Thoughts of Mary made him pat his leg.
"Come on. Let us go check on our Mary," he suggested and turned toward the house.
Bailey immediately turned toward the house and began to move more quickly. In the end, she reached the door before he did and waited patiently for him to open it so that she could rush inside and up the stairs, eager to see her mistress.
Mary was woken up by more than eighty pounds of dog leaping on top of her. It was accompanied by angry whispers in Italian that could only be Dante, she thought with amusement, as she reached out to pet her dog and try to calm her.
"Oh, Dio mio, do not pet her, Mary. Go back to sleep. She is being bad waking you, and you are rewarding her," Dante said with exasperation.
Chuckling, Mary rolled onto her back to see him approaching the bed.
"I know. I guess I'm just a bad mother," she said with amusement, absently stroking Bailey's head as the dog laid it on her stomach.
"Your fangs are out," Dante said rather than respond to her comment.
Pausing at the side of the bed, he opened the hidden refrigerator and grabbed a bag of blood and then climbed onto the bed on the other side of Bailey. He passed the bag of blood over to her and then curved around Bailey so he could lay his head on the pillow next to Mary's.
Gripping the bag of blood, Mary sat up and ran her tongue cautiously around her teeth. Yep, there they were, long and sharp and apparently hungry again, she thought with resignation and slapped the bag to her hungry fangs. They did seem to constantly be popping out on her. Every time she woke up she seemed to have to consume the red liquid, and usually several bags of it.
"How is your head?" Dante asked as they waited for the bag to empty.
Mary raised her eyebrows at the question, wondering how he expected her to answer. But then he asked, "Does it hurt?" and she was able to shake her head in answer.
"Good," he murmured, toying with the top of the blanket covering her. "And you are a wonderful mother, Mary. Bailey is lucky," he added, finally responding to her comment of a moment ago. "And our children will be too. I have no doubt you will spoil them at times. But you will discipline them too, and they will always know they are loved."
Mary stared at him silently. She had been smiling around the nearly empty bag at her mouth, but now that smile faded and tears glazed her eyes. Mary immediately turned her head away from him so he couldn't see the tears. She was relieved when she could tear the bag away from her mouth a moment later.
When Dante immediately took it, she began to fiddle with the edge of the blanket covering her and muttered, "What's this talk of our children? I think you're getting a little ahead of yourself, mister. Heck, I've only known you for a couple of days."
Dante caught her chin and turned her head toward him. He peered at her silently for a moment, taking in her glassy eyes, then said solemnly, "It was a week yesterday that you ran me over. True," he added quickly, his fingers tightening to keep her in place when she started to turn her head away again, "You have slept through most of the week."
For some reason, that brought a wry laugh from her, and he smiled, but continued.
"However, it does not matter. We are life mates, Mary, and I do not intend to lose you. We will love each other, and we will be together for however long we both shall live, and we will have many, many babies. It was meant to be," he assured her.
Mary swallowed, trying to shift the lump suddenly lodged in her throat. She suspected that, despite the little time they'd been together, she was already half in love with the big idiot. How could she not be? He was sweet, and strong and caring. The fact that he was beautiful didn't hurt either, but it was just gravy.
After years of counseling people, Mary had become adept at judging character, and Dante was a man of substance. She had loved her husband, Joe. Once they'd worked through their issues, theirs had been a caring and contented relationship of friendship and love. It had been hard won and appreciated all the more for it. But with Dante, Mary suspected she could have that special, once-in-a-lifetime love many of her patients had talked about yearning for, and she'd always thought was just fantasy. Mary didn't think it was fantasy anymore, and she was quite sure she could have it with Dante, and that it would actually last as long as they lived, whether that was another twenty years, or two thousand. But, she could not have children. She did not mind for herself. Mary had long ago got over the fact that she couldn't give birth. The moment she had held her adopted son in her arms, he had been hers as surely as if she had carried him for nine months, and when her adopted daughter had followed, it had been the same. She had her children. But she could not give Dante children.
