A Wolff at Heart

by Janice Maynard

  Glancing down at her dress, she wrinkled her nose. “I didn’t bring a riding wardrobe.”

  “Not a problem. I like you in that dress. Makes me thing of the sherbet my grandma used to give me on summer days like this one.” Nostalgia turned to sadness as he realized that even his extended family wasn’t his to claim anymore. He took her hand. “Come on. You’ll love it, I promise.”

  It didn’t take a genius to sense her ambivalence, but after he grabbed her things and put them inside, she followed him around the house anyway. At the stable he perched her on a bale of hay while he saddled a docile mount. The old palomino was one he’d ridden as a boy. Her most onerous task these days was swishing flies with her tail. But though she was not technically useful as a work animal, or even for serious riding, Pierce would let her live out her days in peace.

  When the saddle and tack were positioned to his liking, he walked her out of the stall to where Nikki sat, legs crossed pretzel-style like a little girl, her hands on her knees.

  Her eyes widened. “It’s awfully big.”

  “She’s a she, and I first rode her when I was five years old. The old girl is as docile as a clump of daisies. In fact, that’s her name…Daisy.”

  He tied the horse to a fence post and then coaxed Nikki to her feet. “Don’t be afraid. Daisy is a sweetheart. Leave your sandals here. They’ll only fall off along the way, and I don’t want to lose them.”

  When she stood barefoot, looking up at him with barely veiled apprehension, he wanted nothing more than to spread that fresh, clean hay, grab a blanket and take her beneath the sun-streaked skies. Instead, he lifted her by the waist and seated her at the front of the large saddle.

  “What do I do?” she gasped, her cheeks flushed with color.

  “Hold on to the pommel horn.” In the process of straightening Nikki’s skirts, he inadvertently touched one of her firm, pale thighs. Stifling a groan of sexual frustration, he made sure she was decently covered before putting a foot in the stirrup and swinging up behind her.

  He took the reins in his right hand and curled his left arm around her waist, pulling her firmly into the notch of his thighs. His sex was rigid and full, but he doubted Nikki noticed. She was breathing so fast, hyperventilation was a real possibility.

  “Relax, honey.” He kissed the side of her neck. “I won’t let you fall, I swear.” Deciding that nothing would convince her but actual experience, he urged Daisy into a slow trot.

  Nikki’s spine was straight, her eyes focused straight ahead. “I don’t think I’m ready for this.”

  “Too late.”

  He grinned, loving the moment when that prissy spine lost its starch and Nikki relaxed against his chest. He picked up speed, not enough to alarm his passenger, but enough to make the breeze sweep over them in cooling waves. Little by little he showed her the expanse of his property.

  Finally he heard her laugh. And that was when he knew he had made a convert. “You want to try a flat-out gallop?”

  Her head whipped around so fast he tasted a mouthful of hair. “No. I mean it, Pierce. I don’t want to.”

  “All right, Ms. Chicken. We’ll work up to that.” He took the opportunity to kiss her. Nikki’s sigh of surrender melted into the faint sounds of summer…tree frogs, faraway lawn mowers, the twitter of birdsong as the shadows elongated.

  He moved his mouth over hers roughly, letting her feel the full extent of his hunger. She was eager and responsive in return. For a split second he considered the logistics of sex on horseback. He’d read that it was possible, but with a perfectly good king-sized bed at his house, it seemed less than prudent to try.

  He ran his thumb along her jawline. “Ready to go back?” They were barely a mile from home.

  Arousal darkened her eyes and colored her cheekbones. “Yes. If you are.”

  He turned Daisy in an easy circle. “I was ready the minute you got out of the car. But I was trying to be a gentleman.”

  When she laughed softly, the hair stood up on his arms. He was wound so tightly, even the sound of her voice was almost enough to tip him over.

  As they cantered back down the trail, Nikki hummed snatches of tunes he didn’t recognize. Probably because the wind caught them and carried them away. She was no longer clutching the saddle. Instead, she nestled in his embrace as if they had been doing this for years.

