touch my heart (6 page)

She’d not had a hint of what he had been planning when she’d called him half an hour before to let him know she was on her way home. She’d gone in, taken a shower, and when she was done, shook him awake. They’d spent the rest of the night making love. In the early hours of the morning, he’d proposed and she’d happily accepted.

She walked over to the bed and sat as tears formed in her eyes and trickled down her cheeks. She missed him so much. At times the pain of missing him was so intense she couldn’t sleep. The memory of his scent would be so strong that she wondered if he was nearby.

But that was starting to change; his scent was beginning to fade into a distant memory.

She stood and glanced at the clock and realized that it was already seven. She wanted to eat breakfast before she headed to the gym for her first session with Dominic.

She slipped off the robe she was wearing and changed into a T-shirt and a pair of jeans.

When she reached the dining room several minutes later, she found herself alone, as usual.

Mrs. Clarke entered the room shortly after.

“Mr. Wolfe has already eaten. He’s gone upstairs to dress for the session.”

“Thanks for letting me know. I’m looking forward to working with him.”

“I’m hoping it works out this time. He’s had a bad time with the others. None of them seemed to be able to reach him. But I have my bets on you.”

“I’m glad you have confidence in me. I hope I can live up to your expectations.”

“Honey, I am sure you are going to. Well, you sit and have some breakfast. You have a hard session in front of you.” With that, she giggled sweetly and left the room.

Aaliyah grimaced. She had no doubt that Mrs. Clarke’s prediction would come true. In fact, since her career change, none of her patients had been receptive to the schedule she’d imposed on them. In fact, most of them were still upset with the world and what it had done to them. But eventually she would break through their barriers and they would work hard at healing and look forward to their long journey.

She walked over to the buffet table, picked up a plate and filled it with scrambled eggs and bacon, and placed two slices of bread in the toaster. She added sliced mango, apples and pineapple to a smaller plate and sat to nibble on the fruit while waiting for the toast to be done. She ate slowly, especially savoring the mangoes, a favorite fruit of hers.

When she was done with the meal, she raced upstairs to brush her teeth and then headed in the direction of the gym that Mrs. Clarke had pointed out earlier.

When she reached the room, she knocked.

He was already there.

And looked incredibly gorgeous.

He was sitting on one of the machines, his legs stretched out in front of him. He wore no shirt, and her eyes immediately lowered to his abs—a complete six-pack. While his body was not as toned as it could be, with a little effort he’d be back to his trim, fit celebrity self. And it was not that he was lacking anything—he redefined sexy.

She could not keep her eyes off of the hair that started at his navel and trickled below the band of his shorts.

“I’m all ready to begin,” he said. She could hear the hint of sarcasm in his voice.

“So am I,” she replied cheerfully. She walked over to where he sat.

“I’m going to establish a routine which we’ll use for each of our sessions. We’ll start off with some stretches, then some work on the machines and finally we’ll focus on the muscles of your weaker leg and hand.”

“Sounds fine to me. I’m so looking forward to this.” She heard the same sarcasm in his voice.

“Along with the exercises, we’re going to have to do some work on your attitude. A pleasant disposition is the key to positive progress.” She grimaced. She was beginning to sound like a schoolmarm.

“A lady that knows how to be witty. I like that in a woman.”

She tried to ignore him but the look on his face made her want to laugh. Instead, she held her composure.

For the next half an hour she took him through the stretches and some exercises to strengthen his leg. He did them with the enthusiasm of a bored schoolboy, and with each exercise came complaints.

When he was done, she tossed him a towel from one of the benches in the gym and told him to get undressed and wrap himself in the towel.

What he did next left her flabbergasted, flustered...and hot.

Standing in front of her, he placed a hand on the waistband of his shorts and pulled them down in one smooth, fluid movement.

She gasped.

He looked up.

She turned around, but not before she caught a glimpse of his generous manhood.

