by Lucy Leroux
Nina blinked, shaking her head. Dmitri’s eyes were almost luminous in the low light, but whatever alchemy was running through him was channeling his aggression in another direction.
“Allow me to help you,” he murmured.
She held up a hand, laughing in spite of herself. “Niet.”
Nina put down the pile of clothes and picked up a shirt, shaking it out before throwing it on. She hurriedly tugged on her panties and pants after, wondering why she was so happy when she should have been annoyed. It just wasn’t rational.
“As you can plainly see, this place isn’t private.”
He didn’t seem to care. Dmitri wrapped his arms around her, nuzzling the skin next to her ear until she squirmed. “I locked the door.”
“No.” Dmitri continued to nuzzle her neck, lowering her IQ with a few practiced moves. Desire thickened her tongue and she blinked at him stupidly. “Um…what was I saying?”
“That you were going to take off your pants again.”
“No, I’m not.”
Her stupid hormones disagreed. A few bone-melting kisses later and she was wiggling out of her pants like a cat in heat. Dmitri unzipped, hoisting her up before she could think better of it.
Nina gasped as Dmitri pinned her to the wall, her legs wrapped around him as his cock nudged her entrance.
Time seemed to slow down, and her vision misted over. The flood of chemicals in her brain were making it difficult to speak. All she could do was hold on. “What…is…wrong…with…me?”
“There’s nothing wrong with you. You’re perfect.” Dmitri kissed her throat with parted lips. He licked and nibbled as he rocked, his length pushing past the constricted ring of her entrance.
Nina melted around him, clutching his shoulders. “I wanted to have a serious talk with you.”
How did he do this to her? She’d wasn’t the type to get derailed, but all Dmitri had to do was touch her and reason flew out the window.
Dmitri slid in slowly, clearly taking care not to hurt her. Accommodating someone of his size was always a little difficult, which was why she was grateful he made sure she was wet and hot for him before he took her.
“What could be more serious than this?” he asked hoarsely. He cupped her bottom, squeezing as he pulled her in tighter to deepen his penetration.
He made a very good point.
Sparks flew behind her eyes as her sheath gripped him tight, rippling across his cock in a heady prelude of what was to come. Nina panted, her body helplessly straining to meet each devastating stroke.
If anyone walked in, Nina could kiss her fellowship goodbye. Maybe even her job. But those considerations seemed small and petty when she was in Dmitri’s arms, being fucked within an inch of her life.
She laughed and then moaned, her lips parting. This wasn’t going to kill her. It only felt like she was dying.
“You’re going to kill me,” Dmitri gasped, doing his sex mind-reading thing. He pushed in a little deeper, rubbing her G-spot in a prolonged move that made her toes curl. Her ass banged against the wall as she cried out, spasming around him as her climax rolled through her.
Dmitri kept going, fucking her through her orgasm until his neck corded and he gasped, pumping deep as his cock jerked inside her. Warmth spread through her core as his seed coated her womb.
“Hold me tighter.” Dmitri flexed his hips again, making her arch instinctively.
Hypersensitive, Nina could feel every distinct tile pressing against her back. They were growing colder, too, the steam from her shower condensing into beads and drops than ran between her and the wall. Dmitri’s arms were like iron around her. They didn’t tremble or shake despite the exertion of sex. She, on the other hand, was still shivering in the wake of that mind-altering orgasm.
She pressed against his chest gently to make him let her go, inadvertently flexing her hips in the process. Her channel caressed his cock. Even soft, he filled her well. Hunger roared, and she gasped again, clinging to him. Dmitri groaned and flexed, murmuring in Russian. Despite just climaxing, she could feel him hardening inside her.
“Wait. Stop. We can’t. We have to get out of here.” Nina pushed at him more insistently, cursing in her thoughts. Why did she always lose her mind when he touched her? Her passion burned out of control with Dmitri, like a white-hot flame instead of a yellow and gold one.
