NOTE: This chapter onward will frequently include sexual situations and other mature content previously mentioned.

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SIX

"Bella!" she exclaimed in annoyance. "You were in there forever! Did you pass out again?"

I glowered and muttered darkly, "Something like that." My eyes darted to Carlisle as he calmly made his way from the exam room, my file clutched in his hand. To my ever-growing aggravation, I was not the only one watching him while he passed the file to the unit receptionist.

"Wow..." Jessica drawled, causing me to roll my eyes. "Y'know, Bella, if I knew that he'd be my doctor, I'd get hurt every chance I could."

"Oh my God," I groaned and trudged down the hall.

I really didn't need to fall again.

"Oh c'mon, Bella!" she trilled. "Can you honestly say that Doctor McHottie isn't the most gorgeous thing you have ever seen?"

From my place behind his moving form, I saw Carlisle's shoulders tense. "Jessica, it's Edward's dad," I argued.

"So?" She rolled her eyes at me then began mentally undressing the vampire while he stood outside a door reviewing what I guessed was a chart created for the little girl. "Look at him, Bella! I mean, really... He's gorgeous! Do you know how many women in this town would love to get him alone for a private exam?"

Her tone was absolutely lascivious, and I was furious at what she was implying. "Jessica, give it a rest," I growled, my hands clenching and unclenching. "Seriously! That is Edward's dad for God sake! Can you please talk about something other than how hot you think Doctor Cullen is?" I knew that she had better because I was coming so close to punching her in the face.

"Fine! I won't talk about how hot he is." The was a paused before she added, in what she probably thought was a funny tone, "Can I at least ask how loaded Daddy Cullen is?"

"Good God!" I hissed furiously at her, pausing in the middle of the hall. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me!" I snarled. "What the hell is wrong with you? Are you completely brainless or do you just enjoy being an utter bitch? Do you have any idea how disgustingly shallow you really are?" I watched her eyes go wide in shock. "Do you? You are the most self-absorbed, rude, obnoxious person I have ever had the misfortune of meeting! The fact that you seem to think that you can gain anyone's attention and approval with your half-ass attempts at pretending to be a friend is absolutely astounding."

I took a step toward her and grinned internally when she took a nervous step backward. "Do you remember telling me that Edward thought he was too good for everyone at school? It's because he is," I hissed low in my throat. "And I have news for you: Edward wouldn't touch you or Lauren or even half of the girls at school for that matter with a ten-foot pole. Frankly, he has more class than that! He doesn't think he's better than you because he's rich. He knows he's better than you because you have absolutely no depth of character. He knows he's better than you because you are a horrible human being! If you were the last woman on Earth, Edward would still not even give you a first glance, much less a second one.

"There's a reason the Cullens keep to themselves and never hang out with anyone at school. Over half of this town, and God knows the school, is so wrapped up in their own fantastical and skewed ideas of what they think the Cullens are like that no one knows a damn thing about them!" I was trembling violently at this point, and in my periphery, I could see the mother and daughter leaving the exam room, quickly followed by my mate. "I don't blame the Cullens for never having anything to do with you and people like you. They know that people like you and Lauren are out for one thing and one thing only. And it's absolutely disgusting!

"You know what, Jessica? Yes, the Cullens are rich but it's not because of their money! They are truly the nicest group of people that I have ever met. They are warm, friendly, and they truly care about the people they consider their friends. They could have all the money in the world and it would not change the fact that they are genuinely caring and loving people."

I had not realized that through my entire speech, I had backed her into a wall until I was only mere inches away from her and she had nowhere else to go. "And let me tell you something else, Jessica Stanley. I am getting sick and tired of your bullshit attempts to act friendly, just because you want some kind of insight into the Cullens' lives. You're not getting it. And you know what else? Between you and Lauren, I think that I like Lauren just a bit more, and I loathe her to my core. At least Lauren actually has the decency to consistently be jealous and hateful. Lauren makes no pretenses to like me. I am warning you to leave me the hell alone! I'm not your friend so stop trying to act like it."

I leaned in dangerously close and growled at her. "And if I ever hear you say one more inappropriate word about Carlisle or any of the Cullens in my presence again, I swear to God that you will be in one of these rooms. And I can promise you Carlisle will not be the doctor you get the pleasure of seeing. Now, get the hell out of my face before I break yours!"

The horrific shock on her face morphed into the ugliest mask of hate that I had ever seen and I briefly wondered if she was going to spit in my face. If she did, I knew that would be the last thing that she would ever do! However, to her credit, all she did was sneer and stomp away haughtily.

I turned to see Carlisle leaning against the unit counter. He was writing in a chart but I knew the truth: He had been listening to every single word. How displeased he may have been at my making a scene in the hallway, I was not sure of. At least I was lucky in the fact that it was a slow day and very few people were within earshot. That still did not stop me from worrying about whether or not he might be angry.

He suddenly glanced up at me with dark eyes and passed the file that he had been working on to the unit receptionist. He jerked his head and gestured for me to follow him. "Isabella. My office. Now."

