe Austin was right, maybe sleeping in the afternoon before a big night was a good idea. As I pushed through the door I could hear Monique and her friend for the day going at it like rabbits. Though I can't imagine rabbits being that loud. I quickly changed into my new pants and shoes and set out for somewhere more quiet to sleep.

It wasn't ideal, it was crazy but it was quiet. I made my way down the rope ladder and through the track, returning to Austin's little shack. I had presumed that he was going home to sleep but I was wrong, he was at the shack.

“Abigail.” He said softly as he frowned. “What are you doing here?”

“I wasn't expecting you to be here.” I shrugged. “Monique has a friend and they are being rather loud and I was tired. It's okay, I'll leave you to it.”

“Wait.”

I turned back, his dominating stature engulfed the opening that was the door.

“You can stay but there's only one bed or you can take the lounge if you want but there's no netting.”

He scratched his hand through his hair, it was a gesture that made me realize he was finding the situation rather awkward.

“I uh, don't mind sharing if you don't.”

“Sure.”

I was crazy. Austin walked back into the shack, when I followed him I saw that he had flicked off his shoes and was adjusting the netting around the bed. I pulled off my boots and walked through the opening in the netting, Austin walked through and closed the gap. I sat on the bed and watched as his oversized body kept hitting the top of the netting.

“How often do you sleep down here?”

“Every now and then.” He shrugged. “Depends on the weather. Hot days like this are great, the cold is terrible.”

He sat on the bed beside me, leaning back on one arm.

“Don't you like your house?”

“It's okay, nothing like this though.”

“So why haven't you built somewhere like this?”

Austin shrugged as he laid down, pulling me with him.

“Been busy. Go to sleep Abigail.”

I rolled onto my side, staring into his eyes. They were the darkest blue I had ever seen, incredible didn't seem fitting. His eyes were dark but they were stunning.

“Maybe you're waiting for the right time.”

“Maybe.” He whispered.

I closed my eyes, enjoying those first few moments of darkness and allowing the pressure of lethargy to ease away.

“Abigail.” Austin whispered.

As I opened my eyes Austin lifted his body up to rest on his forearm, looking down at me.

“Do you like swimming?”

“Only in places where I can see through the water.”

“So you'd be okay with a small lake with perfectly clear water?”

I nodded with a grin, his face warmed with a smile.

“Good. Not so early tomorrow, I promise. Maybe eight?”

“Sure.”

He didn't move, he was still looking down at me, still smiling.

“Everything okay?”

Austin nodded, slowly lowering to kiss me. My body tightened and relaxed, unable to decide what it wanted to do. His hand moved to my jaw, gently rubbing his thumb over the skin. As we kissed our slow and soft embrace, I laced my fingers in through the hair and onto the back of his neck. Urging him to me. The other hand managed to sneak through a gap, finding a path along his waist and to his back.

His body was soft to the touch, firm with muscles and hot from the heat of the day. My fingers trailed over the skin, enjoying the warmth even if it was too hot for this kind of proximity. Austin's fingers moved over my neck, gliding over the curve of my shoulder at the base of my neck. His grip was firm as his thumb spread out across my throat. Slowly the kiss ended, I felt robbed and wanted for more. I would have gladly begged for another. Like he could read my mind, he placed a soft kiss on my lips.

“Everything is great.” Austin grinned and then laid down onto the bed.

Chapter Six

When I returned to the villa, Monique was sitting at the dining table with a large cup of coffee. She looked more tired than I did.

“Hey. Where have you been all day?”

“I did actually return and in desperate need of sleep too.”

Her cheeks flushed bright red as she looked into her mug.

“Sorry. That's two days in a row. You must hate me.”

“Are you kidding?” I scoffed. “Right about now, I could kiss you. You are just that awesome.”

Monique lifted her gaze to me, frowning with pure confusion.

“What happened?”

“Well he has this place which don't ask me about because it's his secret place for relaxing.”

“Shallow graves?”

I rolled my eyes as I turned to make a coffee.

“No. It's just a little shack that he goes to draw and sometimes sleeps there.”

“Oh my gawd, you totally did it, didn't you?”

As I poured the hot water into the mug I sighed.

“Not as yet, no. But we did kiss. And slept together.”

“But no sex?”

I shook my head and took my coffee to the table.

“You are crazy, you know that?”

She watched me with an odd look on her face as I sat at the table.

“I've had three and you've had none. Time to catch up girl.”

“You set me a challenge, I'm getting there.”

Monique narrowed her eyes at me as she took a sip of her coffee.

“Hang on a tick, start at the beginning. He took you into the jungle, then what did you do?”

“Went for breakfast at a diner up the road.”

Her hand rolled in the air, urging me on.

