Under a Vampire Moon (36 page)

Carolyn bit her lip, but asked, “A kind of prickly heat up the back of your—?”

“Yeah. That’s it. Felt it every time I touched you on the boat too. That’s why I recognized it.”

“Damn,” Carolyn breathed, and then began to tug at her hand in earnest. If Christian had seen them kissing . . . “I can’t go there.”

“Woman, this is no time to be a coward,” Jack said firmly, dragging her forward. “What you have here is a once in a lifetime thing, maybe a once in a thousand lifetimes thing. And I guarantee you will never find it again.”

“But what if he doesn’t want me?”

“Oh trust me, he wants you,” he assured her. “A woman who makes you faint? It’s enough to make a grown man weep with envy.”

“But if he saw us kiss—”

“He did. And he no doubt saw me dragging you up here too. It’ll be all right.”

“But—”

“Shut up, Caro,” Jack said grimly. “I’d rather drag you back to my place and enjoy some of that passion I tasted just a few minutes ago. Maybe for a lifetime, it was that good. But I’d always know I couldn’t compete with what he could give you. I’m doing this for you, you idiot.”

Her mouth snapped closed as they reached the walk to Christian’s villa and he tugged her up that. Pausing, he rang the bell, pushed her in front of the door, and turned to walk away.

“You’re just leaving me?” Carolyn cried, whirling to gape after him. “On the doorstep like an abandoned baby?”

Jack paused halfway up the walk and turned back. “I like you sweetheart, and I’m doing this for you. But I like me too and wouldn’t mind seeing dawn, so—oh crap.”

Carolyn stilled, sure without turning that the door had opened behind her and Christian was there. She could feel his heat.

“She wants you, not me,” Jack said abruptly. “I can’t make her feel like you do and she made that obvious. But she’s got a problem with your age difference so you’ll have to—” Jack paused and Carolyn gasped as her hand was suddenly grabbed and she was jerked around into Christian’s arms. His mouth was on hers at once, devouring her and setting off those rockets she’d missed when Jack had kissed her.

Carolyn thought she heard Jack finish with a wry, “work it out,” but Christian’s hands were moving over her now, molding her to his body and then dropping to cup her behind and raise her off the ground. Carolyn moaned into his mouth even as he did when their bodies slid together.

She thought she heard Jack mutter, “It’s like a fricking forest fire,” as she let her purse slip to the ground and wrapped her arms around Christian’s neck and her legs around his waist. She held on as he turned to carry her away from the door.

“Uh . . . I’ll just get the door for you, shall I?” Jack called out. “And put her purse on the floor here?”

At least she thought he said that. It was hard to care much with one of Christian’s hands cupping and squeezing her behind, pressing her more tightly against him, while the other found one of her breasts and squeezed as he mounted the stairs.

His hand left her breast as they reached the top of the stairs, and Carolyn shivered as she felt the zipper of her dress slide down her back, and then he was carrying her into and through the bedroom, straight to the bathroom. She felt cold tile under her feet when he set her down, and when he broke their kiss she glanced around, confusion rising up through her when she saw they were in the shower.

“What—?” she began uncertainly and then gasped as Christian turned the taps on and cold water shot down over them.

“I can smell him on you,” he growled, tugging her dress off her shoulders as the water warmed.

“He kissed me,” Carolyn muttered and then gasped when he pulled her back into his arms to kiss her again. She felt the snap of her bra give way, and as it dropped to the floor Christian pushed down her panties. The moment he got them off her hips, the damp material slithered down to pool at her ankles with her dress. He immediately lifted her out of them and caught her between his body and the wall as she wrapped her legs around his damp, jeans-clad legs. Christian then reached for the soap and began to rub it between his hands.

“Christian, I—” Her words ended on a surprised gasp and she closed her eyes as he dropped the bar and began to run his soapy hands over her face and throat. He then slid them up and down her arms and over to cover her breasts.

