Bit the Jackpot (Vegas Vampires #2)(63)
Author: Erin McCarthy

"Never in my very long life have I felt this way about another person. Being a vampire can be lonely, and I’ve shunned personal relationships. But there is nothing I want more than to spend eternity with you." Seamus bent down in a crouch, got in front of Cara, lifted her chin up so she would look at him,stared into her eyes. "Will you marry me?"

"Oh!" She started crying, hiding her face back in her jeans. "I didn’t know you were going to say that."

Okay. Seamus felt his stomach flip over, his heart stop. What the hell kind of a response was that?

"Well, I did. And I was kind of hoping for an answer." Sometime in this century would be nice. He turned to her grandmother, who was watching them carefully. "What do you think? Is she going to put me out of my misery and say yes or should I just go home and drown myself in ale?"

Cara’s grandmother said something, lifting her hand up off the bed. She repeated it, frowning, waving her fingers back and forth.

"I don’t think she approves," Seamus said, feeling a little crushed. He hoped she wouldn’t fling a water glass at him, furtherlumping him into a category with Marcus.

"No ring," she said clearly in English.

Seamus blinked. Cara gave a watery laugh.

"Damn, she’s right. I should have bought a ring. First time I ever propose to a woman, and I screw it up." He sat back, let- tingdefeatovertake him for a second. Then he thought better of it. "But we can pick out a ring together and go get married tonight."

"Tonight?"She looked at him in shock.

"Yes, tonight. Why should we wait?" Okay, so she hadn’t even said yes yet, but he was tired of analyzing everything to death.Tired of worrying and waiting and wanting to be perfectly discreet and politically correct at all times. Seamus wanted to grab what he wanted and shout to the world.Within reason, of course.

"I love you. You love me. Marry me and fill my life with hot pink." He leaned forward and kissed her.

She dropped her feet to the floor and threw her arms around him."Yes, you crazy vampire. I will marry you.Tonight."

Seamus let out a shout. "Yes!" He turned to her grandmother. "She said yes."

Cara’s grandmother smiled.

Cara laughed and stood up. "We have to get out of here. I hear people coming down the hall."

Seamus heard it, too. "Did you hear that yelling? What was that?" someone was saying in the hallway.

He clasped her grandmother’s hand and thanked her. Cara gave her a long, loving hug. Then even as the door was opening, Seamus was lifting Cara up and jumping out the window. They landed in a tumble on the gravel walk, just missing a cactus by an inch.

"Impressive move," Cara said, lying on his chest, hair falling forward.

"Thanks, I’m full of them."

"Let’s go get married and then you can show me them one at a time."

"You have the best ideas." Seamus wrapped his arms around her and shot up into the night, his exhilaration sending them fifty feet straight up before he evened out.

He was in love and he didn’t care who knew it.

"I can’t believe he’s doing this," Ethan said for the fourth time as they stood in a wedding chapel at two in the morning. "This is the tackiest wedding I’ve ever been to. I can’t believe this cost seven hundred dollars."

Alexis elbowed Ethan in the chest. "Okay. I heard you, you don’t appreciate their choice. Now be quiet beforehe hears you. I think it’s awesome that Seamus is marrying Cara. She’s good for him, loosens him up."

"There is loose,then there is insane." Ethan shook his head. "They got engaged an hour ago. And this theme they’ve picked out is ridiculous."

Alexis fought the urge to roll her eyes. "Since when do you have such a stick up your ass? I think it’s romantic that they didn’t want to wait to get married. And okay, so choosing the vampire wedding package was a little odd, but I think it’s meant to be symbolic. Like Cara has brought out Seamus’s sense of humor or something."

Ethan made a snorting sound. "It’s ridiculous. And I’m not wearing this cape." He shook the black velvet cape he was holding for emphasis.

"You’re his best man." Alexis decided it was time to get tough. "Look, Seamus didn’t like it when you married me. He thought I was all wrong for you. But he kept his mouth shut and supported you. You owe him the same respect. Put the freaking cape on and wipe the disgust off your face."

Ethan looked down at her, a sly smile turning up the corner of his mouth. "Damn, do you know how hot you are when you’re bossy?"

"Put on the cape!"

"Yes, ma’am."

Cara walked up the short wedding aisle on the arm of her bodyguard Daniel, wearing a black velvet clinging dress with a red satin bodice underlay. She had a hood up covering her head, black fingernails, and blood red lipstick on. Fog swirled around her feet as she walked through the chapel, done up Goth style and resembling a cemetery.

Kelsey and Alexis had preceded her up the aisle in short black cocktail dresses. Seamus and Ethan, wearing black velvet capes were waiting next to the mock vampire priestess. It was crazy, wild, silly, over the top, and she was ludicrously happy.

She giggled when Seamus shot his eyebrows up and down and flashedher his fangs. Daniei deposited her in front of the priestess and Cara pulled her hood down.

Seamus took her hand, squeezed it hard, turned to the woman, and said, "I do."

"I haven’t said anything yet."

"Doesn’t matter.I do."

Apparently Seamus had caught the spontaneity bug. Cara squeezed him back and added, "I do, too."

"Alright then.I pronounce you husband and wife. You may bite the bride."

Seamus looked down at her, a very wicked gleam in his blue eyes.

"Seamus, don’t even think about it," she said, trying to sound firm, but ending in a laugh.

He held his hand up to the priestess and her head lolled back as she fell undera glamour . "Any other mortals in the room?" he asked casually, glancing around.

"No," Ethan said."Just her and the six of us."

"Good."

Cara wasn’t sure what Seamus was planning to do, but his eyes were dark, dark blue. Like denim. And his grip on her was firm, solid. She closed her own eyes right before his lips made contact with hers.

He was so delicious, so firm,so good with that tongue. And when his teeth broke through her flesh, bursting blood from her bottom lip into both of their mouths, she swallowed a gasp. The pleasure exploded in her, around her, and she bit him back, blending their blood, their thoughts, their love,their everything , from two to one.