by Cooper, Lynn
“Like what?”
“Well, patients who are young and strong—I am assuming Kitsy is both—usually do just fine. Appendectomies are fairly routine. I would say her odds of a complete recovery are pretty damn good. Your friend has a helluva lot better shot at surviving than a lot of the other patients here.”
His thoughts immediately turned to his sister. The unexpected caress of Jaslyn’s hand on his cheek made him jump.
Her voice was soft and soothed his aching heart.
“Patients like Sahara?”
He nodded, instantly missing her touch when she let her hand drop from his face.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Birkner. I didn’t mean to be insensitive. I’m not very good in these types of situations. I hate hospitals, and I’ve never seen Kitsy so weak and in such pain before. I feel utterly helpless.”
He took a deep breath. “I know the feeling all too well. You have nothing to be sorry for. It is I who owes you an apology for my rude behavior at the office. I am a man who is used to fixing things. It has been maddening and excruciatingly frustrating not being able to help the person I love most in the whole world. It is not easy for me to admit this, but I sometimes take my frustration out on others.”
“I can’t imagine what you’ve been through. Please consider the office incident forgotten, Mr. Birkner.”
Relieved, he smiled. “Okay, but only if you will call me Rhein and agree to accompany me upstairs to see Sahara. I think she would very much like to meet the only person outside of our family I have ever apologized to,” he said, winking.
He couldn’t determine if the shocked look on Jaslyn’s face was from his admission, his winking at her or the prospect of meeting his sister. He had just made some headway with this temp, and he didn’t want to blow it. He was hoping by evening’s end he could convince her to come back to Zena Starkler and finish out her assignment.
She stammered a little, and he found her all the more adorable. “I—I—think I can handle calling you Rhein, but I shouldn’t intrude on your time with Sahara. Besides, I need to be here when Kitsy comes out of surgery.”
He glanced at his watch. “How long have you been here?”
“About half an hour.”
“I have read every surgical pamphlet in this hospital. I had to distract myself somehow,” he said, smiling. “On average, appendectomies take about an hour. That should be plenty enough time for introductions and a little chit chat. So what do you say? Will you come with me?”
JASLYN COULD BARELY CONTAIN herself. Her pulse soared sky high when he offered her his hand. She hated herself for finding him so irresistibly attractive. Knowing he belonged to another woman—one who was deathly ill—should have been more than enough reason for her to turn tail and run. Instead, her body continued to betray her just as it had in his office and the breakroom. Taking his hand was a mistake. It was so big and easily engulfed hers. The warmth and strength she felt in his touch ignited a fire deep inside her soul. His complete about-face and unexpected apology had only served to cement the emotional attachment she had already developed for this moody, unpredictable man. Since this morning she had literally fallen into him twice while recklessly falling head-over-heels for him.
Given the circumstances, it was wrong for her to feel this way. And it was also brutally unfair. Love at first sight was special and extremely rare. She had heard it described by others. Now, she understood what they were talking about. Her feelings for Rhein were powerful and overwhelming. They had slammed into her like a hurricane, catapulting her headlong into the stratosphere.
As they walked side by side through the hospital corridor, she wondered if she would ever come back down from this emotional high.
The answer was yes, and her deflation came much more quickly than she imagined.
Feeling him tug on her hand, they took a sharp right turn at the nurses’ station. Rhein stopped in front of a room marked 223. The name on the door was Sahara Birkner. Instantly, a pang of rejection shot through Jaslyn’s core when he released her hand.
She mentally shook herself. What did she expect him to do? They couldn’t go barging into a dying woman’s room holding hands like a couple of lovesick teenagers. It was a mistake to have agreed to meet Sahara at all.
Placing his hand on the doorknob, he gave her a questioning look. “Ready?”
She shook her head. “This is a bad idea.”
He chuckled. “No, it is a great idea. Sahara will welcome a fresh face. She is most likely tired of seeing my mug.”
