Page 50 of Guarding the Doctor
She started grinding against me in earnest, still holding my hands by my head. I was completely at her mercy like this, and I loved it. I closed my eyes, giving myself over to the pleasure. I felt a jolt run down my spine and then I was coming, crying Darla’s name out as I shuddered and pulled against her hands.
I was still shaking when she groaned, “I’m coming,” and then I felt the rush of moisture on my thigh as she sought her pleasure on my body.
Darla moaned loudly, then she lowered her head, staring into my eyes. I nodded, reading the question there, knowing that she was checking one last time for my consent. In a flash, she sunk her teeth into my shoulder with another growl that was more animal than human.
I felt a sharp pain as her fangs pierced my skin, followed by what could only be described as euphoria. It was like every nerve ending in my body lit up at once. I could feel Darla - not just physically, but emotionally. Her love, her devotion, her fierce protectiveness all flowed through me along with a pleasure so intense it bordered on painful.
And underneath it all, I could feel her vampire, that primal part of her that recognized me as hers, that would protect me and cherish me for as long as we both lived. The mate bond snapped into place like a lock clicking shut, and suddenly I understood what Darla had been trying to tell me. This wasn’t just attraction or love. This was souls recognizing each other. This was forever.
Darla released my neck, licking the wound to seal it. While I should have been grossed out by her lapping up my blood, I felt only pleasure and a sense of peace I’d never experienced before. Later the doctor in me would try to figure out how the act of her licking me healed my skin so quickly.
Darla rolled onto her back, bringing me with her. She was panting heavily, her eyes closed, and I snuggled up under her arm, resting my head on her shoulder with my arm around her waist and my leg hooked over hers.
After a few minutes, I started to feel the chill. When I shivered, Darla sprung up.
“Crap, I have a blanket here somewhere, hold on.”
She was back in an instant, wrapping the blanket around me and pulling me into her arms again.
“Are you okay?” she asked softly.
There was a hint of vulnerability in her voice that also echoed through the mate bond that was already growing between us.
“I’m more than okay,” I told her, giving her a squeeze. “I’m happy.”
Her eyes searched mine. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
She took a deep breath. “Is it too early for me to ask about us moving in together? Because I’d like nothing more than to wake up next to you every day for the rest of my life.”
Moving in together. A month ago I would have run screaming from that suggestion. I’d always been so careful to keep my relationships casual, never letting anyone get too close. But Darla wasn’t just anyone. She was my mate. The person I wanted to wake up next to every morning for the rest of my life.
The mate bond hummed with a sort of calm energy at the thought, and I realized that what I felt for Darla had moved beyond just physical attraction or even the supernatural connection. I loved her. Not because fate said I should, but because of who she was. She was it for me. My doubts faded away in an instant.
“I’ll move in with you,” I said, “but I have a couple of conditions.”
“Name them.”
“I need a comforter. And a shower mat,” I ticked off on my fingers. “And decent towels. Maybe a framed print or something.”
“We can get all that at Target, right?”
I laughed. “Yeah.”
“What if we bought a place?” she asked tentatively. “This place is kind of small for two people. I have some money saved up, and Dr. Evans offered me that signing bonus. I always wanted a place that was all my own, you know? Some place with a little yard where I can have a garden.”
“Yeah. That sounds nice. Really nice. As long as we invest in a decent bed.” I shifted. “This bed is not only small, it’s also uncomfortable.”
“I got it at the thrift store,” she admitted sheepishly.
“I have so much to teach you about creature comforts,” I said, stretching up to press a quick kiss on the corner of her mouth.
“Well, we’ll have a lifetime for that, mate.”
“Yes we will.”
Epilogue – Darla
