Bit the Jackpot (Vegas Vampires #2)(12)
Author: Erin McCarthy

"Just ten minutes. My girlfriend, she got hit by a car." Always go with the truth when you can. "And she’s going to be moving in with me for a while until she’s better. But she’s insisting the pets come, too, and man, I’m just not sure this is such a good idea.Two Labs, a Chihuahua , and two cats."

He whistled. "Whoa.Major animal lover. But that’s not really the problem, is it? I can tell. You’re a little worried about the whole cohabitation thing, aren’t you?"

Yes, he was.Terrified. "Well, you know, this is a big deal. It’s a lot of responsibility, and we’re going to be together all thetime, and I’m used to my privacy "

Seamus was whining to the store clerk. The night was officially complete.

"I hear ya . Nothing changes a relationship like living together. It’s just one step away from walking down the aisle and that can be a little scary."

"Exactly."He was already responsible for Kelsey.For Ethan’s presidential campaign.For finding Brittany ‘s father. Now he was responsible for keeping Cara by his side until she was ready to live on her own. And Cara came with pets and an incredibly hot body. Together it was an overwhelming package.

"Are you in love with her?"

"No." He had been in love only once, with Marie, and look at how that had turned out. Subconsciously, he touched the scar on his neck. He could admit to some lust for Cara, but he wasn’t taking the love train again.

"Then you’re crazy letting all those damn dogs into your place."

He was starting to think hehad lost his mind.Along with his common sense, his edge, and his rationale.

Not to mention the two hundred and thirty-two dollars he was spending on pet supplies.

Cara toweled herself dry, amazed at how every move felt sharper, crisper, like she had spent the first twenty-eight years of her life moving through mud and now she was free. Everything shifted faster, caught in her fingers quicker, and she felt vibrant, healthy,strong . That was interesting, appealing even.

But then there was the anger and embarrassment. Seamus Fox had wrecked her life. Flirted with her, tried to vampire mind control her, gotten her killed, and told her she had to stay with him, a virtual prisoner, until he said otherwise. And how had she reacted?By having an orgasm while humping his thigh.

She wanted to die.

Except she was dead already.

This was why she was still a virgin.Because sex was a way for men to control women. Keep them barefoot and pregnant and under their thumb. She wasn’t going to buy into that. No matter how good it had felt.

And it had felt good.

Cara shivered as her body warmed in memory. She took the towel and wiped the steam off the mirror.Then screamed at the top of her lungs. She dropped the towel—which had been dangling in the air in the mirror with no hand attached to it—and backed up.

She had no reflection in the mirror. She really was dead. She really was a bloodsucking vampire. And she liked it. She’d had an orgasm while sucking blood. Her life as she knew it was totally over. How could she ever explain this to her grandmother?

There was a knock at the door. "Are you okay?"

It was a woman. "Yes." No. Cara grabbed her panties and slipped them on. "Umm who are you? Where’s Seamus?" So she could beat the crap out of him for ruining her life.

"I’m Alexis, Ethan’s wife. Seamus went to get your dogs, but he thought it would be better if you weren’t alone."

So he could keep her prisoner. "Are you a vampire, too?" Cara grabbed her pants and dragged them on, trying to ignore the blood crusted above the knee.

"Yes. I’m three months young." Alexis had a firm, no-nonsense voice that Cara appreciated even as she was feeling a bit hysterical.

"Cara, do you need some new clothes? Yours looked like they should be tossed in the trash."

Needing to see another vampire besides Seamus and the two loser thugs in the alley, Cara wrapped the bath towel around her chest and opened the door. "Thanks for the offer," she said to the petite woman with blond hair standing in front of her wearing sweatpants. Alexis looked so completely normal that Cara relaxed a little. "I could use a T-shirt."

"I thought so." Alexis held out a dark green shirt. "I tried to tell Seamus, but he swore he had it under control,then of course, he completely forgot, didn’t he?" She shook her head. "He has tunnel vision—focuses on one thing and ignores everything else. And usually the tunnel vision is something he wants, you know what I mean?"

"No." Cara took the shirt and bunched it against her chest. "I don’t know Seamus at all. I just met him tonight." And her entire future rested in his controlling, tunnel vision, firm, vampire hands.

She hated him at the same time she wanted him.

"Why don’t you finish getting dressed and then come out into the living room? You can ask me anything you want about becoming a vampire. It’s not so bad, really. It has some definite perks."

Cara had experienced one already. One she was going to have to resist in the future if she wanted to retain any sort of dignity whatsoever.

"I just want to know where I am and how I can get home."

Alexis rocked back on her heels. "Well you’re at the Ava, the casino and hotel owned by my husband. You’re in Seamus’s apartment. Ethan and I live down the hall, and there are approximately six vampire bodyguards living in between us and the elevator. Ethan is president of the Vampire Nation and Seamus is his campaign manager. We’re six weeks out from the election and sweetie?" Alexis shot her a look of sympathy.

"Yes?" Cara asked, heart pounding.Vampire elections? What the hell was that?

"Seamus doesn’t want you to leave. Which means you’ll have to get past him and the six bodyguards. A couple of them aren’t the swiftest undead guys I’ve ever met, but pulling the wool over all six at once might be tough."

"So I’m a prisoner?Indefinitely?" She’d go insane. She didn’t like being idle, she didn’t like being told what to do, she didn’t like her whole world turning upside down and being tossed out like yesterday’s garbage.

"Give yourself a day or two to adjust to the change," Alexis said. "Then if the look on Seamus’s face when he brought you in here is any indication, you could have him eating out of your hand in a week if you want to."

What she wanted him eating out of and what she wanted intellectually were two different things. Cara tightened the grip on her towel. "I’d rather beat the crap out of him."

"That could be fun, too."

"Okay, listen." Seamus got down on his hands and knees for the ninth time and peered under Cara’s leather couch. Two pairs of cat eyes stared back at him. "I’m taking you to Cara. I swear.Vampire honor. But I can’t do that if you don’t come out."