"What?" Mary stared at him blankly. "You mean you know what I was--?"
"I know what we were dreaming. Yes," he interrupted solemnly. "I was there with you every time. I held you in my arms and made love to you while we slept." Pausing, he grimaced and added, "Well, I tried to, but every time we got close, Bailey would wake you and--" He stopped and eyed her warily when her hands jerked in his and she made a choked sound in her throat. Squeezing her hands gently, he said, "Shared dreams too are a sign of a possible life mate. Along with shared passion."
"What's that?" she asked, not sure she wanted to know. This was all madness. She'd gone off her rocker, she was sure.
"When I kissed and touched you earlier . . ." Dante paused and then added dryly, "When we were actually awake before Dave interrupted . . . I was experiencing your pleasure as I gave it to you."
"You were?" Mary asked shakily, and when he nodded, frowned and asked, "How?"
"I am not sure," Dante admitted. "As much as we understand it, it seems that the pleasure between life mates is shared somehow. It bounces back and forth between them, growing with each pass back and forth until it is overwhelming, and when the couple finds their release it is usually so overwhelming they both briefly lose consciousness."
"Oh," Mary breathed, and then simply stared at him for a moment, unsure what to think. After a moment though, she said, "But you keep saying possible life mate. It's not for sure?" she asked, trying to grasp what he was telling her. "It's just possible?"
"Yes, well . . ." Dante hesitated and then sighed and said, "The truth is that for me, you are a life mate. But the decision is yours as to whether you agree to be that life mate I can share my long life with."
Mary's eyes widened. He said the word life mate as if it was something special, even sacred.
Raising her hands, he pressed a kiss to her knuckles, then met her gaze and said solemnly. "You are my life mate, Mary. And I would like to claim you. Will you accept me as such?"
Dante sounded like he was reciting some kind of marriage vow and Mary stared at him, her heart in her throat. She was tempted to just throw herself at him and say yes, then rip off his clothes, but . . . shaking her head, she whispered unhappily, "But I'm so old."
Her words brought a tender smile to his face and he pointed out. "You are almost half my age."
"Oh, right," she muttered, doing the math in her head. Born in 1906, that made him almost fifty years older than her. It boggled the mind. He didn't look a day over twenty-five and she said, "But you look young."
"Oh, Mary," Dante said with exasperation, then smiled slightly and said, "I have lived a long time and seen much. I have learned not to judge a person by the number of wrinkles they have or a few gray hairs." Shifting her hands to one of his, he used his other hand to tilt her face up until she met his eyes and then said, "To me you are beautiful. Your laugh lines and crow's-feet say that you know how to enjoy life, and the scars and marks left by time show that you have lived life."
That was so sweet, Mary thought weakly, but . . . "I have stretch marks," she admitted with embarrassment.
Dante shrugged. "They show that you love life and enjoy the pleasure it offers."
"Yeah. Too much," Mary muttered under her breath. She'd long ago given up her battle of the bulge, and had never regretted it so much as in that moment when faced with the possibility of Dante seeing her naked.
"There can never be too much pleasure," he assured her solemnly, drawing her attention back to him.
Mary narrowed her eyes at the smooth line and said a little acerbically, "That sounds like an argument the snake would have used in the garden of Eden to tempt Eve."
Releasing her hands, Dante placed his hands on either side of her legs and slid them up to clasp her by the hips, then asked huskily, "Are you tempted?"
God help her, she was, Mary realized. It was madness. He was telling her vampires existed, that he was old and just looked young. And there he knelt before her, a beautiful olive-skinned Adonis, claiming that he didn't care that she wasn't some sweet young thing with a perfect body and bouncy boobs. He wanted her.
"Please, Mary," he said softly.
She shifted her gaze from his perfectly muscled chest to his face and gave the slightest nod. Truly, Mary wasn't even sure her head lowered more than a quarter inch, but it was enough for him. He lunged upward like a wave, his mouth covering hers as he caught her in his arms, lifted her up and bore her back on the bed before lowering to lie half on her and half on the bed beside her.
