With that one look, I never felt more beautiful or more loved. My throat was thick with emotion, a tear escaping from the corner of my eye. Stefan's thumb swept across my cheekbone tenderly, wiping it away.
“I love you, Stefan. I never want to go a day without telling you,” I whispered shakily. My body felt boneless and sated, unable and unwilling to move.
His sea blue eyes were rimmed with tears as he pulled the sheet over our bodies, gathering me into his arms and gingerly pulled me against his chest. “As I love you.”
I struggled to fight the sleep that was slowly pulling me under, basking in the cool embrace of his arms. Unable to talk, I was able to send a final mental thought to him. “I think I like your funny business.”
His deep rumble of laughter in his chest was the last thing I remember before I succumbed to sleep.
Chapter 7
“We're not sticking around for Georgia to show up.” I murmured against Stefan's neck, my fingers running through his thick golden hair. It was late in the morning and we were still tangled beneath a cocoon of covers. Neither of us wanted to leave the comfort and seclusion of the bed to face the reality of the real world just yet.
Stefan's hands and fingers had been slowly drifting over my naked skin for the last hour, his touch sensuous and teasing. Our lips and hands had been busy exploring each other, relishing being together again. I was disappointed when a vision of Georgia deciding to ‘pop in’ for a visit later in the afternoon flashed through my mind.
“Tell me why are we talking about Georgia, vackra?” Stefan's melodic mental voice floated into my head. He flipped to his side and his muscles rolled with the movement. He propped his head in his hand and looked at me curiously.
Tapping my temple with my finger, I raised my eyebrow in surprise. “Psychic, remember? Do we need to talk about your memory problems again?” I asked impishly. My hands drifted from his hair to caress the muscles of his broad chest, skimming down his stomach to reach around to squeeze his taut ass.
“Why can't I keep my hands off you you, Stefan?”
Stefan smiled and feather-like lines crinkled around his eyes, his answering laugh sexy and deep. His laughter paused as he leaned to kiss me again, his lips pressing against mine in a searing kiss. One of his large hands slid down my stomach to the swell of my hips. “We seem to have the same problem. Do not worry about your friend. I can take care of Georgia, Josephine.”
I moaned into his mouth, reluctantly pulling away. “That's what I'm afraid of. Let's not start something now that's going to get interrupted, Romeo. I'm serious.” I lightly pushed at his chest.
“Where is your sense of adventure?” His mind sulked. “I can tell you can not be swayed, so I will not waste my time. I will have time to distract you later.”
He untangled himself from my body, stretching his tall body seductively as he walked into the bathroom. Listening to the sounds of the shower running, my mind wandered to imagine the water running over his lean, muscular frame. A delicious shiver of desire washed over me and my body begged me to join him. I knew if I stepped into the shower with him, we'd never leave this house.
Letting out a frustrated groan and rolling over, I hugged Stefan's pillow against my chest. I replayed his words about 'taking care of Georgia' though my mind. When I focused on Georgia coming over and Stefan intervening, Georgia's future went blank. I was starting to lose track of how many times this had happened lately. I'd never had this problem before. Why were futures disappearing?
The thought had barely crossed my mind when something clicked. It had to be Stefan! If he was involved with a human, their futures went blank to me, like looking into smoke. Directing my thoughts back on Georgia again, I focused on the fact that now Stefan was convinced that we needed to leave for the day. An image of Georgia knocking on my door and then using her key to enter my house filled my mind. As long as he didn't interfere, her future was clear.
The sound of the shower turning off pulled me out of my thoughts. Stefan swaggered back into the bedroom, running a towel over his large frame. Water dripped from his darkened blond hair to run in a trickle down his muscular chest.
"You seem miles away. What are you thinking about, vackra?"
He continued to dry off and my mind went blank as I watched him. I mentally shook myself as I tried to focus on talking and away from my desire to lick the drops of water from his chest.
