Here's part four. I really hope that some of you are still with me. Please review.
When Matt first entered the bathroom, he had only one thing on his mind. His teeth weren't going to brush themselves, and his five o'clock shadow wasn't going to magically disappear. As he reached for his razor, his eyes landed on a small droplet of red on the sink. He frowned. He hadn't cut himself shaving in a long while, and the droplet hadn't even dried yet, so where had it come from? He carefully cleaned it up before leaving the small room, intent on finding Alex. Maybe she'd know.
"Alex?"
There wasn't an answer, and when he rounded the corner, he found her lying on the couch. The jeans she wore fit looser than they had before, and he sighed. Upon closer inspection, he noticed a small patch of dark red on the material. He reached out slowly, shaking her shoulder gently.
"Wake up, Alex."
Her eyes fluttered open, and she smiled.
"Are you okay?"
Alex nodded.
"You're bleeding, love."
She frowned, her eyes widening when she followed his gaze and when he reached for the fabric, she instinctively pulled away.
"Alex, let me see it."
He pulled the fabric back carefully, not wanting to hurt her, and drew in a sharp breath when he saw the long gash running along the length of her calf. He didn't speak, but raised pain filled eyes to hers.
"Why, love?"
She shook her head, and it occurred to him that she hadn't spoken since they had left hospital. He placed his hand on her cheek, willing her to talk to him, but when she pulled away, he felt his heart break. She was pushing him away, denying him any opportunity to help her, and it was killing him.
Alex stood, carefully placing weight on her injured leg, and began walking away. She didn't turn when Matt called her name, and he hesitated only a second before following her. Just inside the doorway to the hall, her legs gave way beneath her, and she collapsed. She hit the ground as if in slow motion, a perfect symphony of pain and fear surrounding her, everything singing in perfect harmony.
Matt was by her side in an instant, lifting her in his arms and placing her carefully on the couch. Her eyes, once so brilliantly green and clear, stared up at him, vague and empty. He took her hand in his, his voice low and urgent.
"Please…please, Alex. You have to let me help you. I don't want to lose you. Don't you see how special and beautiful you are?"
She didn't answer, but her eyes never left him. He didn't know if she was even really looking at him, and he gripped her hand tighter.
"Say something, Kingston. Even if you just scream at me and tell me to go to hell. Even if it's to tell me that you hate me. Say something, please."
Her silence was scaring him, more than her tears ever had, and he kissed her fingertips gently.
"I'm sorry, Matt."
He sighed in relief, raising up to kiss her softly, bringing his free hand up to frame her face.
"I love you so much, Alex. Won't you please let me help you? You don't always have to be so strong. Let me take care of you for once."
Her eyes filled with tears, and when they began to fall, Matt wiped them away with his fingertips.
"Matt?"
"What, love?"
She was silent for a long moment, and he thought she had changed her mind on speaking, when her voice startled him.
"I'm scared."
He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her against his chest and stroked her curls lightly.
"I know. But you don't have to do this alone. I'll do anything in the world to help you."
"I'm so scared," she repeated, her voice breaking.
"I know, love. But I'm here. You're not going to be alone."
He was silent for a moment and then something clicked in his memory. He'd seen the white raised scars covering her skin before, but had never gotten an answer on their origin.
"Alex?"
"Hmm?"
"Is that where the scars on your arms and legs came from?"
She nodded against his chest and he tightened his hold on her shaking body.
"When?"
"A long time ago. After…after my first marriage."
He nodded. It all made sense now. She mumbled something against his chest and he pulled back, asking her to repeat it.
"I nearly died the last time."
His own eyes filled with tears and he felt his heart break a bit more for the woman in front of him. She'd been through so much, and somehow had managed to be this incredibly strong and powerful woman. He ran his thumb over her cheek, smiling down at her.
"Why are you smiling?"
He leaned down, kissing her slowly. When he pulled away, he smiled again, his eyes never leaving hers.
"Because I'm so proud of you."
She gave him a small smile and pulled him down to her again, running her hands through his hair. She deepened the kiss, a small gasp escaping her when he moved his lips to her throat, trailing his fingertips lightly over her skin. He stood from his position on his heels, pulling her to her feet. He moved them closer to the bedroom, never breaking the kiss, and when they crashed against the wall, he couldn't really find it in himself to move.
Matt pushed her back against the wall, lifting her slightly off her feet as he did so. Alex's fingers were tangled in his hair, and when she whispered his name, he couldn't stop the low moan that fell from his lips. He knew that they would eventually have to move, but at the moment, he didn't care. He placed his hands on either side of her, effectively keeping her from moving, and placed his lips at her ear.
"Do you have any idea how much you drive me crazy?"
She laughed breathlessly and shook her head. He bit down lightly on her ear, causing her to arch into him, moaning.
"Well, don't worry. I fully intend to demonstrate."
His hands found her hips and guided her backward into the bedroom, kicking the door shut as he moved. When she fell back onto the bed, he was quick to pin her arms above her head, preventing her from touching him, and pinning her with the weight of his own body.
"Do you trust me?"
She nodded, her eyes filled with excitement, and he smiled.
"Good. Just let me know if I hurt you."
Again, she nodded and he captured her lips with his own. Every time she tried to touch him, he applied more pressure to her wrists, holding her firmly in place. His lips just barely ghosted over her own, his free hand playing with her curls, and she sighed in frustration.
