Thief of My Heart Read online

  “Honey, if you only knew,” June said, exasperated. “Tad and I lead separate lives in a sense. That was my suite we just left. He hasn’t been in it in over a year. His suite is down the hall. So I don’t know if he’s taking extra showers, has been purchasing sexy underwear or anything else. Our accounts are separate. He does that to know exactly what each of us is spending, not to control the amount I spend. He’s always been generous in that way. I just miss him, the man.”

  Then something occurred to Desiree. “The number-one reason married men of a certain age stop having sex with their wives is poor health. Do you know how his health is?”

  “You would think, his being a doctor, that he would keep an eye on his health, and if there was something wrong he would tell me,” June cried.

  “Have you ever heard the old saying ‘Doctors make the worst patients’?” Desiree asked. “I know from experience that health professionals can be the worst when it comes to monitoring their own health. They’re too busy taking care of others.”

  “Well, I will definitely find out before the night is done,” June said. “Come on, Desi, let’s go back downstairs and see what the men are up to.”

  * * *

  “How long have you known this?” Decker asked. His heart was thudding in his chest as panic gripped him. He suddenly felt like a little boy again. He used to wonder what life would be like if he didn’t have his parents. Now he might find out.

  His father was standing a couple of feet away from him, swirling amber liquid in a snifter. Decker walked up and took the glass from his father’s hand. “And maybe you ought to cut back on the booze while you’re trying to fight cancer. Or didn’t your doctor warn you about ingesting too many toxic substances?”

  His father reluctantly let go of the glass. “A year, two, what difference does it make? I’ve done radiation treatments, and the shots that are supposed to work in conjunction with the treatments have sapped me of my manhood. If your mother knew...”

  “Stop,” Decker said. “Stop right there. Do you mean to tell me, you haven’t told Mom anything about what you’re going through?”

  Thaddeus Riley Sr.’s face fell. He reached for his drink, and Decker gave it back to him. “No wonder you’re bent on getting drunk,” Decker said.

  He turned away and began pacing the library floor while his father enjoyed his brandy. Decker couldn’t believe his father had kept his illness a secret from his mother for over a year.

  He faced his father again. “You’ve got to tell her,” he insisted.

  “Your mother’s delicate, Decker,” his father began.

  Decker laughed. “Obviously you’re mistaking another woman for my mother. June Riley hasn’t got a delicate bone in her body. She’s tough. She can handle this. What she won’t be able to handle is a husband who has been lying to her for months. You’d better fess up, Dad, and now.”

  “Confess what?” his mother asked as she entered the library with Desiree close behind her. The two women looked at him and his father with askance expressions on their faces. The stuff was about to hit the fan, and Decker didn’t plan to be in the way when it began to fly. He pointed at his father. “You have some explaining to do. Desiree and I are leaving now.”

  He went and kissed his mother on the cheek. “Try not to lose your cool, and just listen to him.”

  Then he hugged his father, even though he knew he would get a stiff hug in return. To his surprise, his father clung to him. “You open people’s chests and remove their hearts for a living. Surely you can handle one tiny woman. Good luck, Dad.”

  Desiree said her goodbyes, as well. He watched as she gave his mother a lingering hug, as if she were trying to imbue her with some of her own strength, and then she walked up to his father and kissed him on the cheek, for which his father had the grace to look thankful for.

  He grasped Desiree by the hand, and they left.

  Once they were standing on the porch, he pulled Desiree into his arms and hugged her tightly. “Let’s promise not to keep secrets from each other,” he said as he gazed into her upturned face.

  “Your dad’s sick, isn’t he?” she asked softly.

  He nodded sadly. “He has prostate cancer, but he says the prognosis is good. He’s gone through a round of radiation treatments. His doctor feels confident that it will take, but it affected his ability to have sex. He’s pretty depressed about it.”

  “From what you said to him about his having something to explain, I take it he hasn’t told your mother about his illness yet?”

