Mary had barely had the thought when he urged her feet further apart until they were on the very edges of the chair. She thought he was trying to arrange her so that she was at the right height for penetration, but he startled her by then squeezing his wide chest under and between her legs to sit in the chair facing her.
"What--?" she began with confusion, than gasped when he caught her butt cheeks in each hand and pulled her forward. Mary cried out with surprise and grabbed at the wall, then cried out again as his mouth was suddenly between her spread legs, his tongue thrusting where she'd wanted his erection.
"No!" Mary cried with a dismay that quickly turned to need. "Oh God, yes . . . no . . . yes . . . Oh Dante," she cried, bracing one hand on the wall behind the chair and tangling the other in his hair as he began to lick and suck at the nub of her excitement.
Apparently, the shared pleasure made it easy for him to know just exactly what to do to push them over that edge they'd been approaching before she'd stopped too. Dante didn't stop, though, he just pushed until they both rode over the falls and dropped into the dark waters waiting below.
Mary was slumped in Dante's lap on the chair, her legs on either side of his and her head on his shoulder, when she woke from their post-noncoital encounter. He was already awake, something she deduced from the fact that he was rubbing her back soothingly. Mary lay still for a moment, both enjoying the caress and avoiding having to face him. But it seemed she didn't fool him. Dante knew she was awake, which she deduced when his hands stilled and he spoke.
"Do you want to explain what just happened?"
Mary reluctantly sat up, but feigned ignorance. "It's usually referred to as oral sex. Although one of my patients said it's called having a box lunch now, or alternately a Bikini Burger or a Cherry Flip." She paused and grimaced before admitting, "He has a thing for looking up such words online and was always coming into his appointments with risque lists of slang terms."
"Was his name Bricker?" Dante asked, his eyes narrowing.
"No," she answered, and frowned. "I can't tell you the name of my patients, Dante, even if they aren't my patients anymore. That would be unethic--"
"Never mind," Dante interrupted. "Of course it was not him. You are from Winnipeg and he has not even been there that I know of."
She tilted her head curiously at that, wondering who this Bricker was that he was talking about.
"Anyway," he said, "that's not what I meant when I asked you to explain. I do know it was oral sex, Mary," he added dryly. "I meant why the sudden desire for a baby when less than an hour ago you were determined we should not have one and made me go out and find condoms?"
Mary's mouth twitched with amusement at the complaint in his voice, and then she sighed and sat up a little straighter.
"I've changed my mind is all," she responded. "I want a baby now."
"Why?" he asked at once.
Mary shrugged and glanced unhappily away.
"They will not replace the children you already have," he said solemnly.
Her lower lip trembled and she bit it, and then lowered her head. "I know, but--"
"Tesoro," Dante interrupted. Catching her chin, he turned her to face him before saying, "I would be happy to give you a baby if you want."
"You will?" she asked uncertainly.
He nodded solemnly. "You are my life now. My future. My love. I will give you anything you want if it is within my power."
Mary stared at him, his words circling in her mind. The "my love" part really got her attention, but even it was not enough to distract her from her desire for a baby, and she asked plaintively, "Then why didn't you--?"
"Because I will not do so until I am sure it is what you truly want and--"
"It is," she interrupted impatiently.
"And," he continued grimly, "That this sudden desire is not merely an emotional response to the realization that you can no longer be an active part of the lives of the children you already have."
When she stared at him with frustration, Dante said gently, "It is not the right reason to bring a child into the world, Mary. And I do not ever want a child of mine thinking they are a substitute for your mortal children."
Mary flinched at the words and then closed her eyes on a sigh. "No. I don't either," she agreed sadly.
They were both silent for a minute, and then she slipped off of his lap to go collect her nightgown from the floor. As she bent to pick it up, Mary decided she needed a change of subject to get her mind off this sad topic and asked, "What does tesoro mean?"
"Treasure," Dante answered, standing to tuck himself away and do up his jeans.
"Really?" Mary asked, her expression softening.
