Chapter 13

Taking a sip of her wine, she waited for him to continue.

“Then I knew I wanted more than a woman whose life is built around a man rescuing her. I saw you. At first, your aggressive way about you was a turn-off, but then I looked deeper and saw a strong and resilient woman. One who cares about her clients and not just the bottom line.”

Putting his glass aside, he rose and came around to hunker in front of her. “I saw you. Not just how exquisite you are or even how sexy and completely irresistible you are. But the way you own the room you walk into.

Your personality vibrancy is how you make people notice you without even trying. “Taking her hands in his, he stared at the rings he had placed on her finger that fateful day; he believed he was being railroaded into a marriage he did not want.

“I saw you.” His voice was hoarse with emotion. “I saw only you, and I started to feel—to yearn. The need to have you, to be with you, was more than I could possibly bear.”

“Marcel-” She was fighting the tears, her body trembling.

Rising, he drew her up against him. “I am not finished, ” he admonished gently, lifting his hands to cup her face. “I love you,” he whispered hoarsely. “I never dreamed I would ever feel this way. You mean so much to me, and I am proud of you.” Using his thumbs, he brushed away her tears. “It’s you, darling. It will always be you.”

“Show me,” she demanded huskily. “Show me that I am the only one. You see darling-” She smiled shakily. “I am insecure. My confidence is shaken, and I want validation. I need you to show me that you are mine because I belonged to you ever since I saw you striding into that bullpen. I could not look at another man - I need you to show me.”

His eyes glowed, and he felt the force of her poignant words tearing and tumbling around in his gut. His hands trembled as he trailed a finger down her wet cheeks. He was used to seeing her kicking ass in the conference room or court. But right here, she was unafraid to show him how vulnerable she was.

Seeing this powerful woman baring her heart and soul to him weakens him.

“With pleasure,” he told her thickly.

“Do me a favor?”

“Anything.” She promised.

“I want you to be still.”

“I am not sure-”

“You promised,” he reminded her.

Holding his beautiful golden gaze, she nodded and watched as he stepped back and removed his clothes.

He was magnificent, she thought achingly, her eyes roving over his face to the substantial column of his throat and down to his heavily muscled chest with the smattering of chest hairs. His cock was thick, and she knew by experience how much he could fill her with the length of him.

Taking her left hand, he turned its palm over and lifted it to his lips. With his eyes still holding hers, he kissed the soft palm, sending a hot lightning bolt straight to her heart. Turning her hand over, he placed it flat against his heart, which was beating unsteadily.

“I lose control even thinking about you. That has never happened to me, and I would like you to believe me.”

“I do.” She told him achingly. “Darling, I am still dressed.”

“Patience, my sweet.” Dropping her hand, he reached up to drag the rubber band from her hair, sliding his fingers through the strands. She had decided to leave it straight, knowing he preferred it this way. Drawing the strands to his cheek, he pressed it against his skin and closed his eyes.

“I can-”

“Shh, baby.” Pushing her hair back, he rubbed his hands up and down her bare arms before tugging the shirt over her head. Unhooking her bra, he slid off her shoulders as well. The meal was forgotten; the only sounds were the birds calling out in the nearby trees.

Nikki held her breath as he unhooked her denim and pulled the zipper down.

Her only movements were when he tugged the material off her hips. She lifted one foot first and then the other, allowing him to take it off. Her hands were on his shoulders as she balanced herself.

Taking her hand in his, he led her over to the chaise lounge, where a blanket was folded neatly over the top. Spreading it on the seat, he pushed her down gently.

“Now what?” She whispered.

“Now I show you that you are mine, and I am yours completely.” He told her. Bending one knee between her open thighs, he allowed his hungry and admiring gaze to wander over her delectable curves. Her breasts were proud and upright, the nipples already hardened buds, waiting for his lips.

“No touching.”

“I don’t think that’s fair.”