Those are the most destructive kind.
“No one can come in now,” he pointed out, moving his lips to her earlobe. “The door is locked.”
She prodded harder. “And no one ever locks it—not unless they’re doing what we’re doing.”
True, the doctors on staff were generally too busy for that sort of thing, but it was a high-stress job and people needed to release every once in a while, particularly if they didn’t get it at home. Hook-ups were not uncommon among the staff, but they normally found more private places to conduct their business. Only the truly brazen used the room adjoining the lockers.
“Did you and your ex ever lock this door?” Dmitri’s tone was suspiciously even, but it didn’t fool her for a second.
“No. Never.”
It was the truth. She had been too staid to have sex at work before the crazy Russian. The culprit had usually been Dr. Wagner and one of his subordinates. He’d burned through the interns like tissue paper, but he’d moved on before it could become an HR issue.
“Hmm.” Dmitri didn’t appear convinced, but his mouth relaxed. With some reluctance, he finally withdrew, setting her on her feet.
Nina cleaned up as he fastened his pants. She dressed in record time. Heat flamed across her cheeks and down her neck as she tentatively opened the door.
There was no one else in the locker room. Breathing a sigh of relief, she tugged an amused Dmitri along. His grip tightened on her hand as they walked past the busy nurses’ station.
“Have a good night, Dr. Briggs,” Jennifer called from the desk. A few of the other nurses were staring knowingly in their direction.
“Good night,” Nina said, trying to rush Dmitri away from the curious eyes.
He waved to them, a little smile on his face. “Everyone is so friendly.”
“They sure are,” she said from behind gritted teeth. The charge nurse wasn’t usually so enthusiastic, but then Nina didn’t have a hot muscular Russian in tow every day.
“What’s your rush?” he asked, allowing himself to be tugged along. “I want to meet your coworkers.”
“You met a fair amount of them at the wedding,” she said, making for the exit nearest the employee lot. “And we don’t need to stop so they can take a closer look at us. No one else needs to know what we were doing in the shower room.”
He laughed, but medical staff was trained to notice the minute changes in a patient’s body to determine their prognosis or recovery. Spotting signs of recent sexual activity was easy by comparison. There were no secrets in a hospital.
She hurried out, heading in the direction of her car, but Dmitri pulled her in another direction. “Let’s go across the street,” he said. “There’s a quiet little pub a few blocks down. I need to talk to you.”
Nina drew up short. “All right. Like I said before, I need to speak to you, too.”
“Sounds ominous,” he said, using his grip to guide her in the other direction.
“I’ve been thinking…” she began.
“I advise against that whenever possible,” he joked, glancing at her sideways as they joined the light evening crowd on the sidewalk.
“I’m serious.”
“As am I—about you. So, if this is about our relationship, start there,” he said softly.
Wow. Nina swallowed, nodding. “Your directness is refreshing.”
And slightly terrifying.
They walked a little further. When she didn’t say anything, he exhaled. “Well, I guess I’ll begin. I wrapped things up with my client in town today.”
Nina tripped on a crack in the sidewalk, nearly falling flat on her face
. But Dmitri caught her easily, hoisting her up with the hand he still held.
“I see,” she said, clearing her throat.
“I meant what I said earlier. It doesn’t change anything between us. I’ll be where you are—here or in another town should you need to leave Boston.”
She stopped. “Why would I leave?”
He pursed his lips. “Are you really going to stay if your ex gets the job you’re after?”
Damn. She’d almost forgotten. “I haven’t thought about it in great detail…I guess I assumed I’d find something else in Boston. I’ve lived here my whole life. It’s where all my family and friends are. Why do ask?”
He swung their arms in a small arc, establishing a regular oscillation. “I have some land in Oregon, just outside Portland. It would be an easy commute to downtown, shorter than the one you have now. I have a cabin there, but I was planning on building a bigger house later.”
“Are you suggesting I move to Portland with you?”
