“Why not? After the day I had I need a night out.” I sat down on the coffee table blocking his view.
He gave me a strange look, “What was so bad about your day?”
“Nothing it was just long.” It wasn’t a full lie, just not exactly why it was long.
“So are you two coming or not?” Keira stood up straight.
He looked annoyed, as he was leaning on his arm. “Sure.” Stefan said reluctantly.
“You’re the best.” I placed a quick kiss on his lips before disappearing upstairs behind Keira.
Joe’s bar was filled with familiar faces that visited weekly. I said hi to a few of our regulars as we moved through the bar. We spotted Cam at a table in the corner, and made our way in that direction.
“Who invited them?” Leo nodded in the direction of the door.
I turned to look, my stomach dropped. Keira placed her hand on mine under the table. She instantly saw my uneasiness from the sight of Sam and Jess walking toward us.
“Hi Friends.” Jess beamed.
“This is ironic. You two together.” Cam pointed between Jess and Sam, “Shits of a feather stick together? That's how it goes, right?”
“Funny, Cameron.” Jess snapped. “Sophia, congratulations on your promotion.” She placed her hand on my arm.
“Promotion?” Stefan turned to face me.
Jess removed her hand off my arm “Oh you didn’t tell him? Thomas mentioned it to me. Communication is key Sophie.” She said it as if she were giving me solid advice, in exchange for the show she was putting on.
Stefan’s face was covered in disappointment. “Excuse me.” He stood up and walked over to the bar. He waved at Joe for a drink, as he sat down on a stool.
“He seems mad. I didn’t mean to...” Jess continued.
“Stop,” I snapped, looking her dead in the eyes.
“You’re so uptight.” She squinted her eyes at me, and walked over to the bar.
As she walked away, Sam was brought into my sight. We both looked at each other, his face seemed almost remorseful, or maybe he was uncomfortable, but the thoughts from that night flooded back to me and I broke eye contact from him to face Keira.
“Maybe this wasn’t a good idea.” I whispered to her.
“You’ll be ok. Just ignore them.”
The guys excused themselves and walked over to the pool table to play a game. Keira and I ordered a bottle of wine, and decided to stay seated at the table. I looked over to the bar as I sipped my drink, noticing Jess was sitting next to Stefan. I couldn’t tell if he was trying to make me mad, or if it was just Jess being Jess. A spout of jealousy came over me.
“So you got a promotion?” Keira asked, bringing my attention back to her.
I set my glass down. “Yes, but it’s only due to the fact that I'm dating Stefan. His father said some weird things to me today. I knew he would be mad. That’s why I didn’t tell him.”
“He will get over it. Don’t worry too much.” Keira tried to reassure me.
“He invited me to the Gala.”
“Really? That’s big.”
“You think?”
“Every important person is there. He’s the heir to the Edwards Empire. Yes, that’s huge!” She laughed. She seemed more excited than I was.
We continued talking for a while and moved on to our second bottle of wine. We sat there laughing for at least an hour over Keira and Leo’s mishap in front of Leo’s parents two weeks prior.
“Let’s just say my face was red, and I’ve never wanted to hide under a bed so badly.” She laughed, finishing off her glass.
I looked over at Stefan still sitting on the stool. He had turned to face away from the bar, toward the guys playing pool. Leo was sat on the other side of Stefan, and Jess was leaning in to Stefan whispering in his ear. He half laughed and she placed her hand on top of his as she laughed in return. He quickly removed his hand and reached for the drink behind him.
“Sophia, I see you. What are you plotting?” Keira asked.
I set my glass down. “Nothing.” I lied.
“He’s just being nice to her.” She tried to convince me.
My eyes traveled back to Stefan, “Screw this.”
I stood up from the table. Stefan looked up at me, his eyes following me as I walked toward him. I looked at Jess whose attention I also had, then back to Stefan. My eyes locked in on his, I inserted myself between his legs, my lips crashing onto his. He wrapped his hand around my neck, steadying himself.
