Voices down the hall echoed along with the ding of the elevator.
She unlocked her door, pulling me inside by the arm with a force that surprised me. The light was off. “We can get thrown out for having male guests in our rooms.” She whispered in the dark.
“How old are you?” I liked the darkness. It wrapped us in our own cocoon. I knew Holly had graduated medical school early, but now I wondered precisely how early?
“I’m twenty-two.” She laid her finger against my lips as two female voices grew louder in the hall.
Perfect. I rumbled in appreciation when I wrapped my lips around her finger.
Holly inhaled sharply, clutching my shirt in her fist. I released her finger to pull her into my arms. A breath eased from me.
Now that felt right.
In the hall, two women recapped their evening for several minutes until the sound of their keys and doors eventually rattled. Soon, the hallway grew quiet again.
Holly stepped out of my arms, flipping on the light.
If I thought the lighting was bad in the hallway, I winced.
The narrow room was wide enough to fit a twin bed under the single window with a built-in closet, a desk, and a makeshift bookshelf filled with textbooks. It was painted the same dull gray color as the hallway. There was a handmade quilt on the bed and a few pictures on the window sill.
“Home sweet home,” she said softly.
I was stunned to think this was where Holly lived. My downtown townhouse was a palace compared to this.
“Holly,” I started. I was unsure of what to say, but I wanted to say something.
“Don’t pity me.” She shook her head. Her words were low yet fierce. “I didn’t bring you here to pity me.”
“Why did you bring me here?” I asked.
She flicked off the light. Stepping forward, her hands ran up the front of my shirt.
I pulled her into my arms. This time I had no intention of letting her go easily. It was like I’d held her a million times before. It felt so right.
Her face was upturned to mine and illuminated by a sliver of light from the window. Her voice was quiet, but the words were unmistakable, “After tonight, we’ll never mention this again.”
CHAPTER 2
HOLLY
Malcolm stood in the center of my room, pressing me against the wall. Every inch of his hard body fit snuggly against all of mine in the most delicious, forbidden way. And the best part was this dirty talker had a Scottish accent. It was like finding out I had a secret craving and then being able to immerse myself in it.
His lips trailed hot kisses over my neck. Strong hands roamed my body, stroking and working my desire for him into something I swiftly lost control over. I wasn’t thinking of Noah, not in the least. What Malcolm didn’t realize was tonight the dickhead dumped me. So the little call Malcolm made did me a favor. Noah was my first boyfriend, and outside of kissing and cuddling, he didn’t have much desire to explore things between us physically. Noah wanted to save my virginity for our wedding night like I was a piece of glass set on a shelf.
It was all about what he wanted.
What I wanted was for Malcolm Murdoch to fuck me.
I blamed my virginity for this situation.
A twenty-two-year-old virgin in New York City? It was embarrassing. But labeled a genius at an early age through all those intelligence tests had left some gaps in my education.
So here I was, plastering myself against my colleague who, by any measure, was a womanizer, while I was on the other end of the spectrum.
That was what my brain told me, at least.
My body was on fire for him. My familiarity with Malcolm from working with him daily erased my usual awkward feelings in social situations.