A Wolff at Heart

by Janice Maynard

  Even now, his spent erection was springing to life. “Nikki?” He shook her arm gently.

  “Hmm?” She opened her eyes sleepily, and for a moment he saw shock.

  “You’re not dreaming,” he said smugly. “Yes, I did rock your world.”

  She yawned. “If I had the energy, I’d slap you for that.”

  “Kinky, but I’m game.” He grabbed another condom, donned it and rolled her to her side, facing away from him. “Go back to sleep,” he said, only half kidding. “I may be done with you in another three or eight or seventeen hours.” The way he felt right now, he could take her again and again until the sun rose.

  Lifting her leg and draping it over his thigh, he entered her from behind, feeling the unfamiliar squeeze of a new angle. With her breast cupped in his hand, he moved slowly, deliberately. The edge of his hunger was blunted for the moment by his earlier release. But like a flame to dry wood, the feel of her body in his embrace caught him up in a new conflagration.

  He shaped her breast in his palm, pinching lightly at the nipple. Nikki made a noise that indicated approval. Her bottom nestled closer, deepening penetration. He licked the top of her spine, incredibly aroused by the vulnerability of her nape.

  Suddenly, all he could see was a quiet, lost teenager. The image broke his heart. His movements slowed, and he kissed her again…her shoulder, the tiny indentations in her spine. Her sunlit hair.

  Moving carefully so as not to break the connection, he rolled to his back, keeping her on top of him as he pushed her into a seated position.

  She glanced over her shoulder with a wary, questioning gaze. But she didn’t speak.

  He grasped her butt and thrust upward. “Take it where you want to go, Nikki. I’m all yours.”

  The new position seemed to stymie her for a half second. But she quickly adjusted, putting her hands on his knees and leaning forward so she could lift and lower herself onto him. The curve of her waist mesmerized him, as did the smooth, pale heart shape of her rear.

  Thinking the more shallow penetration would allow him to last longer was a severe miscalculation. When Nikki cried out in release, the peak rushed at him out of nowhere. He disengaged their bodies only long enough to reposition her and then shuddered helplessly as he thrust repeatedly into her tight, warm passage and exploded in a wave of pleasure that seemed endless.

  Some time later, he felt Nikki stir. She left the bed, and he was aware that the bathroom light turned on. Half dozing, he heard water running. And then noted the almost silent pad of her feet on the carpet as she came back to him.

  Her limbs were chilled from the air conditioning. He pulled her close and closed his eyes. The only peace he had known since the doctor told him he was not a donor match was right here in this bed.

  The drapes were closed. A sliver of sunlight told him that the summer evening was far from over.

  Nikki played with the hair on his arm. “Are you going to the hospital?”

  “For ten minutes? Knowing that my presence might give her a heart attack? I don’t think so. We’ll regroup in the morning.”

  Nikki picked up his hand and kissed it, brushing her lips over his knuckles. “It’s going to be okay…I promise.”

  Ten

  Nikki awoke before dawn, her eyes gritty from lack of sleep. She and Pierce had made love for most of the night, only pausing around 1:00 a.m. for another call to room service. Pierce had been insatiable, taking her over and over in every position imaginable, including one memorable coupling where he pressed her against the window of their upper-floor hotel room.

  The fee for her lodging had been a complete waste—Pierce flatly refused to let her go back to her room. Sometime after four they had fallen into an exhausted slumber, their arms and legs twined together as if they couldn’t bear to be separated. It was true enough on her part. Pierce had sneaked into her heart and set up his tent.

  At the moment he was sleeping like the dead. She slipped quietly out of bed and returned to her own room via the connecting door. After a quick shower, she blew dry her hair and changed into another of her business suits, this one a summer-weight gray jacket and skirt. She paired it with a fuchsia blouse that normally cheered her with its hot splash of color.

