that.
“Can you, as a strong, determined woman, beat him into shape and make him the man he should be?”
Josephine grinned. “Oh yeah, I can whip his ass into line.”
“So marry Fang and get on with it.”
“Just like that?” It seemed too simple.
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55
“You’re not giving in,” Polly told her. “He hasn’t won. You haven’t lost. You’re just being who you’re meant to be.”
* * * *
Alaric stood the minute Josephine walked into the room. He reached out for her “Baby—”
“Shut up, and sit down.” She walked past him. “If I marry you—”
“You will.”
“Shut up.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Alaric sat down and watched her.
“If we get married, you have to clean up your act and start being responsible.”
Alaric arched his eyebrow. “Find a job, get a dog, learn to mow the lawn, and play golf on Sunday?”
Josephine rolled her eyes. “Focus, will you?”
“On you? Anytime.”
“Alaric.”
“Okay, okay. Sit here”—he tapped his thighs—“and I’ll shut up and be good.”
“Hmmm…”
He held out his hands to her. “No funny business.”
“There better not be.” Josephine sat down, and his arms wound her body, pulling her in close to him. That was nice. It was sweet. She could feel his cock pushing at her ass. Some things never change . “If we marry, I want the following—”
“Sex every day. Okay, shutting up…” Alaric grinned at her.
“Do you know why I wanted to marry Jimmy?”
Alaric shook his head.
“Because he had this need to look after me and to be with me through the good, the bad, and the boring bits. He wanted to be the one person I relied on above all others. I need someone like that I can believe in and focus on.” It wasn’t like Josephine couldn’t get through 56
Amarinda Jones
life and look after herself. It was more that if she had Alaric to herself, she wanted to depend on him as he could her. “What I want is for you to just be there for me as I will be for you. I don’t want to worry about unexplained absences and wonder if I did something wrong or if you just don’t like me anymore. When you walked out of my life all those months ago, it really hurt me.”
Alaric picked up her hand and kissed the palm. “I’m sorry. I was selfish and stupid.”
“Yeah, you were.” Josephine curled her arm around his shoulder.
“Baby, you know I’m never going to be the perfect man. We both know that. I’m going to do dumb things, and when I do, I want you to call me out on them. Help me be a better person. I have lived such a long, selfish life that I know I’m going to drive you mad, but I cannot be without you. So slap me upside of the head if I upset you.”
“Okay, I will.” Josephine’s heart beat a little faster. Was this her Alaric? Never had she heard him sound so sincere and desperate.
Maybe her two-hundred-and-seventy-five-year-old vampire was finally growing up.
“I can’t lose you. You mean more to me than the house. I’ll admit a lot of that was to do with male pride and one-upmanship that made me compete with Richard. I also accept what he does for you.”
They had never really discussed her and Richard. “Oh, Alaric, I want—”
“It’s okay, baby. I do understand. I’ve lived long enough to know that some needs have to be fulfilled outside of what we have. You’ll always be mine.”
“Yes, I will.” That was fact.
“Polly said he’s like a big sex toy.”
“Um, yeah…he is.” Josephine blushed. “About Maverick House—”
“I know it’s just a house, but there’s something here that calls me to stay and live here. It’s like I’m meant to be here, and after years of aimless wandering, I want to be here with you. ”
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57
“I actually do understand that. There’s magic here, and for some reason, we both have to be a part of it.”
“Oh, baby, thank you.” Alaric’s hands went down to the buttons of her borrowed shirt.
“Wait a
“Can you, as a strong, determined woman, beat him into shape and make him the man he should be?”
Josephine grinned. “Oh yeah, I can whip his ass into line.”
“So marry Fang and get on with it.”
“Just like that?” It seemed too simple.
The Vampire’s Bride
55
“You’re not giving in,” Polly told her. “He hasn’t won. You haven’t lost. You’re just being who you’re meant to be.”
* * * *
Alaric stood the minute Josephine walked into the room. He reached out for her “Baby—”
“Shut up, and sit down.” She walked past him. “If I marry you—”
“You will.”
“Shut up.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Alaric sat down and watched her.
“If we get married, you have to clean up your act and start being responsible.”
Alaric arched his eyebrow. “Find a job, get a dog, learn to mow the lawn, and play golf on Sunday?”
Josephine rolled her eyes. “Focus, will you?”
“On you? Anytime.”
“Alaric.”
“Okay, okay. Sit here”—he tapped his thighs—“and I’ll shut up and be good.”
“Hmmm…”
He held out his hands to her. “No funny business.”
“There better not be.” Josephine sat down, and his arms wound her body, pulling her in close to him. That was nice. It was sweet. She could feel his cock pushing at her ass. Some things never change . “If we marry, I want the following—”
“Sex every day. Okay, shutting up…” Alaric grinned at her.
“Do you know why I wanted to marry Jimmy?”
Alaric shook his head.
“Because he had this need to look after me and to be with me through the good, the bad, and the boring bits. He wanted to be the one person I relied on above all others. I need someone like that I can believe in and focus on.” It wasn’t like Josephine couldn’t get through 56
Amarinda Jones
life and look after herself. It was more that if she had Alaric to herself, she wanted to depend on him as he could her. “What I want is for you to just be there for me as I will be for you. I don’t want to worry about unexplained absences and wonder if I did something wrong or if you just don’t like me anymore. When you walked out of my life all those months ago, it really hurt me.”
Alaric picked up her hand and kissed the palm. “I’m sorry. I was selfish and stupid.”
“Yeah, you were.” Josephine curled her arm around his shoulder.
“Baby, you know I’m never going to be the perfect man. We both know that. I’m going to do dumb things, and when I do, I want you to call me out on them. Help me be a better person. I have lived such a long, selfish life that I know I’m going to drive you mad, but I cannot be without you. So slap me upside of the head if I upset you.”
“Okay, I will.” Josephine’s heart beat a little faster. Was this her Alaric? Never had she heard him sound so sincere and desperate.
Maybe her two-hundred-and-seventy-five-year-old vampire was finally growing up.
“I can’t lose you. You mean more to me than the house. I’ll admit a lot of that was to do with male pride and one-upmanship that made me compete with Richard. I also accept what he does for you.”
They had never really discussed her and Richard. “Oh, Alaric, I want—”
“It’s okay, baby. I do understand. I’ve lived long enough to know that some needs have to be fulfilled outside of what we have. You’ll always be mine.”
“Yes, I will.” That was fact.
“Polly said he’s like a big sex toy.”
“Um, yeah…he is.” Josephine blushed. “About Maverick House—”
“I know it’s just a house, but there’s something here that calls me to stay and live here. It’s like I’m meant to be here, and after years of aimless wandering, I want to be here with you. ”
The Vampire’s Bride
57
“I actually do understand that. There’s magic here, and for some reason, we both have to be a part of it.”
“Oh, baby, thank you.” Alaric’s hands went down to the buttons of her borrowed shirt.
“Wait a
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