Asher: A steamy contemporary military romance (Project Arma Book 3) Read online

  Going still, Asher pulled away slightly so he could see her while keeping a firm hold on her.

  “Whoa, you okay, Lex?”

  * * *

  Taking a few deep breaths, Lexie blinked a couple of times before looking up at Asher.

  It happened again. The wave of light-headedness, almost passing out. The headache now resembled what she imagined someone taking a sledgehammer to her skull would feel like.

  The slight blurring of her vision was doing nothing to alleviate the pain. She’d never had a migraine before, but she imagined that this was what one felt like.

  Lexie forced a small smile before she spoke. “I’m okay, I’ve just had a headache today.”

  Clenching his jaw, Asher looked angry. “This is more than a headache, Lex. It’s been going on for weeks. Months even. You need to tell me what’s going on, and you need to tell me now.”

  Lexie knew she did. It was time. Past time. She’d put it off for long enough.

  But here at a hospital fundraiser was not the place to do it. She could just picture it, Asher turning white as a ghost and having a heart attack right in the middle of the dance floor. That would put a definite damper on things.

  “I will.”

  Asher reeled back at her response, obviously having expected Lexie to refuse.

  “Tomorrow. I’ll tell you everything.”

  Eyes narrowing, Asher looked suspicious. Jeez, the man always saw more than she wanted. “What’s wrong with now?”

  Squirming under the scrutiny, Lexie placed a hand to her forehead to try to dull the ache. “Asher, we’re at a fundraiser. I want to tell you when it’s just you and me.” Blowing out a breath, she shut her eyes for a moment before opening them again. “I’m really not feeling that well. It might be a migraine. I’m going to head home.”

  Hands tightening on Lexie’s arms, Asher went unnaturally still. “Are you sick? Is that the secret you’ve been keeping? Fuck, Lexie, if something is seriously wrong—”

  Reaching her hand up, she placed it over Asher’s lips. At that point, she didn’t know how else to get him to stop speaking. “Asher, stop. I’m okay. I’m not going to die. There’s just something I need to share with you.” Taking a moment to breathe through the nausea, Lexie swallowed before continuing. “I’m going to use the bathroom then go home for an early night.”

  “I’m taking you home.”

  “Asher—”

  “I’m taking you home, Lex.” Asher’s voice was firm.

  Not having the energy to fight him, she just nodded, regretting it immediately when it made the pounding in her head intensify. “I’ll meet you at the door,” Lexie said quietly.

  “I’m coming with you.”

  That was where Lexie drew the line. “Asher, I’m going to the bathroom. You are not going to chaperone me to the bathroom.”

  Asher attempted to stare her down, but she held her ground. Eventually, he loosened his grip and stepped away.

  “I’ll be back,” she murmured.

  Moving through the crowd, Lexie didn’t feel steady on her feet. Crap, maybe she should have allowed Asher to go with her. What would he have done, though? Gone into the cubicle with her? That was a hard no.

  Stepping around a group of people, Lexie hit the shoulder of a tall man, almost falling backward. His hand shot out to steady her.

  As she looked up, a pair of black eyes caught hers. The man didn’t say anything, but his hand lingered a moment longer than was polite. Then slowly, he untangled his fingers and disappearing into the crowd.

  Standing there a moment longer, Lexie frowned. Something about his eyes gave her an uncomfortable feeling. They were almost emotionless. Empty.

  Pushing the thought aside, she went to the bathroom.

  As she came out of the stall, Lexie caught sight of her reflection in the mirror. Jeepers, she looked like death.

  Fingers immediately rising to the dark circles under her eyes, Lexie traced the skin.

  Even though she had coated on the concealer and foundation, it was impossible to miss the black shadows. They made her skin look pale in comparison, her eyes too big for her face.

  Hanging her head for a moment, Lexie shut her eyes. She needed the pounding in her head to stop and the nausea to fade. She just needed a break, a small reprieve from the never-ending unwell feeling.

  The thought that she could feel this way for the next six months made her want to cry.