Clutching at his shoulders, Carolyn gasped, “Oh,” and arched into his hands as he soaped them. She then sank back with a little sigh as his hands moved away to curve over the flesh around them, and down her sides. He was being as methodical as Jack had been about applying the suntan lotion.

“He only kissed me,” Carolyn whispered, beginning to feel like he was trying to wash away a taint. “He didn’t touch me. You’re the only one who has touched me in seven years.”

“He touched you on the boat every chance he got,” Christian muttered, and she reached for his face, forcing him to look at her.

“But not like you do, and he didn’t make me feel like you do when you touch me,” she said firmly. “I don’t think anyone could.”

Christian stared at her silently and then his face relaxed and the tension slipped from his body. His hands began to move again, sliding slowly now to curve under her behind and lift her a bit higher against the wall. Still, meeting her gaze, he then brought one hand around and slid it between her spread legs.

Carolyn gasped and pushed her back hard against the cold tiles, her legs tightening around his hips as his soapy fingers slid over her.

“Moan for me,” he whispered, his fingers dancing across her flesh. “
I
vostri gemiti sono
musica. Cantano per me
— Your moans are music. Sing for me.”

She was panting now, straining against the pleasure, but Carolyn shook her head and managed a crooked smile as she challenged him. “Make me.”

Her eyes widened incredulously when his suddenly flared bright silver. Then she tipped her head back against the cold tile wall and cried out as his fingers slid between her folds so that his thumb could strum the core of her excitement as one finger slid into her. She then moaned as that finger withdrew, and groaned as it returned.

“Beautiful,” Christian panted, his voice gravel. Carolyn immediately lowered her head and kissed him, hard. When he suddenly turned them both under the spray, she simply squeezed her eyes tightly closed as the water washed the lather away, her body twisting and writhing under his touch. Carolyn was vaguely aware of the water suddenly stopping, and movement, and then Christian was lowering her to a soft surface. The bed, she saw opening her eyes. They were in the bedroom now, and then her eyes shifted back to him as he withdrew his hand from between her legs and straightened to remove his wet jeans.

“Don’t ever leave while I’m sleeping,” he muttered, urging her legs apart. “Promise me you won’t leave this time until we talk.”

“I—” Carolyn gasped as he pulled her to the edge of the bed and slid into her.

“Promise me,” he insisted as he withdrew.

“I promise,” she gasped as he slid back in and then repeated it with each thrust. “I promise. I promise. I promise.”

C
hristian opened his eyes, instantly alert, panic clutching at him as he saw the wide, empty expanse of bed next to him. She’d promised, he thought with dismay and then became aware of the heat at his back and glanced over his shoulder. Carolyn. Christian relaxed. He sat up and turned to get a better look. Her back was to him and she was on her side on the very edge of the bed. If she moved the slightest bit she was likely to tumble out.

He was a bed hog, Christian realized with dismay and reached for her, intending to move her away from the edge, but then hesitated. If he touched her, he wouldn’t be able to stop, and then they wouldn’t talk again and . . .

Christian grimaced. He’d already pounced on her once without talking. It wasn’t a good idea to do it again. He needed to convince her to have a relationship with him. He needed to make her fall in love with and trust him, because he needed her.

A sleepy murmur drew his attention and he focused on Carolyn again as she shifted onto her back with a sigh, the sheet slipping down to reveal one breast. Christian found himself staring at the pale, perfect mound with its rosy areola. He licked his lips and immediately bent toward her, but caught himself just before he would have taken it in his mouth. They needed to talk. He had to not touch her so they could talk, he reminded himself sternly and started to rise, but paused again when he saw that her nipple had budded, growing more prominent.

Had his breath done that? he wondered with fascination, and then Carolyn shifted sleepily again, dislodging the sheet from her other breast as well. Now he was faced with a two-course feast. Damn, she wasn’t making this easy for him. His gaze slid from one breast to the other, noting that the one just revealed wasn’t erect like the first. It looked a little unbalanced he decided. He should really balance that out for her.

Leaning over he blew on the second nipple, and then rose up a little to compare it to the first. Damn, now the second one was much more prominent than the first, the blowing apparently causing more excitement than just breathing.

