TWENTY-SIX

I settled myself more comfortably on the exam table while my mate retrieved my file, and though I could not be certain, I somehow suspected he had probably given instructions to not be interrupted unless there was an emergency that absolutely could not be handled without him.

A few threads of my confidence seemed to unravel when confronted with my mate's calm and professional demeanor, the only signs of his sexual frustration being his black eyes and raging erection, which was made apparent when he shoved the white lab coat back with a fisted hand upon his hip. He studied the chart in front of him, and if looks could kill, I knew that my mate would be - beyond the shadow of a doubt - dead. I thought it was quite unfair that he could appear so damned composed while I sat there with my heart pounding away, my breathing ragged, despite how hard I tried to control it.

I just could not believe that he was actually making good on his promise to enact this, or rather I could not believe that he was enacting that promise here. Sure, I figured that maybe he might surprise me one night in the bedroom, but no! Along with his awaking vampiric instincts came an awaking predilection for the kinky… And speaking of kinky, I wanted to find out just how serious he had been about what he had said during my last hospital visit.

I cleared my throat first, letting him know that a question was forthcoming, and quietly called his name. I blinked when the corners of his lips twitched and he ignored me! My mouth fell open and I gaped for several moments, watching his smirk grow slightly, before I crossed my arms and stared in disbelief. He was actually going to ignore me unless I addressed him by his title! I was just about to call for his attention when he turned to me, the white lab coat seeming to float around his body, and I would be damned if my body did not respond to the tantalizing image.

Despite the massive bulge straining against the front of his trousers that revealed his true feelings and desires, his features were perfectly schooled into a look of amiable professionalism. He strutted - he actually strutted - across the room with that damn genial smile plastered on his face. His onyx eyes twinkled with perverse delight. "So…" he drawled warmly. "I hear the Chief's daughter had a rather rough weekend."

Son of a bitch! It was almost impossible to believe that this sexually tempting creature had been lying dormant within my seemingly reserved mate for so many centuries. Of course, the Carlisle Cullen that I had first met had been an immortal human, repressed and introverted, while this Carlisle Cullen was quickly becoming the epitome of what an alpha-vampire was.

The immortal human was quiet and very subtle in his behaviors, never letting his powerful nature slip past his steel-like grasp, but this vampire… oh, this vampire exuded raw sexuality and imposing authority from every non-existent pore of his marble body that could not be ignored or disobeyed. This dominate creature seemed to be in command of everything around him and, unlike the repressed fabrication he had forced upon himself for so long, he would not silently direct those around him. Oh no, this vampire would utilize his power to the fullest extent.

I was surprised by his sudden short list of questions, realizing quickly that this hidden fantasy had probably been in his brain since the day he met me, and I was more than happy to oblige, particularly when he had finished with that damn penlight and had his cool hands on my body, tracing his fingers delicately over my throat and collar, down my shoulders, where he tugged at the fabric of my teal shirt.

"I am afraid, Miss Swan, that this will have to come off," he cooed pleasantly, "for me to do a proper exam. I must have unrestricted access for accurate auscultation of your heart and lungs." He did not wait for my permission. He peeled both of my shirts from my body before his fingertips caressed the clasp at the front of my bra and flicked it open, my breasts spilling out beneath his scorching gaze. Without warning, the freezing bell of the stethoscope was against my hot flesh, making me hiss at the sensation. He stretched his free fingers down over the swell of my breast while his other hand firmly gripped my right breast, squeezing and kneading before his fingers began pinching, rolling, and tugging the nipple sharply. He teased and tormented me until I was certain I was going to orgasm without ever having been penetrated.

Suddenly, the coolness of the stethoscope was at my back as my mate breathed his instructions in my ear, forcing me to comply by the sheer strength of his commands. As the bell moved over my back, he let one of his hands trail down the planes of my body, finding the button and zip of my jeans, quickly undoing them and slipping his fingers inside, stroking my wet flesh and making me whimper and pant in ecstasy. And dear God, if he was not trying to kill me… I wanted to cry, to scream, to curse at him, because as soon as I came within an inch of the breaking point of my climax, he stopped.

I closed my eyes as he guided me into a reclining position and blushed furiously when I heard the metallic sounds of him sliding out the hidden stirrups. I swallowed heavily when he braced me how he wanted me, my legs spread wide, my body fully open to his ravenous stare.

He sat down on the rolling stool and placed himself between my parted thighs before he swiftly got my body ready. He caressed and prodded me in a manner that was far from clinical, despite the neutral strain of his voice as he talked me through the exam. The juxtaposition of his professional tone, his hungry gaze, his gentle expression, and his magical fingers was beyond enticing, and when he began questioning me patiently about my sexual history, I thought that I would die of lust. "Isabella, I am going to move my fingers inside you," he said evenly, though desire was laced in every word. "I want you to tell me if this hurts." He suddenly crooked his fingers against my g-spot and I had to bite my lip to keep from screaming. "Isabella?" he prodded, quickly stroking the area when I shook my head to let him know that I was not in any pain. "And now?"

