High Stakes (28 page)

"And a couple of times I turned up a prior conviction, didn't I?" Alexis wasn't about to letBrittany forget
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that.

Suddenly her sister's arms were around her from behind, cutting off her air."Ack! What are you doing?

You'll mess up my hair," Alexis grumbled but she grippedBrittany 's wrists to hold her there.

Tears swam inBrittany 's eyes in the mirror. "I love you, Alex. You're everything to me… I know it wasn't easy for you to take care of me when I was kid, but thank you for doing it."

She would not cry, she would not cry. Blubbering once a day was her limit, and she'd already dehydrated herself that morning with Ethan. A tear snuck out of each eye anyway. "Brittany…

baby. You know I would never trade a thing about our time together. It was a privilege to help raise you, and damn, I can't even tell you how proud you've made me. I'd do anything to make you happy." .

Ever sinceBrittany had surpassed her in height at age fourteen, she'd been slumping down and trying to insert herself into Alexis's hugs, and she was doing it now. It was Alexis's biggest regret about her height—she wished she could still be the bigger one when her sister needed comforting.

"Alex, do you know what would make me happy?Really happy? If you let yourself just enjoy a relationship. Let yourself take a chance on a man, marriage. I want you to let yourself fall in love with Ethan."

Alexis stepped forward, out ofBrittany 's arms. Fear clawed at her, irrational and unreasonable, just fromBrittany 's words. "I'm already in love with Ethan. But I don't know if I can trust him, or me, enough to make it work. I think about marriage and I just panic. I don't know if I can let myself be that vulnerable."

"If you don't take a chance, you'll be missing out on something amazing. After a thousand years of living, a man has decided you of all women are his soul mate. That's pretty damn romantic. I would jump at that."

Brittanysounded sosad, Alexis turned around and took her hand, wanting to cheer her up. "Maybe Corbin…"

"That was just sex." Her sister shrugged. "No big deal. I'm sure I'll find someone. After all, according to Ethan, I'll live to be a hundred."Brittany smiled, shaking off the ennui she'd been showing.

"Brit…" Alexis wasn't sure what she was going to say, so she hesitated.

I in going to go, okay?1 didn't sleep at all last night and Ive got a really full schedule tomorrow. Call me in the A.M. and let me know how the debate went." Her sister blew her a kiss. "You look great. Hugs, Alex."

"Thanks, Brit. I'll call you."

WhenBrittany left, Alexis sat on the bed, puzzled and deflated.Brittany 's words had made her melancholy, bothered her, and she wasn't sure why.

The door to her suite opened. "It's just me, don't kick me," Ethan called.

Alexis didn't even move. She felt like the entire balance of her future was resting on the next few days.

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There was the safe, the usual, the lock-down of her emotions.Which meant flat, loveless status quo. Or there was the risky, the hopeful, the taking a chance.Which could mean disaster or could mean some really damn good years with Ethan.

He appeared in her doorway, wearing a gray suit and a blue tie. "Hey, everything okay? You look a little pale."

Before she could change her mind, Alexis stared at him and blurted, "I'll live with you."

Ethan froze. "What?"

Now that she'd said it, Alexis felt a thousand pounds lighter. "Yes, I'll move in with you."

"Alexis." He came toward her, bent down, kissed her hard on the lips. "Are you sure?" Then he shook his head, laughed. "God, what am I saying? I shouldn't give you an out. Not when you've made me so incredibly happy."

She was feeling pretty freaking happy herself. Grabbing on to Ethan's tie, she pulled him down for another kiss. "Ten years is better than one, right? I mean, I either get my heart broken then or now, so at least if we have some time together, I get some good sex out of thewüole deal."

He grinned against her lips. "I'm so glad you're being logical about this."

Alexis flicked her tongue against Ethan's lower lip. God, he tasted so good. She couldn't even imagine walking away from him, a man who understood her, appreciated her strengths while respecting her weaknesses.A man who didn't patronize, or insult her intelligence. She breathed in his scent, light aftershave and crisp mint toothpaste. He had an obsession about brushing his teeth, and a constant toothpaste taste clung to him.

