It sounded like he had all the traits to make the ultimate warrior.
Anger filtered into Asher’s eyes as he pressed his lips together. “We only developed these…abilities less than two years ago.”
Asher paused while Lexie waited for him to continue.
“I was part of a program. It was called Project Arma. It was designed to help SEALs, as well as other members of the military, train more efficiently. Recover quicker. Our commander signed us up. You have to understand that Navy SEALs are taught to push themselves to the absolute limit, and then keep going. It takes a toll on even the most conditioned soldier.”
Asher dropped his head for a moment but didn’t stop the gentle strokes on her wrist.
“We were part of the project for almost a year. Shylah was a nurse at the facility. We’d only just started realizing that our bodies were changing when Shylah discovered something. She found out that the drugs we were receiving were actually experimental. Drugs designed to alter our DNA—which they did. Me and the guys are now genetically altered. Faster. Stronger. They turned us into weapons.”
Asher’s looked angry when his gaze lifted. Angrier than she’d ever seen him. “They found out about the raid and went into hiding. We’ve been hunting the people who did this to us ever since. Trying to locate them. Shut them down for good.”
Holy shit. That was a lot for Lexie to take in.
Swallowing, she raised a hand to Asher’s cheek. “I’m sorry that was done to you without your permission. It was a violation of your trust. It must have been painful when you discovered the truth.”
Painful was an understatement. Lexie couldn’t imagine what it felt like to place your trust in people, in your government, only to have it broken so completely.
“It was. We each deal with the deception in our own way. It’s a mental battle.”
There was something that was still bugging Lexie. “How do you know the people involved in Arma are still working on the project?”
Asher removed a hand from her to scrub it over his face. “When Evie was attacked by her ex, we later found out that her ex was a SEAL who was part of the project. He wasn’t a good guy, though. None of his team were.”
Lexie knew he wasn’t a good guy. She’d seen Evie after the guy had attacked her. Beaten and bloody. It had killed Lexie to see her friend like that.
“We killed him,” Asher continued. “But other members of his team paid her a visit in hospital while she was recovering. They told us that the project was alive and running. That it was too valuable to discard. Basically, they told us to leave them alone, or they’d come after us.”
“Oh my gosh. And he was still chasing them?”
Fear coursed through Lexie at the thought of Asher being hunted by these people.
“Yes. They’re dangerous and they need to be stopped. I think eventually they’ll come after us, anyway, whether we hunt them down or not. We’re valuable to them. But they haven’t directly come after any of our team yet. They need a way to control us first. It doesn’t matter who finds who first, because one way or another, we’re going to end them once and for all.”
The secret was so much more than Lexie had thought. But it wasn’t more than she could handle. “Why didn’t you tell me this before, Asher? You know I don’t scare easily.”
A war raged in his eyes. The normally laid-back joker nowhere to be seen. “I didn’t want this to touch you. I don’t want to be the reason your life is in danger. I would die to protect you, Lexie. But if someone hurt you to get to me…”
Turning her hand over in Asher’s, Lexie ran her fingers over the hard ridges. “No one can protect anyone else from everything. And you can’t live your life not letting anyone get close to you for fear you may lose them.”
The look on Asher’s face told Lexie he thought otherwise.
The door to the room suddenly opened and a short, curvy female in a white coat walked in. She was beautiful, with intelligent blue eyes.
“Hi, Lexie, I’m Dr. Porter, but I would love for you to call me Sage. I’ll be looking after you today.”
Lexie returned the smile. “It’s nice to meet you, Sage.”
“How are you feeling?”
Compared to the last few weeks, Lexie felt like she could run a marathon. “I feel great, actually.”
Sage’s smile grew. “I’m so glad to hear that. Now, would you like Asher to be present while we chat, or would you like it to be just between you and me?”
Shifting her gaze to Asher, she noticed his features were stubbornly set. Lexie had a feeling it would be difficult to remove him even if that was what she wanted.
