I was desperate to do or say something that would keep my head on straight. "So, um, what is it exactly … that you … do?" I stuttered out, trying to stay coherent enough to complete a sentence.
He looked my way with a smirk on his face, clearly sensing my awkwardness. "I work in security." I wanted to leave it at that, but his vague response did nothing but spike my interest.
"As in like nightclub security guards at the door?"
Stefan gave a nod that moved his entire upper half, the movement sent his intoxicating scent rolling over me like waves pulling me under the water. The longer I sat next to him the harder it was going to be to escape from his natural pull he had about him.
"Yeah, we do some of that too; not nightclubs necessarily, but my guys work as bodyguards. Mostly though, Harrison Towers provides security for homes and businesses. It's the very best technology with a team of ex-marines watching over every account 24/7. There's a lot that goes into it, but I love it."
"That's very dignified of you." Stefan shrugged his shoulders and swigged back some of his water.
"I like helping protect people and their families. It makes me feel like my job means something and nothing is more satisfying than that."
As much as what he said impressed me, it also didn't surprise me. Stefan was always a dedicated and caring man. I had no doubt this was probably the best line of work for him.
"That's very admirable of you," I admitted. Stefan gave a little shrug before shifting his leg, bumping it against my thigh.
"What about you, Greyson Rose?"
"What about me?" My eyes looked downward as I tried to ignore the sudden rush of heat coursing down my leg where he touched. It was summer after all, it was beyond likely that my legs were just suddenly getting hot and in no way would it be related to Stefan.
"What is it that you do?"
My eyebrow rose as I eyed him skeptically. "I'm surprised you don't know."
Stefan smirked as he threw in a couple more runts. "I didn't say I didn't know, but you already accused me of being a creeper. So I suppose you could say I'm allowing you a chance to fill me in on your own."
I rolled my eyes and bit back a smile. I had almost forgotten about the nickname I called him when I had one too many drinks. "How sweet of you."
"Yeah well, not that you deserve it after letting me drink that horrible excuse for coffee."
"Be nice, Frank's daughter made it."
Stefan's eyes flickered up to the ceiling in thought. "Is Frank the one that smokes?"
I let out a laugh, "Yeah, that's him." Apparently Smoker was very well known for his habits.
"Well, he needs to give her a course or two in not making the guests want to puke. Anyway, are you going to answer my question?"
I made the mistake of looking up into his face and almost instantly regretted it. The way he stared deep into me created a connection that surged between us, my vision swirled around us, eliminating everything but the man in front of me. I knew he was affected by this as much as I was; I could feel it. His eyes narrowed slightly, his tongue slid from his mouth wetting his luscious, tempting lips. In the back of my mind a voice was yelling at me to look away, scoot over and don't let him think he had any power over me. But I didn't move. I sat there, letting the heat swirl between us, slowly taking my breath away.
I was unsure how long we stayed that way. Part of me remembered that Stefan had asked me a question, but for the life of me I couldn't remember what it was. Something had to break this moment, but Stefan encouraged it as he moved his finger to my face and gently brushed a strand of hair from my cheek, trailing a line across my skin, rubbing the top of my ear as he locked the hair behind it.
In this moment I couldn't remember why this wasn't a good idea. All I could think about was how I could hardly breathe. Sensation took over my body, and my heart beat quickened as Stefan's head very slowly shifted toward me. It was hardly an inch, but the shiver that brushed across my skin was a direct result of the shrinking space between us.
"Harrison, didn't know you were coming down, too." The sound of another voice shook me from the moment, making me jump almost a foot in the air away from Stefan. My pulse was racing, not only from Stefan, but from Frank's sudden presence.
Feeling like a teenager caught making out by my mother-I had to do something. I quickly stood and walked to the opposite wall to grab another bottle of water. My eyes wandered back to Stefan as I took the cap off and let the water coat the dryness in my throat. It infuriated me that he didn't seem at all affected. In fact, there was humor dancing within his eyes while the rest of his body looked at ease.