"How are you feeling, dear?"
Carolyn tore her gaze from the stage where Christian was playing his heart out-well, Christian and the rest of the band, she supposed, though you couldn't tell from her. She'd hardly glanced at the rest of the band all night.
Which just proved she was an utter idiot, Carolyn thought on a sigh, turning her gaze to Marguerite.
"Fine, thank you," she answered politely, though it wasn't true. It had taken a huge meal she only vaguely recalled, a dozen cups of coffee, and about five hours, but she was sobering up. Which really wasn't a good thing, Carolyn decided, shifting uncomfortably on the edge of her seat and tugging at the short skirt of the dress she wore. She was perched on the very edge of the chair because the darned skirt was so short it didn't cover her whole butt when she sat and she didn't want to place her bare ass on the seat. What had she been thinking allowing herself to be poured into the thing?
Well, that was a bit of a ridiculous question, she supposed. In truth, she hadn't been thinking at all. It was probably a good thing she had never taken to drink. She obviously didn't handle booze well, Carolyn decided and tugged at her skirt again, grateful that she was in the back corner of the deck where no one could see her bare butt cheeks hanging off the front of the seat.
At least, she hoped no one could, Carolyn thought and glanced nervously around just to be sure, only to freeze, eyes widening when she spotted Captain Jack weaving his way through the tables in their direction.
"Oh dear," she muttered, worried that he'd forget she was supposed to be Christian's beard and say something to give away the game.
"What is it, cara?" Marguerite asked.
Carolyn hardly noticed the endearment she was so used to them from this group. Honestly, Italians must be the most affectionate people she'd ever met. Every one of them had really been very sweet and welcoming from the start, she thought absently as she warily watched Jack draw nearer.
"Carolyn?" Marguerite said.
She glanced around with a start, and flushed. "Oh...
er... uh...," she stammered, her usual eloquent self when in a panic.
"Carolyn, isn't it?"
She swung her head back at Jack's voice, eyes wide when she found he'd reached the table and was smiling at her quizzically. "I... er..."
"It is Carolyn, isn't it?" he asked with feigned uncertainty.
"You were on the Soufriere cruise today with your boyfriend. Christian I think his name was?"
"Oh, yes," she breathed with relief, smiling at him gratefully as she realized he was going to uphold her position as Christian's beard.
"I thought so," Jack said, beaming. "We just got in from the night cruise and I came up for a drink, spotted you and thought I'd come congratulate you on winning the shake-your-booty contest. I didn't get the chance onboard ship."
"You won a contest?" Marguerite asked with interest.
Carolyn flushed. She only vaguely recalled the contest and suspected she didn't really want to remember it any better, but nodded weakly.
"Beat out a dozen other women to take the prize," Jack told them proudly.
"What exactly is a shake-your-booty contest?" Julius growled.
Carolyn glanced nervously his way, eyes widening when she saw the cold way he was eyeing Jack.
"We're considering taking the tour to Soufriere ourselves," Marguerite explained, smoothing things over. "It would be good to find out more about it."
Acting like it was an invitation, Jack immediately pulled out the chair next to Carolyn and sat down to explain.
Marguerite listened attentively, ignoring her husband's rude glares as Jack chattered away charmingly. As for Carolyn, she sat tense and nervous, her gaze sliding from Jack, to Marguerite and Julius, to Christian over and over, like an iPod on loop. And the whole time, she was silently wishing he'd leave. Jack was a nice guy and she still intended to have an affair with him and everything, but really this was beyond nerve-racking.
Julius was glaring, Christian was scowling, and she was sitting there with her butt hanging off the chair, for heaven's sake.
"-care to dance?"
Carolyn whipped her head back from Christian to peer at Jack blankly. "Huh?"
He chuckled at her dumbstruck expression. "I said would you care to dance?"
"It's hard rock," she said with amazement.
"It's a hard-rock ballad," Jack pointed out gently. "And lots of people are dancing. I'm sure Christian would want you to dance to his music."
Carolyn followed his gesture to the small dance floor in front of the band where couples were shuffling around to the ballad.
