Though she understood that his wife was brain dead and being kept alive only to birth their child, her guilt rested on the fact that he was already suffering from a great loss. He simply had enough to deal with. She didn’t want to add her death to his already full plate. So, she ran. But there he was in her place of employment. And to make things worse, he was looking like a giant snack in jeans and a t-shirt that fitted to perfection.
“Hey.”
“Do you have a minute to talk?”
Ken climbed down from his ladder. “I’ll have the paintings moved to your studio within the hour,” he assured with a smile.
“Thanks a bunch, Ken.”
He nodded and walked away, leaving her to deal with the issue she had tried to avoid when she’d snuck out of his bed.
“Walk with me?” she asked with a nervous smile.
“Lead the way.”
They walked silently down a corridor, passing admirers of the painting-covered walls. Soon, they entered a restricted hall that led to her studio. She unlocked the door and held it open.
“Come on in.”
When they stepped inside, Nick looked around. He nodded, taking in the room as if he finally understood what it was she did for a living.
“Do you wanna sit?” she asked, gesturing toward a small sofa on the far side of her studio.
“Sure.”
As he moved to the sofa, her eyes lowered to long legs and thick, muscular thighs. She rolled her eyes at her salacious thoughts and moved to join him.
“There’s news on Boogie?” she asked as she sat.
His brow rose with amusement. “Now, Rebecca, you know damn well that’s not why I’m here,” he said through a chuckle.
Soft laughter escaped. “I tried it, didn’t I?”
“Yeah, you tried.”
When the laughter ceased, Nick pulled her hand from her lap and held it in his. “You left me.” His solemn tone made her feel even guiltier than she did when she’d left.
Rebecca dropped her head. “I’m sorry.” She sighed. “I felt guilty.”
He squeezed her hand. “I feel guilty too,” he admitted.
She understood. Of course, he felt guilty.
“While my wife lay lifeless, I succumbed to a temptation that I’ve had since the moment I laid eyes on you. I feel guilty that it’s not me in that hospital bed. I feel guilty that she isn’t resting in peace. Instead, she’s being kept alive to give birth to my child. I feel guilty about wanting you so bad. Yeah, I feel very guilty. But I don’t feel bad. I don’t feel bad at all about the way it felt when you were in my arms. I don’t feel bad about how amazing it was to be inside you.”
He put an arm around her shoulders, pulled her to him, and kissed her forehead. “I don’t feel bad about falling asleep with your head on my chest. However, what I do feel bad about is waking up alone. Maybe the way I feel for you is wrong, but I’m not perfect. I am just a man. Rebecca, I love my wife, and my wife loves me. I have to believe that she wants me to be happy.”
She rested her head against his chest and sighed. After all he’d been through, she loved the possibility of being the one to make him happy. Unfortunately, it would be a task she could not complete.
She inhaled a deep breath and sat straight. “Nick, I’m dying,” she confessed in a whisper.
His face twisted into a frown. “What?”
“I should’ve told you before we... I’m so sorry.”
He turned her to look her in the eye. “Rebecca, what are you talking about?”
“I have a bad heart.”
“And it can’t be fixed?”
“No.”
She’d come to terms with her fate, but sharing it with him was taking her back to the dark place she was in when she first found out.
“What do you mean? Surgery? Medication? Nothing can fix it?”
Rebecca shook her head. “I need a new heart, Nick.”
He threw his hands up as if he’d come up with the obvious solution. “Okay then. You’ll get a heart. Aren’t you on a donor list or something?”
She was saddened by the desperation in his voice. “Yes, I’m at the top of the list, but I have a rare blood type. Actually, it’s the rarest. The chance of me being matched with a donor is unlikely.”
He clutched her upper arms and studied her through wrinkled brows. “Have you given up?”
“No,” she lied through a whisper because she had to. His sorrowful demeanor was just too hard, too much to bear.
“That’s why you’re seeing Dr. Thantos.”
Rebecca confirmed with a smile. “He’s helping to enhance my quality of life.”
“Yeah, how so?”
“Just in case I don’t—”
“Don’t say that. You will get a heart.”
Rebecca nodded. “Well, I sort of have a bucket list. You know a list of tasks to complete.”
“Yeah?” he asked with a grin. “What’s on the list?”
Rebecca’s lips parted to speak, but he cut her off.
“Never mind, do you have time for me to take you to lunch?”
“Umm…” She glanced down at her watch. “I have time for lunch.”
He cupped her face in his hands and brought their lips together. He kissed her with an intensity that made her feel less alone. When the kiss ended, she stared into his eyes and was instantly worried about the hope she saw in his gaze. He stood, pulling her up with him.
“Come on, beautiful. We can talk about how we’re gonna knock some stuff off this list.”
14
CATO
“Hello, handsome.” Rebecca beamed when he made it to the table. The way her eyes roamed over him with such appreciation gave him an indescribable feeling of joy. “You clean up very nicely.”
Nick rubbed his hands over his black suit coat. “I’ve been told,” he teased with a grin. “You look beautiful,” he complimented as he took the seat across the small table. “Happy birthday.”
“Thank you.”
