Fated (21 page)

I unclenched my jaw and sat down next to Lukas, patting him lightly on the leg with my hand. He looked at my hand for a moment, his eyes misty as he quickly glanced away to focus his attention on a shoe box.

“Lukas, you don't need to buy me anything to be my friend.  I appreciate the thought, I do.  It's really not necessary,” I said, trying to make my voice gentle and soothing.  I couldn't stay angry at him.  He was aggravating and impetuous at times but his intentions were genuine.

“Stefan is truly happy for the first time since I've known him, Josie.  You have to understand how happy that I am that you're finally together.  And sweetheart, I didn't buy you anything.  You can thank Mr. Romance and his Black American Express card for your new wardrobe.”  His cool hand covered mine for a moment.  He stood up, walking across the room to open the doors to the expansive walk in closet.  He began moving quickly from the bed to the closet, hanging dresses and blouses on hangers.  Our little heart to heart chat was apparently over and I was left wondering why Stefan had decided to purchase me a new wardrobe.

He came to a sudden halt beside of me, his eyes sparkling as if he'd read my mind.. “Let it go, Josie.  What's done is done.  He loves you and he'd give you the moon if he could.  Don't make a big deal over this.  Now go get that hot body of yours in the shower and get ready.  I'll get an outfit ready for you.”

Shaking myself slightly, I pulled myself out of my memory.  Walking into the bedroom, I admired the emerald green dress draped across the bed.  Picking it up carefully, I moved to stand in front of the full-length mirror.  I carefully pulled the chiffon fabric over my body, adjusting my breasts in the ruched bodice of the strapless dress.

My fingers were reaching for the zipper when I heard Stefan approaching.  I smiled when I saw his reflection in the mirror, stopping to lean against the door frame.  I heard his sharp intake of breath as his eyes moved slowly over the length of my body.

“Can you zip me up?” I asked, grasping my hair in my hands and lightly lifting it away from the zipper.

He pressed off of the frame and slammed the door closed behind him, swaggering to stand behind me.  His large hands pulled the zipper slowly up the fabric of the dress and his blue eyes locked on mine in the mirror, compelling and magnetic.  His hands lingered on my shoulders, slowly running a finger up against the nape of my neck.  I shivered from the feel of his hands on my skin, cool and sensual.

“It is a pity to see your body covered, even if you do look beautiful.  Every man will want to take you home with him.  I am the lucky one that has the pleasure of taking you...home.” His voice was low and smug.  He stretched out on the bed, his dark jeans snug over his muscular thighs and his white dress shirt was open, leaving his sculpted chest exposed.

“It's a good thing I love an incredibly sexy vampire.  And you know I don't want to go, Stefan.  We could just stay here...you could just unzip this dress and we could just forget about going out....” I said, doing my best to sound sexy and persuasive as my eyes roamed over the length of his body on the bed behind me.

Stefan raised an eyebrow in amusement, flashing me fanged smile. “As much as I would enjoy getting you out of that incredibly sexy dress, we both agreed.”

“I know, I know,” I mumbled, putting my hands on my hips.

I was starting to hate it when he was right.

And as much as I didn't want to go, even I had to admit the dress was stunning.  It stopped right above my knees and was snug in all of the right places.  It had a thin, black silk belt that tied in the front of the dress around the waist.  The deep green of the dress made my eyes almost luminous and my reddish-blond hair shine.

“I cannot wait to see what you have on underneath the dress, vackra.  I am going to enjoy ripping it off of you later.”

I felt a rosy blush creep across my cheekbones at his mental words, my heart rate increasing as I visualized him ripping the dress from my body with his powerful hands.

"You need to stop with the sexy talk, Romeo."

I heard him chuckle as I sat down on the bench at the end of the bed.  I slipped on strappy black sandals that crisscrossed around my ankles.  The heel was higher than I was used to wearing, close to four inches high.  Standing up, I smoothed the dress with one hand, taking a last look in the mirror.

“What do you think?” I questioned, my eyes searching his in the reflection of the mirror.