Jaslyn’s legs felt like lead. If Rhein hadn’t placed his hand on the small of her back and nudged her through the door, her feet would have remained rooted in the hallway.
When they stepped into the room, her breath caught in her throat. The young woman lying in the bed was absolutely gorgeous. Sahara’s features were dark and exotic, bearing a strange resemblance to Rhein’s. Jaslyn had read somewhere that couples who were really meant to be together often shared the same physical traits.
Nervously, she smoothed her hair back from her face. Feeling the black silkiness against her fingers, she once again noted Rhein’s hair was the exact same texture and color as her own. Maybe in a different lifetime, under different circumstances, the two of them could have been meant for each other.
A deep, sexy voice jerked her from her thoughts.
“Sahara, I’d like for you to meet Jaslyn. She’s the new temp, filling in until you can return to work.”
Jaslyn couldn’t believe what she was hearing. A few hours ago, she had walked away from the assignment with no intentions of returning. Boy! Rhein must have thought his apology was a magic wand, wiping out all of his bad behavior. Or, he was using the whole temp gig as a cover, not wanting Sahara to suspect anything.
The beauty in the hospital bed smiled, revealing rows of perfect, bright-white teeth. “Jaslyn. Such a lovely name for such a lovely young woman. Tell me, has my brother been treating you well?”
Her eyes widened in shock and disbelief. Rhein and Sahara were brother and sister. Jaslyn’s legs turned to jelly. Swaying, she reached for the wall to steady herself. The last thing she wanted to do was make an even bigger fool of herself by fainting.
She was so embarrassed. The alarm and concern in Sahara’s voice only made it worse.
“Are you all right? Did I say something wrong?”
Before Jaslyn could answer her, Sahara turned her attention toward Rhein who had a look of amusement on his face.
“Rhein, have you been mean to this woman?”
He chuckled. “No meaner than I am to anyone else.”
Jaslyn’s face was burning, but she managed to speak. “I—I—thought the two of you were married.”
Sahara laughed and said in a teasing tone, “I don’t know how things are done here in America; but, in Germany, we don’t marry our siblings.”
Jaslyn noticed Rhein wasn’t laughing. Her pulse raced as he walked over to her.
Holding up his left hand, he asked, “Do you see a ring on my finger?”
“No. But these days that doesn’t mean anything.”
He frowned. “It means everything to me. If I were married, I would wear a wedding band.” Taking her chin between his thumb and forefinger, he said, “And I would expect my wife to wear one as well. Is that understood?”
Her heart pounded in her ears at his intimate display. She glanced at Sahara who had a slightly suspicious yet knowing look on her face.
Sahara cleared her throat. “Stop being such a bully, Rhein. Jaslyn, what made you think we were married?”
She told them about her conversation with Michael.
Sahara sighed. “I can see how you might have misunderstood. I suppose all baby sisters hold a hundred percent of their big brothers’ hearts. Especially when they are sick and dying.”
Rhein growled, “Do not speak of dying. You are not going to die, damn it!”
“You see how he is, Jaslyn? Demanding. Always growling. I’m glad he has you to keep
him straight while I’m all tied up here.” She raised her arms, displaying all the wires and tubes dangling from them. “You will look after him for me, won’t you?”
Jaslyn didn’t know what to say. The entire day had been overwhelming and exhausting. All she could do was manage a nod and a smile. Then she turned to Rhein. “I really should go and check on Kitsy. Once she’s settled in a room, I need to grab a cab and head home.”
“What is wrong with your car?”
“Nothing. It just so happens to be parked in my driveway.”
“How did you get here?”
“I was so worried about Kitsy, I just jumped right into the ambulance with her. I wasn’t thinking about how I would get back home.”
Sahara spoke up. “Don’t you dare call a cab. Rhein will be happy to drive you home. Won’t you, big brother?”
RHEIN OPENED THE PASSENGER-SIDE door for Jaslyn, then quickly ran around his silver Porsche Panamera and slid behind the wheel. The sky was pitch black. The world around them had been plunged into total darkness within a matter of minutes. Grey, billowy storm clouds hung low, threatening torrential rains.
