VA 2 - Blood Jewel Read Online Free Page B

we change the subject? I don’t want to think about how my
ancestors were part of such a heinous practice. It creeps me
out.”
    I stopped walking and said, “Your
wish is my command.”
    She smiled and said, “Well, in that
case...kiss me.” She reached up onto her tiptoes and lightly
brushed her lips across mine and then reached for the blanket under
my arm. “Here, let me help you,” she said as she took the opposite
corners of the blanket and helped spread it on the ground under a
large live oak.
    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
arms 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 and I told you that I thought it
was perfect. 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
Agápe scent, leaving me with an intense urgency to be closer to
her. I reached for her, pulling her against my