Stefan let out a long sigh. “Give me a moment. I need to check on a few things, change, then we will talk.” He was a blur as he disappeared inside of the house. Plopping down into one of the deck chairs, I closed my eyes and mentally willed Lukas to keep swimming. The last thing I wanted to do was to be subjected to his exaggerated chatter.
“I'm so glad you and Stefan made up. He was a pissy little bitch for days. I was ready to kick his ass or stake him to stop his moaning.” Lukas' voice lisped from the chair beside of me. Surprised from his silent approach, I jumped and drew in a deep breath to try to slow my racing heart.
“Damn it Lukas, you scared the crap out of me! Warn a person that you're coming.”
Lukas was dripping wet, his ice blue eyes covered with sunglasses. Pursing his lips, he raised his eyebrow in amusement. “I keep forgetting you startle so easily. Maybe I should clap when I approach. Now hurry up and tell me what happened before he comes back outside and ruins our gossip time.”
“It was a misunderstanding. It happens.” I tried to keep my voice noncommittal, shrugging my shoulders slightly. I closed my eyes again, hoping he would catch on that I didn't want to talk.
Relaxing my head against the deck chair, I sent out a mental plea to Stefan. “What are you doing in there? Hurry up, he has me cornered.”
Lukas pursed his lip again and rolled his eyes. “I couldn't deal with his obsessive worrying and whining. I called up Anna because I had a feeling you'd hide out there. When she told me you were staying at her house, I told him where you were. I thought Mr. Romance would sweep you off your feet and you'd forgive him. I should have known he'd be all over dramatic and blow it.”
I couldn't help but laugh at his 'Mr. Romance' comment. Where the hell was Stefan? “I didn't even let him get a full sentence out, Lukas. I pretty much told him to fuck off. I'm not always reasonable. Or rational.”
“Oh, you two are perfect for each other.” His face turned soft and dreamy, his eyes glowing behind his sunglasses, clasping his hands together over his heart. “He's swooning over you like an infatuated teen and you're going to bust his ass at every turn. This will be better than my telenovelas.”
I simply stared at him for a moment, thinking to myself that he truly was the gay, male version of Georgia, minus the southern accent.
“It looks like fun time is over. Here he comes now,” Lukas leaned over to whisper conspiratively in my ear, his posture slumping in defeat.
Stefan stalked back onto the deck in a pair of navy blue board shorts, dipping low to show the harsh V of his lower stomach that disappeared into the waist of his shorts. He was shirtless, the sun making the golden hair on his sculpted chest shine. “Lukas. I think you have had enough fun for one day. I know you have matters to attend to, yes?”
“You're no fun.” Lukas pouted as he stood up and pranced into the house, slamming the door behind him.
Stefan let out a long sigh and flashed me a strained smile. He lowered to crouch in front of me, his hand tucking a lock of my hair behind my ear and his finger moving to caress my face delicately.
“I am sorry I was gone so long. I had an e-mail to respond to from the Council,” Stefan explained as he rose to stand to his full height.
I was shameless, letting my eyes roam over the lines of his powerful body. The muscles in his chest and arms looked like they were carved from marble, his abdomen toned and his legs were long and lean. My eyes made the trip back up to his face and his words finally registered with me. A flicker of apprehension swept through me. “You aren't leaving again are you?”
“No. Nothing like that,” Stefan reassured me, his voice smooth. “Come. I want to walk on the beach with you. First we need to take off your dress.”
Before I could react, he quickly pulled the sundress over my head. His eyes raked over my bikini in approval. "Much better."
We both heard a tap on the window by the deck. We both looked up to see Lukas staring out the window, giving us the 'thumbs up' sign.
Georgia and Lukas could be twins if not for their age difference. They were both a pain in the ass.
“Can we go? Lukas is driving me crazy.” My mental voice begged.
He tugged on my hand, giving me an understanding smile. He led us down the steps onto the main patio area, walking through a gated door that opened onto the beach. The sound of the waves was loud as they crashed against the black sand. We walked to the edge of the water in silence.
