Chapter 5 - THE PRESSURE OF NAILS
The next wave struck like a localized earthquake inside the warm bedroom.
Outside, a massive strike of lightning illuminated the terrace windows in a blinding flash of blue-white light, followed instantly by a deafening boom of thunder that shook the glass frames.
Inside, Kate doubled forward. The contraction hit her with brutal force, compressing her lungs and forcing a ragged, breathless sob from her lips. Seeking an anchor in the storm of physical agony, her right hand whipped around and grabbed Alexander’s left forearm.
Her fingers closed like an iron vice around his tattooed skin. Her short, manicured nails dug deep into his forearm, cutting straight through the soft skin and pressing violently into the muscle beneath. Blood welled around the tips of her fingers, dripping down toward his wrist.
Alexander didn't flinch. He didn't pull back by a single millimeter.
Instead, he tightened his grip around her chest and shoulders, pulling her back even harder into his broad chest, shielding her frame with his own, using his physical mass to absorb the violent tremors racking her body.
"I’m sorry..." Kate gasped out between shallow, agonizing breaths, her forehead pressed against his shoulder, her nails sinking even deeper into his skin. "I'm sorry... I didn't... I didn't want you to find out like this..."
Alexander closed his eyes, leaning his cheek down against her wet hair. The powerful, intimidating man who had built a reputation on absolute ruthlessness felt a tear escape his eye, tracking down his cheek into his dark stubble.
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"Don't apologize," Alexander whispered, his voice thick with raw, unfiltered emotion, his lips brushing against her temple. "Don't you dare apologize to me, Kate. I'm right here. I've got you. I'm not going anywhere."
For the first time in his life, Alexander Avery was genuinely, utterly terrified—not of losing his fortune, his reputation, or his control, but of losing the woman he had loved in secret through six months of bitter silence, and the premature child fighting to be born on a storm-drenched night.
