“I just can’t get rid of this feeling inside me that something’s going to happen.”
It was like a dark cloud hanging over her. The pregnancy had made her dreams vivid. Real. Now, since the break-in, they’d become nightmares on repeat. Torturing her. Stealing her sleep and her sanity.
“Tell me about them,” Asher encouraged gently.
Hesitating, Lexie didn’t particularly want to relive it any more times than she had to. Asher’s hand began to rub gentle circles across her back, giving her the strength she needed.
“I’m standing in my apartment. Pregnant. Really pregnant. There’s a knock on my door. When I open it, these people wearing white lab coats, holding briefcases, are standing there. I immediately know why they’re there, so I turn and walk into my bedroom. When I walk out, I’m no longer pregnant. I’m holding my baby in my arms.” Lexie’s breath caught as she pictured the perfect little face staring up at her. Trusting her. Counting on her love and protection. Only she didn’t protect them. Not in her dream, anyway. “The people are still there waiting, and when they open one of the briefcases, they take out this paper bag.”
And she’d known what was in it. Alcohol.
Lexie closed her eyes as the next part returned to her.
“It’s okay, Lex.”
Turning her head, she looked at Asher, tears filling her eyes. “I just hand my perfect baby to these strangers.” Scrunching her eyes again, she tried to get the baby’s cries out of her head. “It’s like my arms had a mind of their own. As soon as they take the baby, I want it back, but it’s too late.”
Even thinking about the soft cries made her heart wrench in pain.
“It was just a dream,” Asher whispered, his mouth close to her ear.
Shaking her head, Lexie felt a physical pain in her chest. “What if it’s trying to tell me something? Like I’m going to be a terrible mother to my baby? I’m going to fail like my mother failed me. Run away, like my father. Asher, I don’t know the first thing about being a parent.”
It was a nightmare that took all her fears and rolled them up into a neat scenario that seemed too real to forget.
Asher pulled her onto his lap, lifting her in one swift action. Placing two fingers under her chin, he tilted her face up until their eyes met. “Lexie, I don’t need to see you holding your baby in your arms to know that you are going to protect that child with your life. You will be an amazing mother and will love and protect your child with an unbreakable strength. I know that with absolute clarity.”
Shaking her head, Lexie didn’t have that same blind faith in herself. “I’ve never experienced good parenting. How will I know what to do?”
Asher brushed some of her red hair behind her ear, his fingers touching her temple. That simple touch soothed some of her frayed nerves. “Something tells me you did a lot of parenting when you were only a child.” Pausing, he looked Lexie in the eye. “And even if you hadn’t, you’re the strongest, fiercest woman I know, Lex. You are loyal and you love hard. If that doesn’t describe a good mother, I don’t know what does.”
Swallowing, Lexie couldn’t draw her gaze from Asher’s. He was right about one thing. She did love hard. She would adore this baby with a fierce kind of love.
Just like she loved Asher. She loved him harder than she’d ever loved another soul. If she loved her baby with even a fraction of the amount that she loved Asher, there was no doubt her child would be greatly cared for.
Eyes dipping from Asher’s eyes to his mouth, Lexie slowly lifted her head and pressed her lips to his. He didn’t pull back, but rather, met her halfway. His lips were soft but firm, immediately moving over hers.
Groaning, Asher used the moment to push his tongue past her lips. Invading her mouth and igniting a fire inside Lexie’s body.
Hands going to Asher’s wide shoulders, she grabbed on and anchored herself. Pushing herself up, she wrapped her legs around his waist.
Pure, raw lust shot through her body.
Asher’s hardness pushed into the V between her thighs. As if having a mind of their own, Lexie’s hips pressed down, grinding against him.
In that moment, everything else faded. The nightmare. The fear. It disappeared. All that existed was her and Asher. Peace and chaos rolled into one.
Asher reached for the bottom of Lexie’s sleep shirt, his hand brushing against her small protruding stomach, then reaching up to cup Lexie’s breast.
