by Chloe Walsh
"One day," he hissed out through clenched teeth. His eyes flew open and he glared at me in barely contained rage. "All I want, Derek," he roared as he stalked past me into the hallway. "Is one day." Swinging the front door open, he turned and glared at me. "One fucking day where the people I love listen to me and do what I goddamn say. Is that too much to ask for?"
****
Kyle
She was going to be the death of me. If she didn't start listening to me soon, I was going to lose my shit. One argument. One goddamn disagreement and what did she do?
Run.
She was the victim of a shooting. A shooting. She didn't need to be going any damn place on her own. I knew she didn't like being ordered around. I was being hard on her, but I was worried. I was more than worried, I was terrified something was going to happen to her. To Lee, I looked like a control freak, and maybe I was, but everything I did was for her.
To keep her safe.
To keep her alive.
I sat in my car until the sky darkened and I was certain I was calm enough to deal with her. Vulnerable, vulnerable, vulnerable, I chanted the word to myself in the elevator on my way up to our suite, in a bid to keep my cool. Taking a few deep breaths, I slipped inside and checked on Hope, who was sleeping soundly, before making my way into our bedroom. The sound of water running filled my ears and I opened the door of the bathroom and stepped inside. My panic started to recede the moment I set eyes on her standing under the steady flow of water coming from the showerhead–naked.
Her eyes met mine and I watched as she sighed deeply before continuing to lather her hair with shampoo. "If you've come for a fight, Kyle, you'll have to wait."
"You left without telling me," I said in a tone much calmer than I thought I was capable of. "You didn't tell anyone where you were going, Lee. Do you have any idea how worried I was when Marcus called me?" I closed my eyes and forced away all the horrible what ifs and notions that were swimming around in my brain. "Anything could have happened to you."
"You cornered me this morning," she countered in an equally quiet tone. "You push and push, Kyle. I have a breaking point. I have my own views on the world–on my mother. You can't force your opinions on me and expect me to lie down to you just because you think yours is the right way."
"Where were you?" I asked quietly even though I knew full well where she'd been.
"With Cam," she replied softly, confirming what I'd already guessed.
Shaking my head, I shrugged my clothes off and went to her. "Jesus, Lee," I hissed the second I stepped into the shower. "Have you no feeling in your body?" I asked as I hopped around, trying to dodge the spray until my body grew accustomed to it. "The water is scalding."
"I like it hot," she murmured as tipped her head back to rinse her hair. "It helps with the stiffness."
I couldn't agree more with her. I was as stiff as a board from just watching her, but her words sobered my arousal. "You're sore today?" I asked in a gruff tone. The fight I had in me earlier was fading fast. Now, all I wanted to do was hold her. Lock her away. Keep her safe…
"Yeah," she whispered as she massaged her hands through her hair and my chest ached. Her one word omission cut me deep. "I pushed myself too far today," she admitted quietly. "I feel like an old lady…I'm exhausted just trying to stand up."
Stepping behind her, I suffered the oven-hot temperature of the water as I gently brushed her hands aside and started to rinse her hair. "You never listen to me," I whispered. Brushing her hair to one side, I dropped my head and placed a kiss on her shoulder before lowering my hands to rest on her hips. She sagged against me, allowing me to take her weight for her. "You need to start listening to me."
"I do listen to you, Kyle," she replied softly. "But that doesn't mean that I have to agree with you or do what you say all the time."
"I'm trying to keep you safe," I growled. "I'm not sorry for that, Lee."
"I'm capable of making up my mind about my own mother," she shot back. "And I'm not sorry for that either, Kyle."
"Do you still…are we okay?" I asked, feeling like a needy asshole for craving reassurance, but her response freaked me out.
She turned around and looked up at me with those big gray eyes. "I'm really mad at you," she said, her eyes wide, her voice weary. "But I'm really in love with you, too." Her lips tipped upwards in what looked like a reluctant smile. "So, I guess the love overrules the anger."
"So, where do we go from here?" I asked, feeling at a total loss as to where this was going. We weren't agreeing, but we weren't fighting either. It was…weird as fuck. "How come you're not screaming and shouting at me?"
