"Yes, beautiful," Sherry sighed, and then pointed out, "When I brought up sunlight and your people not seeming to have any problem with it, you explained about the nanos. Does that mean that, unlike Stoker's vampires, you don't have problems with sunlight?"
"No."
She raised an eyebrow. "But traditional vampires can't stand sunlight . . . or garlic . . . or religious symbols like the cross."
"Ah." Basil smiled faintly as he watched the woman work. "Well, while we won't burst into flames or anything when struck by sunlight, it does damage our skin, just as it does mortals. Traditionally we did, and still do, avoid sunlight as much as possible. You will not find any sun worshippers among our people. The more damage we take, the more blood we need. The need for more blood at one time meant more risk of getting caught. Now it just means wasting blood, which is a precious commodity. Our blood banks have as much trouble replacing stock as the Red Cross and mortal blood banks do." He shrugged. "So we avoid it as much as possible. In the past, that meant staying indoors much of the day and living mostly at night. Nowadays, though, we are much freer. We have UV protective glazing put on windows in both our homes and cars, so it's just a matter of getting from the vehicle to a building or vice versa, which does little enough damage."
Sherry shifted her attention to the actual glass of the window she was looking out of, supposing they probably had that UV protective glaze.
"As for churches and religious symbols," Basil continued. "They are not a problem for us."
Shifting her attention back to him, she asked, "And garlic?" The question was more teasing than serious.
"I personally love garlic," he assured her. "Well, I would not eat it before a date, but otherwise . . ." He shrugged. "It does us no harm." He pursed his lips and then added, "My brother Jean Claude loathed garlic, though, which may be where the whole garlic thing came from."
Sherry glanced doubtfully at him, wondering how one man's dislike of garlic could turn into the whole myth of garlic being detrimental to the health of vampires. But Basil merely shook his head, and muttered, "Long story."
"You've mentioned your brother Jean Claude a couple of times. Does he live in Canada or the U.S.?"
"He lived in Canada at the end, but passed away some years back," Basil answered.
"Oh." She grimaced. "Sorry."
Basil shrugged. "That is one of life's drawbacks, death is a constant companion."
"Less so for your kind than mine," she pointed out dryly.
"Perhaps I should have said loss is a constant companion to life," he said solemnly. "For while I have lived a very long time, I have witnessed and grieved the loss of countless family members, friends, and acquaintances."
"Wow, you're really trying to sell this immortality business," Sherry teased with amusement. The man was not making it attractive.
Basil grimaced. "Salesman is one career I never tried. I knew I would not be good at it."
Sherry shrugged. "I'm not good with sales either."
Basil laughed at that. "You own a store. Sales is your business."
"That's different. People come in looking for something and we help them find it. We don't drag people in off the street and try to sell them something."
"Ah," he smiled. "Yes, I can see the difference."
They were both silent for a minute, and then Sherry asked, "Do you like living in New York?"
Basil shrugged. "It is all right. But it would certainly be nice to see more trees and grass. That is probably the only thing I miss in New York. There are parks, of course, and I have a couple of potted trees on my terrace, but it is not the same as living somewhere like this."
"No. That's how I feel about living in an apartment in Toronto," Sherry agreed.
Basil nodded. "On the other hand. I am usually working, so would not get to enjoy the trees much anyway."
"Yeah," Sherry agreed with a wry smile. "It's the same with me. I seem always to be working as well. Not that I mind," she added quickly. "It's my dream. A labor of love, so . . ." She shrugged.
"But it leaves precious little time for a social life?" he suggested.
"Oh, I don't mind that either," she assured him, and he looked surprised.
"Really?" he asked. "No biological clock ticking? No pining for marriage and little ones?"
Sherry shook her head and then frowned. "I used to. When I was younger I often thought about finding a man I loved, marrying and settling down. But now I just want the store to be up and running and doing well."
"You started it three years ago?" he asked.
Sherry nodded.
"Is it not self-sustaining by now? It usually takes about three years for a store to find its footing."
"Yes," she agreed.
"And yours has not?" he asked.