  “He’s telling her now,” Decker said as he grasped her hand again and led her down the front steps.

  * * *

  A week later they were on Interstate 40 en route to their mountain getaway. As Decker drove, he kept stealing glances at Desiree. This bright Friday morning, she was wearing white shorts, a simple sleeveless hot-pink V-neck shirt and white sneakers. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail, and she was bobbing her head to the beat of Aloe Blacc singing “The Man.” It was one of his CDs. He was introducing her to some of his favorite artists.

  She looked up and caught him watching her. He returned his attention to his driving. “When was the last time you took a few days off?” he asked.

  “My sisters and I went snorkeling in the Bahamas last summer,” she said.

  “So about a year ago, then,” Decker commented. “You, my dear, are a workaholic.”

  “Takes one to know one,” she returned, her full lips curved in a smile. “When was the last time you went on vacation?”

  “The boys and I went bass fishing last summer,” he said. “I’ve still got fish in the freezer from that trip.”

  “I love bass. You didn’t give me any,” Desiree complained playfully. “And I don’t call fishing a vacation. A vacation is when you take the time to kick back and relax. Fishing is too much work.”

  “That’s a matter of opinion. Did you say there were trout in that pond at the cabin?”

  “According to Lauren, yes,” Desiree said. “But we don’t fish when we go up there. We hike, ride bikes, go swimming in the pond, but no fishing.”

  “We should go fishing,” he insisted.

  “Did you bring your gear?” Desiree’s smile was indulgent.

  “Nope,” he replied regrettably. “I wish I’d thought to bring it.”

  Desiree gave a tired sigh. “You can’t think of everything. It’s been a stressful time for both of us lately. Finally Sawyer’s no longer a threat to Madison’s peace of mind. She won’t have to testify against him because he convicted himself. His suicide attempt was just a ploy so that his lawyer could claim insanity, but luckily the judge didn’t buy it. And your parents—I’m so glad they talked things out.”

  Decker’s hands tightened on the wheel at the mention of his parents. His dad wasn’t out of the woods yet. He hadn’t gotten his test results back from the tests done on him following the radiation treatments. Decker hoped that by the time he and Desiree got back to Raleigh on Monday, his dad would have heard positive news. “Yeah, on the one hand, Mom was relieved he wasn’t cheating on her, but on the other, saddened that he’s sick.”

  Desiree reached over and laid a comforting hand on his thigh. She met his gaze, hers showing staunch determination. “We’ve got to have faith that he’s going to be all right.”

  Decker squeezed her hand. “I hope so because I don’t want to lose my old man just when I’ve found him. He’s opened up to me in the past week more than he has in my entire life.”

  “And he’ll continue to open up to you. You’re his son, and he loves you. Health crises tend to change people. How it’ll change your father is yet to be seen, but it’s a step in the right direction that he’s more communicative with you and your mom.”

  Decker chuckled suddenly. “I forgot to tell you. He phoned Uncle Edward, h
is only remaining sibling. They hadn’t spoken in years.”

  “See?” Desiree said, laughing, too. “He’s coming around.”

  * * *

  The cabin sat on ten acres of secluded land at the edge of the Great Smoky Mountains. Its only neighbor was the cabin across the pond that belonged to Colton’s family. No one was occupying the Riley cabin at the moment, or so Decker had been told by Colton when he mentioned their long weekend.

  They’d left Raleigh at about eight that morning and arrived at the cabin a little before noon. After he’d parked the SUV in front, Desiree got out and went to unlock the cabin’s door while he retrieved their bags from the SUV’s storage compartment.

  Decker took a deep breath. Already the fresh mountain air was assailing his senses and making him relax. Everywhere he looked was nature’s greenery. A pine forest circled the property, and the cabin had been landscaped with blue Kentucky grass. This time of year, its flowering shrubs were in bloom. It was a beautiful spot. And although the setting was definitely rustic, the cabin itself looked well kept and modern. His opinion of the cabin increased tenfold when he stepped inside. The furnishings were contemporary. There were highly polished hardwood floors, and the kitchen had every convenience, including the latest appliances and a gas range, which he loved cooking on. The air inside smelled like freshly cut lemons.