“No touching,” he repeated roughly. Bending forward, he kissed her forehead, the brush of his lips almost chaste and paternal. The pattern continued when he moved down her eyes and the tip of her nose until he brushed his lips against her mouth.

“Not yet,” he whispered when she opened her mouth eagerly, trying to force him to deepen the kiss. “We have all night.”

“I need you. I want to touch you.”

“You don’t need me yet.” His mouth drifted down to her neck, where he stroked his tongue slowly inside the hollow. By this time, her pulse was beating madly, and her body was heating up. “And no touching until I tell you to.” He kissed the top of her left breast, taking his time before running the tip of his tongue over her nipple.

Nikki clenched her hands into tight fists as he continued torturing her. He was only using his tongue and sending her blood pressure through the roof!

A gasp escaped her when he took the nipple slowly into his mouth. When he started suckling, she tightened her fingers in the thick material of the blanket, her body heaving towards his mouth.

Suddenly, he changed direction and pulled the nipple into his mouth; he increased the pace. Her body bucked and heaved, her heart thudding like a mad trapped bird as he continued to devour the tight flesh until she felt as if she was going to burst into flames.

Switching to the other nipple, he gave it the same thorough treatment. She was trembling by the time he was at her stomach, his lips brushing against the firm tightness of the flesh. He circled her navel, taking little bites out of her skin. When he kissed the hairs covering her sex, she was mindless with desire and begging him to take her.

“Soon, baby.” He was maddened by her fevered cries and the scent of her stirring inside his nostrils. Seizing the swollen flesh, he sucked it into his mouth and had her lurching upwards; her body bent like a bow.

Ignoring his earlier command about not touching him, she dug her fingers into the thickness of his hair and tugged - hard. The minute he drove his tongue into her, she came. The orgasm was so powerful and explosive that she almost upended him as her body surged desperately towards his mouth.

“I can’t take it. Please,” She whispered as he climbed on top of her. “It’s too much.”

“You are mine.” He drove into her forcefully, his hands gripping her face. “Say it to me.”

“I am yours.” She was sobbing, her hands coming around his neck.

“And I am yours,” he whispered against her mouth. “Feel me.” He pushed deeper inside her. “This is yours. Tell me you know that.”

“Yes.” She was destroyed, her body so weak and shaken from the tempestuous climax that she could barely breathe.

“Good,” Taking her mouth, he ravaged her lips as he wrung yet another climax from her that had her clinging to him.

He came then, his body shuddering on top of her as he shot his load into her.He was still kissing her even when the storm had died down. Gentling the kiss, he proved to her that she was the love of his life and that he belonged to her.

*****

Nikki looked up to see Marge standing in the conference room doorway.

“Please excuse me.” She told the clients with a smile as she hurried toward the woman.

“What is it?”

“The nursing home has been trying to contact you.”

“I left my cell phone in my office. What is it?” But she already knew. Her assistant’s look told the story.

“No. No. No.” Whirling to the left, she raced into her office to pick up her phone. Gripping the device tight in her hand, she sank down into her chair and felt her limbs tremble.

She had left her door open and felt weak as her husband came striding in.

“I am afraid to call.” She told him weakly. “Could you?” She thrust the phone to him as he came to sit on the edge of her desk.

“Of course, darling.” He dutifully made the call, even though he had already confirmed what her assistant had told him.

“Yes, this is Marcel Hadley.” he listened for a minute as he was given the details again. “No, my wife is not ready to talk to you. Yes, we will be there as soon as we can.” Hanging up, he placed the phone on the desk.

“When?”

“Just ten minutes ago. The nurse went in to give her some meds, and she was unresponsive.”

“What happened?” She asked tonelessly.

“Another heart attack.” Taking her hand in his, he was startled at how cold it was. “What do you want to do? Anything. I am here.”

“I want to see her before they-” She swallowed the lump in her throat. “Before they take her away.”