"Oh, yes. It did surprisingly well from the start, and since I paid for it outright and had no loans, we started turning a profit almost right away," she admitted.
"Then it shouldn't need all the extra work anymore," he reasoned.
"Yes, but I just want the store to be up and running and doing well," she repeated as her gaze settled on the Keurig coffee machine beside the television. "I wonder if they'd mind if I had a coffee? All this talk is making me thirsty."
Basil was silent for a minute, watching her, but then he gave his head a small shake, stood, and walked over to the coffee machine. "Of course they would not mind."
Sherry stood and joined him, noting that the machine sat on a black metal holder for the small K cups, similar to the one she had in her own office. Opening the drawer, she found various types of coffee in it. Drinking cups were lined up next to the machine and a silver canister held spoons. There was even sugar. Her gaze slid to the water cooler standing next to the shelving unit and she smiled. "I bet there is cream in the cooler's refrigerator."
"Refrigerator?" Basil echoed dubiously.
Smiling, Sherry knelt and opened the lower front of the water cooler base, revealing the small refrigerated compartment inside and the cream it held. There were also some soft drinks there. "I have the same setup in my office. Water cooler with fridge. It supplies the water for my Keurig, and I can keep my milk cold so I never have to leave my office to grab a coffee while working. Saves time."
"Clever," Basil commented as she retrieved the cream and stood up.
"Or lazy," she admitted with amusement. "It's also cheaper than installing a sink and fridge in my office."
"I am quite surprised Victor drinks coffee," Basil said as she selected a vanilla hazelnut K cup and set it in the Keurig machine. "Actually, I've noticed all the hunters seem to drink it, which surprises me."
"Why?" Sherry grabbed a coffee cup next and set it on the silver grill, then hit the middle button. She shifted to lean sideways against the shelf as she waited for Basil to answer.
"Caffeine can make immortals a bit . . ." He hesitated, obviously searching for the right word. Finally, he shrugged and said, "Well, I believe the modern term is wired."
"Enough of it can make anyone wired," she said with amusement, and then raised her eyebrows and asked, "The nanos don't take care of the caffeine in your systems?"
"Oddly enough, no. Instead, the effects appear to be amplified in immortals."
"Hmm. Weird," she commented, and turned to collect her coffee as the machine finished dripping it into her cup. "Does that mean you don't want coffee? They have cider and hot chocolate in the K cups up here too, I noticed."
"No, I shall have the coffee. I quite enjoyed the one we had on the ride down," Basil said, opening the drawer. After a hesitation, he selected a vanilla hazelnut as well.
Sherry grabbed him a cup and set it on the silver grill even as he popped the K cup in. Then she left him to hit the middle button and turned her attention to adding cream and sugar to her own coffee.
"So, this man that you are casually dating . . . ?" Basil asked a moment later as he began to doctor his own coffee.
Sherry turned to walk to the couch, aware tha
t her eyebrows had risen. She didn't know why, but his broaching the subject surprised her. Although, she supposed she shouldn't be surprised. He'd asked if Luther was the one she was dating when he'd come up in conversation. Sitting on the couch, she set her coffee on the side table and glanced to him in question. "Yes?"
"Tell me about him," Basil suggested.
Sherry shrugged. "There isn't much to tell. Barry owns the sporting goods store next to my store. He's newly divorced and going through the slut stage."
"Slut stage?" Basil asked with a sort of horrified bewilderment.
Sherry chuckled slightly at his expression. "I've noticed that when couples break up, one or the other often goes through either a crazy period or a slut stage. The slut stage is dating and sometimes even sleeping with everything that moves. The crazy period is the weeping, wailing, bitching, and can't-stand-to-be-alone thing. Barry is going through the slut stage."
"And you are dating him?" he asked with dismay.
Sherry rolled her eyes. "I did say it was casual. We go out to movies or dinner and stuff. I'm not stupid enough to sleep with him when he's sleeping with half the women in Toronto."
"Oh." Basil settled on the couch next to her and set his own coffee on his end table. He then glanced to her with a confounded expression and asked, "But why even date him?"
