He wondered if he should just do the right thing; if maybe he needed to step back and allow her to heal without having any added complications. And Dylan knew that to Brook; he was a huge complication.
But there was just something about her; a connection he’d never felt with any other living person. He just couldn’t find it within himself to walk away from her. That just wasn’t an option.
As he pushed up from the bed, Dylan made his way to his bathroom. He knew sleeping wasn’t an option, so he decided to grab a shower, then maybe go for a walk to clear his mind.
Climbing beneath the hot water, Dylan closed his eyes as the water washed away the restless night he’d had.
As he showered, he thought about the kiss they had shared the night before. It was perfect. He thought about how good it felt to have her in his arms, her lips against his.
He imagined how it would feel to have her skin against his; to kiss every inch of her beautiful body. That thought made his cock twitch instantly.
He released a loud groan, as he wiped the water from his face. Dylan wondered if staying at his parents’ house was a good idea after all. He tried to push the fact that she was asleep in a bed, just a few feet down the hall from his mind, but he couldn’t. He could imagine her asleep in her big, double bed. He remembered how she looked when she slept; the slow rise and fall of her chest; the sound of her softly breathing.
Dylan remembered how she would release this soft sigh as she slept, and instantly his cock grew harder.
He had somehow managed to remain unaffected by all the cute little things she did while he’d sat by her bed for the last few weeks. But now she was home, every little thing he’d found endearing about her at the hospital, now made him long for her more.
His cock was now so hard; it was almost painful. He considered giving himself relief, but he knew it would make him feel uncomfortable around Brook, knowing he’d masturbated with thoughts of her in his head. So, he did the only thing he could think to do. He reached up, turning the water from warm to stone cold.
“JESUS FUCKING CHRIST!” He yelled as he jumped back from the now freezing cold water jets, almost losing his footing in the shower. He grabbed the glass shelf in the corner of the shower, somehow cracking it, and cutting down the middle of his hand. “FUCK! FUCK! FUCK!”
Once he had his balance, he reached up and turned off the water, before he climbed out. When he was out, he grabbed a towel from the towel rail and wrapped it around his hand. It wasn’t a big cut, but it was deep. Dylan knew he was going to need a couple of stitches.
“Shit,” he grumbled as he headed back to his bedroom, still dripping wet. He walked to his overnight bag that was sitting on the chair in the corner.
Suddenly, there was a soft tap on the door.
“Dylan!” Brook’s voice came through the door. “Is everything okay? I thought I heard you shouting.”
“Ye….yeah!” He called, turning to look towards the door. “I just…I had a stupid accident.”
“You had an accident!” She exclaimed as suddenly the door burst open, and Brook came crashing into his room. “Are you o…OH MY GOD, YOU’RE NAKED.”
She spun around, almost stumbling as she turned her back to him.
“Why are you naked?” She continued, and even with her back to him, he could see her face was flushed with embarrassment.
“Well, I am in my room,” Dylan said, with a nervous laugh as he tried to cover himself with his good hand. “And while I was in the shower, I cut my hand, and I needed my first aid kit from the bag. I’m going to need a couple of sutures. But…”
“You need sutures!” She exclaimed as she turned around yet again. Before she quickly realised her mistake and turned her back to Dylan once more. “Shit. I’m sorry. How… how can I help?”
“I need my first aid kit from this bag,” Dylan replied, trying his hardest not to laugh out loud at how ridiculous they both looked right at that moment. “But it’s hard with one hand.”
“I can get that,” she replied, taking a couple of steps backwards, but stopped again. “Actually. I think I will grab you a towel from the bathroom first. You know, for you to cover your…um… bits and pieces.”
Dylan couldn’t help but laugh out loud at that comment.
“Yes,” he chuckled as he reached for a pillow from the bed to cover himself. “A towel would be great.”
