Spike (22 page)

“Thanks heaps, Ryan,” Eevie says, her eyes watering as she takes him into a hug. “We couldn’t have done it without you.” He hugs her back cautiously, his eyes darting nervously at me, but I’m not worried. Despite what I thought of him initially, the way he looks at her now, it’s as if he understands. Eevie and I are meant to be … and not even bullshit like what we’ve dealt with today can tear us apart.

“You guys get outta here. I hear the heated pool at the hotel’s pretty nice.”

I nod and Eevie slips her arm around my waist. We walk through to the corridor and Eevie stops in her tracks.

“Aidan, there’s someone I need to call,” she says, taking her phone from her pocket.

I shrug. “Sure.”

Eevie holds the phone to her ear. “Hi Tara, it’s Eevie,” she says, her voice shaky.
Tara?
“I’m sorry I was rude to you last time we spoke … I just wanted to tell you that I appreciate how hard it must’ve been for you to be in that position, and to take a risk by talking to me. So, thank you.” Eevie pauses, listening intently.

“Let me talk to her,” I whisper.

“Just a sec. Aidan wants to speak with you,” she says and hands me the phone.

“Hey Tara. Sorry I had a go at you. That was real shitty of me. I know now you were just tryin’ to help,” I say.

“What’s happened, Aidan?” Tara asks.

“My arsehole father blackmailed Eevie. Long story short, the fucker’s been locked up.”

Tara gasps. “Shit! Are you both okay?”

“Yeah, we’re good. I’m just sorry for what he put you through. It must’ve been hell. Don’t worry though, ‘cause he won’t get a chance to pull this shit again.”

“Thanks for ringing. You don’t know what a relief it is to know he’s behind bars.”

“No worries. Take care of yourself, Tara,” I say.

“Yeah, you too.”

Eevie and I walk out of the police station, the bright mid-morning sun shining on us, warming my bones. I close my eyes for a brief moment, letting it sink in.

We are free. Life can go on.

****

When we get back to the hotel, we collapse in a heap on the bed. Silence hangs between us for a while as we just hold each other. Wrapped up in each other’s warmth, my heart continues to beat fast. I hope it calms down soon, because surely it’s not sustainable at this level.

I take in a few deep breaths, drinking in Eevie’s sweet smell, something I could have lost. I roll on my back, the knife in my back pocket reminding me of its presence, and the purpose it could have been used for.
He
could have taken her from me.
He
could have held a gun to my head, but now he can’t hurt us. With any luck, he won’t experience freedom again in his lifetime, and I hope he rots behind the walls that will hold him until his last breath.

When we get home, we’re gonna be just another normal couple. There’ll be no demands for money, no one holding anything over us. We will just be Aidan and Eevie: best mates and lovers.

“How about I run the spa bath?” Eevie whispers, her sweet voice bringing me back to the here and now. “I think a soak in the tub will help us relax.” Her hot breath on my neck has my cock twitching in my pants, eager to sink deep inside her.

I wrap my arms around her, pressing my body against hers. “Sounds great,” I mumble, bringing her lips to mine for a loud kiss.

Eevie smiles, walks into the bathroom, and I hear the rush of water from the tap. I slowly undress as the water flows, staring one last time at my knife before putting it down.
I nearly had to use this
. If he had of pulled his gun on me, I wouldn’t have hesitated. I would have stabbed that fucker, anywhere I could have, and his blood would be on this knife instead of on my hands.

“Are you planning on joining me?” I look up to see my beautiful girl, stark naked, leaning against the bathroom doorway. Her nipples perk up with the cool air, taunting me to take them between my teeth … and believe me, I will.

“Baby, wild horses,” I mumble low in my throat. I shed the rest of my clothes and stalk towards Eevie. She moves into the steam-filled bathroom, and slips below a veil of bubbles, wincing from the heat.

I slide into the water in front of her, bubbles clinging to me like a second skin. I run some over my stubble, which after the last week looks more like a beard. I turn on the jets and the water swirls around us.

