Mary stared at Dante’s back. She couldn’t see who was at the door—Dante’s wide back was blocking her view—but she didn’t really care. She didn’t even care enough to listen to what was being said and she no doubt could have heard with her super duper new hearing, but she couldn’t be bothered. Her mind was spinning with all she’d lost.
She’d thought losing her husband last year had been a big blow, but losing her children and grandchildren, her entire remaining family and all her friends in one go? And if her being turned was the cause of her loss, then it had happened in basically the same area of Texas where she’d lost her husband last year, she realized, taking note of the irony.
But Dante had turned her to save her life, Mary reminded herself quietly. If he hadn’t she would be dead, which would have lost her everything anyway, and in a more permanent way. But now she had her life, if a slightly different one that included the need for blood. And she had Dante. And she could still see her children and grandchildren from afar, and check their Facebook and twitter accounts to see how they were. She just could not actually speak to them or hold them in her arms again, comfort them when they suffered life’s setbacks or losses, or encourage them when—
Turning sharply to the window, Mary dashed a sudden spate of tears from her eyes and took a deep breath. She was being a stupid, ungrateful old fool. She had been given a gift here that most would kill for. She had a young and healthy body again with no aches or pains, no failing sight, no pills for blood pressure or cholesterol.
She also had a strong, handsome man who she had mind-blowing sex with, literally, and who saw her as the holy grail of women. A man who wanted her for his life mate and had admitted just moments ago that he’d die for her.
And, she could have babies with him too with this new improved body, Mary reminded herself. But even that did not ease the pain of losing the children and grandchildren she already had, and she knew it never would. While she’d loved every dog she’d had in her life, none had replaced the one she’d had and lost before it.
But they had helped ease the pain a bit, Mary thought suddenly. Perhaps the distraction of a baby would help see her through not being able to see her children and grandchildren except through their Facebook posts.
The psychologist in Mary knew at once that that was a bad idea, that it wouldn’t work to ease her loss, and in fact would simply add to her stress as new babies tended to do. But Mary was a woman first and didn’t want to listen to the more reasonable and educated side of her brain. She suddenly just wanted a baby to hold in her arms, one that was born immortal and could not be taken away from her.
“Mary?” Dante said softly and she whirled to see that the door was closed and he was crossing the room to join her again.
Mary didn’t even think, she just slipped the straps of her nightgown off her shoulders and let the gown drop to pool around her feet. “Let’s make a baby.”
Dante stopped walking and blinked. “What?”
Stepping out of the puddle of cloth, Mary moved to him and slipped her arms up around his shoulders to try to tug his head down for a kiss. When he resisted, a frown marring his perfect face, she grabbed his hand and dragged him the few steps to one of the chairs by the window and quickly stepped up on the seat so that she could reach his mouth.
“Mary,” he said on a laugh, trying to avoid her lips when she tried to kiss him. “What—?”
“I want a baby,” she said almost desperately. “Please, Dante.”
“But, Mary, you said—” He paused and gasped when she gave up on trying to kiss him, and instead reached down to find and squeeze him through the thick cloth of his jeans. Shaking his head, he groaned helplessly, “But I got the condoms.”
“We don’t need them,” she assured him, unsnapping his jeans with her free hand and then lowering the zipper. “I want a baby.”
“But Mary, you—I—” His efforts to speak died abruptly as she got his jeans open, freeing his quickly growing erection. When she caught it in her hand and squeezed gently, he gave up arguing on a growl and covered her mouth with his own.
Breathing her relief into his mouth, Mary kissed him back and continued to caress him, her own body responding to the touch and telling her just how much pressure to apply, what speed felt best. It was a wonderful trick, allowing her to bring them both quickly to the brink. But when Mary realized she was about to push them both over the edge into orgasm with him not even in her, she quickly released him and broke their kiss.
Ignoring Dante’s groan of disappointment, Mary urged him back a step, and got off the chair to stand on the floor in front of him. She then immediately turned and bent forward, bracing herself on the arms of the chair now with her behind nudging against his erection.