“Turn around, Josephine.”  Stefan's voice was deep and commanding.  I swiveled around to face him, biting my lower lip as I met his piercing stare.  His blue eyes darkened instantly and his gaze slid slowly and seductively downward, lingering on my legs in the heels.  He rose from the bed, walking to stand in front of me, our bodies so close I could feel his cool breath against my hair.

Looking up at him, I realized that with these heels on I was much taller than usual.  I leaned in close to him, wrapping my fingers around his biceps.  My lips brushed against his smooth neck and my tongue flicked out to lick the shell of his ear teasingly.  His body shuddered slightly against my mouth, his head falling back slightly.

“It is obvious I want to fuck you, vackra.  Why are you tempting me?”

“I'm still hoping I can change your mind,” I murmured against his throat.   My fingers dropped to rub against the front of his jeans, feeling the hardness of his cock against my hand.  I continued to kiss and lick his neck, my hand stroking him through the heavy denim.

Stefan lowered his head to my neck, lightly scraping his fangs against my skin.  His lips pressed kisses up the length of my throat until our lips met.  I felt his sharp fangs against my mouth and I deliberately let the point of one scrape against my tongue.  Moaning softly, I pressed my bloody tongue into his mouth and deepened the kiss.

His strong hands gripped my arms and he pushed me backwards towards the bed.  His fingers roughly tugged on the zipper, letting the dress slide down to rest around my waist.  I was pushing his shirt over his shoulders when the bedroom door burst open.  Lukas was cursing loudly as he blurred to stand beside of us.

“Fucking hell!  Josie, Anna and Georgia are downstairs.  You need to get your ass downstairs before Mr. Romance loses it! ” Lukas exclaimed, bending to pick up Stefan's shirt and tossing it to him.  He pulled my dress up, pulling the zipper back into place, taking me by the wrist and leading me out of the bedroom like a child that had been caught with their hand in the cookie jar.

I uselessly tugged at the iron-like grip he had on my wrist. “Did anyone ever tell you that you're a cock blocker, Lukas?” I huffed as we walked down the stairs.  Lukas chose to ignore me, muttering under his breath about needing a hose to separate us since we acted like we were in heat.

“It does no good to try to insult him, vackra.  I love you.”
 His mental voice called after me, filled with affection and aggravation.

“I love you too.  I'm trying to remember why we agreed we let Mr. Cock Blocker talk us into a fun night out.”

Lukas didn't release the grip he had on my wrist until we reached the living room.  Georgia and Anna were waiting, both of their eyes wandering around the large room.  Georgia noticed me first, letting out an excited squeal and almost ran to tackle me.

“So this is where you've been hiding, huh?” Georgia asked as she hugged me tightly, almost lifting me off my feet.

“I can't breathe, Georgia.”

She released me and took a step back, her gaze sweeping over me critically.  A knowing smile crept over her face. “So, you two are back together again.  I can't wait to hear how this happened.”

I was wondering if it was too late to make a run for it when Anna stepped in and saved me from Georgia's flood of questions.

“Can you save the interrogation for the car ride, Georgia?  I'm hungry and you know what happens when I'm hungry.  My bitch level rises dramatically,” Anna said, grabbing Georgia's elbow to lead her to the door.  Trailing along behind them, I glanced back to see Stefan on the stairs above.  A small smile pulled at his lips, softening his handsome face.

“Jag älskar dig, vackra.  I will see you soon.  Be safe.”

My lips curved into an unconscious smile at his mental words, my eyes prickling with tears.  I sent him back my own message.  “
Please hurry.  I don't know how long I can do this without you.”

“Josie!” Anna's voice broke into our silent conversation.  She was impatient, her toe tapping out a frantic rhythm of the floor. “You'll see him in two hours.  Can you tear yourself away from him to actually spend some time with us?”

Guilt stabbed at my chest.  It was Anna that had supported me during those dark days when I was mourning Stefan's disappearance.  The least I could do was spend time with my two friends and attempt to have fun.