“Let me call them back, and we will go.” Sliding off the desk, he went to get her jacket and was helping her into it when his dad and Matthew came hurrying in.

“We just heard.” James moved forward and pulled her in for a hug. “We are here for you.”

Nikki endured another hug and more words of encouragement from Matthew.

“We have to go.” Taking her hand, Marcel drew her against him.

“I don’t expect to see either of you back here for the rest of the day.”

“I intend to take care of her.”

“Thanks,” Nikki whispered.

“Cancel her meetings for the remainder of the day,” He instructed Maggie, who stood there wringing her hands and trying not to cry.

“Yes, sir.”

She was silent in the nursing home, and he allowed her solitude while glancing at her now and then as he navigated traffic. Her head was turned away from him, and he wished she would cry.

Reaching out a hand, he took her hand, twining his fingers through hers. She did not turn her head, but she acknowledged his effort to comfort her by tightening her fingers on his.

Turning into the nursing home”s vast parking lot, he stopped, switched off the engine, and turned to face her.

“They are waiting for us, darling.” He said gently.

“I can’t go in there. If I do, it is going to be real. She cannot be dead, Marcel. I was praying that she would somehow recover her senses and start to come out of that place she locked herself in, and we would talk.” her hand gripped his eyes bright with unshed tears.

“I would be able to introduce you to her, and she would love you and tell me how proud she is of me. That I would have children whom she would spoil- I can’t go in there.”

“Do you believe that I am here for you?” He asked her softly.

“Yes.”

“And do you believe that you are not alone? I am here, darling. You don’t have to be strong. I will be whatever you want me to be. Okay?”

The administrator met them in the lobby, a soothing expression on her lined face. “Mrs. Hadley - Nikki, I am so sorry for your loss.”

Nikki nodded. “Thank you for accommodating us.”

“Of course. The body - your mother is still in her room.”

Tightening her grip on her husband’s hand, she followed the woman through the winding passageway and veered left to the familiar room where she had spent so much time talking to her mother and praying that she would be recognized the next time she was here.

“Could you leave us alone for a few minutes?” Marcel’s deep voice brooked no argument, and with a nod, she left the room and closed the door behind her.

“She looks like she is sleeping.” She still clutched her husband’s hand like a desperately needed lifeline.

“She looks peaceful.”

“She is with Daddy now.” She started to move forward when her knees buckled.

“Easy, darling.” He let go of her hand and wrapped his arm around her waist to keep her steady. “I am here, remember?”

She nodded and, taking a deep, fortifying breath, let him lead her to the edge of the bed. “She hated her name. Norma. So, she used her middle name, Rachel.” Her hand was gripping his.

“She said the name made her feel like she was born in the seventeenth century. Daddy used to call her Norma to nettle her, and she would ignore him.” Reaching out a free hand, she touched the now cold cheek. “But she never looked old; I used to wonder about that.”

“You look so much like her.” Marcel kissed the top of her head.

“I love when people say that.” She whispered. “I am going to have to arrange her funeral.”

“We will all help,” he promised her. “Would you like a minute alone with her, darling?”

“No.” She shook her head. “I need you here.”

“Then I am here.”

*****

He took her home afterward and put her to bed. He had been hoping she would cry and get it out of her system, but even standing by the side of the bed and spending time talking about her mother had not helped. And she had refused to eat.

“How about some soup?”

“No. Please. I just want to go and lie down for a bit,”

“Need company?”

She had shaken her head. So, he put her to bed and left her to go into his office to do some work and call his family with the update.

“Darling, do you need us to come over?” His mother implored him.

“Not just now. I tried to persuade her to eat something, but she said no.” Rubbing the back of his neck, he wandered over to the doorway to look at her lying there before returning to his office. “She looks so broken and defeated and I feel so damn helpless.”

“I am certain that you being there is a tremendous source of comfort to her.”

“I certainly hope so.”

