Page 19 of Dark Desire
Yeah. I just heard that out loud. I should be institutionalised for my own good.
“Another coffee?” Evie asked from the kitchen as I stared out the window of her dining room.
“Please,” I answered, lifting my mug to her so she could pour it in.
“How are you feeling after last night?” She stood in front of me, her frilly apron on, with a worried expression.
How was I feeling? Disturbed. Frustrated. Scared. Aroused. Excited. Insane. Pissed off. Take your pick.
I avoided her eyes in case she could somehow see what a complete slut I had been for the stalker who broke into her house last night. That’s the other thing, I was putting her life at risk by staying here. I needed to get back to the church, where the protective wards would keep out anyone who meant me harm.
But did I want to keep him out? The asshole denied me an orgasm and I shamefully pleasured myself once he had left because I was so riled up, I felt like I would explode. But he didn’t exactly say he’d never give me one, did he? In fact, he suggested he’d use me again and again. That deep, accented drawl that awoke some primal longing deep inside me had said I needed to be a good girl to get it. I mean…talk about panty-melting sentences. But how? What did he need from me to prove I was his good girl? I let the man nearly suffocate me with his enormous cock for fuck’s sake. That should count for something, right? Even if I enjoyed it far more than I should have.
My heart raced at the thought of him again. Last night was a surreal experience and undoubtedly one of the hottest I’d ever had. I knew I should have felt violated, but in all honesty, I’d technically been the one to initiate it, and that dream was me living out my darkest fantasies. I did not expect to wake up with an actual cock rammed down my actual throat. When I blinked up at that masked man as he loomed above me, I knew I should have been terrified. I was. But I was also more aroused than Ihad ever been in my life. What did that say about me? I’m going to avoid thinking about the answer to that question.
He was a mystery behind that mask, but his eyes... they were stunning. Yet, they had the power to provoke unprecedented fear in me but soak my panties while doing it. He wasn’t like the other seekers the Fates had sent. They’d been my equals. It was me or them, and so far, I’d held my own. Hadn’t found any of them attractive either. But he was something else entirely. The menace he exuded. The size of him, and the strength I felt in those muscles beneath his oversized black clothes. My gut told me he was a vampire, but then he had the rare magical ability to enter my dreams. That meant he had to be a warlock. Maybe he was both? A hybrid. That would make sense.
“Darcie?”
My head snapped up to Evie’s worried face. Oh shit. I had completely zoned out.
“Sorry. Yeah. I’m fine. Just tired.”
“You have an appointment with Dr Marshal in half an hour and you are going.”
I groaned, dropping my chin into the palm of my hand, but before I could protest, she gave me a stern yet motherly look that said, 'Do not argue.' I nodded reluctantly, even though I really could do without spending an hour of my day doing something so pointless. Especially when that doctor was Oliver Marshal. Evie tapped her watch.
“Okay. I’m going!” I held up my hands in surrender and stood up. Placing my camera around my neck, I grabbed my bag and slung it over my shoulder before heading out the front door. It was a beautiful morning. Cold, crisp, but the hint of sunshine was breaking through the clouds, and I smiled as I snapped a few pictures of the village, enjoying the little things in this life while I still had the chance.
Pushing the door open to the tiny doctor’s surgery, which was the bottom half of a house converted into two rooms—the reception and Dr Marshal’s office. I smiled at the receptionist.
“Hi. I have an appointment. My name is Darcelle Knights–”
“Miss Knightsbridge! I’ve been expecting you.” A deep voice boomed through the door as it slammed against the wall, and Oliver Marshal beamed at me, dressed in his smart trousers, an immaculately ironed shirt, and a white doctor’s coat. I turned to him and smiled. “Follow me into my office.”
I glanced at the receptionist, who was already typing away on her laptop again and paying me no attention. Apart from the three of us, this place was completely deserted. For some reason, that put me on edge. I always felt a little uneasy around Oliver Marshal. Maybe it was the way he always found a way to touch me or the lingering looks I could feel on my face and body when he thought I wasn’t aware. Or perhaps it was the fact that he never seemed to accept that I didn’t want to date him. It wasn’t just him. I didn’t want to date anyone. I simply didn’t have the time. My life was about to end, and I wasn’t going to let myself become attached to anyone. But even if I did want to, Oliver just wasn’t my type. He was too prim and proper. Too immaculate. Too perfect in every way. From the way he styled his sandy blonde hair in a sweep to the side, the whiteness of his perfectly straight teeth that looked slightly too big for his mouth, and the way he dressed as if he was always about to meet the in-laws and wanted to impress as the most respectable and successful man. There was nothing wrong with any of those things. To most women, he would be a catch. He just wasn’t for me. A fact he seemed unwilling to accept, judging by the four times he had asked me out.
As he opened his office door, he hovered in the doorway, gesturing for me to enter first in a courteous manner. However, he didn’t move out of the way, so I had to brush against hischest as I walked through the door and felt that sneaky hand rest on my lower back as he guided me in. As I moved away from his touch, his hand slid down my ass cheek and I narrowed my eyes. He smiled politely, acting as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened, and sat down in his chair, gesturing to the one opposite.
Awkwardly, I sat down, determined to get out of here as quickly as possible.
“So, Evie said you have been suffering from migraines that cause you to pass out?” he asked, turning to his laptop.
“Well, yes. But honestly, I really don’t need to be here. They’re super rare and I’m on top of them. When they do happen, I just need to find a quiet spot to lie down for a few hours and rest until it passes. Evie is worrying for nothing.”
“Hmm,” he replied, pausing to stare at me. His blue eyes searched my face with suspicion, and I shrank back in my chair. “Well, I’d still like to do a few checks. Just to be sure.”
“Checks? I don’t think that’s necessary.” I frowned. Before I knew it, he had hooked his polished shoe around the front leg of my chair and pulled me closer so my knees were between his. Far too close. I swallowed, feeling my hackles rising as he once again acted like that move wasn’t extremely inappropriate while he got busy pulling out an ophthalmoscope and otoscope.
“Better to be safe than sorry,” he answered, lifting the ophthalmoscope and leaning into my face. He stared into each of my eyes as I sat stiff in the chair, leaning back as much as possible. After a torturous minute, he moved away. “Okay. everything looks fine, but could you remove your jumper, please?”
“What?” I gasped in disbelief.
He held up the blood pressure cuff. “I need to take your blood pressure and I am afraid that jumper is too thick.”
“Oh,” I breathed, instantly berating myself for not wearing a top underneath it. I slowly removed one arm out of the sleeve and propped the jumper up on my shoulder, trying to keep my bra hidden while my arm was exposed. His eyes followed the curve of my stomach and then rose to my chest. I tugged the fabric down a bit to cover the lacy bra that was slightly visible on one side and glanced away. Why was this man making me feel so fucking uncomfortable? Was I overreacting? Reading too much into every glance or touch? He took my blood pressure as we sat in silence, and as soon as he undid the velcro, I was already forcing my arm back through.
“Slightly high but otherwise normal,” he answered.Yeah, no shit, it was high.