  Glancing back up, she straightened her shoulders. What she needed was a good night’s sleep. Thoughts of telling Asher about the pregnancy, worrying about her alcoholic mother, and not speaking with Evie had kept her up for consecutive nights.

  Maybe she should try meditation to decrease the stress?

  Lexie silently scoffed as she walked out of the bathroom. Like she could sit in silence for an extended amount of time and think about nothing. Was that what mediation was?

  She had no idea.

  All Lexie knew was that it was supposed to alleviate stress, but the chances of her actually being able to meditate were slim to none.

  About to head to the front door, she suddenly remembered her coat. Lexie had handed it to a coat checker on her way in, and he’d taken it upstairs. The fundraiser was being held in a grand historical house. Her jacket must have been placed in one of the bedrooms.

  Looking around, there was no sight of any coat checkers, or any staff. Breathing out a deep breath, Lexie turned and headed toward the stairs. She got about halfway up when the dizziness hit again.

  Oh jeez, maybe she should forget the jacket.

  Turning her head to look out a window, she saw the trees moving in a strong breeze.

  Nibbling her lip, she looked down at her thin dress. It was likely too cold to go without.

  Holding on to the handrail, Lexie moved up the steps slowly, one at a time. When she reached the top, she wanted to wave her hands in the air and celebrate. The only problem was that she felt like she’d exerted all her energy.

  She checked a couple of rooms, and it was the third one where she found the stash of jackets. Five minutes into looking, Lexie found hers.

  About to turn toward the door, her vision blurred to the point she had to hold on to the wall and pause a moment.

  Okay, this was definitely not normal pregnancy sickness. Maybe she should get Asher to take her to the hospital. There had to be something the doctor had missed the previous week.

  Forcing herself to straighten, Lexie slowly made her way back to the staircase. Glancing down, she swallowed. Had there been that many steps on the way up? It looked ten times higher.

  Taking a firm hold of the balustrade, Lexie moved down the steps slowly.

  One at a time. That was all she kept telling herself.

  Lexie blinked a few times, the stairs starting to blur, her legs becoming shaky.

  On her next step, Lexie’s foot hit the edge of the stair and her legs crumbled.

  Reaching for something to break her fall, she felt nothing but air. As her body began to pitch forward, she just made out Asher’s voice before she hit the stairs with a thud.

  Too weak to stop herself, Lexie began to tumble down the staircase until, halfway down, strong arms lifted her.

  Lexie’s eyes felt too heavy to open, but she didn’t need to see to know that it was Asher carrying her.

  As darkness started to descend, she could faintly hear Asher speaking to her but couldn’t make out what he was saying.

  Opening her mouth, Lexie whispered the words she needed him to hear. He was the only one who could help her and their baby in that moment.

  “I’m pregnant.” Then she lost consciousness.

  9

  “What do you mean, her results are unusual?”

  Asher shouted the words at the doctor. He was out of patience. Lexie lay unconscious in the hospital bed and this man, who should have the answers, couldn’t even tell him what was wrong with her.

  “Like I said, the results of her bloodwork are unusual
for the stage of pregnancy that she’s at. That’s all I can discuss with you. Everything else needs to go through Miss Harper or her family.”

  Asher took a threatening step closer to the elderly doctor.

  “Striker.” Bodie pressed a firm hand to his shoulder before looking down at the doctor. “Doctor, could you give us a minute?”

  The older man regarded Asher for a moment longer before nodding and leaving the room.

  Once it was just Asher and Bodie, Asher ran his hands through his hair. “Fuck.”

  “I think we need to see if we can get Dr. Porter down here,” Bodie said.

  Darting his gaze to his friend, Asher nodded. Dr. Sage Porter had checked over the team after Project Arma was shut down. Due to experimental drugs being injected into their system for months, both the team and the government had deemed it safest to have full medical checks.

  The doctor had gone on to study their altered DNA and as such, she both knew about the project and was familiar with their bloodwork. If Lexie needed special care because she was pregnant with Asher’s baby, Sage was their best chance of getting it.