Stefan intertwined our fingers together and he let out a contemplative sigh. His eyes closed for a moment and he drew in an unnecessary breath.
Glancing at him curiously, I mentally questioned him. “What's going on? Are you okay?”
“Right now I realize how devastating it would have been to have lost you, Josephine,” Stefan's voice was thick with emotion. “The thought of you not being here with me is excruciating.” He gently squeezed my hand, then pulled on it slightly to urge me to follow as he started walking again.
“I don't want to think about that anymore, Stefan. I love you and we're together.”
“I do not want to think about it either. Bringing you here to my house made me realize all of my foolish mistakes,” Stefan murmured, his face was pensive and distant as if lost in a memory.
We walked along in silence for a few minutes, the warm water rushing up to cover our feet occasionally. As I watched the waves swell, my mind began to wander. Why was he refusing to answer any questions about Lukas?
“You never answered me when I asked about Lukas earlier. What's going on with you two? And why is he here today?”
“Lukas is my child,” Stefan answered simply. He glanced down at me briefly, squeezing my hand again.
I stopped walking as I took in his words. He stopped and turned slightly to face me. “He's your child? You need to explain.”
He sighed heavily, his face contemplative as he began to talk. “Approximately 175 years ago, I was living in the Netherlands. When he was still human, Lukas became a friend to me. He owned a small bookstore that I would visit frequently. He fell ill and was close to death. I chose to turn him instead of letting him die,” Stefan hesitated, looking down at the sand for a moment. “You lead a lonely life as a vampire, vackra. He was the only human friend I had and I could not bear to see him die. He accepted this new life with zest. He was amusing and frustrating as a human, now even more so as a vampire. He is like a brother to me.”
“Is that why he listens to you?” I questioned as we resumed our walk again.
“He has no choice in the matter, Josephine. I am his sire. He is compelled to listen.”
“So as his sire he has to listen to you? He has no choice? And what about your sire?” I asked, my words coming out in a jumbled rush. This was one of those moments where I wished my internal dialogue had to go through some sort of filter before it actually verbalized.
“I never know what is going to come out of your beautiful mouth, vackra.” He laughed dryly. “Lukas thrives being a vampire and I do not force him to do anything unpleasant. He is a trusted friend, Josephine. As for my sire, she is dead.”
“She's dead? I'm so sorry.” I felt horrible for even bringing the topic up and grilling him about it.
“Do not be sorry, Josephine. I am glad she is dead. She was beautiful but completely insane. She was turning humans into vampires and leaving them to wipe out entire villages. That is also considered a 'no-no' by the Council.”
“I think I need an 'Idiot's Guide to Understanding Vampires' book. Or some kind of cheat sheet.” I shook my head to try to organize my thoughts. I was quiet for a moment before I asked my next question. “Stefan, do you want to turn me?”
“What do you want me to say, Josephine?” His voice was deceptively calm and his body was tense as we continued walking. It was obvious that this was another conversation Stefan did not want to have with me.
Swallowing hard, I fought to keep my voice steady as I answered him. “The truth would be nice.”
“Then
I will answer you honestly. I want an eternity with you, Josephine. For two centuries I waited to find you. It took me 200 long years to find you and I do not want to let you go,” Stefan's voice cracked with emotion. “Vackra, it is your decision. I will never force you to change for me. You will tell me when and what you decide, yes?”
I nodded slowly. “I know that I want to be with you, Stefan. I just can't make that kind of decision right now. My brain is on overload right now.”
“You have time to decide. I am happy just being here with you, Josephine. I love you. The rest is minor details.” Stefan made a dismissive gesture with his hand. “We need to turn around and head back.”
Our heavy conversation over, we turned around and started the walk back towards his house. A few times Stefan would pick me up, playfully threatening to toss me in the water. I would squeal and try to get away from him in mock fear. Stefan tossed me over his shoulder as we headed up the path to the gate that led to his house. I playfully smacked his tight ass and his shoulders shook with laughter in response to my weak swats.
