Stone Cold Charade (A Stone Family Novel) (34 page)

As he caressed her back he deciding that they
needed to talk somewhere private, that didn’t have a bed nearby, he asked, “How
much did you happen to eat at dinner?”

She shrugged her shoulders. “Not much, why?”
she answered truthfully.

“Feel like sneaking down to the kitchen to raid
the fridge? We can grab a snack?” he suggested softly. “I’ll need to keep up my
strength for later tonight,” he waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Breaking into a smile, she couldn’t help but
laugh at his implication. He gave a boyish grin; the sound of her laughter
always seemed to make his heart take flight. He did not wanting to lose her, or
this feeling, ever.

“I don’t have any clothes, remember!” she
accused.

“Wait here; I’ll see what I can dig up.”
Chuckling as he sprang from the bed and pulled on his jeans and a clean
t-shirt, he walked to the door.

He returned with a pair of her white socks, a
matching bra and panties set, along with her comfy blue sweats. She was
confused by the pile of clothes, and said, “Where’s my shirt?”

“Here, wear this one.” he held out one of his
black t-shirts for her. “I have a feeling you’ll like this one better, besides
I know where it came from. I don’t feel comfortable with you wearing Steven’s
rejects.” She yanked it over her head, inhaling his scent as it enveloped her.

“My shirts do not belong to Steven. I buy them
brand new, so what would make you think they belong to him?”

“No reason. Ready?” He liked seeing Alex in his
t-shirt. It was sexy as hell on her. He was also incredibly satisfied to hear
that Alex wasn’t emotionally attached to any of Steven’s shirts.

“Yeah, I just feel like I’m missing something?”
she said, absently as she glanced around the room, the feeling of overlooking
something essential nagging at her mind.

Snagging her hand Ty dragged her out of the
room toward the stairs. When they reached the landing, the unmistakable sound
of the TV on below drew them in that direction. Steven was reclined in a chair
next to the sofa where Parry and Ridge sat glued to the TV. When they entered
the room, they all swung their eyes from the screen to see who entered.

Alex, seeing the screen, felt her blood freeze
as she noticed what held their attention. Her heart stopped in her chest, then
began to pound uncontrollably as the reality of what was about to happen sunk
in. All Ty had to do was turn his head towards the screen to discover that she
was Fire. Steven wore a look of stunned disbelief and panic. Parry was eating
popcorn and started coughing uncontrollably. Ridge started pounding him on the
back mercilessly to dislodge the kernel and to keep him quiet. “You okay carrot
top? Maybe a glass of water might make you feel better?” he stated hurriedly,
yanking the kid up from the sofa and literally shoving him out of the room and
away from the boss.

Steven now tried desperately to appear nonchalant
as he remained in his chair. “Alex you look different tonight, can you see
without your glasses?” Steven asked, trying to compose himself while warning
Alex subtly that she was out of character and should get Ty out of the room.

“My glasses?” Perceptive enough, she turned to
Ty. “Could you go grab them? I must have left them in my room. Oh, and a hair
clip too please?” she added hastily, trying to send him away on the errand
before Parry returned, or worse, he spotted the video playing softly behind
him.

“Sure. Be right back.” he said reluctantly,
shooting a warning look at Steven as he exited. He did not like the idea of
leaving Alex alone with Steven but saw no other choice.

“Are you flippin’ nuts?” Steven cried as soon
as he was out of earshot. Throwing himself out of his chair, he regarded her as
if she had lost her ever-loving mind for running around as she was. “I thought
you were in love with the man? When you wanted him to find out, I thought you’d
at least want to break it to him gently! Why not just hold a press conference
on the front lawn and announce it to the entire world while you’re at it?” he
raved in an attempt to control his fear. He was trembling from how close they
had all come to disaster. He was still worried about Parry knowing who she was,
and if the idiot was going to be a problem.