He shrugged. “It’s an idea, not an ultimatum. After today, I have every confidence you’re going to be given the job here.”
She studied his face. He seemed extremely confident. “How do you know that?”
“Let’s just say I’m certain.” He paused, his expression sobering. “Which brings me to what I wanted to tell you.”
There was more than Portland?
Dmitri took a deep breath. His posture had altered. There was a distinct tightening around his eyes and his shoulders were a little higher than normal, as if he were bracing himself for something.
She stood up straighter, pulling him out of the crowd and a little down the mouth of an alley on their right. Glancing around them furtively, she made sure no one was close enough to overhear them.
“If this is about your profession as a criminal, I put it together on my own,” she said quickly, the words coming out clipped and a little harsh.
Her heartbeat quickened. Despite her resolve, she was starting to panic. “I’m afraid I do have an ultimatum to make. If we stay together, you have to stop making your living that way. I can’t be with someone who might be arrested at any moment.”
She was expecting anger or even a denial, but Dmitri just smiled. “I won’t pretend I haven’t skirted the law at times, but the people I deal with aren’t angels. None of them would dream of calling the authorities should a deal go south.”
Oh God. It was worse than she thought. “Dmitri…” she began.
“Wait. There’s more. There’s something else you need to know about me—something pretty important. Maybe when I finish explaining, you’ll understand. You need to have the whole picture before you decide on what our future is going to look like.”
Nina frowned at him. He seemed pretty damn confident there was going to be a joint future.
“But—”
She didn’t finish her sentence. Dmitri snapped his head up, his face contorting.
In the near distance, glass shattered. People started screaming. Red bloomed on the red cotton of Dmitri’s shirt. The popping of the gun didn’t register to her ears until after he started to fall.
Chapter Twenty-Four
The world spun out from beneath Nina’s feet. Head whirling, she registered a roar, like the growl of a wild animal and rapidly shifting bricks.
Her head thudded against the brick wall of the alley. Pain exploded across the back of her head. Her vision blurred as she reached out. “Wait.”
Her hands touched something soft and warm. It was fur. Sucking in a breath, Nina blinked, trying to focus. And then she nearly wet her pants.
She was halfway down the alley, pinned between a dumpster on her right and the brick wall at her back. In front of her was a massive wolf.
Nina stifled a scream, clamping her lips tightly shut. Pressing hard against the wall, she held her breath, willing the animal to move along.
It wasn’t paying attention to her. The great grey and white beast stared at the street where tires squealed. The screams died down as the noise of an engine grew fainter.
For an endless moment, neither moved. Then the wolf swung its muzzle toward her.
She gasped, feeling faint. Shock blossomed throughout her, making her fingertips buzz. I know those eyes.
“N-no.” Nina shook her head in disbelief, her heart dropping in her chest.
Was it her imagination or was the wolf frowning at her?
It chuffed like a big dog, its hot breath on her skin, but then it staggered, settling on its haunches before its front legs gave out. Alarmed, she scrambled to her feet.
There was a huge dark splash of red on the far side of its muzzle.
Nina didn’t know that much about canine anatomy, but her agile mind did a quick translation—on a human, that would be high on the chest, right next to the shoulder.
“No fucking way,” she breathed. It couldn’t be. That was impossible.
The wolf studied her with its big amber eyes, nodding weakly as if to say yes way. It whined, but the sound was fainter now.
“Dmitri?” Her voice shook as she reached out to put pressure on the wound. She almost snatched her fingers away at the feel of his fur.
“There’s too much of it,” she said nonsensically.
How could she assess the damage with all this thick fur in the way? She couldn’t even tell how much blood he was losing. Whatever was being spilled was matting his fur.
She swiveled her head, gauging the distance to the mouth of the alley. How the hell had he managed to get her down this far?
Law enforcement was arriving at the scene, judging from the wailing sirens. She blocked them out, turning back to the wolf—she couldn’t think of it as Dmitri just yet. Nina dug through his fur, parting it more aggressively to get a better view of the bullet hole.