"Si. It is most often used like dear," he murmured, reclaiming the chair. "But you are my treasure, Mary."
She could feel herself blushing, and glanced down to the nightgown she held. As she quickly pulled it over her head, Mary asked, "Whose nightgown is this?"
"Yours now," Dante said, watching her don the gown. When she poked her head through the neck and glanced to him in question, he explained, "They keep many things here for guests that might have to stay at the Enforcer House unexpectedly. There are pajamas, nightgowns, jeans and T-shirts . . ." He shrugged. "I picked that nightgown, but was not sure of your size, so you will have to pick the jeans and tops. I did get you a razor, hairbrush, toothpaste, and toothbrush from the storage room though."
"Thank you," Mary whispered, surprised by his thoughtfulness.
He shrugged and patted his leg. When she moved back to him, he drew her to sit sideways in his lap and then said solemnly, "The council has agreed to buy you a whole new wardrobe. They also intend to refund you the money for the RV and everything you lost. They will put it in a bank account for you and arrange ID for you just as soon as you tell them what name and birth date you wish them to use."
Mary eyed him uncertainly. "Can I not use my name?"
"You can use your first name and maybe your middle name if you have one. As for your last name . . ." He hesitated and then said, "Most try to avoid the name they are known as in their mortal life. Or they include it but alternate it."
"What do you mean?" she asked uncertainly. "Like Windy Mary or something instead of Mary Winslow?"
"No," he said with a laugh. "For instance, Francis was Francis Renart and Russell was Russell Argeneau-Jones. Argeneau was Russell's mother's maiden name. She kept it as part of her name when she married and took the surname Jones so that they were Argeneau-Jones. But we tend to have to change our names every ten years when we change identities and she and her husband alternated between Jones and Argeneau. Russell and Francis consider themselves Renart Argeneau Jones, but alternate between Renart, Jones and Argeneau on their ID when they have to change it."
"Oh," she said with a frown. "So I could be Mary Winslow Bonher."
"Boner?" Dante asked, his voice a bit choked.
"Bon-her," Mary said dryly and spelled it out before explaining, "It's my maiden name."
"Ah," he nodded. "Well, yes, of course you could use Bonher. As for Winslow . . ." Dante cleared his throat. "I thought perhaps Notte instead."
Mary stilled, her eyes meeting his.
"It will be Notte eventually," he said quietly. "When you are ready to make it so."
Flushing, she nodded and glanced down, then lifted her head right back up and asked, "What about my birthday? They want a different year, of course?"
He nodded. "Some keep their original day and month and just switch the year, but others change the day and month to the day they were turned."
"Hmmm," she murmured, thinking about that. Should she have a completely new birth date for a new life? Or should she settle for just a new birth year?
"You have a little time to think about it," Dante said reassuringly, his hand moving over her back.
"How little?" Mary asked.
"I would say you should decide by the time we go shopping tomorrow," he suggested. "Lucian will demand to know th
en."
"Lucian?" she asked with surprise. "He's going shopping with us?"
"Si, the council is paying for the clothes you lost, so he is accompanying us tomorrow to buy you a wardrobe suitable for a warm climate."
"Oh," Mary muttered, so dismayed at the thought of having to go shopping with Lucian that it took a moment for the rest of his words to sink in. When they did, she glanced to him sharply. "A warm climate?"
Dante nodded, and Mary just stared at him with bewilderment. It was still winter and cold. There was still snow on the ground, she thought, and then her eyes widened as a thought occurred to her. "Venezuela?"
He nodded again, a crooked smile spreading his lips.
"But I thought Lucian insisted you shouldn't go?" Mary asked.
"Si, but he has relented. He thinks that your presence will temper my nature and prevent me doing anything stupid," Dante said wryly and then admitted, "And he is right. I will not do anything to jeopardize my future with you." Lifting his hands, he cupped her face and said, "Tu sei un dono del cielo. Con te voglio passare la ma vita."
