Fated(7)

"Thanks. You're not drinking anything?"

He chuckled and leaned closer to me. His sparkling eyes flickered over my face and he swallowed tightly. "No, I am fine for now."

My fingers tapped nervously against the polished wood of the bar and I was surprised when Stefan's large hand covered mine, weaving our fingers together. Our eyes met with a force that made me feel like I was burning alive from the inside out. He smiled and reached over to push a curl away from my face, his long fingers brushing down the side of my face in a gentle caress that left my skin tingling.

“Josie!”

I broke away from his gaze and watched with apprehension as Georgia and Anna made their way over to us across the crowded bar, their eyes both widening in shock as they took in my companion at the bar.

Georgia raised both eyebrows at me. “We were just getting ready to look for you. I can see you've been busy.”

Anna moved to stand by Georgia with a drink in her hand, her eyes boldly sweeping over Stefan with obvious appreciation. She gave me an exaggerated nod, winking in approval. She leaned towards me and attempted to whisper, her loud voice carrying so that it was audible over the music. “Good catch, Josie.”

Mortified, my eyes darted to Stefan's face to gauge his reaction. His mouth was arranged in a smug smirk and he seemed unaffected by their stares and comments, his eyes softening as they met mine. He raised an eyebrow slightly, jutting his chin towards Anna and Georgia to remind me that we weren't alone.

“Uh, yeah. Georgia and Anna, this is Stefan Lifsten. Stefan, these are my friends Georgia and Anna,” I managed a feeble introduction. My stomach churned uneasily as I glanced between Stefan and my friends.

“It is my pleasure to meet you both.” Stefan stood and inclined his blond head slightly in greeting. He was still holding my hand tightly and his cool grip was strangely reassuring. Georgia narrowed her eyes and peered at our joined hands, her head swiveling to look at Anna in disbelief. Anna gave her a confused shrug and busied herself with her drink.

Georgia's head spun back around and refocused her attention on me, a forced smile on her face. She glanced at her watch and stared at me pointedly. “Are you ready to go Josie? It's getting late.”

Stefan cleared his throat loudly, drawing Georgia's attention to him. “If it is acceptable to Josephine, I would like to spend some time alone with her. I will make sure she gets home safely."

Georgia's eyes narrowed as she stared at him with irritation. His eyebrow raised in amused contempt as he held her gaze, causing Georgia to huff and look away nervously. I could count on one hand the times I'd seen someone able to ruffle Georgia and he'd managed to accomplish it with a simple, albeit powerful stare.

It didn't take long for her to recover. “Josephine?!?” Georgia questioned sarcastically. “Josie, it's up to you. I can hang out...”

“Georgia Turner,” Anna said, using her free hand to slap her arm in annoyance.

Waving Georgia and Anna off, I interrupted them both off before they had the chance to say anything else. “No, it's fine. Stefan can get me home or I can call a cab.”

“Are you sure?” Georgia asked leerily. I let out an unladylike snort at Georgia's hypocrisy. She'd been encouraging me to not only meet a man, but have a fling with one earlier in the evening. Had I missed something?

“Georgia, she will be fine with me. You can come check on her tomorrow,” Stefan said. His voice resonated with a quiet force and his lips curved into a small smile that didn't reach his eyes as he spoke to her.

Georgia appraised us both silently, her lips set in a thin line. “Fine. I'll call you tomorrow.” She jabbed her finger into his muscular chest, her voice threatening. “Touch a hair on her head without her permission and you have me to deal with. Got it, pretty boy?”

Stefan grinned, apparently amused by Georgia's grandiose threats. “Point taken. Good evening, Anna. And to you as well, Georgia Turner.”

I watched with relief as Georgia and Anna collected their purses and both waved a hurried goodbye to me. My relief quickly faded into anxiety as I realized I was alone with this devastatingly handsome man and I had no idea what to do.

“Josephine, you owe me a dance, yes?”

Without waiting for an answer, Stefan tugged me smoothly off the stool and onto the dance floor just as a slow song began to flood the room. He wrapped his long arms around me and pulled me against his chest. The top of my head barely touched the edge of his shoulder as we moved slowly together, my curves fitting perfectly against the contours of his lean body. I wrapped my arms around his broad shoulders and felt the hardness of his muscles rippling under his skin with each movement he made. This felt so familiar, like I'd been in his embrace before.