Sherry sighed. "Because it's easy. He has no expectations. He doesn't want commitment. Doesn't get angry when I work late, or when I cancel at the last minute because something has cropped up at the shop. He just calls one of his other friends." She pursed her lips and then admitted, "I suppose we aren't even really dating so much as going out on dates once in a while."
"But why even do that?" he asked, truly appearing bewildered. "Courtship is undertaken in the hopes of finding a mate, and yet you don't appear to consider him mateworthy."
"Maybe, but I don't really have time for a mate right now," Sherry said with a shrug. "I need the store up and running and doing well before I can take the time out for a husband and family."
He blinked. "But the store is doing well. You said it started turning a profit almost right away," he pointed out.
"Yes," she agreed with a smile. "I'm rather proud of that."
"Then, what--"
"Basil," she interrupted pleasantly. "Are you ever going to kiss me again?"
Seven
"What?"
Sherry grimaced. The man looked rather bewildered by her question. She couldn't tell if that was because he genuinely didn't understand what she'd meant when she said, "Are you ever going to kiss me again"--which seemed rather unlikely. It was a pretty straightforward question, after all--or whether he was just befuddled that she had been brazen enough to ask it. She suspected it was the latter. She supposed she'd somehow shocked his old-world sensibilities.
Self-conscious under his unblinking stare, she shifted uncomfortably and began to babble. "I mean we're alone here, something that probably won't happen often. And we do have to find out if we experience that shared pleasure business you mentioned. For one thing, I'm really quite curious about that myself. I mean I can't even begin to conceive of what that might be like. But we also need to find out if we experience it so that we know for sure that I truly am a possible life mate. Because I'm not at all sure--"
Much to Sherry's relief, Basil ended her little babbleathon by kissing her . . . and it was as amazing as the last two times he kissed her. She liked to think she was a good kisser, but the man was a master at the art. There was no hesitation, he was just suddenly beside her on the couch, his hand at the back of her head, pulling her forward as his mouth descended to cover hers.
She sighed her relief into his mouth, and then opened to him when his tongue slid forward to demand entrance. Passion immediately roared up through her like a freight train, and she gave up analyzing his kissing skills. It was impossible to think when your body suddenly felt like liquid fire. Sherry felt as if she was bubbling and melting wherever he touched her, and his hands were everywhere. The hand at her head dropped down to her back, pressing her closer even as his other hand found and covered one breast, cupping and squeezing the soft globe before gently pinching her nipple through the cloth of her blouse and bra.
Sherry groaned and clutched at his shoulders, her body arching to thrust itself into the caress. She then groaned again when he released her to work on the buttons of her shirt. She tried to help him, but her hands were suddenly clumsy stumps. It didn't matter, though, the man was skilled in more than kissing. He had the buttons undone and the front clasp of her bra unsnapped so fast it was enough to leave her gasping with shock. It was a sound she repeated when both his hands suddenly closed over her breasts.
Moaning into his mouth, Sherry arched and twisted into his caresses by turn as his fingers played over her. Then she groaned with disappointment when he broke their kiss, only to gasp, "Oh, God," when his mouth replaced one hand and he drew the nipple between his warm wet lips and began to suckle.
"Basil," she gasped, clutching at his head to urge him on. Sherry felt his displaced hand briefly clasp her knee. When it then began to slide up her leg under her skirt, she instinctively let her legs spread a little for him, shocked to find them trembling like a virgin's as his hand continued its journey.
Basil lifted his head to kiss her again as his fingers brushed against the silk cloth of her panties. It was just a feather light touch the first time, but became firmer the second time, and Sherry groaned, her legs clasping around his hand and squeezing eagerly. Basil nipped her lip in response and withdrew his hand to urge her legs apart again. He then hooked a leg over her knee, keeping the one leg still and preventing the other from closing as well. Once that was done, he deepened their kiss again, his tongue thrusting into her mouth as he found her silk panties again. He brushed over the cloth once, then quickly tugged the material to the side and began to caress her without the cloth in the way.
