The Last Virgin. Dorie Graham

he knocked. The curtains parted a fraction, then fell back into place. For one long moment he held his breath, willing her to turn the knob. The door opened, just enough for her to peer out. He exhaled.

      “What are you doing here?”

      The flat tone of her voice had him wincing. “May I come in…please?” He ground out the unfamiliar word.

      She hesitated a moment, then stepped back and gestured him in. “Why not?”

      Her floral scent surrounded him as he brushed past. She wore a thin robe that brushed the tops of her thighs. His blood warmed. He let his gaze skim the pointed tips of her breasts, outlined by the silky fabric, then quickly diverted his eyes.

      He took in the main living space of her apartment in one glance. The glow of a ceramic lamp on a side table lent a warmth and closeness he hadn’t noticed earlier, probably because he hadn’t been able to take his eyes off her. The room had an inviting appeal. Picture frames and cat figurines dotted the area, and potted plants covered every available tabletop and shelf.

      “What are you doing here?” she asked again.

      “I came to talk to you…about tonight,” he said.

      “I would have thought you’d be otherwise engaged by now.”

      He drew in a deep breath. She wasn’t making this easy. “As I said, I’d like to explain.”

      She stared at him, her brows raised and her arms crossed over her rounded breasts.

      With an effort, he dragged his gaze upward. “Look, Sabrina, I’m sorry about that stupid deal I made with your brother. I never considered how you’d be affected. It was thoughtless and cruel.”

      Thunder rumbled in the distance. She narrowed her eyes, then let her arms drop to her sides. “Okay, apology accepted. It was good of you to come all this way. Now, I have a big day planned tomorrow.”

      He blinked. “That’s it? You’re not going to tell me what a jerk I was?”

      “Since you’re aware of the fact, why waste my breath?”

      “What I did was rotten. I’d like to make it up to you.”

      She eyed him a moment, then shrugged. “That isn’t necessary. I’ve accepted your apology. You can run along back to your bimbo.”

      He gritted his teeth and stepped closer to her. “I don’t care if I never again lay eyes on Darcy.”

      “Well, that certainly isn’t my business. It isn’t as though you need to report your comings and goings to me.” She picked up a brass picture frame from the end table. “Why not?”

      “Why not what?”

      Her fingers absently stroked the glass-covered photograph. “Why aren’t you with her? I thought that was the idea—the reason you took me to dinner.”

      He swore under his breath. “It was, but I didn’t know you when I agreed to that whole thing. It just wasn’t right.”

      Sabrina set the picture back on the table. “Well, I’m sorry the night didn’t work out for you.”

      “It wasn’t all bad.” His gaze held hers. “Parts of it are quite memorable.”

      She swallowed and closed her eyes. When she opened them, a warm glow illuminated their depths. “You didn’t mind it, then—that kiss? I suppose I should apologize for it. I wanted to get back at you, to make you think I was desirable.”

      He couldn’t take his gaze from her mouth. “How could I think otherwise? In case you didn’t notice, I was enjoying that kiss far more than I had a right to.”

      Her teeth sank into her bottom lip. She set down the picture, then moved toward him. “I did it to make you jealous.” Pink tinged her cheeks. “I mean, I meant for one of the others to kiss me.” A sigh escaped her. “But none of them seemed interested.”

      “Fools.”

      “You were, then?” She smiled.

      Desire beat through his veins. “I was what?”

      “Jealous.”

      “Hell, yes.”

      Her lips parted. She placed her hand on his chest, over the place where his heart pounded. “You didn’t need to be.”

      God, what was it about her that made him want to beat his chest and roar? Her simple statement sent euphoria tripping through him. He pressed his hand over hers. “Sabrina, I—”

      “Kiss me again, Noah.” She held his gaze, her eyes warm, but hesitant. “No one’s ever made me feel that way.”

      He stilled. She tiptoed. The full length of her body hugged his. Her breath whispered across his lips, then her mouth brushed his. He stood motionless, tormented.

      She made a soft, sighing sound, and touched her tongue to his lower lip. With a moan, he swept his arms around her. In a single motion he claimed her mouth, his tongue meeting no resistance in mating with hers. He drank deeply of her sweetness, somehow feeling redeemed by the power of her kiss.

      He closed his eyes, desire ripping through him as she moved against him. He skimmed his hands up her arms, over her shoulders, then down her back. She threaded her fingers through his hair as he reached low to cup her bottom. She moaned softly into his mouth. He lifted her, kneading her firm buttocks and pressing her into his hardness.

      She drew back, her eyes dilated, her face flushed, and her lips round and tempting. Slowly, she pulled on the tie of her robe until it loosened, then fluttered to the floor. Arching her back, she parted her robe. “Touch me.”

      Noah’s gaze riveted to her bare breasts. She was more beautiful than he’d imagined. The creamy white of her skin accented her ruddy nipples. He ached to touch her, to draw her into his mouth and taste her.

      His chest heaved. Closing his eyes, he set her on her feet. “Sabrina, if I do, I won’t be able to stop.”

      She cupped his face with her palms. “Maybe I don’t want you to stop. You want me, Noah. I can feel it.”

      A raw laugh burst from his throat. “I won’t deny that, but it doesn’t matter.”

      “It’s all that matters. I want you, too.”

      Her words both provoked and halted him at once. He drew a breath and willed himself to move away from her, but the heat of her body and the promise in her eyes held him.

      He shook his head.

      Moisture gathered in her eyes. “Please. I’m twenty-five and a virgin. In this day and age that makes me some kind of freak. I promise, no strings. I just need to know what it feels like to truly be a woman.

      “It’s time. If not you, then someone else.” Her gaze pinned him. “I’m not sure why, but I want you.”

      He tamped down the swell of male pride that rose at her words. His chest tightened. Cliff couldn’t protect her forever. The thought of another man touching her sent a different heat swirling through Noah. The determined jut of her chin confirmed her intent. She’d find someone else.

      “I don’t believe in love, Sabrina.”

      Her chin came up another notch. “I said no strings. I’m not asking you to love me, just to make love to me.”

      She shrugged her robe off her shoulders, letting it slip to the floor. She stood before him, clad only in lacy black panties that offered tantalizing hints of her true femininity. With one slim finger, she drew his face close to hers. “I don’t want to be alone tonight. Do you?”

      He inhaled, breathing in her soft floral scent and something more elusive, some essence that was hers alone. It was a potent combination, God help him. “No.”