Stefan's Salvation(29)

walked back to the house.

Laurel Rose was already upstairs when he let himself into the kitchen. He could

hear the sound of water running and the low tone of her voice as she hummed to

herself. Good, she was occupied. He'd much prefer to make this call outside, but his cell

phone didn't work well surrounded by the trees and the mountains and he wasn't

willing to leave her alone long enough to go somewhere that he could get reception.

Picking up the receiver to her phone, he quickly dialed a familiar number. "I need

your help," he barked as soon as it was picked up.

"Anything."

A wave of relief went through him at his brother's familiar voice. "I found her." He

felt a sudden need to share with his brother.

He could sense Lucian's immediate tension on the other end of the line, but all his

brother said was, "Tell me."

"Her name is Laurel Rose McCaffey." Just saying her name aloud made his heart

pound in his chest. "And she's absolutely perfect."

"I'm happy for you, my brother." There was no doubting the sincerity in Lucian's

voice. "Delight's been very worried about you." Stefan smiled, but it died as his brother

quietly added, "And so have I."

"There is no need to worry. We haven't worked everything out yet, but we have

time. But that brings me to my problem." In succinct terms, he filled Lucian in on

everything that had happened, including the threats to Laurel Rose from unknown

persons.

"You want me to check out RW Hotels?" Stefan could hear his brother scribbling

down notes as he spoke.

"Yes. I don't think the threat is coming from there, but I want to be sure. Perhaps it

is better to remove the threat from them altogether."

Lucian laughed, easily following Stefan's train of logic. "Cristofor and Johanna

arrived yesterday, so I'll set Johanna to work on this immediately. I've always wanted

to own a company that had fancy hotels."

Stefan pictured Cristofor's wife, Johanna, and smiled. The woman was a shark

when it came to business and had taken over the incredible amount of work necessary

to manage the bulk of the Dalakis fortune. "We just need a controlling interest in the

firm and if we can't get that, then we need some leverage to use against them. Cristofor

can handle that if necessary."

"Do you want us to come to you? And where exactly are you?" Lucian's offer made

him smile. He'd been away from his family for too long.

"Salvation, North Carolina." Stefan laughed at the irony of it. "But no, there is no

need for you to come. I can handle the threat to Laurel Rose."

"If you need us..." Lucian's offer hung in the air.

"I know all I have to do is ask." They chatted for a few more minutes and Stefan

gave him Laurel Rose's phone number.

"You'll hear from me soon," Lucian promised just before he disconnected.

Stefan stared at the receiver in his hand and smiled as he hung it back up. "I'm sure

I will," he chuckled. Confident now that the threat to Laurel Rose would soon be taken

care of, Stefan's mind turned to more pleasant thoughts. The sound of running water

had stopped and he could hear her rattling around up in her bedroom.

Turning off the lights behind him, he hurried up the stairs, eager to claim his

woman once again.



Chapter Nineteen



Laurel Rose sat on a low-backed chair in front of her dresser, absently pulling a

brush through her long hair. Her dark blue, silky bathrobe--faded from many years of

wear and washing--covered her from neck to ankles. The sleeves were long and just

touched her wrists and the lapels formed a v-shape, ending where it tied at the waist.

She wished she had something nicer, something newer to wear.

The light was muted in the room. She'd lit half of the dozen votive candles that

she'd spread around the room. At least the lack of light hid the fraying cuffs of her robe

and the general shabbiness of the room. She'd thought it would be romantic. But the

tiny votive candles were slowly burning down. Stefan had not come upstairs as quickly

as she'd expected.

She was beginning to feel stupid just sitting there, brushing her hair in the

candlelight. What did she know about romance? Maybe Stefan would just think she

was being silly. Lowering the brush to her lap, she stared at her reflection in the mirror.

Her face was pale and the scar on her right cheek seemed less prominent than usual,

but it was still there, taunting her.

