Page 26 of Psycho

“You’re okay.” I reassured her, kissing her knuckles squeezed in my hands.

Dr. Pompano went on, “That makes your due date March twenty-ninth. But that could change a little as we watch this little one grow over the next few weeks.” She smiled brightly, “A spring baby is the best, in my opinion.” She hit a button on the machine and a printer started printing out a dozen or more photos. “Would you like to hear the heartbeat?”

Liv swallowed and flicked her gaze to me like she couldn’t decide. I decided for her. “Yes.” I replied. She needed to feel the realness of her situation for her to embrace it. That meant hearing the heartbeat and letting me be a part of it.

A few seconds later, the steady fast thump of the heartbeat echoed through the speakers and Liv dissolved into tears, covering her face as she heard her baby for the first time.

Dr. Pompano went on, explaining that Liv needed to take vitamins, and watch what she ate and get as much sleep as possible. I listened to every single instruction, intent to make sure Liv followed through with it, and when we left, we had a long strip of black and white photos and an appointment to go back in two weeks for another scan to find out the gender and get a full head to toe picture of the baby.

We were both silent as we rode back to my place, but her hand was in mine and I knew we were both just absorbing it all. She was almost halfway through her pregnancy already, so we didn’t necessarily have a lot of time to dwell.

When we went upstairs to the loft, she walked ahead into her apartment almost on autopilot, and I followed her.

“I have to tell Peyton.” She finally said as she threw herself down on the couch, pulling the blanket that matched the one on my bed around her.

I went to the wall unit and turned the heat on before taking a seat on the coffee table in front of her. “She’ll be ecstatic.”

Focusing on my face, she blinked and said, “I’m keeping this baby.” She whispered like she actually doubted herself before. “I need to know if you’re sure you want to go along for the ride with me though as more than just a friend—”

I kneeled on the ground in front of her and slid my hands up her thighs over her leggings, so she had no choice but to focus on me and my words. “If you’ll let me, I want to be a part of this.”

“I don’t understand why you want to be, to be honest. I don’t understand what you get out of it.”

“I get you.” replying plainly, “I get this baby.” Sliding my hand over her stomach, she covered my hand with hers. “I know you don’t remember the night I rescued you from the lounge, but when I got that call from Dane in the middle of another meaningless night, I felt like I finally had some sort of purpose. And then I saw you, laying there on that cold concrete floor, curled up around yourself, and I knew there was a reason I was the one to find you.”

“Maddox.” She sighed dreamily, “I felt the same way when I woke up here. It was strange and overwhelming, but it just felt—”

“Right.” As I finished for her, she smiled brightly.

“I can’t believe I’m going to have a baby.”

“I can’t believe you’re letting me be a part of it.”

She scoffed and ran her nails around the back of my neck, scooting to the edge of the couch. “Even if you are a psycho that brings me body parts of the men you kill for me, I know without a doubt that you’re the safest place for me.” She tilted her head, “For us.”

I closed the distance between us and kissed her. I had no words to do any justice for what I was feeling because it was all new and foreign to me, so I just wanted to thank her with my affection.

But my needy little minx had other plans as she slid off the couch into my lap, deepening the kiss.

“You keep saying that I need to tell you what I need from you.” She uttered, kissing her way down my neck to my ear and sucking on the lobe. I nearly came in my pants as she rocked in my lap, sucking on my ear in rhythm, like a fuck boy.

“I do.” In response, I tried to maintain my focus.

“Well, I have a very pressing need right now, that I’m afraid if you don’t see to it, I’ll go insane.”

I growled, putting my hands on her waist and rocking her harder and faster in my lap as she moaned at how it felt. “Tell me.” I said and cut her off when she started to, “In explicit detail, Storm.”

“Take your shirt off,” She panted, “I want to feel your skin.”

I reached behind my head and tore at my shirt, throwing it on the ground behind me somewhere. “Like this?”

“Mmh,” She hummed, running her hands over my shoulders and down my arms. “I fantasized about what you’d look like with your shirt off from the very beginning.” She looked in my eyes, “It’s far better than I could have dreamed of.”

I chuckled and rolled my eyes. “Details. Needs.”

“Oh yeah,” She grinned and then dragged her nails down my back and up my spine to my neck. I couldn’t hold off the groanthat escaped at how good it felt, and her smile widened as she watched me. “I want to see you naked.”

“Oh, yeah?”

---