Sucker Bet (Vegas Vampires #4)(57)
Author: Erin McCarthy

Gwenna sat and waited. "I’m sorry? I didn’t quite catch that."

Then he did what she supposed any man would do. He said her name in a sensual voice of capitulation. "Gwenna…" Maybe a little exasperation. And he moved in to kiss her.

Typical male behavior. When in doubt, turn to sex. But she found she didn’t really care why he was intending to kiss her. She just wanted to feel him, taste him now that he was a vampire. Let them both get a true sense of how connected they were, their blood one and the same. Have him feel her honesty, her genuine affection and love for him.

Maybe she was flirting with disaster and asking to be hurt, but as his lips covered hers, she just wanted to feel, not think. She didn’t want to worry about death or murder or vicious machinations of cruel people. She wanted to just feel good, to touch and be touched. Death was all around them, with Kyra, the murders, with the reminders of the past that hovered and clung to her, tenacious and unwilling to let go, and she still had the thick fear in the back of her throat from that moment when she’d realized Nate was dead. It was going to take a bit to recover from that blow, from the decision she’d made to turn him, for both of them.

So Nate was experiencing doubts and confusion. That was to be expected, and ultimately she knew if he chose to move on from her, she would survive that, too. If she had learned anything at all, it was that she needed to embrace life, to enjoy each night as it arrived.

Opening her mouth for him, Gwenna kissed Nate back, sliding her hands up his neck. He had such a firm, strong body, and such a fierce sense of justice. It was very sexy, as was the fact that he was using his tongue to do delightful things inside her mouth.

"You taste the same, but different…" he murmured. "Richer, sharper somehow."

Gwenna used his short hair to tug his head back away from her face. She bared her neck for him. "Bite me. Taste me, Nate."

His breath hitched. "No."

Yet she could see the interest, see the lust in his eyes, see the way his lips kept parting, and his new fangs descended. She wanted him to experience the thrill of drinking blood for the first time with her, wanted him to see inside her thoughts and feelings.

"Yes." She kissed him passionately, nipping at his bottom lip, her thigh moving along the front of his jeans, where he had a healthy erection. "Yes." Their mouths ground together, their heart rates increasing, their breath eager and erratic.

Once again she tipped her head and offered her flesh to him.

And this time he took it. His tongue danced over her neck, then while he gripped her shoulders tightly, his teeth invaded her. Gwenna shuddered at the faint pain suffused with pleasure, at the tug and pull of his suction, at the connection that flowed between them. It was as intimate as sex, and heat rushed over her, pooling in her inner thighs, and tearing a deep moan from her.

Nate watched Gwenna’s eyes roll back in ecstasy before he lost the ability to focus and closed his own eyes. It was unbelievable, the sensation of Gwenna’s hot blood rushing over his teeth and tongue, bringing with it a surge of her thoughts and feelings. He could feel her body against his, feel the warmth of her leg and hands and neck, at the same time he heard the beating of her heart and an acute sense of pleasure in her own words, her random snatches of thought, feeling, language, straight from her mind to his. It was overwhelming, arousing, to know that she cared about him, to hear that loud and clear, and understand how much she desired him.

He’d never felt the kind of connection with a woman that he did with Gwenna. He thought it was love, wanted it to be love. But whatever it was called, the intensity of joining with her, invading her body with his sharp new fangs, and drinking her sweet, thick blood, was more satisfying that anything he had ever experienced in his life.

It was hard to believe that he had died that day. That he had died and Gwenna had saved him. How the hell did he express gratitude for that?

"Just go on as you did before. And we can both be grateful that you’re not dead."

Nate pulled his mouth from her neck, and licked the traces of blood off his lips. "You can hear my thoughts, too?"

She nodded. "We’re connected during an exchange, and probably during sex. We share blood now."

He hadn’t thought of it that way.

"Though it’s not always cut and dry. There are a lot of mysteries and nuances to being a vampire. We are all strangely unique."

"Because vampires are still people."

She gave a soft laugh, running her finger over his lip. "That’s true."

"And there are good and bad people." Nate watched the blood trickle down Gwenna’s skin, sluggish and vibrant red, from the two puncture wounds on her neck. It seemed natural to lean over and lick them clean. Shocked, he pulled back, and saw that his action had not only removed the blood, but healed the wounds.

She smiled. "Thanks. And yes, there are good and bad people and I would love to catch ourselves a killer tonight."

"How could I argue with that?" Nate brushed her blond hair back and stared into eyes so blue he would write a freakin’ poem about them if he could string two words together. Which he couldn’t. But if he could, he would. "You’re an amazing woman."

"And you’re not so bad yourself."

Not the best or most effusive compliment he’d ever received, but since her hand was stroking his cock, he’d take it.

Then she yanked her hand away suddenly. "Oh! I just had a thought."

Somehow he didn’t think it was of an intriguing sexual position they could try. He tried not to sigh. "Yeah? What’s that, beautiful?"

"Does Sasha know Chechikov is dead?"

"Not that I’m aware of. That was supposed to be my job to go over and inform her of her husband’s unfortunate demise. But I got a little sidetracked." By the realization that he was a vampire. He saw exactly where Gwenna’s thoughts were going.

"Let’s go tell the little missus now."

He liked where she had been going with her hand better, but she was right. Sasha needed to be told and they needed to witness Sasha’s reaction to the news.

"Sounds like a good plan."

The smile she gave him was smug, no doubt about it.

"How convenient that Slash wanted to meet at the Bellagio tonight, which is where Chechikov lived with Sasha." Gwenna thought it was all just a little too convenient as they cut through a patch of spring grass, dewy from the night moisture.

"You sound downright sarcastic, Gwenna." Nate smiled at her.

He seemed to be taking to the change better now. He was having a strength issue—he’d ripped the car door off its hinges—but otherwise that earlier sickness he’d experienced seemed to have gone away. That alone made her feel a huge sense of relief, despite the fact that they were walking into a potentially dangerous situation. Going up against a killer of mortal vampire slayers seemed less intimidating after watching Nate bleed out in his Ford Explorer.