I broke the kiss, wanting his way of thinking to stop. "Enough! You aren't going to lose me. Stop talking that way, Stefan. You're stuck with me."
His expression softened and he nipped at my lips playfully between his words. "As you are stuck with me."
He disentangled himself from me and stood, regretfully looking down at me. "As much as I wish to stay here, your friends will be arriving soon."
Shit! The impromptu going away party. I'd been so wrapped up in worries about Georgia, packing and then distracted with Stefan that I'd forgotten about the get together Anna and Lukas were planning. Lukas had taken off in his red convertible, heading off to meet Anna to plan the last minute get together. I'd been hoping to say my goodbyes to Anna and Georgia separately and bypass a celebration, but once Lukas had planted the seed in Georgia's mind, there was no going back. Anna just took over the preparations and I just needed to show up.
Groaning loudly, I covered my eyes with my hands. "I know, I know."
He leaned over the bed and pulled my hands away from my face. His blond hair fell across his forehead and his eyes sparkled teasingly. "Shower?"
Smiling despite myself, I nodded and sat up on the bed. Satisfied that I was right behind him, he turned and strutted towards the bathroom, six-feet-four inches of gorgeous perfection.
I couldn't help but admire the view. The muscles in his back moved as he walked, stretching and flexing. And that ass …
"Let's go get clean so we can get dirty again later."
He spun to face me, shock etched on his face. I'd finally managed to surprise Stefan.
Jumping up from the bed, I breezed past him, winking at him over my shoulder. "Last one to the shower loses."
"I do not think there is a loser if I get you in the shower," he said, speeding up to catch me and throw me over his shoulder.
He was right once again. Neither one of us was going to lose.
* * *
By the time Stefan and I made it downstairs after our failed attempt at getting clean in the shower, the unofficial party was under way. Lukas had some sort of Latin influenced music playing on the stereo and was busy behind the bar mixing drinks. Anna was perched on one of the stools, sipping away on a margarita, laughing loudly at something Lukas had said. Georgia stood beside them, uncharacteristically quiet. She fiddled with her dark hair and appeared to be uncomfortable. In other words, she was exhibiting very un-Georgia like behavior.
Glancing up at Stefan, I shot him a concerned look. He raised one of his blond eyebrows, and his mouth was set in a thin, straight line across his handsome face. "You need to talk to her and find out what she is thinking."
"I know. I'm afraid of what I'll find out once I start talking to her."
His large hand slipped to rest against the small of my back, leading me towards the small group. Managing to plaster a huge smile on my face, I approached Georgia first.
"Hey, Georgia." I reached out and hugged her lightly, concerned when she stood unmoving and stiff, her arms hanging at her sides. I was relieved when she finally returned the hug and laughed lightly. "I'm glad you're here."
"And miss your going away party?" Georgia asked, pulling away and patting my cheek with her manicured hand. Her smile was tight as her gaze flashed to Stefan. He was standing next to me, holding me close against his side. Her smile slowly faded as awareness swept over her face. I had purposely left my shields down tonight so I could monitor Georgia and her emotions were … odd. She wasn't frightened of Stefan, or even scared. Instead she was emoting smugness and resentment, yet had resigned herself to not cause any trouble. Unconsciously, she had recognized him for what he was, even though she didn't understand or have a name for it. She sensed he was something different. Not exactly human, but something peculiar.
As Stefan would say, interesting.
Anna made a beeline to me, with a drink in hand. She handed it to me and winked, her cheeks flushed. She swayed back and forth for a moment before she whispered loudly to me. "Drink this, Josie. Lukas is the best bartender ever. It's a shame he's gay because … "
"La la la. I don't want to hear it." Plugging my ear with my free finger, I shook my head to clear my head of Anna's drunken chatter. I swallowed down half of my drink in one gulp as Stefan's handmade reappearance at my back and guided me towards Lukas. His ice blue eyes sparkled as I sat down at the small bar and watched me toy with the stem of my margarita glass.
"I'm glad you could join the party, Josie. It's for you after all," Lukas placed his hands on the bar and rested his weight on his forearms. "It must have been difficult to pull yourself away from the magic Stefan possesses. You know, his magic di … "
"Shut your mouth, Lukas!" I hissed, pointing a finger at him as a blush spread across my face.