"That's me, all logic. Then there's also the fact that I'm completely and totally in love with you."

Ethan kneeled down on the carpet in front of her, pressing her legs apart so he could get closer to her.

"That's a fact I'm glad you decided to share with me."

He wanted to inhale Alexis, press everything against her and show her how much this meant to him, that he understood the sacrifice she was making, how much trust she was putting in him to make the next decade or so worth the pain of separation.

"Alexis, I have waited over nine hundred years to find a woman I could love, and now that I have, I will do everything in my power to ensure you won't regret this." Ethan was supposed to be downstairs in ten minutes, but he didn't give a damn. Nothing had given him the sense of fulfillment that being with Alexis did.

Never had he felt himself to be lonely, but the thought of life without Alexis was agonizing. He was going to enjoy every moment he had with her.

Shifting her dress up, tracing his thumbs over her thighs, running his lips over her neck, he murmured,

"Maybe I should resign the presidency.Let someone else run, so you and I can spend more time together."

"Are you insane?" Her breathing hitched when he nipped her breast through the clingy red dress. "We're
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not going to spend the next fifteen years just gazing adoringly at each other."

He noticed ten years had now stretched to fifteen. "No?" Her nipple rose for him behind her stretchy, seamless bra. He flicked his tongue across it.

"No. We both have careers, responsibilities. And when we split, we have to have something to go back to or we'll both just wander around in a stupor. No, we have to live normal lives, as normal as it can be for a prosecutor and a vampire president."

"Whatever you say."He didn't care what they did. He didn't want to argue, didn't want to do anything but make love to Alexis, find a wedding chapel, and put a hugely expensive ring on her finger.Because surely marriage was the next logical step.

He sucked on her breast, enjoying her moan, the feel of her fingers flexing in pleasure on his shoulders.

Ethan moved her dress higher and higher on her thighs, stroked his fingers over the front of her flesh-colored stretchy panties. "Mmm, I like the way these feel. They give with you."

His thumb pressed into her, and the panties sank slightly into the dampness there, pulled back sticky and wet. Fangs down, lust raging alongside his love, Ethan could feel her heart racing, quickly pumping the thick sweetness of her blood. He scraped his fangs over her breast as she moaned, teasing himself, knowing he wouldn't bite.

She spread her legs farther apart for him, for his finger, a blatant invitation that he couldn't resist. He slid her panties down to her ankles, trailed his nose up the side of her calf, her knee, before sucking her skin into his mouth.

"If you're going to suck anything, you should aim for a little higher," she said, sinking back onto her elbows.

"Higher?" Ethan sucked her inner thigh. "Here?"

"That's not bad, but a little higher."

Nuzzling between her legs, Ethan parted her soft inner folds with his thumbs and scrutinized her. She was so damn beautiful, glistening with moisture, and giving little shivers of anticipation. "Here?" He sucked the button of her swollen clitoris, holding her down when she bucked against him.

"Yes, that's exactly where I was talking about," she moaned, collapsing back on the bed.

Her hot sweetness tightened as he pulled at it, the musky scent of her arousal surrounding him, filling his nostrils and blending with the scent of her mortality, her blood. His fangs ached with the need to taste her, his body cramped with sexual want, his erection thick and hard as it strained against his pants.

"Yes," she whimpered, clawing at the bedspread. Then she sat up, giving him a wicked, desperate look.

"Bite me, Ethan. I know you want to, I can tell. Do it."

He pulled back, in agony. Once he started, he wasn't sure he could stop. He wanted to bite her everywhere, starting with those soft plump folds displayed so enticingly in front of him. "Alexis…"

She grabbed his head, shoved him down. "Please, now, I'm going to come, Ethan. Take me."

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His vision sharpened as he groaned. That was an invitation he couldn't resist, didn't want to even try.

Sliding his tongue up and down each side of her, he pushed a finger inside her right as he sank his teeth into her tender flesh.