Turning the ignition, he flipped the lights to high beam, shifted into gear and peeled out of the emergency room parking lot.
Stealing a quick glance at the sexy woman beside him, he asked, “Your roommate—she is doing well, yes?”
She smiled. “Yes. The doctor said her surgery went great. Just like you said, she’s expected to make a full recovery. Since her appendix nearly ruptured, they want to keep her an extra day. As a precaution to infection, they’re giving her antibiotics intravenously for the next 24 hours.”
“Good. Better safe than sorry.”
“Mr. Birk—”
“That formality has passed, Jaslyn. Call me Rhein.”
“Okay, Rhein. If you don’t mind me asking, what’s wrong with Sahara? Why is she so ill?”
He took a deep breath. “She has Type1 diabetes. It is the kind people are born with. The one a person has no fucking control over.”
Jaslyn could clearly see the fury and frustration in his clenched jaw. A righteous anger she no longer feared. She now knew it came from a place of profound love for his sister.
His hands gripped the steering wheel a little harder than necessary. “It is a horrible, destructive and unforgiving disease. Over time it wreaks havoc on every part of the body, especially the kidneys.”
“Yes, I saw the dialysis machine.”
“Sahara is hooked up to it 24-hours a day now. She is in renal failure. Her kidneys have all but shut down completely.”
Jaslyn placed a hand on his muscular forearm. “I’m so sorry. Is she a candidate for a kidney transplant?”
His eyes darkened and his voice grew harsh. “She is on ten different damn donor lists. Has been for the last three years. Still, there has been no match.”
Jaslyn was stunned. “I thought siblings were usually good matches.”
He slammed his fist against the dashboard. “If I had been a match, do you really believe Sahara would still be lying in a fucking hospital bed with tubes running out of her veins? If my kidneys would function in her body, do you not think I would rip both of them out with my bare hands and give them to her?”
Her voice was soft. “Of course you would. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to suggest otherwise.”
He raked a hand through his black hair. “I am sorry to snap at you. It is not easy for me to say this, but I am terrified. If Sahara does not get a kidney soon, she will die. I cannot live without her.”
Jaslyn’s heart was breaking for him. “Is it just the two of you here? Is the rest of your family in Germany?”
“She is my only family, period. Both sets of grandparents have been dead for years. Our parents and younger brother were killed when a commuter train derailed in Berlin five years ago. There were no survivors. Sahara and I were in school at the time of the accident, otherwise, we would have been with them. We would have died as well.”
“Oh God, Rhein, that must have been devastating.”
“After we buried them, Sahara and I came to the United States. We used the money from selling our family’s home to start Zena Starkler. We were living the American Dream until her diabetes worsened and her kidneys began to fail.”
Rhein fell silent. Jaslyn used the quietness to think about the man beside her. He had a tough, hard exterior. A powerful, domineering façade he presented to the world. But, on the inside, he was a little boy who was terrified of losing his baby sister. As she gazed at the tumultuous sky, she wished the rains would come and wash away the pain and hurt in his heart and eyes.
Before she knew it, the Porsche was slowing down, and they were turning into her driveway. It had just occurred to her that she hadn’t told him where she lived.
As if he could read her mind, he said, “I saw your address in the personnel file. I have a gift for remembering details.”
She smiled.
He cut the engine and took the keys out of the switch. “I’ll walk you to your door. When I get back to the hospital, Sahara will ask me if I saw you safely inside. I better be able to say yes. My sister is quite the hothead.”
Jaslyn gave him an I-don’t-believe-you look. “She seemed far too nice and kind to have a temper.”
“That is how she gets you. Suckers you in with sweetness, then explodes when you least expect it,” he said, winking. “In fact, I should probably come in and have a look around. Make sure there is no boogey man before I leave.”
“Mr. Birk—Rhein, are you trying to worm your way inside for a nightcap?”
