Brooke bit her lip and nodded her head. “You'll tell me someday though, right?”
Dorin looked over at her, a small smile lifting the corner of his mouth. “Sure.” He adjusted his posture in his seat. “Okay, my turn. Tell me about you. You said you're from Savannah, but you've never mentioned your mom.”
“My mom still lives in Savannah, or rather she went back there after she and my dad divorced. We lived in DC until they separated, and I moved back with her. She remarried, and her new husband is ten years younger than she is.”
“Is your stepfather a good guy?”
Brooke nodded. “Yeah, he's great. His name is Steven, and he worships the ground my mom walks on. They've been married for six years and I've never seen my mother so happy. He's always been nice to me.” Honestly? She’d liked Steven more than her father even before all of this had happened.
“So, have you thought about what kind of doctor you'll be?”
“I haven't settled on a specialty; most doctors don't until their residency, but I'm seriously considering pediatrics or OB/GYN.”
“You like kids, huh?”
Brooke nodded with a smile. “I love them; babies, especially. I fell in love with obstetrics when I started my clerkship this year, and spent some time in the maternity wing. There's nothing like helping a woman bring her child into the world, it's almost a religious experience.”
Dorin smiled that wide smile that she’d already grown so fond of. “I think you'll make a great doctor.” He glanced over at her, and then back to the road.
They drove in silence for a few more miles before either of them spoke again.
“Can I ask you a personal question?” Dorin asked.
“Mm-hm,” Brooke replied.
“How are you still a virgin?”
Brooke's thoughts came to a screeching halt, her mouth stuck open as she scrambled for her answer. To be completely honest, she wasn't sure. She gave a nervous laugh as she rubbed her suddenly damp palms on her legging-covered thighs. “I, um,” she cleared her throat. “I don't know. I guess I just never had time to be with anyone. I spent all of my time with my nose stuffed in textbooks, completely focused on getting into college, then medical school, and now, getting through medical school. I was so focused on my future that I guess I never stopped and lived in the present.” God, it sounded so pathetic to say it.
Dorin nodded his head in understanding. “I get that I do. But I can promise you there are many guys who would give their left nut to have you.”
She couldn't stop a giggle from spilling out. “And are you one of them?” She lifted an eyebrow.
Dorin looked over at her, those vivid blue eyes holding hers intensely. “I wouldn't have kissed you like that if I wasn't.”
The memory of that kiss alone made her belly flip; her imagination went into overdrive thinking about what else could happen.
Less than two hours later, they were in Sofia. Definitely not a place Brooke thought she'd ever visit, and she wished it were under different circumstances. It truly was a beautiful city, a perfect combination of old-world simplicity and modern grandeur. Eclectic, random, with no rhyme or reason to its design. It just was.
They slowed in front of what looked like a white brick and well-maintained apartment building. Then, Dorin kept on driving.
“Where are we going?” Brooke asked.
“To get rid of this car. It's 'borrowed', remember?”
Oh, right.
They drove a few more blocks before pulling into a somewhat vacant parking lot. They got out of the car, and made the short jaunt back to the apartment building.
“Well, this is home for a couple of days.” Dorin said as he opened the door.
Right, they'd be there for a few days, if not more. With Brooke's father a major security risk, and Anton Vasile possibly hunting them, they had to lay low until a discreet flight home was arranged for them. She and Dorin had been notified before arriving in Sofia that her father had fled, and that he was actively being hunted. There was no shortage of evidence incriminating him as an accomplice in Brooke's kidnapping; his stupidity was her blessing.
She looked around the small apartment; it was modest, but cozy. Cute, something she would pick for herself. The U.S. government no doubt paid a pretty penny for this place; it couldn't have been cheap.
“There are some shopping bags with clothes in the bedroom; Tanner said he had enough clothes for both of us sent over for at least two days. There's plenty of food and stuff to drink in the kitchen, as well as shampoo, soap, and toothbrushes in the bathroom. We're covered for a while,” Dorin explained as he took off his jacket and draped it over a chair in the small, two-person dining room.
