Under a Vampire Moon (42 page)

“Yes,” he said with relief, glad she’d concluded that on her own and he hadn’t had to tell her that would have to happen.

“Actually, it would probably be better if I did that before turning anyway,” she muttered. “I mean, you live in Italy . . . I don’t think I could bear to be without your arms around me for weeks and months on end, and—” She paused on a gasp when he suddenly scooped her into his lap.

“You will never spend weeks or months without my arms around you,” he assured her.

Carolyn smiled and slid her arms around his neck. “That will make it all worthwhile then.”

Christian just stared at her for a moment, then shook his head and said softly, “God, you are the strangest creature . . . and I love you more than life itself.”

He caught the sheen of tears in her eyes, and then she drew his head down and they were kissing when the door opened.

“Carolyn, if we want to make breakfast— Oh, my God!”

Christian lifted his head, and turned toward the door where Bethany now stood gaping at them, but glanced back with surprise as Carolyn nearly toppled off his lap in her panic to get up. He steadied her quickly, and then glanced back to Bethany as she began to squawk.

“What the hell are you doing? Last night you come back half naked from a date with that captain guy and then today you’re screwing gay boy? What the hell? You’re supposed to be frigid and suicidal, not slutting around like some Mata Hari!”

Christian started to narrow his eyes on the woman, but Carolyn stepped in front of him.

W
hen Christian glanced her way, Carolyn gave him a warning scowl. She’d recognized his concentrated look from last night. He’d been about to control Bethany and send her away again as he had then, but it wasn’t necessary. She’d handle this. She wouldn’t allow her friends to be controlled.

Carolyn waited for Christian to nod and relax, and then moved to pick up his discarded T-shirt.

“Christian’s not gay. Obviously,” she said pointedly as she tugged the T-shirt on. “And I am not slutting around. I didn’t sleep with Jack.” Propping her hands on her hips, she added, “And you’re the one who keeps saying I should have a fling, so—” She paused suddenly and then barked, “Frigid? Who the hell said I was frigid?”

“Nobody,” Bethany muttered, scowling at her.

Carolyn eyed her silently. She’d never told Beth about her marriage, and she knew Genie wouldn’t have. That left— “It was Robert, wasn’t it?”

When Bethany avoided her gaze, Carolyn frowned and added in a rising voice, “And what do you mean, I’m supposed to be suicidal?”

“She’s been trying to drive you to suicide,” Christian said quietly.

“What?” Carolyn glanced his way with amazement. His gaze was focused on Beth. He was reading her, she realized, but surely he had that wrong?

“That’s not true,” Bethany said at once, but Christian just continued.

“She brought you here hoping that being surrounded by honeymooners while in the midst of a divorce would just add to the depression that has been plaguing you since your marriage fell apart. And then she feigned illness to ensure that you were alone to add to your sense of being a failure and a loser.”

“Th-that’s ridiculous,” Bethany stammered.

“She’s been feeding you her diabetes medication in the bottled water to make you feel sickly and add to your troubles. Though she wouldn’t have minded had you had an accident while feeling poorly and disoriented. She even messed with several of your shoes to aid in the endeavor.”

“How do you know that?” Beth asked, pale and shaking with horror.

Carolyn felt a slow burn starting in her gut. “Seriously, Beth?”

“I—” Beth shook her head, confusion and horror on her face, and then anger plowed everything else under and she shrieked, “Well, what did you expect? You’ve made Robert’s life a living hell for ten years and now you’re trying to take him for everything he’s worth? You’re just a frigid little gold digger and he—”

“I’m
the gold digger?” Carolyn asked with disbelief. “How can I be the gold digger when the money is mine?”

“Oh, don’t give me that crap,” Beth snarled. “You were poor as a church mouse in university. Besides, Robert told me everything. How you refused him sex and kicked him out of your bed. How you spent his inheritance like it was water, and are trying to clean him out. We’re going to marry as soon as the divorce is over, but you keep dragging it out, trying to squeeze more out of him with that fancy lawyer of yours.”

Carolyn was trembling from head to toe by the time Bethany finished, but calmed when she felt Christian’s hand on her leg. She leaned against his legs and asked quietly, “How long?”

“How long what?” Bethany asked resentfully.

“How long have you been sleeping with Robert?”

Bethany’s teeth ground together and then she said, “We fell in love when you hired me to sell the first house. But we aren’t lovers. He refuses to be unfaithful.”

“Except for the dozen or so women I’ve caught him with and the ones I haven’t,” Carolyn said dryly.

“That’s a lie. He’s always been faithful to you, despite the fact that you didn’t deserve it since you wouldn’t sleep with him.”

“Right,” Carolyn said wearily. “And whose idea was it to off me in St. Lucia?”

“He—I—” Bethany flushed and paled by turn and it was Christian who answered for her.

“His. He suggested the vacation here and wanted her to kill you, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. The best she could do was try to make you as miserable as possible and hope you killed yourself. The diabetes drugs were the most she was willing to do, because she thought they would just make you feel poorly and more suicidal. Her conscience could deal with that.”

Carolyn nodded solemnly. She stared at Beth for a moment, and then said slowly, “So he’s got you so in love with him that you were willing to kill for him.”

“No. I would never kill anyone,” Beth protested at once, horror on her face.

“Don’t fool yourself, Beth, driving me to suicide is killing as much as if you had fed me an overdose or sliced my wrists open,” Carolyn said coldly, and then picked up Christian’s jeans and handed them to him before turning to grab the phone.

“What are you doing?” Beth asked with alarm.

“Doing you a favor, the last and best favor I’ll ever do for you,” Carolyn said as she punched in numbers. The phone rang twice and then Genie’s voice sounded, pleasant and professional. “Genie, it’s Carolyn.”