“You can turn around now,” he said. She could hear the amusement in his voice.

She turned slowly. Her face still flushed with her embarrassment.

“You could have warned me you were planning to do a striptease,” she chided.

“Sorry, I thought you with you being medical personal, that shouldn’t surprise you.”

She breathed deeply, wanting to focus on the job ahead. “Please lie on the bed over there,” she said, ignoring his comment.

He complied without hesitation, though getting on the bed did require her assistance.

* * *

Her first touch was firm. She kneaded his muscles gently, rubbing in a warm liquid.

Her hands were not as soft as he’d expected, but firm and strong. He felt the warm moistness of the liquid she’d poured on him. She then began to massage his muscles with a more firm approach.

And then things started to change for him. The hands started to feel different.

The tightened muscles, the throbbing pain that had become part of his existence slowly dissipated. All he could think of was the sensation flowing through him from her touch. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had a woman’s hands on his body, but even then, he couldn’t remember it feeling this good. He closed his eyes and felt himself drifting.

* * *

When he awoke, he was alone. Damn, he’d fallen asleep, but he still felt tired from the lack of sleep. He knew it would take him a while to adjust to this new routine. He rarely slept in the darkness of the night, but found that with the light the memories faded and he was able to sleep without the nightmare that haunted him.

One of the reasons he’d given her the first few days off. He’d been trying to force himself to sleep so he could be awake early in the morning.

He rose from the bed, realizing the towel had fallen to the floor. He chuckled, noting that he had already given her a special showing of his equipment.

What the hell had possessed him to do that? She’d probably call the police and accuse him of sexual harassment.

He lowered his feet to the ground, his right foot first to take the weight of the left.

While he felt some pain, it was not the same excruciating pain that usually followed his first step. Instead, he experienced a different type of numbness that was more bearable.

Even his body felt better. Maybe Charles was right. She seemed to know what she was doing and, in fact, this was the best he’d felt since returning home.

Her touch was magical. In more ways than one. As she’d kneaded his sore muscles, he’d found his body responding and had tried to control it by thinking of something else. Fortunately it had worked.

He glanced at the clock on the wall. It was time for lunch.

Should he eat lunch with Aaliyah or in his room?

It was probably better if he went back to his room. He was sure she wouldn’t be too happy to face him after their session.

Several minutes later, Mrs. Clarke informed him that Aaliyah was not feeling well and would remain in her room for the rest of the day.

What had he done?

Chapter 6

T
he next morning before sunrise, Dominic walked along the cliff’s face. As memories of running along these cliffs during his childhood tried to surface, he pushed them into the back of his mind, where he kept them buried. There were few memories from that period of life that he found pleasant.

It was not that he didn’t love his mother, but he’d hated being poor. He remembered the nights he went to bed hungry and the hours it had taken for him to fall asleep.

He did not want to go back there. As he looked out to sea, he felt the same emotions now. This had been a place of refuge for him. It was here where he’d forgotten about his life and fantasized about a better life.

In the distance, he could see the rooftops of the houses of the village where he had grown up. Since he’d arrived on the island, he’d refused to go back there. He wondered if anyone there would remember him. He wondered if his childhood best friend, Adrian Johnson, still lived there. He had left the island at fourteen to live with a father he hadn’t even known. He’d cried when his mother had passed away, but there had been a kind of relief in those tears. Living in New York had forever changed his life...for the better.

His father was gone now, too, but even before his father’s death, he’d had big plans and ideas. His father had been a dreamer, but he’d taken his own dreams and made them come true.

He shook his head, not wanting to go back to that time just a few years ago when life had been perfect. He had been perfect. He’d been the envy of most models. He’d strutted on the runway with confidence, and the fashion world had embraced him with a reverence he didn’t quite understand.

He heard a bark in the distance. Nugget had found a crab. The pup loved crabs and could spend hours sitting by a hole waiting for the creatures to emerge. He called the dog, and Nugget immediately raced in his direction, coming to an ungainly stop.