Passion sawed through her. Tossing her head back, she moaned at the ecstasy of his touch. Taking immediate advantage of her exposed neck, Asher latched on and suckled her sensitive skin.
Desperation hung in the air, like it always did between them. There was no slow. It wasn’t possible.
The only barrier between her core and him was Lexie’s thin panties. She had never been so glad that the man slept bare of any clothes.
Lowering her hand, Lexie wrapped her fingers around his hard length, loving the growl that vibrated through his chest. Firming her grip, she began to move her hand in slow, sure movements.
Hunger exploded inside her as his hand immediately lowered, tore off her underwear, then plastered to her core. His hand covered her completely.
Asher’s lips caught hers again, his tongue plundering her mouth as his fingers began to play with her clit.
Her throbbing increased, all moans muffled by his mouth, prevented from being more than a whimper.
She needed Asher inside her now. Never had she needed something more in her life.
Lexie pushed herself up and placed him at her entrance, positioning him where she wanted. Asher’s hands stilled, then went to her hips. His tip slid inside her a mere quarter of an inch.
“Lex…” His groan was raw. Pained.
“I want you. Inside me.”
Shimmying her hips, she slid down another inch. Asher’s breaths were short. Lexie felt like she would combust from frustration.
He reached for the bottom of Lexie’s shirt and tore it off, leaving them both bare. Her breasts bounced at his actions, Asher’s heated gaze watching their movement through the moonlight.
Latching his hands back on to her hips, he slid her down until he was seated inside her completely.
Lord almighty, it was pure heaven. A feeling unrivaled by anything on this Earth.
Digging her nails into his shoulders, Lexie pulled herself close so there wasn’t an inch of space separating them. Her softness against his hard ridges.
Then, Asher thrust his own hips. The movement caused a ripple of pleasure within Lexie. As he repeated the movement, she used her legs to lift and drop down to meet each thrust.
Pleasure cut through her body. Her heart raced.
Each thrust was harder than the last. Bringing them together in the most primal way.
Lowering his head, Asher engulfed Lexie’s nipple, suckling her breast. Her skin burned for the man inside her. Throbbing with need, she moved faster, urging Asher, deeper, harder.
Suddenly, he flipped them so that she lay beneath him. His body huge as it hovered above hers.
Lifting her left leg, Asher pressed it into the mattress before he began to thrust again, this time at a new angle. Hitting a new spot inside her.
“I can’t last much longer.” Lexie gasped the words, the pleasure so great it was bordering on pain.
Even a minute longer sounded like a lifetime. Her body threatened to explode.
“Let go.”
As he whispered the words, he plunged harder, deeper. Every thrust pushing her closer to the edge, until it became too much.
Lexie screamed Asher’s name as she exploded. Her entire body tipped over the edge and her core pulsated against him.
As he kept thrusting, the spasms kept going, hitting her hard. Asher’s mouth dropped to hers before his body tightened. Then a coarse growl vibrated against her lips as he came. Heat filled Lexie and he throbbed inside her.
Taking a moment to catch her breath, Lexie wrapped her arms around the man on top of her.
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She loved him. With every fiber of her being, she loved him. She wanted to say it out loud. Scream it to make sure he heard. But she hesitated. Fear rendering her silent.
Asher lifted his head, a small smile curving his lips. “You are amazing, woman.”
Leaning down, he pressed a long kiss to her lips before rolling to the side. He pulled her body against his, and she leaned into his warm, damp skin.
Falling back to sleep in the arms of the man she loved, Lexie prayed that he could also be the man she needed him to be.
14
“How many weeks is she now, Striker?”
Asher didn’t have to think about his response to Bodie’s question. “Fifteen.”
They weren’t even halfway there but already they had a never-ending list of things to do and buy. Asher was loving every minute of it.
Taking a seat at the long table in the office of Marble Protection, Asher had a look around at his team. They tried to meet a few times a week but someone was invariable missing. Usually more than one person.
