High Stakes (4 page)

fall in love with him and marry him.

Hooray. Somehow he wasn't as excited by that as he should be.

"I don't
think
we're vampires." He knew they were.Big difference.

"Look, we all have our hobbies. If you want to drink tomato, juice and call it blood"—she gestured to his champagne glass— "and surround yourself with bad Elvira impersonators, that's your business. But leave my sister out of it. She's a sweet girl and she actually believes you're the walking dead and wants to save your souls from hell."

Save their souls from hell? Where had that come from? Astonished, and holding a glass of human blood in his hand, he looked over atBrittany , dug around in her head a little. She was easy to read, wide open to him most of the time if he wanted to go looking.

Alex is too cynical, wish Alex could be happy, know they can be
helped,
Ethan is sad and lonely
…

Her thoughts rolled like a teleprompter and Ethan was appalled. She thought he was
lonely
? Here he'd been trying to wooBrittany slowly and surely and she felt sorry for him. That was a kick to the ego.

Neither sister found him attractive.

Losing his touch with women was unacceptable. He was not going to slide into old age avampiric Mister Rogers.Zip-up sweaters and soft smiles. Good God.

He had sworn he would marry and settle down, but he didn't want to be undesirable to women.

While he was having a mental crisis,Brittany was shrugging her shoulders in apology, hands up in a conciliatory gesture. "You probably didn't want me to know that you're a bloodsucking demon, but I couldn't help but notice. And I like you and don't want to see you spend eternity in hell."

Alexis rolled her eyes. "Personally, I'm okay with him going to hell. But he's not a vampire, Brittany.

Vampires don't exist! He's disturbed, he's a cult leader, he's a self-important rich bastard, but he is not a vampire."

Ethan drained his glass, the blood having warmed to room temperature. But it wasn't what he wanted to take the edge off his desire, to quench the thirst that raged hotter and hotter in him as Alexis stood face to face with him and confidently insulted him.

"Seamus, please escort Brittany and the other cabinet members down to the private dining room. I'll join you shortly after I finish speaking with MissBaldizzi ."

There was movement around him as his guests politely moved to do as he had asked. Alexis made a squawking noise. "Brittanyis staying with me! In fact, she's leaving with me, right now. And that's
Ms
.

Baldizzi to you."

ButBrittany evaded the hand that reached out to grab her. Alex, you don't understand. I
have
to stay."

She latched on toSeamus's arm and headed for the door. "Please don't be mean to Ethan. He can't help what he is."

She made it sound like he was gay or something. Ethan snorted in annoyance before he could prevent
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himself.

Alexis made to follow her sister, but Ethan put his hand on her shoulder and stopped her. "I am sorry you're displeased with my arrangement withBrittany ."

"That's a big-ass understatement." She struggled to wiggle out of his touch.

But he was strong, so strong that it was no effort to keep her pinned. "She's an adult. Anything she does is her choice."

Over her shoulder, she gave him a look of utter disdain. "You've taken advantage of hernaivete and manipulated her. You make my skin crawl."

She'd managed to push the right button. His anger exploded, irrational and hot. "What would you say if I told you I really was a vampire… and that I fully intend to marry your sister?"

The words hung in the air for a sickening second, her gasp of outrage loud in the silence.

He saw her movement, a slight shift, but even with his heightened senses he never guessed her intention until he felt the impact and the sharp pain jolt through his chest.

Now that was a first.

The crazy woman had actually hit him.

Alexis thought she was handling herself, keeping it cool, until Ethan wouldn't let go of her shoulder. His touch was firm, powerful, and effortless, reminding her that she was stuck in a puny woman's body. She hated that she had to spend her entire life at eye level with most people's nipples.

Alexis didn't like to feel powerless, and that's what Carrick's grip did to her.

Added to that was his annoying statement that he was going to marry her baby sister, and she lost it.

Snapped. Did what instinct, anger, and years of Korean karate training had taught her.