Brook disappeared into the bathroom, then reappeared moments later, carrying a large fluffy towel. She smiled as she hurried across the room, holding out the towel to Dylan, but she didn’t let her eyes met his.
“Actually,” he chuckled, looking down at the pillow in his hand, the other hand wrapped in a towel. “Can you throw it on the bed?”
“Sorry,” she replied, this time smiling as she blushed. “Yes!”
She set the towel down on the bed before she turned her back to Dylan once more. Dylan smiled to himself, as he threw the pillow back onto the bed, before grabbing the towel, trying to wrap it around this waist, but it was hard with one of his hands still wrapped in the towel.
“Actually,” he said, knowing that what he was about to ask her, was no little thing. He held the towel over the front half of him, but his ass was still showing. “I’m sorry, but… I need help.”
“Oh,” she said as she turned slowly. “Okay.”
“I can’t do it with one hand,” Dylan said, now it was his time to feel embarrassed. “If you could just…you know.”
“Sure,” Brook said, hurrying behind Dylan, then pulling the two ends of the towel around his waist, before tucking one end into the other with shaky hands. “There you go.”
Dylan turned to face her, looking down at her. She was so close to him; he could smell the body wash she just used. That’s when he realised, her hair was damp, like she’d just showered too.
“You’re awake early,” he said, making no effort to move away from her. “Couldn’t you sleep?”
“I guess I got used to being rudely awoken for early rounds,” she replied with a smile, as she finally looked up into his eyes, smiling at him.
Dylan's heart started to race, feeling the atmosphere change ever so slightly between them. Suddenly he was fully aware that he was completely naked, except for the towel around his waist, and Brook was standing so close to him.
As Brook stared up at him, he could see her pupils dilate, as her breathing increased, ever so slightly. Dylan knew she felt the electricity between them too.
“H…how bad is your hand?” She croaked, before she coughed to clear her throat, quickly trying to change the subject. She took a step backward. “You said you needed sutures.”
“I do,” Dylan said, smiling at her, knowing exactly what she was doing. “I’ve got a small suture kit in my bag. I don’t know why, but I always carry one with me. If I could just get it out…”
“I did a first aid course,” she said dropping her eyes down to the towel. “It was a while ago now, but I remember how to do sutures. And you could talk me through it…”
“Yeah,” Dylan said, as he pointed at the bag on the chair next to them. “It’s in there if you could just…”
He held up his hand, indicating that he couldn’t get it himself.
“No problem,” she said as she turned to his bag, while Dylan walked to his bed and set down. Once Brook found the suture kit in his bag, she brought it to the bed and set it down.
Taking Dylan’s hand in hers, she carefully removed the now bloodied towel, setting it down on the floor.
“How did you do this?” She asked as she looked down at the cut before she glanced up at Dylan. This time it was his turned to feel embarrassed.
“I was in the shower,” he sighed, trying not to think about the reason this whole mess had been set in motion. “I slipped and made the stupid mistake of grabbing a glass shelf.”
“Jesus,” Brook exclaimed, standing up from the bed. “You’re lucky it wasn’t much worse. I guess it’s my turn to take care of you. I’m just going to wash my ha
nds first.”
Brook turned and hurried towards the bathroom, leaving Dylan sitting on the bed.
He released a long calming breath, and he tried to remain as calm as possible.
Don’t mess this up! He chanted in his head over and over while he waited for her to return. A couple of minutes later, Brook emerged from the bathroom and gave Dylan the most beautiful smile he’d ever seen. Instantly, he could feel his cock stirring once more. Fuck! Fuck! Not now!
He didn’t know why he was so affected by this girl, but he really was. The fact that he was practically naked, sitting on a bed, and she was wearing nothing but a light summer dress that left little to the imagination really wasn’t helping.
What the fuck is wrong with you? He sighed to himself.
“I should wear the gloves to be sure that I don’t infect your wound,” she said as she sat back down on the bed, seemingly oblivious to the effect she had on him. “The last thing you need is an infection. Also, we should clean the cut too.”