"Oh... er... I...," Carolyn muttered, but he'd caught her hand and stood, drawing her up with him as he headed for the dance floor. She had little choice but to follow, but tugged fretfully at her skirt with her free hand as she went, hoping to God she hadn't mooned anyone.
Carolyn's eyes slid to Christian as they reached the dance floor, but then she looked quickly away. If looks could kill she and Jack would be corpses on the floor, she thought on a sigh, and pulled back slightly when Jack pulled her tightly to his chest.
"Marguerite and Julius are watching," she muttered apologetically.
"I know," he sighed. "And I shouldn't have come over, but I couldn't resist when I saw you in this dress. You look incredible."
Carolyn flushed and glanced away, whispering, "Thank you. It's Gia's. I fell down the hill and ruined the dress I was wearing and she put me in this."
"Gia?" Jack asked.
"Christian's cousin. The lead singer," she murmured, nodding to the stage.
"Ah." He barely spared Gia a glance. "Well, she did you justice. You look hotter than hell and I gather hell is pretty hot," he added with a grin.
Carolyn smiled reluctantly, but glanced away again.
"And you aren't at all comfortable looking that way, are you?" he asked with gentle amusement.
Carolyn shook her head with a sigh. "It's a little sexy for me."
"Caro, nothing is too sexy for a woman who shakes her booty like you do," he said solemnly and for some reason that made her laugh. Her laugh died though when he pulled her closer again, his hands sliding to curve over the top of her behind as he added seriously, "Give me the week and a half you have left here and I'll have you realizing that and as comfortable in this dress as a second skin."
Carolyn stared at him wide-eyed and then glanced around at the loud scrape of chair legs on the wooden floor. Julius was moving their way, his expression tight.
And then the fact that the sound had been audible struck her and brought her gaze around to see that the band had finished their set. The others were putting away their instruments, but Christian was clutching his violin like a bat as he stepped off the stage and strode toward them, his face like thunder.
"Time for you to go," Carolyn whispered in a panic, pulling out of his arms.
"Right," Jack said wryly, but then frowned. "Will you be all right?"
She nodded quickly.
"I'll call you tomorrow to firm up arrangements for dinner then."
Carolyn didn't respond. Jack had already slipped away, moving toward the bar. Which was a relief, except that she was now standing alone on the dance floor with two bulls charging at her. Gees, she thought. Jack had caused this, and she really should have made him stay to face the music rather than sent him on his way.
Christian was the first to reach her. He caught her hand without a word, and dragged her behind him as he walked toward Julius. The two men paused when they met and Carolyn peered around Christian trying to see what was happening. They weren't talking, just staring at each other. When Christian suddenly relaxed, Julius nodded and took his violin, and then Christian was moving forward again, pulling her behind him.
Carolyn stayed silent as he led her from the lounge and around the pool to the main building, mostly because she hadn't a clue what to say. She knew Christian had to act jealous for Julius's sake, but suspected it hadn't all been an act and he was still jealous about Jack. She didn't know what to say, so held her tongue as they got in the van and putted up the hill roads. But when the van cruised right past her villa and took the turnaround to continue on, she glanced around with alarm.
"Why didn't he stop?"
"Because I told him to take us to my villa. We have to talk," he added quietly before she could protest.
Carolyn tried to make out his expression in the darkness.
She couldn't see much, but he sounded very calm, so she sank back in the seat and simply waited.
Christian got out and turned back when the van stopped, but rather than hand her down as she expected, he caught her by the waist and lifted her out, allowing her body to slide down his as he had the first night they'd met.
It caused the exact same havoc in Carolyn and she sucked in a startled breath and held it until her feet were on the ground. She couldn't help thinking though that she hadn't felt that same havoc when Jack had pressed her close.
Damn, Carolyn thought as he released her to turn back and close the door. This just wasn't right. Why couldn't she react like that to Jack? He was straight and a more appropriate partner for her, she thought with self-disgust as Christian caught her hand and led her to the villa.
"Do you want a drink?" he asked as he closed the door behind them.