  At the door to the barn, he pulled up short and jumped down from the saddle. Nikki held out her arms and leaned toward him. He lifted her off the horse with care. Deliberately, he let her slide down the length of his body, very slowly. Now there was no way she could miss his erection. It pulsed and throbbed between them with an insistence that would no longer be denied.

  “Give me five minutes,” he said, kissing the top of her head.

  In the barn, poor Daisy received only the most cursory of care. He removed the saddle, made sure she had oats and water and locked her in for the night.

  Nikki, when he spotted her, was leaning against the corral rail, the skirts of her dress whipping in the wind. A thunderstorm, sparked by the stifling heat, brewed in the distance.

  “We’d better get inside,” he said. “Those clouds look nasty.”

  Nikki turned and leaned back on the fence, her expression odd.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked, studying her face with some alarm.

  “I never knew riding a horse was so…well…” She grimaced.

  As she shifted from one foot to the other, he suddenly understood. “Is my lady lawyer a little chafed?” He lifted her skirt and lightly touched the inside of her thigh. “Right here?”

  Nikki bit her lip and nodded.

  Pierce dropped to his knees, gathering the cloth of her dress in his hands. Sure enough, a red line on either leg marked the places where the saddle had rubbed her uncomfortably. He kissed each spot tenderly. “I’m sorry, my love. I never should have made you go in that dress. But I have to admit I liked it. Knowing that you were wearing nothing but those tiny panties.”

  From the expression on her face, he could see that they were both thinking of their footstool escapade.

  She licked her lips. “It’s fine. I have some lotion in my bag.”

  The words were prosaic, but they made his fever worse. A crack of thunder in the distance galvanized him. “Come on.”

  Just as they reached the porch, fat drops of rain began pelting down. Larry, Moe and Curly had taken refuge in their sturdy doghouse. As Pierce and Nikki watched, jagged streaks of lightning lit up the sky. One strike that was a bit too close for comfort sent them scrambling inside.

  Pierce scooped Nikki into his arms and started up the stairs.

  She looped one arm around his neck and grinned. “Aren’t you going to feed me a late dinner?”

  He paused, three steps from the top. “Seriously?”

  “No. I ate a long time ago. Carry on.”

  “Thank God.”

  His fervent response made her laugh again. He hadn’t paused to pick up her luggage, but that could wait for later. Right now he had plans that included Nikki being naked.

  He reached the door to his bedroom, carried her over the threshold and moved toward the bathroom. When he set her on her feet, he saw her glance at the huge mirror that covered half of one wall. “Are you showering?” she asked, her gaze demure.

  “We’re showering,” he said, stripping off his shirt, boots, pants and boxers.

  Nikki’s eyes widened.

  “Too fast?” he asked, reaching into the shower to turn on the water.

  Her gaze was fixed on his sex. “No. A shower would feel great.”

  She reached behind her for the zipper, but he turned her around. “Let me do that.” Lowering the zip carefully, he uncovered, bit by bit, her narrow-waisted, pale-skinned back. A tiny mole high on her left shoulder blade
begged for a kiss.

  Nikki held the bodice of her dress to her chest. “Pierce?”

  “Hmm?” He was busy running his hands over the curves of her butt.

  “When we’re done, I need to talk to you about something important. I did something I’m not sure you’ll approve of.”

  He froze inwardly. Damn it. He had a good idea what she was going to say. And deep in his gut he knew that he would eventually have to acknowledge the fact that things had changed. But not now. Not with her in his bedroom. “It can wait until tomorrow, Nikki. Let me have this one night. Please.”

  His answer seemed to trouble her, but she nodded her head slowly. “All right. If that’s what you want.”

  “I do.” He pried her fingers from the edge of the fabric. The pretty little dress fell to the tile floor, leaving its owner clad in nothing but champagne silk panties.

  He swallowed hard, his throat tight. Her breasts were full and high, the nipples dark pink. He rubbed the centers with his thumbs. “I can’t imagine never having met you.” Already she seemed a central part of his life. He was falling in love with her. And the thought didn’t even scare him. If she wanted to take the D.C. offer, they would work something out. Somehow. But he wasn’t going to let her go. That much was clear.