The hot taste of her flowed over his teeth as she screamed out in pleasure, arching off the bed in a violent climax.Ethan's eyes sank closed as he took in her pleasure, felt it rush past him in a tidal wave of satiated ecstasy. His finger moved in her swollen flesh with slow, steady presses as she shuddered on and on, little whimpers assaulting his ears.

Forcing himself to retreat, Ethan swallowed hard, feeling the heat of Alexis's lifeblood scattering out to all his limbs, filling him with her essence, her strength, her love for him.

It was a good thing he was kneeling, because he wasn't sure he could stand on his shaky legs. She'd rocked him to the core.

A pounding filtered through his consciousness, and it wasn't the pumping of either of their hearts.

It was Seamus, knocking on the door. "Ethan! Jesus, where the hell are you? If you are in there, get your ass downstairs
now
.Donatelli will make mincemeat out of you if you're late."

Alexis gave a soft laugh, limp on the bed, dress shoved up past her thighs."Oh, my God. He has the worst timing."

Ethanthunked his head onto the edge of the bed—once, twice, three times. "This is one of those moments where a man has to choose selfishness or responsibility. I have to have you or I'm going to die."

Alexis drew her legs together and fixed her skirt. "I don't want to take you from your duties."

She was starting to grin, the little tease. "Yeah, easy for you to say, you were on the receiving end here."

"No, the biting was all for you. I got nothing from it." She couldn't quite pull off the innocent look.

"Seamus can wait a minute. That's all I need." He started to unzip his fly and push to his feet.

The door pounded again."Carrick! I know you're in there. I can hear you."

"Shit." Ethan stared at Alexis in agony. He wanted nothing more than to fill her with his hard flesh, pumping faster and faster into her, but he really didn't want Seamus standing outside the door listening.

Alexis sat up, looking more sympathetic than teasing now. "Don't worry. I'll make it up to you later. You don't want to rush it… It's more fun if we have all the time in the world."

"I'm going to die," he told her, most sincerely.

She grinned. "No, you're not. You're a vampire. Now stop being dramatic and go beat the crap out of the other guy in this debate. Then we'll sneak away for a little victory celebration."

Sighing, Ethanrezipped his pants. "I don't think you understand how much pain I'm in." He wasn't sure he could even walk.

"Since I don't want Seamus breaking that door down and walking in on us, we're just going to have to
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wait. Besides, that way I'll have time to suck you first."

Ethan groaned, his vision blurring, body tightening every where. "Alexis, you're torturing me."

"No, that comes later." She stood up, pushed her dress down, and headed toward the door.

He noticed she was still wearing her high heels and the thought had him groaning all over again. He could have done her with her shoes still on, damn that was hot.

"Hi, Seamus.Sorry to keep you waiting."

Bloody hell.Running his hands through his hair, he took a few tentative steps in the direction of the living area. His cock didn't break off and fall to the floor, but it ached abominably.

He needed to think about something else, divert his blood flow elsewhere.

"You're a sick man," Seamus told him when he walked in the room.

"No, just horny."

Alexis laughed.

Seamus flushed an ugly beet red. "Look, maybe you don't take this election seriously anymore, but I do.

I've worked my ass off on this campaign and I'd appreciate a little cooperation."

That was enough to cause contrition and deflation. "Seamus, I apologize. I know how hard you've been working. I'm heading down now. But first you can offer us congratulations—Alexis and I are engaged to be married."

Seamus'seyes narrowed."Really? Well."

He faced Alexis, who had turned a little pink. Ethan was amused. Getting caught in the act didn't embarrass her, but being engaged obviously did.

"Congratulations."Seamus's words were clipped and hard.

Too late, Ethan remembered Seamus supported an engagement to Brittany, not Alexis. He hoped this wouldn't cause a permanent breach in their friendship.

"We're not engaged," Alexis said.

Ethan took in her pale face, her stiff shoulders.Uh-oh. "But you said… you said yes."

"To living with you.Not to marriage. You never asked me to marry you."

Well, if she wanted to get technical. "But I'm going to."

"And if and when you do, maybe I'll say yes."

That almost sounded positive."Really? You might say yes?" Ethan grinned at Alexis. She wanted to marry him.