Bit the Jackpot (Vegas Vampires #2)(27)
Author: Erin McCarthy

"Yes."And forgot to flush the toilet. Mortified, she reached for the handle. He beat her to it and pushed it down forcefully.Lovely.Just lovely. The only man in her adult life she had ever mooned over and he showed up right when she’d puked her guts out. She probably had saliva on her cheek to complement the sweat-soaked sticking-up hair.

But he startled her by reaching out and lifting her into his arms. "Corbin! Stop, I’m all gross."

"Hush, Brittany . I’m taking you to bed."

Despite her queasy stomach, his word choice made her blush, remembering the last time they’d been in her bed. His grip tightened on her. He felt good.Strong.Solid. She indulged in leaning against him, appreciating the fact that she wasn’t alone. Her sister Alexis was the strong one, who liked solitude. Brittany craved company.

With one arm, he pulled back her white and pink bedsheets and deposited her gently on the bed. Brittany sighed in relief. The bed felt good to her sick body. Then he turned and rummaged through her dresser.

"What are you looking for?"

He came back to the bed with a T-shirt in his hand."Getting you a fresh change of clothing. Your shirt is soaked."

It was also making her shiver. She held her hand out for the clean shirt. "Thanks."

But he didn’t give it to her. Instead, he dropped it on the bed, grabbed the hem of the shirt she was wearing, and yanked it up.

"Corbin!" she shrieked. Hello. She wasn’t wearing a bra. Before she even finished squawking out his name, he had the shirt completely off her. She was naked except for soft cotton sleep shorts.

Naked with Corbin and the flu.It was a cruel irony.

"I am not going to ravish you," he said in an offended tone, his French accent increasing. "I am a doctor, if you recall. I am trying to help."

She knew that. But it didn’t make her feel any less of a doofus . She wanted to turn him on, not puke on him. "I know." Her arm sort of slid across her chest to cover her br**sts. It was just too weird to be half-dressed. "Thank you."

He watched the arm movement. A small smile crossed his face as he bunched up the new T-shirt. "You do not need modesty around me."

Brittany didn’t answer as he tugged the top on over her head. She helped get it down over her chest and then sank back into the pillow, exhausted. He got her a glass of water and a wet washcloth to wipe her face. He pulled the covers over her and patted everything in place. She still felt like hell, but it pleased her to have him cosseting her, taking care of her.

"Why are you here, Corbin?" she asked when he pulled a stray hair off her lip.

Now it was his turn to look embarrassed. He folded his arms and frowned. "I heard your distress so I came."

"You can hear my thoughts?" He had been able to do that before. That was how she had contacted him several times. Before they’d had sex and he’d run off.

"I did no such thing as running off." He looked indignant. "You told me to leave."

That answered her question on his mind-reading capabilities.

Brittany felt herself smiling. He did like her. He had just been embarrassed like she had.That made her feel so much better. "You’re right. I did. But thanks for coming tonight."

Her eyes drifted closed. She was so tired all of a sudden.Exhausted.

"You are welcome, cherie ," he whispered. Cool lips pressed against her forehead. "Sleep, Brittany ."

So she did, feeling warm and protected.

Chapter Eight

Waking up with Cara next to him was Seamus’s new favorite part of the night. In her sleep, Cara didn’t roll her eyes at him or make prisoner cracks. When she was sleeping the hard, intense sleep of a fledgling vampire, she always sought him out. She moved her body over and over on the bed, until she was touching him. And she even snaked her arm across his waist or chest on a daily basis.

It gave Seamus immense satisfaction, a pure happiness to wake and have her embracing him, giving him her trust in her sleep.

When she woke up, usually thirty minutes to an hour after him, she liked to talk. He liked to listen.

" Mmmm," she said on a yawn, leg still thrown over his. She let her eyes open briefly then closed them again. "I was dreaming and it was nice, but weird. My grandmother barely spoke English, and now that she’s sort of lost her grip on reality, she only speaks

Korean, but in my dream she and I were shopping, like we used to do, every Sunday. We were on the bus going to the grocery store, and she was speaking English, like it was her first language. What do you think dreams mean, Seamus?"

"I think they’re wishes and worries, churning through our unguarded brains while we sleep."

"I like that." She lifted her head and her hair fell over his chest as she smiled at him.

Seamus loved the feel of that satin cascade of hair tickling his bare skin. He loved Cara’s femininity, the way she was all soft, everywhere, her skin, her body, her heart,her eyes.

"What did you dream about?"

Without hesitation, he told her the truth."You." He’d been dreaming about her every night, drinking his blood, tasting hers, their bodies intertwined, their minds open to each other. It made him ache, and for more than the physical release his body craved. He ached to have Cara in a way that was fuller, more complete and permanent than what he had now. It felt like they were playacting at living together, and that it could all go away at any second.

"You dreamt about me?" She smiled, her eyes darting down to his lips. "Which one am I?A wish or a worry?"

"Both."

Cara was winning. She was up sixteen thousand dollars on an initial investment of two thousand. She felt the adrenaline surging through her as the dealer set her hand out facedown. She was concentrating hard, ready to call it quits after this deal.

A small crowd had gathered around the table since she was winning heavily. Alexis and Kelsey flanked her, cheering her on.

Her opponents were three middle-aged men from Texas who were sure they could beat her. She was sure they were wrong.

"It’s our game," one said in a slow drawl. " Texas Hold ‘ Em."

She ignored him and turned her card. Bets went around. The thickest of the three, who had to sit two feet out to accommodate his rounded belly, folded. The others met andraised .

It was going to be iffy. The one with the cowboy hat had to have three of a kind given the pair of jacks he was showing and the fact that he kept leaning forward eagerly.

She had a full house tens up.

And miraculously, the guy had nothing but the pair. When they showed their hands, the crowd burst into cheers and applause. Cara let out a victory yell. She had won twenty-two freaking thousand dollars. It was unbelievable. Just like that. When she gave Alexis Ethan’s two grand back, she was going to have twenty thousand dollars.