"Don't shoot the messenger! Anna and I were just talking." He waved his hands in surrender. "I've spent 175 years with him and I've found out more about him since you've been in the picture. Magic dick and all."
"Lukas," Stefan muttered his name in warning. Lukas nodded and busied himself in cutting up a lime.
Anna had wasted no time in telling Lukas about our discussion today. Angrily, I glanced over my shoulder to glare at Anna. She was talking away to Georgia but felt my eyes watching her and glanced up. When she saw the expression on my face, she swallowed and diverted her eyes downward into her drink.
Sensing my annoyance, Stefan scooted my drink away and took me by the hand just as the music changed.
"Come dance with me … it is the merengue," he said, leaning to whisper in my ear.
"What is it with you and your obsession with dancing, Stefan? I don't know how to do this." I tugged against him, attempting free myself of his grasp.
"I love to dance with you. Come."
He began walking seductively backwards, pulling me along with him, his hips moving in time to the music. He drew me to the middle of the spacious living room and spun me once around to face him. He grabbed my right hand with his left and pulled me against him, his right hand splayed across my lower back. His powerful thigh slipped between my legs and we started moving in a one-two rhythm, our hips swaying together to the music. He twirled me around. The infectious music and the enticing way we moved together were making my reservations slip away.
"See. You are having fun, yes? It is all in the leading." His mind voice was smug as he tightened his grip on me.
Stefan seemed to love dancing almost as much as the way my hips moved to the music, if I judged solely by how often his hand would drift down my back to brush against my ass. He'd then wink and twirl me out, pulling me back against him. It was then that I let my eyes sweep over his chest, watching every muscle ripple beautifully as he moved in sync with me. Finally, I looked up and our eyes met, his blue eyes were glowing as our legs and feet moved quickly to match the beat.
The song ended and he dipped me backwards until my hair touched the floor. When he pulled me back up, his lips aligned with mine. They were soft, his breath warm and sweet. He kissed the side of my mouth, brushing my lips against mine until they parted to allow him in. His soft tongue filled my mouth and our tongues met in a lazy duel, each moment that passed increased the strength of the kiss until I could barely breathe at all.
His lips pulled back, although he didn't look away. His eyes were focused on mine with a force that almost brought me to my knees in front of him. I realized we were in the middle of the living room with three sets of curious eyes focused on us and I shyly cleared my throat.
"We can't do this now, Stefan."
He pouted for a moment, his teeth catching against his full bottom lip, releasing his grip on my hand and waist. His hand cupped my face, his thumb tracing against my cheekbone. "I know. It was entertaining while it lasted."
Giving him an affectionate shove, I didn't resist when his fingers interlaced with mine. We rejoined our little group that had been watching our display with fascination. Georgia was the only one that chose to speak.
"You love her." Her statement sounded more like a question and it was directed to Stefan. He looked down at her for a moment before he replied.
"As I have told you many times, I love her more than my own existence," Stefan paused and studied Georgia's unsmiling face. "If I had to sacrifice my life for her, there would be no choice. She will always come first."
"You'll take care of her?"
He let out an exasperated sigh. "Georgia, did I just not tell you how I felt for Josephine?"
"Yeah, yeah. I just had to ask." She smoothed her hand over her dark hair. "I have friends in New York, you know. I'll be visiting you. A lot."
His entire body tensed for a split second. I'm sure Georgia missed it; however being familiar with his mannerisms I was quick to notice the change in his demeanor.
"Josephine will be thrilled to see you." He squeezed my fingers tightly.
Georgia smiled an unnatural, peculiar smile. It was forced, as if she'd watched other people and was mimicking it, the perfect replica of a real smile with no actual emotion behind it. An alarm bell rang loudly in my head, causing my stomach to knot with dread as I observed my friend. Whatever was happening to Georgia wasn't going to end well. I couldn't see around the voids and swirls of darkness to figure out what she'd gotten herself into, or the better question, with whom.
"Something isn't right, Stefan. She's different. She's not the same Georgia anymore." I sent my thoughts to him and cleared my throat audibly. Stefan met my anxious gaze and his handsome face tensed his chiseled jaw clenching as he ground his teeth.