“Shopping on the main street, then the ones that the locals used. I needed long pants and hiking boots. I came back here, heard the wild mating calls of the local wildlife and decided to go rest at the shack. He was there. That's it.”

“Except that the way that you talk about it, the way that you smile...” Her eyes narrowed harder. “You're in love with him.”

“Get real Monique. I've known him for less than twenty-four hours. That's not even possible.”

She sat back on the chair, assessing me as her fingers turned the cup.

“Alright, prove it then. Flirt with someone tonight.”

“I can't do that, he will see it.”

“Come on Ab.” She groaned. “Either admit you have feelings for him or prove that you don't. Which is it?”

“Fine. I'll prove it.”

While Monique went and had a relaxing bath I laid on the hammock on the front deck. The villa was a long rectangle shape with the bedrooms at the back and an open lounge, dining and kitchen area that led out to a small balcony that over looked the jungle. I tried to find the little platform but could not see it.

As I laid on the uncomfortable hammock that was made of this odd rope, I thought about Austin and Monique's words. It was impossible for feelings to develop this quickly. With a sly glance into the villa, I saw the bathroom door shut. Reaching into my bag I pulled out my camera, flicking through the picture gallery. Austin had grabbed it and took a photo of us. The picture was tight to our faces, just the two of us looking a little too happy.

Monique might have been right about someone having feelings but I think she had the wrong person. This was bad. I couldn't do this, I couldn't hurt his feelings. It would haunt me forever to know that I had crushed the soul of someone... I sighed as I flicked the images away and put the camera back into my bag. I would not be the person that would destroy someone as good as Austin.

An hour later Monique emerged from the bathroom looking more relaxed than I had ever seen. She had a lazy smile as she dreamily walked into her room. I followed her and leaned on the door frame, watching as she hummed and assessed her dresses.

“I'm backing out, what's the punishment?”

Monique turned with a slight frown, tossing the sparkly green dress to the bed.

“Called it. You do love him.”

“No, I just don't want to hurt him. There is a difference.”

She was about to roll her eyes and for a second I was waiting to pounce when she realised, she stopped.

“Fine but you still have to find mister wrong. You've only managed to set yourself back a day so I guess it's not that bad. I want results tonight Ab.”

“But he will be there!” I protested.

Monique shrugged and tossed a deep blue dress at me.

Time seemed to pass slowly as I sat on the edge of the bed with the dress in my hands, wondering what kind of mess I had created. How would I get out of this without it turning into a nightmare? It was impossible.

I knew that the night would end with an almighty fight that I would cause. No doubt Austin will see me pursuing my next victim and get upset. He had every right to be upset with me, I had been leading him on. This game that Monique was playing was dangerous and I wanted to bail on it but she had almost ignored me when I did try to end the stupid challenge. I was regretting agreeing to it. It was like we were in junior school again, chasing after boys and whispering about them, sneaking kisses and running away with giggles. The only problem with then and now was that someone would get hurt. They always did and no matter how hard I tried to find a reasonable path out of this, I knew that it wasn't going to be pretty.

I was a bitch for playing with his emotions like this and if he refused to talk to me again then I knew that I deserved it. The problem was, I didn't want him to stop talking to me.

Half an hour later we were at the pub, in our usual seats and drinking our free beer. Monique still loved me. The pub seemed a lot more full tonight, maybe all of the guests had arrived now.

I felt incredibly uncomfortable in this dress, it had a low scoop neckline and the hem of the dress sat half way up my thighs. My ass had been grabbed a few times, in the thick crowd I had no way of knowing who it was unless they told me. Which they didn't. It could have been Monique for all I knew.

Austin had nodded at me when we walked in, there had been less of a crowd in those few moments and he would have seen the delightful dress I was wearing. Moments after that Monique declared that tonight we were going to the town center to visit the night clubs. Where there was no Austin. Where I would not be watched when I lured some poor unsuspecting fool into the web of lies that I would stupidly spin.

Through the occasional gaps in the crowd I would get a momentary glimpse of Austin. He and the other fellows were working madly, trying to cope with the sudden influx. It must have been maddening for them, the rush would last for a few hours and then it would be dead for the rest of the night. Once midnight came that sudden rush would come at them and not leave for another two hours.

The bus pulled up and everyone started to make their way out of the pub. There would be two buses now that spring break had officially started on the island. I could feel the dread slithering through me as everyone pushed their way to the doors, trying to get onto the first bus. I edged my way to the exterior, losing sight of Monique.

“Where are you going, gorgeous?” A deep voice purred in my ear as he wrapped his arms around my waist.

It wasn't Austin. It wasn't even Brody. I turned to the unknown man and tried to push him off.

“Nowhere. Let go.”

“Come on babe, we can get on the next bus.”

