Bit the Jackpot (Vegas Vampires #2)(53)
Author: Erin McCarthy

"No." Ethan shrugged and stood up. "Just that she totally supports Cara in the fact that you’re a lying manipulative ass**le."

"Great." It was better than he’d thought. Hell.

"We’re in the proverbial doghouse, aren’t we?"

"I think we’re actually in the sewers. They’ve been discussing us with each other. That is not a good thing, Carrick." The more he thought about it, the more Seamus started to sweat. Cara had not sounded happy.

A flash of fear crossed Ethan’s face. "What have they got up to?"

"Let’s find out," he said with way more bravado than he felt.

Chapter Fourteen

Somehow Seamus hadbeat her back to the apartment, which only served to irritate Cara further. She had wanted time to brush her teeth and her hair, change out of his shirt, and stroll out feeling powerful when he came in the door. Instead, she was forced to look at him lounging on the couch with Fritz while she came in the door knowing both mentally and physically she was wrecked.

"Hey, babe," he said. "How’s Kelsey?"

"She’s fine." So he was going to play it casual, like he had no idea she was ticked at him.Schmuck. "But when I was talking to Alexis it became obvious that there are a few things you have failed to mention to me."

"Like what?" he asked cautiously, his hand stroking the back of Fritz’s head.

"Like that it’s against the rules for a vampire to feed from another vampire."

His jaw worked. He didn’t say anything for a long, long moment. Then it was only, "This was different."

"Really?How?"Cara wasn’t sure what she had expected him to say, but this wasn’t it. He wasn’t denying it. He just looked obstinate.

"You didn’t like blood at first. I had to force you to drink the night you died. I was concerned you’d starve if I didn’t keep feeding you myself."

"And the orgasms I had didn’t motivate you at all?" Running her hand through her hair, she grabbed a pillow off the overstuffed chair because she needed to squeeze something besides his throat.

"Of course not."But he looked and sounded like he was lying and they both knew it.

"You knew that the more you fed me, the harder it would be for me to get used to bagged blood. You let meget off on you, knew you were making me dependent on you, while you kept me here locked up, so no one would know that I existed."

"Yes."

It was like a slap, right across the face, one side to the other, ringing her ears and blurring her vision. He wasn’t going to explain, put a spin on it,make it sound less disgusting? And why the hell was he still just reclining on the f**king couch like the minute she shut up he could just drop off into a nap? Cara took the pillow in her hands and threw it at him as hard as she could.

Fritz yelped and jumped to the floor, but Seamus just caught it before it collided with his face.

" Arrrgghh!" she shrieked and stomped to the bedroom. She was tossing things into her suitcase when he managed to rouse his lazy ass off the couch long enough to amble in.

"Cara, come on, don’t overreact. I just wanted you safe, and I wanted you out of the public eye for political reasons, that’s true, and I wanted you strictly because I wanted you. But I didn’t lie about any of that. And you were dependent on me because you’re a fledgling and I needed to initiate you into vampirism, not because I wanted to make you dependent."

"Initiate? That’s what you call last night?" She glanced wildly around the room, making sure there was nothing she absolutely couldn’t live without, because she was never coming back to this apartment again.

Screw her toiletries in the bathroom. Those were all replaceable. She wanted out of there immediately. God, how could he say it like that?

"No, that’s not what I meant. Stop, babe." He reached for her. "You know that’s not true. I made mistakes and I’m sorry for them. But last night was not a mistake. It wasn’t about anything but you and me, and my love for you."

Cara darted out of his touch. She didn’t want to feel his hands on herskin, she didn’t want to notice he looked damned attractive standing there still shirtless, eyes pleading with her. She was so humiliated. She had given her virginity to him, and he had been playing her all along.

He’d admitted to her that he’d been interested in her for sex right from the get-go, and it seemed that’s what had motivated him every step of the way. He must have known a good thing had dropped in his lap—the chance to glue a hot stripper to his side for the next century or so. Sex whenever he wanted it, for the low price of a little blood. It must have been too tempting to pass up.

Rushing past him, she dragged her suitcase when it fell sideways off the wheels from her violent yanking. She had a big handbag that she’d unearthed out of the closet and she scooped up Mimi and set her in the bag. Mr. Spock tried to wiggle away, but she clipped his leash on him and wrapped it around her wrist. Button was lying on the air-conditioning vent and she called to him, "Come on, Button, come on, sweetie."

He bounded over to her and she bent down for a hug, burying her face in his fur for a second, throat tight. "That’s my boy."

Rascal, her orange tabby, was sleeping in a basket in the dining room and she put him in the bag along with Mimi. They both gave mewls of protest, but she stuck it on her arm anyway. They weren’t going very far.

"Cara "

She ignored Seamus and went for the door. Going back to her apartment wasn’t an option right this minute since it was daylight and there were killer vampires running around. She was pissed, not stupid. But she figured she could get a room on a different floor.

"Come on, Fritz." She held out her hand for her other Lab, but Fritz just wagged his tail at her and stayed next to Seamus.

"Fritz! Here." Desperate to get out, she slapped her leg to get him to come to her. He just gave a friendly bark,then licked Sea- mus’shand.

Wonderful.Seamus had seduced her dog, too.

"Cara. Just take a deep breath and let’s talk about this. We can work this out. We both want the same thing here, I know it."

"We both want you dead?"

"No. We want to be together. I know we do. Let’s go to counseling. Remember you wanted to do that? Let’s try that."

"Vampires don’t go to counseling." She threw his words back at him, gathered all her animals minus Fritz, and marched out the door, eyes blurry from threatening tears. Over her shoulder she called, "And I’ll be back for my dog when you’re not here to manipulate him the way you have me."

Seamus watched Cara storm out, bags hanging and banging against her leg, dogs tangled together, cats meowing in protest.