Heart of Stone

By:

A.K. Hunter

Chapter Nine

"I'm not giving up. I'm just giving in." -Florence + the Machine, "Never Let Me Go"

Once again, Alexis was wearing a blindfold.

It was eleven at night, Brigid was driving her to an ultrasound appointment, and she was wearing a blindfold. It had taken some planning: Brigid had to find a doctor who was willing to be paid under the table and relinquish any medical documentation. They also had to find a night when they knew Kevin wouldn't be home, which was easier said than done. As it was, Alexis expected him to jump out from a dark corner any moment and demand to know what was going on.

The car shut off and Brigid helped Alexis out of the vehicle. The air around her was pleasantly warm and smelled like a parking garage. May was half over, and at eleven weeks, Alexis' sense of smell was getting stronger and stronger. If Alexis had been in a position to work, she would have loved to see if her nose could be used as a diagnostic tool.

"Watch your step," Brigid said quietly as she guided Alexis up a flight of stairs. Conditioned air soon wrapped around them, and Alexis allowed herself to be led down a labyrinthine hallway.

Her heart pounded in her chest. She was going to see her baby. After almost two months of anxiously waiting, she was going to see undeniable proof that there was a life inside her. Alexis had never been so scared or excited in her entire life. What if something had gone wrong? What if the baby was sick somehow? She took a deep breath to calm herself. For better or worse, she'd know soon enough.

Finally Brigid allowed Alexis to take the blindfold off. They were in a run-of-the-mill OB exam room. The soft-toned walls were covered with pregnancy timelines and drawings of fetal development.

There was a knock at the door, and a blonde man in a lab coat walked in. He offered Alexis his hand. "You must be the patient." He looked her up and down, but didn't offer his name.

"That's right."

"Are you ready to see your baby?"

She gulped, then nodded. "Yes."

In no time at all, Alexis was up on the exam table, her heart in her chest as the doctor smeared lubricant on her skin and pressed the ultrasound transducer against her abdomen. There was a moment of quiet terror when silence answered back, and then, like the flaps of an underwater butterfly, she heard it. Her baby's heartbeat. The world narrowed to the steady rhythm of that sound, and Alexis fought back tears as it left an imprint inside her heart.

"And there it is," the doctor said, pointing to a shape on the screen. A head, a body, tiny feet and arms. It was all there. So small, so fragile, but it was there.

Tears slipped down her face, and she felt Brigid squeeze her hand. "That's your baby," she whispered in awe.

A stupid smile spread over Alexis' face as she looked at the image on the screen. Exquisite joy pressed in on her chest.

She wished Kevin was here.

The thought took her by surprise, but it was true. She wished he was here with her to share the happy moment. She could imagine him holding her hand, fighting tears of his own. This would mean the world to him.

Of course, that would require them to be an actual couple. That would require him to know about the baby. That would require everything to not be half as screwed up as it actually was.

Before she was ready, the doctor turned the ultrasound machine off and wrote Brigid a list of tests that needed to be done.

"Is the baby okay?" Alexis asked.

"As far as I can tell, everything looks totally normal."

Relief washed through her, almost knocking her off her feet. After that, Brigid handed him an envelope, and the blindfold went back on. A few minutes later, Alexis was back in the car, the folded ultrasound image in her hands.

"I'll come by to get those tests set up," Brigid said on the way back.

"Okay."

After a beat, the blonde added, "Kevin seems happier these days."

He probably was happier. The truth was, they were both happier—and that truth confused Alexis to no end—but that was sure to change once Kevin knew the magnitude of the secret she'd been keeping from him.

"Alexis."

"What?"

"When do you plan on telling him? Your time is running out."

Alexis had no response. She felt like her window had already passed. She should have told him weeks ago, when her symptoms had started manifesting. As it was, he probably had enough evidence to piece it together and she was already putting on weight. She'd gained almost ten pounds and she knew there was more to come.

"I don't know."

"I know that this makes things seem real and scary, but you need to remember that you're safest with Kevin. Both are you are safest with Kevin."

Again, Alexis refrained from commenting. She'd heard that phrase countless times in her two-month captivity. Would Kevin be so determined to protect her when he knew what she'd done?

Brigid escorted her back up to the apartment, reminding Alexis that she'd get those tests set up, and then left the girl alone. Alexis changed back into her pajamas and lay in bed, staring at the ultrasound image. She couldn't reconcile the pure love and fierce protectiveness she'd felt upon seeing her baby, hearing its heartbeat. She pressed her fingertips against her abdomen, whispering, "I can't wait to meet you."

