Under a Vampire Moon (9 page)

Carolyn’s smile became strained as she fought off the shiver that tried to ride up her back at the light—no doubt unintentional—touch.

“Two slushy lime margaritas,” Genie said as a waitress appeared at their table. Glancing around, she asked, “What else?”

“I’ll have the same.” Christian’s deep voice sounded by Carolyn’s ear, and she turned with a start to see that he’d turned sideways and pulled his seat closer. He’d also placed one hand on the back of her chair and the other on the table in front of her. It made her feel surrounded. She started to glance nervously away, but paused when he leaned forward to whisper in her ear.

“Gia told me. Thank you.”

Carolyn couldn’t stop the shiver that claimed her this time when his breath brushed her ear. She tried to cover her reaction with a nod, but thought,
Cripes, what have I gotten myself into here?

“I know I told you before, but you guys were great,” Genie announced suddenly and Carolyn turned to her gratefully.

“Yes, you were all very good,” she agreed, frowning when her voice came out huskier than usual. Maybe she was getting Bethany’s bug, Carolyn lied to herself desperately.

“What’s your favorite song?” Christian asked, drawing her gaze again. His eyes were sleepy as he added, “I’ll play it just for you tomorrow night.”

Carolyn’s eyes widened, but all she managed to get out was a weak, “Er.”

“Christian can play anything from the sixteenth century on,” Gia announced, drawing her attention next. “He’s very talented.”

“The rest of us are no slouches either, but Christian is the family prodigy,” Zanipolo said in an extremely deep voice she didn’t recall from the bus. Perhaps he was getting a cold too, she thought.

“Do you play an instrument?” Christian asked, drawing her reluctant gaze back to find he’d leaned in closer, his face just inches away.

Carolyn couldn’t even manage an “Er” this time and simply shook her head.

“But she loves music. She loves to dance,” Genie announced cheerfully.

“Christian loves to dance too,” Gia said at once. “We should find a nightclub in town after the show tomorrow night and go dancing.”

“Oh, that’s a brilliant idea, Gia,” Marguerite said at once. “I’d love to go dancing. You two will come, won’t you, Carolyn? Genie?”

“Sure we will,” Genie said for both of them.

“I’ll look forward to it,” Christian murmured in her ear.

Carolyn swiveled her head to glance at him and nearly kissed the man he was leaning so close. She felt his breath on her lips and swallowed.

“Oh, good. Here are our drinks,” Genie announced brightly.

Carolyn turned with relief.

The waitress had returned with a tray of drinks. As the woman distributed the other drinks, Genie took a margarita off the tray and handed it to Carolyn saying, “Pass it along.”

Carolyn automatically took it and turned toward Christian, but froze when his hand closed over hers, his fingers caressing hers briefly before they shifted to take the glass.

“Thank you.”

“Er,” Carolyn muttered and quickly turned back to take the second margarita Genie was now holding out. Lifting it to her mouth, she took a big gulp. Sharp pain immediately shot through her head.

“What’s the matter?” Christian asked with concern when she set the glass down and raised her fingers to the bridge of her nose.

“Brain freeze?” Genie asked. When Carolyn nodded, she said, “Rub your tongue across the top of your mouth and cup your hand over your mouth and nose then blow hot air into it. That always helps me.”

“Here.” Christian caught her chin and turned her face to his, then cupped his own hands around either side of her mouth and nose and blew his warm breath into the cave he’d made. He had nice breath, she thought vaguely, wide eyes staring into his as he blew again.

“Don’t forget to rub the top of her mouth with your tongue too, cousin,” Zanipolo laughed.

Flushing, Carolyn pulled back to turn abruptly to her drink. She nearly took another swig, but caught herself. Slow sips, she told herself firmly. Brain freezes were painful, and her brain was useless enough already. Damn he was good at this. She herself almost believed he was interested. Gay men shouldn’t be this sexy.