“Fuck,” she muttered, tears obscuring her vision.
She wasn’t a vet, but it looked bad. Very bad. The wolf wasn’t even moving now. It lay at her feet, panting as if it had just exerted itself.
Of course he exerted himself, you idiot. Despite being shot, Dmitri had somehow carried her out of the line of fire. He’d saved her life.
“You have to turn back into a man,” she said, pressing harder on the wound. Anxiety sharpened her voice to a razor edge. She was almost hysterical, not quite believing anything that had happened. Was she dreaming? Had she hit her head harder than she thought?
The wolf’s head lolled.
“This is not a negotiation. I need to take you back to my OR. I can’t treat you like this.”
The animal whined, shaking its head again.
“Damn you, it’s not a request!” she cried. “We need to get that bullet out of you. I can’t do it when you’re like this, so you better turn back. Do it now.”
This time, the wolf didn’t shake its head, but the little huffing sound it made sounded like a negative.
“Dmitri, so help me God, if you don’t turn back into something I can safely operate on, I’m breaking up with you.”
She pointed at the mouth of the alley. There was a uniformed police officer visible in the distance. He was starting to direct traffic, so they could cordon off the area.
“I’m fucking serious.” She got to her feet. “If you don’t turn back into a man, I will walk. And I won’t look back.”
Could wolves sigh or was that just what she wanted to hear?
Nina held her breath. A cold ball of ice had formed in her stomach. She felt as if she were freezing from the inside out, but then the wolf rolled and went blurry. Her eyes watered as the fur disappeared and the torso lengthened, but it was as if her eyes refused to focus. She rubbed them hard. When she opened them again, Dmitri was there.
His bare chest was covered in blood. Where the hell had his clothes gone?
A white t-shirt ominously stained with red was on the far side of the dumpster, but Dmitri’s jeans were only a few feet away.
“Holy Mother,” Nina muttered under her breath, grabbing the pants. She gulped
. “Now, get up. We’re going to the hospital.”
“No, take me to your place,” he growled, glancing down at himself as if bleeding to death was a minor irritation.
“Are you crazy? You need surgery.”
“No human hospitals—not if we can avoid it.” He was panting now. “I heal faster as a wolf. Just take the bullet out.”
“I can’t!” She needed her tools. She didn’t have so much as a toothpick on her. Kneeling, she tried to lift him, but he was too heavy.
“No h—hospital.” Dmitri’s eyes fluttered, but then widened as if he was forcing them open.
“Shut up,” she yelled, letting go of him.
Turning, she ran to the officer. He was in the street now, but he swiveled when he heard her calling for help.
By the time they got to Dmitri again, he was unconscious.
Matt was hovering as Nina scrubbed her hands furiously in the sink.
“Nina, you can’t be serious,” he hissed. “You can’t possibly operate on your boyfriend. It’s against hospital policy to operate on loved ones. I’m the on-call doctor tonight.”
She didn’t spare him a glance. Releasing the foot pedal that turned on the sink, she backed up, arms up to stay as sterile as possible before the nurse helped her gown and glove up.
She turned to the door, but Matt blocked her path. “Nina, stop. You’re not being rational. Let me do this.”
Nina finally met his eyes. He flinched, his head drawing back as he read—quite correctly—the promise of violence in her gaze.
“Get the fuck out of my way,” she said, enunciating each word very carefully.
“I know you’re upset, but that’s no reason to risk your job. I can do this.”
She narrowed her eyes. In the periphery, she could see bodies in scrubs moving. They had gathered an audience. “You’re not fucking touching him.”
“Nina, be reasonable.”
Her face felt like stone. “I am being reasonable. If you want to see unreasonable, keep standing there. I dare you.”
Glaring at her, he held out his arms, blocking the door.
“On my worst day, I am ten times the surgeon you are, so I repeat—get the fuck out of my way.”