At today’s meeting, Asher, Luca, Bodie, Wyatt, and Mason were present. Eden couldn’t make it because he was picking up Shylah from work, while Oliver and Kye were taking a class out front.
“She’s been looking much better these last couple weeks,” Mason said from across the table.
Bodie nodded. “A few weeks ago, I thought the woman was going to topple over on me every time I saw her.”
Asher was damn glad she was better, but his concern wasn’t gone. “She was great right after her infusion, but her levels have all been going down again. She’s tired. Low on energy.”
Grouchy. Asher left that one off the list.
Luca raised his brows. “She told you that?”
Asher scoffed. “Christ no. It would be a dark day in hell before Lexie admitted she wasn’t a hundred percent. Her stubbornness is a pain in my ass.”
But most days, a welcome pain in his ass.
Bodie had a smirk on his face as he leaned back in his chair. “That’s why you’re so infatuated with her. The first woman to put you in your place and not fall all over herself for you.”
Asher chuckled. She sure was good at the former. “I’ve spoken to Sage and she’s going to adjust Lexie’s supplements. If her levels don’t go back up, she’ll go in for another iron infusion.”
The woman needed to take better care of herself, not push herself so much. And learn to ask for help when she needed it.
“I could see if Evie would have a word to her?” Luca suggested.
At this current moment, Evie sat with Lexie at the front desk. Lexie was working while Evie studied. Although, Asher had no doubt they were probably talking more than anything else. The women were stuck at the hip.
“I’ll let you know.” Needing to focus his attention on something else, Asher drew back to the matters at hand. “Any news on the ‘distraction’ John Roberts referred to?”
The man had died for almost sharing the information. It had to be important.
“Nothing.” Frustration coated Wyatt’s voice. “Cage did spot a man in town the other day who looked suspicious. He followed the guy but lost track of him.”
“How did he lose him?”
Wyatt’s gaze hardened. “I’d like to know that, too.”
“What about the background information on John?” Luca asked.
Wyatt crossed his arms over his chest. “He was exactly who he said he was. A businessman from Austin. All evidence points to him being a low-level drug user. Likely owed the wrong people money.”
Bodie frowned. “But how did Project Arma get him? John said he was handed over to them.”
“Is Project Arma buying people now?” Mason growled.
“Wouldn’t be surprised,” Luca spat under his breath.
At this rate, not much would surprise any of them about the lengths those behind Arma would go to.
“So, nothing on John and nothing on what he was supposedly distracting us from?” Bodie asked, tone somewhat defeated.
The whole team felt it. Every time they found a lead, it led to a dead end.
Wyatt glanced around the table as he spoke. “We can’t find anything unusual that happened on that day.”
“Damn,” Bodie muttered.
Asher’s frustration built. “Is there a chance it’s connected to Lexie? To the break-in?”
“I can’t see how that’s possible,” Luca said, frowning. “The only reason I can think of why someone might want her is because she’s pregnant with your baby. You didn’t even know about it when you caught John.”
Bodie tapped the table before speaking. “If the person who broke in knows she’s pregnant, how did they find out?”
That was a damn good question. One that Asher had been asking himself for days.
Wyatt turned to Asher. “Is it possible someone heard at the fundraiser?”
Shaking his head, he already knew it wasn’t. “I only just heard her, and I was right there next to her.”
“Would it be possible”—Mason paused, seeming to consider his next words—“that Sage leaked information.”
A moment of silence followed. The five men looked around at each other.
“If our own commander could be a part of such an evil project, I don’t see why Sage couldn’t,” Asher eventually answered.
The thought of Sage passing on medical information about Lexie to the wrong people made Asher see red. She was Lexie’s doctor and care provider. She was supposed to help her. Protect her. Not sell her to the highest bidder.
“We did a background check on her before she checked us out after Arma, didn’t we?” Luca directed his question to Wyatt.
Asher knew they did. Once the project shut, trust was lost. They didn’t let a person get close unless a thorough background check had been performed.
