Stone (Knights Corruption MC Series Book 2) (26 page)

Leaning back on the table, I etched the sight of him deep into the recesses of my brain—not that he didn’t already reside there. I wanted to commit this moment to memory, however, our small piece in time before the rest of our lives.

Piercing dark eyes pinned me to the spot, turning a lust-hazed glare in my direction. “Why are you looking at me like that?” he asked, pushing off the wall and inching closer until he stood in front of me, spreading my legs so he could fit comfortably between. The warmth of his skin hit mine when he rested his hands on the top of my thighs.

“Am I making you nervous?” I joked, reaching forward and clutching the lapels of his cut in my hands. Our mouths were close, his breath fanning over my face as our eyes remained locked.

Without uttering a single word, he ghosted his lips over mine, tormenting me in the sweetest way. Placing a soft kiss on the corner of my mouth, he backed up just as Dr. Weber quickly knocked on the door before entering.

“Hi, Adelaide,” he greeted, placing his hand on my shoulder in an innocent sign of affection. After returning his welcoming, my eyes searched for Stone. I knew what I was going to see, and as predictable as his temper was, I witnessed him stand tall and fall into rigidness. He was too busy watching the doctor to notice me silently pleading with him not to do or say anything out of line. Finally, when Dr. Weber took a seat on the stool, Stone looked my way.

Subtly shaking my head at the infuriating man, making sure he caught my unspoken message, I attempted to make the introductions.

“Dr. Weber, this is Stone. He’s the baby’s father—” I didn’t even get a chance to finish what I was going to say before Stone cut me off.

“And her man,” he affirmed, glaring at me before adding, “We live together.”

Dr. Weber turned his full attention to the man standing behind him, rising from his stool and extending his hand. “Nice to meet you, Stone. Congratulations.” His hand hung in midair for a second too long, but thankfully Stone returned his greeting, pumping his hand and no doubt exerting his strength in his handshake. If Dr. Weber was in any way intimidated by the rough-looking, tattooed, leather-clad biker, he didn’t show it.

Once they broke away, Stone opened his mouth to speak, and what came out embarrassed the hell out of me. But I should have expected nothing less, realizing he was going to have an issue with my doctor.

“So,” he started, wrapping his arm around my shoulder in one of his signature possessive moves. “You a pervert or somethin’?”

“Stone!” I scolded, heat instantly flooding my face. I tried to shrug away from his arm but he held me tightly; instead, I placed my head in my hands. But before I shielded myself in mortification, I caught the amused look on Dr. Weber’s face.

“It’s okay, Adelaide,” he comforted, patting my knee before continuing. I heard Stone growl next to me at his gesture. Yes, he actually
growled
, like some kind of animal. “Are you asking me why I became a gynecologist, Stone?”

“Yeah, I guess I am.”

He wasted no time in explaining something I didn’t even know. “Well, my mother and sister both passed away from cervical cancer when I was younger, so I made it my vow to dedicate my education to learning all about the female body and helping any way I could so other families didn’t have to experience the heartbreak and tragedy my father and I endured.”

I’d uncovered my face halfway through his explanation, mortified Stone’s stupid question made him feel as if he needed to explain his chosen path of medicine. And I wasn’t sure if it was wrong or not, but I felt a little better knowing he’d experienced the same thing my father and I had with my mother’s cancer . . . and her death.

Stone was actually at a loss for words, but instead of manning up and apologizing, he simply nodded and turned his attention back to me. Dr. Weber accepted his nod and wheeled his stool closer to the table. There must have been some coded language which passed between the two men suddenly crowding me, and as much as I wanted to read into it and figure it out, I let it go. I knew my attempt would only leave me even more confused.

A few breaths later and we all focused on the reason for my visit, which was to find out how far along I was and to hopefully hear the baby’s heartbeat.

“So, how have you been feeling?” Dr. Weber asked before instructing me to lie back on the table.

“Okay, I guess,” I answered, squirming on top of the exam paper underneath me.

“Hmph,” Stone grumbled, quickly pulling my focus.

“What does that mean?” I asked, daring him to speak up. Dr. Weber lifted the hem of my shirt, uncovering my belly to apply the gel needed for the ultrasound.

“It means you’ve been sick most of the time and exhausted as all hell. And let’s not forget moody.” His tone was serious, but the twinkle in his eye told me he was also playing with me.

Turning my head back to the doctor, I agreed. “Yeah, everything he said.”

“Well, that’s to be expected. A lot of women experience morning sickness and exhaustion throughout their entire pregnancy.” Placing the wand over the gel and moving the instrument back and forth, he finished with, “Hopefully that’s not you, though.”

A foreign sound suddenly erupted in the room. A fast-paced drumbeat of sorts. I knew exactly what the noise was, but Stone had no idea. The confused look on his face was comical. Dr. Weber noticed it as well.

“That’s your baby’s heartbeat, Dad,” he said, smiling big when he met Stone’s gaze. Most people would have either been intimidated by the biker, or at the very least offended with the question he’d asked earlier. But not Dr. Weber. The man was beyond professional, and super friendly. It was why I liked him so much.

Squeezing Stone’s hand, I looked adoringly into his eyes, smiling at his reaction. All of a sudden, the biggest grin appeared on his face, and it was in that moment I knew he was going to be the best father to our child. If I could pinpoint the moment he fell in love with the baby, it would have been right then.

“That’s his heartbeat?” he asked incredulously.

“Yes, it is,” Dr. Weber answered. “Confident the baby’s a boy?” he joked.