“Wait, bedroom?” Brooke gave Dorin an incredulous look. “You mean there's only one?”
Dorin pursed his lips, his eyebrows perked innocently as he uttered a quiet “mm-hm.”
She'd let that one go, for now.
Brooke had lost track of how many times she’d had to change into random clothes, but the inexpensive jeans and long-sleeved t-shirt might as well have been Prada for how grateful she was to have them. She brushed her teeth and took a quick shower. God bless whoever this Tanner guy was, he really did think of everything. He had the bathroom stocked with razors for both her and Dorin, two types of body wash—one for him, and a fruity one for her, as well as both shampoo and conditioner. Not to mention a hair dryer.
She didn't realize until she was under the hot spray of the shower that her muscles had become incredibly sore from the last couple of days. Shaking as hard as she had, her muscles bunching tight during the car crash, and her awkward sleeping position during the drive here made her ache all over. Okay, make that two things she was doing as soon as she got home—a pedicure and a massage.
Clean, legs shaved, and more relaxed than before she’d gotten in, Brooke got out of the shower, put on the clean clothes, and blow-dried her hair.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
As soon as Brooke came out of the bathroom, Dorin made a beeline for the shower. He was still brushing broken glass from his hair, and he had completely forgotten about the dried blood on his face. Luckily, the cut that Brooke had pointed out was small, shallow, and had long since stopped bleeding.
Thankfully, there was still plenty of hot water. He stood under the near-scalding spray, letting everything that had happened the last couple of days filter through his mind. His thoughts were scattered and running a mile a minute as he struggled to piece everything back together. His life had always been meticulous, simplified as much as possible, and he'd never let himself make room for other people. He’d had no choice but to live that way, survival and the job were his number one priorities.
Until he met Brooke. She quite literally tumbled into his life, completely uprooting his every thought process, and twisting his heart in ways he'd never felt. And their kiss... holy hell... the brief memory alone made him hard. Never before had a woman felt so soft and melting in his arms, or tasted so good. She was true beauty in every sense of the word. Her sweet innocence and girlish charm turned him inside out, and she was so goddamn adorable that he ached.
She was still a virgin. How would she react to an advance from him? He got the feeling that if he took her into that bedroom right now, and laid her down, she would be open and willing for him. He felt it when they kissed, sensed her need, and all but smelled how aroused she was.
He completely understood why she had held sex off for so long; her busy life and lack of time for anything but reaching her goals mirrored his life in an eerie way. His encounters with women were few and far between. Sure, he liked sex as much as the next guy, but his job shoved intimacy onto the back burner. He usually took matters into his own hand. He remembered telling Brooke he wanted the chance to settle down. He deserved it, deserved that shred of happiness in his otherwise dark life. A family of his own would wash away the ugliness and pain in his soul, giving him the salvation that he felt was owed to him after all these years.
Was Brooke that chance? Was fate extending an olive branch to make up for all the shit he had endured throughout his life? He'd have to get them home safe first in order to find out.
He finished showering just as the hot water ran out, and he got out to dry off and dress. He stepped out of the bathroom and found Brooke sitting on the single couch in the small living room. She was rolling her head from side-to-side and rubbing the back of her shoulder, a pained expression on her face.
“You okay?” He asked.
Brooke nodded. “Yeah, just a little sore is all. I found some pain relievers in the bathroom; I'm just waiting for them to kick in.”
She probably had one hell of a headache too. “You know, I'm not a bad masseur.” Actually, he didn't know the first thing about giving a massage, but it was an excuse to put his hands on her again.
Brooke's eyes lit up with relief. “You read my mind.” She turned on the sofa so that he could sit behind her.
He cracked his knuckles, and took the spot she’d made for him. Should he have leave her shirt on? Would the fabric of her shirt make a difference? He brushed her hair over one shoulder before tentatively placing his hands on her shoulders, trying like hell to look like he knew what he was doing. “Where does it hurt the most?”