“I am sure you are hungry. Let us go inside.” He closed the gate behind us, still carrying me upside down across the patio and up the steps to the upper deck.
“Stefan, you can put me down. I can walk." I smacked his ass again. "When did you have time to get food?"
“I did not do anything. I sent Lukas out to shop for you. It is one of the many ways I can get back at him for being mercurial.”
We walked into the kitchen and he set me down on my feet. I slowly headed to the refrigerator and looked inside. It was filled with different fruits, containers of various meats and bags of cheese.
“Did he buy the entire store? I can't eat all of this.” I motioned irritably to the open refrigerator with one hand.
He chuckled, raising his eyebrows as he observed the packed refrigerator. “This is how Lukas thinks, vackra. He is almost like a child and he does everything to the extreme.”
Busying myself in the kitchen, I made a sandwich and focused on cutting up fruit to hide my frustration. I sat down at the breakfast bar in the kitchen and started to eat. Stefan leaned against the opposite side of the counter with his chin resting on his hand, contentedly watching me as I ate.
The house was quiet as I picked at my food. Stefan stood motionless, his eyes tracing my face. Occasionally he would smile, causing the lines of his face to soften. It was easy for me to see how he managed to blend in with humans. Stefan was able to appear vulnerable and put people at ease with the humanity he was able to maintain.
“You make me self-conscious when you watch me like that, especially when I'm eating,” I said as I popped the last bite of sandwich in my mouth. He walked around the bar to stand in front of me, his finger lightly tracing my lips as I swallowed.
“Why? I find your mouth sexy and watching you eat excites me. Leave your plate and come with me, vackra.”
He took my hand and led us back down the steps to one of the lounge chairs on the sun deck. I sat down on the edge of the chair, pulling my legs up on the seat. He walked to the edge of the pool and pushed the blue board shorts he was wearing down over his narrow hips. He took wide strides to walk to the deep end of the pool, gracefully diving into the water.
My mouth went dry as I watched his naked body glide underneath the water effortlessly. His head emerged out of the water and his long fingers combed his wet hair back from his face, looking like every hot-blooded woman’s secret fantasy. He crossed his long arms on the side of the pool, resting his chin against them.
“Are you going to join me, Josephine? Or are you planning to eye fuck me from your chair all evening?”
I stood up slowly and crossed the patio to sit on the edge of the pool beside of him, sliding into the water in one swift movement. When I surfaced he was next to me instantly, wrapping me in the embrace of his arms.
His fingers worked quickly to unclasp my bikini top, throwing the wet material on the patio. “Once again you have on too many clothes. This seems to be an ongoing issue, vackra.”
My hands went to quickly cover my breasts. “Stefan! What about Lukas?”
“He is gone for the night. You also have the wrong equipment for Lukas' taste.”
Stefan disappeared underneath the surface of the water. His hands moved down my stomach to tug at the bottom of my bikini, pulling it down my legs. His body slid against mine as he came up to the surface again, twirling the bottoms around his index finger and tossing it to join the rest of my suit beside of the pool.
“Now, vackra. Where were we?” Stefan's arms wrapped around me again, pressing my wet body against his. “Ah yes, I think we were right here.”
His lips moved softly over my cheek, his tongue flicking out to lick the outline of my lips. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, my mouth parting slightly to encourage him to continue. His hand laced in my long, wet hair and pulled my head back slightly to expose my neck to his mouth. His lips and tongue moved down my throat, only to follow the same enticing path back up. Stefan's mouth stopped to hover lightly against mine, one corner of his lip curled up in a smirk.
“Why are you stopping?” My mental voice snapped.
“You are always so impatient. I am trying to seduce you.”
“I think we're past the point that you need to seduce me, Romeo,” I whispered against the softness of his lips.
“I will always think of new ways to seduce you, Josephine, as I will always think of new ways and places to fuck you.” His breath washed over my face, cool and captivating.
“Stefan....” I began, my voice soft and pleading. “I didn't want to be seduced.” He already had every part of me: body, heart and soul.