Dylan smiled to himself as he listened to her talking. He knew she was nervous and slightly uncomfortable with the whole situation, but she was trying her hardest to make it seem like she wasn’t.
“There is some disinfection there in the kit,” Dylan replied, deciding he needed to keep his focus on what she needed to do to his hand and nothing else.
She took his hand in her once more, taking another look at the cut.
“Maybe we should have it checked in the emergency room,” Brook said, giving him a worried look. “It’s deep, and you… you’re a surgeon. You need this fixed properly.”
“There’s no need,” Dylan assured as one by one he tipped each fingertip to his thumb. “See, there is no other damage than the cut. It will be okay.”
“Okay,” she nodded, giving him a nervous smile before she reached for the gloves, pulling them on.
She started to work on his hand, and Dylan was surprised how calm and confident she was using the suture kit.
“You’ve done this before,” he said with a smile as she added the third and final suture.
“Once or twice,” she replied without looking up at him, but her face flushed with embarrassment, surprising Dylan a little. “It’s been a couple of years since the last time.”
Dylan watched her for a moment, wondering why this comment had embarrassed her. Then suddenly the thought occurred to him that maybe she’s had to do this to herself, possibly after a beating dished out from her scumbag husband.
He watched her closely as she carefully finished cleaning around the wound with a disinfection swab, then softly blew on it to dry, sending a shiver of excitement through his body, but he pushed it back down inside him. Finally, she placed a band-aid over the cut.
Then, much to Dylan’s surprise, she brought his hand to her lips, kissing it softly on the spot where the band-aid was.
She looked up and blushed the moment she saw Dylan watching her closely.
“My dad used to do that when I was a little girl,” she said, her face flushing with embarrassment. “He said it was magic and would help it heal quicker. Silly really.”
“Not at all,” Dylan replied, smiling at her. “On the contrary, I think it’s really rather sweet.”
“Thank you,” she whispered, giving him another beautiful smile.
“It’s me who should be thanking you,” he replied, holding up his hand. “I feel better already.”
Brook smiled before she dropped her eyes to the suture kit that was on the bed next to them.
“I should clean this up,” she said as she reached for the swabs, and leftover suture thread, before dropping them into the little tray. Then she peeled off her gloves, setting them onto the tray too. But before she could pick them up, Dylan reached out, taking hold of her hand.
“Brook,” he said, knowing that he needed to talk to her about what had happened the night before. “About last night…”
“Look,” she cut him off before he could say anything else. “I know I owe you an apology. I know I’m giving you mixed signals, and I swear, I don’t mean to. It’s just, I want…”
Dylan leaned in and kissed her tenderly on the lips, stopping her from saying anything else.
“Breathe!” Dylan said as he broke her lips from hers.
She looked up into his eyes, giving him an uncertain smile.
“You’re overthinking this,” he continued. “Stop.”
“I just don’t want you to think that I’m playing some game,” Brook sighed, giving him a sad smile. “I’m not. I swear I’m not.”
“I know,” he said, returning her smile. “And I know that you need time. I just hope you give me that time. I like you, and I just want the chance to prove that I am nothing like Warren. Will you give me that chance?”
“I will,” she replied smiling once more. “I promise.”
“Good,” Dylan said, kissing her once more. “But today; today we are going to go see your dad.”
“Really?” Brook asked as tears instantly pooled in her eyes, and Dylan was surprised by her reaction.
“Really,” he replied, giving her a broad smile. “I’m sure he misses you, just as much as you miss him. So we need to get you there today.”
Without even missing a beat, Brook wrapped her arms around Dylan’s neck, hugging him tightly.
“Thank you,” she whispered, holding him so close to her. “Thank you so much.”
“Anything for you,” Dylan breathed against her ear, as he wrapped his arms around her, drawing her tighter to his body. He closed his eyes, breathing in her scent, and to his horror, his cock sprung to life instantly.
