Fated(14)

I couldn't have been more wrong. It was a struggle to clear my thoughts during meditation and I grew angry when my mind kept wandering back to the sleeping vampire in my bedroom. Finally giving up on meditating, I began my yoga routine. I was half way through when I could feel eyes watching my every move. I was in the plow pose when he finally cleared his throat to get my attention. Slowly lowering my legs, I fixed my gaze on him.

“Yoga?” Stefan questioned curiously, leaning against the frame of the open door. He was shirtless and his eyes were covered with sunglasses. His body was pale in the sunlight and the fine blond hair on his chest and arms shined beautifully. I shook my head to try to clear the thoughts about his arm and chest hair before I spent an hour waxing poetic about it.

“I've been practicing yoga for three years.” I shrugged and rolled my yoga mat up. I suddenly felt shy and self-conscious in his presence, my earlier excitement waning as my insecurities reared their ugly head.

“It looks...interesting. You are very flexible,” Stefan smirked, crossing his muscular arms under his chest.

Ah, the confident Stefan was back this morning. I could see his eyes through his sunglasses, raking down the length of my body and obviously enjoying my skimpy shorts and tank top. I brushed past him to go back into the house and grabbed a bottle of water from the small refrigerator in the kitchen with Stefan following silently behind me.

Sinking down onto the couch, I rested my head on the cushion behind me and closed my eyes. I felt the couch move under his weight as he sat beside of me and I listened as his fingers drummed against his muscular thighs.

Opening my eyes, I focused on his long fingers as they impatiently tapped away. It was clear that Stefan was edgy and ready to talk. I wasn't ready to discuss anything, despite my promise that we would. His fingers stilled and he suddenly tensed beside of me, his head slightly turning to the side as if listening to something or someone.

“Your friend is here to check on you,” Stefan whispered in a grudging voice. How had he heard her? I had to strain to make out the sounds of the key in the lock and the door opening quietly.

“Knock, knock!” Georgia shouted, closing the door behind her. She bounced into the living room with her hands on her hips, quickly evaluating the situation in front of her. It didn't take a psychic to know that Georgia was curious, relieved and wanted details in no particular order.

“Georgia, you're as fucking subtle as a groin kick,” I grumbled and rolled my eyes in aggravation. This day was getting better and better by the moment and it was still only morning.

“Georgia Turner. You came to check on Josephine. As promised, she is in perfect condition,” Stefan said as he stood up, leaning in to kiss my forehead before heading down the hallway to the bedroom. I watched as Georgia's eyes took in his retreating form and felt a small jolt of jealousy course through me as I could sense the lust radiating from her. He returned to the living room with his shirt and flip flops in his hands, a grin tugging at the right side of his mouth.

“Yes, I can see,” Georgia pursed her lips, trying to be discreet as her eyes traced over the muscles in his chest. “Your ass is safe for now, big blond and sexy.”

Stefan pulled the t-shirt over his head and slid his feet into his shoes. He glanced at Georgia with a mixture of amusement and annoyance in his sparkling blue eyes. “Georgia, I sense either you and I will either be great friends or we will constantly be at each others’ throats. For Josephine's sake, we should attempt to be friends.”

The double meaning of his words was unmistakable to me. I instantly had a mental picture of what Stefan meant about being at her throat and felt a cold shiver run down my spine. She had no idea she was testing the patience of a vampire that could literally and figuratively rip her throat out.

Georgia tapped her finger on her chin, her eyes twinkling. “I suppose we could be friends. You're much too pretty to maim permanently.”

Stefan crouched his six-foot-four frame down in front of me. He put his finger under my chin to raise my eyes to look into his. A beautiful smile broke over his lips, making his face almost glow.

“You need to talk to your friend. I have issues that require my attention,” Stefan murmured quietly. “I will be back in a few hours. Will you be safe?”

“Stefan, I managed to stay safe for 28 years. I think I can manage for a few hours,” I retorted indignantly as he rose to his full height.

When had my life turned into concerns about my safety and having cryptic conversations with secret vampires? Oh, that would be last night when I brought one home and had mind-numbing sex with one. That's when it happened.