  Today it might take more than a blouse. Though she was giddy about her feelings for Pierce, she forced herself to tuck them away. She needed to be strong for him today. He needed her to take the lead in this investigation, even if he didn’t know it. Aunt Gertrude was frail and ill. If she died without providing the answers they needed, Pierce might never get over it. So Nikki would do what had to be done.

  When she was fully dressed, she reloaded her suitcase so it would be ready when and if they checked out. Neither of them had brought much in the way of spare clothes, so if this trip dragged on, they would have to regroup.

  Glancing around the room, she checked to make sure she hadn’t forgotten anything. Then, quietly, she stepped back through the connecting door. Seeing Pierce sprawled in the bed, his beautiful chest rising and falling with steady breathing, twisted something inside her. She wanted to photograph him…the bed…the room. Anything to preserve the memory of one incredible night.

  But instead of climbing beneath the covers and awakening him with a kiss, she had to play bad cop. It was a role she did not relish. Everything about what she was about to do broke her heart. But for Pierce, she would put aside her own personal inclinations and give him the help he had asked for in the beginning.

  When her chin wobbled and her throat burned, she blinked back the tears. Touching his foot beneath the blanket, she shook it gently. “Wake up, Pierce. It’s time to go back to the hospital.”

  His head moved from side to side, a frown creasing his forehead. Gradually he opened his eyes and looked around him. “Nikki?”

  She gave him a small smile. “Yes. I know you’re tired, but we have to go. I called and checked on Gertrude. She’s stable and they’ve moved her to a room.”

  Running a hand through his hair, he cursed. “I don’t want to go to the hospital. I want you back in this bed where you belong.”

  Seeing him all sleep rumpled and gorgeous tested her resolve. But he had hired her to find answers, and her job was to make sure that happened. “Get up, Pierce. We had our fun last night. Now it’s back to the real world. I’ll order some breakfast while you’re in the shower.”

  Anger darkened his face. “What in the hell is wrong with you?”

  “Nothing,” she said simply. “We came here to talk to your aunt. That’s what we’re going to do. I think I should go in first and test the waters. If I can get her to admit she knows something, I’ll insist that you come in to hear what she has to say. I know how to deal with the elderly. You don’t have to worry that I’ll upset her.”

  He crawled out of bed and stretched, apparently unfazed by his nudity in her presence. She, on the other hand, had to look away. No man should be allowed to have such physical beauty. It wasn’t fair to the female sex.

  When he put his hands on his hips, she realized he was taunting her. “I feel a little cheap,” he said with what came close to being a sneer. “I thought women liked to snuggle.”

  “Pierce…” She hesitated, unsure what to say. Could she tell him that he was the most amazing man she’d ever met? That she was halfway in love with him already? That if she could have anyone, it would be him?

  No. That’s not what he needed to hear. Not today. Today he needed the bossy lawyer, not the sexual playmate. Today was important. Today could change his life.

  She made herself go to him, touching him on the arm with an apologetic smile. “I’d rather go back to bed with you…I would. But you can’t shut this out, no matter how much it upsets you. It’s better to know what you’re facing than to always wonder.”

  “How can you be so sure?” The words were
raw…stark…and his face was a study in torment.

  “Because I know what it is to live without those answers, and I wouldn’t wish that misery on anyone.”

  He stared at her for long, heated seconds before his shoulders dropped and he spun on his heel to head to the shower.

  She hadn’t realized she’d been holding her breath, but relief whooshed out in a loud sigh, making her light-headed. Neither of them was in any shape for an emotional gauntlet, but they would do what they had to do, because they had no choice.

  * * *

  It was nine o’clock when they pulled into the hospital parking lot. Pierce was driving this time. He was dressed in a crisply starched blue shirt and black trousers. It occurred to her that she had never seen him in any of his outdoor gear. He had said he wanted to teach her how to kick back and relax, but circumstances had led them in a different direction.

  Once inside, they visited the gift shop and then found the waiting room on the appropriate floor. Pierce was like a nervous jungle animal. He couldn’t sit, despite her cajoling. “Go,” he said. “See what you can find out.”

