Lexi, Baby

by Lynda LeeAnne

  “Give me your hands,” he demanded. I quickly considered my options and decided to lean my chest down on the bed. I turned my head to the side and gave him what he wanted. He pinned my hands behind my back with one of his and the other wrapped around my waist to rub the ache between my legs.

  “I want you in my house, baby. Say yes.” I whimpered. I couldn’t say yes.

  “Just move,” I begged.

  He pulled his hips back slowly then pressed forward. “I need you Lexi,” he continued to torture me with this pace. “Faster,” I breathed, squeezing my fists tightly behind my back.

  “Feel all of me Lexi. Can’t you feel how much I need you. How much I love you. Say yes.”

  His words and achingly slow movements were causing too many emotions to flow through me. I hadn’t heard him say I love you since we broke up. I loved him too, but I was scared.

  “I can’t,” I whispered feeling a tear slide from the corner of my eye. Abruptly, he let go of my wrists, pulled out and flipped me to my back. He slipped back inside me in one smooth motion.

  His hands lifted to frame my face. “I love you Lexi. You’re going to be mine for the rest of your life. You’ve always been mine.” His voice was firm. “I’m not afraid to admit how much I need you, baby. I was afraid before, but I’m not now. I won’t hurt you again. Ever,” he stated confidently. Another lonely tear escaped, but Lan kissed it away.

  “I’ve always loved you,” I admitted in a barely there whisper. “I’m scared.”

  His mouth crashed down on mine in desperation. He continued with unhurried, torturously slow movements until I came so hard I was near sobbing. “I love you,” I heard Lan groan as he finished inside me.

  When he was completely sated, he rested his forehead on my shoulder.

  “Marry me,” he said. I stopped breathing. He lifted his head and stared in my eyes. “Marry me, Lexi. I should have married you the day you turned eighteen, but I was stupid. I’m not as stupid as I was back then. I won’t let you leave me.”

  My heart was beating frantically. “It’s too soon,” I said.

  “No it’s not and you know it. We love each other. I’ve loved you since I first saw you. I want to see you pregnant with Layla’s little brother or sister soon. I want to watch your belly grow and go to doctor’s appointments. I want to touch you every day for the rest of my life. Marry me.”

  Breathing was starting to hurt. “What if something goes wrong?” I asked through the tightening in my throat. “I loved you so much before Landyn and it still didn’t matter. You were my life and you cheated at the first opportunity. I can’t go through that again. I won’t put Layla through that.”

  “Are you kidding me right now?” His voice was low and scary. His eyes narrowed and he climbed off me and stood up.

  “Where are you going?” I asked.

  He started dressing. He didn’t answer and his face was hard, lips tight. “I’ve explained to you what was going on in my head that night, but you refuse to accept it. I practically beg you to marry me, and you bring up the shit that I’ve lived to regret every day since the night it happened six years ago!”

  He shook his head in defeat and finished dressing. “I know you already know about Tiffany, but what you don’t know is that I’ve only been with a handful of women since you left me, if that. Only one turned into an actual relationship and it doesn’t even count since I was just using her to get over you. I thought about you every fucking day since the day you left!”

  He opened the door. “Just forget I asked. I’m going to say bye to Layla. I’ll pick her up tomorrow.” The door slammed behind him.

  An hour of crying later, Trish came to check on me. “Hey bitch!” she said loudly when she walked in, but she immediately turned confused when she saw my face. “What’s wrong with you?”

  I told her everything while she hugged me.

  “Lex, I’ve never told you this before, but you were both so young, babe. Don’t get me wrong, I hated him right along with you and I still hate him for what he did, but maybe that was his one big mistake in life. The way he was with you back then and the way he is now isn’t any different. He’s still obsessed with you. I honestly don’t think he’d hurt you again even if his life depended on it, babe.”

  I was bawling now. “I can’t seem to do anything right,” I whined. She hugged me tighter.

