Illusion

by Alexandra Anthony

  He shifted the car into gear and peeled away from the curve, the soft purr of the engine filling the car. I glanced over at Stefan and he was clutching the steering wheel so tightly that I feared it might bend from the force.

  “Was that really necessary? I thought he was going to shit his pants,” I scolded him.

  He regarded me for a moment as he glanced away from the road briefly. An amused smile turned up the right side of his mouth. “Was it necessary? No. Did I want to do it? Absolutely. He was disrespectful of you, and in turn to me.”

  I was silent as we made the short drive home. Vampires viewed their mates as their possessions. Even though that went against everything I believed, I was going to have to learn to accept it or fight Stefan at every turn.

  He expertly parked the car in the assigned space and turned to face me. He took my hand and gently rubbed circles over the top of my hand with his thumbs. “All of this is new to you and I do consider you to be mine. However, I am yours. We are equals. Do you understand?”

  “I get it. Women look at you all the time and I don’t go all scary psychotic on them. You’re gorgeous and women are going to ogle you. But I know I get to take you home. I get to touch you. Only me,” I said, as my free hand snaked in his soft, golden hair. “Only me.”

  “Come. Let us go in before I take advantage of you in the car.” He winked and exited the vehicle, heading for the elevator. He punched in the code and waited for the doors to open, his large hand over the small of my back. The doors smoothly opened and we were rising to our floor, neither of us talking during the ride.

  As the elevator opened at our floor, we both noticed a large package sitting by the door. It was nearly four feet in width and height, wrapped in brown paper. Stefan and I exchanged a glance and he unlocked the door, letting me in to turn on the lights as he retrieved the package. He carried it inside, his eyebrows furrowed.

  “It is addressed to you.”

  “To me?” I asked. Curiosity had gotten the better of me and I walked quickly to Stefan’s side. I glanced at the package to see the label. It was addressed to Josephine Ahearne.

  Fucking Kian and his overbearing bullshit! I viciously ripped the paper, gasping when I saw the swirls of red and blue. It was the painting from the art gallery.

  “The painting,” I breathed out in disbelief. There was a card attached to the back of the canvas and I held the heavy card stock with shaky hands, silently reading the exaggerated cursive writing.

  My dearest Josephine,

  I watched you admire this painting and couldn’t bear to see something so beautiful belong to another.

  There will be a day we will see eye to eye, either by choice or by circumstance. Until then, know that I will be waiting...and watching.

  Your loving father,

  Kian Ahearne

  The meaning behind his carefully crafted words were crystal clear to me. He abhorred that I was with Stefan, knowing that Stefan considered me his property. My father only wanted me for what I could do. He valued people and vampires as collections. He was also reminding me that he was privy to exactly what I was doing and where I was at all times.

  The entire situation made me sick.

  “Josephine?”

  Stefan’s hand on my arm brought me back out of my thoughts. “Read this.” I handed him the card and our eyes met for a moment before they dropped down, quickly scanning over the card.

  His blue eyes flashed when he looked up from reading the note. He turned and grabbed a beautiful glass vase, throwing it at the wall with such force and speed that it damaged the drywall and the vase exploded. I jumped back as tiny slivers of glass splintered, my eyes widening as I watched the dust and shards settle over the wood floor. Fixing my gaze on Stefan, I watched him rise to his full height, his wide shoulders rigid and tension making the faint lines around his eyes more defined.

  “I have had enough of his insinuations and threats, Josephine. He is giving you a warning. Can you see that?”

  Not waiting for my answer, Stefan’s phone was in his hand, his fingers flying across the keypad. He brought the phone to his ear and spoke so fast his voice sounded like a series of hisses and growls, becoming a blur as he disappeared down the hallway.

  I stood in the middle of the living room, trying to make sense of what happened. I went into the kitchen and found a dustpan under the sink, busying myself in cleaning up the glass and drywall dust that was all over the corner of the living room. As I cleaned, an unsettling silence filled the the apartment. Dumping the glass in the trash, I headed off in search of him, the sound of my heels echoing in the hallway.