He reached across the table for her hand and rubbed his thumb over her fingers.
“I know you don’t believe this, but you will have many more.”
Rebecca smiled without responding, and he knew why. It had been a month since she’d told him about her condition and he was no closer to coming to terms with the impending outcome. After taking Vera, fate wouldn’t bring Rebecca into his life just to take her away.
“How was your visit?”
“Good.” Nick smiled. “Baby’s heartbeat is strong.”
“That’s wonderful. Won’t be long now.”
“Whew! I know.” He chuckled.
Nervous couldn’t begin to describe how he felt about becoming a single dad, and there wasn’t a parenting book or class that could calm his anxiety.
“You’re gonna have to get that nursery finished.”
“I’m done,” he beamed. “I can’t wait for you to see it.”
She narrowed her eyes skeptically. “Already? You just started a couple of weeks ago. You work all week and you’re always at my place or at the hospital. When exactly did you have time to finish?”
Nick laughed. “I made time… time to hire a decorator that is.”
Rebecca laughed and took a sip of white wine. He never said anything, but he’d seen the amount of medication she took every day and he’d noticed how easily she tired from what most would consider normal activity. She liked a glass or two of wine after work, and he was curious as to how alcohol interacted with her medicine.
“Good evening, sir. Can I get you something to drink?”
He looked up at the waiter. He was speaking to him, but staring at Rebecca’s cleavage. And he understood why. She did look extremely sexy in a low-cut little purple number.
“Aye, I’m over here!” Nick stared at the waiter.
He couldn’t blame him, but he would knock the shit out of him for ogling what he strangely considered his.
The waiter startled, tearing his eyes from Rebecca t
o look at him. He cleared his throat and fumbled with his order pad. “Sir?”
“I’ll have a beer, whatever you have on tap.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Bully,” Rebecca quipped when the waiter scurried away from the table.
“I’m no bully. That kid could probably take me.”
“In what world?” she snorted.
Nick laughed and pulled his phone out of the inside pocket of his jacket. It had been vibrating against his chest since he’d sat down. It was so irritating that he couldn’t ignore it anymore. When he looked down at his phone, there were three back-to-back missed calls from Elizabeth. Whatever it was, it had to be important.
“Is everything okay?”
“I’m not sure. It’s my captain. I need to call her back.”
“Go,” she said, shooing him off. “I’ll order some appetizers.”
Nick stood and walked toward the exit. He couldn’t stand it when people had loud phone conversations in public. Once he got outside, he called Elizabeth back.
“Nick.”
“What’s going on, Liz?” He didn’t mean to sound so dry, but she was interrupting Rebecca’s birthday dinner.
“They found your fugitive.”
Nick frowned. “My fugitive?”
“William Robinson. They found him.”
He was pleased to hear that Boogie had been taken into custody. “Who has him?” he blurted. “Where is he being held?”
“The morgue. Nick, he was found in an abandoned building on the south side. He was dead on arrival.”
Nick frowned. “What happened to him?”
“The medical examiner said that he’d been dead for a while. Apparently, he succumbed to his injuries.”
“I can’t say that I’m heartbroken. As a matter of fact, I hope he died in pain.”
He heard Elizabeth chuckle. “I thought you’d wanna know.”
“I appreciate that. Thanks for calling.”
“No problem. See you tomorrow.”
“Yep, tomorrow,” he said before disconnecting the call.
Knowing that Rebecca was no longer in danger was a relief. However, Boogie’s death meant that she no longer needed him for protection. It meant he no longer had an excuse to come home to her every night.
He reentered the restaurant, definitely gloomier than when he’d entered the first time.
KING
Rebecca fumbled with the remote in search of a binge-worthy series to watch. She was sitting in the middle of her bed with her legs crossed, bored and alone. Her birthday had started out fun. Jessica had surprised her with a cake when she got to work, and Nick had treated her to dinner at one of her favorite restaurants.
Dinner had started out fine until he took the call that changed his entire demeanor. When he came back to the table, he’d announced that he had good news. Boogie was dead, which actually meant she’d killed two men. If she were to be honest, she didn’t know how to feel about that. She knew she should’ve felt some sort of remorse, but all she felt was relief. At least, that was her initial feeling.
After delivering news he’d said was good, his mood turned sour. They got through dinner with minimal conversation and after dinner, he tailed her to her place and then told her he had something to take care of. Two hours later, there she was bored and alone.
* * *
“Rebecca.”
It wasn’t so much her name being called, but the feel of his hands sliding from her waist to her hip that woke her.
“Rebecca, honey…”
Her heavy lids opened with reluctance. Nick was on his knees next to the bed with his handsome face close to hers. She inhaled the aroma of his natural masculinity paired with Egyptian Musk.
“Hi,” she croaked, lethargically. She cleared the hoarseness from her voice and tried again. “Hello.”
“Hey.”
The darkness was illuminated by the brightness of his beautiful smile. “It’s still your birthday,” he whispered. “I have something for you.”
“Yeah?”
He nodded and placed a blue Tiffany box with a white bow on the bed next to her face. Rebecca sat up and scooted to the top of the bed. She picked up the box and smiled.
“Thank you.”