“Do you know when she wants to make the arrangements yet?”

“I cannot talk to her about that yet. Not today.”

“Of course. Please let her know that we are all here for her.”

“I will,”

Hanging up the phone, he went to sit behind his desk. The documents in front of him were being ignored. His phone rang just then, and turning it over, he hissed out a breath as he saw his name.

“This is not a good time.”

“We don’t have to be enemies, Marcel, considering what we shared.”

“We are facing a crisis in our family, and I cannot do this right now.”

“Your wife lost her mother. I am sorry for her loss. But she deserves everything she gets after what she did to us.”

He remained still, listening to the spiteful note in her voice. He had been prepared to give her the benefit of the doubt and not believe she was spreading rumors about them, but now he knew she was doing that and more.

“I am going to say this only once, and after we end this conversation, I am going to ask you to lose my number,” he told her coldly. “There is nothing between us. We are over; is that clear? And if I ever hear you badmouthing my wife again, I am not going to be responsible for my actions. Leave us the hell alone.”

“You are going to regret this,” she whispered tearfully. Without bothering to grace that with a response, he hung up the phone and turned it off.

Pushing away from the desk, he strode into the room and approached the bed. She was sitting up, her knees drawn up to her chin, her hands wrapped around them.

“Darling?” Taking off his shoes, he climbed in next to her. “I thought you were asleep.”

She shook her head and turned into his arms.

“Mama is dead.” She whispered into his chest. “I am never going to see her again. Oh God! She is dead.” Suddenly, it was as if a dam had burst. With her slender body shaking, she started sobbing, deep-wrenching sobs that tore at his heart.

“Cry, darling,” he whispered achingly. Stretching full-length, he cradled her against his chest, his hands racing up and down her back, as she soaked his shirt with her tears.

*****

“I gave her a sedative.” Dr. Andrew Royal was a personal friend of the family and was on the board of Mercy General. He had not hesitated to come over when Nikki became hysterical.

“Thanks for coming at such short notice. Drink?” They were both in the downstairs living room.

“Please. I would not say no to bourbon.”

“No.” Taking the glass, Andrew went over to sit by the fireplace. “She was close to her mother.”

“Very. From what I gather, my mother-in-law has been locked into her small world for several years, and nothing the doctors tried worked.” Tossing back the drink, Marcel went to stand against the mantle, a grim expression on his face. “She is devastated. My wife had hoped that she would come to herself one day.”

Andrew nodded solemnly. “She lost her husband.”

“Who was the love of her life? It’s as if her life ended after that.”

“I have seen a few cases like that.”

“I am concerned about her. She has a funeral to plan and -” Shaking his head, he went to pour himself another two fingers. He wanted to be alert if she woke up tonight.

“It will take time, and you must be there for her.”

“That’s a given.”

Andrew finished the drink and rose. “I am afraid I have to go. I have to consult with a patient.”

“Of course. I will see you out.”

“If there is anything else I can do, please call me.” He turned at the door. “She is going to need counseling, and there are some excellent ones at the hospital.”

“I will let her know. Thanks, Andrew.”

Locking the door and securing the alarm, he stood there for a minute before turning and bounding up the stairs. He had changed her clothes and put on a nightgown on her. Moving into the room, he sat on the edge of the bed and brushed the hairs off her face.

It had killed him to hear her acute suffering. He felt helpless and could not do anything to help her. When it started to get beyond him, he had called Andrew.

Her lashes were spiked with tears, her cheeks still damp. She was so strong that it was difficult for him to see her like this. She looked so damned vulnerable that he felt his heart aching for her.

He was going to be there for her. “I love you so much, my sweet,” he whispered gently. “And I am here.”

Sliding off his shoes, he climbed in next to her. Carefully putting his arm under her head, he eased her next to him until she was cradled against his chest. Kissing the top of her head, he stared into the silence, a frown marring his brow as he listened to her deep breathing.