Oh God. He was furious.

He held the door open for me as I slinked in and I was completely incapable of meeting his dark gaze. I had never seen his face look so... feral. I was starting to wonder if it were at all possible for a bond between mates to be broken. The intense waves pouring off of him had me worried about the future of our relationship.

What the hell was wrong with me? I had just torn Jessica Stanley a new one smack-dab in the middle of the emergency room. With witnesses nonetheless! I had just humiliated my mate in front of his colleagues and now he was furious with me. I was thinking I should have just kept my damn mouth shut when I vaguely heard him draw the blinds. I flinched when he was suddenly towering over me and felt the powerful waves of emotions hit me like a ton of bricks. His gaze was practically burning a hole into the top of my head, but I just could not look up at him. I could not bear to see the anger and disappointment in his eye. Of all the stupid things I had ever done or said throughout my lifetime, this took the cake.

"Isabella." His voice was low and raspy, and I was quite sure that he was holding back a rather nasty growl. "Look at me, Isabella." Oh, he was angry. He was using my name. My real one. Not the lovely little pet name that I had come to adore.

I slowly raised my head but found that I could not look up beyond his chest. When he demanded, "I told you to look at me, Isabella", I felt my heart drop into my stomach. I had never heard Carlisle sound quite like that and I suddenly felt very ashamed of my behavior, or rather the fact that my behavior had upset my mate – if he was still my mate. When I looked up to his glittering black eyes, I swallowed and took a step backward. Whatever lecture he was going to give me, I knew that I deserved it. Yes, Jessica may have needed a good telling-off, but I really should not have done so in the middle of the emergency room. I licked my lips and waited for him to let his anger out on me.

"Do you have any idea what you just did, Isabella?"

I instantly dropped my head and felt my eyes well up with tears, which I prayed they would not fall. Of course, that really would not have mattered. I was sure he could smell the salt anyway.

"You do realize that you just–"

"I'm sorry," I whimpered, my voice cracking with emotions. "I'm sorry. I just–"

I swallowed thickly and dug my fingers into the material of my jeans. If I was going to cry, I was at least going to do it with a little dignity and not wipe away the tears in a sad attempt to hide it from the vampire. "She made me so angry. And I know! I know that I shouldn't have let her get to me. But she was just looking at you like you were something to eat! The way she was looking at you... it wasn't right. She shouldn't have been looking at you like that! I just... I couldn't stand her looking at my mate that way, and I sure as hell was not about to let her co–"

I was slammed suddenly against his desk and felt his lips devouring mine hungrily. My fingers instinctively threaded into his silky blond locks as he lowered me to the desktop. His free arm swept away stacks of files, pens, and I really didn't care what else.

While he supported me with one arm, his other hand slipped under my sweater and lacy bra. I realized I had obviously been mistaken about Carlisle's emotions. He battled my tongue for dominance in between nibbling on my lower lip and running the tip of his tongue just under the sensitive flesh of my upper lip. While he tasted and tormented my lips, his arm slid gently out from beneath me.

Suddenly I was lying flat of my back on his desk and he was free to explore my body with both hands. I arched and bit back a loud moan when his hands pushed up the brown knit material and the black lace bra to knead my aching breasts. I growled in protest as he tore his lips away from mine, but it turned into a gasp when his mouth latched onto the side of my neck and sucked eagerly at the patch of skin just over my pounding pulse. I dazedly had the amusing thought that he might have been trying to draw my blood through the flesh without breaking it.

Well, it looked like I would be wearing a scarf to school for the next few days.

He let go of one breast and braced himself on his forearm as his growl grew louder. I briefly worried about someone hearing him, but when his tongue dragged slowly over the area where his lips had been, I stopped caring altogether. He lapped over the vein repeatedly, murmuring 'la mia' with each flick of his tongue, and it suddenly dawned on me that he was talking about my blood. I couldn't help myself. "Yours," I whispered harshly. "Only yours. To taste, to claim, to own... Yours, Carlisle."

The growl calmed to a purr as he licked my neck once more before nuzzling me tenderly. "Mine. Mine, la mia."

"Yes, Carlisle," I moaned. "I'm yours. My blood is yours." My moan turned to a short gasp when he pinched one of my aching nipples between his fingers and his mouth lowered to possess the other. I let my hands drop to his shoulders and my fingertips dug into the white material of his lab coat. "Doctor Cullen..."

Another loud rumble burst from his chest and he thrust his hips against mine, his erection quite obvious against my abdomen. He trailed his free hand down my stomach where my jeans seemed to have magically come undone, then he slipped his digits beneath the silk and lace of my underwear and into the wet heat of my desire. He flicked a single finger over the swollen nub and released my nipple to mumble in my ear, "Again, cara mia." He thrust his hips against me, commanding, "Say it again, cara."

I whimpered lustily, "Please, Doctor Cullen..."

