High Stakes (15 page)

Her mind still racing, she wasn't sure she could sleep just yet, so she decided to check her e-mail on her cell phone."Only seventeen messages, a light night."

Nothing but crap.Irritating e-mails from coworkers who couldn't think without someone holding their hands, an advertisement from Ticketmaster for "YanniLive," and an invitation to join something.

"What is this?" Alexishovered the cursor over the invitation."From The Redeemer? Doesn't sound like porn." Against her better judgment, but curious enough to risk it, she clicked on the e-mail.

Hello! You've been invited to joinVampireSlayers@yahoogroups .com. We are a group dedicated to the destruction of the unholy undead. Join us for lively discussion and strategy planning on this private list.

Your invitation will expire in seven days.

Okay. Alexis read it again. "That's freaking weird." She double-clicked on the sender—The Redeemer—and saw the e-mail address was [email protected], which told her nothing except the sender was grandiose in his view of himself.

Without conscious thought, her eyes drifted over to the open drapes at the hotel window. She yanked them shut. Granted she was twenty-some floors up in the air but it made herfeel better. The e-mail gave her the creepy feeling of being watched.

"How could someone know who I am? Or my e-mail, or who and what Ethan is." Grabbing her room key and still holding her cell phone, she went into the hallway and pounded on Ethan's door. He needed to see this.

There was no answer, even when she hit the door with the butt of her hand six times in a row. It occurred to her that as a vampire heProbably slept during the day and worked at night. There was no guessing where he was.

"Argh."She stomped back to her room, went to theminibar , and grabbed herself a Coke. After popping the top, and taking a huge sip that made her eyes water, she sat down on the couch in her little sitting area.

And clicked on the //smcjoin this group!button .

Four hours later she lost the fight to keep her eyes open, and fell asleep on the couch, cell phone clutched in her hand.

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Ethan jerked straight out of sleep. He sat up, scanning the dark room, and assessed what he had sensed.

He had been born the son of a warrior, he himself had fought in battle, and his undead instincts had averted him from many a danger. No longer needing a weapon, since he could kill any mortal or young vampire with his bare hands if necessary, he still had the habit of reaching behind his head for his dagger.

Naked, arm stretched up, and feeling like he'd been doused in freezing lake water, he heard violent knocking on his door. "Ethan! Get up, damn it."

Relaxing his tense body, he sighed and rubbed his eyes. No threat there—just Alexis, having no respect for the sanctity of his sleep and privacy. Maybe if he was quiet, she'd go away. Sleep was a luxury he'd discovered later in his life, when he had time, money, and better security. It was a gift he'd taken to really well, and he liked his eight hours uninterrupted.

From the way his head felt, he'd only gotten about four.

Sitting still, he held his breath when the silence continued. Maybe she'd gone back to her room. He hoped. That was the downside to involvement with a mortal. They were awake during the day, something he was decidedly out of habit doing.

Probing with his mind, he tried to find his way into her thoughts since she couldn't see him and might not be guarding against him. There was nothing. No feelings, no snatches of thought, no real sense even of her temperament, mood, or posture.

It was frustrating to feel so merely mortal around her.To not have the benefit of one of his greatest vampire gifts.

Then again, maybe she had left and that was why there was only silence.

"Ethan! Come on, I want to talk to you."

So much for hope.With a groan, he got out of bed and stretched. He felt sluggish and tired, perhaps residual effects of losing so much blood the night before.Or getting ripped out of sleep by a persistent, loud, short woman.

Not bothering to put clothes on, he went to the door. If she was going to force him out of bed, she was going to get him as he was.In the flesh.

It gave him a sick sort of anticipation to know he was going to shock her. Nine hundred years didn't necessarily bring profound maturity when dealing with women.

Ethan pulled the door open, knowing he was probably smirking.

Alexis paused with her hand in the air. She was wearing jeans and a tank top, which did nice things to her breasts.Tight, snuggly things that gave him the sudden urgent need to suck and bite her nipples until
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she moaned.

