He pulled up in front of Nikki’s condo and shut off the engine. Half turning in his seat, he stared at her while she smoothed her hair into a semblance of order. “What now?” he asked, the fingers of his left hand drumming on the steering wheel.
Nikki grimaced. “I have a few things I need to take care of. Why don’t you contact your aunt…set up a visit. Then call me with a plan.”
“How soon can I call?”
Nikki got out and stood on the sidewalk, shutting the car door carefully. “Give me forty-eight hours. I’ll wrap up my personal business and be ready to go. But I’ll need my car.”
“I’ll drop it off in the morning. You could fix me breakfast,” he added hopefully.
“I’m not much of a cook.” She stared at him, heating his blood all over again. “You really are ridiculously handsome.”
Pierce got out of the car and stood, keeping the vehicle between them. “I could come upstairs and make sure everything is okay.”
She wrinkled her nose. “Like what?”
Was she really so clueless?
“You know…burglars, monsters under the bed. That kind of thing.”
“I’ll be fine. I’ve been coming home at night by myself for a long, long time.”
“I never asked you, did I?”
“Asked me what?”
“If you had a boyfriend…”
“You know I don’t,” she said simply. “A woman who has a boyfriend she cares about would never kiss a man like I just kissed you.”
“Some would.”
“Not me.”
“Well, I’m glad, then.”
“Why?”
“Because I’d have to run him off, and that would be cruel.”
She smiled, and when she did, the whole world seemed brighter. It was a genuine, teasing smile that told him she didn’t mind his braggadocio. “Go away now. Good night, Pierce.”
He rounded the car and joined her on the sidewalk. Without waiting for permission, he slid his hands beneath her hair, cupped her head and angled it toward his for another kiss. His hands were shaking, and when he tasted her, his mind went blank. All he could do was feel. Her soft skin. Trembling lips. Silky hair that splayed over his fingers in a gentle caress.
Though he hadn’t noticed when it happened, her arms were wrapped tightly around his waist. She was tall, but he was taller still. Her slight frame felt vulnerable, breakable in his embrace. A rush of tenderness overwhelmed him. “Ask me to come upstairs,” he whispered, nipping the side of her neck with his teeth.
Nikki sagged against him, letting him support her weight. They were so close he knew she could feel his erection. “I can’t do that,” she said softly. “And once again, we’re standing on a public thoroughfare. Do you ever kiss women in private?”
“Take me inside and I’ll show you.” He had meant the remark to be funny, but at the end his voice trailed off in a groan when one of Nikki’s hands slid under the hem of his shirt and settled at his waist. The simple touch burned his bare flesh. “Enough.” This time he was the one to put on the brakes. “Go inside. Now.”
She pulled away, her eyes slightly unfocused and her pink lips puffy from his kisses. “I will.” She backed up three steps. “Good night.”
“I’ll bring you medicine for your toe in the morning when I come.”
“I might sleep in. Just leave it in the car.”
“You’re afraid of me.”
“Yes.”
Her candor stopped him cold. “You don’t have to be. I’m as trustworthy as a Boy Scout. I was one, in fact.”
“Not that kind of scared. I’m afraid I’ll let you distract me from working on my life plan.”
“I’m hurt.” Not altogether a lie.
“You’re pushy.”
“Takes one to know one.”
“I’m fairly certain we may kill each other if we keep this up.”
“I’ll say it again—you don’t have to be afraid of me.” He made himself turn around and walk over to her car. When he slid into the driver’s seat and glanced back, she was gone.
* * *
Nikki changed into her comfiest pajamas, found a favorite old chick flick on cable and snuggled into the corner of her sofa. At times like this she wished she had a pet, but she worked such odd hours, it seemed unkind to leave an animal shut up inside all day.
Instead of turning up the sound, she put on the closed captions so she could follow the story in silence. Her head was spinning with a million thoughts and conundrums. What had happened to Pierce when he was an infant? Was his mother lying? Would Pierce be terribly upset when and if they found out the truth? And would that end any contact Nikki had with him?
Did he really want to sleep with her, or was it a matter of serendipity? Did he subconsciously believe that if they became lovers she wouldn’t press so hard for answers?
On the screen, Meg Ryan, wearing a small gray cardigan and a lemon-yellow dress, smiled her trademark smile, and the hero melted. Nikki knew the feeling. She considered herself a tough, sometimes cynical realist. But something about Pierce Avery reduced her to a teenage angst she hadn’t experienced for a long, long time. This feeling of being completely off balance was difficult to deal with. Especially since he really did want to use her professional services.
And then there was the tiny matter of her job. She couldn’t get sidetracked at such a pivotal moment. It would be really easy to let herself fall into a purely physical relationship with Pierce. Most women would be hard-pressed to say no to him. But if Nikki used sex to avoid dealing with the big questions she had posed for herself, she’d be doing both Pierce and herself a disservice.