"Water, please," she answered, thinking she certainly didn't need any more alcohol. Besides, she had a vague recollection of Beth saying water helped prevent hangovers and a headache had started nagging at her as she'd begun to sober up. Perhaps the water would help.
"Go in the living room and I'll get it," Christian said, moving off into the kitchen.
Carolyn moved into the living room, her feet taking her to the glass wall overlooking the side of the mountain.
She stared down at the sea and then reached up to massage her temples wearily.
"Headache?" Christian asked appearing at her side with an open bottle of water and a glass.
"A bit," she acknowledged, taking the bottle, but shaking her head at the glass when he offered it. He moved away to return the glass, and she tipped the bottle to her lips, quickly drinking down half of it. She paused for breath, then did the same again. She heard footsteps approach and recede as she finished off the bottle, and glanced around in time to see Christian slipping back into the kitchen again.
Carolyn turned from the windows to head for the kitchen to dispose of the bottle. Christian had the fridge door open and was pulling out another bottle of water as she entered.
"Where do I-"
Carolyn paused with surprise when Christian suddenly slammed the refrigerator door closed and faced her, his expression almost guilty.
"I was getting you more water," he explained. "I saw you'd finished the first one, so thought I'd get you another."
Carolyn felt her eyebrows rise. For Christian, this was nervous babbling, and then he moved forward and traded the empty bottle for the full one. Tossing the empty in the sink, he ushered her out of the kitchen and back into the living room, which just made her wonder what he didn't want her to see in the fridge. Probably drugs, she thought.
Weren't all musicians into drugs? Christian didn't seem the sort, but who knew? One of the others in the band might use them, she thought, but let the matter go and moved back to the window.
"Is the water helping your headache?" Christian asked.
"Not yet." Carolyn glanced over her shoulder to see him moving toward the entertainment center. As she watched, he turned on the sound system and slipped a CD into the player. When soft music began to play, he adjusted the sound a bit, then straightened and moved toward her.
Carolyn turned back to the windows, and found herself sliding the door open and stepping out onto the terrace.
The evening breeze was soothing, and she walked around the pool to the rail as she removed the cap from the bottle of water and raised it to her lips.
She heard Christian's footsteps behind her as she lowered it. When his hands settled on her shoulders, she glanced back in question.
"I can help," he said quietly.
Nodding, Carolyn turned back to the rail, her eyes bypassing the villas below to slide over the star-dappled sea as his hands began to massage her shoulders, moving toward her neck. She knew at once that she'd made a mistake.
This was almost like her dream on the beach and her body was reacting in much the same way now as it had then, his touch sending tingles rushing through her.
But it wasn't a dream. Carolyn bit her lip. "Maybe you shouldn't-"
His hands stilled. "I'm not gay."
Carolyn just stood there, blinking at the sea. That was like her dream too, she thought with confusion. "But Gia-"
"Gia could see how attracted we were to each other and how uncomfortable it made you. She wanted you to get to know me to give me a chance, so she lied and said I was gay."
"But you're not gay?" Carolyn asked uncertainly.
"No."
Eyes locked on the sea, but no longer seeing it, Carolyn said, "So my being your beard...?"
"Was all just so I could spend time with you."
"Why?" she asked with bewilderment.
For answer his right hand suddenly moved from the base of her neck, to slide around her throat and up to cup her chin. When he then used his hold to turn her head to the side and back, Carolyn found herself staring up into his eyes and blinking as she noted they were molten silver again, glowing in the dark. Colored contacts, she recalled and then his head lowered.
Carolyn stood absolutely still as his lips moved over hers, almost terrified that if she moved this would all suddenly fracture and prove to be just another one of her erotic dreams. She seemed to be having a lot of them, and each one seemed real until the phone or alarm rang, then she'd wake up in a frustrated sweat.
Please God, don't let me wake up this time, she thought and then sucked in a startled breath as his left hand drifted down from the base of her neck to run along the top of her dress over the curves of her breasts. Carolyn almost could have believed the vacuum from her gasp sucked Christian's tongue right in with the air, because it was suddenly there, slipping past her lips and filling her mouth. A torrent of passion immediately rose up inside her, and she moaned around his tongue when he suddenly peeled the leather down off her left breast, his hand replacing it.
