Blood Jewel: Excerpt

I sat with my legs outstretched, leaning back on my palms and Chansey mimicked my position. She reached for her dress and scooted it up her thighs until she was satisfied with the amount of sun exposure on her legs. She enjoyed being in the sun and I wondered if she had given any thought as to how she would miss it if she became a vampire.

I didn’t want to think about it, so I shoved the thought aside and asked, “Are Gia and Lairah being overbearing about the wedding plans?”

“They have some intense ideas about our wedding,” she laughed. “I think I might want to elope.”

Now, she was talking my language. “You don’t have to convince me. I’ll take you to Vegas and make you my wife right now if it’s what you want.”

She quickly said, “Nope. I’m not ready to give up my dream of marrying you at the top of the open arm staircases.”

I wondered how I could be so lucky. How had I found enough favor with the gods to be given such a beautiful gift as Chansey?

“Oh, I’m sorry,” she apologized. “I didn’t even ask you if that was what you wanted.”

“I’ve already told you that I thought it was perfect,” I reminded her.

She appeared puzzled. “I don’t recall you telling me that.”

“We didn’t exactly discuss it. When we were at Rachel and Christian’s wedding reception, you told me how you pictured your wedding. We didn’t get far into the conversation because that jackass, Evan Finley, interrupted us.”

“Yes, that I remember well. I’m sorry his stupid insults stand out more in my mind than our conversation,” she apologized.

Just thinking about that jackass had my blood boiling, so I thought it was a great idea to steer the direction of the conversation back toward the wedding. “Have you thought about a date for our wedding?”

She smiled and her eyes lit up. “Yes, I’ve given it a lot of thought and I have a date in mind. How do you feel about a November wedding?”

No way! That was too long to wait. “I’d be fine with it if this was the end of October. I know four months isn’t forever, but it sure feels an eternity to me right now.”

“It’s not an eternity and four months barely gives me enough time to plan a small wedding. We haven't even told Granna and Granddaddy about our engagement yet. Have you forgotten that?”

I definitely had not forgotten that detail. “No, it hasn’t slipped my mind.”

She laughed and asked, “Are you worried about telling them?”

“I am a little nervous about it. I’ve never asked to marry someone before,” I admitted.

She leaned over and bumped her shoulder against mine. “Well, that’s good to know, but we’re telling them we’re getting married, not asking permission.”

“I know we don’t have to have their permission. That’s not what I need. It’s their blessing I want. I may be three times as old as Grady, but I still want to be respectful,” I said.

She looked at me and rested her chin against her shoulder as she laughed. “That is so bizarre to me.”

It didn’t sound like a compliment. “Does my age bother you?”

“No, I don’t think of you as your actual age. You just seem like a 26 year-old to me.” She sat up and leaned closer to brush her lips across mine. “A very robust 26 year-old.”

Her kiss and proximity stirred her Agape scent, leaving me with an intense urgency to be closer to her. I reached for her, pulling her against my chest a little too quickly. I heard her gasp and then I saw the smile across her face, proving the sudden catch in her breath resulted from delight instead of fear.

She deepened our kiss as she rolled to her back, pulling me on top of her to rest between her bent knees. This was our first private moment since we arrived at the compound and it caused me to be overly enthusiastic. I knew I shouldn’t, but I placed my hand behind one of her knees and pulled her leg to wrap around my waist as I pressed my body into hers. A sigh escaped her lips and she pulled her other leg up around my waist. The thoughts of what I wanted to do to her returned me to my senses and she recognized the look she had become so well acquainted with when things between us had gone a little too far.

She groaned because she knew what was coming next and locked her legs around my waist. “Don’t you dare stop because you can not keep doing this to me. It’s totally unfair!”

I reached for her legs to coax them off of me. “Move the wedding up and I’ll be more than glad to become totally fair. In fact, I’m quite anxious to be totally fair.”

A thoughtful look came across her face and she said, “October. It’s the earliest I can pull it off even with help from Gia and Lairah.”

I tugged on her bottom lip with my teeth. “That’s still three months away,” I complained.

A pouty look came over her face and the little vixen I loved tried to use her power of persuasion on me just like Sebastian said she would. “I know a way to make the next three months pass much faster.”

“You’re name shouldn’t be Chansey. It should be Risky because you are playing with a fire you highly underestimate,” I assured her.

She dramatically huffed. “Promises, promises. I’m not sure I’ll ever find out if I underestimate you or not.”

Since I easily talked her into moving the date a month earlier, I thought I might push my luck a little further. “Looks like you won’t discover the truth for months, unless you want to move the date closer.” I took my hand and placed it on her thigh, moving it slowly under her dress as I said, “Come on, let’s do it.” I allowed my words linger as I gazed into her eyes and then I added, “In August.”

When I began to laugh, she forcibly slapped my hand away from under her dress to show her unhappiness with my joke. “I can wait if you can. Maybe even until the end of December. I’ve heard Christmas weddings are beautiful.”

It was clear I had pushed my luck too far with her when she showed me how she could beat me at my own game, so I conceded. “I’ll take the October wedding.”

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