An Illicit Gentleman

                      Chapter Twenty-Six

 Hour by hour, day by day, Eve got stronger and a week after she had entered the hospital near death, she was able to leave it on her own.  She sat in the rental car beside AJ on their way back to Cali.  Kevin and Kristin decided to go back with them, since flying was a no-no right now, driving was their only option and AJ just wanted to get her home.  So the couple decided to go with them, less driving stress on AJ since they had to stop every hour and let Eve walk around and it would be a nice little road trip home.  When the time got closer to midnight they decided to pull off and get a room finish the trip home tomorrow.

“I’m going to go have a bath.” Eve told AJ as she got up from the couch.

“Do you need help?” He asked.

“No I’m ok; my stomach hasn’t been as sore the last couple of days.” She replied as she grabbed her PJ’s and headed into the bathroom.  AJ smiled as he watched her disappear into the bathroom.  One more day and she would be home but the closer to home he got the worse he felt.  This was all his fault, he shouldn’t have let her go to the ice room alone, the police told him there was a possibility Thomas was there and after everything him and Mats had done he should have known better than to just let her walk out into the hall alone.  What made the guilt worse was what she had lost because of his stupidity. 

“Alex?” Her voice broke him from his thoughts and he turned around.  She looked at him waiting for him to answer.  “Did you hear me?”

“Oh, no I guess not” He smiled embarrassingly at her.  “What did you need?”

She sat down beside him in her robe.  “Where did you go just now?” She asked with a light smile.

“No where.” He replied shaking his head.  “Just lost in thought I guess.”

She took his hand. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing” He replied and he noticed he tried to hide his lips from tightening.

“Alex” She said letting him know she wasn’t buying it.  “You’ve been like this since we left Florida.”

“Been like what?” He asked a little defensive.

“Like you’re not here, it’s not the first time you haven’t heard me because you were lost in thought.” She said concerned.

“It’s been a stressful week and I’m just looking forward to getting you home.” He told her with a light smile as he got up from the couch.

“It’s not your fault Alex.” She told him and he stopped at the mini fridge door.  “There was nothing you could have done.”

“Nothing?” AJ snapped as he turned around.  “I should have gone with you or I should have at least gone to get it myself.”

“I went to get some Ice how were you or I for that matter supposed to know he’d be there.” Eve said as she stood up and walked over to him. “You yourself said Mats was probably bullshitting.”

“But the police said…”

“The police said they thought he might have followed us.” She told him as she took his hand but he pulled it away.  “AJ”

“I don’t want to talk about it ok.” He said as he headed to their bed.

“Babe, we need to talk about this.”

“Ok then let’s talk about how you’ll never have kids!” AJ barked as he looked at her.  “You’ll never do the little test thing and get all excited, you’ll never get to deal with morning sickness, you’ll never get to hear your child’s heart beat or feel it move, and you’ll never know what it’s like to hold them in your arms, so now let’s discuss.” He snapped as he pointed and waited for her to respond but the agony in her eyes, on her lips was enough of a slap in the face to make him realize how he had snapped at her.

AJ closed his eyes and sighed and then looked at her.  “Eve I’m sorry.”  She didn’t say anything; she just raised her hand to stop him from talking anymore as she turned around and headed into the bathroom closing the door behind her.  “Good one you fucking douche bag.” AJ sighed as he flumped down onto the bed.  He laid back staring at the ceiling as all the ways he could apologize to her went over in his head.  When he heard the bathroom door open he sat up quickly. He watched her walk out as she scrubbed at her hair with the towel and sat down in the chair at the eating table.

“Eve?” AJ said as he slid to the end of the bed.

“What?” She grumbled still scrubbing at her hair.

“I’m sorry” He said again.

“I know you are” Eve replied as she stood up and tossed the towel onto the back of the chair.  She walked over to her side of the bed and slipped in.  AJ frowned as he watched her, the white of her eyes were red which obviously meant she was crying, crying meant pain, and pain meant he hurt her.

“I shouldn’t have said it.” He spoke up.

“Why not, it’s true.” She told him as she lied on her side.  “But it’s not that, that hurts when I think about it.”  AJ slid up on the bed sitting beside her his hand gently rested on her hip. 

“Then what does?” He asked.  Slowly she sat up in front of him and sighed.

“You always talk about what I’ve been through and how I deserve you, us and what we have.” She told him as he nodded listening.  “But what about you AJ?” She asked looking at him.  “After everything you’ve been through with your Dad, don’t you deserve to be something he wasn’t? Don’t you deserve to look into your child’s eyes and see your own?” A tear rolled down her cheek.  “This is my burden to bare not yours and I can’t expect you to stay with someone who…”

“Evelyn don’t even say it.” AJ said as he put his finger to her lips.  “You and I both know it takes more than making a baby to being a parent.”