Mary raised a hand to cover one of his and said softly, "I don't know what that means, but if it's your way of trying to get under my nightgown, it's working."
Dante chuckled at her candor and kissed her nose. "I said that you are a gift from the heavens." He pressed a light kiss to her lips then and added, "And with you I want to spend my life."
"Oh," Mary breathed. "Wow, you Italians sure know how to romance a gal."
Dante shook his head on a laugh and pressed his forehead to hers. "You, amore mio, are easy."
"Apparently I am," she agreed wryly, and then added seriously, "for you."
Dante paused, his expression becoming serious as well.
Mary cleared her throat and squeezed his hand, then suggested, "If we are going shopping in the morning, then we probably need to sleep soon. Perhaps you should show me what you bought."
His eyebrows rose in brief confusion, and then his eyes widened with excitement and he jumped quickly to his feet.
Mary immediately squawked in alarm, sure she was about to hit the floor, but he caught her against his chest and carried her swiftly to the bed. Setting her down to stand next to it, Dante turned to grab the brown bag he'd returned with earlier.
"You will not believe what I found," he said with excitement as he opened the bag. "I did not know they had so many varieties of condom. Do you know they come dotted, ribbed, studded and flavored? Truly, flavored," he assured her when Mary raised her eyebrows slightly.
"And then they have for her pleasure and his pleasure," Dante went on, upending the bag on the end of the bed next to Bailey. "Justin said those are shaped differently to pleasure him or her. Although there are some that say for his and her pleasure too, and then they had some with a lubricant that warms or goes cold or something."
Mary stared with amazement at the pile of boxes on the bed and gasped, "Dear God, Dante, how many did you buy?"
"One of every kind," he assured her.
"One box of each kind," she muttered, and then pointed out, "There are at least ten or twelve in each box, and at least a dozen boxes."
"Si, but we can pick up more when we go shopping tomorrow," he assured her.
Mary just gaped at him with amazement. How many condoms did he think they were going to need, for heaven's sake?
Apparently a lot, she decided, when Dante paused and frowned before asking, "Do you think it would be hard to find condoms in Venezuela? Perhaps I should see if they sell them in bulk somewhere so we may take enough for our stay."
"Would there be enough room on the plane for them?" Mary asked dryly.
Much to her amazement, Dante took her seriously and waved the matter away as he bent to look through the boxes of condoms. "Oh, that is not a problem. We can have them shipped down on a cargo plane."
"Dante," Mary said quietly.
"Si?" He asked absently.
"Stop playing with your condoms and kiss me."
Pausing, he dropped the boxes and straightened to catch her under the arms and lift her to stand on the bed beside the small hill of condoms. He didn't kiss her then, but caught her nightgown and began lifting it slowly upward as he murmured, "You want me."
"Si," she said simply, using his word and gasping when his fingers brushed against her skin as they moved upward.
"You find me irresistible."
"Si," she admitted, raising her arms as he lifted the nightgown off over her head. The moment her hands were free, Mary reached for his T-shirt and began to tug it upward.
After tossing the nightgown aside, Dante helped her remove his shirt, then quickly shed his jeans as well before gesturing toward the pile of condom boxes. "Which one shall I wear for you first?"
Mary had never imagined a man would be so enthralled with condoms. Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, she bent down and grabbed the first box her hand touched and then held it out to him.
"Ohhhh, glow in the dark. Good choice," Dante said with excitement and suddenly rushed away.
Mary stared after him with amazement, then relaxed when she realized he was turning out the lights. So she could better appreciate his glow in the dark penis when he donned the condom, she supposed. The man was over a hundred years old, but give him a glow in the dark condom and he turned into a twelve-year-old. Honestly, she thought with exasperation, and then gasped in surprise when she was suddenly tackled to the bed.
"Be careful of Bailey," she squealed with dismay, reaching out to try to find the dog.
"I moved her after turning out the lights," Dante said reassuringly as he crawled up her body. "I suspect things are going to get interesting on the bed and did not wish her harmed."