“She was clear,” Wyatt confirmed. “Grew up in Florida. Two parents who are still alive and a twin brother who studied at MIT.”
“Doesn’t mean she couldn’t have been bought after coming here,” Bodie responded.
Unfortunately, Asher knew some people were more easily “persuaded” than others. He just hoped that Sage wasn’t one of them.
* * *
“Crap.”
Evie’s curse drew Lexie’s attention. Her friend was standing at the end of the counter, frowning at the screen as though everything was written in a foreign language. Whenever Lexie looked at the screen, it sure appeared that way.
“Everything okay over there, Brainiac?”
Evie huffed before she glanced up. “My professor thought I needed a challenge and has given me this ridiculous code to crack. It’s killing me.”
Popping her hip against the counter, Lexie raised a brow. “Want me to get Wyatt out here to give you a hand?” Holding back a laugh, she saw Evie’s frown deepen. Lexie knew exactly how much that comment would aggravate her friend, which is precisely why she’d said it. Evie was too damn serious, especially when it came to anything related to computers.
“I don’t need help,” Evie grumbled. “I’ve got it.” She leaned closer to the screen, so that she was only an inch away. If the woman got any closer, her face would be plastered to the thing.
At the sound of the company phone ringing, Lexie drew her eyes away and lifted it.
“Marble Protection, Lexie speaking.”
“Lexie, it’s Bill. I have the pizzas Mason ordered. I told him I could deliver them, but we just got a huge order and I’m pushed for time.”
At the sound of the word pizza, Lexie’s stomach grumbled. The carb cravings were still coming in hard and strong. “Not a problem, Bill. I’ll pop over and grab them.”
And maybe eat them, too.
Lexie wondered if Mason’s superhearing included that of pizza being eaten.
“You’re a lifesaver. I’ll place them on the counter. Mason’s already paid.”
Even better. “Perfect, I’ll leave now.”
Hanging up, Lexie turned to
Evie, who was still staring at the screen like it held the world’s answers to everything.
“Hey, Einstein, I’m just going to head across the road and pick up pizza from Bill.”
Finally, Evie gave Lexie her full attention. “Aren’t you supposed to have one of the guys go with you?”
Turning her head to look at Oliver and Kye and noting that they were busy running a class, Lexie shot her gaze across the road. “Everyone’s busy, and we can literally see Marino’s Pizzeria from here. I’ll be fine.”
Lexie walked around the desk while Evie nibbled her lip. “Maybe I’ll go, Lex. I need to run out to my car and grab some folders, anyway.”
“And take away time that you could be working your IT magic? No. I’ll be back before you can blink.”
Stepping outside, Lexie wrapped her arms tighter around her waist as she was hit by a sudden chill.
Jeepers, when did those gray clouds roll in?
Crossing the road, Lexie stepped into the pizzeria. Breathing in a whiff of melted cheese and pizza dough, Lexie considered not returning to work. Surely no one would notice if she spent her afternoon here, eating every pizza in sight. Even if they did notice, that was acceptable behavior for a pregnant lady, wasn’t it?
Plonking a pile of pizzas on the counter in front of her, Bill put his hands on his hips.
“I should have told you to bring a friend. You gonna be okay with all of them, Lexie?”
Assessing the stack, Lexie nodded. “I should be fine. If not, I’ll eat them on the way.” She cracked a smile. It was wasted on Bill, though, because he’d already turned back to the wood oven.
“Thanks. Say hi to the guys for me,” Bill called over his shoulder.
Wrapping her arms around the boxes, Lexie turned to go. They weren’t as heavy as they looked, and the heat warmed her already chilly fingers.
Using her shoulder to push outside, Lexie stepped out onto the path. She had only taken a few steps when rough hands grabbed on to her arms from behind.
Dropping the boxes, Lexie let out a yelp as the punishing grip began to drag her toward the side alley.
Asher: A steamy contemporary military romance (Project Arma Book 3) Page 11