She reached back and pointed between her shoulder blades, drawing a line up and out to the back of her shoulder. “Right through here, it feels like those muscles are really tight.”
He pressed his thumbs into the first spot she pointed to, rubbing them in small circles, and applying pressure to her shoulder with his fingers. Damn, she wasn't kidding, her muscles were badly knotted. He dug a little deeper with his thumbs, hoping he wasn't hurting her. With a low groan, Brooke dropped her head forward, taking a long, deep breath.
“That hurt?” Dorin asked.
“No, that feels amazing.” The breathy, blissful sound of her voice as she uttered those words sounded almost sexual. “Please don't stop.”
Fuck. The sheer pleasure in her voice sent a hot shiver down his spine, crashing into his groin. He moved his thumbs up to the base of her neck, sliding up toward her skull and back down with just a little pressure. She quietly gasped when he did it again and again. He rubbed the base of her skull, making little circles with his thumbs before sliding back down to her shoulders. He repeated the process; pressure on her shoulder blades, up and out onto her shoulders, back to her shoulder blades, up her neck, and a few circles on the base of her skull.
Brooke's breathing had slowed and deepened, her head hung limp, and he was sure she had her eyes closed. She'd moan every so often as he felt her tight muscles melt and loosen under his hands.
“How does that feel?” He asked quietly.
“So much better, thank you.”
Then, before he could stop himself, with his hands still on Brooke's shoulders he leaned in and gently pressed a single kiss to the back of her neck. He ran his nose upward and into her hair. He felt her shiver, and heard her quiet intake of breath.
“Your hair smells good,” he whispered.
“It's the conditioner.” He heard her voice catch.
He brushed a few more light kisses over the back of her neck, working his way down to the small bit of visible skin where her neck and shoulder joined.
“Is this okay?” The last thing he wanted to do was scare her; he prayed he was reading her signals correctly.
Brooke nodded her head, the motion brushing her hair against his hand. “Yes,” her reply came out on a tiny puff of air.
“Do you want more?” His mouth found the sensitive spot just behind her ear.
She shivered again, harder this time. Her breathing accelerated, and her skin warmed under his lips. He saw another small nod.
He smiled against her hair. “Then turn around.”
Brooke obeyed and spun around on the couch to face him. Even with the daytime light shining into the apartment, her pupils were dilated. Whether it was from nerves or arousal, he wasn’t sure. Her eyebrows were crinkled slightly, her cheeks were flushed, and she was still breathing rapidly. She was heart-stoppingly gorgeous just like this.
However, he had an idea, one that she would be very grateful for later. As badly as he wanted to strip her naked and take her right there on the couch, he had come up with something better. He'd only give her a taste, a sample of what a man's touch felt like.
He gently took her small face in his hands, brushing his thumbs along her cheekbones. He pressed a soft kiss to her forehead, another to the bridge of her nose—right where she had a few freckles, then next to her nose, and finally, he barely brushed his lips along hers.
“I'm going to ask you a question, and I want an honest answer. Okay?”
Brooke stared at him, and gave a few tight nods of her head.
“Have you ever had an orgasm before?”
Her eyes blinked rapidly as she swallowed hard. She shook her head, biting her lip as she murmured a negative sound. Suddenly, Dorin's entire being swelled with an overwhelming feeling of tenderness. She truly was untouched, pure, innocent.
He took a deep breath, still holding her face between her hands. “Lie back.”
Brooke hesitated for a moment before finally lying back on the couch, her head resting on the armrest. He followed her, balancing most of his weight on his knees. Holding his gaze, Brooke shifted her hips and opened her legs for him to position between. He leaned over her, propping himself up with one hand on the armrest next to her head, and the other on the cushion. He couldn't help but stare for just a moment, to allow himself to take in the wonderment and vulnerability in her beautiful, guileless dark eyes. Her hair fanned over the armrest in a brown halo. Fitting for an angel.