Mary moaned at both the combination of his kiss and the feel of his suddenly roving hands. They were everywhere, one holding her head in place as he ravished her mouth, the other sliding from one breast to the other and then sliding down to press the cloth of her shorts against her core. Mary gasped and shuddered and moaned by turn, arching into his caresses even as her own hands reached eagerly for him, first grasping his shoulders in an effort to pull him down on her fully. When that proved impossible, she trailed her hands down his chest and stomach and then finally between his legs to find the spot in his jeans that was again bulging outward as if eager to get to her.
Dante groaned into her mouth and pressed more firmly between her legs as she touched him through his jeans. But just as she reached for the snap of his jeans, he suddenly broke their kiss to shimmy down her body, removing that option from her. Before she could protest, he'd jerked her top out of her shorts and tugged it up.
Gasping in alarm, Mary gave up on trying to get to him and instead turned her attention to trying to push her shirt back down. Kissing was one thing, but she was still not pleased at the thought of his seeing her old body.
However, Dante would not be denied. Catching both of her hands in one of his, he held them out of the way and jerked her shirt up again, then tugged her bra to the side, freeing one breast. He paused briefly then, drinking her in, then raised his eyes to hers and murmured, "Beautiful."
Mary gaped at him, then sucked in a startled breath as he lowered his head and latched onto the revealed breast, drawing eagerly on the nipple with his mouth as his hand squeezed and kneaded the soft flesh around it. Mary bit her lip and twisted her head on the bed at the fire he was breathing over her tender flesh, then cried out, and arched on the bed as his knee suddenly slid between both of hers and began to press against her core.
"Dante, please, let me touch you," Mary begged, struggling to get her hands free. She wanted desperately to hold him just then. Actually, she wanted to rip his pants off, grab him by the hair and drag his head up to kiss him again as he plunged into her, but he was having none of that. He continued to hold her hands over her head with one hand, but the other now left her breast to his mouth's attention and lowered to undo her shorts. She felt the snap giving way and the zipper sliding down, and then he tugged her shorts down around her knees.
Mary cried out as his hand replaced the cloth.
"Si, cantare per me. Sing for me," Dante muttered around her erect nipple as he began to caress her. But his words made Mary realize that they were in an RV with flimsy walls and that anyone passing might hear. Instead of "singing" for him, she turned her head to the side and bit into the flesh of her own upper arm to try to silence herself. And then she screamed into the flesh she'd just bit as his finger slid smoothly into her.
"God, Mary," Dante growled. "Sei cosi stretto, you are so tight. I want to be inside you."
"Yes," Mary gasped, but instead of rearing up and doing that, he continued to thrust his finger into her and caress at the same time, building the tension until Mary thought she would die if he didn't make love to her.
"Dante, please," she almost sobbed, her hips dancing under his caress. "Please, I need you."
"Si, Mary," he muttered, lifting his head. He paused to kiss her again, then straightened to kneel over her and reached for the snap of his jeans, just as someone knocked at the door.
They both stilled then, eyes locking.
"No," Dante breathed, but the knock came
again and Mary bit her lip and glanced along her body toward the door as Bailey leapt off the dinette's bench seat and moved to the door to rear up and paw at it with a bark. A sure sign that it was someone she knew at the door.
"If that is Dave again, I swear I will do more than make him bark and drink out of Bailey's dish," Dante growled, shifting off the bed. "I will make him lick his own balls."
"You will not," Mary gasped, scrambling to get off the bed and pull up her shorts.
"You are right. He probably could not reach them," Dante said grimly, snapping up his jeans.
Shaking her head, Mary did up her shorts, and then ran her fingers quickly through her hair as she rushed ahead of him to get to the door first. If it was Dave, she was going to make sure he didn't step foot in the RV . . . for his own good.
"There you are," Carol said cheerfully as Mary opened the RV door. When Mary smiled and stepped back for her, Carol stepped up into the RV carrying a large box, then stopped abruptly as she got a good look at her. Her eyes immediately went wide and her mouth made a perfect O of surprise. "Oh, you're--did I--you--"
"I was doing my calisthenics," Mary blurted, not sure what the woman was seeing, but hoping that would explain away whatever it was.
