“To your place?” She hooked her good arm around his neck.
“To ours. You’re my mate, sweetness.” His tone deepened into a sexy growl. “You live with me now and share my bed.”
Her belly quivered and she couldn’t wait to see his home. Ours, she corrected. He carried her down the corridor into reception. Paul was playing video games at one of the computers at the desk. Trisha was at another one flipping through a folder. Harley had hopped up onto the counter to perch on the edge of it. Three pairs of eyes turned their way.
“I’m taking my mate home. I’ll keep her in bed, Trisha.”
The doctor sighed, dropping the folder. “She’s suffered moderate blood loss but I know better than to even try to dissuade you from holding off on sex for a few days. I know you’ll take excellent care of her. Make sure she gets plenty of sleep, food, and fluids when you’re not keeping her otherwise occupied. And feed her first. She still hasn’t eaten and it appears she’ll need her strength. There shouldn’t be much pain, mostly soreness, but I’ll send over a mild pain reliever for later, just in case.” She picked up the receiver of the phone. “I’ll call Slade and tell him you want the mate paperwork right away.”
“It can wait for a few days. I don’t want anyone disturbing us.”
Harley jumped down. “Not even me? We’re brothers and you’re banning me from coming to your house?”
Moon frowned.
“I’m kidding.” Harley grinned. “Bond with your mate. I’ll make sure your work shifts are covered and don’t worry about a thing. I’ll even make you both dinner and drop it off around six o’clock every night so you won’t have to cook. I’ll leave it on the porch.”
“Thank you.”
“Consider it a mating gift.” Harley winked at Joy. “Be good to him.”
“I promise. I will be.”
Harley stepped closer to the double doors, triggering the sensor that slid them apart. Moon carried her outside to a Jeep and carefully tucked the blanket around her legs. He even put on her belt.
“I could do that.”
“You have a mate. I like to do things for you. You’re mine to care for.”
She appreciated the special treatment. “I can think of a few things I’d like to do for you.”
He rounded the Jeep, grinning. “Good things?”
“Yes. You’ll have to be naked though. Will that be a problem?”
He laughed. “No. Hang on, sweetness. I can’t wait to get you home.”
He drove slowly though, almost as if he were afraid of jostling her around too much.
“Joy?”
“Yes?”
“What about your job? Your home? Will you resent giving them up for me?” His tone was tense. “I’m almost afraid to ask about your family. Will they be unhappy that you live here with me?”
“I’m hoping I’ll get Kregkor’s job. It makes me shudder, thinking that any New Species had to deal with him. The hospital will be able to replace me pretty fast. I have some vacation days left, which means I’ll call them tomorrow and quit. That’s not a full notice but they’ll have time to find a replacement before I was due back. I won’t get a glowing recommendation from my boss but that’s fine. I liked my condo but I wasn’t really in love with it. It was affordable and close to work. I’m sure it will sell in a reasonable timeframe once I hire a few people to go in there to move out my stuff and replace the front door and carpet.”
“You’re very calm about making so many changes to your life.” He reached across the space between the seats to clasp her hand, keeping the other on the steering wheel. “I’m sorry I can’t move in with you. It isn’t fair that you’re the one who has to give up so much. I’ll make it up to you.”
It touched her that he was so considerate. “I get to be with you. That’s all that matters to me. I’ve totally focused on my career since we parted, but trust me, it’s not more important to me than you are. I’d have traded it all to be with you again, in a heartbeat.”
He pulled into the driveway of a house on a quiet street and shut off the engine. He didn’t get out but instead turned in his seat to face her. “What about your family and the people you love? How do they feel about Species? Will they believe I’m dangerous to you or that I’d be abusive?”
It was hard to see his face in the shadows. “My parents are going to love you. I’m more worried about what you’re going to think of them.”
“Why?”
She sighed. “I love them but they are kind of weird, Moon. They blurt out anything they think and it’s embarrassing. They never mean to be offensive but it comes across that way sometimes. They drive me crazy.”
He chuckled.
“What’s so funny?”
“You’re a shrink.”
She shrugged and smiled. Moon released her hand and climbed out to come to her side of the vehicle.
“I won’t growl at them, okay? I’ll even hide my teeth.” He picked her up. “Can you twist the handle on the front door when we reach it? It’s not locked. We don’t have to worry about break-ins here.”
“Harley told me it’s much safer to live at Homeland. I need to give you fair warning about my parents, though. You won’t be able to hide your teeth. My mom is going to want to see them. Probably my dad too. Don’t hold it against me if they ask weird questions like if you ever get the urge to chase cars or chew on bones, okay? They are harmless but I can totally see them doing that. Sometimes I wonder if I chose my profession only as a way to save money. My best friend Meg and I both decided to become therapists in high school. We never charge each other for sessions when we talk.”
He laughed, shaking her a bit in his arms. “I’m sure I’ll like them, sweetness. They made you for me.” He paused. “Open the door and welcome to your new home. I am going to make you very happy here.”
She had no doubt. “It’s a two-way street, Moon. I’m completely committed to making this work. I don’t want to live my life without you anymore.”
Moon kicked the door closed behind him and peered around the room, grateful Harley had kept him from punching holes in the walls when he’d discovered Joy had left Homeland. It was clean and tidy. He worked a lot of hours but that would change. He had a mate to spend time with now. He studied his home with a fresh perspective.
“You can alter the color of the walls and buy new furniture that’s more to your taste. I want you to be happy.”
Joy lifted her face up to him and smiled. “All I care about is the bed. Where is it?”
She was his kind of female. It sank in. No, she is my female. My mate. A warm sensation flowed through him. All his worries faded into excitement at the anticipation of claiming her for good.
The bed wasn’t made but the sheets had only been slept on once by him. He inhaled the scent of what humans believed mimicked a warm spring day according to the bottle of laundry soap. They were wrong but it was pleasant all the same. He set her on the end of the bed and crouched.
She shifted as he freed her from the blanket. The hospital gown was thin material and he took care to ease it over her bandage, which reminded him of how he could have lost her. “Are you in pain?”
“Trisha gave me something because the other stuff was wearing off but don’t worry,” she smiled, “it’s a mild painkiller. I won’t get another case of the giggles.”
He stilled. “You’re still on drugs?”
She removed the rest of the gown and tossed it on the floor. His gaze swept down her nude body, his dick instantly hardening in response. He wanted her so much it hurt but what she’d said could change everything.
“What is that look for?”
“You said you’d be my mate but what if you change your mind tomorrow? You—”
Her finger pressed against his mouth to silence him. “I’m of very sound mind, Moon. I know what I’m doing and what I want.” Her fingertip teased his lips as it trailed lower, down over his chin to his throat, and only stopped when it reached the neckline of his shirt. “I was hesitant to make love to you too, due the drugs in your system because I was afraid you might regret it later. You said a few things to me when our roles were reversed that I’m going to say to you now.”