“Do you trust me?” he asked.
She nodded. “Yes,” she whispered.
He bent down and kissed her. Soft at first, allowing her to set the pace. She opened her mouth, touching her tongue to his, giving it a slow, languid sweep. He wanted to come undone right then, to give in fully to the raging hunger building rapidly in him. But this moment was about her, her pleasure, building her trust, and her desire.
He had never been that considerate in the bedroom before now. In the past, sex was simply about filling a specific need, because he was horny and he found a woman attractive. Now, all he wanted to do was enchant and love Brooke until neither of them could move. To take his time, to make her feel everything a woman deserved to feel from her partner.
Her hands came up and wrapped around his back, pulling him down onto her. He went willingly, letting his weight settle on top of her. He let his kisses drift across her cheek and down to her neck. She shivered under the gentle sweep of his lips on the soft skin of her neck. She tipped her head back, offering herself more to him. His teeth lightly grazed her skin, and she gasped and her fingers tightened on his back. The pulse point in her neck rabbited under his lips, quickening by the second.
His hand skated down her rib cage, rubbing his thumb across a peaked nipple. Brooke gasped again, jumping and arching her back against him as her head fell back even more. Hmm... she was very responsive. Or perhaps not sure what to do with what she was feeling. He smoothed his hand lower until he came to the hem of her t-shirt, diving under it and the cup of her bra to palm her breast. She fit perfectly in his hand; small, soft, but youthfully firm. He'd see her soon enough, and drink his fill of the sight of her beautiful, slender body. For now, he'd let her have the comfort of being covered. Had a man ever seen her naked before?
Oh, right. Unfortunately, the last man to see her naked had forcefully stripped her before shoving her into a cold shower. He struggled to push the thought from his mind and bring himself back to the present before she sensed his withdrawal.
His mouth continued the erotic assault on her neck, kissing harder, wetter, grazing his teeth along her skin. He pulled the collar of her shirt down, kissing and sucking the spot where her neck and shoulder joined. Brooke's fingers tightened even harder on his back, little murmurs
of pleasure vibrating in her throat. Her hips seemed to involuntarily rock upward, rubbing against his denim-covered erection to create a blissful friction that nearly made his eyes cross. As if by reflex, he rocked his hips against her in return, unable to stop the groan rumbling in his chest at the same time the sweetest little moan spilled from Brooke's mouth.
He found the button of her jeans, popped it loose, and pulled the zipper down to make room for his hand, barely teasing his fingers against her mound. Then, he slid his hand farther down until he reached the cotton of her panties, and farther still until his fingers were between her legs. With his lips still working over her neck, he smiled in satisfaction at the dampness his fingers encountered.
Brooke's breathing was coming faster now, shallow, shaky. He lifted his head, and met her eyes. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes shone, and her full bottom lip quivered. He could stare at her just like this forever.
“Are you still okay?” he asked.
She nodded. “Please, don't stop.”
Don't worry, baby. I won't. He dipped his hand under the waistband of her panties until he found her heat. Her slick, feminine folds welcomed his fingers, conjuring his full-body shudder.
Holy fuck. She was drenched.
“God, Brooke,” his voice came out far more strained than he had intended. “You're so wet.” His fingers brushed along her slit, barely dipping the tip of his finger inside her.
She let out a quiet moan, biting her lip. He kissed her behind her ear, while at the same time he plunged a single finger inside her. He bit back a groan at the feel of her. Sweet Jesus, she was tight.
With a loud gasp, Brooke tensed and arched under him, throwing her head back on a moan. Her legs fell open further, opening herself fully to his questing fingers.
“Ohh...” She moaned, rocking her hips against his finger. His mouth continued to lick, nip, kiss, and suck at her neck, collarbone, and ear, while his other hand held her breast, gently stroking and tweaking her nipple, pinching it lightly.
Then, he gently began to move his finger. Slowly, in and out, a soft, gentle glide intended to build her arousal. He started to add two fingers when she tensed.
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