  I found him in the bedroom, his eyes distant as he focused on a spot on the floor. He didn’t look up when I entered and I silently watched him for a moment from the doorway.

  He was slouched over, his long arms resting on his thighs as he sat on the edge of the bed, gripping his cell phone in his hands. His mind was moving at warp speed, searching the future and becoming annoyed at the black spots and holes he would encounter, causing his thoughts to become ominous with uneasiness and irritation. He was furious at my father, angry enough to start making phone calls and plans that would lead to Kian’s death. Even though I wouldn’t mourn my father’s demise, Stefan didn’t need to be impulsive. I refused to risk losing him over a silly painting and thinly veiled threats.

  Walking to stand in front of him, I took the phone away and placed it on the dresser, putting his empty hands on my waist. Cupping his face, I raised it so I could caress the angular lines that made his face one of the most beautiful I’d ever seen. He closed his eyes when I kissed the tops of his cheeks, brushing his mouth with my thumb. He sighed wearily as he parted them for me, letting me caress the soft skin of his lips.

  Crouching down, I knelt between his legs. “Kian isn’t worth it, Stefan. What did you say to my brother about revenge?”

  “Someone that seeks vengeance craves retribution more than he wants to live,” he muttered under his breath, almost repeating his earlier words verbatim. “I hate it when you are right. I only spoke with Lukas. I promise that I will not act rashly.”

  Letting out a sigh of relief, I wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him tightly to me. It only took a moment until I felt his strong arms wrap around me, a shudder shaking his chest. He was still worried and upset.

  “I’m sending the painting back,” I whispered assurances against his neck. “He can’t touch me.”

  “You are mine, vackra. He cannot have you. I just found you and I refuse to let him take you away from me.”

  “I know. I’m yours.” I pulled back to smooth his golden blond, silky hair away from his face. “We had such a beautiful time tonight. Let’s not let Kian or Seth the valet spoil our last night in New York. I just wanted to come back here and have you make love to me, not turn this into a moment to map out revenge.”

  His eyes instantly turned dark at my words, his anger temporarily forgotten.

  “You had something planned?” Stefan asked, leaning forward slightly. “I hate to spoil what you had in mind for the evening, vackra. However, I have my own itinerary for you.”

  “Oh really?” I questioned, raising a finely arched eyebrow. I continued to brush my fingers through his hair, the blond strands shining like gold.

  “Ah, Josephine. I do enjoy your defiant side,” he chuckled. “I plan on making you scream my name until your voice is hoarse and your legs are weak. Does that fit into your plans?”

  Chapter 6 – Give and Take

  “I plan on making you scream my name until your voice is hoarse and your legs are weak. Does that fit into your plans?” His earlier question hung heavily in the space between us, his darkened eyes holding my gaze. He was waiting for my answer and we both sat unmoving, Stefan on the edge of the bed and me on my knees in front of him. My fingers were still threaded in his golden hair and my eyes drifted over his handsome face, desire flooding over me in a rush, my heart beat increasing to a rapid strum in my chest
. His carefully worded question ignited a fire between my thighs, my intense need for him inexplicable.

  Offering him a smile as my only response, my hands drifted from his hair, over the sides of his face and ran across his broad shoulders. I pushed his charcoal gray suit jacket over his shoulders and loosened his black silk tie, wrapping it around my hand and yanking it from the collar of his shirt.

  “No.” He stood, his massive body looming over me. He raised a single blond eyebrow as he reached for the bottom of his shirt, simply ripping it up the middle, causing the buttons to scatter across the room. He shrugged out of the shirt, letting it fall over his shoulders and the length of his long arms. He made a production of unbuttoning and unzipping his pants, sliding them over his narrow hips and legs. He stood naked before me, six-foot-four inches of perfection. A gasp escaped from my mouth as my eyes traveled over the wide expanse of his pale, muscular chest and down his stomach. His hard cock was begging for my attention and I leaned forward, anxiously licking my lips.