  He tested the water with one hand and found it warm and ready. Drawing her into the walk-in shower enclosure, he laughed softly as the stream sluiced over them, washing away the stickiness from the heat and humidity. Grabbing a bar of soap, he ran it over Nikki’s breasts, again and again.

  “I’m clean,” she gasped, her eyes half closed. She lifted her face to the water, rubbing both hands over her cheeks. “This feels so good.”

  Good indeed. He moved to other parts of her body, her feet, her legs, the tender flesh inside her upper thighs. Nikki’s hands splayed on the shower wall, her head bent. “I hope you have a big hot water heater,” she quipped. But despite her humor, she moaned when he moved to more intimate areas. This time, he took a washcloth and soaped it up. Carefully, he moved it over her sensitive sex.

  The deliberate attention was giving Nikki pleasure. And there was pleasure for him in it as well. But his control was shot. With one last pass of his fingers, he stepped away and dragged in a much-needed gasp of air. “All done,” he croaked.

  Nikki looked over her shoulder, her eyelids drooping and her lips puffy from his earlier kisses. “You’re very good at that,” she complained. “But I don’t really suppose I want to know how many women you’ve entertained in this hedonistic bathroom.”

  “You’re the first,” he said simply. “I like my privacy.”

  “But then I intruded today and you didn’t have the heart to tell me to leave.”

  He shook his head. “You intruded into my life, and I liked it. Hence the shower invitation.”

  Her hands went to his shaft, gathering him into her soapy hands. “You are a very beautiful man. I think I would like to see you in action on the river some day. From a safe distance.”

  As she caressed him slowly, his knees locked and his groin tightened. “I could teach you how to kayak…in calm water.”

  “But it’s not as much of a challenge that way, is it? And you thrive on challenge.” She ran her fingers from the base of his erection to the crown with just the right pressure. “I would never want to change who you are, Pierce. Everything you love scares me to death, but it makes you who you are.”

  He was at the end of his patience. “You scare me,” he said, with absolute truth. He had no idea how to make her happy, and yet she had come back to him of her own accord. Turning the faucet, he shut off the water. The sudden silence was shocking.

  He reached for two towels and handed her one. It was not possible for him to dry her or to allow her to touch him either. Only one thing was left to do. He waited impatiently until her hair was only damp and her skin glowed rosy red from a brisk rubdown. “Come to bed with me,” he said. He dragged her into the bedroom. “I can’t wait another second.”

  Sixteen

  Nikki was as eager as he was. This relationship might not last past the week, so she wanted as much time with him as possible. She crawled onto the mattress and scuttled beneath the covers. Her damp hair and the air conditioning combined to chill her skin, despite the pumping of blood in her veins.

  Her limbs felt clumsy and uncoordinated. Her sex ached and pulsed with needs that overwhelmed her with their insistence. She had never considered herself a highly sexed person, but with Pierce she appeared to have a voracious appetite for sensual pleasure.

  After rolling on a condom, he moved on top of her, supporting his weight on his arms. She wanted to tell him about her call to D.C., but he had put her off. Would he think that she had turned down the job because of him? That was partly true. But she didn’t want him to think she was making assumptions about their future.

  She was beginning to see that Pierce could be the man in her life…always. Though just because she was there emotionally didn’t mean he was. Which was why she needed to tell him soon. And if he asked what she planned to do, she would have to be honest: she didn’t know. But she was willing to stay in Charlottesville to find out.

  Above them, powerful rain drummed a harsh rhythm on the roof. Lightning flashes illuminated the room in crazy intervals. He spread her legs with his thighs. “I don’t want to fight with you,” he said hoarsely, his eyes shadowed.

  Yesterday he had told her without equivocation that if she wanted to be with him, she had to forget about the Wolffs. She would try. But she had to hope that he would eventually change his mind.

