Fated(59)

“I had to break them up earlier tonight before you left for dinner. They're a bad influence on my pure, virginal mind,” Lukas pouted, his voice whiny. He placed the back of his hand across his eyes dramatically, his face a mask of mock pain.

“Bitch, please. You need to save that line for people that don't know you. There is nothing virginal or pure about your mind,” Anna said as she grabbed his arm, pulling him behind her on the dance floor. “Come on, buttercup. Let's dance.”

Stefan had a look of amusement on his face as he watched them disappear into the crowd. He looked down at me, his mouth twitching at the corners. “I like your Anna. She is a ball-buster.” Stefan laughed, the sound booming above the noise of the crowd.

His loud laughter drew the attention of many people who began turning around to look for the man that matched the sexy voice. I could see the mixture of desire and envy on many of the faces of men and women alike as they took in Stefan's impressive frame. Jealously tugged at me, even though I understood their attraction to him. He was more gorgeous than usual tonight, his six-foot-four muscular frame towered over the crowd and the white dress shirt stretched across the expanse of his massive chest. His legs were long and his tight jeans hugged his muscled thighs.

Desire coiled in the pit of my stomach as I shamelessly admired him. I fought the need to rip his shirt off to let my tongue run over the sinewy muscles hidden underneath the fabric. Sighing deeply, I knew I needed to pull myself together before I started searching out dark corners to have my way with him.

Stefan's face spread into a wide grin. He'd been listening to my internal dialogue and not only was enjoying it, he was relishing in my desire for him.

I took a long drink from the glass I'd been holding, wincing as the alcohol burned my throat as I swallowed. Glancing down and the glass and back up to her, I wrinkled my nose. “What the hell is this, Georgia? It tastes like pure alcohol.”

“It's a Long Island Ice Tea, honey. Drink up.” Georgia clinked her glass against mine in a mock toast. “Stefan, I'm glad to see you decided to come back. Hopefully you'll invest in a phone that works while you're away doing your business.”

Gasping, I looked at Georgia in disbelief. I couldn't believe she'd say something like that to deliberately antagonize him. I was finished trying to defend her. She was on her own now.

A tense silence settled over us, thick and heavy. The music was loud, people laughing and dancing around us. All I could feel was the pounding of my heart and the uneasiness that had fallen over the conversation. Stefan's torso slightly stiffened beside of me, his normally handsome face becoming severe as anger darkened his features. I wrapped my free arm around him, my fingers caressing his side.

I pushed my mental thoughts to him, sincere and full of emotion. “Hey, remember that I love you. And we're past this, even if Georgia isn't, Stefan. It doesn't matter what she thinks. You're better than this petty bullshit.”

His tense muscles relaxed minutely after hearing my mental words. Our eyes met and a small smile broke across on my face. There was still anger shadowing his face but his eyes softened slightly as he looked at me. His gaze stayed locked on my face as he spoke to Georgia. His voice was absolutely emotionless and the expression on his face was hard as he started to speak.

“Georgia, once again you find it necessary to meddle in Josephine's affairs. Our relationship has nothing do with you or your feelings. I owe you no explanations, Georgia. I love her and I will spend the rest of our time together making up for my mistakes.”

Georgia swallowed hard, her face paling under the weight of his words. Her eyes glittered with anger as she looked at him. “Here's the thing, Stefan,” Georgia spat at him with venom in her voice, causing his head to snap sharply to look at her. “You didn't see her. When I walked into her house the night you left, she was a mess. She was thinking you were just another person that had abandoned her. All she could do was say ‘He's gone.’” I had to struggle to hear her voice over the music even though I knew Stefan didn't have the same issue. Georgia let her eyes wander over the crowd before returning her red-rimmed eyes to him. “So maybe you're right, Stefan. Your relationship doesn't have to do anything with me. But I won't see her broken like that again.”

Stefan grimaced at her words and turned to look at me, his eyes filled with a mixture of dread and curiosity. Shrugging my shoulders, I let my mind flash back to the day I thought he'd left me and the conversation I'd had with Georgia in my living room. My eyes closed on their own accord, the painful memory almost too much to bear.

“You gotta tell me something, Josie. Did you and Stefan have a fight?” Georgia asked, her eyes questioning. She rubbed my arm softly, sighing heavily. She was obviously at a loss as to what to do and I wasn't giving her much to work with.