  She went up on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. “I’ll text you if I think she’s ready to talk.”

  Nikki was projecting more confidence than she actually felt. If Gertrude clammed up, there was no guarantee that Nikki or anyone else could get her to talk. If she had secrets, she’d kept them for over three decades. That was a long time to protect the past. And as old as she was, the elderly woman might simply decide to take her secrets to the grave.

  The door to the room was ajar. Nikki stood for a moment, listening to see if a nurse or doctor was inside. At last, she tiptoed in. Pierce’s great-aunt was dozing. In a hospital gown, with her skin sallow and her hair unbrushed, she looked even older than she had in the nursing home.

  Nikki sat down in a chair at the foot of the bed and positioned it so that she would be immediately visible when the patient roused. Though it might have been okay, she couldn’t bring herself to awaken Gertrude. Not with what had happened yesterday. She hoped to keep things unthreatening and low key.

  Suddenly, out in the hallway, someone dropped what sounded like a meal tray. The noise was loud enough to wake the dead. Gertrude’s eyes snapped open. Immediately, she spotted Nikki. Though she winced when she recognized her visitor, her gaze was alert.

  Her mouth worked as she reached for a water carafe. “You’re Pierce’s friend.”

  Nikki jumped up to help her with the drink. “Yes, ma’am. I’m Nikki Parrish. I brought you those flowers.” She had placed the vase of pink roses and baby’s breath on the rolling table beside the bed.

  “Where’s the boy?”

  “Down the hall. He had a business call to make, but he’ll be along shortly.” It was a feeble lie, but for the moment, necessary.

  “Never kid a kidder, honey. He’s scared he’ll make me keel over again.”

  Nikki shrugged. “Maybe. What did the doctor say?”

  “It could be any number of things at my age…a piece of plaque breaking off, a tiny clot somewhere…”

  “Or an anxiety attack?”

  Gertrude’s bark of laughter was hoarse. “You don’t mess around do you, darlin’? Yes, of course. It could have been an anxiety attack. You forget that I’m a physician. I may not have practiced medicine for lo these many years, but I remember enough to know that when the body gets to be ninety-two, any one of a number of things can bring it down.”

  “How are you feeling this morning?”

  “Old. Sad. Guilty.” She stared at Nikki with a bleak twist of her lips. “He knows, doesn’t he?”

  Nikki pulled her chair closer. “Only that he’s not who he thought he was. But that’s all. I’m thinking you can help him with the rest. Please, Miss Gertrude. He’s a mess. Promise me you’ll tell him what you know.”

  “He won’t like what I have to say.”

  “I didn’t really think he would. But he deserves the truth, don’t you think?”

  “How did he find out?”

  “You know his father is very ill.”

  “Yes. My niece has talked to me about it often.”

  “Pierce decided he wanted to be the one to donate a kidney to his dad if he was a match.”

  Gertrude sank down in the bed, pulling the sheet to her chin. Her eyes glistened with tears. “God save us all. They told him he wasn’t related.”

  “Yes, ma’am. Can you even imagine what that did to him?” Nikki felt like a bitch for interrogating an old, sick woman, but what choice did she have? “He and his mother are devastated.”

  “And his father?”

  “They haven’t told him yet, partly because he is so ill, and partly because they wanted to investigate and hopefully get some kind of explanation before they dropped that kind of bomb.”

  “I’m not a bad person.”

  “I don’t know you, but Pierce told me what you did for his mother. How you took her in and raised her as your own child. I can’t imagine you would do anything to hurt her, at least not intentionally.”

  “I would give my life for her. She and my daughter were all I had, and they are the best part of me.”

  “You devoted a great many years to your patients. That’s no small matter. Medical care is personal and invaluable. I would imagine that you saved many lives and helped many people.”

  One wrinkled hand lifted to cover her eyes, her face ashen. “I abused my position….” Her voice was barely audible.

