All in all they looked like a rock band... except for the violin.
"Christian was trained in classical violin, but he prefers hard rock," Marguerite said, sounding more like a proud momma than a new sister-in-law.
"Hard-rock violin," Carolyn murmured, a bit befuddled.
She'd never heard of such a thing. She liked modern music, pop, hip-hop, alternative, and some hard rock, but she'd never heard of hard rock done with a violin. This should be interesting, she thought dubiously.
"Just wait till you hear them." Marguerite grinned.
Carolyn smiled doubtfully as Genie finished introducing them and stepped off the stage to hurry to their table.
"Oh, my God, they are so hot, Marguerite," Genie gushed as she fell into the chair next to Carolyn's. "You didn't mention that they were all gorgeous."
"I showed you the video," Marguerite pointed out with a laugh.
"It didn't do them justice at all," Genie assured her and then glanced back to the stage. Heaving a sigh, she muttered, "If only I were twenty years younger. I don't suppose any of them would be interested in a fling with an older woman?"
Marguerite chuckled, "Oh, Christian happens to like older women. But he generally prefers blondes."
"That leaves me out then," Genie said with a sigh and then elbowed Carolyn. "But it means you might have a chance."
Carolyn nearly spat out the wine she'd just sipped.
Swallowing it quickly and managing not to choke, she glanced to Marguerite to find the woman smiling at her encouragingly. Carolyn could feel the blood rushing to her face with embarrassment. She shook her head and turned quickly to the stage as Gia stepped up to the center mic.
The young woman stood there for a full minute, garnering the attention of everyone in the room, and then she opened her mouth and released a high pure note that pierced the silence. Her hand crashed down across the strings of the electric guitar she held and the band suddenly kicked to life, all movement and sound. Santo's body vibrated as he beat his drums to death. Zanipolo was working his electric guitar like a cross between a lover and a submachine gun. Raffaele was pounding on his keyboards, his head bobbing to the music. Gia was alternately making love to her own electric guitar with long riffs, and singing into the microphone with a clarity that Carolyn had never encountered before. And Christian...
Carolyn stared, watching the muscles in his arms and chest ripple under his black T-shirt as his bow scraped so quickly over the strings of his violin that she expected to see sparks flying and smoke rising. His eyes were closed, his face transported as the music moved through him. She couldn't seem to tear her gaze from him as he played song after song... and then his eyes suddenly opened and met hers. Carolyn felt like someone had jammed an adrenaline shot into her heart. She was sure it skipped a beat when his eyes opened, but when he caught her gaze and didn't release it, her heart started thumping again, charging ahead at a frightening rate that left her breathless and almost dizzy.
The music ended as abruptly as it had started. At least it seemed that way to her. Surely it hadn't been an hour and a half already, she thought faintly as the band suddenly began to set their instruments aside and move off the stage.
"Break time," Genie announced over the microphone and Carolyn blinked. She hadn't even been aware of the woman leaving the table.
"Weren't they great?" Genie asked the audience.
"They'll be back in fifteen minutes. I can't wait. How about you?"
The bar erupted in claps and cheers, but Carolyn's eyes were still locked with Christian's as he led the band toward their table. He hadn't even looked away while setting down his violin, and the intensity of his stare made her feel like a gazelle being stalked by a tiger. What remained of her intelligence pointed out that she was being ridiculous, but her instincts were screeching at her to run. Before she quite knew what 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."