Genie suddenly muttered by her ear, “Damn he’s good at this. I’m almost believing he’s hot for you myself and I
know
he’s gay.”

Since she’d just had the very same thought herself, Genie’s words shouldn’t have affected her, but for some reason they depressed the hell out of Carolyn and her shoulders slumped a little as she lifted her drink to her lips for another swallow.

A sudden reduction in the heat along her side made Carolyn glance around, and she watched Christian lean toward Marguerite as she whispered something in his ear. When he started to straighten, she turned her gaze quickly back to her drink and took another sip. But now she was aware of the heat he was radiating. It seemed to prickle along her side like an electrical current.

“The moonlight on the water is beautiful at night,” Christian said huskily. “Would you take a walk with me?”

Carolyn blinked at the request, her eyes shooting to his face. When she didn’t respond other than to stare at him wide-eyed, he took her free hand and started to stand. “Come. We won’t go far and I’ll bring you right back.”

Carolyn reluctantly released her glass as he tugged her to her feet, then moved in front of him at his urging to weave her way through the tables to the opening in the railing where they could step down onto the sand. She was very aware of his hand at her back as they walked, aware too that the table had gone silent behind them. Carolyn was pretty sure everyone was watching them, even people at tables they were passing were looking, and she suddenly felt self-conscious as their eyes slid from her to the man behind her . . . an obviously younger man.

Christian moved up beside her and took her hand once they hit the sand.

“What’s wrong?” he asked quietly when she stopped.

“Nothing, I’m just getting sand in my sandals. I thought I’d take them off,” she said, which wasn’t a complete lie, but also allowed her to pull her hand free. Relief immediately rushed through her, but it turned to dismay when he knelt at her feet and began to undo her sandals before she could bend to the task herself. Good lord, he was playing Prince Charming to her Cinderella!

“You fixed your shoe,” he said with surprise.

“Not really. Genie took it to her office and stapled the strap back into place. It’s a temporary fix, but it’s working for now.” She bit her lip as his fingers brushed against the bare flesh of her feet as he worked. Cripes! Since when had her feet been an erogenous zone? Carolyn wondered with dismay as his touch sent little tingles skating up her leg. She had definitely been too long without the touch of a man if his undoing her shoe could affect her like this, she thought, gritting her teeth and just refraining from grabbing his shoulders to steady herself as her knees went weak.

Carolyn managed to hold herself upright until he finished, but it was a close call, and she couldn’t help releasing a relieved little sigh when he straightened.

When she held out her hand for the shoes, he took it in his instead and drew her forward, her shoes caught in his other hand. Carolyn fell into step, but she was thinking that this had been a really bad idea and that maybe she couldn’t do this after all. She was trying to think of a way to say so when he suddenly said, “Thank you.”

Carolyn glanced at him uncertainly. “For what?”

“For agreeing to help me,” he said as if that should be obvious, and she supposed it would have been had she not just been trying to figure out a way to wiggle free of the promise. When she remained silent, he added, “I really appreciate it. My family wouldn’t understand.”

“They all seem like lovely people,” she murmured, and then added almost hopefully, “I’m sure they would be more accepting than you think.”

Christian shook his head firmly. “No. They’re very old-fashioned. I wouldn’t just be disinherited, I’d basically be cut from the family if they found out.”

Carolyn frowned. It was hard to believe that Marguerite and Gia would turn their backs on him. She was less sure about Julius and the others though.

“So I really appreciate your willingness to help me with this,” Christian continued. “I’ll try to make it as easy as I can for you.”

Well, that put paid to her backing out now, Carolyn supposed. She’d feel a complete heel if she did. It wouldn’t be so bad, she assured herself. They’d hold hands once in a while, maybe he’d put his arm around her a time or two and look at her all sexy and sloe-eyed while he talked to her. She could handle it, she assured herself. It wasn’t like they were going to be around his family all the time, and when they weren’t they could both relax and just be natural . . . whatever that was.