"Dante," she said softly. "I told you. The accident caused a miscarriage. I was six months pregnant. I lost the baby and . . . there were complications. I can't have your children."
Her voice cracked on the last word, and Mary was holding on to her composure by a very fine, very short thread, so was a bit taken aback when he smiled.
"And as I told you, Mary," he said gently. "The nanos return their host to their peak condition. You will be able to have children, and I cannot wait to watch your belly grow with my child."
He covered her mouth with his then, but Mary was too stunned to respond at first, and quickly pushed him back slightly.
"Wait," she said uncertainly. "When I lost the baby, they had to--"
"The nanos will repair whatever has been damaged, and replace whatever has been lost," he interrupted solemnly, "covering pretty much everything up to and including a hysterectomy."
He started to kiss her again and this time, Mary began to respond, but the moment he urged her lips apart, she broke the kiss and pulled back again. This time she was frowning as a myriad of thoughts assaulted her.
"Are you saying I could get pregnant right now?" she asked, actually alarmed at the prospect. It was wonderful to know she could give him children, but she wasn't at all sure she wanted to do it right now, or nine months from now, she supposed. It didn't seem like a good way to start a new relationship.
"Probably not," Dante said, looking slightly quizzical that she seemed so alarmed at the prospect. "Do you not wish to have my child?"
"Well, sure. At least I think I do," she added, trying to be levelheaded about this. They had just met, after all, and common sense and all her training told her she shouldn't be jumping so wholeheartedly into this relationship. Sighing, she added, "But not right now. I mean, it would be nice to feel a little more settled in the relationship before we add a baby, don't you think?"
"Oh. Yes," he agreed, relaxing, and then grinned and urged Bailey away. Once the dog had shifted herself to the foot of the bed, he scooted closer, and drew her into his arms. "You are right. It is better to wait on having a baby. Especially since once we get Tomasso back I intend to keep you in bed for a good year or so. A baby would interfere with that. So we will wait a year or so."
Mary relaxed and nodded with relief. That was definitely the smarter route, she thought, as he began to kiss her again. She kissed him back this time, her body coming alive at once, but when he broke their kiss to lean back and begin tugging at the blanket and sheets covering her, she asked, "So you have protection?"
Dante glanced to her with confusion, and his voice was distracted when he asked, "Protection?"
"A condom?" Mary explained as he turned his attention back to removing the coverings between them. She pointed out, "It's not like I'm on birth control or anything."
"Oh." Dante murmured with a nod as he finally got the blankets and sheets out of the way.
Mary relaxed at his nod that he had protection, and smiled faintly as his gaze moved hungrily over her in the white cotton nightgown.
"We--" Dante began as he reached toward her breast, but whatever would have followed was pushed aside by a groan as his hand closed over the soft globe and he squeezed, sending shivers of pleasure through them both.
"We what?" Mary gasped, arching into the caress.
"Yes
," he muttered and covered her mouth with his again, his kiss almost violent with need.
Mary responded in kind, her body quickly melting beneath his touch and kiss. The man was fire to her tinder, sending her up in flames with just a touch. She had never experienced anything like it before. She'd thought her marital bed a satisfying one before she and Joe had had their problems, and after they'd sorted them. But he had never lifted her to these heights, even after loads of foreplay. Mary knew it had to be a chemical reaction, and most definitely a result of something to do with the nanos. It was the only explanation for this madness, she thought faintly, as Dante shifted to his knees, and lifted her to her own without breaking their kiss.
His hands were immediately everywhere. Sliding down her back to urge her forward until she knelt between his spread knees and they were chest to chest. His hands then slid down to cup her behind and squeeze eagerly, before gliding up and around to find her breasts.
Mary moaned, and arched and shifted into each touch and caress, then broke their kiss and cried out when his hands suddenly dropped again, this time to slip under her nightgown. One hand slid up to cup her between the legs, while the other slid around to cover both of her bare cheeks in his big hand so that he could urge her to move into his caress.