“You look like a giant marshmallow man,” Eevie says, and laughs out loud. How I’ve longed to hear that sound. It feels like a lifetime since my ears last had the pleasure. I blow a clump of bubbles from my hand, and it lands right in her face. She sputters as she wipes her eyes, and laughs louder, my heart becoming tight in my chest.

“Maybe you should have a taste, then,” I tease, thinking what mischief we can get into in the tub.

With a cheeky smirk on her lips, Eevie moves towards me, her tits gliding against my chest. She hooks her arms around my neck, her body floating above mine. Swiping the bubbles from my face, she leisurely goes about licking and tugging at my lips. Her hot tongue probes into my mouth, sweet and restrained with each movement. My cock stands to attention, grazing between her legs. I grab her hips, pulling her down towards me. Water splashes to the sides, spilling over onto the floor. I so want to be inside her, to feel her heat, but not yet. I’m in no hurry, I wanna savour this.

I rest the head of my cock against her sweet spot, letting the water move us gently, causing her to make a long “mmm” noise.

“You taste good. Feel good too,” she mumbles into my mouth. She moves away, running her hands over my shoulders, and rubs her full body against mine.
I won’t last long at this rate
.

I slide my hands down the smooth skin of her back as her kisses grow wilder around my neck, then head back towards my mouth. I grip her arse cheeks in my hands, pulling her close, and lose myself in her beautiful eyes.

“I love you so much, baby girl. I promise I’ll always protect you. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you safe … to keep you happy.”

Her bottom lip quivers, and she rests her forehead against mine. “I know you will. I love you too, and I promise, no more secrets; no more lies.”

“Don’t worry about that. I know why you didn’t tell me. You were just tryin’ to protect me … and it makes me love you all the more.”
If that were even possible.

Eevie runs her fingers through my hair, and sits astride me. She slides over my swollen cock and I grip her hips, sinking into her in one swift thrust. Eevie gasps from the sensation, and I hold our bodies still, relishing the closeness.

I pull Eevie’s lips to mine, and explore her mouth with my tongue, pushing and pulling her hips down on me. I cherish every moment, every touch as in a mountain of bubbles we come together in an explosion of our love. A hardy, resilient love, unmoved by the challenges we’ve faced.

****

When we get home, Sergeant barks at us, as if he’s pissed off we left him here. I guess I don’t blame him. The poor bugger had barely settled in. Hopefully the guy from next door didn’t have any trouble feeding him while we were gone.

Sergeant’s demeanour changes as Eevie kneels down and rubs her knuckles over the top of his head. His middle starts to move into a full body wiggle, making Eevie laugh.

It’s good to be home.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

* AIDAN *

“Are you sure you want me to go?” I ask.

Eevie rolls her eyes. Again. “I already said yes, Aidan. This’ll be good for you. It’s time to focus on the next round, and this is only gonna help with your fitness. I’ve got study to do, anyway.”

“Alright, I’ll go, just as long as …” I hate leaving her alone.

“Sergeant is here. It’s all good.”

“Okay, I’ll make some calls and get packing. I’ll probably leave about lunchtime Saturday.”

“Good. I bet you can’t wait to get all covered in mud.”

“Yeah. It’ll be sick fun.”

I know she’s right. Time to move on. I don’t want the team to think I’m losing my touch. I need to get my head back into riding. When the guys first mentioned the twelve-hour Transmoto Enduro Relay, it was just after Eevie showed me the emails. Needless to say I was
not
in a good place. It’ll be a good team-building exercise with the other boys I ride with … even if that does include Jones. But after what I’ve just dealt with, all I see Jones as is a mummy’s boy begging for a lollypop. It’ll be a piece of piss dealing with someone like him now, and besides, next round, I’m gonna show him up something fierce. He needs to know that the title is mine. This will just be a warm up.

I’m getting my head back into the game.

****

After arriving in Bateman’s Bay, we register and then set up camp for the night. It’s a non-eventful evening: a couple of beers with the boys beside the campfire, and I even had a couple of young riders come up and have a chat to me. It made me feel pretty special just to be recognised, with so many people here for the event. By ten o’clock, it’s lights out, generators off, and everyone is keen for bed with a full twelve hours on and off the bike tomorrow. I’m actually looking forward to the challenge.