“I’m not leaving,” Asher said, confirming her thoughts.
Good. Because she didn’t want him anywhere else. “He can stay.”
Nodding her head, Sage moved her glasses down to her nose as she read from the file in her hands. “They did bloodwork when you first arrived. The first thing they noticed was how low your iron levels were. Low iron can be normal in pregnancy, but yours were exceptionally low, particularly for someone still in their first trimester.”
“So she needs more iron? Like meat?” Asher asked.
“Unfortunately, I don’t think it will be that easy.” Sage looked at Asher, then she shifted her gaze back to Lexie. “We’re in uncharted territory here. For a normal pregnancy, a woman needs more than three times the iron that a nonpregnant woman needs.”
“Normal pregnancy?” Lexie frowned. “Are you saying this isn’t a normal pregnancy?”
Placing the file on top of the sheets, Sage walked around the bed and sat on the edge. “Did Asher tell you that I was the doctor who checked them over after the truth about Project Arma was revealed?”
Shaking her head, Lexie remained silent. There was so much information to take in.
“The guys called me down here tonight because I’m familiar with their DNA. Their altered DNA. That means your pregnancy might be slightly different from most. We already know you have significantly higher iron requirements. Your bloodwork also shows an abnormally low white blood cell count. That means you have a lowered immune system and you’ll be more susceptible to sickness.”
“More susceptible to sickness?” Asher jumped in, reminding Lexie that he was there.
“All these things can be supported with nutrition, lifestyle choices, supplementation, and modern medicine, where required.” Placing her hand on Lexie’s arm, the doctor leaned closer. “What I suspect is that this baby has greater needs than most. Currently, bubs is taking what it needs and depleting your stores. It’s our job to ensure you have enough for both of you.”
Okay, Lexie now understood why she’d been feeling like death the last few months—she was growing superbaby in her belly.
“How do we do that?” Lexie questioned.
“We’ve given you an iron infusion. Now we’ll give you supplements as well as nutritional recommendations. In terms of lifestyle, rest and avoid stress. I’d like to see you for weekly checkups, too, if that’s okay with you.”
“Are you local?” Lexie hadn’t seen the doctor around town.
“No, I work a couple of hours away, but I have special permission to be here with you as my patient in this hospital. So, I will be remaining in Marble Falls for the duration of your pregnancy. That way, I can be close by and we can work together to adjust your requirements weekly.”
The doctor was just going to leave her life to work with Lexie, someone she didn’t know from a bar of soap? “I really appreciate you supporting me, and I’ll do whatever I need to do to keep this baby safe and healthy, but I don’t want to uproot you from your life?”
“I’m taking a leave of absence for you, Lexie. Now, before you question it”—Sage held up her hands—“I need you to understand that I can’t let any other doctor treat you. I have studied the DNA of these men. I am the best person to take care of you. I take my responsibilities very seriously, and Lexie, you are now my responsibility. You and this baby.”
<
br /> Lexie didn’t know whether to smile or cry. Finally, she felt like she had support. A team. People around her to make sure that her baby had the best start to life.
“Thank you.” Although the words felt inadequate, she said them anyway. “Both of you.”
10
“Stop being so stubborn and stay in bed, woman.”
Asher blocked the exit to his bedroom as Lexie’s hands went to her hips.
He lived in a warehouse apartment in the center of town, above several small businesses. It had taken a good hour at the hospital to convince Lexie that here was a better option than her apartment at the moment. He had better security and more space.
They’d been home less than an hour, and Asher had already carried Lexie back to bed more times than he could count.
“Get out of my way, you big bully, I feel fine,” Lexie huffed, moving to shove past Asher.
Hell no. That was not happening.
Lifting Lexie into his arms, Asher carried her back to the bed, ignoring her fists pummeling his chest.
“Cut it out, Lexie. You’re going to hurt yourself. Sage said you need rest,” Asher ground out as he placed Lexie back on the bed.
“She also said no stress. Guess what, Einstein, you’re stressing me out.”