  She touched his face, holding his cheeks with her hands. He hadn’t shaved today, and the stubble was rough beneath her fingertips. “I don’t want to fight, either. We both have pretty strong opinions. So we’re bound to clash occasionally. But that doesn’t have to be the core of our relationship. I’d rather make love, not war.”

  He nodded slowly. “I couldn’t agree more.” He moved his hips, his shaft pushing at her entrance. “Starting right now.”

  The joining of their bodies was as straightforward and easy as nature itself. But for Nikki, it was cataclysmic. The sense of homecoming, of connectedness, brought tears to her eyes.

  Pierce brushed away one that escaped and rolled down her cheek. “Don’t cry, Nikki. We’ll make this work.”

  He was talking about her job offer, and she felt a stab of guilt for not including him in her decision. Not that they were an official couple. But he deserved to know that she had recognized her need to be wanted…to belong. Some men didn’t like clingy women. Nikki portrayed to the world a far more confident persona than the scared little girl who always knew she wouldn’t be picked. So she wasn’t really being honest with him.

  She curled her legs around his waist, loving the sensation of fullness, of heat and completion. “I’m not used to having someone to answer to,” she said softly. “And I tend to be stubborn sometimes.”

  “I’ve noticed. But I’m not the world’s most flexible guy either. Perfection is boring. And you sure as hell never bore me, Nicola Parrish.”

  “I’m pretty sure there was a slur in their somewhere.” She laughed softly, and then gasped when he withdrew briefly only to thrust hard and deep in the next second.

  He lowered his head to kiss her, sliding his tongue into her mouth and mimicking the action of his lower body. “You taste like a man’s wildest dreams.”

  She returned the kiss lazily, curling her tongue around his and making him groan. When she nipped his bottom lip with her teeth, he cursed. Her hands roved the damp planes of his back, the muscular shoulders, the smooth, hot skin. His weight pressed her into the mattress, and she liked it. Rather than any feeling of being trapped, it was a delicious sensation of safety and sheer wonder.

  Her interest in analyzing the situation was fast being repl
aced by an intense race to the finish. Pierce’s eyes were closed, his face a mask of masculine determination as he moved in her forcefully.

  Heat coiled low in Nikki’s abdomen, her breath caught, and she cried out as a stunning climax snatched her up, tumbled her in waves and slowly eased her onto the opposite shore.

  She held Pierce as he came, his big body shuddering, helpless, as he thrust into her again and again. At last, it was over.

  In the silence that followed, she heard the rain diminish to a light patter. Moments after that, it stopped completely. In the far distance, soft rumbles marked the path of the storm as it moved away.

  Pierce rolled to his side and gathered her close. “Stay with me tonight,” he said, his body already lax.

  She nodded sleepily. “I’m not going anywhere.”

  * * *

  It was the most restful night of sleep Pierce had experienced since finding out he wasn’t an Avery. He awoke only once, around 3:00 a.m., at which time he tiptoed downstairs to make sure everything was locked up tightly. In his rush to get Nikki into bed, he hadn’t followed his usual nighttime routine.

  Standing in his darkened kitchen drinking a glass of milk, he realized that he needed Nicola Parrish, maybe even loved her, though he wasn’t quite willing to put a name to his muddled emotions just yet. Whatever his future held, he sensed that it included Nikki. He couldn’t imagine not having her upstairs in his bed. Every night. All night. With her, his life made sense. Even amid the shambles of his discoveries about his paternity.

  But he felt instinctively that it was too soon to tell her. They had to deal with the Wolff situation, even if that meant asking Nikki to keep the secret forever. Aunt Trudie was the only other person who knew, and she was so old and frail, her knowledge might die with her very soon.

  And then there were Pierce’s parents, his very ill father and his completely confused mother. What should Pierce do in those situations? Selfishly, he wanted to confess his love and bind Nikki to him, concentrating on nothing but making her happy. In an ideal world, that would be an acceptable choice. But for now he would keep his own counsel. She would not expect any kind of declaration this soon in their relationship. Pierce would have to be patient…and wait.