“She said, let go.”

We both turned to the dark voice, it was low and menacing. Austin was standing at the counter that was a step away from us. I hadn't realized how close I was but I could now that the bar was almost empty.

“Mind your own business.” He growled, pulling me tighter to his body.

I pushed at his hard body, looking at Austin who was standing on his side of the bar, calmly looking at us.

“Come on, we'll get on this bus. Won't we babe?”

“No.” I hissed and pushed on his body again.

He was too strong for me and I hated it. I hated being weak. If this was in a dark area, somewhere more quiet, I would be no match against him.

“She said no, let her go.”

By this stage we had drawn a crowd, Monique was moving to me with worry. She was trying to get through the crowd, people weren't easy to move when they could sense a fight about to happen. Everyone loves a brawl in a bar.

“Whatever.” He said gruffly. “I'll just find another. What do I want with a frigid bitch anyway?”

He pushed me aside, my back hit the bar edge and I whimpered with the impact. Before I knew it there was a blur of black over the bar. The unknown man was on the floor, touching his lip where it bled, Austin looming over him with the look of doom on his face.

“What the...”

“Call Barney.” Austin interrupted the idiot on the floor.

One of the guys turned to the phone, dialing a number. The people that remained in the bar were chanting for a fight, Monique slipped along the side of the bar and pulled me out of the way.

“Are you alright?” She whispered.

I nodded even though my back was killing me.

“My god, I have never seen anything like it. He jumped the bar with one hand.”

I could see the awe on her face, it must have been pretty good. Now I wished that I had seen it. Cheers and hoots livened the room, I turned to see the idiot falling back to the ground. Austin was pacing, loosening and clenching his fists as he moved. He circled the man, I watched his face as he struggled to maintain composure.

When he rounded the back of him he picked him up by his clothes and dragged him to his feet, the sound of a siren filling the night air. Austin said something in the man's ear, waiting for the nod he then brought him to me.

Blood was smeared over the man's chin, his lip was cut and he was getting a black eye. His lip twitched with a slight sneer as he looked at me.

“He wants me to apologize.” The man laughed as his lip curled more with derision. “But you little bitch, you and your barman boyfriend can go to hell.”

I wasn't shocked, I had heard a whole lot worse. Austin was calmer than ever, which was a little scary. As he turned him, he landed a deep jab into his stomach. The man cringed and doubled over with the pain.

“I don't think she heard you. Try again.” The menacing voice prompted him.

“Go. To. Hell. Bitch.”

Then he laughed, spitting blood at my feet. The sounds of the crowd, cheering and urging for more became louder. Two cops were trying to make their way through the people who were reluctant to let them in. If they came in, it meant the fight was over. Not that it had really started, it was rather one sided. Austin saw the cops and landed another hard jab, this one onto the side of his nose. It sent the idiot to the floor, landing a few steps away from Austin. He laid on the floor, out cold as the cops broke through the people. Austin walked to them swiftly, pointing to the unconscious man on the floor and then to me.

One of them walked over, sizing me up as he drew closer.

“Good evening miss, I am Barney Molloy the chief of police for the island. Austin tells me that the man assaulted you, is that correct?”

“Uh, yes. He grabbed me and wouldn't let go when I asked him to.”

He nodded and scribbled something into his little notepad.

“Do you wish to press charges?”

“No.” I frowned. “Not unless he tries something against Austin.”

The cop smiled at me, one that made me think that there would never be any charges laid against Austin. This was a small town and I think that a certain barman got away with a whole lot more than he should.

With all the excitement that had happened with the fight, we had missed the first and the second bus. There were a few people that had missed them as well so the bar staff were kept busy for the entire night. Monique and I were sitting on our perch at the end of the bar, the view was pretty damn good. Not just Austin, the other barmen were easy on the eye as well. The excess of people had robbed me of a moment to thank my brave hero who had defended me and fought off what could have been a real problem.

He wouldn't take no for an answer, he didn't care what I wanted.
You've seen those kinds of guys before
my mind whispered.
You've seen the tears that follow.
I turned and smiled at Monique, she returned it but it was forced.

The pain was resurfacing. It wasn't an exact replication of her own nightmare but it was pretty damned close. A guy that had been friends with her family since she was in nappies, a good friend and with a little time a boyfriend. His ugly side was the reason for all of her wild behavior now, the reason she drank, the reason she only ever had one night stands. She didn't want to get close to anyone ever again, she kept everyone at an arm's length. Well, except for me and her parents of course.

“I don't want to be a pill Ab, but I'm pretty tired.”

“It's cool, I think I've had enough excitement for today.”

Austin glanced in my direction and I waved goodbye. He frowned for a moment and then glanced at his watch. With two large strides he was at our end of the bar.