  Could I honestly get over what happened six years ago? Everyone else seemed to think I should. Sometimes I even got annoyed with myself, but thinking about that night made my heart bleed.

  Chapter Eighteen

  I was sick throughout the rest of the day; literally sick to my stomach with fear; fear of Landyn not wanting me anymore.

  By the time I made it to work Landyn only texted me to say he was picking up Layla tomorrow at eleven to take her to lunch and the park. I wanted to call him and apologize, but I needed to know for sure that I could forgive him for the past. I couldn’t concentrate on anything else while working.

  I warned him that I didn’t trust easily, but I wasn’t sure that was true anymore. What if I’ve completely ruined things between us?

  The thought made me nauseous.

  It was nearly three o’clock in the morning by the time I got home. I had just cracked open the front door open when I was shoved inside from behind.

  “You bitch.” I heard a man sneer. It was Ryan. When I tried to face him, he grabbed me by the hair and jerked; my back slammed into his front. “Unless you want Layla to hear, I suggest you keep your mouth shut,” he hissed.

  “Ryan, what the hell are you doing?” I asked, so scared my voice was shaking. He pulled my hair so hard my head snapped back painfully and he wrapped a hand around my throat.

  “Do you fuck him?”

  Tears were stinging my eyes. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I lied.

  “I fucking see the way he touches you. The way he kisses you,” he boomed in my ear. Without warning he swung me around and slammed me against the frame of the front door; pain exploded throughout the side of my face. “You treated me like a fucking dog because of him. You never loved me, did you?”

  When I didn’t respond he pressed my face in harder. “Answer me,” he demanded.

  “No. I loved you.” I said as loud as I could manage. He whirled me around to face him and before I could catch my footing he backhanded me across the cheek on the same side that hit the wall; I was seeing spots.

  “Liar,” he spat in my face.

  I dropped to my hands and knees. I was vaguely aware of him dropping next to me. I felt his hands at the waistband of my jeans. “I’ll give you what you want, you fucking whore.” I tried to dizzily to crawl away from him, but when he pulled at me, I fell to my side. He rolled me over and unbuttoned my jeans. Finally I managed to scream “No!”

  As soon as the spots started fading away I started struggling against him, but he wrapped a hand around my throat again. He was choking me. “I tried so fucking hard to make you happy.” I heard the agony in his voice.

  I wrapped my hands around his wrist and scratched at him; desperate to get air. “Please. Don’t. Do. This,” I was barely able to breathe out the words. In the distance, I heard the phone ringing. Ryan ignored it.

  He struggled to get my pants down one-handed, but he did. I was kicking wildly at him with my legs, but I was also concentrating so hard on not passing out that I wasn’t doing a very good job. When I felt his hand touch me between my legs I reached up and clawed at his face.

  “You bitch!” he yelled, let go of my throat and raised his hand.

  I screamed “No!” just before he hit me and everything went black.

  Chapter Nineteen

  As I came to, I heard buzzing and commotion and shuffling around me; people were close by. “Tell me her name?” I heard a male voice order in a clipped tone.

  “Alexis,” someone answered. It might have been Trish, but I couldn’t tell.

  “Alexis, can you hear me?” the same ma
n asked.

  “Yes,” I said and prayed my voice was loud enough for him to hear. I tried to open my eyes, but everything was too bright and my head was pounding. I lifted a hand to shield my eyes.

  “Good Alexis. Try not to move too much. You have a pretty bad bruise on the right side of your face and a possible concussion. Sudden movements will only cause you pain.” I felt my arm being moved around. “My name is Jason. My partner here is Tameka. We’re paramedics and we’re going to make quick work of checking out your vitals then we’ll get you set-up on the gurney and over to the hospital, okay?” He spoke in a soothing voice.

  “Where’s my daughter? Has she seen me? Is she okay?” My voice was raspy.

  “I’m not sure Alexis,” he responded sounding unconcerned.

  “Can you find out? Please. I need to know she’s alright.” I was going to start panicking soon.