  In the kitchen he noticed a vase of fresh flowers with a note leaning against it. He dropped the bags onto the kitchen floor and went to see what the note said.

  Hey, Sis, I came by early this morning to air the place out and stock the fridge. Have fun you two! Mina.

  He smiled. That was very sweet of her. But then, he’d noticed that Desiree and her sisters not only loved each other; they were the best of friends.

  Desiree came bounding into the kitchen with the energy of a kid. She saw him with the note in his hand. “Who’s that from?”

  He handed the note to her and smiled as she read it. “I’m going to call her and thank her right now. Make yourself at home, sweetie. There are two bedrooms. We’re going to be in the master bedroom.”

  Decker assumed that was his hint to take the bags to the room they’d be using, so that was what he did. He heard Desiree already talking to Mina on her cell phone as he turned the corner and went looking for the master bedroom.

  * * *

  Later that day, Desiree looked up to see Decker stepping out the back door of the cabin onto the porch. She was lying on her stomach atop a chaise longue that was big enough for two, reading Walter Mosley’s latest novel.

  He was wearing nothing but a pair of khaki shorts, the waistband of which rode low on his hips. She put the novel down and sat up. Her skin was hot from lying in the sun in her red-and-white polka-dot bikini, but she didn’t think the flush she was feeling right now could entirely be attributed to the sun.

  He sat beside her. His gray gaze scanned the book’s cover but did not linger. It preferred her instead, and soon was roaming from her mouth to her breasts, then farther down. He suddenly looked directly into her eyes. He didn’t have to speak. He simply raised an eyebrow suggestively, and she knew why he’d come out here.

  Desiree looked around them. It was broad daylight. True, there were no other houses nearby, but still...

  She shook her head no.

  He shook his head yes, and grinned.

  She got up quickly, ready to bolt. He clasped her wrist, but not hard. His touch was gentle. He rose, too, towering over her since they were both barefoot. She had to look up at him, which made her feel at a disadvantage. He bent and nudged her nose with his, testing her willingness. He brushed his lips against hers. She blew air between full lips and kept her gaze riveted on his. She wanted to make love, just not outdoors. She’d never done anything so against the norm before. What if someone drove up?

  She would hear them, she decided as she threw her head back in a gesture of surrender. Decker kissed the hollow of her neck and worked his way down to her breasts, burying his nose in her cleavage and then kissing her there. Raising his head, he stood for a moment as though gripped in indecision. Then he grabbed the cushion off the chaise longue and put it on the wooden planks of the porch.

  This done, he got a condom out of his pocket and dropped the foil-wrapped package onto the cushion. He knelt on the cushion and drew her toward him. Desiree was still not sure what he was up to, but she was eager to see where this was going. He kissed her belly, sending shivers of delight throughout her body. Or maybe that was heatstroke coming on, she wasn’t sure. It would serve her right for being so naughty if when she came, she fainted dead away. But for now, she was going with the flow.

  He got up, unfastened her bikini top and tossed it onto the skeleton of the chaise longue, looking so naked without its cushion. Sunlight glanced off his moist reddish-brown body as he turned, abdominals ripped, to face her again. His arm muscles moved beneath taut skin when he bent and began pulling off her bikini bottoms. Still he hadn’t said a word, and this added to her heightened sensibilities. The heat, the hot man undressing her, her imagination, it was all delicious.

  Now that she was completely naked, he took the time to remove his shorts. He’d come with seduction in mind, apparently, because he wasn’t wearing underwear. His erect penis stood at attention, ready for action. Desiree swallowed hard. She felt as if this were her first time all over again. He knelt on the cushion and pulled her down with him. Then he kissed her, and before she knew it her legs were wrapped around him with his penis caught between her stomach and his.