Nick sat on the edge of the bed and rested his hand on her thigh. “Open it.”
As instructed, she tugged the bow until it fell loose and opened the box.
“Oh, my God!” She gasped. “Nick, this is beautiful.”
Inside the box was a silver link necklace with a silver heart-shaped charm. It wasn’t a Valentine-like heart, but an anatomically correct heart.
“Until you get a new heart, I want you to wear mine.”
His beautiful words made her heart skip a beat. She sat speechless while moisture pooled in her eyes.
He cupped her face and ran his thumb along her cheek. “I’m sorry dinner was so awkward. Look, I’m happy that you’re safe. But now that Boogie is gone, and you don’t need me anymore, I was terrified of losing you. Look, lady, before you came along, my life was filled with nothing but loneliness and grief. These few months with you in my life have filled a dark void with joy and contentment.”
Rebecca sighed. Every endearing word he’d spoken was like a painful dagger in her heart. He was already grieving the loss of his wife and the life he knew. All she could ever be to him was another devastating loss. Nothing good would come from their blossoming relationship.
She lowered her head when the first tear trickled down her cheek. She couldn’t allow herself to bring more pain to a man who was already suffering. “Nick, I-I can’t—”
“No, Rebecca. I know what you’re going to say and I don’t wanna hear it. I’m no fool. I know how serious your condition is. I know the risk that comes with my feelings for you. But at this point, walking away is not an option. If you have five minutes, those five minutes will be spent in my arms.” He lifted her chin with his index finger. “I’m not going anywhere. So, don’t even think about trying to push me away.”
He pulled her head to his shoulder and enveloped her in a warm embrace. She exhaled, accepting the peace she got from being cocooned in his big arms.
Nick gave her a squeeze and ended the embrace. When he pulled the necklace from the box, she lowered her head for him to put it on.
She ran her fingers over the heart and smiled. “I love it, Nick.”
He cupped the back of her head and pulled her in for a kiss. The first contact with his soft lips elicited a moan. The kiss was sweet, but quick to end. He climbed over her, slipped an arm behind her back, and pulled her down on the bed.
“I’m really glad you like your gift. Now, lay back. I’m gonna kick start that lazy heart of yours by licking that sweet little pussy.”
Rebecca giggled and spread her legs. She, for sure, didn’t have to be told twice.
15
CATO
Nick glared at Miguel Diaz and tossed five bricks of heroin on the dining room table.
“Guess you didn’t hide it as good as you thought.”
“Man, that ain’t my shit!”
“I guess this ain’t yours either,” Gary jeered, dropping two more on the table.
“It ain’t,” Miguel clipped. “Y’all planted that shit!”
Nick chuckled. If he had a nickel for every time the target of a search warrant proclaimed their innocence by accusing the police of planting evidence, he’d be a rich man.
Miguel and his wife were sitting on the floor with their hands cuffed behind their backs. Nick stepped out of the dining room. His intention was to rejoin his team to help with the search, but the persistent buzzing in his pocket stopped him. When he pulled out his phone, he was surprised to see it was the hospital.
“Nick Cato,” he answered.
“Detective Cato, this is Sarah, your wife’s nurse.”
The fact that she was calling and her tone caused the hairs on the back of his neck to stand.
“Sarah? What is it?”
“Sir, we need you to come to the hospital. Your wife has gone into labor.”
Nick frowned. “What do you mean labor? We have a Cesarean scheduled for the beginning of the month.”
“Yes, but your wife has gone into spontaneous labor, and we’re worried about the baby’s heart rate. We need to deliver immediately.”
“I’m on my way,” he assured her before disconnecting the call.
He spotted Gary as he ran down the hall. “Got an emergency. Finish up here and then take it back to the station.”
“Got it!” Gary shouted at his back.
Nick ran from the house, jumped into his unmarked squad car, and sped with lights and sirens to the hospital.
KING
“Oh, God, this is amazing,” Paula mumbled while chewing.
“It’s a freakin’ salad,” Rebecca quipped with a frown. “Who the hell gets turnt up over a salad?”
“It’s jerk salmon salad,” Paula countered with narrowed eyes as if that made a difference.
Rebecca was aware she wasn’t the healthiest eater, but she’d decided if she was dying anyway, she was going to eat what she wanted. However, her traitorous body often disagreed. The spicy jerk shrimp was giving her killer heartburn. She grabbed her glass of water and prayed for relief as she drank.
“So, how are things with tall, white, and handsome?”
“It’s complicated.”
“I’ll say. You’ve fallen for a prince who’s married to Sleeping Beauty.”
Rebecca sighed. “Don’t make jokes.”
Paula waved her hand dismissively. “You joke about your condition all the time. It’s how you cope with the scary stuff.”
Paula was right. She often did joke about her illness, but there was so much more than feeling bad about Nick’s dying or dead wife. What Jessica couldn’t possibly understand was the sadness and guilt she felt for allowing him to fall for her. But she wasn’t about to try to explain the complexity of her emotions. She simply nodded and grabbed her phone from the table. Time had gotten away from her. She stuffed her phone in her purse and pulled out two twenties.
Cato’s Heart Page 8