Under a Vampire Moon (6 page)

Carolyn stared, watching the muscles in his arms and chest ripple under his black T-shirt as his bow scraped so quickly over the strings of his violin that she expected to see sparks flying and smoke rising. His eyes were closed, his face transported as the music moved through him. She couldn’t seem to tear her gaze from him as he played song after song . . . and then his eyes suddenly opened and met hers. Carolyn felt like someone had jammed an adrenaline shot into her heart. She was sure it skipped a beat when his eyes opened, but when he caught her gaze and didn’t release it, her heart started thumping again, charging ahead at a frightening rate that left her breathless and almost dizzy.

The music ended as abruptly as it had started. At least it seemed that way to her. Surely it hadn’t been an hour and a half already, she thought faintly as the band suddenly began to set their instruments aside and move off the stage.

“Break time,” Genie announced over the microphone and Carolyn blinked. She hadn’t even been aware of the woman leaving the table.

“Weren’t they great?” Genie asked the audience. “They’ll be back in fifteen minutes. I can’t wait. How about you?”

The bar erupted in claps and cheers, but Carolyn’s eyes were still locked with Christian’s as he led the band toward their table. He hadn’t even looked away while setting down his violin, and the intensity of his stare made her feel like a gazelle being stalked by a tiger. What remained of her intelligence pointed out that she was being ridiculous, but her instincts were screeching at her to run. Before she quite knew what she was doing, Carolyn stood, tore her gaze free of Christian’s, mumbled something about the ladies’ room, and fled in that general direction at little short of a dead run.

“I
told you she’d avoid you,” Gia said as Christian watched Carolyn flee. His instincts were telling him to give chase, to run her to ground like a panther with prey. The problem was what to do with her once he caught her. He knew what he wanted to do, but it was entirely inappropriate behavior in a public place.

Christian shook his head as that last thought registered. He already wanted her, he acknowledged on a sigh. The moment in the van when he’d realized he couldn’t read her, he’d immediately been curious. And he’d felt a strange flutter and tingle as he’d touched her to lift her out of the van, which had grown as he’d carried her to the bench. It was what had urged him to deliberately let her body slide along his as he’d set her down, which had only increased those sensations. But when he’d felt her watching him while he was onstage and opened his eyes . . . He’d been captivated by the emotions flitting across her face. He’d recognized awe, appreciation, loneliness, and raw need and it had called up similar responses in himself. By the time the set had ended all he’d been thinking about was getting to the table to claim her.

Christian hadn’t been clear on how he’d intended to do that. Actually, he hadn’t been thinking clearly at all, his blood was up after performing, and he suspected it might be a good thing she’d fled.

“I’ll go get her and bring her back,” Gia offered as they reached the table.

“No, it’s better she doesn’t return until he’s back onstage,” Marguerite said at once, and when Christian glanced at her with surprise, she smiled apologetically. “Your passions are too hot right now. If you carry her off, as you were thinking about while playing, you’ll scare her. It’s why I didn’t stop her from going.”

“I wasn’t thinking that,” Christian said quickly.

“Darling, that was the most G-rated thing you were thinking,” Marguerite said gently.

Christian flushed as his cousins chuckled, but couldn’t deny it. He hadn’t really been thinking of carrying her off, but images of that and much more had been running through his mind. Grimacing, he dropped into a chair at the table.

Marguerite patted his hand, then glanced to Gia and said, “You could go talk to her. Calm her and make sure she returns to the table once you’re all back onstage. I think you’ll like her, Gia.”

“Okay.” Gia started to turn, but paused when Santo caught her arm.

“You need water,” he said, spotting a waiter nearby and concentrating on him briefly.

“I don’t drink water,” Gia said with a scowl.

“But we don’t have what you do drink here and there is no time for any of us to make a run back up to the villa to get it. Water will deal with the dehydration from the performance for now.”

