With a yawn, she sat up, tugging the sheets to her chest. Looking down, she saw one of her pink roses beside her. She picked it up and brought it to her nose. It was lovely.
The whole night had been amazing. Sam never expected it would be like that. She had been attracted to him from the very beginning. A part of her was drawn to his dark, brooding personality. She wanted to understand him. To know what kind of secrets had driven him into this self-imposed exile. Sam had worried herself to death thinking this was going to be just like the scenario with Luke. She couldn’t have been more wrong, but she never imagined Brody would tell her that he was still a virgin.
It surprised Sam, although in retrospect, it was the missing piece that made everything about Brody make sense. The hesitation in his touch. The awkwardness of being near to her. The charming innocence…
When he confessed to her that he’d never been with a woman before, it was one of the saddest and sexiest things she’d ever heard in her life. She’d never been a man’s first before, and it was an amazing turn-on for her. Even her first time had been with an older, more experienced guy. You never forget your first. And she wanted so badly to be that woman for Brody.
But she also wanted to make love to Brody because it was something she could do for him. She couldn’t free him from his prison. She might not be able to make him a happier, more open person. But she could give him her body. Sam could tell how much his confession pained him. No man ever wanted to have to say that to a woman. And if nothing else ever happened between them, she would be happy knowing she shared that part of herself and lifted one burden of the many from his shoulders.
Sam inhaled the rose’s perfume again and flopped back against the pillows. Her muscles ached and she’d barely gotten five hours of sleep, but she didn’t care. She was too happy and satiated to care.
The first time they made love, Sam had wanted to make it all about Brody. Every move, from the seductive slide of her panties over her hips to the glide of her tongue along his aching flesh, had been to give him an experience he would always remember. She took control so he didn’t have to worry about making a misstep. Sam had been with more experienced men that fumbled with bra clasps and poked around her body like they were lost. She didn’t want that on his mind for even a moment, and it had gone perfectly.
As had everything else last night. By the time they finally fell asleep, no part of her was left unadored, no need unfulfilled.
Sam sighed. A week ago, you couldn’t have convinced her that she would be where she was right now. Her irritable mystery boss held more surprises than she ever could’ve imagined when she first sat at her desk and looked up at those surveillance cameras.
“Sam? Are you awake?”
Before she could answer, Chris leaped up onto the bed and gave her a wet morning kiss on the cheek. Brody scolded her and forced her down off the bed.
Sam sat up, clutching the sheets to her chest. “I am.”
Brody gave her a crooked smile of concern. “Were you awake before Mauling 2.0?”
She laughed. “I was. Thank you for my rose.”
“You’re welcome.”
Sam couldn’t help but notice how handsome Brody looked this morning. He was wearing a pair of khakis with a white, collared shirt that was rolled up over the muscles of his forearms.
It made her realize what a mess she must be herself. She certainly had bed head, last night’s makeup smeared around, and clothes in so many different places she might never find them all to go home today. She ran a self-conscious hand over the wild curls of her hair, but there was nothing her hand could do to tame them. On the bright side, she had a toothbrush in her purse. After years of teenage orthodontia, carrying one with her became a habit she hadn’t broken.
“I put your clothes on the chair.” Brody pointed to an upholstered chair a few feet away. Each piece of her clothing was neatly folded and stacked there, with her heels on the floor beside it.
“Thank you.”
“If you would like to take a shower, there’s fresh towels on the stand beside it. I’ll be downstairs when you’re ready. I was thinking of making breakfast if you’re hungry.”
“Breakfast?” After last night, she doubted he would attempt cooking again anytime soon.
“Bagels,” he corrected with a grin. “I can manage bagels.” Brody called Chris and the two of them slipped out of the bedroom, shutting the door behind them.
At least there would be no walk of shame. Sam always hated that part. She flipped back the covers and carried her clothes with her into the master bathroom. The shower stall itself was bigger than her whole bathroom with glass tiles and shiny chrome fixtures. It took her five minutes to figure out which knobs controlled what, but once she got it working, she was rewarded with a decadently hot, steamy spray from three different nozzles.