“Oh, hey, hon,” Genie said cheerfully. “How went the date?”

“I’ll tell you about that later, I promise. But right now I need a favor.”

“Okay, no problem. What is it?” Genie asked at once.

“I’m going to hand the phone to Beth and I’d like you to tell her everything you know about my marriage to Robert,” she said quietly.

“Everything?” Genie asked with surprise.

“The affairs, the inheritance, Conroy . . .
everything
,” Carolyn said firmly. “She thinks she’s in love with him.”

“What?” Genie squawked. “Oh, my God, put that idiot on the phone.”

Carolyn handed the phone to Beth, and turned to Christian. Seeing that he’d put on his pants, she held out her hand. When he took it, she led him from the room.

“If you had died,” Christian began as they stepped into the hall.

“I haven’t made a will. As my husband, Robert would have gotten everything,” she said and then grimaced. “I guess I shall have to do it now to discourage him from trying again, but at least this gave me a heads-up.”

“You’re not going to call the police about this, are you?” While it was couched as a question, it really wasn’t one. Still, Carolyn shook her head, and he frowned. “You’re just going to let them get away with it?”

Carolyn shrugged with indifference. “Get away with what? Nothing happened except that I didn’t feel good for a couple of days. Besides, Bethany’s basically in the same spot as I was ten years ago. She’s as much Robert’s dupe as I was. Well, except for the willingness to see me dead,” she added dryly. Shaking her head, Carolyn grimaced. “I’m guessing if Bethany had succeeded at making me kill myself, she would have been his next victim. She’s good at what she does and makes a heck of a lot of money.” She smiled wryly and added, “Besides, I kind of owe her in a way.”

“Owe her?” he asked with disbelief. “For what?”

“If she hadn’t fallen halfheartedly in with his suggestion, he might have tried to kill me another way, one that might have been more successful. At least I now know I need to watch my back,” she pointed out.

“Your back will be watched by many,” he assured her solemnly. “You have a whole family now,
cara
.”

“And that’s the real reason I owe her,” Carolyn responded. “Because if she hadn’t brought me here, I never would have met you.”

When he stopped walking, she smiled faintly. “Hadn’t thought of that, had you?”

Christian shook his head, a slightly stunned look on his face.

She peered curiously at his expression. “What are you thinking?”

“I’ve just realized you think very like my mother,” he said with wonder.

“Er . . .” Carolyn frowned, not sure that was a good thing. Finally, she asked, “How is that?”

“She can see past the pain and suffering to the good too,” he said solemnly.

Carolyn smiled. “The silver lining. I learned it from my mother. She always found the silver lining. It’s how she survived the worst of times. How I did too.”

“You’ll have to teach me that.” He scooped her up and carried her to the door.

“Are we going to your villa?” Carolyn said, automatically opening the door for him to carry her out. Neither of them worried about closing it. When he nodded, she pointed out, “I’ll have to come back for clothes at some point.”

“Gia and Mother would probably be happy to tend to that if you wish to avoid Beth in future,” he offered.

Carolyn stiffened. “Your mother is here in St. Lucia?”

“Ah.” Christian grimaced. “Actually, yes, and you’ve met her.”

Her eyes widened. “I have?” She paused and stared, taking in his hair color and the shape of his eyes with a sinking feeling. “Not Marguerite?”

He nodded apologetically.

“But I— She—”

“She volunteered the band to replace the one that canceled because she recognized that you were my life mate,” he explained gently.

She stared at him blankly. “Then Julius is your . . .”

“Father,” he finished.

“Oh, dear God,” she breathed. “He doesn’t look any older than you.”

“We all look around the same age,” he reminded her quietly.

“Yes, of course,” she murmured, and couldn’t resist asking, “How old are your parents?”

“My mother is a couple hundred years older than me.”

“Is that all?” Carolyn asked faintly.

“And my father was born in 534
BC
.”

“B-BC?” she stammered. “But that’s— That’s more than 2,500 years old,” she said incredulously.

“Considerably more than 2,500,” he agreed easily.

“But . . . Who created these nanos? I mean, there can’t have been that kind of technology back . . . Well, not even five hundred years ago, let alone 2,500. It’s just not possible.”

Christian hesitated, but then decided he’d best explain now, because once he got her back to the villa they wouldn’t be talking much for a while. One of his arms was under her bare legs, the other around her back, his hand was resting against the curve of her breast through the T-shirt, and her scent was teasing his nose as he walked. Not unexpectedly his body was responding. It would be a while before they could be in each other’s company without wanting to get naked. Best to get all the explanations out of the way that he could, he decided and asked, “Have you heard of Atlantis?”

If you enjoyed

UNDER A VAMPIRE MOON
,

keep reading for a sneak peek at the

next book in Lynsay Sands’ Argeneau series,

THE LADY IS A VAMP

Coming August 2012

from Avon Books

“L
ast day, Fred,” Jeanne Louise commented, offering a smile to the guard as she approached the security station. The mortal man had worked the exit of the science division of Argeneau Enterprises for nearly five years now and was being rotated out to another area to prevent him from noticing that many members of the staff didn’t age. She would miss Fred. He’d been a smiling face wishing her a good night and asking about her family for a long time.

“Yes, Miss Jeanie. Last day here. Off to one of the blood banks next week.”

Jeanne Louise nodded, her smile fading slightly and expression sincere as she said, “They’ll be lucky to have you there. You’ll be missed.”

“I’ll miss all of you too,” he assured her solemnly, walking around the counter to the door to unlock it for her. He pushed it open then and held it, turning sideways to let her slip past as he said, “Night, Miss Jeanie. You enjoy the long weekend now.”