Bit the Jackpot (Vegas Vampires #2)(4)
Author: Erin McCarthy

Bryan, Dawn’s bouncer boyfriend, was clearly forgotten. As was the fact that Dawn was wearing only a thong and the bra with nipple tassels as she leaned farther into the hall.

Her friend’s reaction annoyed her. "He’s notthat hot." She stole another look down the hall. Okay, so yes he was.

"’Yes, he is." Dawn turned back to her. "You have to have sex with him and tell me every single detail."

That made her laugh. "No! I’m not interested, Dawn, seriously."

"Okay, then Icall dibs on him."

Cara roiled her eyes. "You have a boyfriend and he obviously has a girlfriend."

"So? We could do a partner swap for a night.Bryan likes that kind of kinky shit and with this guy I just might be willing to try it."

Cara did not want to know those things about Bryan and Dawn. "Yuck.Too much information, Dawn." And she wasn’t even going to think about why the thought of Dawn with Seamus made her want to strangle Dawn with her nipple tassels.

"You’re the prudest stripper I’ve ever known." Dawn glanced back down the hall. "Shit. Where’d he go? He was there two seconds ago."

Cara stuck her head out farther. Dawn was right. There was no sign of Seamus or the woman. "That’s weird. But I’m glad he’s gone."

Really.She was.

But when she was sliding her panties on under her robe and felt the sudden desperate sense that Seamus was in danger, she only hesitated for a second. The feeling came hard, a violent splash of red and black emotion, making Cara close her eyes in agony.

"Damn."

"What’s the matter?" Dawn asked.

"I have a headache." When the pain subsided, Cara pulled on a pair of jeans and flip-flops without hesitation and headed right for the back alley of the club.

Chapter Two

So that hadn’t gone according to plan. Seamus patted Kelsey on the back and murmured stupid nothing words to get her to calm down. The dancer, Cara, had bolted after making it quite clear that she wasn’t interested in him. His vampire mind-control trick had completely failed.

He had gotten her to offer up her name, but that was it, and even that had been a struggle. She had resisted. Part of him wanted to follow after her, and try again. The smarter part of him figured if he did, he’d just wind up with a knee in the groin.

"Alright, let’s go home to the casino, Kelsey." He might as well work the rest of the night. Or go to bed early.Alone. No sex for him, no blood unless he wanted a cold plastic bag from his fridge. It was completely depressing.

"Okay, thanks, Seamus, I’m sorry for being such a pain." Kelsey sniffled and peeled herself off his chest. She wiped under her eyes, dashing away her blood-red tears.

She was one of the few vampires Seamus had actually seen capable of producing tears, but it suited her. Drama and hysterics were Kelsey’s personality.

"You’re not a pain." He nudged her with his arm and gave her a smile. "You’re just paranoid.And too skinny. We need to get more blood on your bones."

She returned a watery smile and followed him out the emergency exit door. Seamus didn’t feel like walking back through the club, and this door would probably dump them out into the back parking lot.

The warm Vegas air hit Seamus in the face like a fleece blanket. He had never imagined he would like the heat, the desert, or the glitzy nightlife ofSinCity , but he enjoyed the pulse of the city, the ability to hide among mortals completely out in the open.

They weren’t in the back parking lot, but a side alley. And immediately Seamus smelled vampire. He scanned the dark, easing Kelsey behind him. He wasn’t sure why, but he felt antagonism, danger.Vampire. The air was tinged with a sour scent.

"What’s the matter?" she asked, her high-pitched voice bouncing up and down the quiet alley like she’d spoken with a bullhorn.

He was about to tell her to go back in the building, even though he couldn’t see anything, when he took a blow to the top of his head that sent him staggering forward, a starburst of colors exploding in front of his eyes. Instinct had him ducking, avoiding a second blow. Seamus arched his arm out and made contact with a thick, full-barreled chest.

His attacker grunted, and as Seamus darted back out of the way, he finally got a good view of him. The guy was heavyset, balding, wearing a silk shirt and dress pants, his gold necklace glinting in the moonlight. With his vampire vision, Seamus could make out doughy jowls, a squat and thick crooked nose, and lids so swollen that his eyes were about as wide as a nickel. Overall, this guy coming at him was one seriously ugly vampire.

Seamus felt a twinge of pity for him that he had to go through eternity looking like the backside of a bulldog. But then the guy landed a fist in Seamus’s gut, crunching all his muscles in agony, and his sympathy disappeared.

Especially when he threw a punch, collided with ugly guy’s temple with an audible crack, and the guy didn’t even lose his footing. Ugly vampire was a strong vampire.

"Go back in the club, Kelsey," he called over his shoulder, as he and the brawny man circled each other. This could take a while.

Seamus was no pretty boy. Back in his youth, he’d been a potato farmer and he had seen his share of fistfights and strength battles. But he’d gone soft lately, spending more time with technology than the treadmill and weight bench. He had the feeling he was going to be very sore in unpleasant places before he and Ugly parted ways.

When he moved to the right, he caught a clear view of Kelsey just standing in the doorway, horror on her pale face. " Dammit, get in the club, Kelsey!"

Faking left, then right, he landed a punch on the guy’s kidneys. A howl of rage and pain went up from Ugly, but he didn’t even so much as bend over. Not good.Time for Seamus to use his brain, not his brawn, before he got pummeled. Seamus bent over and rammed his head into the guy’s gut, throwing off his center of gravity. AsUgly stumbled backward, Seamus kicked his foot out from under him, and the big guy went down with a satisfying thud.

Standing up, feeling a bit pleased with himself, Seamus suddenly realized there was a second guy. And he was holding Kelsey in his meaty, tattooed arms. Shit. This night was officially a complete and total frickin ‘ disaster.

"Let her go," he said with a sigh, wondering why he was wasting his breath.

"No. She’s coming with me." And to prove his point, the guy dragged Kelsey backward with him, her legs dangling off the ground, her dress rolling up her thighs and giving Seamus a flash of her red panties.

It was that indignity, that callous treatment of awoman, that made Seamus very angry. Kelsey may be annoying, and she might giggle too much, but she was a human being—okay, an immortal vampire—and she deserved respect. Seamus rushed the guy, and at the last second flew up over his head, and slammed him from behind at the base of the skull with his fist.