Parry re-entered the room with Ridge right on
his heels, and kept gawking at her as if he had never seen her before in his
life. When he started to circle her, Alex seized him by the shirt collar and
yanked him forward until he was mere inches from her face.

“Say anything and you’re a dead man. Do you
understand me, Parry? If you were ever my friend, you will not tell Ty! That’s
my job, not yours,” she stressed frantically. “If you do I will kill you,
slowly and painfully. Get the picture?” she threatened.

“Relax! I won’t say anything, Ridge already
threatened to pulverize me. Actually, to be exact, to have my teeth removed
without the benefit of a dentist. I got it, not a word. My lips are sealed. So,
Fire married the boss?” Parry said, confounded.

“Steven, kill the TV before the boss shows up,”
Ridge demanded shortly.

Steven flew to the remote on the coffee table
to turn it off before Ty walked in. He was still shaking and his hands were
sweating so badly that he dropped it twice before he could hit the off button.
Parry was rolling at the look on their faces.

They all swung around as Ty returned caring
Alex’s glasses and a hair clip. Handing them over, she put on the glasses, and
started to pull her hair back to secure it with the clip.

“Ever thought about contacts?”

Parry started going into another coughing
spree. Ty’s eyes narrowed on the man as she grabbed his arm and started to drag
him from the room. Reluctantly, he allowed it, knowing she was hiding something
that everyone but him knew about. What was going on? When he returned with her
stuff, the guilty looks on everyone’s faces made his gut tighten. As they
headed toward the kitchen, he replayed what had happen in the den, searching
for a clue but came up empty. He decided to shrug it off for now; he would get
the answers out of Ridge in the morning as to the cause of Parry’s sudden
coughing sprees.

Gliding down the hallway and into the kitchen,
Alex brought him out of his reverie and reminded him about his earlier
question, “I can’t wear contacts. They cause problems with my eyes. I’m
allergic to the chemicals used to clean them. I tried, honestly I tried. The
doctor told me the only option for me if I wanted to go without glasses was
surgery,” she hoped by answering his question she had distract him enough from
thinking about what had just transpired in the den.

“You never told me about being allergic to
anything when we were kids,” Ty commented as he pulled open the refrigerator.

“When I found out, we weren’t really talking to
each other that much.” Swinging around, he saw the remembered pain that that
time still caused her. She was shaking her head silently, telling him she did
not want to discuss the past right now. She couldn’t go there with him just
yet.

“I’m allergic to certain medications. I don’t
have to wear a medical bracelet or anything.”

“Martha left some salad and cold cuts, think a
sandwich might ease your hunger pains?” he asked, glancing inside the fridge
and then over his shoulder at her.

“My hunger pains? Your stomach is the one
always complaining! I’ll make the sandwiches if you dig out the salad and set
the table,” she said, laughing.

“You got a deal,” he replied. “You sure you can
handle making the sandwich though?” he joked, carelessly removing the salad and
handing off the cold cuts to her. Drifting to the table with the salad, he
placed it in the center, leaning against the table he remarked, “Wouldn’t want
a Stone Girl to get her hands too dirty.”

Her mouth fell open in resentment at his
accusation. “What’s that suppose to mean? I can cook! When we’re on the tour
bus, it’s me who makes the meals. If I didn’t, we would all starve to death!”
Alex defended, angrily. “Besides, who do you think kept you supplied with
cookies the last year you were at home, Betty Crocker?” She glared at Ty with
her hands on her hips, waiting for him to take back what he had said.

Shocked, his mouth hung open, he had never
guessed that it had been Alex making them. He just assumed it was Emma. Back
then the two could barely say a civil word to each other, so why had she done
it?

Smiling at the warm thoughts it gave him to
know that even though she had claimed to hate him, she had still cared enough
to make him those cookies. “So, that’s why they were always burnt to a crisp?”
Her eyes widening, she took a step toward him. Seeing she was about to lay into
him, he raised his hands up in surrender.