  “No,” Stefan said again. He gripped my arms softly and brought me to my feet, unzipping the back of my dress in a single, swift movement, tugging my arms from the sleeves and watching as it fell around my feet. His lips quirked and his fingers were gentle and adoring as they brushed over the satin cups of my bra, his blue eyes meeting mine as they circled my nipples. I stepped closer to him and he bent to nestle his face between the valley of my breasts, his breath warm and his tongue wet as it snaked out to lick across my skin.

  Closing my eyes to the sensation of his mouth on my flesh, I felt his fingers drift to my back, swiftly unfastening the hooks on my bra and flicking it away. He turned me around and his large, muscular arms wrapped around my waist. His lips feathered kisses down the side of my neck, the stubble from his face scraping against my skin. Everywhere he touched me, it felt as if an electrical current pulsed beneath my skin, his body like silk-covered steel, smooth against my own. The pads of his fingers caressed my breasts and ghosted across my nipples, which had pebbled into hard peaks from his caresses.

  “Stefan… please,” I mumbled, whimpering from the powerful response his hands were having on my body. “I need you.”

  “Always impatient,” he admonished between kisses to my shoulders. His tongue laved over the crook of neck, my legs trembling as I waited for the sting of his fangs. He chuckled against my skin and moved to nuzzle his nose in the tangle of my hair. Stefan was enjoying every moment of this. He was playing me like an instrument, smug and satisfied that he knew exactly how to touch me to make me cry out and writhe against him.

  He nudged me forward, guiding me down to the bed on my hands and knees. His large hand spread across my back, pushing my breasts against the coolness of the sheet, my elbows supporting the majority of my weight. His fingertips trailed over the arch of my back to fondle my ass, his hands soft and firm as they ripped my panties away and moved between my thighs, spreading them apart. I was fully exposed and completely at his mercy.

  He inhaled a sharp, unnecessary breath. “You look like a goddess, spread out for me like this. Only for me.”

  His husky, lilting words washed over me like liquid fire and my own breathing hitched. His fingers played against my clit and slipped through my swollen folds, spreading the wetness with his finger. Letting out a wanton moan, I pressed my ass back towards him and his into his hand.

  “You like?”

  Another moan fell from my lips as I pushed back harder. “Oh god, yes.”

  One of his fingers slid inside of my pussy and stroked in and out lazily, and my body warmed, aching for more. I felt another join the first, the pressure growing. My fingernails almost ripped apart the sheets when his third finger entered me, stretching me even wider. My inner walls tightened around them and my head fell back, a cry escaping my lips. “Stefan, fuck!”

  “Do you want more?” Stefan asked, his deep voice sounding uneven. His fingers continued to plunge in and out of me, my hips rolling back to meet his steady rhythm.

  Unable to speak, I sent him my mental response. “I want everything.”

  He inhaled sharply again and I heard the soft click of his fangs as they dropped.

  “Then you will have it.”

  The bed shifted under his weight as he moved even closer, withdrawing his fingers and entering me, his cock gliding within my depths. One of his hands gripped my hip, guiding me back to him.

  My erratic cries and his loud grunts were timed to every one of his thrusts, our voices blending together as he pounded inside of me. His sticky, wet fingers ran across the curve of my ass, until one circled my other entrance.

  I stiffened until I heard the soft cadence of his voice in my mind. “You want everything. Let me show you.”

  He maintained his steady rhythm as he slipped the wet finger deep inside my tight entrance. I was completely filled with his cock and finger and I impulsively pressed back, pulling them both deep inside.

  “You are fucking beautiful.” His mind voice was sexy and filled with admiration. I could feel the heaviness of his eyes on my body as he thoroughly claimed me.

  His finger and cock thrust inside of me in the same feverish rhythm, while his other hand kept a firm grip on my hip. My head dropped to the bed, my body moving instinctively in time with him. It was almost as he had me in some delicious, erotic trance where only we existed.