“Thanks.” I said, as I pulled away, and wiped my bottom lip with my thumb. Stefan laughed as he ran his fingers over his mouth. I looked at Jess before walking back toward the table; she was disgusted, like I just took her favorite toy away.
“I think she just marked her damn territory.” Leo laughed, and patted Stefan’s back.
When I got back to the table, Keira was looking at me as if she was about to die from laughter, “What was that?”
“I can play the same game.” I said, and picked up my glass.
“You keep surprising me. Cheers.” She lifted up her empty glass, chiming it with mine.
I laughed, pressing the glass to my lips. I looked over to find that Stefan was watching my every move. He leaned back against the bar. I could see the sinister thoughts running through his mind.
“I’m going to go to the bathroom.” I told Keira.
I walked down the hallway, and around the corner. I didn’t know what came over me. Jess just gets under my skin. I could have pushed her off the stool she was sitting on, but her reaction was better than I thought. Plus, I've never really been a fighter. She just gloats, and causes problems for me every chance she gets. If I have to hear one more time about how she’s best friends with Stefan’s entire family I might scream.
Someone grabbed my arm from behind, and turned me to face them. Stefan. He spun me into him, pressing me up against the wall. His lips met mine, and my hands found their way to his back, as he ran his fingers through my hair.
“What was that out there?” He asked, looking down at me. “Do you like to tease me when I’m mad at you?”
I smiled, and bit my bottom lip. “Are you going to do something about it?” Score, I had him.
He moved his hands to my hips, leaning in to me. “I could take you right here.”
I looked up at him, my body aching. “Then take me.”
His hand moved from my hip to under my skirt. His fingers dancing along my inner thighs. It’s as if he knew my every desire that was burning inside of me.
I took his wrist, making him stop. “Not here.” I walked toward the bathroom and left him with a smile. He followed behind me, locking the door.
Our bodies collided, the moment the door was locked. My lips met his, he placed both hands around my thighs lifting me into the air. Passion and my need for him had overtaken me. He pressed me against the wall, unzipping his pants.
I could feel him as he aligned himself. He thrust his hips forward releasing a moan. Oh fuck he feels good. My breathing had become rapid as he moved within me. His hand cupped my chest under my shirt. With every strong movement my body let him seep into me. One...he bit my neck….two….I cried out...three...he slammed into me harder.
A knock on the door interrupted and I let out a small laugh.
“Busy.” Stefan called out, with a smile on his face. He pressed his lips back to mine, thrusting himself deeper and harder. My body started to respond to his, his hands gripping my bottom tightly.
“Baby...” I whispered, as my body started to quiver, an orgasm igniting my body.
“Fuck, Sophia.” He yelled. Releasing himself, he marked me in the most sensual way. He allowed his eyes to linger in contact with mine. My breathing was still heavy, matching his.
He set me down gently, and I adjusted my skirt. He straightened his pants, clasping his belt. Another knock at the door. Neither one of us answered.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about the promotion. I didn’t want to wo
rry you.”
“Why would that worry me?” He asked, washing his hands in the sink.
“We both know how I got the promotion.” I placed my hand on his cheek making him face me. “I told you this morning your father tried to bribe me.”
“And did you take his bribe?” He snapped.
I shook my head, “No. I would never.”
“Let me handle my family. You just need to learn to trust that I can do that.” He said, taking my hand in his, placing a kiss on my palm.
“Your family scares me a little.”
“They’re just normal people in masks. They break, just like they’re trying to break you. I will handle them; I won’t let anything bad happen. Trust me, ok?”
“I do.”
“Good.” He kissed my forehead and unlocked the door.
We walked into the hallway to find two people waiting. One was a random person and the other was Jess. Small satisfaction ran through me.
“Could you have taken any lon...” Her words stopped and her mouth was half open at the sight of me following Stefan out of the bathroom.
