Page 34 of Guarding the Doctor
“Please don’t kidnap Stacy,” my mate said, looking slightly alarmed. “We’re already short-handed at work. Plus she’d probably stab you.”
“Guess you’re going to have to rely on your charm, big guy,” I teased.
“I must ask brothers for advice,” Yuri said. “Boris has mate and Alexei have many girlfriends.”
“We’ll do the dishes and put away the leftovers while you call them,” I said. “We really appreciate you cooking. Everything was delicious.”
“Way better than a lunchmeat sandwich,” my mate added.
Yuri wandered away and Kathryn and I worked together to clean up. It was nice. Very domestic. I could imagine us doing this every night, if only one of us knew how to cook something more complicated than boxed macaroni and cheese. Maybe we could take one of those couples cooking classes? I snorted at the idea.
“What?” Kathryn asked.
“I was thinking that we need to take a cooking class so we don’t starve when we move in together.”
She froze, looking vaguely alarmed. “We’re moving in together?”
“That’s what mates generally do.”
I thought she would argue but instead she turned back to the dishes. I took that to be a good sign. Clearly she was getting used to the idea. She’d been so cute this afternoon in her research mode, muttering to herself as she made notes.
At one point she’d looked up at me, her cheeks pink with excitement, and said, “This is incredible. The biochemistry is fascinating -- there are actual physiological changes that occur when mates bond. Increased oxytocin, dopamine, and serotonin. The bite creates a permanent exchange of pheromones and even some cellular material. Bonded vampires and shifters live longer. They’re more emotionally stable too.”
I had no idea what any of that meant, but she’d been so adorably excited that it had taken everything in me not to pull her in my lap and kiss her. And judging by the knowing look I got from my sister, Bella knew it too.
After she put the last dish in the dishwasher, Kathryn turned to face me, a speculative look on her face.
“How long has it been since you had sex?”
I froze in surprise. That was not what I expected her to ask. I thought maybe she was going to suggest we watch a few more episodes ofModern Familybefore we go to bed.
“A few hours.” Didn’t she remember it?
“I mean before you and I met.”
I thought back to the weekend I spent with a sexy tiger shifter right after my discharge. “Six months ago, maybe seven, it was right before I moved to Seattle.”
“It’s been a while for me too,” she said. “Are there any rules against having sex with clients while you’re on their protective detail?”
“Kind of,” I nodded. “Of course everyone I know has broken that rule, including my sister. Well, and Lois. She met her mate on a job just like the rest of us.”
“Lois has a mate?” she asked, like she couldn’t picture it.
“Yeah, and she’s the girliest femme you ever met.”
Lois’s mate could not be any different than her. Other than being wolf shifters, I couldn’t imagine what they had in common.
“Huh. I kind of want to meet her.”
“Why did you ask when I last had sex?” I asked when she didn’t say anything more.
“Well, to be honest, the physical attraction between us is off the charts. I was thinking maybe we could blow off some steam while we’re here. I mean, as long as you won’t get in trouble or anything.”
“Blow off some steam?” I parroted. All the blood in my body had pooled in my core and I was having a hard time following the conversation.
“We’re two consenting adults who are attracted to each other.”
I just stared at her. It was like my brain had shut off.