“Lately I've been unable to see Georgia or Anna's futures. It should be a relief, but it's been bugging me.” I rolled over and stood up, grabbing my robe. I slipped it over my shoulders and tied the belt around my waist, leaning against the door frame. “When I told you I could see Georgia coming over, as soon as you said you would 'take care of her', her future went blank. I realized that if you intervene with a human, I can't see them. It's like looking into smoke.”
“This is a good thing?” Stefan asked, as he tossed the towel into the hamper. Biting my lip and shrugging, I ran my fingers though my hair.
“I'm not sure if it's good or bad. I'm just blind when you're in the equation. Remember the night you and Georgia had your little disagreement outside and she was poking you in the chest with her finger? I couldn't see her doing that.” I said distractedly, my fingernails tapping against the wood frame. “Georgia is almost too easy to read. I have to work to not see her when she's around.”
Stefan went to his duffel bag and pulled on a black t-shirt, the fabric hugging the muscles of his back. He slipped on cargo-style shorts and stood to face me, sliding his hands in the pockets. He turned his eyes to the side as if he was contemplating the implications of the different scenarios.
“This has never happened before? Only since we met?” Stefan questioned, his voice filled with curiosity. His blue eyes were still unfocused, a large hand running through his thick, damp hair.
I shook my head. “Never. It's just weird. Why are things changing now? I mean, I can't see your future at all and it's the same with Lukas. My theory is that a vampire's influence clouds my visions.”
“I suppose it is something to think about,” Stefan said. He went to the bed and bent over to straighten the comforter. “Now go shower. I have plans for us today.”
“Care to share them with me, Romeo?” I asked curiously. I was suddenly preoccupied with watching the outline of his broad shoulders through the fabric of his shirt as he continued making the bed. Something as simple as watching him do a mundane chore was like watching poetry in motion. By the time my eyes drifted to the sculpted muscles of his arm, my pulse was racing.
“You need to stop eye fucking me, Josephine. I can feel you watching me.” He turned his head to glance at me over his shoulder, his eyebrows waggling seductively. “I plan on sharing plenty with you later. Go.”
“All right! I'm going!” I huffed. Walking into the bathroom, I exhaled a ragged breath and tried to stomp down the burn deep in my stomach. I made short work of showering, hurriedly washing my hair and body, thinking ruefully for the second time that showers weren't nearly as much fun without him.
Turning off the taps and grabbing a towel, I wrapped it around myself as I headed back to the bedroom while running a comb through my hair. I was wondering what to wear when I saw my black strapless bikini placed on the bed. Hesitating for a moment, my eyebrows raised slightly as I clutched the towel around me. Seeing my bathing suit made me even more curious as to what he had planned.
Dropping the towel, I grabbed the bottom of the bikini. I'd pulled on the bottom and was reaching for the top when Stefan came back into the bedroom. His sparkling blue eyes turned serious when they took in my naked breasts, crossing the room to pick up the bikini top in his hand.
“Let me help you.” His fingertips grazed over my nipples as he placed the top over my breasts. I shivered at the coolness of his hands against my skin as he hooked the back closed. “It is a shame to cover your breasts, vackra. They are beautiful.”
My voice was shaky when I finally recovered from his seductive t
ouch and lilting words. “I think you're biased.”
“Try again. Finish getting dressed. I already packed a bag for you while you showered. The sooner we leave, the sooner I get to fuck you.” Stefan lowered his head to brush his lips against mine. He turned to leave the room and I was captivated by watching his muscular frame disappear down the hallway.
One of these days he was going to dirty talk me to death.
Critically looking at the contents of my closet, I finally settled on a black sundress. I dressed quickly, slipping flip flops on my feet and hurried down the hallway to rejoin Stefan in the living room. He was leaning back on the couch, his long legs stretched out in front of him. His eyes traveled slowly over my body, a devious smile pulling at his lips. He languidly rose from the couch and stretched again, his shirt rising to show the sliver of pale, muscular skin of his stomach. My body instantly reacted to his almost feline-like movements, the burn in my stomach increasing.
