Chapter Four
Derek quickly heated two meals and then transferred them to one plate while she waited patiently on the counter where he’d sat her. Why only one plate?
The mystery was solved when he sat it at the head of the table and turned the chair sideways before picking her up and sitting down with her facing him, straddling his lap.
Kendra smiled at him. “I like your lap, but how am I supposed to eat this way?”
“I’m going to feed you. I thought this position would take some pressure off that tender bottom of yours,” Derek told her as he held a forkful of meat and noodles to her lips.
Being fed seemed strange but she obediently opened her mouth and accepted what was offered. It was delicious, the flavors of the beef, creamy sauce, and noodles sparking her taste buds as she chewed.
Derek took a bite and then gave her another, alternating bites between them until the plate was empty and Kendra was completely stuffed and surprisingly sleepy after their morning activities.
He grinned at her. “Ready for a nap?”
She narrowed her eyes, suddenly feeling a little grumpy. “You know I’m not a six-year-old.”
Derek raised a brow. “I am well aware you’re an adult, Kendra. I’m just trying to pamper you a little, but if you use that snippy little tone again, you’ll be going to sleep with a freshly heated bottom.”
Kendra blushed and looked down, suddenly feeling terribly unsure.
He caught her chin beneath his finger and tilted her face up. “It’s okay, baby, I know this is new and you’re sleepy. Grumpy happens.”
Derek picked up her again and carried her back to their couch bed in the office, lying down with her and then tucking the covers around them both. Kendra scooted around until she was facing him, one hand resting on his chest.
“What’s happening here?” she asked worriedly.
He smiled and kissed the tip of her nose. “We’re taking a nap because you exhausted me last night and again this morning.”
Kendra frowned. “Please be serious for a minute. Is this just a ‘while we’re snowed in’ thing or more than that?”
His hands came up to cup her face and he looked into her eyes. “I want you to be mine. Period. No caveats or time frames… just mine,” Derek told her seriously before his mouth closed over hers and he kissed her like he would consume her whole.
With a soft moan, her body collapsed into him as all the tension she’d been holding left her in one fell swoop. She felt a little dazed when he lifted his head.
“Are we clear?” he asked.
Kendra licked her lips, tasting him on her mouth. “Yes, sir. But you don’t know me really and what if…”
“I know you, honey,” Derek said earnestly.
“No, you don’t,” she sighed.
“I know you are the kindest nurse on our staff… always taking extra time with our patients when they’re upset or nervous. I know you really don’t like coffee and prefer chai tea, I know you eat way too much mayonnaise on your sandwiches and drink far too much soda. I know you lost your parents to a car accident when you were nineteen,” he told her with compassion lighting his gaze.
Tears filled her eyes. “I was so lost without them; my grandparents were already gone and I didn’t have any other family. I’ve been on my own a long time.”
“You aren’t alone anymore. I’m your family,” Derek told her, kissing the tip of her nose again.
Kendra shook her head. “How can you possibly know at this point you want to keep me?”
“Baby, I’ve wanted to make you mine since I met you. Every day just adds depth to that certainty. You’re a special woman, Kendra Jacoby.”
“But I’m not really,” she said, worried about the day he came to that realization himself.
“Do you need another spanking, young lady?” he asked sternly. Kendra felt her eyes go wide and she shook her head. “Then there will be no more putting yourself down. You are one of the kindest, most compassionate people I’ve ever met. You warm a room just by walking into it, then your smile lights it up. I know you, Kendra Jacoby.”
She felt tears gather in the corners of her eyes again as she stroked a hand across his cheek with a tremulous smile. “You see me for who I am and you still want me.”
“Absolutely! Feel better?” he asked.
“Yes,” Kendra said as he caught her hand then kissed her palm.
“Good. Now close your eyes and go to sleep like a good girl,” Derek said firmly and to her surprise she did exactly as she was told, closing her eyes with her head cradled on his chest and falling immediately asleep.
* * *
Derek studied the sleeping face of the woman in his arms and smiled. She was exactly where he’d wanted her since the moment they’d met. He’d never forget the first time he saw her; she’d come in for an interview with him and the other doctors in the practice.
He’d been smitten from first sight, her wavy dark hair framing that little gamine face. Wide blue eyes, tip-tilted nose, and the dimple that winked in and out of sight in her left cheek when she grinned. Derek shook his head as he remembered; add that to her soft rounded body full of delicious curves he would never tire of exploring and he was lost from the word go.
He had been totally honest when she’d asked what was happening; he’d just left out the part about being ready to book the church. Kendra would do a runner on him if she realized as far as he was concerned they were a done deal.
He could see she was a little dazed and unsure about their D/s play; Kendra was clearly submissive but had never been introduced to that side of herself. Derek was a dom in his personal life; he wanted to collar her and make her his submissive as well as his wife.
He would love her to distraction, pamper her, and discipline her when she needed it. He felt certain a part of her understood her need for correction, given the way she’d submitted so beautifully.
Too bad that didn’t necessarily mean she would accept that facet of her personality.
He would have to woo her slowly into the lifestyle; he knew it would be a good fit for them both. In his mind she was already his… he just had to convince her.