“I'm sorry, Anna.  Let's go.”

Anna grinned in triumph, linking her arm through mine as we walked out to Georgia's car together.  I was buckling my seat belt when I heard Anna's voice from the back seat.  “If you think you're off the hook for abandoning us for days, you're crazy.”

Closing my eyes, I banged my head against the head rest of the car seat.  There was no escape now, I was a willing captive to their oncoming interrogation.

Georgia let out a loud peal of laughter as she started her car, roaring down the driveway.  I didn't have to be psychic to know it was going to be a long night.

***

We were sitting at a small table in the corner of Ku De Ta, a local hot spot in Seminyak.  The front portion of the building was a beautifully decorated restaurant and the back was a multi-tiered night club.  It was exactly the place I usually avoided due to the large crowds of people.  I'd have to work harder to keep out the visions and emotions since this was on my personal 'no-no' list.

Checking my mental shields, I was surprised to find it in place and stronger than normal.  The shields were getting so strong that only an occasional a vision would manage to break through and blocking emotions were easier than ever for me to do.  It was yet another thing to tuck away for me to consider later.

We were halfway through dinner and both Georgia and Anna had both been amazingly reserved, making idle chit chat about work, shopping and men they'd dated recently.  I tuned out most of their conversation, occasionally sneaking a glance at my watch and sipping my glass of wine.  I'd just started to really relax when the conversation turned to Stefan and I immediately tensed.   It was if they could smell blood in the water and they went in for the kill.

“What was Hunky's story for leaving, Josie?” Georgia asked, reaching for her glass of wine. She took a sip and continued. “I thought you were finished with him and didn't want his drama.”

Twisting my napkin in my lap, I sighed deeply. “
Stefan
had business issues to deal with.  He left me a note and it ended up getting misplaced.  I can't stay mad over a misunderstanding, Georgia.”

Anna was uncharacteristically quiet.  She absently traced patterns on the tablecloth with her fingers, a wry smile on her lips.  It was obvious Anna was not going to come to my aid or be of any assistance.

“Business issues and misunderstandings?!  Is that what they call it when men go off for days only to come back and grovel for forgiveness? ” Georgia fixed a pointed look me at over her wine glass, her tone holding a note of mockery. “And do they not have phones where he does his 'business'?

Tensing at her scathing tone, I plastered a tight smile on my lips and did my best to keep my voice low. “Georgia, I don't want to do this with you.  He admitted he made a few mistakes when he left,”  I paused for a moment, trying to collect my thoughts. “I made mistakes too. He came to Anna's house and tried to explain where he'd been.  I basically told him to fuck off and hit the road.”

“She was a real bitch to him if it makes you feel better, Georgia.  He tried to talk and she gave his fine ass the boot.”  Anna interjected coolly, glancing at me with a finely arched eyebrow as if challenging me to argue with her.

I shot her a look of betrayal, folding my arms across my chest defensively.  This was exactly why I didn't want to come out tonight.  They both had my best interests at heart although they weren't good at showing it.  Neither could understand my relationship with Stefan.  They had no idea that the man I was with was a millennia old vampire that shared my gift.  It was almost too much for me to comprehend on a good day.

“Good.  He deserved it,” Georgia said smugly. “Josie, you can't let some hot piece of ass stroll in and think he's going to run your life.  I told you to hook up.  There's a difference between a night of hot sex and a relationship.”

Angrily slamming my hand on the table, I leaned forward in my seat slightly.  I drew in a calming breath, trying to keep my voice level as I addressed Georgia. “I know the difference between a hot sex and a relationship, Georgia.  I happen to be lucky enough to have them both with him.”  My anger waned as my thoughts drifted to Stefan.  When I spoke again, my tone was softer. “We love each other.  The first night we met, it was if everything aligned for me.  It was like I'd known him forever.”

Anna and Georgia shared a skeptical look across the table.  Minutes passed, and an uneasy silence hung over the table as we finished our dinner and drinks.  It was Georgia that finally broke the silence.