"Si, she was working very hard," Dante added, completely straight-faced. Then he stepped between them, placing his back to Carol as he quickly shifted Mary's breast back into her bra and tugged her shirt down. And he was grinning, dammit.
Mary closed her eyes on a sigh and wondered when she had lost control of her life. Or was it her mind she'd lost?
"She will not remember what she saw," Dante murmured softly by her ear, his voice affectionate. Then he stepped aside and she saw that Carol had the same blank look on her face now that Dave had worn earlier. Mary sagged with relief, then straightened when Carol suddenly took on expression and movement again as if someone had pushed a button on her back to activate her.
"I went into town to pick up mail, and two boxes were waiting for you there," Carol announced cheerfully, nodding down at the heavy-looking box she carried before adding, "The other one is still in the golf cart."
Dante immediately moved forward to take the box Carol carried. He set it on the dinette table for her, and then went out to fetch the second box from the golf cart as well.
"Oh, thank you, Carol," Mary murmured as Dante quickly returned with the second box and set it on the table as well. She eyed the boxes curiously, wondering what they held, but she was also thinking that Dante had obviously been telling the truth. Carol hadn't been in the office to visit. Dave had been lying.
"My pleasure," Carol said easily, and then asked, "Have you seen Dave? He was heading out to handle an issue with one of the campers when I left, and still isn't back."
"Oh . . . er . . ." Mary glanced to Dante with alarm, worried that he'd done something to the man. Or made the man do something to himself under his influence.
"I believe he mentioned going down to the river," Dante said mildly in response to her look. When Mary narrowed her eyes suspiciously, he added, "To feed the birds."
Mary relaxed a little and turned to offer Carol a forced smile as the woman said, "Well then I guess I'd better go find him. He'll forget to eat lunch otherwise."
"Is it lunchtime already?" Mary asked with surprise. It seemed like they'd just had breakfast.
"Just about," Carol said lightly as she turned to head out of the RV.
Mary waved her off and closed the door behind her, then turned to peer at Dante suspiciously. "Did you really send him to feed the birds?"
"Yes."
"And that's it?" Mary asked, eyes narrowed.
Dante scowled, but then grimaced and admitted reluctantly, "I may have put the suggestion in his mind that while he was down there he should perhaps fall in . . . a couple or three times," he muttered and when she opened her mouth, added quickly, "He needed to cool off."
"He did, did he?" Mary asked with sudden amusement. He looked so much like a little boy caught being bad in that moment.
"Yes, he did," Dante assured her. "Besides, it is better than he deserved for his thoughts. You are mine."
"Am I?" she asked softly.
"Oh, yes," he assured her and drew her into his arms. His head was just lowering toward hers when Bailey whined and pawed at the door.
They both closed their eyes briefly, and then Mary reluctantly pulled gently out of his arms. "She has to go out."
She turned to collect the leash from the hook, but Dante leaned past and took it from her, kissing her ear as he did and murmuring, "I'll do it."
"Thank you." Mary smiled, and stepped out of the way so that he could put Bailey's leash on. Once he'd finished and straightened to reach for the door, she said, "I'll make lunch while you're out."
"No need," he said lightly, allowing Bailey to trot down the steps ahead of him. "I already know what I want."
"What's that?" she asked with a frown, wondering if he was thinking of going back to the restaurant for lunch or wanted sausages or hamburgers on the barbecue.
"You," Dante growled, and caught her hand to pull her forward for a very thorough kiss that left her shaky legged and breathing heavily. Releasing her hand then, he let his fingers snake up under the bottom of her shorts and glide up to brush across her through her panties. As he caressed her core through the flimsy cloth, he murmured, "I'm going to strip you naked, spread you on the table and pleasure you with my mouth until we both scream our passion and pass out."
Panting slightly now, Mary grabbed for the counter to steady herself as he withdrew his hand. She stared after him wide-eyed as he turned to continue out the door, and was still staring when the door clanged shut behind him.
Mary remained still for a minute, then sucked in a long breath and sank to sit on the top step. Her whole body was vibrating, and her head spinning with the images he'd put in her mind. Dear God, he was going to kill her with passion.