Lee laughed–fucking loved that sound–stretched her hand up and turned off the water. She stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel before answering me. "It's my new technique when dealing with your antics," she mused as she wrapped a towel around her body and another around her hair. "I call it being a grown up."
The weight on my shoulders and pressure around my chest lightened the moment she smiled at me. We were okay…"Antics?" I teased as I stepped out and prowled towards her. The night could be salvaged…
****
Lee
I was finding it really hard to hold onto my anger with Kyle prowling towards me–stark naked–with that playful glint in his eyes. "Antics?" he purred as he grabbed my waist and pulled me flush against him. "I thought you liked my antics?" His face dipped to my neck, his lips snaked out, trailing hot kisses from my collarbone to my jaw. "Don't be mad at me," he whispered between kisses. "I just wanna fix everything for you."
I groaned loudly–a combination of arousal and despair. "Kyle…I don't want to have a relationship with her. You need to stop…"
"Stop this?" he purred as his hands slipped between the openings of my towel and began a gentle onslaught on my breasts. Stroking, kneading, tweaking… "Or stop this?" He trailed his fingers down my stomach until he had me cupped in his palm with his finger pushing inside…
"I can't talk to you…when you…we need to…sort this…" My words trailed off and I grabbed his shoulders in a bid to keep my balance. He was wrecking me. I had so many emotions coursing through me and he was annihilating every one of them with his fingers and lips. "You're…cunning," I managed to choke out before his mouth found mine, cutting off whatever the hell it was I was trying to say, and to be honest, I couldn't remember, nor did I care. His hands cupped my butt, lifting me easily, and I was lost.
"Let's call a truce for tonight," he whispered as his hands slid up my back and dragged my towel away so that we were skin to skin. "Are you too sore?" he murmured softly as he walked forward, with me wrapped around his waist, until I felt the cool, moist wall-tiles against my back.
I shook my head, panting when I felt his erection probing my entrance. My body had obtained a new lease of life…His hands on me made everything tingle, and the energy sources inside of me were replenishing at an alarming rate. Kyle smirked before slowly sinking inside me, so deep it felt like he was penetrating my womb. "I'm still mad," I gasped as I rocked against his thrust.
Holding me captive with his hips, he rested his arms on either side of my face, his fingers stroking the hair on the top of my head. "Lee," he moaned as he looked into my eyes with the rawest of passion pooling in his. "I've had a really bad day." He rolled his hips and whispered, "I don't wanna fight, baby. I wanna fuck." He kissed me softly and I was gone... A traitor to my own entreaty.
****
"Do you think we fight more than we're supposed to?" I asked Kyle as we settled into bed. I grabbed my gorilla–who Kyle had aptly named King Kong–out of his hands before he had a chance to throw him off the bed, and held him tightly to my chest.
"Can't we throw him out?" Kyle grumbled as he flicked off the light and climbed into bed. "It's like a constant reminder of how stupid I was."
"No, we can't," I cackled as I tucked him behind my back before moving over to snuggle into Kyle. "I love him."
"You have read w
hat's on his chest, right?" he asked, his voice full of self-loathing. "'You blow my mind.' Jesus…"
"Consider me sentimental, but you are the first person who bought me a stuffed-animal," I told him. It was the truth and it meant a hell of a lot to me. "So, I don't care what's written on his chest, I love him. I'm keeping him."
"Lee…"
"Kyle…" I countered. "Let it go. King Kong is staying."
"Fine. Keep the damn monkey," he huffed as he turned onto his side and pulled me into his arms. Leaning his arm over my body, he grabbed King Kong from where he was tucked behind my back and threw him off the bed. "But not in our bed," he added smugly. Resting his hand on the curve of my hip, he smirked. "And back to your earlier question, 'do I think we fight more than we're supposed to?'" He raised his hand and tucked my hair behind my ear before resting it once again on my hip. "I don't know," he answered with a grin. "What's the recommended daily allowance?"
"I'm serious," I said, nudging his leg with my toe. "I just don't know how normal it is to argue as much as we do."