"God, no," I whispered and tried rocking against his hand, finding it very difficult as my ass was already balanced on the edge of the table. I growled when his fingers withdrew from my dripping heat.

"I have heard that you have a partner," he spoke professionally. "If you are entertaining thoughts of beginning a physical relationship, Isabella, as your doctor, it is my responsibility to make sure that you are adequately prepared." Three fingers thrust back into my body, slipping in and out, over and over, as he spoke. "While it seems your barrier has been broken, you are still very tight, and I wish to make certain that your body is ready for sexual activity. Would you like me to help you, Isabella?"

He parted my swollen lips with his free hand and blew a cool breath on the aching flesh as he waited for my answer. He purred in pleasure when he heard me agree. I could hear the sounds of him undoing his slacks when he spoke next. "I must warn you in advanced, Isabella, that I am quite large. If at any time you feel uncomfortable, tell me immediately. Do you understand?" I murmured yes and felt him readjusting the stirrups, spreading my legs farther apart, opening me almost painfully wide for his use. My vision fluttered then focused when he towered over me, rubbing the head of his dick against my slick opening, and I instantly noticed that his neutral features had been replaced by a lustful look. His words were harsh with desire. "I will enter you only a few inches at a time to allow you to adjust. If there is any pain, I want to know." With that, he ever-so-slowly pushed the head of his thick hardness into my pulsing canal, pausing to gauge my reaction.

I panted not from pain but to keep myself from screaming for him to fuck me senseless, to stop myself from begging him to mount me like a wild animal and ride me until I was unable to stand. I forced my breaths in and out evenly, concentrating my raging libido and melting into this scenario, and I nodded to let him know that I was ready for more.

When he finally rested at my cervix, he stared at me intently as his voice commanded, "Isabella, I want you to take a deep breath and bear down with your muscles, then I want you to relax your muscles when I tell you to. This will allow the last few inches to enter you more easily." When I complied, he buried himself completely inside me, smiling in pride and pleasure as he rested his hips against me. "Good girl."

I could feel him throbbing inside me as his wide shaft stretched me open. "Please… Please, I need more… Carlisle, please…"

He slammed into my wet body, growling over me as he suddenly reached for my breasts, pinching my nipples and tugging on them painfully. "What have I told you, mia streghetta?"

I whimpered and rolled my hips against him. "Please, Doctor Cullen… Please help me come…" I cried out when he released my breasts to grasp my hips, drawing away then ramming himself into me as he set an deliciously punishing rhythm, frantically pumping in and out of my body, my walls clamping onto his long dick as pleasure coiled low in my abdomen. "Doctor!"

He jerked inside me as he savagely claimed my tight, wet channel, and I bit back a scream when he spread my thighs somehow wider. His body bowed toward me and his hands gripped the sides of the exam table. He pounded into me furiously, bringing me excruciatingly close to my orgasm. He fucked my eager little hole like a feral beast and lunged forward, swallowing my scream as I orgasmed, my clenching pussy greedily milking his cock of every drop. He kissed me with fiery passion, warm adoration slowly taming the kiss as my breathing evened out. He pressed loving kisses to each of my eyelids, my temples, my nose… covering every inch of my face reverently, before gazing down at me fondly. "Ciao, bella."

I blinked. "Did you just tell me goodbye?"

He chuckled and lowered his face to nuzzle against my ear, purring happily. "Actually, I just said 'hello, beautiful'." He took my earlobe carefully between his teeth, nibbling and tugging playfully for a few moments, before gently rubbing the length of his nose against my temple. He pushed himself back up, his arms braced on either side of my body while his still-hard cock remained buried inside me, and gazed down at me lovingly. "Do you know how absolutely divine you are when you've been mounted? Your curls creating a dark halo around you like a wild angel? Your chocolate-brown eyes reflecting the depth of contentment in your soul? Your satiated and proud smile? Your creamy skin glowing like fresh fallen snow?" His hands swept over my form, his eyes worshiping my body. "You, m'uzzola, are a goddess." When I blushed furiously, he pressed a tender kiss to my forehead. "Truly, a goddess."

I suppose it should have been awkward being in that position - naked and splayed out on the examining table with his cock still firmly embedded in my wet heat - but it felt strangely comfortable. Okay, well, maybe not physically… but emotionally and mentally, I felt content. I hissed as my muscles protested when he gingerly lowered my strained thighs down from their position. I let him lift me and dress me before I rested my hands on his chest when he set me on my feet. My fingers traveled up and over his shoulders then behind his neck to thread through those utterly beautiful blond locks. I stood on tip-toe to press a chaste kiss to his lips then lowered my hands to play with his tie as I gazed up at him seriously. "People are going to talk."

