Under a Vampire Moon (34 page)

Her eyes landed on the bathroom door as she slipped inside her room, and Carolyn crossed to it at a quick clip. She stepped inside, pushing the door closed behind her as she hurried forward. By the time she reached the toilet, she was clutching her stomach and simply dropped to her knees and began to vomit as Bethany called out and knocked at her bedroom door.

C
hristian rolled onto his side in bed and reached for Carolyn, then opened his eyes with a frown when he didn’t immediately find her. He stared blankly at the empty space beside him, and then sat up, his eyes swinging around the room. Spotting the cracked-open bathroom door, he got up and moved to it, but when he pushed the door open, the room was empty. There was evidence she’d been there though, he noted, spotting the makeup-stained washcloth on the floor.

A bad feeling crawling up his back, he crossed the bedroom to hurry out into the hall. But he could see at a glance that the living room was empty, and the silence that settled around him the moment he stopped walking told him that no one else was stirring.

Cursing, he hurried back into his room to drag on his jeans and a fresh T-shirt, and then rushed back out to race down the stairs and out the front door. The moment his feet hit the hot stone walk Christian realized he’d forgotten shoes, but he didn’t go back for them. He had to see Carolyn, talk to her. He should have made sure to talk to her before this, he berated himself. But every time he’d woken to find her warm soft body beside his in bed, his hunger for her had roared back to life and talking had been the last thing on his mind. It was definitely at the forefront of his thoughts now, however. And it was accompanied by a clutching panic.

“She hasn’t run,” Christian assured himself as he cut along the terrace and made his way quickly down the mountainside. “She just went home to change or something and didn’t want to wake me.”

The reassurance sounded hollow to his ears, and Christian’s panic clawed its way up his throat as he made the jump to the road cut into the mountainside. He shouldn’t have done it, and Christian knew it. It was midday by his guess. If anyone had seen him . . . But he didn’t care. He had to get to Carolyn. That was the only thing his mind could concentrate on as he hurried up the walk to her villa and rang the bell.

He heard the bell sound inside and the patter of footsteps and felt himself relax. She was here. They would talk. It would be all right, he thought before the door opened to reveal one of the resort maids, a bundle of used sheets in her arms.

“Yes?” she asked politely.

Christian almost pushed past her into the villa, but restrained himself, and said, “I need to speak to Carolyn.”

“The ladies who rent this villa are out,” she said politely and started to close the door, but he caught it before it closed.

“Where is she?”

The maid turned back with surprise. “I don’t know. On a tour maybe.”

“But she hasn’t checked out?” Christian asked grimly.

“No, they are still staying here,” she said, beginning to eye him warily. “They are just out right now, I think.”

“Right,” Christian murmured, forcing himself to relax. “Thank you.”

He released the door and turned to walk back up the path. Carolyn was still at the resort. She just wasn’t in at the moment. And neither was Bethany. They’d probably gone down to lunch or something. She hadn’t run . . . yet. He would go shower, change his clothes, and then find her.

“A
re you sure you don’t want to head back to the resort?” Bethany asked with concern. “You look terribly pale.”

“No, I’m good,” Carolyn said at once, but it was a complete and utter lie. She felt like hell. Her headache from the night before had returned, along with the queasiness and shakes that had plagued her the day before on the boat and the night before that in bed. But then she supposed she’d done it to herself by having only coffee at breakfast before they’d boarded the bus for the shopping tour, and then merely picking disinterestedly at her lunch. What she really wanted was to return to the villa and crawl into bed. However, Christian would be able to find her there.

If he was looking for her, Carolyn thought unhappily. She wasn’t sure what would be worse, his not looking for her at all, or his looking and finding her. The idea of having to face him after all they’d done last night . . . or really, what he’d done to her, she thought with a frown. He hadn’t let her touch him at all after that first time on the terrace, but had either tied her up or pinned her down, holding her hands by her head as he thrust himself into her.

But he’d untied her after each round. She’d woken to find herself in his arms and untied each time. Thank God, Carolyn thought, or that last time she’d woken she wouldn’t have been able to slip away. Even as she had that thought, some part of her brain was laughing at her. The part that knew that Carolyn really wished she hadn’t woken up first at all, but was still there with him. She would have been happy never to wake first and leave his bed.

“Well, if you’re sure,” Bethany said. “Let’s go look at those shops over there. That dress in the one shop window would look nice on you. You could buy it just in case you get lucky and have a date.”

Bethany headed toward the shop, but her words had made Carolyn halt abruptly as horror crept over her. The innocent comment about “in case you get lucky” had whipped at her like a lash. She’d already gotten lucky, luckier than she’d ever imagined. But it was the part about getting a date that was causing her horror. It reminded her that she already had a date. Tonight. With Jack. The guy she’d intended to have an affair with.

Carolyn moaned. The very idea of that now left her feeling nauseous again.

She didn’t know what was going on between her and Christian. Part of her wanted to crawl right back to his bed, but another part was standing back and gasping in horror at the very fact that she’d slept with someone so much younger than herself even the once. Well, six times, she corrected herself, and then wondered if it counted as one or six times if it was all in the same night.

Carolyn shook her head at the ridiculous worry. That didn’t matter, what did was that while she didn’t know what to do about Christian, she knew damned well she wasn’t ready to plunge from his bed to Jack’s.

“Carolyn, come on,” Bethany said, sounding exasperated and then raised her eyebrows when Carolyn’s phone began to ring from the depths of her purse.

“You go ahead. It’s probably the office,” Carolyn said, digging through her purse. “I’ll catch up.”

Bethany nodded and headed into the first store as Carolyn found her phone. She hit the button to answer and pressed it to her ear, sighing, “Hello?”

“Caro?”