When the movie ended two hours later, she glanced sleepily at her watch. Instead of heading for the bedroom, she reached for a couple of afghans and a throw pillow, got comfortable and closed her eyes. No reason to set an alarm. Because although she had a lengthy to-do list for tomorrow, the day was completely unscripted. No one but another control freak could understand how much that lack of structure dismayed her.
The last thing she recalled before falling asleep was the way Pierce’s eyes crinkled at the edges when he smiled….
* * *
Pierce waited thirty-six hours before calling his new lawyer. She had told him forty-eight, but he was anxious not to lose another day. In the small amount of time since he had been with Nikki, he’d had a disturbing conversation with his mother. Though his father had stabilized, the stress of the long hospital stay combined with the secret she was keeping from her spouse had frazzled her. Because of that, Pierce decided he had to be on his best behavior from now on. No hanky-panky with Nicola Parrish.
His first priority had to be finding out the truth about his parentage.
But when Nikki answered the phone on the third ring, his heartbeat stuttered and sped up. She sounded as if she had just climbed out of bed, and his imagination jumped into the game, painting pictures of a long-legged blonde with an attitude…wearing only baby-doll pajamas and a smile.
It was laughable, really. He was pretty sure that women only wore those in 1960s movies. But the image stayed with him nevertheless.
He cleared his throat. “I’ve got everything all set up. Can you be ready to leave at eight in the morning?”
There was a brief pause and then the sound of rustling paper. “I can.”
“I’ve booked two hotel rooms in case we need to stay over. Why don’t you bring some casual clothes and a swimsuit? Aunt Trudie naps a lot, from what I recall, so we may have to interview her in spurts. It could take longer than we think it will.”
“Have you talked to your aunt directly?”
“Mom called her and said I was coming for a visit. Obviously, we don’t want to upset her. She may not even remember all the details. It was a long t
ime ago and she’s really old.”
“Pierce?”
“Yeah?”
“What are you going to do if this is a dead end?”
His stomach pitched and rolled. He hadn’t let himself think about that. “I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it. To be honest, I don’t care if I ever know. I’m doing this for my mom.”
“You may think that, but it’s not true. Whether you like it or not, the questions will never go away. I’ll be ready in the morning. Try not to worry.”
* * *
After a sleepless night, Pierce crawled out of bed and used a cold shower to wake himself up. He was jittery and a little bit scared. The chances of his great-aunt really having any valuable info was slim, but other than Pierce’s own mom and dad, she was the only person present when he was born who might shed some light on this untenable situation.
He had thrown most of his gear in a bag the night before, so all he had to do was put together his shave kit and grab breakfast. One glance inside his refrigerator told him he was out of luck. Feeling hopeful and hungry, he sent a text to Nikki.
Brkfst on the road??
Her reply was prompt and funny.
The mrning aftr w/o the nite b4…interesting…
Suddenly his resolution to be all business weakened. He was going to spend the day with an intelligent, beautiful woman who entertained him endlessly. Not a bad way to start.
When he pulled up in front of Nikki’s and parked, she walked out the front door of her building. Apparently she’d been watching for him. And maybe thinking she shouldn’t let him inside. Probably a good plan.
He’d brought a more conventional car today. Popping the trunk, he hopped out and took her bags. “Need any of this up front?”
She shook her head. “Nope. But that breakfast better not be far or I’m going to get really cranky.”
“Not to worry.” He chuckled as he closed her door and strode around to the other side to get in. “It’s a hole-in-the-wall diner just outside of town. A lot of the local farmers patronize it, so you know it has to be good.”
* * *
Over rashers of crisp bacon, perfectly scrambled eggs and an endless pot of coffee, he studied his accomplice. She was wearing black slacks with a matching jacket and a turquoise blouse that somehow looked even better framed in a red vinyl booth. She’d barely spoken to him for five minutes as she dug into her food. He reached across the table and tapped her arm. “I’ll feed you again in a few hours.”
She lifted one eyebrow. “Are you insinuating that I’m eating too much?”
He held up his hands. “Not at all. I like a woman who enjoys her food.”
“I burn it off…lots of nervous energy.”
Suddenly it was as if every noise in the crowded diner receded, leaving the two of them in a bubble of silence.
Nikki’s fair skin turned red from her throat to her hairline. She had clearly not intended her toss-away comment to sound sexual. But he had heard it that way, and she knew he had.
Pierce ran a hand through his hair. “I think we’d better talk about it.”
She stirred her grits, staring at her plate as if the answer to all of life’s thorny questions could be discerned in a swirl of redeye gravy. “Talk about what?”
He shook his head, leaning back in his seat with a grin. “You know what. This ill-timed attraction.”
“I don’t know what you mean. That sounds like a bad TV-movie title.”
“I’m serious, Nikki. I told myself yesterday that all I was going to concentrate on was solving this damned riddle I’m facing. But when I’m with you, I can’t seem to work up any interest in my parentage. All I can think about is how soon we’re going to end up in bed together.”
She lifted her head, her eyes darker than usual, the pupils dilated. “Are we?” she asked with a lopsided smile.