"You're not playing fair."
He smirked, nipping at her ear lightly.
"Nope. And I'm not going to start now."
He kept his pace slow, maddeningly slow, and trailed kisses down her body. He stopped just short of where he knew she wanted him, shaking his head when she cried out in disappointment.
"Hush," he said quietly.
"Matt, if you would just—"
"I said, hush. If you can't be quiet on your own, then I'll make you."
She opened her mouth to speak, then closed it again. Matt nodded, and again kissed her throat. He still hadn't released his hold on her wrists and she twisted in his grasp, trying to break free. She moaned when his teeth grazed over her skin, and he frowned.
"Be still and hush," he warned.
Alex nodded, and he slowly relaxed his grip on her wrists.
"I'm going to let go, but if you move, or make a sound, you'll wish you hadn't."
She nodded again, and he slowly fingered the hem of her shirt. As he pushed it upward with one hand, he hooked the other in the waist of her jeans, pulling them off of her thin frame. His hand moved down the length of her legs, never once coming close to where she wanted him, and he smirked. Matt brought his lips to hers at the same time that he brushed his fingertips over her, and she jerked in his arms, her eyes closing. He shook his head and gripped her hips.
"I thought I told you not to move."
Alex sighed, and nodded.
"I'm sorry, love, but I did warn you."
Her eyes widened and he knew that she was running through multiple scenarios in her head, wondering what he was planning. In one swift movement, he had removed the last piece of clothing on her body, and continued his assault. His lips started at her throat, making their slow descent down her body, stopping to take one breast in his mouth. He swirled his tongue, knowing that it was killing her to keep still and fought the urge to smile. He moved his lips down to graze over her hips, feeling the way her body shook and he placed his hands on her hips to keep her in place. His tongue moved just where she wanted him, where she had needed him for so long, and within seconds he had brought her right to the edge, almost but not quite, letting her fall over the edge.
The closer he brought her, the more her body shook under his hands, and he smiled. He knew that she was dying to move, wanting to scream, but he had to admit that she was doing very well at keeping silent and still.
"Matt…"
"Hush."
"Matt, please."
He raised his eyes to look at her, and knew that he couldn't continue to torment her much longer. He paused, moving up her body, and locked his gaze with hers.
"Are you going to keep shutting me out?"
She shook her head, and he frowned.
"Answer me, Alex. Are you going to keep shutting me out?"
"N-no."
"And have you learned your lesson?"
"Yes," she whispered.
He smiled then, leaning down to kiss her. It was long and slow, and when he pulled away, he made his way down her body again. She'd been on edge for so long that it only took a few seconds for her to fall completely over. She couldn't help the way her body shuddered and the scream that fell from her lips. Matt crashed his lips against hers, and ran his fingers through her hair. She smiled up at him, and raised a shaky hand to touch his face gently.
"I love you," he whispered, "so much."
"I love you, too. And I'm sorry."
He waved her apology away, and pulled her into his arms. After a few moments of simply watching her rest against his chest, Matt moved away, smiling.
"I'm going to the kitchen to fix something to eat. Do you want something?"
He could see the fear that flashed in her eyes, and took her hand in his.
"It doesn't have to be anything big, love. Just soup, or maybe a sandwich."
"No sandwich, please. They're too complicated. Too many parts."
"Okay. Soup, then?"
She was silent for a long minute, and she finally nodded.
"Just a little."
He kissed her again before standing. She reached for the silk robe that she kept on the floor by the nightstand, and began wrapping it around herself. Matt paused just before exiting the room, looking at her intently.
"Alex?"
She looked up, her eyes once again the brilliant green that he loved so much.
"I'm so proud of you."
When Matt returned twenty minutes later, he was carrying a bowl filled with tomato soup and a sandwich. Alex's eyes widened at the sandwich, but when he took it for himself, she visibly relaxed. He offered her the bowl and when she took it, he smiled. She glared at the offending liquid, moving her spoon around the bowl slowly.
"It's okay, Alex. It's just soup."
She nodded, and lifted the spoon to her lips. There wasn't much covering it, just a thin layer, and when she placed the spoon between her lips, she frowned.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
She continued at an unimaginably slow pace, barely covering the spoon each time, and after nearly half an hour, she had hardly made a dent in it at all. She placed the spoon in the bowl, raising her eyes to him.
"I can't do it, Matt. It's too much."
He took the bowl from her, setting in on his nightstand, and took her hands in his own.
"This is good. You're doing really well."
She shook her head, her curls falling over her face.
"This is pathetic," she whispered.
Matt placed his hand under her chin, forcing her to look at him again.
"Come on, Kingston. You've already done more than you thought you could. I'm so proud of you for simply trying."
He hugged her gently, but jumped when his phone rang. Apologising, he stood to answer it, all the while flashing her a smile.
"Oh, hi, Karen. No, you weren't. Let me ask."
He took the phone from his ear and turned back to Alex.
"Do you mind if Karen and Arthur come by?"
Alex shook her head, but in her mind, she was terrified. How much did Arthur know? What would he think of her? How was she supposed to hide any of this? Matt was still speaking to Karen, no longer watching her, and she leaned back against the pillows, closing her eyes. She could do this. She had to.
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