Under a Vampire Moon by Lynsay Sands Read Free Book Online Page A

she was doing, Carolyn stood, tore her gaze free of Christian’s, mumbled something about the ladies’ room, and fled in that general direction at little short of a dead run.
    “I told you she’d avoid you,” Gia said as Christian watched Carolyn flee. His instincts were telling him to give chase, to run her to ground like a panther with prey. The problem was what to do with her once he caught her. He knew what he wanted to do, but it was entirely inappropriate behavior in a public place.
    Christian shook his head as that last thought registered. He already wanted her, he acknowledged on a sigh. The moment in the van when he’d realized he couldn’t read her, he’d immediately been curious. And he’d felt a strange flutter and tingle as he’d touched her to lift her out of the van, which had grown as he’d carried her to the bench. It was what had urged him to deliberately let her body slide along his as he’d set her down, which had only increased those sensations. But when he’d felt her watching him while he was onstage and opened his eyes . . . He’d been captivated by the emotions flitting across her face. He’d recognized awe, appreciation, loneliness, and raw need and it had called up similar responses in himself. By the time the set had ended all he’d been thinking about was getting to the table to claim her.
    Christian hadn’t been clear on how he’d intended to do that. Actually, he hadn’t been thinking clearly at all, his blood was up after performing, and he suspected it might be a good thing she’d fled.
    “I’ll go get her and bring her back,” Gia offered as they reached the table.
    “No, it’s better she doesn’t return until he’s back onstage,” Marguerite said at once, and when Christian glanced at her with surprise, she smiled apologetically. “Your passions are too hot right now. If you carry her off, as you were thinking about while playing, you’ll scare her. It’s why I didn’t stop her from going.”
    “I wasn’t thinking that,” Christian said quickly.
    “Darling, that was the most G-rated thing you were thinking,” Marguerite said gently.
    Christian flushed as his cousins chuckled, but couldn’t deny it. He hadn’t really been thinking of carrying her off, but images of that and much more had been running through his mind. Grimacing, he dropped into a chair at the table.
    Marguerite patted his hand, then glanced to Gia and said, “You could go talk to her. Calm her and make sure she returns to the table once you’re all back onstage. I think you’ll like her, Gia.”
    “Okay.” Gia started to turn, but paused when Santo caught her arm.
    “You need water,” he said, spotting a waiter nearby and concentrating on him briefly.
    “I don’t drink water,” Gia said with a scowl.
    “But we don’t have what you do drink here and there is no time for any of us to make a run back up to the villa to get it. Water will deal with the dehydration from the performance for now.”
    Gia clucked impatiently, but when the waiter suddenly appeared with several bottles of cold water dripping with condensation, she accepted one and moved off in the direction of the ladies’ room.
    “So . . .” Christian accepted the bottle Santo passed to him. “How am I supposed to woo her if I can’t go near her?”
    “I don’t think you should . . . for tonight at least. I think you should let us work on her first,” Marguerite said thoughtfully.
    Christian stiffened at the suggestion. “Mother, don’t confuse me with Father. Unlike him I know how to woo a woman.”
    “Excuse me, I know how to woo a woman.” Julius slid his arm around Marguerite, pulling her close as he added, “And here’s the proof.”
    Christian nodded. “Which wooing technique do you think did it? When you attacked her and Tiny in that hotel? Or when you threw her over your shoulder and carted her back to that townhouse in York?”
    “What? He did that?” Raffaele asked with surprise as