He snorted and ducked his head for a kiss before pulling back and fixing me with a crooked smile. "We fight because you're fucking crazy sometimes."
I stiffened, my earlier anger returning with a vengeance. "You're the one who's…"
"Relax, princess," he said softly. "We fight because we care. I'd be worried if we didn't."
"It's exhausting, isn’t it?" I whispered.
Kyle frowned at me. "What is?"
"Finding a common line," I admitted. "Knowing when to argue, when to back off…trying to figure out what exactly is worth fighting about, what's worth fighting for…?"
"You're worth fighting for," he murmured. Turning me over, he shifted his body so that the front of his body was aligned with the back of mine. "That's all I need to know. That's my common line." Kissing my shoulder, he wrapped a strong, comforting arm around me before yawning. "Now, go to sleep, princess."
"Kyle?" I whispered a few minutes later.
"Yeah?" His tone was gruff–sleepy.
"I'm sorry for calling you Jerry Springer…You're nothing like him."
He chuckled and squeezed me tighter. "Turn your brain off, woman."
****
Chapter 6
Flying objects
Kyle
"Are you okay?" She wasn't and I was stupid to even ask that question. Lee just shoved me off her in the middle of sex and ran like a lunatic into the bathroom. This was a first for us…She usually didn't run when I had my dick inside her. I scratched my head in confusion because I honestly didn't have a clue what I'd done. "Did I hurt you?"
"No, you didn't," I heard her call out in a high pitched tone from behind the bathroom door. "I'm fine. Just go to work, okay?"
"What are you doing in there?" I asked. I probably looked like a tool, standing outside the bathroom, balls naked, with a hard-on that wouldn't lie the fuck down. Glancing back at the bed, I noticed the sheets before looking down at my junk. I sagged in relief.
Got it.
I didn’t have a clue why she was so embarrassed. It wasn’t a big deal. Not to me. It was a woman thing. It was a good thing. It was a fucking great thing. Her body was starting to regulate again. Finally. "Baby, it's not a big deal. Can I come in?"
"No," she called out. "I'm peeing. Go to work, Kyle. I'm fine."
"Are you sure?" I wasn't sure. I wasn't one bit sure about this. She was being weird as fuck about this. This was beyond my comprehension. Did I go in anyway? Would I be breaking some weird girly code? I didn't care if she peed in front of me…
Fuck it, I needed to check.
Opening the door slowly, I peeked my head through the opening. "Lee, don't be embarrassed. It's just me…Ouch, what the fuck." My hand shot up to my nose. I staggered back as my eyes watered. I looked around for the source of the pain in my nose and my eyes locked on the weapon. Bending down, I grabbed the shampoo bottle and slammed the door open. "Did you just hit me with a fucking shampoo bottle?"
"Get out," she screamed as she scrambled to cover herself up. "For the love of god, get out now. Close the door."
"For fuck sake, Lee," I hissed, throwing the bottle on the floor. "I've seen you naked. I've seen you give birth. Christ, I looked up your v…"
"Oh my god, will you just get out," she screamed. "Some things are private, Kyle."
"Fine," I huffed, backing away. "But just so you know, you're on my shit list for this." I had no idea why I was saying this, but I was feeling wounded. Damn, my nose was stinging. "That's right, Lee. I have a shit list, too."
"Fine by me," she snapped. "Close the door after you, asshat."
Slamming the door closed, I took a few deep, calming breaths before grabbing my clothes and going downstairs to the pool room for a shower. Perfect start to the day.
Crazy fucking woman…
****
Lee
"That sounds normal," Dr. Bromwick said after I told him all my symptoms and I felt anything but relief. My hand tightened around my phone as I listened to him roll off an explanation I knew in my gut was wrong. "Intercourse can be painful after childbirth alone and given the circumstances I'm not surprised you're feeling some discomfort."
I'd scrambled out from underneath Kyle before rushing into the bathroom and confirming what I'd thought I felt while we were having sex. I was bleeding. Not heavily, but enough to be worried.