  He was purposely not entering her since he hadn’t yet put on the condom. But that hard member, hot and pulsing on her stomach, made her weak with desire. She wanted him inside her. For the moment, though, Decker was licking her nipples, undoubtedly tasting the salty sweat on her skin. He didn’t seem to mind. He was eating her as if she were a dish long craved for, but cruelly denied him, and he was ravenous.

  Momentarily, he moved farther down and kissed her inner thighs, in no rush, just taking his sweet time while she arched her back, wanting him to move faster. At last, his hot tongue plunged into her feminine center, and the sensation felt so good that she moaned loudly, her voice reverberating in the Great Outdoors. It was a strange experience. They could be two wild beasts rutting in the woods.

  Now the distinct smell of sex was in the air. Decker continued until she was bucking on her back in the throes of an orgasm of immense intensity. She screamed with release, the sound raw and real. Decker kissed her inner thighs until she stopped trembling; then he put on the condom and entered her. She sighed as he pushed slowly all the way inside her until they were one. In and out, and with each thrust her clitoris was achingly, lovingly stimulated. She came again, and before Decker howled that afternoon, she had ridden the wave of her pleasure three times. She lay spent in his arms, breathing heavily and supremely satisfied.

  At that very moment, someone began knocking on the front door of the cabin. “Yoo-hoo, Desi, it’s your grandma!”

  Decker laughed. “We’ve got company.”

  Chapter 14

  Mabel Brown-Beck was a woman of ample proportions in her late sixties. She had glowing brown skin with red undertones, long, thick black hair (turning grayer every day according to her), which she wore in a single braid down her back.

  Desiree made the poor woman wait on the front porch until she and Decker were decent, and then she went to the door, pulled it open and cried, “Nana!” Nana was what she and her sisters had decided to call Miss Mabel after she’d married their maternal grandfather, Benjamin Beck. Their mother’s mother, Benjamin’s first wife, had passed away many years ago.

  Mabel stepped inside wearing one of her ubiquitous pantsuits.

  This one was sky blue with a sash at the waist. She was carrying a covered dish. She handed it to Desiree. “It’s my special meat loaf with mashed po
tatoes and sweet peas with pearl onions. You shouldn’t have to prepare dinner on your first night.” She looked up and beamed at Decker as if she’d just noticed him standing there. “Hello, Decker!”

  Decker inclined his head respectfully, “Hello, Mrs. Beck, it’s good to see you again.”

  Not one to rest on ceremony, Mabel hugged them both in turn, then stood back on her legs like the country woman she was and said, “I’m not going to stay.” She looked at Desiree. “Your grandpa is waiting for me. It’s Friday night, you know, date night.”

  Desiree spontaneously hugged her nana one more time and said, “Well, thank you for thinking of us, Nana. You’re too sweet!”

  “Oh, it was nothing, child,” said Mabel modestly. “I just put you all’s names in the pot while I was cooking.”

  Desiree smiled at the mention of the old saying, which meant that she’d cooked enough to share with her and Decker.

  “Well, we appreciate it,” Decker said as they walked Nana to the door. “Tell Mr. Beck hello for me.”

  “I will, sweetheart,” Mabel assured him, and she was down the front steps and hurrying to her blue Ford F-150 pickup.

  In her absence, Decker turned to Desiree, who was still holding the covered dish. He sniffed the air. “I worked up quite an appetite, and that smells delicious.”

  Desiree playfully held the dish out of his reach and began walking in the direction of the kitchen. “I don’t know if I want to share my nana’s special meat loaf with a naughty boy like you. Seducing me where anybody could walk up on us.”

  Decker followed her to the kitchen. “You know you liked it.”

  Desiree did feel hungry after making love, and she went straight to the drawer to get forks for them. They wound up eating the food right out of the dish, sitting companionably at the kitchen nook with the radio tuned to a local station.