Alexis heard footsteps coming down the hallway and stuffed the photo inside her pillowcase.

Kevin poked his head in. "You're quite the night owl these days."

He had no idea. "I could say the same to you."

He gave her a tight smile and sat next to her on the bed. "How was your evening? I'm sorry I wasn't around for dinner."

Things had gotten better between her and Kevin. They hadn't kissed or gotten physical since that night, and they still slept in different beds, but allowing herself to get to know Kevin again had created a crack in Alexis' resolve to hate him. Now, it seemed that wall was slowly crumbling.

The words were on the tip of her tongue: "I saw our baby tonight." But she couldn't bring herself to say them.

"It's alright. Brigid came over for a while and kept me company."

"She's a good sister," he said, holding her hand. "I missed you tonight."

Heat spread across her cheekbones. Her feelings for him, confusing and broken as they were, had started to grow. Alexis didn't know how much was her hormones, how much was her loneliness, and how much of it was real. That scared her the most. She didn't want to act on feelings that weren't real. She didn't want to leap only to fall flat on her face. That was how she'd ended up pregnant in the first place.

Kevin, of course, was still a mystery. She still didn't know where he went when he left the apartment, and only once more had he come back as broken as he had the night they'd fought. She'd been watching a movie in bed, eating vanilla ice cream and pickles, and without any preamble, he'd crawled into bed next to her, wrapped his arms around her and laid his head in her lap. He hadn't moved from his spot until long after the credits had appeared on the screen. She asked him to tell her what had happened, but of course he refused. She'd fallen asleep with his arms wrapped around her, and when she'd woken up he was gone.

"Did you plan on staying up for a while? I've got a surprise for you."

Goosebumps raised on her skin, and desire coiled in her stomach. She'd thought being emotional was a bad side-effect of pregnancy, but the latest symptom was making them all seem like a cake walk. Like a hormone-crippled teenage boy, Alexis couldn't stop thinking about or wanting sex. Sex with Kevin specifically. Ever since she'd kissed him that night, it was like the floodgates had opened. It was an almost constant desire, and it only worsened every single time Kevin touched her. Alexis was only eleven weeks in, and pregnancy had already reduced her from an intelligent, logical person to some kind of animal.

"Depends on the surprise," she said with a sultry smile.

His eyebrows raised at her tone, but he didn't engage. "I'll be right back."

As soon as he'd walked out the bedroom door, Alexis tried to reason with herself. Just because they were having a baby didn't mean that she could just jump into bed with him, right? And it didn't mean that getting emotionally attached—well, any more emotionally attached—was a smart idea.

She tried to ignore the voice inside her mind that reminded her Kevin loved her unconditionally. He cared about her and took care of her and did everything he could to protect her and make her life comfortable and happy. That voice wasn't helpful. That voice just made all of her traitorous feelings seem okay. She didn't know anything about him anymore, how could she let herself fall for someone who was a complete mystery?

Kevin returned, brandishing a wrapped box. "Open it."

Alexis took it and started to tug at the wrapping paper.

"I've been thinking about what you said about losing your touch, and I thought this might help you stay in practice."

That was surprising. When she'd been particularly bored one day, she'd complained to Kevin that she was going to forget all of her ME training. Apparently he'd been listening. She tore the wrapping paper off and her eyes landed on a familiar red logo. "No way." He'd gotten her Operation.

He grinned. "Wanna play doctor, Doctor?"

Instantly her mind filled with images, and blood rushed to her face. "Sure."

As it turned out, she was terrible at Operation. Desire had made her hands shake, and Kevin's proximity didn't help. The game board was braced on her lap, and every move had him leaning over her. Every time he so much as looked at her, every time their hands brushed or his leg bumped against hers, she had to fight the urge to take him right there on his bed.

With a triumphant smile, he pulled out the last piece: a small, plastic butterfly inside their patient's stomach. The irony just about killed her.

"Beginner's luck," he said with a smile. "Want to play again?"

Alexis could think of a million other things she'd like to do to Kevin specifically, and none of them involved fishing plastic pieces out of a box. Her hands itched to toss the game away and sink into his dark hair as she kissed him.

"Alexis?"

She shook herself. "I'm kind of tired. I think I'm ready to go to sleep."

"Oh. Okay." He packed up the game box and pressed a gentle kiss against her cheek. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Good night," she said quietly, turning away from him and taking slow, deep breaths to control her racing heart. Kevin turned the lights off on his way out, and Alexis was left alone in the darkness.