  “I’ll go find out honey. Don’t get yourself too worked up. Jason you got this?” the woman who I assumed was Tameka asked.

  “Hurry,” he ordered with attitude. I managed to glare at him with my eyes closed. “Chill out, Jason. The woman’s just been through hell and she wants to make sure her daughter’s alright.”

  “Tameka, we don’t have time this, just hurry up,” Jason ordered, having lost all patience.

  “You really need to get laid. I told you I’d handle that little problem for you.”

  “Tameka!” he said, exasperated.

  “I’m going, calm down.”

  I can’t believe she just said that! As funny as it was, I was still in shock.

  Jason went back to work. “What happened? Was I raped?” I asked in a whisper, staring at his face. He was fuzzy.

  “No. At least I’m almost certain it didn’t get that far.” Anger resonated in his voice. “The police got here just before we showed up. I believe your friend said it was close, but she scared the guy. She had you covered up by the time we got here.” That didn’t sound good, but it made me feel a little better.

  Just then, I heard arguing and shouting outside. “Where is she? Let me see her!”

  It was Landyn.

  “Sir, you have to calm down. You can see her as soon as the medics bring her down. You can’t enter a crime scene,” someone replied.

  “What the fuck does that mean? What crime scene? What happened?” Lan shouted back. “Sir…”

  At that moment, Tameka came inside the door, her eyes wide.

  “What? Is Layla alright?” I tried to lift up, but Jason stopped me.

  “Don’t worry honey,” she said. “There’s a very cute, black-haired little girl standing with the woman who I think is your roommate. She looked fine, maybe a little shaken up, but that’s understandable seeing as how there’s this fine ass mountain of a man outside shouting at the officers to let him see you. Is that your man, honey?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, hurry it up Jase. That fine ass man’s about to be arrested if we don’t bring her down soon.”

  “It’s okay, I’ll walk. I don’t need to be put on a gurney.” I tried to sit up again, but dizziness hit. I would have fallen back if Jason hadn’t caught me.

  “No! Don’t try that again. We’ll take you now,” Jason barked at me.

  As soon as the gurney wheel’s hit the pavement I was ambushed. “Lexi!” Landyn shouted frantically. His hand lifted like he was about to touch my face, but he didn’t; his hand fell away and grabbed my hand and squeezed. His eyes were bloodshot.

  “Mama! Let me go Aunt T! I wanna see Mama!” I heard Layla cry. I felt the tears brim over my lashes.

  “Lan, I don’t want her seeing me like this, but I need to see her,” I whispered, my voice still raspy. His hand on mine tightened and his eyes watered. He leaned down to give me an extremely soft kiss on the lips.

  “We’ll meet you at the hospital baby. I’ll bring her in to see you as soon as they get you situated.” I sighed and nodded. “Tell her I love her more than the whole wide world. She needs you right now Lan, please stay with her.”

  “I won’t let her out of my sight. I love you, Lexi.”

  “I love you too.”

  “I love you too, honey,” Tameka said slowly and dreamily. I glanced her way and she was staring at Lan with hearts in her eyes.

  “Tameka!” Jason shouted like he couldn’t believe his ears.

  “What Jasey? Don’t get jealous, I’m just lookin’. No need to throw a hissy!” she said.

  Freaking hilarious!

  Chapter Twenty

  I woke in my hospital room to sunlight streaming through the windows. It took a few minutes to get my bearings as I glanced around the room. Landyn was sitting in the recliner with a sleeping Layla sprawled out on top of him. Lan was watching at me.

  “Hey,” I said quietly, not wanting to wake Layla. “What time is it?” I glanced around the room again looking for a clock and saw that it was eleven o’clock.

  I only slept four hours. After a CT scan, ice packs and a heavy dose of pain meds, I knocked out around seven a.m. I looked back to Lan. He lifted out of the chair and laid Layla across the width of it. He came to my side.

  His hand softly brushed the hair off my forehead and he kissed me there. When he lifted I watched as a tear slide down his cheek. “I just got you back and I almost lost you again,” he said in a strangled voice.