Shaking her head, Mary got shakily to her legs and turned, only to pause as her gaze landed on the boxes on the table. She'd quite forgotten all about them. Turning to the counter, she opened the top drawer and grabbed a sharp knife, then moved to the table to examine the label on the bigger box. It was addressed to her from Argeneau Enterprises. She pursed her lips briefly, trying to think what Argeneau Enterprises was, what they sold, and why they'd be sending her anything, and then sliced through the packing tape holding the top of the box closed.
Setting the knife down, Mary then opened it and peered down in confusion as men's clothes were revealed. Mary dug through it quickly, noting that there were black jeans, black T-shirts and a leather jacket. All looked to be large enough to fit Dante, she noted.
Mary set it aside and then turned to cut open the second box. This time a small cooler was revealed with A.B.B. stamped on it. Flipping it open, she stared blankly down at the bagged blood inside for a moment, and then carefully closed it. The boxes may have been addressed to her, but they were obviously for Dante.
She glanced in the big box again and noted an envelope inside. Reaching in, Mary took it out. She really hadn't planned on reading it, but it wasn't addressed to anyone, and the flap of the envelope wasn't sealed, so in the end she slipped her fingers in to grasp the small piece of paper inside and tug it half out. Half was all she needed to be able to read the words on it.
We're here.
Ten
Mary stared at the words for a long time and had no idea why they made her heart race. We're here. They were just two little words . . .
But she was recalling that Dante had said they were to wait here until hunters were sent to help trap the kidnappers should they try to grab him again. She was guessing that's who the "We're here" referred to.
Slipping the paper back inside the envelope, Mary set it on top of the clothes and turned to slip out of the RV. She didn't see Dante and Bailey anywhere, but it didn't matter. Mary slipped around the RV and moved to the hookups to begin unhooking her RV from the septic, the
water and the electricity.
Mary was rather surprised that she managed the task before Dante and Bailey returned, but simply took it as a sign that she was doing the right thing and checked to be sure that all the storage compartments under the RV were locked, before going inside and closing the bedroom slide-out. Once the bed had slid all the way forward to press against the drawers under the closets, she left the panel to quickly slide the L-shaped couch back into a straight couch. She then closed the living-room slide-out as well. They hadn't put out the awning, so Mary next got into the driver's seat, turned on the engine and retracted the jacks.
"What are you doing?"
Glancing around at that question, she saw that Dante was leading Bailey into the RV, but merely gestured toward the table and waited for the jacks to finish pulling up as she watched him drop Bailey's leash and move to the table to examine the contents she'd removed from the box.
The jacks finished retracting then, and Mary turned in the driver's seat and patted her leg. Bailey immediately moved to her side.
"Good girl," Mary murmured and leaned down to undo her leash.
Standing then, she hung the leash on the hook and moved up beside Dante. "I'm sorry I opened it. It was addressed to me."
"Yes. Lucian asked for your name," Dante murmured, retrieving a bag of blood from the cooler.
Mary peered at him curiously, noting that his eyes were glowing more silver than black.
"You need blood," she guessed.
He grimaced and nodded. "I was careful not to take too much from the people at the truck stop. It was enough to handle the worst of the healing, but I needed more and did not take much at all from Dave before you stopped me."
"I'm sorry," she said softly.
Dante merely shrugged, grabbed two more bags and turned to carry them toward the bathroom door.
"You don't have to go in there to feed," Mary protested with a frown.
Dante hesitated, but then turned back. "It will not make you uncomfortable if I feed in front of you?"
"I don't think so," she said honestly. "Actually, I'm kind of curious to see--" Mary stopped abruptly as he opened his mouth and his canines suddenly shifted and slid down like the tips of staples descending out of a stapler, and then he slapped one of the bags to them. That was the only way to describe it. He just slapped it on them like poking a straw into a fast-food drink glass. Mary watched silently as the bag began to shrink, crumpling inward as the blood inside dwindled. It was all rather fast, certainly quicker than she'd expected, and then he tugged the now empty bag off of his fangs and slapped another one on.