What The Heart Craves (Complete)

Chapter 10 - Part 1

Lacey

"Harp."

The sound of Adonis's voice startled me, and I sat up. I looked over my shoulder to see him standing beside my window. It was dark, but the streetlights and moonlight gave sufficient light to see his expression. He normally had this carefree look about him, but there was no trace of it.

I wiped the tears from my face, trying to deal with my emotional state. I was still struggling to wrap my mind around what the specialist's diagnosis, and I wasn't confident I was ready to share it with anyone. Standing up, I faced Adonis. Bewildered, how did he know I was at home? For all anyone knew, I could have been somewhere else. How did he even know about my secret place on the roof?

"Do you know what time it is?" he demanded, sounding agitated. I shook my head, I'd lost track of time as I'd replayed my appointment with the specialist in my mind repeatedly, trying to allow my condition to sink in.

"It's nearly eleven," he said.

I had lost track of time. Time I was running out of.

"I didn't realize it was so late."

Then it occurred to me. How did he know where I was?.

"How did you know where to find me? I could have been anywhere." I clasping my hands together to keep myself together.

He studied me for a moment. He seemed reluctant to reveal how he knew.

"After you fainted, I thought something might happen to you and there would be no one around to get help if you needed it," he said as I watched him with a frown. "I hired someone to watch over you."

"You what?" I frowned as his words suck in.

He remained silent, knowing he was in the wrong no matter what his explanation was.

"How could you do that?" I felt betrayed. He had felt his concern was enough for him to do something underhanded as long as in his eyes he felt he was doing the right thing.

"I'm sorry, but I had to make sure you were safe. I asked you to go to the doctor to get checked out, but you wouldn't listen. What did you expect me to do? Nothing?" he said, his voice rising.

I glared at him. He had no right to get mad I was the only one that had reason to feel that way. Normal people didn't go to those types of lengths, but then there was nothing normal about Adonis. He was a rock star used to getting what he wanted.

"He informed me you'd arrived at home late afternoon and you hadn't left so I knew you were at home when no one could find you I knew you'd be up here."

"How did you know I like it up here?" I gave him an accusatory glare.

"I've always known about it. Years ago I left your house and when I got closer to my house, something made me turn around. And there you were sitting on the roof looking up to the sky watching the clouds."

I thought it had been a secret, my secret place.

"No one else knows about it," he assured me softly, but it didn't make me feel any better.

"If you knew where I was, why didn't you come up here earlier?" I asked.

He let out a sigh. "I know you came up here for a reason. You usually come up here when you have stuff on your mind. I wanted to give you the space to work through it, but it just didn't seem like you were ever going to come down. Your parents are really worried."

My parents.

I felt terrible for what I had put them through and for what was still to come. Trying to brush my guilt aside, I tried to concentrate on Adonis' revelation that he'd gotten someone to follow me.

"How long have you had me followed?" I asked.

"Since the day after you fainted."

I thought back to all the things I'd done since then.

"Your guy followed me to the doctor." I linked things together and I could feel my anger at him invading my privacy.

He nodded his head. "You and Aiden went to a doctor." His eyes watched me for my reaction.

He reminded me of the time I'd gone to see Aiden's doctor, Aiden had gone with me. It was then I realized why he'd had so many questions about my 'relationship' with Aiden and asking me if we'd been careful.

"That's why you were asking all those questions about Aiden."

He nodded. "When my guy informed me that both of you went to a doctor's office, I thought you were pregnant," he revealed softly.

It was impossible; I was still a virgin.

"It wasn't such a leap. You guys seem so close and I got the impression you guys were dating." He shrugged.

My anger returned, even though it had been my fault he'd thought that Aiden had meant more to me than a friend.

"We're not." I hadn't meant to reveal that, but it was out now.

"You're not?" he asked, sounding happily surprised. I was too mad to react to the smile that spread across his face that showed off his dimples.

"No." I shook my head. What did it matter anyway? I had more serious things to deal with than getting over him.

"We're getting sidetracked. If you need to be angry with me, I can deal. But I need to know what the neurologist told you to make you hide out on the roof, letting no one know you were okay?"

Neurologist. It took a moment for me to realize if he'd had me followed; he knew about my two visits to the specialist as well. His eyes held mine, unwavering.

"Everyone has been out of their minds with worry. You think it might have only been a few hours, but your parents do not know where you are and no one has seen you."

Even though I felt guilty, I didn't want to answer his question. I had told no one and somehow saying it out loud gave it a reality I wasn't ready for. I pressed my lips together, unwilling to voice out loud what the specialist had told me.

One moment turned into another and the only answer he received was my silence.

"Lacey," he prompted. He rarely used my first name, which told me he meant business.

I let out a haggard breath as the emotion I'd been trying to work through escaped, and I felt my eyes sting. It was too much; I blinked rapidly, trying to keep the tears back.

"Don't cry," he said, his annoyance slipped away.

One tear escaped down my cheek, followed by another. He lifted a hand to brush the tear away.

"What did he say?" He was more insistent. "I need to know how bad it is."

"It's bad... terrible," I whispered. I swallowed to keep the emotion from bubbling past the point of no return.

He moved closer and wrapped his arms around me. He pulled me close and hugged me tight; I leaned into his strength.

"It's okay. No matter what, it'll be okay," he said. He stroked my back as I continued to cry, my hands fisted his shirt as I held onto him.

It was only words, but hearing them made me feel like I wasn't alone any longer. He let me cry and when my tears dried; I lifted my eyes to his.

"I'm sorry," I murmured. "I'm not handling this very well."

I felt tired, vulnerable and scared.

"You handle it any way you need to." He gazed down to me and brushed the remaining tears from my cheeks.

"I don't want to upset you further, but I need to know what the specialist said."

I closed my eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath as he pulled away a little. When I opened them, I took a deep breath, trying to build the courage to tell him.