  “I’m sorry for everything that happened yesterday. I shouldn’t have expected you to just let go of the the pain I caused you so easily. I don’t know how I’d react if it was the other way around. This is entirely my fault. I should have been with you. This never should have happened,” he was now caressing my throat.

  “Lan, this is not your fault, it’s mine. I’ve forgiven you for the past I’ve just been too scared to admit it to myself; especially you,” I whispered, my throat still hurt. “I love you.”

  “Then marry me baby,” he said.

  I gazed into the eyes of the love of my life. “I’ll marry you,” I whispered and smiled, but smiling hurt so I grimaced and I placed a hand against my cheek.

  Landyn’s eyes narrowed. “He’s so fucking lucky the cops got there before I did,” he said furiously.

  “How did you even know something happened?” I asked.

  “Layla called me. She said she heard you scream. When I realized it was three in morning, I told her to get in the closet. I felt bad, but I hung up on her and called the police. By the time I got there the place was swarming with cops.”

  I closed my eyes. “And Ryan? Have you heard any news?” I asked softly.

  He had an odd look on his face before he answered. “Detective Bryant called me about an hour ago. The Detective that was here earlier. Ryan’s still in jail, but they expect him to make bail by the end of the day; tomorrow at the latest.”

  I nodded. “That’s the same Detective that came to take my statement as soon as I got here. Bryant… yeah, that was his name.”

  Lan looked pissed now. “That asshole wouldn’t let me out of the waiting room to come see you. I should have been in here with you while you were being questioned,” he said fiercely. I gave him a small smile and shrugged my shoulders.

  “He was really nice and said he only needed to get a quick statement before the pain medicine kicked in.”

  I neglected to mention the fact that just seeing the detective’s face had made me feel better at the time. He was a major hottie! I smiled to myself. I’ll save that little tidbit of information for Trish.

  I looked up at Lan who was now frowning at me. My eyebrows pinched together. “What?” I asked.

  “Did you like the nice detective that came to take your statement?” he asked suspiciously.

  “Ummmmm… No?” I answered with a question. I did like the cop, but somehow I didn’t think Landyn’s meaning and mine were the same thing.

  “No?” he asked again and his eyebrows rose in doubt.

  “I feel like this is a trick question so I’m not sure how to answer you,” I said defiantly.
>
  He quickly bent over me and put his face right up against mine. “I’ve been out of my mind worried sick about you Lexi, please don’t piss me off right now,” he said.

  “How am I pissing you off and why in the world are you so mad?” He lifted a hand and I flinched away from him.

  His eyes squeezed shut; tight. “I’d never hurt you, baby. I’m sorry.” The lifted hand moved to softly trace the bruise on my face. His eyes moved to it as well.

  “I know the innocent thoughts running through your head Lexi. And they better be innocent thoughts. But I’m warning you now, stay away from him. If he tries anything with you baby, I’ll hurt him. Understand?”

  His eyes locked on mine.

  It was at that precise moment I decided that all the men in my life were insane!

  “You’re overreacting,” I told him gently. It was irritating when he got in this mood.

  “I love you Lexi. If you thought I was overly protective about you in the past, believe me… that was nothing compared to how it’ll be after this.” He lowered his mouth to mine. I didn’t want to kiss him back because I was mad, but his lips were nothing like his hard demeanor. They were soft against mine; like feathers. Then he teased my lips with his tongue. It was innocent and hot at the same time.

  He pulled back slightly. “What else did Detective Bryant say?” he hissed his name like it gave him a foul taste in his mouth.

  I ignored him and blinked trying to remember everything we talked about.

  “He said Ryan wouldn’t say one word to them when they caught him. He refused to talk. He also said that Ryan didn’t have a record but a complaint was filed against him previously by another woman that was dismissed. He didn’t give me details, but he was looking into it and going to talk to his friends and family.”

  Landyn’s hand rubbed the back of his neck.