“Patience, vackra. I have plans for you.”
Chapter 8
“What if I have plans for you instead?” I asked him, raising an arched eyebrow at him. We were pressed close together, the water from the pool doing nothing to cool the overheated state of my arousal.
“Then I would tell you to show me your plans, vackra.” Stefan's mental voice murmured seductively in my mind. His words were like pouring gasoline on the already smoldering fire in the pit of my stomach.
The small amount of patience I'd possessed disappeared. I wasn't sure if I'd ever get used to the sound of his softly lilting voice, the way his velvet skin felt against my own or the longing I had for his touch. I had no control over my own desire and hunger for him. The overpowering need for him coursed through my veins, insatiable and demanding.
My hand snaked up to his neck, gripping him fiercely. My lips were desperate as they covered his and my tongue darted into his mouth. His tongue flickered to meet mine lazily, sending spirals of need through my body.
His hands were teasing as they drifted up the skin of my back, gently threading in my wet hair. His tongue moved to explore deeper inside of my mouth and his hard cock pressed against my stomach. I moaned against his mouth, my fingers combing through his thick wet hair. I let my hands delicately trail down his neck, my nails sinking into the skin on his broad shoulders. Shifting to lock my legs around his narrow waist, I slightly tilted my hips to lower myself onto his thick cock. My breath caught as he stretched and filled me, losing myself further to the feel of him inside of me, deep and twitching.
Stefan's body tensed and a deep growl escaped from his lips. His hips bucked against me on their own volition as his large hands gripped my ass. He slowly turned us in the water and walked us out of the pool, our bodies still joined intimately. Water fell from our naked bodies in sheets on the deck.
He raised his mouth from mine as he gently eased me down on one of the cushioned lounge chairs. His tongue darted out to lick across his lower lip sensuously, his chiseled face dark with desire. Water ran down his chest in tantalizing streams.
His fingers traced lightly down the length of my legs to grab my ankles, spreading my legs wide. He hooked my knees over his muscular forearms and loomed over me, his large hands pressing into the chair next to my h
ead. His movements were slow and deliberate as his cock slipped deeply inside of my slick pussy, our wet bodies gliding effortlessly against each other.
“Why can I not get enough of you?” His mental voice was ragged, his jaw clenched in a mixture of agony and ecstasy. “No matter how many times I have you, I only want more.”
The chair creaked in disapproval as he pounded into me. Soft, ragged moans slipped from my mouth as one of my hands tightly gripped his arm as I welcomed his powerful thrusts. My head arched back against the chair and my other hand slid between my thighs to slowly rub my swollen clit, writhing under the feel of my own touch and the sensation of him moving forcefully inside of me.
Our bodies continued to move in unison, my hips rising to meet his rapid strokes. Our eyes locked and his lips parted slightly in response. His fangs were fully extended and softly glinting in the fading light.
“Stefan....” I cried softly, my fingers pressing against my clit as I continued to pleasure myself, my nipples growing taut and my inner walls tightening around him. Stefan snarled and began to move his hips faster in response to hearing his name fall from my lips.
He reached down to capture my hand that was busy between my legs and placed my slick fingers inside of his mouth, his tongue wrapping sensuously around each one. His fangs scraped against my skin as he pulled them slowly from his mouth with a violent groan.
“Delicious, vackra. You are fucking magnificent.”
Stefan sat back on his heels, my trembling legs slipping down the length of his long arms to rest on top of his thighs. His powerful hands gripped my hips as he pulled me roughly against his cock as our bodies met with an explosion of raw passion.
“Don't stop...don't you dare stop...” I begged for release, slowly coming unraveled underneath him. My body felt as if it was engulfed in flames, desire coursing through me like liquid fire.
Stefan's hands wrapped around my arms and pulled me upright against his chest. My legs encircled his waist and my heels dug into the cheeks of his ass. His surging hips tilted up as I frantically ground against his thrusting hips. My arms wrapped around his neck and my head fell to the side, exposing my neck to his lips.
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