Bit the Jackpot (Vegas Vampires #2)(22)
Author: Erin McCarthy

" Ooff."She pushed on him, trying to roll over, sit up, scramble away in some way, shape, or form to get the hell out of contact with him.

Seamus just put one palm on her butt and was able to hold her flat against him. She wiggled harder, ticked that he was stronger than her. "Let me up."

"No. We need to talk."

A door opened to the right. Cara glanced over. Saw two pairs of feet. One male, given the black socks and big size, the other female, polish on the naked toes.

"You know, you might want to take that sort of thing to your room," a voice said.

Cara closed her eyes. It sounded like Ethan.

"Seamus Fox, you old dog.I had no idea you had it in you." That was Alexis, amusement heavy in her voice.

"Do you mind?" Seamus said with great dignity. "We were having a private conversation."

"Is that what we’re calling it these days? We really have gotten too politically correct."

Cara shoved backward, trying to break Seamus’s grip. "Let me go!"

"No." He locked eyes with her, and Cara saw that he would hold her there for the rest of their immortal lives if she didn’t try another tactic. Seamus was as stubborn as she was. As if to prove it, he rolled, forcing her on her back, his legs and chest weighing down on her.

Fortunately, Alexis intervened before Cara screamed expletives at him, or worse, kissed him. She’d never kissed him, and she suddenly had the urge to do that. Just place her lips on his and taste his warm flesh.

"Well, this is cute and all, but seriously, you guys need to go into your room. Or better yet, Ethan and Seamus can work and Cara and I can go hang out."

Seamus stared down at her, his breath landing on her cheek, hot and rapid. He smelled delicious to her, like salsa—tangy and sweet. Her head pressed against the hard floor, but she was only vaguely aware of it. There was only him, his Irish blue eyes stroking her, stripping her, worshiping her. She relaxed her thighs apart, wanting his erection to rest more fully against her.

It seemed like a wonderful idea to just reach up, to touch his lip with her finger,run her touch along the warm fullness.

His mind reached out to hers, a persistent brushing of his thoughts over hers.

Let me make love to you.

She wanted to hell, that was an understatement. She needed it with a primal fierceness that scared her. And she would have said yes, except that she never got the chance. Her mouth was opening when Seamus jerked back with a curse.

"Hell!"

"What?" Cara suddenly remembered they were lying in the hotel hallway. She sat up and tugged her T-shirt down over her waistband.

"Satan bit me, the annoying little shit." He was glaring at her Chihuahua .

Mr. Spock sat on his haunches, his little tail wagging. He looked adorable. Cara wondered if Seamus had thought to pack Mr.

Spock’s clothes.He had half a dozen adorable sweaters and T-shirts.

"That little dog couldn’t have possibly hurt you," Alexis said, leaning against the doorframe, arms folded.

"It didn’t hurt. It pissed me off."

"Everything pisses you off," Cara said with a sniff, the mood broken, thank goodness.

"You trying to leavepisses me off." He stood up, held out his hand for her.

She ignored it and scrambled to her feet.

"Seamus, do you have anything for me tonight or can Alexis and I go back inside and leave you to your little domestic drama?" Ethan was smirking next to his wife.

Seamus glared. "I need to talk to you, actually." He turned back to Cara. "Get back in the apartment."

That infuriated her. "No."

"I’ll pick you up and haul you back if I have to."

How could he do that? Go from seductive and caring to bossy bastard? Cara felt angry tears blurring her vision.

"Whoa, whoa."Alexis stuck her hand up in a T shape."Time out. Seamus, go do your thing with Ethan. Cara and I are going downstairs to have some girl time."

When Seamus opened his mouth, she added, "Don’t worry, we’ll take bodyguards. We’ll be fine. How much trouble could we get into in our own casino?"

Chapter Seven

"Seamus, could I offer a bit of advice?" Ethan asked, as he glanced through the schedule Seamus had handed him.

"Sure." Seamus lifted the orange cat off his notebook computer and dropped him on the floor. A tuft of fur wafted up and stuck on Seamus’s lip. "Damn it." He plucked it off and tossed it in the wastebasket with a grimace. "These cats get into everything. It’s like living on Animal Kingdom."

"That ties in with what I’m about to suggest. It seems to me that you and Cara have some issues."

Yeah, like the fact that she couldn’t stand him.

"So maybe it would be wise if we found other arrangements for Cara. Just because you turned her doesn’t mean she has to live with you."

Seamus felt a tremor of alarm. Maybe things weren’t going so hot, but he didn’t want Cara to leave. It wasn’t safe. And he would miss her.Because he hadn’t slept with her yet. "She can’t be on her own yet. She doesn’t know how to be discreet, she doesn’t know our rules. And what if those guys from the alley come back around? These attacks don’t make any sense, Ethan. What if she’s in danger?"

"Relax. I don’t mean leave our protection. I meant we could get her a suite of her own. I think she’d be happier that way."

"I don’t want her to have a suite of her own." The very thought offended him. Why the hell couldn’t she stay with him? What was so freaking awful about him?

"Look, I can see you’re attracted to each other. But I think Cara is still confused and upset that her life has altered drastically. I think she might appreciate the space and the privacy." Ethan nudged the Chihuahua off his pants. "And she’d take her pets with her."

"No," Seamus said. He had no logical reason to say no, but it popped right out of his mouth with no hesitation whatsoever. "She stays with me."

Ethan studied him. "Then you might want to drop the master and servant routine. I don’t think she enjoys being told what to do."

He had no idea what Ethan was talking about. He had been nothing but considerate of Cara in the forty-eight hours since he’d met her. He was living with a Chihuahua , for hell’s sake. That was pretty freaking accommodating of him. He clicked to open his Internet browser. "I don’t know what you’re talking about."

Ethan snorted. "I don’t think you do. You seem to have no clue you’re falling for Cara."

That shocked him speechless. Seamus stared at his computer screen filled with the day’s news, the TV lineup for that night, his daily horoscope, and the weather.Las Vegas .Sunny and eighty.