  My orgasm was building to its crescendo, and Stefan became relentless. He continued to pump and thrust, stroke after sensuous stroke. Moans, groan, and cries were the only sounds I could articulate. My legs trembled as I tightened around him, feeling myself let go into a state of euphoria I’d never felt before, my conscious mind ceasing to function properly. I couldn’t think; I could only feel. I’d exploded into a million pieces around him and his ecstasy and lustful thoughts had blended with my own, our mutual longing overtaking and feeding each other. His feral-like passion had become my own, and my erotic pleasure of giving myself over to him fed into his carnal desire to possess me. We no longer were two separate beings; we were one in every way.

  I seized around him and the power of my climax caused my arms to collapse against the bed. Stefan’s finger slipped from my other entrance, his arm wrapping around my waist and pulling me to him as I rhythmically clenched around him. My release triggered his and a ferocious growl spilled out into the room as he pulsed violently inside of me, his fangs slipping into my shoulder as he shuddered over me. We collapsed on the bed, falling to our sides in a blissful pile of ecstasy.

  I couldn’t move, nor did I want to move. His head sank over my shoulder, seeking out my lips and they met languidly, both of us physically and emotionally spent from our intense love making. His fingertips walked up my arm as he kissed me, his strong hand gripping my shoulder.

  His mouth lifted from mine and he smiled at me, a smug, sexy smile of utter satisfaction on his lips. “You fully gave yourself over to me.”

  “I wanted it all in that moment and you gave it to me.” I rolled over to face him, hooking my leg over his thigh and running my hands over his chest. “I could feel all of your emotions. Our minds became one and I didn’t know where I began and you ended. I felt your need, your love. Everything.”

  “I could feel you as well.” His blue eyes bored into me. “You bring out a side of me I never knew existed. I struggle not to let myself lose control with you. I only want you to feel pleasure, Josephine. Never fear.”

  I deliberated over his words for a moment. “You always hold back? You want more than what we have?”

  “I always want more with you, vackra. The more I have you, the more I desire you. I always feel that powerfully for you. Tonight I did not have to hold back.” His eyes turned dark and his face glazed over. I slipped into his thoughts to see his mind replaying the earlier events, a tumble of sensual images saturating my mind. “You… on your knees before me and telling me you wanted everything….”

  His voice tapered off and he shook himself as if to bring himself out of his r
everie. His tongue swiped across his lower lip and he held my chin, bringing our faces so close together that our noses were touching. “You allowed me claim you, although you were always in control, vackra. It is give and take. You gave me what I wanted and you took the pleasure I gave you, that we gave one another.”

  Nodding, my tongue flickered out to trace the outline of his mouth. His hand gripped my leg, pulling it higher. Without another word, he slipped back inside of me. Our lips met and his hands slid up my back, twisting into the hair at the nape of my neck as he gently took me again.

  “Let me completely into your mind, vackra… and come into mine.”

  As his hips rocked against mine, our mouths connected and our minds intertwined, I felt his intense want, his almost overwhelming love for me. He visibly jolted when I pushed my feelings back to him, letting him experience every emotion and sensation he brought out in me: my love for him, need, and fathomless desire.

  I clasped my fingers in his hair and he groaned seductively into my mouth, our bodies continuing their steady pace. Neither of us would last long this time around. We were both too far gone…

  My eyes opened and he was watching me. The power of his eyes, his mind and his cock inside of me made me lose control, crying out his name as I came. A tender smile pulled at the corner of his mouth as he reached his completion, our gazes never faltering as we clung to each other, riding out the throes of our combined orgasm.

  I was a trembling, boneless disaster and Stefan wasn’t much better off than me. His arms were heavy and his head fell limply against the pillow. Our breathing was a series of ragged, rapid pants and gasps.

  As cognizant thought gradually came back to me, I wondered if it this is how it would always be for us. Would we always want each other so desperately?

  “Yes. However, it will become more intense,” Stefan replied softly. He curled a lock of my hair gently around his fingers.

  More intense? It would be more intense than what we just experienced?