“It’s beautiful here,” Christian said suddenly, pausing at the edge of the surf and peering out over the moonlight-dappled water.

“Yes,” she agreed, taking it all in herself. It really was the perfect place for a honeymoon. Which just made her wish she was here with someone who was actually interested in her and not—

“May I kiss you?”

Carolyn turned to peer up at him sharply. “What?”

“The whole table’s watching us. They’ll expect it,” he explained wryly, his gaze sliding to the side as if looking toward the table.

Carolyn started to turn her head, but he caught her chin and slid his hand into her hair to stop her.

“You’ll give away that we know they’re watching,” he warned quietly. “And Julius is very sharp. He’s also suspicious at the moment. I think someone’s been carrying tales to him.”

Carolyn frowned.

“It’s okay if you don’t want me to kiss you,” he said with understanding. “It would be helpful, but I know it’s a lot to ask.” He hesitated and then added, “I could just kiss your ear. That would be enough to satisfy Julius. I—”

“The ear,” she said quickly, thinking that would surely have less effect than his kissing her lips. It certainly carried less chance of her doing something stupid like kissing him back and giving away her attraction to him.

Carolyn thought he smiled, though she wasn’t sure in this light, and then his head lowered. He slid his hand into her hair, drawing it back from her face and ear, using the hold to tilt her head up and slightly to the side. Then his mouth was there and her eyes widened as a whole new world of erogenous zones opened up and swallowed her whole.

Dear God, her stomach actually jumped. Or something moved inside her, and then she was nothing but a mass of sensation as his lips, teeth, and tongue explored her ear. Carolyn was hardly aware of reaching for his arms to steady herself, or that her body moved instinctively closer to his, and when he whispered, “Thank you,” by her ear and slowly straightened, she was more disappointed than she’d ever been over anything in her life.

“Christ, I need to get laid.” The words slid out before she’d realized she was going to say them, and Carolyn slapped a hand to her mouth and stared at him with horror. She couldn’t believe she’d said that. She couldn’t even believe she’d thought it. She just wasn’t all that sexual. Robert had always said she was frigid. She’d never—Seeing how wide Christian’s eyes had gone, she pulled her hand away from her mouth and said quickly, “Not by you, of course. I just mean, I—it’s been a long time since—I can’t believe I even said that,” she muttered on a groan. “It’s been seven years since I had sex and I haven’t even wanted to or anything. I—” She stopped trying to stammer her way out of that one when he pulled her into his arm and patted her back soothingly.

“It’s all right. I understand. It’s been a long time for me too,” Christian growled, but was thinking,
It had been seven years since she’d had sex?
He was sure Marguerite had said Carolyn and her husband had split only two years ago. But she hadn’t had sex in seven years?

“Really? It’s been a long time for you too?” she asked, pulling back with surprise. “Is that because you have to be so careful? I mean, Brent seemed to be forever flitting off with a new lover before he met Stanley.”

Christian released her and stepped back, both regretting that he had to do so and relieved to be able to at the same time. That brief nuzzling had affected him much more than he’d expected. It was the shared pleasure. There was definitely no question that Carolyn was his life mate. Only life mates shared pleasure as he’d just experienced. Every scrape of his teeth, and every lave of his tongue along her ear had sent pleasure cascading through his own body as if she were actually doing it to him. It was something Christian had never experienced before, so he hadn’t realized how powerful a punch it would carry.

Christian had only stopped when he had because he’d been a heartbeat away from bearing her down onto the sand and completely blowing his cover story of being gay. He’d actually had to argue himself out of doing it. But when she’d blurted out those words about needing to get laid . . . well, that was when the real struggle had taken place. He’d pulled her into his arms to keep from following through on the first urge. He was definitely going to have to be more careful in the future. He would have to keep some distance between them, or at least not breach that distance unless they were around the others, whose presence would help to rein him in.