“If you agree to be my lifemate, Inez, you’re agreeing to become an immortal, to live out your life with me,” he said quietly. “Some immortals don’t insist on their lifemate turning if she or he doesn’t wish to. They spend what little time one lifetime allows because its all they can have. But I won’t do that, Inez. I don’t want you for forty or fifty years. It will just hurt that much more when I lose you. I would insist on your becoming immortal too.”
Inez just stood there, his words echoing in her head. She hadn’t considered that he’d expect her to turn. Miss Details had missed that one. Actually, she hadn’t even really thought about the fact that it was possible. She’d been too enraptured by the idea that here was a ready-made mate without the necessity for a long, drawn-out courtship that she could possibly bungle as she’d bungled so many relationships in the past.
The biggest complaint Inez had heard from past boyfriends had been that she was always working and hardly spent any time with them, yet she hadn’t thought of work once since meeting Thomas, she realized. Perhaps she’d just needed the right man to distract her and she’d have to say Thomas was a great distraction. However, she’d have to become like him to have him; an immortal.
Inez considered the idea, trying to imagine living for hundreds of years…with Thomas. Oddly enough, the idea of living centuries was rather daunting until she added the “with Thomas” part. It was still daunting, but…#p#分页标题#e#
Who was she kidding? Inez thought grimly. It was more than daunting. Living centuries might sound like a great idea on first hearing it, but Inez instinctively looked for the problems inherent in any plan. It was why she was so good at what she did. She spotted possible future problems and did what she could to prevent them from being problems before they even cropped up.
Inez was seeing a lot of possible problems with being immortal. His people had to remain hidden, unnoticed by the mortals around them. She imagined that put a lot of restrictions on them as a whole.
There was also the fact that she would have to watch her own family age and die while she didn’t. Inez knew instinctively that this would be difficult for her. While she didn’t live close to her family at the moment because of her job, she loved them dearly and called and even visited often. Inez knew she would experience guilt and helplessness as they aged, and with her take-charge and fix-it attitude would want to fix things so they didn’t. Somehow she didn’t think she’d be allowed to turn her whole family, but could she not?
And then there was that whole blood deal. Inez had never really thought of herself as squeamish, but the idea of consuming several bags of blood every day for the rest of her very long life was just gross.
“Inez?” Thomas spoke so quietly she almost didn’t hear him.
Her gaze focused on the blurred image beyond the glass and Inez almost sighed. Here was temptation; this beautiful man with his perfect face and perfect body and lovely silver blue eyes. Not to mention his tantalizing kisses and caresses. She wanted him, but knew it was like wanting the chocolate sundae without the calories. Unfortunately, the bad came with the good. But maybe she could have just a bite of the sundae while she considered whether she could stomach the calories that came with the rest of it.
“I don’t expect you to make up your mind right now,” Thomas said. “But—”
His voice died as Inez pushed the shower door open so that they faced each other with nothing between them. Forcing herself not to drop into a huddle to try to hide her too generous figure, she said, “I think I need to get to know you better to make such an important, life-long decision.”
Thomas’s eyes flared silver as his gaze slid over her, and then he started forward, coming to an abrupt halt when Inez put out her hand to stop him. He frowned with confusion until she said, “Your jeans.”
Glancing down as if he’d forgotten he was wearing them, Thomas reached for his belt buckle, but then stopped. He stood like that for a moment, his head bowed, hands still on his belt, long enough that Inez began to worry that he’d changed his mind and didn’t want her. Finally, he raised his head and reached out to tug her to the lip of the shower so he could kiss her hungrily.
Sighing with relief, Inez melted against him, her arms twining around his head as she kissed him back. He ended the kiss slowly, raising one hand to run it over her wet hair and cup her head as she blinked her eyes open.
“I want you,” he growled.
Inez nodded. She wanted him too. That was the one thing she was sure of.