“Come, boy. Let’s head back to the house. I have a session with the beautiful Ms. Carrington this morning and I want to be on my best behavior...which means I have to be early for the session.”

Nugget looked up, his head cocked to the side, an expression of distinct comprehension on his face.

“Everything she does annoys the pants off me.” Not that he didn’t find her appealing. In fact, he found her quite attractive. And she smelled good. He wasn’t particularly fond of the strong flowery scent most women seemed to prefer. Instead, her subtle scent reminded him of the ocean breeze that even now wafted across the cliff’s face.

One minute he was thinking about her, the next he was lying flat on his stomach. Of course, Nugget thought they were playing a game and jumped on his back, barking at the top of his puppy voice.

Pain coursed through his body while the muscles in his leg started to spasm. He lay on the ground unable to move. Slowly, very slowly, the pain subsided. He raised his head, looking around to see if anyone had seen him fall.

He searched around for his cane, finding it with little effort. He used it to rise to his feet, scowling when he jolted it and the pain stung.

He stood, his legs still feeling shaky from the fall.

And then it dawned on him. He had the opportunity to be better, work on being better, and he was being pigheaded. The only person he was hurting with his attitude was himself.

He walked slowly, his thoughts troubled by his revelation. Maybe he needed to take a look at himself. If he’d been the one to observe his behavior he would have been appalled.

When he reached the pathway leading up the back of the house, he slowed down. He hoped no one could tell he’d fallen. Hopefully, he could slip inside without telling the others.

He’d planned on coming down for breakfast, but his legs hurt and a splitting headache was coming on. Nugget whimpered and he looked down. The pup was hungry.

He had no choice but to go to the kitchen. He’d just have to deal with Mrs. Clarke. Hopefully she was the only one there.

When he entered the kitchen a few minutes later, he frowned. It was the drill sergeant. She was drinking a cup of tea and watching the television he’d placed in the kitchen for Mrs. Clarke. “Can’t miss my soaps,” she’d told him.

He’d placed a large widescreen model that she guarded as if it were some kind of precious gem. No one dared to mess with Mrs. Clarke’s television when the soaps or her special morning shows were on.

Before she could speak, Nugget rushed over to where she sat and barked softly as if he didn’t want to disturb her.

She glanced up, her gaze immediately coming to rest on him.

“Good morning,” she said, stoically. Damn, did she ever smile? Aaliyah was all business at all times and he wondered what she’d do if he were to kiss her. Immediately, he pushed the thought from his mind. He wasn’t even sure where it’d come from.

She stood with the cup in her hand, and headed to the sink.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, her voice filled with concern. She walked closer to him and stopped.

Her hand reached for his face and she brushed something away.

“You’re covered in grass and dust.”

He almost cowered but straightened his back.

“It’s nothing,” he replied. “I’m fine.”

“I’m sure you are,” she said, her voice tinted with amusement.

He looked at her, standing before him. There was a twinkle in her eyes.

“I’m glad I can be of some amusement to someone.”

“I’m not amused. Wonder why you would be so worried about a little fall.”

“Fall? I didn’t...” He stopped. It didn’t make any sense lying. He’d fallen. Period. That was all.

“I have to feed Nugget.” He turned to the dog, ignoring her.

“I’m going back to my room. The session is at nine, remember?”

He was about to tell her he wasn’t coming but stopped himself. He’d go and show her he wasn’t a shirker.

“I’ll see you,” he stated firmly.

She smiled briefly and left, but not before he saw the hint of smile on her lips.

He growled. She had the uncanny ability to get under his skin.

He walked toward the stairway, still wondering why he’d refused to move to a bedroom downstairs.

Of course, he’d wanted to prove he could be independent. Now each time he labored upstairs, the pain in his leg reminded him how stubborn he’d been.

What seemed like hours later, he entered his room, stripped his clothes off and dressed in his outfit for the session.