Page 24 of Sexual Appetites of Vampires

Lara couldn’t stop a smile from surfacing and admitting, “I’d like that.”

“Let me slip on a shirt and socks, though I fear I have no polka dot ones.”

Lara laughed and stuck out her foot. “I have dozens.”

They left the room together, though Lara waited in the hall. Michael didn’t take long. He returned wearing a black knit shirt that, of course, had to cling to his every muscle and curve.

They hurried off to the kitchen. Lara selected one of the pre-prepared suppers in the freezer and popped it in the microwave while Michael fixed a plate of raw veggies and fruit. He also chose a Pinot Noir from the wine rack, and they soon were ensconced in the comfortable room off the kitchen, sitting across from each other as they enjoyed supper together.

Lara couldn’t recall the last time she had felt so relaxed with a man. She found it hard to believe that it had been only this morning that they had met. They talked and laughed more like old friends than new acquaintances. He was easy and interesting to talk with and seemed so...human.

“You were never frightened growing up amid all those gravestones?” he asked, settling back in his chair with his wine glass in hand.

“No, never. I was so young when my father got the position as the caretaker. I didn’t understand what a cemetery was. My father would take me with him on the riding mower when he cut the grass.” Lara smiled. “At first, I thought the headstones were doors and I would knock on them and asked to come in. Then I began talking to the deceased, calling them by name. Then one day my dad found me at one of the burial ceremonies talking to the widow of a man who had just been buried. He apologized to the elderly woman, but she told him it wasn’t necessary that I had made it easier for her to leave her husband’s graveside since I had promised her that he would not be alone that I would keep him company and talk to him every day.

“The woman always made sure to find me when she paid her husband’s grave a visit, and I would tell her what I talked to him about. She asked me if I would promise to do the same for her when her time came.”

“And you did.”

Lara nodded and wiped at tears lingering in her eyes. “She loved flowers, so I planted daisies, her favorite, and talked with her often until the day came that I had to say good-bye to them all.”

“That must have been difficult for you, since no doubt they felt like family.”

Lara stared at him. She had stopped sharing that story a long time ago because of the way people reacted. Most thought she was crazy or weird, not one person understood the cemetery had been home to her and the residents, though deceased, family she talked and shared her hopes, dreams, fears, and sorrows with...no one that was until Michael.

“You’re such an interesting woman, Lara, I could talk with you forever and never get bored.”

Lara had to laugh. “I think eventually you would grow tired of hearing the same old stories.”

“You will have new stories to tell, especially with your travels and the interesting subjects you write about.”

“I do enjoy traveling, seeing new places, meeting new people, and investigating strange phenomenon.”

“Have you traveled outside the U.S.?”

“No, but I would love to someday. And you?” she asked.

“I’ve been all over the world, but then I’ve had the time to travel.”

Lara grinned. “I forget your advanced age, though you look to be only in your mid-thirties.”

“We age, but much slower than humans.”

“What of the woman you fall in love with and marry or do you go through several wives in your extended lifetime?” she asked curiously, though she felt a twinge of sadness. She couldn’t imagine falling in love with him, knowing he would live well beyond her years.

Right, Lara, you’re more concerned with him living longer than you rather than the fact that you’d fall in love with a vampire. And why was she even thinking about falling in love with him? Because he appealed to her in more ways than just his good looks.

Stop thinking about it, he’ll hear you, she silently warned herself.

“We can marry our own kind, but if we choose to marry a human there is a way for her life to be extended.”

“A bite on the neck?”

“There are advantages to a bite on the neck for the woman I marry, but having children is what gives her the ability to live longer.”

“How and what advantages are there to a bite on the neck for the woman you marry?”

“The child’s blood mingles with the mother’s and slows the aging process.”

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