I smiled at her. “Bathroom is all yours.”
“You just can’t help being cheeky can you?” Stefan whispered in my ear, as he took my hand.
“I learned it from the best.” I nudged him. I let go of his hand and walked back to the table where Keira was leaning against Leo.
“Where have you two been?” Leo slurred.
“Lightweight here needs to go home.” Keira laughed and pushed his drink away.
I picked up my purse from next to Keira, “I’m ready if you guys are.”
“We ride!” Leo yelled, holding up the glass that Keira just took away from him.
We said our goodbyes to everyone, and I made my way over to Cam who was sitting at the bar.
He leaned in to hug me. “Be careful, Soph.” He said lowly.
I stepped back and looked at him. “Careful?”
“You know what I mean.”
“You ready?” Stefan walked up behind me.
My confused expression lasted longer than intended. I turned to Stefan. “Yeah, I’m ready.” I smiled.
The four of us walked toward the exit and I turned back to look at Cam, he was watching as we walked out the door and my mind couldn’t help but wonder what he actually meant.
Chapter Twenty Nine
Sophia
When we got home Keira took Leo straight to the bathroom. I thought the cab driver was going to kick us out half way home, because Leo almost didn’t make it. Stefan walked upstairs to his bedroom, leaving me in the kitchen. I pulled a glass down to get water.
I still didn’t understand what Cam meant. I don’t even know if he would tell me if I asked. I leaned against the counter gazing out the window. A small red light caught my eye in a window on a neighboring building. I walked over to the window, and I could see a figure behind the light. A small flash appeared, causing me to jump back. Water spilled out of my glass onto the floor. I grabbed a towel and wiped it up, while not breaking my attention from this dark figure.
“Stefan!” I yelled. I heard his door open, and footsteps down the stairs. Another flash appeared, as I walked back toward the window.
“Are you ok?” Stefan asked, walking up behind me.
I pointed to the window. “There’s someone in that building. I think they’re taking pictures.”
He walked over to the window and looked across. “I don’t see anything.”
I moved over next to him, and looked. “There was a red light, and flashes. I swear.” I pulled my sweater tighter covering myself like a cocoon.
He rubbed my arms, and pulled me closer, “It might just be someone taking pictures in their own home.”
“I promise, I saw it.” I said into his chest.
“It’s not there anymore though. It’s probably nothing.” He rested his chin on the top of my head.
I looked up at him, “Can we just get in bed?”
“Yeah, come on.” He picked up my glass off of the counter.
I could barely sleep, waking up at least four times in the night. The red light wouldn’t leave my mind. I rolled over, looking at my phone. 5:50 AM. Stefan was still sound asleep. I climbed out of bed, making my way into the bathroom, and splashed water on my face, trying to push my anxiousness to disappear. I pulled my hair up into a top bun, and walked back into the bedroom. Stefan’s alarm went off at 6AM sharp. He rolled over and clicked his phone to silence it.
He leaned up resting on his arms, “What are you doing?”
I climbed back onto the bed. “I’m going to go running with you today.” I placed a kiss on his lips.
“Really?” He smiled his sleepy smile, pulling me down on top of him. He danced his nose with mine, pressing his lips against mine one more time.
“Well if you keep me here, we won’t do much of anything.” I smirked against his lips.
“I’m ok with that.”
I laughed, “I bet you are.” I unraveled from his arms, getting up from the bed. “I’m going to go change.”
“You’re just going to leave me here with all the dirty thoughts of things I want to do to you?”
I stopped at the door, giving him a cheeky smile. “You can’t always get what you want.”
He rolled his eyes, as I left the room.
After I changed, I walked down into the kitchen. The room was dimly lit by a small lamp. Stefan was standing there with two small glasses that consisted of some green concoction on the counter.
“What’s this?” I scrunched my nose.
“You want to run, you have to do it the right way.” He laughed, and handed me a glass.
I took the green substance from him. “What is it?” I asked again, looking at the glass.