Closing her eyes against the picture before her, she sighed. She just didn't seem to

be the kind of woman that men romanced. Maybe it was because she wasn't exactly the

feminine type. She didn't wear fancy clothes or paint her nails, but that didn't mean

that she didn't long for romance as much as the next woman. Even before the accident,

none of the boys had ever romanced her, not even her boyfriend. No man had ever

brought her flowers or taken her out for a nice dinner. She was simply Laurel Rose, who

hunted and fished as well as any of them. A girl whom many of them had considered

strange.

But she was what she was and she wasn't about to change for anyone. The best

thing to do was to blow out the candles, haul on her old nightgown and crawl into bed.

Stefan didn't need to know about her pitiful attempt at creating a romantic setting.

Opening her eyes, she was held spellbound by the sight in the mirror. She hadn't

heard Stefan enter the room, but he was there, big and solid, standing right behind her.

His eyes gleamed in the candlelight as he stared at her reflection.

The best thing to do was to brazen it out. "Thought candles might be nice, but I was

wrong." She shrugged as if it didn't really matter. He frowned at her as she leaned over

and blew out the two candles on the dresser in front of her.

She started to slide out of the chair, but his hands clasped her shoulders and exerted

just enough pressure to keep her there. His thumbs traced the nape of her neck, making

small circular motions that relaxed and aroused her at the same time.

"You look lovely in candlelight." His thumbs continued to graze up the side of her

neck.

She took a deep breath and shrugged again, her hands strangling the handle of the

brush that she still held in her lap. "I should finish getting ready for bed." Again, she

tried to slide from the chair, and again, he kept her there with a slight pressure from his

hands.

"You don't believe me?" His voice was low and intimate in the dimly lit room. She

wished she could see his reflection better and cursed herself for blowing out the dresser

candles.

"I know what I am." Her hand involuntarily went to the side of her face, covering

her scar. When she realized what she was doing, she dropped her hand back to her lap.

He already knew what she looked like. There was no point in trying to hide it from him.

"Ah," he replied with a deep sigh. His low voice raised goose bumps on her arms.

"But you do not see yourself the way that I see you."

"How do you see me?" She honestly wanted to know. She really had no idea how a

man like Stefan, who'd probably been with many beautiful women, viewed her.

Stefan lifted one of his hands from her shoulder and waved it in front of her. All the

candles on the dresser immediately jumped to life, their flames burning high. Laurel

Rose gasped. He continually surprised her with his abilities. He winked at her in the

mirror and then waved his hand again. Every unlit candle in the room flared to light,

bathing it in a lovely, soft glow.

"Perfect." He reached down into her lap and plucked her hairbrush from her lap.

Examining it, he ran his fingers over the soft, natural bristles. "This should do."

Laurel Rose swallowed a moan. It was just an inanimate object, but she felt as if he

had stroked her body instead of the brush. Her breathing deepened as she waited to see

what he would do.

Starting at the top of her scalp, he drew the brush all the way down the length of

her hair to where it fell past her waist. The natural bristles massaged her scalp as he

once again drew them through her hair. It had been years since anyone had brushed her

hair. Her mother had done it for her when she was a child, but it hadn't felt anything

like this. They were both completely dressed, and yet the act felt incredibly intimate and

sensual.

"What do I see when I look at you?" He continued his long, even strokes. "I see a

woman of tremendous strength and integrity." Leaning down, he whispered in her

ear," I see a woman who fills the emptiness inside me." He nipped at her earlobe with

his sharp white teeth, drawing it into his mouth and sucking it lightly before releasing

it.

Heat shot through her body. That one simple touch had set her body on fire. Her

breasts felt heavier with every breath she took, the tips scraping against the fabric of her

bathrobe. Her pussy was hot and wet and clenched hard, wanting him inside her. She

felt empty and needy.

His tongue swirled around the outer shell of her ear. This time she couldn't

swallow the moan of desire that welled up from deep within her. She sensed Stefan's

pleasure as he laughed and repeated the motion. "A woman who responds to me like

no other."

He covered her neck with hot, open-mouthed kisses as he nipped and sucked his

way from her ear to the top of her shoulder. Laurel Rose shivered as her core continued

to pulse with need.

Straightening once again, he captured her gaze in the mirror. His eyes seemed even