****

The sun is barely up, and we’re already kitted up, ready to ride. We gather around for the rider briefing, the mountain air thick with fog.

“Righto boys!” With a baseball cap on and his grey hair tufting over his ears, Jim, the main organiser, soon gets our attention when his voice booms over us.

“I just wanna recap on yesterday’s briefing, in case some of ya missed it. The track is a loop of about ten kilometres. You can expect to face similar obstacles that you would on a trail-ride. This event is for all levels, and it’s about having fun. I know there’s a few accomplished riders here today,” he says, looking in the direction of Jones and myself, “but please take care riding with some of the slower participants. Make sure you stay hydrated, and use ya common sense.” He shuffles some papers around and nods to another support person.

“Alright, first riders get ready, and we’ll see you at the starting point in ten minutes. Keep it clean, boys.”

A few wolf-whistles and cheers of excitement come from the crowd.

I should ring Eevie, just check in before we get started, but it’s pretty early. She knew we were starting at the crack of dawn. I’ll text her at changeover and check everything’s okay. I know it will be, I just wanna be able to concentrate on this rather than thinking the worst back home.

I’m the first out of the team to go, and I couldn’t be happier about it. I’m gonna get our boys off to a flying start.

With the loud drone of the motor and the vibration through the handlebars, I’m in the zone. It’s time to knuckle down and concentrate.

I speed off. The track is grassy to start, and moves into a single trail. Already the ruts are starting to form, making it tough as fuck on the tight corners. Sometimes you’re so deep in the trees and ferns, it’s almost as if the rainforest is closing in on you. Weaving in and out of the trees is more challenging than I expected. Mountain fog is pretty thick this early in the morning, and the faint, red glow of the taillight in front of me is barely visible.

It’s only been a couple of weeks since I’ve ridden, but fuck, has it been a long fortnight. All the stress of seeing that tape, the police drama, and finally seeing my father face to face … this is where I’m
really
going to deal with it. I’m gonna ride like a man with nothing holding him back. No fear.

Blood. He tried to tell me that should mean something. Fucker tried to ruin my life, and with what Eevie had to put up with he came fucking close.

A couple of laps in, I start to catch up to some of the slower riders. Most of them are pretty decent, pulling over to the side at the first opportunity.

When I finally get a bit of wide, open space I really give it some, the engine revving higher as I move fast up the gears. This is where it kicks in. When I feel my heart-rate spike and the adrenaline surges through my veins. I fucking own this. I’m gonna set the pace today. Watch me, boys.

What the fuck is this bloke doing? Does he have any idea? Move over!
Coming into a tight bend, I dodge a tree branch and the fucker stops.

“Fuck!” I yell out. I’m too hot …
I’m gonna lose this.

****

“Crazy son of a bitch …” a faint voice says.

“Ambos are on the way … Hang in there, bud … Just don’t move your head,” says another voice, louder than the first.

I can’t open my eyes. It’s like they’re stuck. Powerful prickles rush beneath my skin, but my heart … it might just explode.

My heartbeat pounds loudly in my ears, its incessant thumping the only sound. Tired. I’m so … tired. My body somehow lifts up higher; there’s a rocking motion and mumbling voices taking me away. I need sleep.

A deafening
thump-thump
noise repeats over and over. Am I dreaming about a chopper? I always loved them as a young kid. Whenever they’d fly over the farm, I used to call them “eli-chopters”, until I learnt how to say it properly. Mum didn’t correct me until I went to pre-school because she thought it was too cute. Glad she finally did, otherwise I would have looked like an idiot.

I move to stretch, but I’m held in tight. I can’t move my neck, either. I must have zipped up the swag too tight. I try and pry an eye open. I’m gonna have to get up soon for this ride.

****

Bright light breeches my eyes, a white circle flashing from side to side as someone holds open my eyelid.

“Fuck!” I call out, as my other eyelid is pried open.

Is this some sick joke?

“I’ll get up, you bastards!” I yell out.

I blink a few times. A fluorescent light above showers sparkles of light around me. Gradually my eyes focus, but I still can’t move. “What the fuck’s goin’ on?” I growl, squirming to try move my head, but it’s held tight by something.