“I know but it’s not that, it’s the fact you deserve to look at your child and see a part of yourself looking back?” She cried as she wiped her eyes.

“Don’t you?” Aj asked her.

“No” Eve whispered as she lightly shook her head.

“What do you mean no?” AJ asked shocked.

“I chose that life, to be around people like Mats and Thomas, I chose to dance, and this is what happened, I put myself in that danger and now I take responsibility for it.” She told him.  “This is my problem and it’s not fare to you, you deserve so much more than what I can ever give you.” Eve told him as she fought back the tears.

“Let’s say your right, we get back to Cali we go our separate ways, and I meet someone else.  We fall in love, we get married, we have kids, and then we divorce and why do we divorce? Because she’s not you Evelyn.” AJ said as he lifted her head with his finger under her chin.  “It won’t matter that the kids are mine sweetheart because their Mom isn’t you, you weren’t there to share it with me, and that’s what I want, that’s what I choose.” Eve whimpered as she slid her arms under his and hugged him.  He rested his head against hers as she sobbed. 

“I’m sorry I snapped at you the way I did, I was just so…”

“Angry and frustrated.” She sighed as she pulled away and wiped her eyes with the bottom of her tank top.

“Yeah” He replied with a light smile, knowing she’d understand.  “I promised you I wouldn’t let anything happen to you, that you would be safe and I would protect you, I didn’t do that.”

“He came out of no where Alex, he grabbed me, turned me around, stabbed me and I blacked out before I even hit the ground.  I didn’t even see him.  There was nothing you could have done, even if you had come with me.” Eve told him as she touched his cheek and then she lightly kissed him.  “Come to bed, Kevin wants to leave early tomorrow.”

Eve slid back to her spot on the bed and laid on her side as he started to undress, tossing his clothes onto the floor, with nothing but his boxers on he crawled under the covers beside her.  AJ leaned in for a simple goodnight kiss not knowing Eve had other things on her mind.  But he caught on quick as her tongue danced around his and her fingers skimmed down his chest. She floated them around his abs and his waist and then slid her hand into his boxers.  Their lips parted and he stared at her as he felt her fingers wrap around him.  His eyes didn’t break from hers as she started to stroke his erection.  The doctor told her she couldn’t have intercourse or sexual activities for at least six weeks; he didn’t say anything about him.

AJ reached under the blankets and slid his hand under her shirt, taking her breast into his hand.  He shivered with a soft moan as her hand began to tug a little harder.  Her lips grazed past his, his lower body started to rock with the motion of her hand and he pressed his forehead against hers.

“Close your eyes.” She whispered to him her lips brushing past his with each word and he did as she said as her hand erotically twisted up down his shaft.  “Imagine us in your bed.” She softly spoke.  “Me on top making love to you.”  A tiny grin broke from his lips and she gripped him a little tighter in her hand.  “I lean down and start to kiss your neck.” She muttered as her lips pressed against his neck.  This time a small grin broke from her lips as he moaned and shivered again.  “Down your chest.” Her lips drifted to the top of his chest. 

When she looked at him again his eyes were still closed, she could tell he was lost in their fantasy and she didn’t need to narrate anymore for him. She returned to caressing his neck, every once in a while her tongue would tenderly lick his skin before her lips would return.  As her hand began to stroke faster his moans became quietly erotic and his body lightly shuddered.  Gently she pressed her lips to his and as his tongue tangled around hers he moaned again.

“Eve” AJ gasped when he quickly pulled his lips away resting his forehead against hers, and squeezed her breast as his body began to tremble.  The fantasy was ending as the warm sensation left his lower body and he opened his eyes to look at the woman that made him feel this way.  He breathed heavily as her hand and his pace slowed.  She softly fondled him in his boxers as they stared at each other.  His hand let go of her breast and slid from her shirt.  Placing it on the side of her neck he tenderly brushed his thumb across her lips as her hand slipped out of his boxers.  Using his thumb almost like a guide he leaned in and kissed her.

Eve grabbed their blankets and wrapped them around him as she slid as close to him as possible.  Her head rested under his chin and laid against his chest, it was a little sweaty but she didn’t mind.  Lovingly she caressed the area in front of her with her lips as his fingers drifted through her hair.  The last thing she remembered was hoping she would stay in his arms like this all night as her heavy eyes began to fall.