Runaway Vampire (Argeneau, #23)(85)
“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.