"God, Mary," Dante muttered against her cheek, his fingers beginning to explore the damp heat that waited for him.
"I want your clothes off," Mary moaned against his shoulder, and then gasped and began pulling at the cloth herself as he found her sweet spot. "Please."
Cursing, Dante retrieved his hands and quickly tugged his T-shirt up and off over his head.
"Your pants," Mary said breathlessly, when he started to reach for her again.
Dante was immediately off the bed, undoing and pushing his pants down.
"Where are the condoms?" she asked as he raised one foot and started to push the black denim off of it.
Turning, she opened the bed table drawer to see if there might be any there. There weren't and she turned back to ask if they might be in his wallet, or one of the other drawers, but paused when she saw that he had frozen, standing exactly as she'd last seen him, on one foot, bent over to push the cloth off. Except for the confusion on his face, he looked like a stork.
"You do have a condom?" Mary asked with a frown.
Dante shook his head, his expression blank.
"But you said you did." Mary said with accusation, and then her eyebrows drew together and she added, "At least, you nodded."
"Did I?" he frowned now too, obviously trying to recall, then relaxed and smiled faintly. "I nodded that I understood. But I was going to explain that we do not need them, and then got distracted."
Mary recalled him starting to say, "We," and then pausing on a groan. She'd then asked, "We what?" But she couldn't remember whether he'd said anything then or not. She'd been a bit distracted by what he was doing. Apparently they both had been.
Taking a deep breath to try to ease some of the excitement still rushing through her body, she said, "What do you mean we do not need one? Of course we do, Dante. You said I can get pregnant now and we agreed we were not ready for that."
"Yes, but no," he said at once and she blinked in confusion. Fortunately, he continued, "I mean, yes you no doubt can get pregnant now, but no, you probably will not."
"Probably?" Mary asked grimly, arching one eyebrow.
Dante frowned slightly, and straightened, setting his foot back on the ground. His black jeans were still pooled around his ankles as he explain earnestly, "Mary, your body is still going through the turn, which has no doubt suffered something of a setback thanks to the accident. It is not likely it could support a child just now."
"It's not likely?" she asked archly.
Grimacing, he sat down on the side of the bed, and took her hand. "For an immortal woman to become pregnant, she has to take in a lot of blood. More than she usually would need to take in. Otherwise the nanos will see the fetus as a threat to their getting the blood they need and will abort it."
"I've been taking in an awful lot of blood," she pointed out.
"Yes, yes," Dante agreed waving the issue away with one hand in the same moment. "But that will all be taken up to finish the turn and repair the damage from the accident," he explained. "It is highly unlikely that you could get pregnant right now."
"Highly unlikely," she said slowly, and then raised one eyebrow and asked, "But not impossible?"
"Well . . ." Dante hesitated, and then his shoulders drooped. "You are going to insist on a condom."
"Yes," she said dryly.
"Right," Dante muttered and stood to pull his pants up, then headed for the door, muttering, "I shall be back directly."
Mary lay back on the bed with a sigh. If someone had told her that birth control would be an issue for her at sixty-two, she would have laughed in their face. "Who knew?" she muttered with disgust.
Sixteen
Dante hurried up the hall and then jogged downstairs, wracking his brain for a way to get condoms. Buying them was the obvious answer, but while it was only 7:30 in the evening and most stores would be open right now, the Enforcer House was in the country, a good fifteen minutes from the nearest store. He really didn't want to wait that long to get back to Mary.
Perhaps one of the men would have condoms, he thought and grimaced even as the possibility struck him. That just wasn't likely. Certainly Russell and Francis wouldn't have them. And Mortimer and his life mate Samantha were apparently hoping to get pregnant, so they wouldn't have them. Hell, most immortals wouldn't. They knew all they had to do to guard against pregnancy was not overindulge in blood. But Mary wasn't willing to take that chance because she had to take in so much blood just now. He understood, but it was frustrating as hell.