"Oh, there you are. Were you sleeping?" Alexis blinked innocently, like she hadn't just been making direct contact with her fist on his door.

"Yes, I was. Is there something I can help you with, my dear?" He leaned on the doorframe, crossing his arms and ankles.

She glanced down. Where he had expected blushes andsquea-mishness , he got a bold, direct stare.

Her head tilted a little, her eyes widened.Maybe with a little surprise, yes, but mostly with interest.

Which had him reacting to her interest.

Her tongue slipped out and licked her lower lip, while she tucked her loose, wavy hair behind her ear.

He may not have been able to read her thoughts, but he could see the desire on her face.Or at least, the very real sexual curiosity.

"Morning woody?" she asked, eyes still trained on his erection.

"I imagine so."

"Hmm."She made a little sound in the back of her throat. "Well, I can admit it. I'm impressed."

Cabinet members had complimented his political speeches, men had praised his bravery on the battlefield, and ancient vampires had told him he was their leader, and yet nothing had sounded quite as ego-satisfying as Alexis acknowledging he had a nice package.

"Get in the room, Alexis." He took her arm to tug her forward.

She gave him one of those karate maneuvers and sent his hand sailing up in the air. "No pulling."

"I wasn't pulling," he said in exasperation. "I was encouraging you to move forward."

An extensive eye roll was her response.

"What time is it?" he complained, giving his door a satisfying slam shut when she finally moved forward enough for clearance.

"It's like three in the afternoon." She went over to hisminifridge and opened the door. With a muffled scream, she slammed it back shut. "Geez, there are bags of blood in there. I was hoping for a diet soft drink."

Ethan scratched his chest and sat down on the sofa, spreading his legs apart for full effect. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your company? I didn't expect you back until this evening."

But he really liked that she'd shown up early. So much so, he had to wonder why.

"You're not going to get dressed, are you?" Alexis stood with her hand on her hip.

"No, I am not. Once you leave, I am going back to bed."

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"So you don't have a coffin?"

"Not since the seventeenthcentury, and I don't miss it in the slightest. Wood does not make a comfortable bed."

"I read online that vampires can't stay awake during the day. They fall into a coma-like sleep. Does that happen to you?"

Now he was tempted to roll his eyes. "Do I look like I'm in a coma to you?"

"No, you look raring to go."

"Then there is your answer. Perhaps we should go over some vampire basics."

"Okay. But first I have to know if you heard anything about the guy who shot you."

"No. Not yet. But I expect we'll have some answers tonight."

"Does that happen a lot? People trying to kill you?"

"Hardly ever," he assured her."Maybe once a century or so."

She frowned, a delicious little pout that had him considering sucking her lip into his mouth.

"Ethan, who knows about you?Vampires, I mean. That there are vampires in Vegas."

"No one."SinCitymade a perfect cover for their kind. In a city of fluorescent lights and twenty-four-hour-a-day gambling, shopping, eating, and banking, no one thought a thing about him entering his casino every night instead of during the day.

Alexis didn't seem to like his answer. She tugged on the hem of her tank top, flipping it up, then down, up, then down. "Do all of you live here?"

"No. We're all over the world, scattered to make us less noticeable, but also because we are of different backgrounds, speak different languages. Most want to stay near where they were born and lived their mortal lives."

She was pacing back and forth, clearly agitated. Ethan knew she needed answers, but he also knew too much information too soon might overwhelm her, turn her from him. That he most definitely did not want.

"Alexis, would you like to see the casino? I could give you a tour and we can talk."

"I don't gamble. I don't drink. I hate burlesque shows. And I'm not real crazy about smoking or the sound of slot machines."

"Then why do you live in Vegas?"

That stopped her pacing. She looked startled. "I don't know."drTugging on her shirt again, she said,

"Because I was raised here, I

guess. I've never lived anywhere else.And because ofBrittany ." He wondered if it was time to bring up
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the sticky issue of

Brittanybeing a half-vampire.Alexis seemed to have forgotten that he'd mentioned that little tidbit when she had thought they were still playing a game. Deciding to let it go for the time being, he asked, "Are your mother and father still here?"