She shouldn't want him—in any capacity. She shouldn't want to kiss him, she shouldn't want to be around him, she shouldn't blush when he looked at her and her heart shouldn't skip a beat when he smiled.

Parts of him were made up of the Kevin she knew before, but there were other pieces she knew nothing about—pieces that scared her. She wasn't afraid of him; she knew he'd never hurt her. But she knew those dark, hidden pieces had the power to change her life. They already had. Those pieces were the reason she was hidden away in his apartment, sneaking out at night to get prenatal care. They had uprooted her entire life.

She reached into her pillowcase, and traced her fingertip over the image. She couldn't see it in the darkness, but she knew it was there. She'd memorized her baby's shape among the gray and black canvas.

A month earlier, if she'd been given the chance to walk out of Kevin's apartment and never look back, she might have taken it. Now… she didn't know what she'd do. That unknown variable inside her heart, inside her mind, scared her. What happened to her anger? What happened to her determination to take her life back? How could she just give up?

She touched her abdomen. Kevin had loved her through years of distance and grief. And despite her anger, despite the almost overwhelming feeling of betrayal, she'd loved him too. That was why she'd come back to New York in the first place: to find the man she loved.

A new question appeared in her mind.

Despite everything that was wrong with the situation in front of her, they'd been given another chance.

Could she forgive herself for letting it pass her by?

Alexis was acting really strange.

Things had been better in the past month. She generally seemed happier, both with her life and with him, but lately she'd been running hot and cold. She'd smile at him, go out of her way to be close to him, and just as quickly she'd shut down. He didn't know what to make of it. He knew it would be a tough adjustment for her, being cooped up here, but something wasn't adding up.

Kevin lay in bed, trying to figure out what was going on with her, when he heard his bedroom door slide open. In the darkness, he thought he could make out a familiar form moving toward him.

"Alexis?"

The bed dipped next to him, and a familiar scent enveloped his senses. It was her. "What's the matter?"

He felt her weight shift forward, her hands resting on his chest, and then her mouth covered his.

Surprise shot through him. He tried to push her back, but was surprised to find his palms meeting hot, bare skin. She wasn't wearing anything. Jesus...

He firmly pushed her back by her shoulders. "Alexis?"

"You said I just had to ask," she replied. Her voice was low and breathy. "I'm asking." Her mouth pressed against his again, and her fingertips brushed over his stomach, heading southward.

Kevin was at a loss. On one hand, this didn't feel quite right. On another, his heart and body both leapt at the chance to be with her in any capacity.

Her fingers wrapped around him, and he jerked his hips forward with a moan. Nimble fingers tugged his underwear down with thoughtless efficiency, and Kevin almost jumped out of his skin when he felt her warm mouth envelope him.

He moaned her name, quickly losing all semblance of rational thought as her mouth took him to new heights. His fingers sank into her soft hair, but he didn't push her. She had never done this to him before, and he couldn't help but wonder where she'd learned those moves. Then she did something with her tongue that had stars bursting behind his eyes, and every thought was erased from his mind.

He pulled her up, her lips breaking away from him with an audible pop. His mouth devoured hers, and he got the faintest hint of himself on her tongue. She straddled him, rolling her hips over him, dragging her wet heat over him again and again. She was going to kill him.

"Alexis," he mumbled against her mouth. "Condom."

"Don't worry about it."

He tried to protest, but then she sank into his hard length, inch by inch taking him into her heat. She was on fire, the warmth of her skin almost burning him.

She moaned as he filled her, her body already clenching tight around him. Alexis took a moment to adjust to him, almost panting with desire. And then with a blinding roll of her hips, she took his breath away.

Kevin called out her name in broken syllables as she rode him, the room filling with the sounds of their pleasure. His hands found her breasts, gently kneading them in time with her rhythm, and the girl in his arms turned feral.

She bucked her hips, taking him deeper each time, mewling at the sensation of his hands and their joined bodies. She writhed on top of him arrhythmically, the pleasure building in her body making her lose control. His hands slid up her waist, supporting her back and holding her in place. His mouth found her nipple, gently flicking his tongue over it as he suckled, and he felt her splinter then break completely. She screamed his name as her muscles clamped down on him, scorching him where they were connected.

His eyes rolled back into his head. "Fuuuuuuuuuck." He was barely hanging on, barely keeping himself from flying right off the edge into oblivion.

Alexis collapsed onto his chest with trembling limbs, sweat pouring down her overheated body.