Hmm, best fix that, he thought and turned his attention to the first nipple again. He intended to just blow, but really a quick lick might work just as well. He could resist after a quick lick, he assured himself and slid his tongue out to rasp the nipple, eyes squeezing closed when a quick lick of pleasure slid through him. Damn, he’d forgotten about the shared pleasure. It was all new to him, and Christian wasn’t exactly sure how it worked, but apparently he had to be in physical contact to experience it, because he hadn’t felt it when he’d breathed or blown on her . . . and that gave him an idea.

Sliding from the bed, he crossed the room and went out into the hall to hurry to Gia’s room. The house was silent. It was still early though, well, probably one, early for their kind. The gig in the lounge had ended at eleven, and the others had gone to hit a club in town, leaving him alone to wait for Carolyn’s return.

He’d spent the time until she arrived pacing along the wall of windows, staring at the villa below while cursing, and muttering to himself like a madman. In the end, it had only been half an hour before the van pulled up and disgorged Jack and Carolyn, but it had felt like hours to him. It had felt like hell . . . at least until he’d had to watch helplessly as Jack put his arms around Carolyn and kissed her, then he’d discovered what true hell was.

Christian had wanted to crash down the mountain and rip out the man’s spine through his back, and still wasn’t sure how he’d maintained enough control not to do that. But then Jack had seemed to be about to leave, turned back, the couple had spoken briefly, and suddenly Jack was dragging Carolyn up the mountain like a father dragging a naughty girl home after catching her doing something she shouldn’t. The man had delivered her to him even though he wanted her for himself . . . because he knew Carolyn wanted him.

Amazing, Christian thought as he slipped into Gia’s room. He would never give her up . . . no matter what. If his efforts to convince her to accept a relationship with him failed and she ran, he would follow her to Canada, or the ends of the earth if necessary. He’d buy or rent a house or apartment near her, make it so that she couldn’t avoid him, and haunt her sleep with shared dreams until the combination wore her down.

He couldn’t lose her. It was as simple as that.

Pausing at the closet, he opened the door, his eyes sliding over Gia’s clothes. She had some pretty wild outfits, and some cool accessories too: scarves, gloves, chains, and feathers among other things.

It was the feathers he had come in search of. He could run those over Carolyn’s body without the shared pleasure overwhelming him. But the thought of Gia’s gloves suddenly made him pause. If he wore those . . . could he touch her without being overwhelmed by shared pleasure?

Of course, Gia’s hands were much smaller than his. The gloves wouldn’t fit him. But he could always buy gloves that would. And they would fit Carolyn. If the bit of cloth prevented her from experiencing the shared pleasure, he could let her touch him wearing them. It was a thought. She wasn’t going to allow him to prevent her touching him forever. While she hadn’t seemed to notice that he’d prevented her from touching him tonight, she’d been growing impatient with his refusal to allow it by the end of their first night together. He had to try something.

Right now though, he wanted feathers. Where the hell did Gia keep things like that?

C
arolyn stirred sleepily and opened her eyes as she stretched in the bed. God, she felt good. Warm, happy, sated. The last thought made her smile and glance toward Christian, or where she expected him to be, but he wasn’t there. Surprised, she sat up, and then slid out of bed to cross to the bathroom.

Carolyn found the room empty and started to turn away, but then paused, lowered her head and swung back. Biting her lip, she hesitated for a moment, then slowly raised her eyes to her reflection in the mirror, and let out a slow breath.

Okay, that wasn’t so bad, Carolyn decided. She was naked, no leather dress crumpled around her waist. She supposed her breasts still weren’t as perky as they had been in her twenties, and she wasn’t exactly svelte, but she could deal with it. What really made the difference was that this time there was no streaky makeup caked on her face, or black eyes from mascara. Christian had washed her face in the shower. She looked just . . . well . . . okay, so she didn’t look great. She could do with some lipstick and maybe blush, but she didn’t look as bad as she had the last time she’d woken up here.