Gia clucked impatiently, but when the waiter suddenly appeared with several bottles of cold water dripping with condensation, she accepted one and moved off in the direction of the ladies’ room.

“So . . .” Christian accepted the bottle Santo passed to him. “How am I supposed to woo her if I can’t go near her?”

“I don’t think you should . . . for tonight at least. I think you should let us work on her first,” Marguerite said thoughtfully.

Christian stiffened at the suggestion. “Mother, don’t confuse me with Father. Unlike him I know how to woo a woman.”

“Excuse me, I know how to woo a woman.” Julius slid his arm around Marguerite, pulling her close as he added, “And here’s the proof.”

Christian nodded. “Which wooing technique do you think did it? When you attacked her and Tiny in that hotel? Or when you threw her over your shoulder and carted her back to that townhouse in York?”

“What? He did that?” Raffaele asked with surprise as Julius’s eyes narrowed.

“I’m just asking so I don’t use the wrong technique on Caro,” Christian said, holding his father’s gaze and ignoring Raffaele for now. Lips twitching, he added, “Maybe you could school me in how to talk to her. Should I practice in my head?”

“Oh man, I’m so missing something here,” Zanipolo muttered.

Julius suddenly relaxed. “Go ahead and laugh, son. But it’s you in the hot seat now.” Expression solemn, he added, “And Carolyn isn’t immortal, with an immortal’s understanding of life mates. She’s also been hurt and has a natural resistance to getting involved with men at the moment, not to mention utter horror at the idea of even being attracted to someone she thinks is as young as you are. She will be difficult. Accept your mother’s help.”

Christian frowned at the thought that anyone had hurt his Carolyn, but let it go for now and glanced to his mother. “What do you suggest?”

Marguerite relaxed, though he suspected it was the brief verbal exchange between her son and husband that had made her tense to begin with. Now she said, “Well, I think we should see how Gia’s talk with her goes. Then Genie can help.”

“Genie? The entertainment coordinator?” he asked with bewilderment.

Marguerite nodded. “They are friends and she seems open to the idea of a vacation romance for Carolyn. As is her other friend Bethany.”

“I’m not interested in a vacation romance,” Christian growled.

“Yes, dear, I know,” Marguerite said patiently. “But it’s a start. You have to work your way up to this.”

He shifted impatiently, but knew she was right. “Okay, so how can Genie help?”

“With the right prodding, I’m quite sure she’ll help convince her,” Marguerite assured him. “But, in the meantime, I don’t think you should even talk to Caro again until tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?” Christian sat up abruptly. Cripes, he wanted her now. Waiting till tomorrow was—

“You have waited five hundred years. One day won’t kill you,” Marguerite said, patting his hand soothingly. “Besides, it won’t really be tomorrow.”

When he allowed his confusion to show, she smiled. “Shared dreams.”

“Oh, man.” Zanipolo punched Christian in the arm. “Shared dreams are supposed to be hot.”

“Hopefully, with talking to Gia, encouragement from Genie, and the shared dreams she may be more willing to overlook the age difference.”

Christian suspected it wouldn’t be that easy, but merely asked, “Is she close enough to have shared dreams?”

“She’s in the villa below yours,” Marguerite said, grinning. “We arranged it.”

“Thank you,” he murmured.

“Don’t thank us. We haven’t won her for you yet,” Marguerite said, and then warned, “And I suspect no matter what we do, she’ll still run eventually.”

When Christian stilled, she shrugged. “All of your brothers’ life mates ran at some point or another,” she said quietly. “It’s a frightening prospect for a mortal. They have not only to accept our existence, but to trust in nanos, something they didn’t even know about before meeting an immortal.”

Christian glanced up as Genie suddenly appeared at the table, smiling widely.

“Oh, you guys are great. Everyone I’ve talked to loves you,” she announced happily, and then asked, “Where’s Gia? And Carolyn?” she added as she noted her friend was missing as well.