"Oh," Mary breathed, and then, "Ohhh," as his hands began to move. Her last thought, before he stole her ability to think of anything but him, was that things were always interesting on the bed with Dante Notte . . . glow in the dark penis or not.
Seventeen
"What about this dress?" Francis asked, holding up a knee length dress in a deep crimson. "You might need something for dressy nights out if you can drag Dante out of bed long enough for him to take you out to dinner."
Mary eyed the dress and almost winced. The color was just too close to the color of bagged blood for her to want to wear it. It was bad enough she had to drink the stuff; she didn't want to dress herself in it. Fortunately, she didn't have to say as much. Francis must have read her mind because he suddenly lowered the hanger and grimaced.
"Yes, I can see that would not do then."
Mary smiled faintly and said, "I think I have enough, Francis."
"Thank God," Lucian said dryly.
Mary glanced over with amusement at the three men all now rising from the chairs by the change room. Dante, Russell, and Lucian had sat there since entering this last store over an hour ago, all three of them keeping their opinions and comments to themselves as Francis helped her pick out clothes. Until now, that was.
"Not quite," Francis countered, and pointed out, "We have everything but lingerie."
Lucian groaned and sat down again. Russell did as well. Dante, however, moved closer to offer, "I will help with that."
"Oh, no you won't," Mary said at once on a laugh. "Lucian would end up dragging you out of the changing room again like he did at the last store."
This was the third store Francis had dragged them to since leaving the Enforcer House that morning. The first hadn't seemed to have much in the way of clothes suitable for warm weather. They'd left the second in a rush after Dante had decided to "help" her change and scandalized nearly everyone in the store with the moans, groans, gasps and cries he'd drawn from Mary as he'd helped himself to her rather than just "help" her undress in the tiny cubicle. If Lucian hadn't interrupted and dragged Dante out when he had, they'd probably just now be waking up from unconsciousness in a heap on the dressing room floor. Or in jail for indecent something or other.
When they'd entered this stor
e, Lucian had insisted Dante sit with him and Russell and leave Francis alone to help her.
"Mary is right," Francis said at once, stepping between Dante and Mary. "You would be of no help at all. Go sit down."
She smiled faintly as disappointment immediately filled Dante's expression and he turned to reclaim his seat, and then turned to Francis. "Actually, while I appreciate all your help today, Francis, I don't think I want you helping me pick out intimate apparel either. It's kind of . . . well . . . intimate," she said dryly.
"He understands completely," Lucian said, standing up again. "We shall leave you to it and go have a beverage in the food court while you get what you need."
Dante looked surprised at the announcement and stood up with a frown. "I do not want to leave her by herself. What if something happens?"
"We are not in Texas," Russell pointed out reasonably. "She is perfectly safe here in Toronto, Dante."
"Russell's right," Lucian announced, and then turned to begin collecting the clothing Francis had been setting on the last chair as he spoke. "We will pay for all of this now so that you need not be hindered by trying to keep track of it all while you select your intimate apparel. Russell, Francis and Dante will then take it out to the car and join me in the food court for a beverage," he added, handing items to each man until all the clothing was gathered but he held none. "I shall leave my credit card with the cashier. Just have her ring up everything you want and collect my credit card when she is finished with it, and then join us in the food court."
Turning away then, Lucian headed for the front of the store. Russell and Francis immediately followed, but Dante paused to kiss her quickly on the forehead. "Shout if you have any problem, anything at all. I will hear you and come running."
"I'll be fine," she said with amusement. "I have shopped before, Dante."
"I know, Tesoro. But you are my life. I worry."
"You're sweet," Mary murmured and leaned up to kiss his cheek. "Now go. I have scanty silky bits to buy to tempt you with."
As she expected, his dark eyes immediately began to glow silver and he moved toward her, growling under his throat.
Laughing, Mary ducked the hand he reached for her with and waved to the front of the store. "Go."
"Dante!" Lucian's voice rang out. "Get your ass up here. We need the clothes for the girl to ring up."