They both groaned as he kneaded the soft globe and then his right hand left her throat to peel away the leather from her other breast and do the same. Carolyn kissed him desperately and dropped the bottle of water to cover his hands and encourage him briefly, then let one slip back between them to find him through his jeans. She found him hard and pressing eagerly against the heavy cloth. When she squeezed gently, it sent a shiver of pleasure through her that left her gasping.
Christian immediately tore his mouth away on a curse, and released her breasts to turn her to face him. He then urged her back until her behind bumped against the railing, muttering, "God, I wanted you."
Carolyn responded by finding and squeezing him again, but stilled as the touch sent another ripple of almost unbearable pleasure through her own body. She glanced up to him in confusion, and saw something like realization cross his face, and then he urged her hand away, caught her by the waist to lift her to sit on the rail, and covered her mouth with his. In the space of time it took for Christian's hands to find her breasts again, that odd moment had left her mind, pushed out by the passion he was bringing to roaring life within her. The next time she reached for him, he caught her hands and held them both behind her back, and then broke their kiss to trail his mouth down her throat, over her collarbone and on to one breast.
Carolyn cried out and tugged at her hands as his lips closed over her nipple, but he had a firm grip and kept it as he drew on the hard bud. When he let the first nipple slip from his lips and turned to attend to the other, she tugged harder and gasped, "Christian, please."
He released her hands then, but slid between her legs, pressing against her as he returned to kissing her. Carolyn immediately wrapped her arms around his neck, her body arching to press her breasts against his chest as he kissed her. But then she reached for his T-shirt and began to tug it up. She sighed with a combination of disappointment and relief when he stopped kissing her to help remove it.
The moment he'd tossed it aside, he returned to kissing her, however, and she arched toward him again, groaning as the coarse hairs on his chest tickled her nipples before she pressed herself firmly against him. Christian responded by pulling her forward on the rail with one hand at her hips and grinding against her, and then she felt his other hand sliding up her thigh.
Tearing his mouth from hers, Christian began to nibble his way back down toward her breast, muttering against her skin, "It's been driving me crazy all night that you had no panties on."
Carolyn's answer was to throw her head back on a cry as his hand reached what her panties would have covered.
The movement almost overbalanced her and would have had Christian not quickly raised the hand at her hips to catch her.
Cursing, he pressed her hard to his chest. Her ear was against his thundering heart, but she heard him mutter, "Bedroom." Then he caught her legs, drew them up around his hips, and caught her at the waist to lift her off the rail. Carolyn immediately crossed her ankles, clinging to him as he carried her across the terrace.
The soft strains of music reached her ears as he carried her into the house and Carolyn lifted her head to glance toward the music system. When she glanced back to Christian it was to find him staring down at her rather than watching where he was going. She had barely taken note of that when he lowered his head and kissed her again, his footsteps slowing. With one hand still on her bottom, helping to hold her up, he then found her breast with the other, and groaned along with her as he gently pinched the nipple. He started to walk again then, but when he sat down a second later, rearranging her legs so that she straddled him. Carolyn broke their kiss to glance around with confusion. They were back in the living room, on the couch.
She'd barely registered that when his mouth closed over the nipple he'd been pinching and his hand slid between her legs again. The double assault sent excitement and need rushing through her in a shockingly stark one-two punch. Carolyn cried out and nearly reared up off his lap, but the hand at her hip held her in place as the fingers of his other hand slid over her slick flesh, and then pushed up into her.
"I need you. Now," Christian growled, letting her nipple slip from his mouth.
"Yes," Carolyn gasped, riding his hand. He released her hip and she felt that hand brush against her inner thigh as he undid his jeans, freeing himself, and then his hands moved to clasp her hips, urging her down and pushed into her, hot and hard.
