Lukas pursed his lip again and rolled his eyes. “I couldn't deal with his obsessive worrying and whining. I called up Anna because I had a feeling you'd hide out there. When she told me you were staying at her house, I told him where you were. I thought Mr. Romance would sweep you off your feet and you'd forgive him. I should have known he'd be all over dramatic and blow it.”
I couldn't help but laugh at his 'Mr. Romance' comment. Where the hell was Stefan? “I didn't even let him get a full sentence out, Lukas. I pretty much told him to fuck off. I'm not always reasonable. Or rational.”
“Oh, you two are perfect for each other.” His face turned soft and dreamy, his eyes glowing behind his sunglasses, clasping his hands together over his heart. “He's swooning over you like an infatuated teen and you're going to bust his ass at every turn. This will be better than my telenovelas.”
I simply stared at him for a moment, thinking to myself that he truly was the gay, male version of Georgia, minus the southern accent.
“It looks like fun time is over. Here he comes now,” Lukas leaned over to whisper conspiratively in my ear, his posture slumping in defeat.
Stefan stalked back onto the deck in a pair of navy blue board shorts, dipping low to show the harsh V of his lower stomach that disappeared into the waist of his shorts. He was shirtless, the sun making the golden hair on his sculpted chest shine. “Lukas. I think you have had enough fun for one day. I know you have matters to attend to, yes?”
“You're no fun.” Lukas pouted as he stood up and pranced into the house, slamming the door behind him.
Stefan let out a long sigh and flashed me a strained smile. He lowered to crouch in front of me, his hand tucking a lock of my hair behind my ear and his finger moving to caress my face delicately.
“I am sorry I was gone so long. I had an e-mail to respond to from the Council,” Stefan explained as he rose to stand to his full height.
I was shameless, letting my eyes roam over the lines of his powerful body. The muscles in his chest and arms looked like they were carved from marble, his abdomen toned and his legs were long and lean. My eyes made the trip back up to his face and his words finally registered with me. A flicker of apprehension swept through me. “You aren't leaving again are you?”
“No. Nothing like that,” Stefan reassured me, his voice smooth. “Come. I want to walk on the beach with you. First we need to take off your dress.”
Before I could react, he quickly pulled the sundress over my head. His eyes raked over my bikini in approval. "Much better."
We both heard a tap on the window by the deck. We both looked up to see Lukas staring out the window, giving us the 'thumbs up' sign.
Georgia and Lukas could be twins if not for their age difference. They were both a pain in the ass.
“Can we go? Lukas is driving me crazy.” My mental voice begged.
He tugged on my hand, giving me an understanding smile. He led us down the steps onto the main patio area, walking through a gated door that opened onto the beach. The sound of the waves was loud as they crashed against the black sand. We walked to the edge of the water in silence.
Stefan intertwined our fingers together and he let out a contemplative sigh. His eyes closed for a moment and he drew in an unnecessary breath.
Glancing at him curiously, I mentally questioned him. “What's going on? Are you okay?”
“Right now I realize how devastating it would have been to have lost you, Josephine,” Stefan's voice was thick with emotion. “The thought of you not being here with me is excruciating.” He gently squeezed my hand, then pulled on it slightly to urge me to follow as he started walking again.
“I don't want to think about that anymore, Stefan. I love you and we're together.”
“I do not want to think about it either. Bringing you here to my house made me realize all of my foolish mistakes,” Stefan murmured, his face was pensive and distant as if lost in a memory.
We walked along in silence for a few minutes, the warm water rushing up to cover our feet occasionally. As I watched the waves swell, my mind began to wander. Why was he refusing to answer any questions about Lukas?
“You never answered me when I asked about Lukas earlier. What's going on with you two? And why is he here today?”
“Lukas is my child,” Stefan answered simply. He glanced down at me briefly, squeezing my hand again.
I stopped walking as I took in his words. He stopped and turned slightly to face me. “He's your child? You need to explain.”
He sighed heavily, his face contemplative as he began to talk. “Approximately 175 years ago, I was living in the Netherlands. When he was still human, Lukas became a friend to me. He owned a small bookstore that I would visit frequently. He fell ill and was close to death. I chose to turn him instead of letting him die,” Stefan hesitated, looking down at the sand for a moment. “You lead a lonely life as a vampire, vackra. He was the only human friend I had and I could not bear to see him die. He accepted this new life with zest. He was amusing and frustrating as a human, now even more so as a vampire. He is like a brother to me.”