Dark Rapture Read Online Free Page B

what you said last night. Would it bother you if I said I might also be interested in him?”
    “Bother me? No. I think it would be great if you two got together. Vince is cool, but he could use a level head like yours to keep him grounded. I know you’d like him once you got to know him better. Not that he’s exactly your type—”
    Scarlet broke in teasingly. “Now how would you know what my type is?”
    “You’ve never been one to go for the rock n’ roll types, Scarlet. That’s evident from all the geeks you dated in high school.”
    She laughed, thinking of the misfits she had snagged when she’d harbored thirty extra pounds of fat. “I’ve changed and I think it’s about time I change my type, too.”
    “Good, then I’ll tell him to ask you out.”
    “Wait a minute.” She held up her hands in protest. “Let him ask me out when he wants to. I will not date someone because my brother told him to. I’ve done that before, if you remember.”
    “Yes, don’t remind me.” Gary winced, remembering their high school escapades. “But don’t be surprised if you have a long wait. Vince is very shy.”
    Shyness suited her fine when it was packaged like Vince. But she would do what she could in the meantime to encourage him.
    “Shall we continue with the tour?” She crooked her arm, and Gary linked his around it.
    They headed through the first door on the upper level. A lone candle cast an eerie glow over the bedroom. Clumps of dusty sheets lay freshly strewn about the hardwood floor. Large ancient wooden chests, some still covered in cloth, decorated the room. A glass chandelier hung above the canopied bed, sending rays of prismatic colors dancing across the walls.
    In the center of the spectacle lay Vince, sprawled across the thick covers of the antique canopy bed. Tattered cream lace fell over the top and down the four posters of the bed. It had most likely once been a prized piece of furniture.
    Vince seemed caught up in the richness that this room had once possessed. He didn’t even notice Gary and Scarlet standing over him.
    “He’s like this a lot,” Gary said. “Very intense, gets lost in his thoughts. Sure is great when he’s working on a song, the words and images just fly out of that brain.” He jumped on the bed, sending Vince’s slim frame flying toward the edge.
    Jarred from his thoughts, Vince got up and, much to Scarlet’s delight, immediately started describing his plans for the mansion. His attitude had changed and he’d seen the potential the place held. Keep the old stuff, get new carpets and drapes, clean the chandeliers.
    “This room is so cool. It’s like an escape from reality.” His newfound passion was evident in the way he stretched his arms wide as he talked. “When I’m finished with it, it’s going to be like rock n’ roll meets the Three Musketeers.”
    Scarlet settled onto a high-backed chair, the dust rising from the thick maroon velvet cushions, and watched as Vince surveyed and pointed out various aspects of the room to her and Gary. She found herself wondering if his mouth kissed as softly as it looked. And how she longed to run her fingers through his hair. He reeked of sensuality as he paced back and forth, oblivious to the fact that she had stopped listening and was caught up in a fantasy of romance and roses starring Vince Lyons as her lover.
    “This place is going to rock come party time,” Gary said. “The room downstairs is big enough for an entire circus.”
    “Speaking of parties, we’re going to have to cancel ours,” Vince added, while they both looked to Scarlet.
    Party? She blinked away her fantasy and tuned in to what was being said. “Did you guys already plan a party?”
    “Well, yeah, we wanted to get together with our friends and show them our new place. But we had no idea it would be in such a mess. I guess we’ll have to move it.” Gary sat on the arm of her chair and put his arm around her shoulders. “And I know this chick