With a yank, she pulled his arm forward,then used her elbow to drive into his chest. It was a satisfying way to lose his grip on her shoulder.Letting out a "
Ki-Hap
!" she whirled around and faced her opponent.

Okay, so
opponent
was an exaggeration, but it still felt good to see the surprise on his face.

"Look, Alexis…" He raised his hand.

She went in with a knife-hand block that deflected his movement. Annoyance pinched his features. She struggled to make sure pain didn't show on hers. Dang, the man was hard.Solid. Making contact with his palm had been like blocking a slab of concrete.Which only increased her determination to show him he
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could not physically or metaphorically push her around.

Waving both his hands toward her face, he said, "I'm not trying to—"

Alexis got him with a double maneuver, right then left.

Ethan glared. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Sang DanMahkKee .High block, front stance."She eased back just a little, but stayed in ready position.

"Oh, my God."Ethan rolled his eyes. "There's no reason to pull out your little martial arts techniques. I'm just trying to resolve this to our mutual satisfaction."

That would mean he would drop dead in front of her. He wasn't hitting the floor, so she went on the attack, giving him a spear hand to the arm just for fun. "I'm a Dan member, which is the Korean equivalent of a black belt. Don't mock me, Carrick."

"Stop hitting me. I'm not going to fight back, it's completely ungentlemanly. Besides…" He smirked at her.Actually smirked. "I don't wish to wrinkle my shirt restraining you."

Pompous and British, that's how he sounded to her. "I am seriously a woman on the edge here. Just give me one more reason, one more asshole remark, and I'm going to pop you. And enjoy it."

Alexis bounced on her feet, wishing she weren't wearing a business suit. It was going to be a little tricky to get her foot into his chest, but she had outrage fueling her. Stepping out of her shoes, she kicked them aside, and was annoyed when she dropped another two inches.

Ethan just eyed her, took a deep breath, and unclenched his fists. "Look, I think we got off on the wrong foot here. There's no reason to be hostile. And I fail to see what's so objectionable about me. I'm sureBrittany could do worse."

Hello
? "You just told me you're a vampire!Which means you're insane. I don't want my sister involved with a lunatic, because she'll think it's her job to save you, and I know, as sure as the sky is blue, that you can't change people.Once a nut, always a nut."

Alexis saw violent criminals every day in her job as an assistant prosecutor specializing in sexual crimes.

Men who took advantage of their power and position and hurt women, children. She'd do anything to protectBrittany from the pain and suffering she had seen.

"I'm not a lunatic. In fact, I'd argue that I'mmore sane than you are. You've barged into a private business, insulted me, hit me, all
to
rescue a sister who doesn't want to be saved." Ethan Carrick took a step closer to her, got in her face, and smiled tightly, his eyes cold and triumphant. "She likes it here with me, wearing pretty dresses and strolling through the casino on my arm, a rich man's girlfriend, and she likes it in my bed.Just as you would."

The pleasure he was getting from rubbing the victory in her face was more than Alexis could handle.

Hey, she could admit it— she was a control freak. She liked to win. She didn't like to have any man get the better of her, and she didn't like thatBrittany had insisted she couldn't leave.

So she jabbed Ethan in the gut with her elbow and kicked his leg out from under him. He went down hard, with a surprised grunt and a loud thud when his back connected with the floor. It was a shame the
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carpet was so plush—ceramic tile would have really made an impressive smack.

It was probably wrong to feel as satisfied as she did, but she'd worry about that later. Like when she died. Right then she fought a battle not to laugh, and lost. But she only got one snort out, watching him wince, before she suddenly heard a whooshing sound, and felt the air move around her.

Confused, she saw darkness coming at her,then before she could blink, she was the one on her back on the floor, Ethan Car-rickon her chest, his knee wedged between her legs.

"
Don't
do that again," he said tightly.

Alexis sucked in a breath and turned her head to the side, disturbed by how close his face was to hers.

How the hell had he pinned her? It had to be the business suit. She couldn't move in it.