“Are you ready?” Stefan asked innocently, winking as he bent over to pick up our bags. I snorted at the double meaning of his question. He knew exactly what he was doing to me and was enjoying every second of my frustration.
“Since you won't tell me where we're going, I'm as ready as I'll ever be.” I pouted, crossing my arms under my chest. I hated surprises.
He chuckled lightly and opened the front door, stopping to slide a pair of expensive sunglasses on his face. “You are always so impatient, Josephine. You will find out soon enough. We should leave before Georgia decides to grace us with her presence.”
His last statement spurred me into gear. I grabbed my purse and followed Stefan outside, stopping briefly to lock the door behind me. Remembering the vision of Georgia walking through my house made me rethink Stefan's words about a locksmith, or possibly investing in a deadbolt.
Skipping down the steps, I rejoined him by his car. He opened the door for me, waiting to close it after I'd pulled my legs inside the car. It was a matter of seconds when I felt the driver's side door close and his delicious scent filled the car. He smiled and leaned across to press a kiss on my lips, his hand lightly smoothing against the curve of my cheek.
He started the engine and we slowly drove down the long driveway to pull out onto the main road, heading towards the Seminyak. My eyes drifted to look out the window, my mind filling with questions. I knew what vampires eat, that much was obvious. However, I knew nothing about how he eats when I'm not around. Does he go around biting people? Wouldn't that draw attention if people woke up with bite marks?
The sound of his deep laughter brought me out of my inner thoughts. Shooting him a dirty look, I felt my cheeks burning in embarrassment. I should have known he'd be listening to my thoughts.
“Ask me your questions, vackra. I will tell you whatever you need to know. You know this,” Stefan said, reaching his large hand over to intertwine our fingers together.
I drew in a deep breath of courage. “How do you...eat? I mean, I get how you eat. I just wonder how you go about doing it. You don't just pick random people and bite them do you?”
“No, I do not pick random people and start biting.” His sunglass covered face observed me for a moment before focusing back on the road. “I am nearly 1,000 years old and require very little blood to survive. You are the only one I long to bite.”
Shuddering from the sensuality of his words, I was amazed at his ability to take a serious conversation and make it sexy. I ran my hand through my hair as I glanced at him. A grin had spread over his face, exposing his white teeth that glinted in the sunlight.
Sighing deeply, I sent him my mental thought. “Sexy talking bastard.”
His eyebrow raised slightly, shrugging his broad shoulders brazenly in response. "You know this about me, yet you still love me. Amazing."
“What about when I'm not around? You were gone for almost five days. You had to be hungry,” I retorted, immediately wondering if I really wanted to know the answer to that question.
“I forget that there are so many things you do not know. Many of us choose to integrate ourselves into society. We not only walk among you, we work with humans as well. Some of us are lawyers, police officers and some are even elected officials. Quite a few of us work in the medical field. We have established networks that give us access to human blood, Josephine. However, there are vampires that have no issue biting and draining a human to the point of death. Their victims disappear, either being turned or dying and being disposed of.”
A cold shiver ran down my spine as I thought of all the missing person stories I'd read in the paper or had seen on TV. I was now wondering how many of those missing people were actually victims of vampires.
“Not all vampires are pleasant, Josephine. Most are calculating and cruel. You have only met two of my kind, myself and Lukas. You need to remember that we are the exception, not the rule.” Stefan glanced over at me again. His expression was serious and his lips were set in a thin line.
“Speaking of Lukas...how exactly do you know him? Something was going on between you two the other night at dinner. When you told him to stop, he did it like he had no choice.”
Stefan said nothing, his eyes staring out the windshield. His thoughts were heavily guarded and he was obviously deciding how to proceed.
Deciding not to push him, I chose to look out the window while I waited for his answer. The smell of salt was thicker in the air as we got closer to Seminyak and the beach. He still hadn't answered my question, his long fingers were tapping nervously on the steering wheel.