She snorted. "No. My father left when my mother told him his newborn baby girl, Brittany, was not his child. Never to be seen or heard of again,I might add. And I
was
legitimately his kid."

Ethan stood up, suddenly sorry he was naked. He had the urge to pull her into his arms. She was so tough, so determined, so hurt deep down inside. He wasn't a man who carried past hurts around with him, but he understood loneliness.

"My mother died of a drug overdose. She was a stripper." The look she shot at him was defiant, proud.

He stopped where he was. Alexis wasn't a woman who would appreciate his pity. That would send her running from him. "I hear there's good money dancing," he said, forcing nonchalance into his voice.

"Good way to raise a couple kids when you're a single parent."

It was the right thing to say, even if it rubbed against his every instinct of protectiveness.

Alexis let out a sharp burst of laughter. "Shut up and put some pants on, Carrick."

But he caught the smile that crossed her face before she turned, and Ethan had the sudden frightening feeling that something had just happened to him that would have far-reaching consequences.

Time to pull out the poetry.

He had met his match.

As Alexis watched Ethan's fine-looking butt head into the room, she gave a construction worker whistle, fingers between her lips, just to rattle him. And it was a damn sexy behind.Tight and muscular.

Ethan paused. "You know," he said over his shoulder, "for a woman who claimed she didn't find me attractive, you're a voraciousogler ."

Sometimes he sounded a bit too British."A voraciousogler ? Is that like a vicious ka-nid? Can that be my title?" She gave a stately stroll across the room. "Hello, I'm a voraciousogler ." With a queen's wave, she nodded her head. "Yes, yes, thank you so much. I know. Yes, good to see you, yes, quite so. We
are
pleased with the results of the election. Here's to four more years of prosperity and progress."

"Forty."

"Forty what?"She dropped the accent."Years. The term of the presidency is forty years." That was a little reminder of what she was dealing with here. It still seemed so incredibly make-believe. Except she'd seen Ethan bleed out, and twenty hours later he was healthy and standing, without a single scratch on his naked, hard body. It was real.

"Well, aren't you guys thinking ahead? That makes total sense." She resumed her regal persona. "Here's to forty more years of prosperity and progress in the Vampire Nation."

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The words were barely out of her mouth before she suddenly found herself hauled up against Ethan's naked body. "Wha—"

He cut her off with a kiss—a long, juicy, hello Mr. Tongue kiss—that had her swallowing her question and clinging like shrink wrap to his chest.

"You're turning me on, you know," he said, even as his lips trailed down her neck.

Alexis dropped her head back, the crotch of her jeans erupting with volcanic heat, her breath shallow and excited. Damn, he knew what he was doing. Years of experience, she imagined. "Was it the queen voice? That can be a turn-on."

"It wasn't the queen voice." His tongue moved into her ear then out again, leaving her feeling warm, wet, and invaded. "I'm just having a hard time resisting you."

"It doesn't feel like you're being very successful at resisting me." Alexis took advantage of the moment and slapped her hands onto his buns. Oh, yeah.Hot and hard.

"I don't suppose I am." He yanked the top of her tank down practically to her belly button.And sucked the swell of her breast.

"Mmm," she said eloquently as her knees went weak, her nipples sprung up, and herdoo-dah rolled out the welcome mat. Oh, yeah, this was working. Hot vampire kisses.

What a difference a day made, twenty-four little hours… as her brain sang, so did her body, and when Ethan reached her nipple with his mouth and plucked it through her bra, she came dangerously close to levitation.

Right as his tongue made wet swirls over her sensitive nipple, his erection managed to slide right between her thighs.Perfect fit. Denim was no barrier against the hot heat of him nudging along her clitoris, and as Alexis dug her fingers into the bare flesh of his upper arms, Ethan stroked.