“They are in the ladies’ room. I’m sure both will be back soon,” Marguerite answered. “Speaking of Carolyn, Christian was just asking about her, but I don’t know her as well as you. Perhaps you can answer his questions?”

Genie’s eyebrows rose as her gaze shifted to him. “Sure. What did you want to know?”

Taking his mother’s cue, Christian smiled and said, “Everything.”

Three

C
arolyn stepped out of the stall and headed for the sinks, her footsteps slowing as she recognized the blonde fluffing her hair in front of the mirror.

“Oh, hi,” she greeted self-consciously when Gia met her gaze in the mirror. Suddenly uncomfortable, she gestured to the stall and mumbled, “I was just . . . er . . .”

“Using the facilities?” Gia suggested with amusement.

Carolyn nodded and continued to the sink to wash her hands, silently berating herself for an idiot. It was guilt over her attraction to Christian and the way she’d fled that had made her say that, as if she needed a cover for leaving the table.

Gia chuckled, and Carolyn glanced at her uncertainly.

“Sorry, but you should see your expression,” Gia said with amusement. “You look as guilty as a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar.”

Carolyn looked back to the sink as she washed her hands.

When Carolyn moved to dry her hands, Gia asked, “So the entertainment director, Genie, is a friend of yours?”

Carolyn smiled. “Since university. And so is Beth. She came here with me, but has been under the weather since arriving,” she explained. “Which is a shame since this is the first time the three of us have been together since we roomed together at uni.”

“The three of you were roommates?” Gia asked curiously. “On campus?”

“No, we rented a house with another friend. Brent.”

“Brent.” Gia grinned. “One man and three women. That must have been interesting.”

Carolyn chuckled. “Brent was more like one of the girls than a guy.”

Gia’s eyes narrowed and then she murmured, “Gay.”

“Yes,” Carolyn answered, though it hadn’t really been a question. “Few in school knew it though. He was still in the closet back then. His parents were older and he didn’t think they’d accept him if they knew.” She smiled faintly. “The funny thing is, he dragged me home as his ‘girlfriend’ for years to keep his parents from finding out, and when he finally came out of the closet, his mother wasn’t surprised at all. She’d known all along I was just his beard.”

Gia turned her back to the counter, hefted herself up to sit on it, and picked up a bottle of water that had been resting beside her. She eyed Carolyn as she opened it and took a sip, then lowered it and asked, “Beard?”

“It’s a fake girlfriend basically, so people don’t know the person’s gay,” she explained, wondering what the Italian equivalent would be. Marguerite had said the band members were all Italian relatives of Julius’s.

She glanced toward the door, but hesitated, not anxious to go back out while Christian might still be there. Carolyn was afraid of making a fool of herself over the man by drooling or otherwise revealing her attraction to him. It just seemed better to avoid him. She’d go back after he’d returned to the stage and then slip away before the second set ended and avoid the lounge until the band left, she decided.

“Sit with me,” Gia suggested, patting the counter beside her. When Carolyn glanced at her uncertainly, she smiled wryly and said, “I’m supposed to get to relax during the breaks, but if we go back out, guests will want to talk to me and then it’s not relaxing. Talking to you is relaxing.”

Carolyn didn’t particularly want to go back out anyway, so moved over to settle on the counter next to her.

“So, you didn’t mind being this beard for your friend?” Gia asked at once.

“No, not at all. Brent was a sweetheart and a great friend. He still is. Besides, I felt for him. He really struggled with his sexuality back then. He wanted to be straight to please his family and basically fit in, but he just wasn’t attracted to women. He had it tough there for a while. I was happy to help out,” she said with a shrug.

“My
cugino
has the same problem,” Gia announced when Carolyn glanced to the door again.

Carolyn looked back uncertainly. “
Cugino
?”

“Cousin,” Gia translated. “He’s gay, but . . . well, Italy is terribly into the whole machismo thing, and especially in our family, so he keeps it to himself. I’m the only one who knows.”