Brook pulled back from Dylan, having no clue of the effect she was having on him. She looked up into his eyes from beneath her thick long lashes. Releasing a long breath, she leaned up and pressed her lips to his.
“Thank you,” she whispered as she looked up into his eyes once more.
“You don’t have to thank me, Brook,” Dylan said, giving her a warm smile. “For anything.”
He stared down at her, fighting every urge he had thundering through his body right at that very moment.
His cock throbbed beneath his towel, and he knew that the slightest touch would push him over the edge. He gave her a nervous smile, having no clue what the hell he should do next. His eyes dropped to her lips, and something inside him just clicked at that moment.
He wanted her, right then, right there. He wanted her more than he’d ever wanted anyone or anything else.
He longed to take her in his arms and lose himself deep inside her. But he also knew she wasn’t ready. He knew that he needed to do the right thing.
“Brook,” he said giving her a warm smile. “How about we get dressed, and I will take you out for breakfast before we stop by the nursing home to see your father.”
“I’d like that,” she replied, looking almost like she could have just floated out of the room. She was beyond happy, and that made Dylan happy too. “I will be ready in fifteen minutes.”
She jumped up from the bed and hurried towards the door.
Dylan went to stand up, but as he straightened his legs, the blood rushed into his already swollen cock, and he quickly sat back down on the bed.
“Better make it twenty!” He called out to her as she headed out the door.
“Perfect!” She called over her shoulder, hurrying out the door, leaving a very frustrated Dylan alone.
“Fuck!” he groaned as he flopped back down on the bed, pushing his hands through his now just damp hair. He yelped as the pain shot through his hand from where he’d cut it. “What the hell are you going to do now, Murphy?”
Chapter 19
Dylan pulled his mother’s car to a stop in a parking space outside the nursing home. Turning off the engine, he turned to look at Brook, who was just sitting there, staring ahead of her.
“Are you okay?” Dylan asked, having no clue what was going through her mind, right at that moment.
“I don’t know,�
�� she shrugged, without looking at Dylan. “I worry about my dad. I long to come to see him every minute of every day, because I miss him so much. But then, when I get here, fear takes over. And funnily enough, the fear isn’t about Warren. At least not all of it.”
“Oh?” Dylan replied, giving her a questioning look. “What are you afraid of?”
“That I will walk through that door, and it will be the day my dad doesn’t remember me anymore,” Brook explained, finally turning to look at Dylan. “Because if he forgets who I am, then I really do have nobody left in this world.”
“Brook, you’ll never be alone in this world,” Dylan said, giving her a sad smile. “I promise you. You’ll always have me. No matter what happens, I will always be there for you.”
“Why?” She asked, surprising him with her question. “Why do you care about me so much?”
“Because you’re you,” Dylan replied, giving her an honest answer. “I don’t know why, but since I first met you, I felt this connection with you. Like you were meant to come into my world, and turn it on its head, but in a good way. And sure, these last few weeks have been tough, but they’ve also been some of the best days of my life. Getting to know you, getting to really just know you without all the dating crap and expectations has made me realise that I want you to be part of my world because you completed a part of me, I didn’t even know I was missing.”
“Dylan,” Brook said, giving him a worried look, but Dylan continued before she could say more.
“I’m not asking you to promise me anything,” he said, sensing that was where she was going with this. “I know right now you can’t imagine a life where you’re happy, a life without Warren there, in the back of your mind. But I can imagine it for you, and I would like to be part of it if you will let me.”
“I would like that too,” she replied with a smile before she turned and looked back at the building. “I guess I should go in now.”
“Would you like me to come in with you?” Dylan asked, giving her a questioning look. If he was honest, he expected her to say no. But she didn’t.
“Really?” She asked as a look of surprise filled her face. “I mean, would you like to.”
Dylan (The Murphy Series Book 5) Page 18