He snorted, his lips twitching with a barely suppressed smile. "People are already talking. Thanks to aquela schifosa and her supposed friendship with your neighbor, it has become public knowledge that we are living together."

I shrugged. "It's not like it's illegal. I am eighteen."

He studied me curiously. "Is it not going to bother you, all of the talk?"

I inhaled deeply and stared directly into his eyes. "Honestly? Yes." His gazed dropped immediately and I raised my hand to cup his cheek, softly cooing his name to recapture his attention. When he was staring sadly into my eyes, I offered him a reassuring smile. "It's not for the reason you think, Carlisle. I don't care what people think or say about me. I'm more worried about the effect this is all going to have on you." Understanding and joy replaced the disappointed gleam in his eyes, pride and love shining in through the returned topaz color. "You're supposed to be recently divorced and now, because of me, your reputation is being tainted," I said calmly. "Since I'm eighteen, it's not like there are any legal repercussions, but that doesn't mean this won't affect your job."

He shook his head, a slight chuckle escaping his lips. "M'amore, at the risk of sounding quite boastful, there is not a single member of the hospital board that will think to take any action against me. My skills, along with the many millions I donate to this facility, are too important to them. They may speak quite dreadfully behind my back, but there is no one who would think to question my position here. I can assure you that my job is quite secure."

I grabbed the lapels of his lab coat and pulled him flush against me, sighing contentedly as his arms surrounded me. "You do realize that every single nurse in this hospital hates me, right?"

He smirked mischievously. "Ah, mia passerotta, you should hear some of the things they are saying right now."

I just rolled my eyes in response.

When we left the exam room, I was unsurprised to see the bitch with a bandage covering her entire nose and ranting her head off to the small crowd around her. The shocking part of my view, however, was seeing the normally quiet and shy Angela Webber going toe-to-toe with the brash little gossip. I actually felt a bit bad for Mike and Lauren, both of whom clearly looked dazed and unsure of what to do or say.

For every slur that Jessica would throw, Angela would have a snappy comeback. I did not believe I had ever been prouder of my friend than at that moment, because it seemed that behind that shy façade, her wit went far beyond book knowledge. One particularly sharp barb involving street walking caused me to physically wince, and I heard a slight hiss from my mate. It was deliciously low shot, but it was done in such an oddly eloquent way that you could not help but admire her for her use of wit. Despite the fact that steam was practically fogging up her glasses, she kept her voice calm and her words elegantly sharp.

As soon as Jessica's eyes found me, she started cursing ugly threats, her face that unique shade of purple. I vaguely wondered if it was actually possible for a person's head to explode, because I would be damned if aquela schifosa did not look close to it happening.

To my surprise, my mate did not growl or react in a way that I would have imagined. Instead, his voice calmly stated, "Since it was obvious that you will need surgery, Miss Stanley, I am guessing Doctor Yancy has already ordered blood tests in preparation. If you do not wish for your parents to find out what sort of substances you have been dumping into your system, I would suggest that you wait for awhile. Although, that will mean putting off rhinoplasty, which could be quite… harmful."

I glanced up to my mate to see his overly-pleasant smile and realized that he had just effectively forced Jessica between a rock and a hard place. He could smell the drugs in her system, and if she were to have blood drawn, her parents would know about her habit. But if she put off the blood tests in order to wait for the drugs to dissipate, they would not do surgery, meaning her nose would start to heal improperly. This was not only bad for her actual health but it would leave her nose severely disfigured.

My God, I was mating with an evil genius!

The looks on the other three teens' faces were absolutely priceless. I watched as Mike quickly made his exist, obviously not wanting to be caught on Carlisle's bad side, and listened as Lauren mumbled something about waiting in the car and all but ran from the emergency room. Jessica, however, seemed to be frozen in shock that someone, even someone in a position of authority like Carlisle, would challenge her. And as if to add icing to the cake, my mate pushed farther, "I would suggest we take those blood samples today so we can schedule you for surgery. And if you would like, I can speak to your parents about several rehab programs the facility offers."

Jessica cold eyes turned to me. "This is all your fault!"

I quirked an eyebrow at her. "Really? Because I don't remember telling the entire town about your addiction and harassing you about it." I wanted to ask Carlisle if it was just me or was the shade of purple painting her face getting darker.

"You'll pay for this," she hissed angrily.

I just smiled sweetly. "You know, the last time you got it into your head to punish me for something you started, you ended up with a broken nose." I waved at her cheerfully when she stomped her foot then stormed away. "Hope you get well soon!" When I saw both Angela and Carlisle staring at me reprovingly, I shrugged. "Well, I do. I'm a very sympathetic person. And a broken nose… That's gotta hurt!"