Carolyn clutched his shoulders, and met his gaze, eyes widening as he filled her. He just seemed so much hotter, harder... and well, there just seemed like so much more of him than in her dreams. Or her other dreams if this was one, she thought faintly as her body expanded to close around him like a tight glove. Robert had definitely had a teeny-weeny, she thought on a gasp as Christian filled her to the hilt. She could swear she could feel him pressing against her womb. He was pressing against something anyway, she thought faintly and then blinked open eyes she hadn't realized she'd closed when he slid a hand down to touch her even as his mouth found her breast once more.
Groaning, Carolyn wrapped her arms around his head and began to move, using her thighs to raise and lower herself. The movement combined with everything else started an overwhelming chain of waves inside her and she groaned and instinctively began to move more quickly as those waves of pleasure built to unbearable levels, mounting one on top of the other and crashing through her head until she thought she would drown in the pleasure. She couldn't hear the music anymore. Her ears were full of a roaring. Her vision was blurring to pinpricks of light. And then the roaring became a thundering and the pinpricks exploded and Carolyn screamed out, barely hearing Christian's roar as what they'd been running toward found them and pulled her under.
Christian opened his eyes with a start to find Gia peering down at him from behind the couch.
"You really should have taken her to the bedroom," she said gently. "She'll be very upset if she knows the boys saw her like this."
Christian glanced sharply down at Carolyn. She still straddled his hips, her chest pressed to his, he saw with relief. At least nothing was showing. Raising his head again, he glanced around. "Where are they?"
"I sent them to the kitchen until it's clear," Gia said solemnly.
"Thanks," Christian said gratefully.
Gia shrugged. "I like her. She and I are going to be good friends."
Christian smiled faintly and simply said, "I hope so."
"Oh, we will," she assured him. "So long as you don't muck this up."
Christian frowned.
"How did you handle the shared pleasure part of it?"
Gia asked, her gaze slipping to Carolyn.
He glanced down at her as well before admitting, "I forgot all about that at first."
"You didn't let her touch you?" Gia asked, worry crowding her face when he nodded.
"But I distracted her right after. I don't think she'll remember."
"Let's hope not, but don't let her touch you again. It could raise questions you can't afford to answer right now."
Christian scowled. "Well, I'm trying not to, but it's kind of hard without tying her down."
"So tie her down," Gia said at once and grinned at his expression. "Like that idea, do you?" Chuckling, she moved away toward the stairs, saying, "I have some lovely silk scarves that will be perfect. I'll get them."
Christian peered after her as she started upstairs, and then turned his gaze back to Carolyn as she murmured sleepily and shifted against him. The small sound made his heart ache for some reason and he merely stared at her for a moment, wondering how she'd slipped into his heart so easily and quickly. It wasn't the sex, which he acknowledged had been a hundred times more powerful than the dream sex they'd shared. That had been... well, mind blowing frankly. It had certainly fried his circuits and knocked him out better than a good bash to the back of the head. But that wasn't how she'd slipped under his skin. It had happened before the sex. It was why panic had been clawing at his throat all day. His father was right, he'd been frustrated and panic stricken. Now he was just panic stricken. He could still lose her.
Christian carefully shifted Carolyn in his arms and stood up, grateful when his pants didn't immediately drop around his ankles. Lowering her to rest against the waist of his jeans to ensure that they didn't drop at an inopportune moment, he headed for the stairs, meeting Gia at the top. She set a bevy of colorful scarves on Carolyn's chest and then moved past, murmuring, "Have fun."
Carolyn didn't stir again until he'd reached his room and set her on the bed. She stirred sleepily the moment he released her, shifting restlessly onto her side, her hand reaching out as if searching for him.
Christian smiled and moved back to close the door, then stripped off his jeans as he returned to the bed, his eyes moving hungrily over Carolyn in her rumpled leather dress. She was on her side, the leather cups still below her breasts from when he'd peeled them back, leaving the colorful array of silk scarves the only cover on her upper body. Her skirt was now up around her hips from their joining downstairs, baring her to his pleasure.
His gaze slid to the scarves, and he decided he wouldn't tie her up while she was asleep. He didn't want her to wake up and find herself staked out on the bed and freak. But he would once she was awake if she didn't protest. The idea made him smile. Christian was erect before he even crawled onto the bed and began to draw the scarves off.