  Nikki knew the time had come. “Shall I ask Pierce to join us now?” She kept the words firm and unemotional, though inside she was aching for what was to come.

  Gertrude nodded, the slight movement of her head barely perceptible. “Yes. Tell him it’s time.”

  Just as Nikki was texting Pierce, one of the nurses came in to check vital signs.

  “I’ll wait in the hall,” Nikki said.

  When Pierce walked up, she was leaning against the wall, her stomach churning with dread. “Hey there,” she said. “The nurse is with her, but it will only be a minute.”

  Pierce’s face was grim. “What did she tell you?”

  “Not much. Only enough to let me know that your secret dates back to her.”

  He nodded jerkily. “Can she handle this? I don’t want to kill her.”

  “She’s old, but she’s strong. And I think she wants to be done with it.”

  When the nurse walked out of the room, Pierce stopped the young woman. “How is she doing?”

  “Are you family?”

  “Yes…her nephew. Great-nephew, actually.”

  “She’s stable. The doctor will be around to talk to you in about an hour or so.”

  Nikki linked her hand with Pierce’s, feeling the long fingers, the calluses, the warm skin. “You’re a strong, wonderful man. You can handle whatever happens.”

  He put his arms around her, pressing his face to her hair. “Will you think less of me if I tell you my knees are shaking?”

  She could hear the tremor in his voice. Hugging him tightly, she stroked his back. “I will never change my opinion of you. You are the most amazing man I know.”

  He pulled back and pressed the heels of his hands to his eyes for a long moment. “Are we talking about last night?”

  As an attempt at levity, it fell flat, but she applauded his effort. “It’s always about sex with you men, isn’t it?”

  He kissed her forehead and pulled back to look into her eyes, his own gaze intense. “I needed you last night and you were there,” he said, the words rough and low. “I don’t think you’ll ever know how much that means to me.” He brushed his thumb across her lower lip, sending tingles of remembered bliss echoing in her womb.

  She swallowed back the emotion that threatened to drown her. “I’m here f
or as long as you need me. I won’t leave you to face this alone.”

  He took a deep breath, his grip almost crushing the bones in her hand. “I’m ready.”

  Eleven

  Pierce had experienced many physically harrowing moments in his life: being trapped upside down in a kayak when it wedged between two rocks…having to rescue a climber with hysteria who’d nearly killed them both on the side of a cliff…realizing that the snake he’d been bitten by was a rattler and he was fifteen miles from the nearest help.

  He had always considered himself resourceful and levelheaded, able to keep calm in a crisis. But nothing had prepared him for this bone-deep dread that filled his veins with ice water.

  He heard Nikki close the door as they walked in. Interruptions were de rigueur in a hospital, but the morning meal was over, the nurse had been in and the doctor would be by later. If they were lucky, no one would bother them for the next half hour.

  Nikki offered him the chair, but he couldn’t sit. His great-aunt shot him one fearful look and then stared at her hands. Pierce leaned against the counter by the window.

  Silence reigned for at least three minutes…or maybe it was three hours. Time had ceased to have meaning.

  Nikki rescued them all. She stood on the opposite side of the bed and took one of Gertrude’s hands in hers. “I know you’re afraid. And I know this is hard. But we need you to help us. Please, Miss Trudie. Tell us what happened when Pierce was born.”

  The old woman trembled visibly. Nikki shot Pierce a concerned glance, but he ignored it, staring instead at the floor, hoping he wouldn’t throw up. Finally, without prompting, Gertrude reached for a button and raised the head of the bed. When she was seated upright, she drank some water and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

  Pierce jerked when she spoke, his head snapping up in amazement at how strong her voice sounded.

  Gertrude’s words were slow, but distinct. “I love your mother perhaps more than I should. My own daughter and I had our differences, but from the moment I took home a beautiful little four-year-old girl, my life was the richer for it. Because of my divorce, I knew I would never have any more children of my own, so now I had two wonderful daughters.”