“Jack?” Carolyn gasped with amazement, her eyes widening with a sort of horror. It was as if thinking of him had called forth his voice.

“Yeah,” he grinned. “Genie gave me your cell number when I told her we had a date tonight and I couldn’t reach you at the villa. She said you’re out shopping with that Bethany who rushed off the boat yesterday morning?”

“I—Yes,” she breathed, her eyes automatically moving to the store her friend had disappeared into.

“Well, don’t miss the shuttle. I’d have to head my boat up there to fetch you back for our date.”

Carolyn gave a nervous laugh and closed her eyes, trying to figure out how to handle this. It wasn’t exactly something she often dealt with. Okay, so she’d never handled anything like this before. What was she supposed to say?
Gee
,
Jack, that’s really sweet, but Christian screwed me silly last night and I’d feel kind of uncomfortable going out with you now.

“Uh-oh, the tourists are back. I have to get off, but—”

“The tourists?” she interrupted. “You’re on a cruise now?”

“Soufriere again,” he answered. “It’s not nearly as much fun without you by the way.”

Carolyn winced. “If you’re on the boat, how did you get my number from Genie?”

Jack chuckled. “A little thing called a cell phone.”

“Of course,” Carolyn murmured, feeling stupid, but then she probably was stupid at the moment. Low blood sugar, she recalled. She had all the other symptoms again: the disorientation, clumsiness, and, apparently, decreased intelligence.

“I really have to go, beautiful. I just wanted to make sure you knew what time to expect me. I’ll pick you up at your villa at six,” he announced, and then rang off with a cheery, “Have fun shopping,” before she could say anything.

Carolyn pulled the phone from her ear and stared at it blankly. She then checked her recent calls, but his showed up as an unknown caller. She couldn’t call him back to cancel, she realized, dismay creeping over her.

“W
hat do you mean she was gone when you woke up?” Marguerite trailed Christian into the kitchen as he went to the fridge.

“Just what I said,” he snapped, retrieving a bag of blood. “I woke up and she was gone.”

“Well, did you go after her?” Marguerite asked with concern as he slapped the bag to his fangs.

“He’s been down to the villa at least a dozen times that I know of and I’ve only been up the last two hours,” Gia answered quietly, drawing Marguerite’s attention. “But she’s been out all day. Her things are still there though.”

“Then she hasn’t run,” Marguerite said with relief and turned back to Christian. “What did she say when you talked to her?”

He grimaced around the bag in his mouth and it was his father who answered. Eyes narrowed on his face, Julius growled, “He didn’t talk to her.”

“What?” she gasped and turned piercing eyes on Christian herself. He just stood there and let her ruffle her way through his thoughts and memories, too weary to care until she cried, “You idiot!”

Startled, Christian stared at her over the bag.

“I’m sorry. I love you and you’re not an idiot,” she said at once, and then paced a couple of steps away before whirling back to add, “But you
are
an idiot.”

Christian just blinked at her. He wasn’t an idiot, but he was? Nice. Thanks
, Mom
, he thought.

“I’m sorry,” she repeated, moving back to pat his shoulder. “I meant that not talking to her was idiotic. Christian, this is too important to mess up like this. You could lose her. You need to—”

“I know,” he interrupted, tearing the now empty bag from his fangs. “I should have talked to her. And I meant to. It just . . .” He grimaced. “It got away from me. I wasn’t expecting it to be so . . .”

“I tried to warn you,” Julius said solemnly. “When life mates get together it’s like an atom bomb going off in both body and brain. You become a blithering idiot.”

“Yeah,” Christian turned to the fridge for another bag. “I’ll talk to her tonight. I’m heading back down to her villa after I finish feeding. She has to return sometime.”

“When did you last check?” Marguerite asked, moving to the dining room window to peer down at the villa below.

“Four o’clock,” he answered, retrieving a second bag of blood and pushing the door closed. “Then I fell asleep for a couple of hours.”

“Two hours ago,” Marguerite murmured. “She must have returned between then and now.”

Christian stiffened. “She’s there?”

“She’s leaving,” Marguerite said, and as he hurried to her side, added, “With that captain person.”

“That lecherous bastard?” Julius barked with outrage, following on Christian’s heels.

“He isn’t a lech,” Marguerite said quietly as Christian watched the couple getting into a resort van on the road below.

“Ha! If you think that, you weren’t reading his thoughts last night every time he looked at Carolyn,” Julius muttered, scowling.

“His thoughts were a lot less X-rated than our son’s,” Marguerite pointed out.

“Yes, but
he’s
supposed to have thoughts like that,” Julius argued at once, and then scowled. “Why the hell aren’t you more upset? Our son’s life mate is stepping out with another man.”

“He’s an honorable man and won’t force himself on her,” Marguerite said with a shrug, and then added, “And after last night with Christian . . . Carolyn won’t find any of his advances . . . stirring. This may be a good thing.”

“A good thing?” Julius asked doubtfully.

“Captain Jack’s kisses will be like water next to the finest champagne in comparison to Christian’s. It will be good for her to find that out.”

Christian stiffened, his fingers tightening around the blood bag at the very thought of Captain Jack kissing Carolyn.

“Water slakes a thirst,” Julius growled.

“Then we shall have to hope she isn’t thirsty after last night,” Marguerite said firmly and glanced around with concern when the bag in Christian’s hand burst under pressure, splashing blood everywhere.

“W
as it my imagination or did your friend seem . . . er . . .”

“Angry?” Carolyn suggested wryly when Jack hesitated. She wasn’t surprised by the question, just that he’d waited so long to ask it. They’d chatted idly about his day cruise and her shopping trip on the drive here to the quaint little restaurant he’d chosen, and then through drinks and the first part of dinner before he’d finally asked the question about Bethany.