She pushed up onto her elbows, only to have Asher hover over her. “I’ve restrained the meanest sons of bitches you can think of. You think I would hesitate to restrain you?”
A moment of silence passed, but she looked about ready to kill him. Or at least cause some bodily harm.
Give it your best shot, Asher thought, sticking to the fact that Lexie needed to rest.
She opened her mouth, but the knock on the door cut off whatever blistering insult he was sure she was about to spew.
“Stay. Here,” Asher commanded, his patience thoroughly drained.
Crossing her arms, Lexie leaned back against the headboard. The likelihood of her still being there when he returned was slim.
Breathing out his frustration, Asher moved to the door, already knowing who it was.
Pulling it open, he found Luca with a bemused look on his face. The bastard had obviously heard the exchange between him and Lexie. Evie and Shylah stood beside him, concerned expressions on their faces.
“Hey. She’s—” Asher turned his head at the sound of footsteps. Lexie stood in the bedroom doorway. “Not in bed,” he finished, not surprised at all that Lexie couldn’t do what he asked for a single second.
Both Shylah and Evie brushed past Asher and rushed over to hug Lexie.
Shutting the front door, Asher ground his teeth as the women disappeared into the bedroom, closing the door behind them.
“Now she willingly goes in there,” Asher muttered to himself. He was about ready to throw a damn lock on the door.
Chuckling, Luca dropped down to the couch. “I can see the pregnancy has done wonders to keep the peace between you two.”
“Yeah, it’s celebration central in here.” Asher went to the fridge to grab a couple of beers. “The woman was just released from the hospital. She was told to rest, and she wants to be up and doing shit.”
Asher knew a lot of his frustration grew from worry. Worry for Lexie. For the baby. It was taking a toll on his relaxed nature.
Dropping into the seat beside Luca, he let exhaustion wash over him as he passed a beer over.
“Lexie is a high-energy person. Asking her to rest in bed all day would be near impossible. Christ, imagine if someone told you to do that.”
Rolling his eyes, Asher lifted the beer to his lips. “I don’t have a baby growing in my stomach, zapping all my energy.”
Luca leaned forward, all humor leaving his face. “How are you doing with that? The news that you’re going to be a father?”
“Honestly, man, I haven’t had a moment to sit down and process it.” He scrubbed a hand over his face, and anxiety hit him hard. “The whole reason I didn’t want to publicly date Lexie was because I wanted to keep her safe. Protected. Separate from my shit. Now she’s pregnant. If that information gets back to the people behind Project Arma…”
“It won’t,” Luca reassured, his hand going to Asher’s shoulder.
“We don’t know that. We don’t know nearly enough about them.”
Hell, the team didn’t even know where they were located. Project Arma could have people scattered everywhere, even Marble Falls.
“But we will, Striker.”
It would be nice if Asher had his friend’s confidence. “It’s not just people from the project that I’m worried about. I know you guys were outside Lexie’s room listening to what Sage said. We’re in uncharted fucking territory. Who knows what this pregnancy could do to her health?”
“That’s why we keep an eye on her. Watch for any threats externally, and make sure she maintains her health.” Luca paused, firming his grip on Asher’s shoulder. “You and Lexie aren’t alone. We’re your brothers, and now Lexie and your child are family, too. We’ll do everything in our power to keep her and that baby safe. You’re not alone, Striker.”
Some of the tightness in Asher’s chest loosened at hearing those words.
He never took his brothers for granted. Not for a second. He knew exactly how lucky he was to have the seven men in his life.
“Thank you, brother.”
* * *
“Lex, are you okay?”
Lexie was unsure how to answer Evie’s question. She was okay. Better than okay. Health-wise, she felt better than she had in months. Plus, there were no longer any secrets between her and Asher. It was like a gigantic rock had been lifted off her chest.
But at the same time Lexie felt grouchy and hormonal.
Shylah leaned forward. “We saw you fall down the stairs before Asher got to you but the guys didn’t want us at the hospital.”
