Chapter Thirteen
Carolyn slowly let her breath out, her eyes wide as she watched Christian disappear into the men's bathroom.
Then she just sat there, her mind so awash with a confusion of emotions she could hardly think. The only thing that was going through her head was one refrain.
What the hell had just happened?
She wasn't really sure; she remembered leaning forward, and finding herself staring at his lips and thinking of his kisses. She didn't recall deciding to kiss him but Christian's horrified expression as he'd dumped her off his lap was fresh in her mind, and she thought she might have attacked poor, gay, too-young-for-her Christian.
Attacked and nearly devoured him alive. At least that's how it had felt. She'd never been exposed to such raw need and hunger in her life as what had exploded over her as they'd kissed. She'd wanted to crawl inside his skin and merge with him completely.
Cripes, if he hadn't stopped her when he had, she might have tugged her shorts off, pulled him out of his pants and mounted him right there on the bus. Carolyn didn't think she'd have had the presence of mind to remember they were in public. Let alone care that he was much too young for her or even that he was g*y and not the least bit interested. And those dreams she'd thought were so hot and passionate? Well, they were nothing next to the reality, or at least the small taste of reality she'd had. And she wanted more, she acknowledged. And shouldn't.
What the hell was the matter with her? She sank shakily back on the bench, and glanced down with a frown as she heard a rustle. Spotting the chocolate bar beside her hip, she stared at it blankly, then instinctively reached for it, pausing when she saw how her hand was trembling.
Right, according to Jack it was low blood sugar, she recalled slowly. She'd never had problems like this before this trip, but the chocolate bars and juice had seemed to help before. Carolyn picked up the bar, managing to open it despite her shakes and clumsiness. She began to eat it automatically, her mind still struggling with what she'd done.
By the time she'd finished the chocolate, she'd pushed her guilt and humiliation aside and had moved on to what she should do now. Several possibilities came to mind.
All of them had to do with avoiding Christian.
She owed him an apology, but she was just too ashamed of herself to face him right now. In fact, the idea stirred an anxiety close to panic, and she began searching her mind for ways to avoid him.
Jumping off the bus and finding a ride back to the resort was her favorite solution, but the buses were the only way out. However, she definitely couldn't handle spending the rest of the journey as Christian's seat mate.
If he was even willing to, she thought on a sigh.
Crumbling the chocolate wrapper in her hand, she slid out of the seat and hurried off the bus.
Christian finished wiping the driver's mind, sent him on his way, and then moved to the sinks to turn on the taps.
He splashed cold water on his face several times, and then straightened to peer at himself.
He had a little more color now, but he hadn't had enough blood. He hadn't been willing to risk weakening the driver in charge of a minibus of tourists. But he'd had enough that he was at least thinking a bit more clearly, and what Christian was thinking was that he'd made a hell of a mess of things.
Sighing, he braced his hands on the counter and briefly closed his eyes as he tried to sort out what the hell he was supposed to say to Carolyn when he went back to the bus. But his mind kept returning to how she'd rocked his world.
Christian had experienced more passion in those few minutes on the bus than he had in his entire five hundred plus years. The woman was a flame to his dyn**ite, or maybe she was the dyn**ite. He couldn't say, but she was something. He still had a damned erection. Even having to stand close to the sweaty little driver with his teeth sunk in his neck hadn't driven that off, which was pretty amazing when you considered that as low as he'd been on blood, he probably shouldn't even have been able to get an erection.
Grimacing, Christian turned off the taps and headed out of the bathroom.
Their party had returned and was boarding the minibuses.
Christian joined the back of the line of passengers at the third bus, his hand tapping nervously against his leg. He was standing in direct sunlight again, but hardly noticed, his mind taken up with worry over how Carolyn would greet him.
His cover was now blown, and she definitely wouldn't believe him g*y anymore, but maybe those few kisses and caresses had been enough to tempt her into ignoring what she thought was their age difference and letting him get close to her after all.
Christian held on to that hope right up until he finally got on the bus and saw that the seat he'd shared with Carolyn was empty. Pausing abruptly, he turned toward the driver, but before he'd even spoken the man smiled and said, "Your lady friend moved to the front bus."
"I thought there weren't any seats in the other buses?" he said quietly.
"Only one on each, with the tour guide," the driver said.
"Right," he muttered, turning away to continue to his seat. It appeared the kisses hadn't been enough to tempt her. She was running.
"Caro! Finally you're back."
Carolyn laughed at Captain Jack's greeting as he took her hand to help her onboard. Riding in the front of the first bus with the guide, she'd been the first one off and so was the first onboard the boat.