Maybe Mortimer kept condoms on hand for guests who stayed at the Enforcer House, Dante thought suddenly. The man had recently taken to ensuring they had most things an unexpected guest might need: everything from clothes in various sizes to shoes, extra vehicles--even brand-new toothbrushes and toothpaste still in their packaging. Condoms might also be on that list, Dante thought hopefully, as he stepped off the stairs and turned into the kitchen.
He was hoping to find Mortimer in there, since that was where the head of the enforcers had been when Dante had gone upstairs. However, he wasn't, and the first person he ran into on his quest for condoms was Mortimer's wife, Samantha. The sight of her made him pause abruptly several feet into the room.
"Oh, hello, Dante," the slender woman said with a smile when she glanced up from the pot she was stirring and spotted him. "How is Mary? Is she hungry? I made some soup."
"Er . . . no," Dante murmured, backing toward the doorway. When her eyebrows went up at his strange behavior, he added, "I was looking for Mortimer."
"He, Bricker, and Lucian went into his study," she said, and then added, "I'm sure they won't mind you interrupting. Although if there's something you need that I can help with--"
"No!" Dante barked with dismay, and then forced a smile and said more calmly, "Thank you, but it is better I talk to Mortimer."
"Okay," Samantha said easily, glancing down into the pot she was stirring. But as he left the room he could have sworn he heard her murmur, "No glove, no love, huh?"
Assuring himself that he must have misheard her, Dante hurried along the hall toward Mortimer's study. He could hear them talking before he reached the door, but was distracted enough he didn't bother really listening. He also didn't wait for a response after knocking at the door, but simply opened it and walked in.
Mortimer, Lucian, and Bricker were all there, as Samantha had said. They were standing around Mortimer's desk, looking at a map of some kind. All three glanced up with mild curiosity at his entrance.
"Sorry to interrupt," Dante muttered and then focused on Mortimer and began, "I just wanted to ask if you have gloves."
"Gloves?" Mortimer asked with surprise. "Sure. There should be some--"
"Oh, sorry
, not gloves," Dante said with a frown, realizing what he'd said. His mind must still have been on what he'd thought he heard Samantha say.
"He means condoms," Bricker said with amusement, apparently reading his mind where Mortimer obviously hadn't. Grinning, the young hunter said, "No unwrapped stags between Mary's legs, huh?"
"What?" Dante asked, his voice choked with shock.
"She wants you to cuff your carrot, before you share it?" Bricker suggested and when Dante just stared at him blankly, he added, "You have to sock that wanger before you bang her?"
"Bricker," Mortimer said with exasperation.
But Justin just added, "Got no protection? Can't use your erection?"
"The internet?" Lucian asked dryly.
Pausing, Justin Bricker grinned at the man and said, "Yeah. They have loads of sayings: hide old Harry, then take her cherry. Wrap that pickle, then slip her a tickle. If you can't shield your rocket, leave it in your pocket. Don't make a mistake; cover your snake. Cover your stump before you hump. Don't be a fool--"
"Truly, Justin," Lucian interrupted grimly. "The subject of your internet searches really worries me sometimes."
"What?" Bricker asked with surprise. "Why?"
"The fact that you have to even ask me that question also worries me," Lucian said dryly. "First cocks, now condoms. What is next?"
"Well, I did come across this site that has--"
"I do not want to know," Lucian interrupted shortly, and then glanced to Dante. "You said Mary was a psychologist before she retired?"
Dante nodded, surprised and a little confused by the question until Lucian said, "Then perhaps you could ask her to have a session or two with Bricker while she is here."
"Ha ha," Justin said dryly.
Lucian ignored him and added, "I shall pay for them out of my own pocket just to ensure he is well enough to be on the job . . . and carrying a weapon."
"I shall mention it to her," Dante said, amusement replacing his dismay.
"Hardy har, har," Justin said dryly. "I drag myself away from my hot and sexy Holly to help out around here, and this is the appreciation I get?"