As Angela was getting ready to leave, my mate politely asked if my friend could bring my homework by our house and requested that she join us for dinner at the home, much to my surprise. I was certain the shy girl would decline the invitation, but in a shockingly confident voice, she had agreed, getting careful directions before waving goodbye to me and waltzing out of the emergency room.

I froze as he shut the door to his office behind us, my brown eyes staring a small leather couch against the left-hand wall, knowing full well that it had not been there the last time I was in this office. "Wow…" I mumbled. "You just want to stir up trouble, don't you, Carlisle?"

A sharp sting flared to life in my neck, and I quickly realized that he had not only bit me but had injected more of his venom into the bite. I whimpered when he pulled away for a moment, letting me feel the burn this amount of poison caused, only receiving relief when his lips latched onto the wound and he took three long drags of my blood to remove the venom. After licking the wound closed, he released me abruptly and without a word settled behind his desk, astutely ignoring me, and not in the teasing way he had done in the exam room.

The few times before, in the heat of play, I had not really stopped to consider just how serious my mate may or may not have been about his demand. It was now becoming apparent that he had, indeed, been genuine about the kinky order he gave me, though he seemed to allow me the occasional moment if I was in pain or comforting him as I had been earlier. "I'm sorry," I whispered, noticing that he still would not look at me. "Ca—Doctor Cullen?" I inquired meekly, feeling this was the only way to get his attention. His eyes were dark, though not black, and his expression was stern as he waited for me to speak. "I… I'm sorry. I didn't realize that—"

"Come to me," he commanded in a firm but patient voice. His eyes watched me, but he made no effort to move until I stood directly next to him. He shifted in his chair and silently invited me to sit on his lap. He sighed heavily when I hesitated and pulled me into his lap, nestling me close to his body and resting his chin atop my head. "You should know by now, mia streghetta, that I can never be truly angry with you. You should never fear me, cara mia."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm not afraid of you."

"But you were," he said sadly. "You did not fear that I would hurt or harm you, but you were afraid to approach me, afraid to confront me, and you should never be." He nuzzled his face into my curls, his purr beginning ever-so-quietly in his chest until his rumble echoed reassuringly in my ears, the vibrations against my body soothing me. "All because it is in my instinct to tame you - a feat that I am starting to believe will never happen," he said with a soft chuckle. "That does not mean that you should fear to approach me. Never before have you yielded in such a manner after being bitten. Why the unexpected change?"

I shrugged. "I've never seen you act so aloof before and then it set in that you really were serious. It upset me that I up—"

His fingers pressed to my lips to keep me from speaking any further. "M'Isabella, I am truly sorry. I feel worse now for having kept my peace, but I did not want to upset you by letting you think that I was falling back into my former patterns. I was not upset with you, so much as that I was shocked at my own reaction. I have never bitten you so forcefully nor have I ever purposefully forced venom into your system, and it disturbs me that I did so." I moaned in frustration, causing him to chuckle. "And that is why I was determined not to speak my thoughts."

I shifted my mouth under his hand and sucked two of his fingers between my lips, smiling around the digits as his eyes darkened. I released them with a wet pop and reached up to muss his lovely blond hair. "Your reaction was natural. After what happened when I first got here, followed by what happened in that exam room and then immediately being confronted with it, I would expect that your nerves would be on edge. I just happened to push the wrong button and at the wrong time. For the love of God, stop beating yourself up about your nature!"

"That is easier said than done, bella mia." He lowered his lips to my ear, nuzzling me as he whispered, "At least I have a faster recovery time now." I felt my body react and he noticed immediately, smirking smugly. "Would you like me to show you just how rapidly vampires can recover, m'uzzola?"

I flushed and buried my face against his shoulder, mumbling about my heart not being able to stand another round. I was quickly assured that I was currently safe from his ravenous libido as he had another hour of being on call and a small mountain of paperwork to get through. This allowed me the opportunity to relax on the sofa and email Renee and text Jasper to see if he was going to be okay with Angela coming over. He let me know that he would be fine, but that Rose and Emmett would not be present, as they were supposed to be at college during the week. And I was in the middle of an intense three-way conversation with Alice and Rosalie about updating my wardrobe when I suddenly had a leering vampire lying between my thighs. "I thought you had a mountain of paperwork," I stated sarcastically.

"I thought you wanted me to act like a vampire." He smirked when I rolled my eyes. "Everything is finished, so I now have twenty minutes to kill." My hips jerked upward as he ground his erection between my thighs. "Tell my daughters goodbye - no, wait. First, I need to make sure they get rid of all your jeans and replace them with skirts." He winked at me. "I do believe I will need easier access from now on." My mouth fell open as the two females chuckled in my ear through the phone, which my mate plucked from my hand. He pressed the end button firmly before tossing the device to the floor. "Now… I do believe there is one more exam that we forgot to cover."

.

TBC