  “If something happens to her because of me—because I got her pregnant—I don’t know what I’ll do, Red.”

  Bodie took a step closer to Asher and grabbed on to his shoulders. “Nothing is going to happen to Lexie.”

  Bodie didn’t know that. There were no certainties. The reality was, Lexie was still unconscious, the doctors were struggling to understand what was wrong with her, and there wasn’t a damn thing Asher could do. Never had he felt so helpless in his life.

  “I’ll go make the call. But before I do, I need to ask, are you okay?”

  Was he okay? Apart from the fact that Lexie had tumbled down stairs while pregnant with his child, then proceeded to fall unconscious, he was fan-fucking-tastic.

  “She’s pregnant, Red. Why didn’t she tell me?”

  “It was probably a lot for her to process. I’m sure she was planning to tell you.”

  She had said she was going to tell him something tomorrow. Was it this?

  “I don’t understand how this happened. We always used protection. I was so damn careful with her. We don’t know enough about our own DNA. What if this pregnancy hurts her?” Christ, it already was. Each time he looked at her, guilt almost suffocated him.

  “No, we don’t know everything about our altered DNA, but we are going to figure this out. This may be between you and her, but we’re all here for you. Both of you.”

  Asher had gone through many emotions since seeing Lexie fall down the stairs. Fear. Frustration. Anger. Bodie had just added another to the list.

  Gratefulness. He was grateful for his brothers and lucky to have them in his corner.

  Asher gave his friend a nod before Bodie took his phone out of his pocket and left the room.

  The rest of the team were in the hall except for Luca and Eden, who were taking their women home. Both Evie and Shylah had wanted to come, but it was now the middle of the night, so Luca and Eden had insisted they go home and rest. There was no doubt in Asher’s mind that, come daylight, both women would be in this room.

  Grabbing a chair, Asher pulled it next to Lexie’s bed. Her face was pale. Unnaturally so. He would do anything to see her smile light her face. Anything to listen to her infectious laugh.

  Damn, why hadn’t he just let her in? Trusted her? Maybe she would have trusted him with the fact that she was pregnant. He could have gotten her the help she needed before it got to this stage.

  Taking her hand in his, Asher rested his head on Lexie’s hip, willing her to open her eyes.

  One thing was certain—he wasn’t leaving her side. Not a chance.

  * * *

  A couple of hours passed before the door to Lexie’s room opened. Dr. Sage Porter walked in, followed by the rest of Asher’s team.

  Sage looked exactly as Asher remembered her. She was a short blonde lady who wore square-framed red glasses while working. Looking at her, you would never think she was old enough to be a doctor, but the team had been told about her brilliant mind when they’d first met her.

  “Asher, it’s good to see you again.” Stopping at the end of the bed, Sage glanced down at Lexie.

  “Thanks for coming, Dr. Porter.” Considering she lived a few hours away and it was the early hours of the morning, he was grateful she’d made it so quickly.

  “Of course, and remember, please call me Sage.” Looking at the file in her hands, Sage studied it a moment before glancing up again. “I’ve looked over her notes and seen the bloodwork results. I’m going to order an iron infusion. I believe that will help her gain the energy to wake up. After that, I’ll chat with her on what the rest of her results mean.”

  Mason stepped forward. “We need to know whatever you know—now, Sage.”

  Sage turned her gaze to him, her voice firming. “Mason, Lexie Harper is my patient. All information on her health is confidential. I will not be sharing her private details with her employers while she lies unconscious in a hospital bed.”

  Mason’s body visibly tensed. He was clearly unhappy with her response.

  “I’m the father of the baby.” Christ, saying he was a father, out loud, was as surreal as it got.

  Sage’s eyes softened as she turned to Asher. “I know. And I’m sorry you’re going through this. It must be very difficult to see the mother of your unborn child sick. Unfortunately, you’re not married, and therefore not family, so it needs to be Lexie’s decision whether you’re privy to her medical information. I’m certain that once she receives the iron, she’ll wake.” Sage hesitated for a moment before she continued, “Does Lexie know about Project Arma? About your DNA?”