“After the day I have had, I sure could use one.”
“Me, too,” she said, turning the key in the lock. Let’s see what we have in the kitchen, shall we?”
Jaslyn flipped several switches on a panel in the foyer, lighting up the entire downstairs like a Christmas tree. She threw her keys on a side table and motioned for Rhein to follow her.
The kitchen was shiny and spotless. She was glad she had given it a good scrubbing the day before. She would have been mortified if the sexy CEO had seen the mess it had been in last night. Kitsy had volunteered to make supper. Whenever she cooked, the area ended up looking like a war zone. But, she was a fabulous chef, so Jaslyn didn’t mind doing the cleanup.
Her stomach growled as she recalled how delicious that chicken parmesan and antipasto salad had been. She was hoping like hell Rhein hadn’t heard it.
“You are hungry. I should have fed you before bringing you home. Would you like for me to get some takeout? I could be back in a flash.”
Part of her wanted to send him out for food. Her nerves were jangled and—knowing now he was single—she was antsy about being alone with him. Maybe he would touch her the way he had back at the office. Maybe she would let him and do some touching of her own.
“Jaslyn! Did you not hear me?”
“I did, and there’s no need to go out. That is if you don’t mind eating left over chicken parmesan.”
“Mind? Not at all. It is my favorite.”
“Great,” she said, setting a bottle of Merlot on the counter. “If you’ll pour us a glass of wine, I’ll heat the food up.”
When they finished eating the delectable meal, Jaslyn poured them some more wine.
Standing, she asked, “Would you like to retire to the living room? We could sit on the sofa and talk for a while.”
He shook his head and took the glasses from her hands.
“I best not have any more alcohol. I should be getting back to Sahara. I will need sharp reflexes to drive in the rain.”
How could Jaslyn be so selfish? Without a miracle, Sahara’s days were numbered. Of course he would want to spend all the time he could with her.
“I didn’t mean to keep you, Rhein. I was just enjoying your company so much. I didn’t want our time together to end.”
A text alert pinged on his phone. She watched a look of concern flash across his face as he snatched it out of his
pocket. When that look turned into a brilliant smile, she breathed a sigh of relief.
“It’s Sahara. Michael and his wife are at the hospital for a visit. She says not to rush back. She thinks I should hang out with you and have fun.”
“What do you think?”
“I think my sister is trying to play matchmaker. She likes you very much, Jaslyn.”
“How about you? Do you like me very much?”
Jaslyn had grown to expect the abrupt changes in his behavior. The darkness caused by anger or passion or both that shadowed his eyes at any given time.
What she didn’t expect was for him to push her up against the wall. With one huge hand, he pinned her arms above her head and planted feathery-soft kisses along her neck.
She couldn’t stifle sighs of pleasure as his hot, moist mouth nuzzled her sensitive flesh. His other hand cupped her ass, urging her closer. She arched her back and pressed her hips into his.
He moaned deep in his chest, kissing his way up to her earlobe and across her cheek until his mouth found hers. His full, firm lips were no longer teasing but demanding and forceful. Delving his tongue deep into the sweet recesses of her mouth, he staked his claim.
Jaslyn’s legs buckled.
He scooped her up before she could fall. She wound her arms around his neck. He gazed deeply into her eyes. “Yes, Jaslyn. I like you very, very much. Now, where is this sofa you spoke of earlier?”
Near swooning, she pointed to an archway leading into the living room.
When they reached the overstuffed piece of furniture, he sat down with her cradled in his lap.
She felt breathless. They both tried to speak at the same time.
“Please, you go first, Rhein.”
He nodded, intensely holding her gaze. “I have every intention of making love to you tonight. But, first, I believe you wanted to talk. What is it you wish to say to me, sweet Jaslyn?”
It was difficult to think with him holding her so intimately.
“Well,” she hesitated briefly, hoping what she had to say wouldn’t anger him. “When you’re not growling and scowling, you’re rather pleasant to be around.”
He chuckled. “Am I?”