"Do what?" she asked in irritation, lifting her shoulders a little to test how tightly he held her. She moved a whole eighth of an inch. Damn, whatever else he was, Ethan was in shape.

"Hit me. I've lost patience with you." Gripping the lapels of her jacket, he stroked the fabric with his thumbs, his breath on her cheek. "Go home, Alexis. Leave your sister to her choices. Perhaps if you got a life of your own, you wouldn't need to interfere in hers."

That was a direct hit. It touched on all Alexis's vulnerabilities, her fear that withoutBrittany she'd wind up alone, cynical and bitter. And she'd be damned if she'd let Ethan know that.

"Bite me," she said, shifting her leg just a little so she could position herself better.

Ethan's eyes darkened. "Now there's a thought."

Oh shit, she knew that look, recognized that sound. Felt the heat of his leg pressing into her skirt, watched his eyes drop down to her lips. Pervert. Men were all the same.

So were women apparently, because her body was doing the whole arousal thing.Faster breathing, tightening nipples, arching neck.Slow burn beginning deep between her thighs.

That seriously pissed her off. Betrayed byher own hormones.

"Would you like me to bite you? I bet you taste good, Alexis.Hot and passionate."

"Is that smoldering look supposed to be turning me on? Because it isn't working," she lied.

"Be honest here." Nostrils flaring, he leaned closer, running his finger over her lip. Alexis tried to ignore the very real jolt she felt, blaming it on long-term celibacy.

"You can sense there's something between us." His hands were roaming over her sides, brushing past her breasts.

What she sensed between them was a massive erection pressing into her groin.

Instead of ignoring it, like an obedient body would, her inner thighs responded with an enthusiastic greeting of warm wetness in her panties. That quick exhalation of air came fromher own lungs, too. Alexis was appalled that her bodywas actually liking what he Was doing, even as her mind rebelled.

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He was going to kiss her. It was so obvious. His eyes were half-closed, his mouth a hairbreadth from hers, his thumb stroking over her nipple like he was sure of her positive reception.

Holy crap, she was letting him touch her chest. She was going to let him kiss her. She was going to like it.

That horrible thought sent her into action.

"I do feel something between us," she whimpered, impressed that she sounded so legit. Reese Witherspoon had nothing on her.

"What's that, love?"

"My knee."With a swift movement up, she nailed him in the nuts,then rolled out from under him as he jerked back in shock.

"Don't ever do
that
again," she said, scrambling to her feet and yanking her skirt back into place. "If you do, I won't hold back like this time."

Because she was very much afraid if he tried to put that move on her a second time, she just might let him finish it.

Which meant insanity was catching, and she didn't have a prayer of savingBrittany from him.

"Hold back? That was holding back?" Ethan hunched over and fought a wave of nausea. While it was nearly impossible to injure his body, he still felt pain, and Alexis had delivered him a hell of a kick.Right where it counted. Good thing vampires didn't procreate—at least they weren't supposed to—because she had probably maimed him.

Good God, a woman hadn't gotten the best of him in over seven hundred years. He must be losing his touch. He had actual fallen for her capitulation. He'd thought she'd felt the same urgent and suffocating lust he had experienced when he'd foundhimself over her, in the perfect position to invade her body with his own.

It was humbling to realize how much he had come to rely on reading people's thoughts. That, with quick reflexes, always kept him in control. But Alexis had a mind like a bank vault, and the door was shut tight to him. Without sensing her thoughts and actions, he was as vulnerable as a mere mortal.

He hadn't known that kick was coming until it landed right on his testicles, and if he didn't want that to happen again, he was going to have to be much more alert.

The challenge of that had him strangely aroused.Excited.

Which was pathetic.Had his life become so staid and boring that a woman abusing his bollocks had him horny? Given the erection in his pants, it seemed so.

"That was just a little demonstration, Carrick. I could break your nose, knock out some teeth, pop you in the eye if you'd like."

Let her try. Feeling a grin split his face, he decided he'd been working too hard on his reelection, and
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