“I’m joking, honest. They were some of the best
I’ve ever had. Trust me, I dreamed about those things in boot camp.” Laughing
at the fact he could still rile her up and liking it when she fought him. That
red hair of hers was fitting to her quick temper. Living with her was defiantly
going to keep him amused, and on his toes.

“I was just wondering,” he said, shrugging his
shoulder and going to the cabinet to pull out dishes and silverware. “You
travel with the band a lot, then?” Going to the table he arranged the place
settings on it, he glanced up at Alex to see her expression.

“Yeah. I like to cook by the way, I just don’t
find all that much time to do it,” she said casually.

Ty leaned up against the counter next to her as
she started to make the sandwiches. She felt her hand slip on the butter knife
she was holding to spread mayo on the sandwiches. Not trusting herself, she
tried to keep her gaze on the task of making their snack, but her body wasn’t
listening to her brain. Her breathing had changed with him so close to her,
just watching that man caused her heart rate to accelerate!

As Alex finished making their sandwiches, Ty’s
thoughts returned to her job, a job she obviously enjoyed. He just didn’t like
her being so wrapped up in it, as she had been earlier when she barricaded
herself in the den. He was going to have to make her see that she couldn’t travel
with the band anymore. His plans for them didn’t include his wife traveling on
some bus. Alone. With Steven.

“What do you want to drink?” Ty stepped away
from her before he gave in to the temptation and pulled her into his embrace.

“Iced tea sounds good. Martha usually keeps a
pitcher in the fridge.” Alex grabbed a couple of plates and placed the
sandwiches on them before heading to the table.

Finding the pitcher, he slid to the cabinet and
brought down two glasses. They met at the table, Alex setting down the
sandwiches as Ty placed the pitcher between them and pulled a chair out for
her.

As they started eating in silence, Ty began to
wonder about all the other things he didn’t know about her. Like her cooking
and being allergic to medication. It would probably take him the rest of his
life just to crack the surface of who she was.

“What other things are you allergic to?” he
inquired, heading over to the counter to get them some napkins.

“I can’t take birth control pills, they make me
physical sick,” Alex said, off handedly.

Reaching out for the napkins, he felt his knees
threatening to give out at what Alex had so casually stated. Picking up the
napkins and staggering back to the table, he sat down before he fell down. He
handed one to her, waiting for her to glance up from her sandwich.

Out of the corner of her eye she noticing he
wasn’t eating, but was sitting in his chair completely still. Alex peeked up at
his face as she began to take another bite, and froze with the sandwich midway
to her mouth when she saw the look in his eyes.

“What? The sandwich can’t be that bad. If you
don’t like it I can always make you something else?” she suggested, unease
making her set her sandwich down.

Ty just couldn’t imagine that she hadn’t
comprehended what she had just let drop. He shouldn’t have been shocked, he
remembered her innocent reaction to her first menstrual cycle, but he was. She
honestly didn’t seem to grasp that she could be pregnant. They hadn’t used any
form of protection every time they had made love. He hadn’t wanted anything
between them when he possessed her. He should have thought about it before now,
but he had stupidly assumed she would be on the pill. This was the only time in
his life he had intentionally not used anything because he had been too far out
of his mind with wanting her to stop and ask her about protection.

“It’s not the sandwich. It’s fine, I just have
something else on my mind,” he said evasively. He reached for his sandwich,
deciding not to worry her until it was absolutely necessary.

Alex could see that whatever he had been
thinking about had shaken him. She didn’t want anything to stop them from being
together tonight. She needed this one night with him.

“You’re sure the sandwich is okay?” Alex
hedged.

“It’s fine, honestly,” he reassured her before
finishing it off to prove it. Ty was still reeling with the possibility of Alex
carrying his child as he moved to put his plate in the sink. He realized he
wanted to see her pregnant with his baby. As that thought settled in he felt a
warm contentment spread through his entire body.