"Very good... Molto buono, bella mia. Very good," he praised before slipping two fingers inside. He hissed when I clenched around his hand. "That's it, mi diletta," he purred encouragingly while he worked me into a frenzy. His thumb flicked over the sensitive button of nerves and his fingers thrust in and out of me.

"Oh God... Carlisle!" I cried out, panting as my body strained for its release.

He rumbled in my ear, his lips catching my earlobe and tugging gently before he demanded, "You know better than that, Miss Swan. While you are here in my hospital, you will address me appropriately."

"Doctor Cullen..." I moaned. "Oh God... I'm so close, Doctor..."

He crooked his fingers inside me and hit a spot that I had seriously doubted existed before. I arched off the desk, my scream cut off by his lips on mine. My cries were ignored and he continued pumping me, deeper and deeper. When I suddenly felt a sharp tear, I winced. His fingers stopped their thrusting and he quickly but gently removed the arm that he'd braced himself on. He then slid it under my back and gathered me close, nuzzling and purring into my ear as his thumb continued to tease my clit. "Bella mia, tutti i miei. You are all mine. T'amo tanto, cara mia... La mia... Ti amerò ora e per sempre. I love you always."

As he continued to hold me and calm me with his soft rumbles, the pain quickly faded. I felt my body drawing close to its peak as his thumb played me perfectly. "I'm okay, Carlisle" I panted, thrusting my hips against his hand firmly. "I'm all right."

He lowered me slowly back to the desktop and followed me down to keep his lips close to my ear. He purred for me. "You do realize, Isabella," he cooed and once again began stroking his fingers in and out of my wetness, "that is the last time that I will allow you to call me that here." Whether he was serious about this surprising kink or if he was just tormenting me, I was not sure. Either way, it was hot as hell and I responded accordingly. And threw it all, I somehow managed to voice my understanding as my body tightened around him, garnering a short growl. "Good girl, Bella mia," he rumbled, pumping me harder and faster than before. "Be a good girl for me, pet. Deliziarsi per me, mia passerotta. Come for me."

He didn't have to tell me again. I was his entirely – his mate, his love – and my body obeyed his command. My wet heat convulsed around his fingers and my legs twitched, my nails tearing into the white lab coat. "Doctor Cullen!"

I rode a powerful wave of emotions and physical pleasure, my vision growing hazy as he embraced my shivering body. I felt high, like I was flying on some invisible cloud, and I was not sure how long it was before I came down. When my vision was clear and my breathing and my heart rate were under control, I snuggled as close to him as I could. "Wow..."

He slowly pulled his fingers from my pussy and raised them for me to see. I was slightly embarrassed to see the red fluid coating his fingers, but my mouth fell open in surprise and arousal when he licked the blood from his fingers. "At least, I will not have to fret over your first time," he said calmly. "I wanted your first time to be perfect, but it would be impossible for me to release myself inside of you the first time with your barrier broken, due to the burn of the venom." His fingers slipped back inside me and he stroked me with purpose. When he removed his fingers and sucked more of my blood from the tips, I thought I would pass out.

"Holy..." I licked my lips as I all but leered at him.

He grinned at me. "Are you quite all right, Isabella?" he queried as he pulled me into his embrace. He stroked my back and pressed a kiss to the top of my head. "You thought that I was angry." When I muttered 'you were', he shook his head. "Not at you, cara mia. I was quite angry at la puttana for being so obvious and for upsetting you. I was not angry about your outburst." He pet my hair and purred softly. "I questioned you about your knowledge of what you did, because your behavior was quite violent, though not physically. That is typical in new mates who are defending their other half. While I know without a doubt that you are my mate, I was still fairly shocked to see that instinct come from you so soon, shocked and obviously... pleased."

I smirked. "You mean aroused as hell, Doctor Cullen?"

He growled playfully then he took my face in his hands. "It seems that I do not have to talk to you about my earlier apology."

I blinked, having almost forgotten about that. "Why were you going to apologize?"

He stroked my cheek and let his hand wander down to my neck. "While I have not yet experienced most of my instincts, I was aware of how my behavior is going to change during the mating process. I feared how you would react to my conduct."

I gave him an adoring look. "Carlisle, as I have told you before, there is absolutely nothing that you can say or do to upset me."

He quirked an eyebrow at me. "Is that so, bella cigna? You looked quite concerned earlier when you thought that I was angry at you."

I blushed brightly. "I... That's... I..." I really didn't know what to say to that, which seemed to amuse him immensely. "Yes, well... You seem quite pleased with yourself."

He helped me off the desk and pulled me flush against his chest. His grin was positively wicked. "I am not half as pleased with myself as I am with you." He chuckled when I glared at him then lifted my knuckles to his lips. "Give me one moment, mi diletta, to restore my office to a proper state and I will drive you home."

From the moment we left his office until he pulled his sleek Mercedes out of the parking lot, we kept an acceptable distance. As soon as we were speeding away, he reached for my hand and I felt a tingle go through me.

Carlisle was mine as I was his. My mate.

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TBC

In the words of Bob Ross:

Use absolutely no pressure, just like an angel's wing.