“Don’t worry about it.” He laughed, and downed his.
I put the cup to my mouth and it actually didn’t smell too bad, but the taste was a different story. I almost spit it out. Stefan found this humorous, as he tried to refrain from laughing at me.
It was still dark out, the sun had almost started to rise. Stefan refused to tell me where we were going. We took the subway, which I thought was strange for a run. All he would tell me was that it was a special place. When we exited the station, we walked a few blocks until we reached the water. I could see the Brooklyn Bridge, and a few boats settled against the concrete shore in front of us.
“You ready?” Stefan asked.
I looked over at him, “For what?”
He pointed to the bridge, “That.”
My eyes went wide, “Oh, were running that?”
“It’s only a little over a mile. You’ll love it, trust me.” He pulled his leg back, stretching his calves.
“I think you’re overestimating me.” I laughed nervously. “I thought we could start somewhere like the park, a place where I can bail and hail a cab. This is a bridge, the only way off is to keep going.”
“My point exactly. Keep going.” He eyed me with a sweet glance, and then proceeded to jog away from me.
My legs made me follow him, but my mind stayed behind. It was trying to tell me that I was insane for running and wanted me to climb back into bed. Stefan was a few paces ahead of me. I could tell he was slowing his pace to stay near me. My mind couldn’t help but wonder if he would notice if I keeled over on the sidewalk.
I turned my music up in my headphones. The water passed to the right of us, the sun had almost kissed the morning by this point. I let my mind clear, with each step. Pushing away all stress from his family, my worry of not having a second job, Cam’s weird comment, Jess, Sam, my mom, all of it. It fell behind me, the further I ran.
There were only a few people this early taking the wooden path across the water. The cars passed below us, on the concrete bridge that runs parallel. A few bicyclists rushed by. The first archway neared, the cold wind was hitting my face, but in the most calming way.
When we reached the first archway, my sight traveled toward the wat
er. In one swift moment my breath was taken away. My mind stopped, as did my feet. Stefan stopped a few feet in front of me, looking back at me. I walked over to the edge, the sun had fully risen, causing a pink over glow. Almost causing the illusion that the city was covered in cotton candy. The wind blew through my loose hair that had fallen out of my bun. Stefan walked up behind me, wrapping me in his arms. He placed a gentle kiss on my cheek. His lips were warm to my cold skin.
“I told you, you’d love it.” He pulled me tighter.
“I do.” I stared out across the water, stretching my arms out, “I feel free, like Rose and Jack. Except I’m Jack and you’re Rose.”
“You’re the Rose in any story,” He took my hands, bringing them back to my chest, wrapping himself around me again.
I let out a small laugh, and looked up at him, “I promise I won’t let you drown.”
He laughed, releasing me, “You’re not done yet.” He started jogging away, “Lets go.”
I let out a sigh of annoyance. “Fine.”
When we reached the end of the bridge, the path took us on a curve into Brooklyn. Stefan slowed down next to me, as our pace became a walk.
“I’ve never been to Brooklyn.” I told him.
“I know.” He smiled, wiping his mouth with his shirt.
“As amazing as that green juice was this morning, can we get coffee?” I wrapped my hands around his arm and leaned against him.
“Whatever you want. There’s a place near here that is good.”
We entered a restaurant a few blocks up. Stefan walked up to the register to order, and I waited at a table near the door. A few moments later, he returned with two coffees, and a pastry bag.
“What did you get?” I took the coffee from him.
“It’s for you.” He handed me the bag.
I opened it to find a warm lemon scone was inside. “How did you know?” I smiled.
He opened a packet of sugar into his coffee, “Same order, remember? Plus you’re always hungry when you wake up.”
“Well, you’re not wrong.” I broke the scone in half, and handed him the other piece.
“I need to go meet with my Father later today.” Stefan said, as we walked out of the coffee shop.
Until Then : Book 1 - Until Then Series Page 20