“I hope so.” He laid it all out on the table. “I never imagined this when I showed up in your office, but it’s almost impossible to ignore. I promised I’d help you unwind. That didn’t include sex when I said it, but it does now.”
She leaned her head on one hand, elbow on the table. “You’re very direct.”
“I know what I want.”
“We’re nothing alike, Pierce. And to be honest, it’s not my style to sleep with a man when I know there’s no future in it.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Oh, come on. Surely you’re not that blind. You work outdoors for a living. Kayaking, rappelling, camping. I can’t swim, I’m afraid of heights and I hate bugs. We are about as far apart as two people can be.”
“So you’re telling me that a guy has to pass a marriage test before you’ll have sex with him?”
“Of course not. First of all, I haven’t had sex with that many men. I’m fairly fastidious in my choices of who to date, because my time is precious, and I choose not to spend it with people who don’t appeal to me.”
“Do I fall into that category?”
“Are you fishing for compliments?”
“Maybe I am.” And it stunned him that he cared so much what she thought of him.
“I think you’re sexy and fun and a genuinely nice guy, though I know men don’t like to hear that last one. You’re in a bad place in your life, but you’re not doing the whole why me thing. You seem to care what your mother wants and needs, which I find charming. And even though you dislike lawyers in general, you’ve given me a chance to prove that not all of us are slime. On a scale of one to ten, I give you a solid eight.”
His jaw dropped. “Only an eight after that rousing list of attributes?”
She smirked. “You lose ground when it comes to arrogance and patience.”
She had him there. “Fair enough. But what you’re saying is that we shouldn’t have sex because we want different things out of life.”
“I suppose you could put it that way.”
He shrugged and lifted a hand for their check. When the waitress scurried over with a smile, he glanced at the bill, pulled out two twenties and told her to keep the change.
While he settled the tab, Nikki had finished eating and was studying their fellow patrons. It was definitely a blue-collar crowd, which meant that she and Pierce, dressed as they were, stood out. He stood up and held out a hand. “We’d better get going.”
She put her hand in his without hesitation, making his mouth dry and his whole body tense. If such simple contact affected him so deeply, he was up a creek without a paddle. The old adage hit home to someone who actually knew what that felt like. Getting knocked around in fast-moving water, unable to steer. It was scary as hell.
In the car, Nikki fussed with her seat belt and sat back with a sigh. “Aren’t you going to argue with me about this thing between us? Tell me I should go with the flow?”
He rested his hands on the wheel, the car still in Park. Not looking at her at all, he was still intensely aware of her scent, her mood, the sound of her voice. “Should I?”
She yanked on her blond tresses. “This is me pulling my hair out. I don’t know what you want me to say.”
“Don’t say anything,” he said, his mood souring as he realized how close he was to a revelation he didn’t want or need. “If it’s going to happen, it will. In the meantime, let’s get this other mess over with. My life is a freaking soap opera, and I’d just as soon end this episode one way or another.”
Seven
Nikki turned on the satellite radio, tuning it to a channel that played a mix of classic rock and newer music. Pierce had lapsed into silence, and she needed something for a distraction. The trip from Charlottesville was barely an hour and a half. Which was a good thing, because she could feel his tension growing mile by mile.
It was going to be an incredible letdown for him if his aunt was
clueless. But Nikki had an uneasy suspicion that this whole mystery led back to that night in the hospital when Pierce was born. An old woman just might be the only key to unlocking the past.
Unfortunately, the lawyer in her couldn’t resist asking questions. Besides, it might do Pierce good to talk. Surely that was better than whatever battles he was fighting in his head.
“Tell me about your great-aunt,” she said. “Why are she and your mother close?”
It was several long seconds before he answered, as if his thoughts had been far away. He signaled for a lane change, passed a slow-moving pickup truck and pulled back to the right. “My maternal grandmother died of pneumonia when my mom was four years old. My grandfather came from a generation of men who didn’t think child-rearing was their responsibility. So enter Aunt Gertrude. She was a decade older than my grandmother, the much-older sister, and she had already married and divorced when my mom was born. It was a big scandal, because she had also defied tradition and gone to medical school. Many in the family thought that was to blame for the failure of her marriage, or so I’ve been told.”
“Did she have any children?”
“One daughter. Because Aunt Gertrude didn’t think Mom should have to lose both parents, she moved her own child to Charlottesville, bought a house, got a job in obstetrics at one of the local hospitals and then took my mom in.”
“Wow. That’s dedication.”
“It was. And as far as I can tell, my mother has in every way regarded Gertrude as her actual mother.”
“Wouldn’t it be kind of weird to have your mother figure deliver your baby?”
“Not in the frontier days probably, but in modern times, yes. Gertrude wasn’t my mom’s doctor, though. Apparently, when Mom went into labor, there had been a flu outbreak. Dozens of nurses and doctors had fallen ill, so everyone not on duty at the hospital that night was called in for relief. I’ve heard the story a dozen times. Aunt Gertrude, in her early sixties when I was born, single-handedly ran the emergency room and the OB ward for thirty-six hours straight.”
A Wolff at Heart Page 6