The Vampire's Bride

THE VAMPIRE’S BRIDE

Amarinda Jones

EROTIC ROMANCE

Siren Publishing, Inc.

www.SirenPublishing.com

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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

IMPRINT: Erotic Romance

THE VAMPIRE’S BRIDE

Copyright © 2010 by Amarinda Jones

E-book ISBN: 1-60601-907-4

First E-book Publication: July 2010

Cover design by Jinger Heaston

All cover art and logo copyright © 2010 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

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Siren Publishing, Inc.

www.SirenPublishing.com

Letter to Readers

Dear Readers,

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The Vampire’s Bride
by Amarinda Jones from BookStrand.com or its official distributors, thank you.

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Dedicated to the lovely, noble and crazy Maverick. Thank you for wandering into my life.

THE VAMPIRE’S BRIDE

AMARINDA JONES

Copyright © 2010

“Oh, what are you doing here?” The last person Josephine McDonough wanted to see on her wedding day was this man.

“A white dress? After all we shared together?” Alaric leaned against the wall and surveyed her. “Really, baby?”

No, no, no. This can’t be happening. Not now. I am over you,
damn it.
“Don’t baby me, vampire.” This auburn-haired vampire was not going to get in her way. It had taken too long to get over him.

He spread his hands and grinned, two long fangs nestled on either side of a row of perfect white teeth. “I never did anything to you that you didn’t enjoy, mortal.”

That was true. Sex with Alaric was amazing. However, there was more to life than fantastic sex.
I am getting married today. I will get
married today.
Josephine bunched her hands into fists to stiffen her resolve. “Alaric—”

“Josephine—” He mimicked her tone.

“At the risk of sounding repetitious, what the fuck are you doing here?” She hadn’t seen him months. Josephine wasn’t about to allow this vampire back into her life. He made it messy and complicated.

I’m thirty-two years of age, damn it. I need normal and boring
.

“You’re getting married. Where else would I be?”

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Amarinda Jones

The smile he gave her made her tremble. Only Alaric had the power to make her shiver with a simple glance. Josephine ran her hands down the cool white satin of her wedding gown. “Why now?”

“I can’t believe you’re marrying someone other than me.”

For a moment Josephine was speechless. Was he really that dense? Had Alaric no concept of how badly he’d hurt her when he walked out of her life?

“You never asked me to marry you.” Once, maybe she would have.
Maybe.
But not now. Too much time had passed.
And I want
more than a part-time lover with his own agenda
.

Alaric pushed off from the wall and moved towards her. “Did you want me to?”

Yes…no…fuck, I don’t know
. “If I have to make you propose, then it’s not the same thing. Besides, it’s not like there was any commitment between us.” Pinning Alaric down was like trying to pin jelly to a wall. And, it had nothing to do with the whole vampire thing. That was the least of Josephine’s concerns. Although he was a vampire and longevity was their forte, Alaric was not good at focusing on anything for any length of time. Except Maverick House, of course. He loved it more than her. That Gothic, aging pile of stone and mortar once more reminded Josephine of the fickleness of this man. Maverick House had always meant more to him than her.

“We were damn good together.” Alaric reached out to touch her arm.

The last thing Josephine wanted was to feel any part of him against her. No man’s touch could heat her up as Alaric’s. He was her downfall. “Marriage is more than sex.” She took another couple of steps back.

“What’s sex like with Dimmy?”

Josephine rolled her eyes at his words. “My fiancé’s name is Jimmy.”

“And?”

The Vampire’s Bride

9

“Everything doesn’t revolve around sex.” Jimmy was good and sweet, and more importantly, normal. His passions didn’t send him off on crusades for justice like those of Alaric.

“He hasn’t fucked you?” Alaric arched his eyebrows in surprise.

“What’s wrong with him?”

“Nothing.” It was all her. Unlike being with Alaric, Josephine had felt no wild need to jump into bed with Jimmy, and he had told her he respected that. At first that had thrown her somewhat. Josephine loved sex. That Jimmy wasn’t as ardent was hard to get used to. However, she was sure once they were married that issue would resolve itself.

Above all, she wanted to be loved exclusively for herself without competing factions getting in the way, and Jimmy loved her.

“What’s wrong with
you
then, baby?” Once more Alaric advanced on her.

Josephine then made her first mistake. She pushed him away. Her hands met his chest, and a rush of heat shot up her arms.
Oh, bad
move
. Josephine tore her hands from his body. “Nothing is wrong with me, vampire.” She stepped back once more, the backs of her legs hitting the bed behind her. The bride’s room was supposed to be just that, a place for her to dress and ready herself without interruptions.

Of course most brides didn’t have a vampire ex-lover who could appear out of thin air.

“Why are you marrying him then? He could be pathetic in bed.”

Alaric’s green eyes never left hers. “You know we were always fantastic together.”

Oh, yes
. Flashbacks of long, hot, steamy days and nights with Alaric on her and in her invaded her mind. The overwhelming impulse to close her eyes and relive that heat was hard to fight. But Josephine knew she had to. “I faked it with you.”

This made Alaric laugh. “Liar.”

He had the sexiest chuckle. It made her shiver. “You’ll never know.”

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Amarinda Jones

“Oh, I know.” Alaric reached out and took hold of her left hand.

“So why Dimwit?” He tapped one finger on the diamond in her engagement ring.

“Jimmy—and because he’s sweet and gentle and he loves me.”

Could Alaric feel her trembling? In her mind, she wanted to call it nervous lust that she could easily get over. In her heart, Josephine knew it was so much more than that. But Alaric was not for her.
I
cannot be second choice in his affections.

“I love you.”

The words sounded sincere, and as much as Josephine wanted to believe them, belief was not something she could give in to with Alaric. Sexy vampires, while great lovers, did not make commitments as mortals did. Their lives were lived out over centuries. They evolved differently. Time was not a critical issue to them. Josephine knew Alaric would never settle. He never had to.

“You say you love me, but I haven’t seen you in eight months.”

“My life is complicated.” His fingers moved up to her wrist.

Josephine knew he could feel the uncontrolled beat of her heart.

“Fighting your cousin over an old, useless house is not important.”

“Maverick House is not useless. It holds great power. I have to fight for it—it’s my birthright.”

“As it is your cousin Richard’s.” Both men were vampires.

Josephine knew neither would give up until one of them had an exclusive hold of the house. How they were going to do that she didn’t know. They had been fighting over Maverick House for centuries.
Richard
. Josephine could not suppress the thrill of excitement at his name. While Alaric had enslaved her body and soul, Richard had toyed with her in such a delightful way. Two cousins, both vampires and yet each completely different in personality. Alaric took her with passion and hunger. And Richard? He took because he could, and Josephine craved the idea of being taken against her will.

Not that it ever was. It was just a game she and Richard played. She pretended to fight him, while he controlled her any way he could.

The Vampire’s Bride

11

Although Alaric was jealous, he never stopped their hot little games.

Alaric understood sex and what she had with his cousin. He knew no one person could truly satisfy another. With Richard, it was all about being fucked. With Alaric, it had been love. She licked her lips and contemplated both men in her mind.

“Still hung up on my cousin?”

“Jealous?” That Alaric still was thrilled her.
Whoa! Focus,
woman. You’re supposed to be getting married, not fucked.

“No.”

“Or is it that he has more claims to the house and that annoys you?” Josephine had no idea who had what claim, nor could she care less.

“I’m older by one hundred years, so it’s my home.” Alaric’s other hand caught at her waist.