  Taking a breath, Asher shook his head. “No.”

  Disapproval was written all over the doctor’s face, although she tried her darndest to hide it. “My advice would be for you to speak to her soon. Tell her everything. She may not have had anything to do with Project Arma before, but she does now. This pregnancy will be affected.”

  * * *

  Lexie turned her head to the side. Readying herself for the pain of a pounding skull, she scrunched her eyes in anticipation. But the pain never came.

  “Lexie?”

  Eyes popping open at the sound of Asher’s voice, she had to blink a few times at the brightness of the room.

  Was she in a hospital bed?

  Brows pulling together, she turned her head to see Asher’s worried gaze. The beeping of machines and the smell of antiseptic bombarded her.

  Yep, definitely a hospital bed.

  “Do you remember what happened, Lex?” Asher spoke to her gently, his usual banter absent.

  Her brows pulled together. Then, bit by bit, memories from the fundraiser came back to her. “I fell down the stairs.”

  Nodding his head solemnly, Asher leaned forward. “I couldn’t get to you until you were about halfway down.”

  Anger tinged his voice.

  Shooting her hand to her stomach, panic hit her full force. “The baby—”

  “Is fine,” Asher jumped in quickly.

  Relief spiraled through Lexie as she closed her eyes. “Thank God.”

  Once the relief settled, it hit her.

  Asher knew.

  She vaguely remembered telling him before she’d passed out. Just now, his voice hadn’t faltered, and he hadn’t winced at the mention of a baby.

  Popping her eyes back open, she studied him. “You heard me?”

  Asher nodded. And to Lexie’s bewilderment, he didn’t appear on the verge of bolting. Instead, she saw hurt on his face. “You should have told me, Lex.”

  Guilt assailed her. “I know. I’m sorry. I was scared about how you’d react. You didn’t want a relationship, so I couldn’t imagine how you would react to a baby.” Although Lexie had tried to think of how the man would react and it had never ended well. “It was always my intention to tell you. I was waiting for the twelve-week mark.”

  “I’m glad
to hear that. It’s a lot to process, but right now, I just want to focus on making sure you’re okay.”

  At least he isn’t halfway to Canada by now, Lexie thought optimistically.

  “The doctor will be here soon but before she arrives, I need to tell you something.” Asher’s jaw clenched and the muscles in his arms flexed.

  Oh God, something’s wrong with the baby. Her breaths began coming out shorter, her hand gripping her stomach tighter.

  “The baby is fine. Relax.” Asher reached for her hand and snaked his fingers through hers. “And I know that you freaked out just then because…I can hear your heart beating in your chest.”

  Asher paused, studying her reaction, but Lexie didn’t react in the slightest. After seeing him lift a car, she doubted she would be surprised if the guy said he could fly to the moon.

  “There are other things I’m capable of, too, like—”

  “Lifting a car?” Lexie interrupted. “Breaking records with how fast you can move?”

  Asher remained still at her comments. The only evidence that she’d shocked him was the slight tightening of his hand on hers. “How do you know that?”

  She kept her voice even as she spoke. “That day I fell from the ladder, I saw you lift Shylah’s car. I also saw Luca move so fast, he would probably beat a speeding vehicle. I mean, it wasn’t a huge shock. We’ve known each other for a while now, I did pick up on things. Your excellent hearing. Your ability to see when it’s pitch black. What else can you guys do? See through walls? Throw fire with your eyes?”

  A slight smile touched Asher’s lips. “No, but that would be pretty awesome.” His thumb began a gentle stroke of Lexie’s wrist. “You’re right, I have twenty-twenty vision no matter how dark it is. I can see in almost any condition, and I heal quick. I don’t need as much sleep as most, and I don’t feel the cold much.”

  Raising her brows, Lexie was proud of herself for not jumping out of bed in hysterics. “You must have been one heck of a SEAL.”