“Damn right, it’s gonna be a boy. I can’t handle a girl . . . yet.” He laughed, but I knew he was completely serious, his eyes still locked on mine while we both experienced a true gift. A miracle.

Focusing back on me, Dr. Weber had more news. “Well, it looks like you’re right around twelve weeks, which means we can start discussing the treatment options,” he said, withdrawing the wand and wiping off the excess gel from my stomach.

Stone didn’t miss a beat. “Treatment for what?”

Both Dr. Weber and I looked like a deer caught in headlights. I had no idea what to say, no clue how to break the news that the woman he loved was battling for her life. And poor Dr. Weber suddenly looked beside himself, quickly making up some excuse about being late for his next appointment before disappearing from the room.

Sitting up on the table, I adjusted my shirt to cover the rest of me and hopped down, praying he would forget all about what he’d just heard. But it wasn’t to be. Typical Stone; he just wouldn’t let it go. I’d wanted to tell him, to be able to confide in and lean on him when I needed it, but I simply hadn’t come up with either the right time or the right words.

Reaching for my purse, I tried to push past him toward the door, completely ignoring his question, but he stopped me with a firm grip on my wrist. Pulling me back to him, he imprisoned me near the wall and tipped my head up so I had no other choice but to look him in the eye.

“What the hell was he talking about, Addy?”

Figuring this wasn’t the appropriate place to reveal what I’d been hiding, I lied. “Just pregnancy stuff.” Normal people would probably be able to pull off the falsehood, but not me. I sucked at lying, and Stone knew it as well as I did.

“Stop fucking lyin’ to me,” he demanded, his voice displaying his rising anger. “Tell me right now what he meant by ‘treatments.’ And if you lie to me again, so help me God, I’ll drag that doctor back in here and
make
him tell me.”

“He won’t tell you anything. Doctor/patient confidentiality and all.” My tiny rant pretty much gave everything away. I’d basically confessed I was indeed hiding something. Stone didn’t have a medical background, but he wasn’t stupid. He knew the word ‘treatment’ had nothing at all to do with the baby, and I was only making him more upset the longer I denied him the information he wanted.

“I won’t ask you again,” he warned, crowding my personal space until I was completely uncomfortable. Emotionally, not physically.

Our eyes remained connected—mine pleading for him to let it go, his demanding answers. A small bead of perspiration broke out on my forehead, my hands suddenly becoming clammy. My intake of air was choppy at best, my heart racing with a sudden surge of adrenaline. Or was that fear?

“I think you need to sit down,” I suggested, gently trying to push him away so I could think. Thankfully, he backed up a few paces, giving me room to collect my thoughts.

And breathe.

“I’m waiting,” he said impatiently, his fists clenching into tight balls the longer he waited for me to speak.

“I don’t know what to say.”

“How about the truth. Start there.”

It was extremely awkward between us, physically standing so close but emotionally miles apart. The deafening silence only made it worse, and the only way it was going to end was by me telling him I had cancer.

I wasn’t sure which torture I preferred, though.

The silence . . . or the truth.

Stone

I’d been only too thrilled to come to this appointment today, sharing in the joy of our unborn child, as well as getting the go-ahead to ravage my woman. But our trip turned into something else altogether.

Addy was definitely hiding something. I’d sensed it ever since the night she agreed to be mine. At first, I thought it was the pregnancy, a revelation which blew my mind, but after seeing her and Dr. Weber’s reaction after he’d spoken of treatments, I knew it was something bigger than my child growing inside her.

But what it was, I had no idea, and the possibilities were endless. I didn’t allow my mind to wander too far because I’d drive myself insane. Instead, I demanded answers, and I wasn’t leaving the room without them.

I remained standing a few feet away, giving her the room she asked for, but if she didn’t open her mouth soon and start talking I was gonna pin her against the wall again. My heart raced inside my chest, a slow burn of paranoia drifting through my veins.

Suddenly becoming very warm, my vision hazed with the passing of time. I stood my ground, showing her I wasn’t backing down until she gave me what I wanted. Her shoulders slumped, her posture one of defeat. Blonde strands fell loose around the edges of her face, her blue eyes pleading with me to let it go, to allow her to leave without speaking a single word.

But I didn’t give in.

“Addy, tell me now.”

She took a small step back, her body inches from the wall. Was she looking for an anchor, something to hold her up when she finally spilled the words she’d kept hidden?

“Stone . . . I . . . I don’t know how to tell you this.” I remained quiet, the slight tick of my jaw the only real indication she was testing my patience. Her nervous stare pleaded with me, but I held firm.

Finally steeling her reserve, she blurted out, “I have cancer.”

Within seconds, all the air had been sucked out of the room, leaving me silently gasping for breath. The world as I’d known it spun around me, tilting on its axis and threatening to toss me into the oblivion of the unknown.

I heard her words.

I saw her fear.

I felt her terror.

But did she feel mine?

She hid the truth from me, choosing to deal with not only the baby but with the awful disease killing her slowly all by herself. I knew her mother had died from ovarian cancer, a fact she had only shared with me one time. She never wanted to talk about it, and I never pushed because I didn’t blame her for not wanting to discuss something so awful.

“What kind of cancer is it?”

“Ovarian.” As soon as the word left her lips, I deflated. Whatever air I’d managed to suck into my lungs was suddenly forced out in a heavy whoosh, my head falling forward while my body quaked. Before I drowned in the firing emotions, I allowed the cold arms of denial to wrap tightly around me.