Sherry cried out into his mouth and then began to suck on his tongue, her body writhing where he had her pinned to the couch as her need grew in mounting waves that were becoming almost unbearable. She needed release, she needed him inside her, thrusting and--
Tearing her mouth from his, she cried, "Basil please!" and reached for his pants. Her hands were not clumsy stumps anymore. Suddenly they were working again and she quickly had his dress pants undone. She would have reached in and found him then, but Basil immediately broke off what he was doing, stood up even as he caught her legs to turn her sideways on the couch, and then came down on top of her. His kisses then turned almost violent, his tongue thrusting out to spread her lips even as he reached down between them, freed himself, and then shifted his hips and thrust his erection into her.
Sherry cried out, her hips bucking to welcome him, her body clasping his hardness, reluctant to release him as he withdrew a bit before plunging back in. Some part of her mind was aware that it was all happening extraordinarily quickly, that foreplay had pretty much been neglected altogether, but she didn't care. She wanted him, needed him to do exactly what he was doing. Foreplay could wait for the next time, she thought, and then cried out in shocked pleasure as an orgasm exploded through her with darkness hard on its heels.
Knocking at the door woke Sherry sometime later and she peered around with confusion at the room she was in. Windows, blinds, a television . . . Oh yes, the sunroom, she recalled, and remembered what had happened here at the same moment as she became aware of the man slumped on top of her. Basil. Good Lord, they'd--
Another knock interrupted her realization of what had gone on, and she quickly grabbed the afghan off the back of the couch and pulled it over them both as the door began to open.
"Oh, sorry folks," Teddy said, turning his head away as he realized what he'd walked in on. "Just checking to make sure you two were still here and okay. For a bit we thought you'd left. This was the last place I thought to look. But I'll let you be." He started to pull the door closed again, but paused with it still cracked open. Eyes stil
l averted, he added, "Katricia and Drina are making supper if you want any. Don't worry if you don't. We've all been where you are, so we'll understand. But we'll put some away in the fridge for you to grab later when you surface."
"Thank you, Teddy," Basil murmured, and Sherry glanced down to see that he was awake now and had tugged the afghan off of his head to look around. It left her chest bare, and his sleepy eyes were lighting up and turning bright silver as they roved over her naked flesh.
"You're welcome," Teddy said, drawing her gaze back to his averted face. "And if I don't see you before bedtime, good night."
He pulled the door closed then, and Sherry glanced back to Basil. "He doesn't think we'll want to eat?"
"As he said, he's been where we are. He knows the hunger between life mates will hold more sway," Basil murmured, tugging the afghan off of them both and letting it slide to the floor.
"Is this life mate hunger?" Sherry asked uncertainly.
Basil stiffened, his eyes shooting to meet hers with surprise. "You still are not sure? Even after what just happened?"
"Well, it was pretty amazing," she admitted. "But I still didn't experience anything that could be described as shared pleasure. At least, I don't think I did. I mean, it's never been this intense before, but . . ." She let her words trail off when Basil dropped his forehead to rest on her shoulder, and then asked, "What?"
"This is my fault," he acknowledged, raising his head. "I was just so--it has been so long and--I pretty much attacked you and--"
"You didn't attack me," she interrupted with a smile. "Heck, I asked you to kiss me, and I was the one who--"
"No, I meant that I did not give you the chance to do much. I was all over you and did not give you the chance to do more than hold on for the ride."
Determination filling his expression, he shifted to a sitting position, forcing her to do the same. Once they were seated side by side, he kissed her again, and Sherry moaned as desire immediately reignited within her. Honest to God it rose up fully formed, as if they hadn't already sated it once but had merely stirred it to life and then taken a short break.
Sherry's whole body was humming just from the kiss. She hardly noticed when Basil caught her hand and drew it toward him . . . until he wrapped it around his already hard erection and squeezed her fingers gently, urging her on. Rather than respond to the silent request, she froze with shock. Something had zinged through her when Basil wrapped her hand around himself. Some sort of . . . She squeezed him gently, and then eased her hand his length and gasped into his mouth when it happened again. Excitement shooting through her like--