Plonking herself on the bed, Lexie shook her head. “Probably because they’re controlling chumps who like to tell women what to do.”
Shoot, there was that hormonal crabbiness again.
Shylah and Evie shared a look between them before turning back to Lexie.
“Is Asher not taking good care of you?” Evie asked, concerned.
“I can get Eden onto him if you want?” Shylah added. It sounded like it should have been a joke but the look on her face told Lexie she was dead serious.
Lexie let out a laugh at the thought. Boy, it was good to laugh again. “Thanks, Shy, but I’ll pass. Asher’s been amazing, just a bit overbearing since the hospital, that’s all. He thinks I should be strapped to the bed and resting for the next six months. Can you imagine?”
Evie cocked her head to the side. “Why? What happens in six months?”
At Evie’s confused expression, Lexie’s eyes widened. She doesn’t know?
Lexie turned her attention to Shylah to find the same confused expression on her face.
Uh, jeez. The guys hadn’t told them. That meant Lexie had to do the honors.
She shot Shylah a nervous glance. Shylah couldn’t get pregnant. She had shared that personal information with Evie and Lexie only a couple of months ago. When Shylah had spoken the words, Lexie had seen the pain in her friend’s eyes. The yearning.
Crap, she dreaded the thought of telling her she was pregnant. Would Shylah resent her?
Lexie must have looked at the woman a moment too long, because Shylah’s eyes suddenly widened.
“You’re not?”
Biting her lip, Lexie nodded.
“Not what? What am I missing?” Evie’s eyes darted between her friends.
“Oh my God. That day I saw you in the hospital hallway and you were acting so strange. Were you…?”
“I was going to see a doctor to get tested,” Lexie finished for her. The moment Lexie had spotted Shylah, though, she had freaked out and run right back home. A week later, she’d taken the tests. “We were talking about babies that morning, and it suddenly dawned on me that I was late.”
“Late?” Evie asked bef
ore her mouth opened in an O shape. “You’re not…I mean, you can’t be…?”
Shrugging, a small smile curved Lexie’s lips.
“You’re pregnant?” Evie shouted the words. It was the loudest she’d ever heard her soft-spoken friend.
Lexie nodded. “I’m pregnant.”
The scream that left Evie’s lips was probably heard by neighbors two streets over. She jumped at Lexie, wrapping her arms around her.
It was lucky Evie was so light, or she could have done some damage with that movement. Lexie fell back onto the pillows, embraced in her friend’s arms.
In the next moment, a second pair of arms wrapped around them.
Cocooned by her friends, Lexie closed her eyes. She hadn’t had this kind of support before meeting these women. Not once.
They had become family to her, and Lexie was forever grateful to have them.
When they eventually separated, Lexie looked to Shylah to see her friend smiling. Not a huge, overexcited, let’s-have-a-party smile. But a smile all the same.
Reaching out, she placed her hand on Lexie’s. “Congratulations, Lexie. I’m happy for you.”
Shylah’s words rang with sincerity. Lexie breathed out a sigh of relief. She hadn’t realized how much anxiety she’d held over telling her friend until that moment.
Immediately, the knot in her stomach released. Lexie squeezed Shylah’s hand.
“You said you have six months to go. Does that mean you’re three months pregnant?” Excitement kept Evie’s eyes wide.
“Yep, twelve weeks.”
“Why the heck are we only just hearing about it now, woman?”
Shylah tightened her fingers on Lexie. “I hope it’s not because of me. I think it’s amazing that you’re having a baby with Asher, and I can’t wait to go through everything with you.”
Lexie smiled at her friend. “Thank you. I was just waiting until I hit the twelve-week mark to tell anyone. I hadn’t even told Asher.”
Both Evie and Shylah reeled back in shock.
“He’s only just found out that you’re twelve weeks pregnant with his baby?” Shylah asked, shock all over her face.
Asher: A steamy contemporary military romance (Project Arma Book 3) Page 8