"I love you," he whispered. "I love you so much."

She made an affirmative noise in her throat, nuzzling his neck. His cock twitched inside her, reminding him that he still hadn't found release. She moaned at the sensation.

Regretfully, Kevin slid out of her, moving aside to let her collapse face-first into the cool bedsheets. She almost protested their broken connection.

"It's alright, sweetheart." He kissed the crown of her head. "I'm not done with you yet."

His hands slid down her back, coaxing her hips up. His lips traveled from the back of her neck down to her tailbone. He slid two fingers into her core and a muffled moan escaped her. She immediately rocked her hips against his fingers, seeking another high. He rubbed circles over her center with his thumb until her moans reached an octave that made her voice break as she climaxed.

He carefully positioned himself behind her, entering her molten core as shudders rocked through her body. His fingers wrapped around her hips, and another cry fell on his ears as he began to thrust into her with shallow strokes. Her body had never been so responsive, and he reveled in the moans and gasps that tore through her lips, the way her muscles clenched around him, the all-consuming heat that radiated into his soul.

He tilted her hips up, almost lifting her legs off the bed as he delved deeper and harder into her warmth. She muffled her screams against the bedsheets, helpless to do anything but accept the pleasure slamming into her.

"Kevin!"

Her body locked onto his like a hot, velvet vice and he saw stars. His rhythm turned frenzied, thrusting relentlessly as wave after wave of light washed over him, the melody of Alexis' climax echoing dimly in his ears.

They lay together in a sweaty, boneless heap, gasping for breath, reeling from what they had just felt. After an eon spent putting his shattered body back together, Kevin rolled onto his back and gathered Alexis in his arms. Hair tangled, body flushed, eyes glazed with a thin sheen of sweat covering her skin, she looked positively wild. His heart stuttered.

"I love you."

With lazy movements, she pulled his face down to meet hers, and he kissed her back greedily. She was his alone, and he'd been dreaming of being with her again for years. He didn't know what sequence of events had led her to his bed that night, but he did know one thing: Now that he had her again, he was never letting her go.

There wasn't enough coffee in the world for the complete exhaustion that had taken over his body. It was almost three in the afternoon, and Kevin had only just managed to stumble to the kitchen.

Alexis was trying to kill him. He was sure of it. She had been absolutely insatiable in her need for him the night before, and with the exception of a handful of minutes spent dozing between rounds, they'd made love until their energy was completely spent. He wasn't sure at what point they'd given in, but he did remember waking up on top of her, his hand still cupping her breast, as the morning light had shone through the open curtains. He'd forced himself to shut out the offensive light and had curled around Alexis for a few more hours of sleep.

She was still out cold. Thank God. His body and mind needed time to recover. He felt like he'd just run a marathon—all aching muscles and stiff joints. He'd never been more satisfied or more confused.

Kevin never would have predicted the way she threw herself at him. Yes, things had been getting better, but he'd never allowed himself to hope that she'd want him that way. It was a gift, and even though she'd never said those three little words back to him, he had reason to hope. She couldn't say it yet, and that was okay. He loved her enough for the both of them.

He opened the fridge, searching through it for some milk, and his attention landed on an almost empty jar of pickles. He'd have to ask the housekeeper to get some more. They were Alexis' favorite food these days; he'd seen her eating them constantly. Early in the morning, late at night. Kevin had never much cared for them. In fact, the only other time he'd kept them in the house was when Jenny was—

Kevin jolted up, smacking the back of his head on the inside of the fridge. He backed up and straightened, rubbing his head.

His mind ran through a mental checklist: vomiting, mood swings, breast tenderness, increased arousal, craving strange foods.

As soon as the word appeared in his mind, Kevin tried to find a logical explanation. Maybe she really did have food poisoning that one time. Maybe her emotions were so out of whack because she was trapped with him. Maybe she just really, really liked pickles.

They hadn't used a condom.

Not the night before, and not the night that had started it all. Something twisted in his chest, remembering what Alexis had said to him the night before.

Don't worry about it.

She was p—

A shrill ringtone broke through his thoughts, and Kevin answered without thinking twice. "What?"

Sloane's voice slid through the phone. "Cancel your plans for tonight. It's time for a sit down, and boss volunteered you to host." Kevin's heart tripped into double time as the voice turned sinister.

"I can't wait to see your new pet."

Author's Note: Another update in less than a week! I really hope you guys liked it.

Please, please, please review!

Next time: Shit hits the fan.