Carolyn winced, but simply turned and headed to her room.
"So? How did it go?"
Christian turned from closing the door, a smile pulling at his lips. "Good. We talked a lot and joked and"-he shrugged- "she's starting to relax around me."
Gia had been peering hard at his forehead as he spoke and continued to for a moment afterward. He knew she was searching his memories as he talked... which was damned annoying really. But he knew new lifemates were easily read and simply waited for her assessment.
He felt oddly relieved when she nodded.
"It's the lack of sexual pressure," Gia said with a slow smile. "It's working. So long as you aren't putting on the Latin lover moves with her she relaxes. She's still attracted, I can see that from your memories, but she can put it aside and just enjoy your company." She grinned, and hopped across the foyer to give him a quick, hard hug. "This is going to work, Christian!"
"Yeah, I think it might," he agreed with a grin. Throwing his arm affectionately around her shoulders, he urged her toward the kitchen. He needed blood. They'd sat in the shade most of the afternoon, but between runs to the drinks shack and walks up and down the hill, he was low and needed a refill.
"But we should probably lay off the Latin lover business for a while to allow her to stay relaxed," Gia murmured as she watched him retrieve a bag of blood.
Christian frowned. He didn't really want to lay off the "Latin lover business," as Gia had called it. The afternoon had been both enjoyable and hell for him. He'd enjoyed talking to Carolyn and how she was opening up to him, but he'd also had to constantly fight the urge to touch her hand or arm, and kiss her as they'd chatted. He wanted her, and remaining so well behaved and cool around her was hard as hell. The only way he'd managed it all afternoon was by promising himself that tonight he could at least hold her hand, put his arm around her and hold her close on the dance floor, their bodies sliding together to Caribbean music.
"Gia's right."
Christian lowered the bag he'd just raised and glanced to the door to see Marguerite entering with Julius on her heels. "How long have you been here?"
"About fifteen minutes. We were in the living room when you entered," she answered, pausing at his side to kiss his cheek.
Christian frowned as he hugged her, wondering how he'd missed noting them in the living room. The foyer opened up on it.
"And I think Gia's right about keeping the pressure off for a bit," Marguerite said as Christian popped the bag of blood to his mouth. "It shouldn't be hard though. We're dining in the fancy restaurant tonight. No one would expect you to drape yourself over her chair there. And then you'll be onstage during your show." She paused and frowned. "I'll make sure Genie is there, then I'll have her sit on one side of Caro during the show and I'll take the chair on her other so you can't sit beside her during your break."
Christian scowled as he saw his opportunities for touching and kissing narrowing.
"What about the dancing?" Gia asked. "We're supposed to go to the club for dancing afterward."
Christian began to smile around the bag in his mouth.
He could put up with behaving himself for the first part of the night if he could look forward to holding her in his arms on the dance floor. He'd run his hands down her back, molding her body to his, and bend his head to inhale her sweet scent as he nuzzled her ear and-"
Down, boy," Julius said, snapping Christian out of his imaginings. "If Gia and your mother think you shouldn't dance with her, you shouldn't. We'll go to a nightclub that plays mostly fast music."
"Even those play the occasional slow song," Gia pointed out with a frown, inadvertently raising Christian's hopes again.
"Then the boys will dance with Carolyn so Christian can't," Julius said firmly.
Christian dragged the now empty bag of blood irritably from his teeth. "Don't you think she'll be suspicious if that happens? Besides, we aren't at work now. You can't force the boys to dance with her."
"I'll do it," Zanipolo announced, making his presence known, and Christian turned to scowl at the man. Men, he corrected himself as his gaze slid over his three cousins.
They had apparently entered the kitchen while he was distracted and were now lounging around the dining room table, all three of them nodding, apparently happy to dance with his woman.
"And she won't be suspicious if you complain and your cousins make it appear that they are deliberately torturing you," Julius said with a shrug.
Christian cursed and turned back to the fridge for a second bag of blood.
"It's for the best, dear." Marguerite stepped to his side to rub one hand up and down his back as he slapped the second bag to his teeth. "And you can still have a good-night kiss. That will be expected. Your father will make sure of that again, won't you dear?" she asked, glancing toward her husband.
"Of course. I'm happy to help him get his woman," Julius said generously, and Christian's eyes narrowed.
The man was just enjoying this way too much. He supposed he deserved it though. He'd given him rather a hard time about his romancing skills when it came to Marguerite.
Sighing, he shook his head, his mind turning to the promised good-night kiss to come. At least they were allowing him that. It wasn't much compared to what he wanted, but it was something, he supposed.