Oh god, I shouldn't have thrown that shampoo bottle at Kyle…but I'd been mortified. He stuck his head round the door and stared straight at me while I was peeing. What the hell?
I wasn't used to men or relationships, but I was pretty sure that wasn't normal. Husband to be or not, we needed boundaries. But I deserved everything he would say to me when he came home. I knew I was in trouble. He couldn't hate me more than I hated myself right now…I hit him. Again.
I'd phoned Dr. Michael's office the moment Kyle had stalked out. Dr. Michaels wasn't available and I'd been put through to his much younger, much grumpier, registrar. "But what about the blood?" I asked Dr. Bromwick, feeling incredibly embarrassed. "Do you think I could come in for a checkup? Just to be safe?" The blood terrified me. It wasn't the sex. Kyle was gentle. I was burning and bleeding and everything ached.
"How old are you Miss Bennett?" Dr Bromwick asked impatiently.
"Twenty," I whispered as my cheeks reddened.
"And what do you think, at your age, is supposed happen to your body on a monthly basis?"
Shame engulfed me. I was glad Hope was the only one who was in the room because I was sure I was about to burst into tears. "A menstrual cycle," I muttered in humiliation. "But that's not what this…"
"Very good," he said interrupting me in a sarcastic tone before sighing. "Look, take some Advil for the cramps and put a hot compression against your back. You'll be fine in a few hours."
I bit down on my lip as the burning intensified. I didn't feel right. Something was very wrong. My body had been quite literally torn apart and pieced back together in the past year. The doctors reckoned that the injuries my body had endured, along with stress, was the reason why I didn't ovulate anymore. And even if this was a period, I shouldn't be burning. I was in agony. This wasn’t right. "Dr. Bromwick, I really think I need to be examined. Dr. Michaels said to call him immediately if I had a problem…"
"And I really think I need to examine patients who have an actual ailment, Miss Bennett," he snapped. "Not stupid little girls with period pains. If young ladies such as yourself are old enough to have babies, then surely you're old enough to understand your own body. There's no cure that I can prescribe for imprudence."
"Okay, I'm sorry for bothering you," I whispered before hanging up. I sank down on the couch and buried my head in my hands. I'd been sure what was happening to me was an actual ailment…but then again he was the doctor and I was the uneducated house-keeper. He knew more than I did. I knew nothing really. Nothing at all. Oh god, I wasn't sure what to think. Maybe I was over-reacting?
> ****
Kyle
"Open the damn door, Derek," I growled as I tried my key in the lock for the fifth fucking time. He'd locked it on the inside and I was getting agitated. I had a hell of a lot to do today, but I needed to check in on him. His phone call earlier had freaked me out. "Come on, dude. Just let me in," I said in a softer tone. I could hear banging coming from the other side of the door and it was scaring the shit out of me. I knew exactly where the noise was coming from and I hoped like hell he'd answer the door instead of putting his head through it.
"Do you think she was hiding something from me?" he'd blurted out the second I'd answered his call and for a moment I hadn't a clue who he was talking about. I'd quickly realized who when he added, "She fucking hated Mike. It makes no sense, Kyle. I can't accept this shit…"
He never brought Cam up in conversation with me and I was hoping this was a break-through. His behavior was unpredictable as hell lately, and Lee's behavior had been even more unpredictable. Jesus Christ. I rubbed my nose and made a mental note to never walk in on her peeing again…
"You on your own?" I heard him ask and I sagged in relief.
"Yeah. It's just me." I pressed my forehead against the door and waited. After a couple of minutes I heard the sound of the lock clicking and stepped back. When he opened the door I had to force my features to remain impassive. Inside I was burning. He looked a mess and I knew in my heart of hearts that the guy had drank himself stupid last night. So much for doing better…Goddammit.
"Sorry," Derek mumbled as he held the door open for me.
Picking up the bags of groceries I'd bought, I stepped through the doorway and was hit with the nastiest stench I'd smelt since Hope's bout of diarrhea last week. "What the hell, dude?" Dropping the bags of food on the kitchen table, I covered my nose with my hand. "What's that smell?"