He finally slowed to turn into a driveway that led up to a large beach house that made my villa look like a tiny shack in comparison. It was two stories, a mixture of white stucco and dark mahogany timber, the landscape littered with tall spikes of bamboo. I was still gaping at the house when I heard the car door open.
“Will you join me, Josephine? Or are you satisfied spending the day in the car?” Stefan chuckled deeply, offering his hand to help me out of the car. Pensively taking his outstretched hand, I slid out of the car to look at Stefan with confusion.
“Where are we?” I asked softly, my eyes drifting back to look at the impressive house.
“This is my house,” he replied quietly. He led me forward, his hand pressing against my lower back. We walked up the steps onto the front porch and Stefan opened the large door, motioning for me to go in. I cautiously stepped inside, blinking as my eyes adjusted from the sunlight to the much dimmer light of the house.
The main room was large and the ceilings were high and vaulted. A large, beige couch stretched the expanse of one wall, littered with pillows. At one end, the wall was filled with ceiling to floor windows with an elegant dining room table dramatically placed to take advantage of the landscaping and view outside.
Wandering down the hall, I entered into the kitchen, which was large and modern with stainless steel counter tops and appliances. The double doors were open and led out to the upper patio, which offered an impressive view of the Indian Ocean. I took a step out on the patio, stopping to rest my hands on the dark wood of the railing and inhaled a deep breath of sea air.
Glancing down, the level below had another deck that was scattered with sun beds around a large gradual-depth pool. There was a covered area with a large sofas and lounge chairs that surrounded a large fire pit. I could picture myself straddling Stefan on the couch, the sound of the waves crashing and the breeze from the sea brushing over our naked skin. I unconsciously shivered at the vivid image in my mind.
“I take it you like it here?” Stefan's voice startled me, bringing me out of my silent musings. He had been following behind me, watching in silence as I walked from room to room.
“Like it? It's unbelievable,” I murmured in amazement. Stefan walked to stand behind me, leaning over to wrap his long arms around my waist and resting his chin on my shoulder. I leaned back against him, a tiny smile breaking over my lips as he lightly kissed my cheek.
“It is just a house. I like it much better now
that you are here,” Stefan's lips murmured against my face. I twisted in his arms to look at him, his arms still wrapped loosely around me. His eyes were covered with sunglasses and the sea breeze lightly ruffled his blond hair. I couldn't resist the urge to run my fingers through the thick golden strands, his silky hair gleaming and warm from the sunlight.
“Why is it that we've been staying at my house when we could have been here? This place makes my villa look like a shed,” I asked curiously. Stefan drew in a deep breath, tilting his head back. His lips parted to speak when a piercing voice cut into the peacefulness of our conversation.
“My, my. Look what the cat dragged in. Stefan and Josie! What a wonderful surprise.”
Lukas. I suddenly understood why Stefan had chosen to stay at my house.
“Does that answer your question, vackra?” Stefan's mental voice had an exasperated edge to it. “He is my immortal version of your Georgia.”
Swallowing back a giggle at Stefan's internal aggravation, I turned my head to glance at Lukas. He was shirtless with his hands on his hips and was dressed in a pair of ridiculously small red speedos. I quickly buried my head in Stefan's chest, letting out a groan. I could add that to my list of things I never needed to see again.
“Lukas, do you not have something else to do?” Stefan's question sounded more like a command. His voice was intense and his body shifted to stretch to his full height.
“Actually, I don't. I thought I'd join you on the beach today. Josie and I can get to know each other. We can people watch and gossip. We'll have so much fun!” Lukas chirped as he glided down the steps to the pool, smoothly diving in the water. He was like a torpedo, barely rippling the surface of the pool.
“Are you going to tell me why Lucas is here?” I asked, turning my head to look up at Stefan. He still hadn't answered my question about how Lukas fit into his life.
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