Illusion:The Vampire Destiny Book #2(6)

"Seductress," he teased. He didn't move, he kept me pinned underneath him.
"I'm obviously not doing a very good job if we're still talking, Stefan," I pouted. He reached over me to turn out the light and I panicked, grasping his arm tightly as tears filled my eyes. "No! Leave on the light!"
He froze and stared down at me, confusion flashing across his face. "You are afraid?" His eyes searched mine and I swallowed back a sob, trying to look away. His hand grasped my chin and forced me to look at him. "Josephine?"
My mind drifted back to the carriage house and the darkness in my mind where I'd retreated. At the time, I was afraid he'd be an illusion. His presence and voice were the only thing that kept me anchored to reality. It would have been so easy …
Shaking my head slightly, I pulled myself from the memory. He was still watching me, reading my thoughts as the memory had played back through my mind. His bewildered expression changed to one of anger. "I will not let anything happen to you, vackra. I will never leave you. Never."
"I'm just being silly, Stefan. I'm fine."
"You are not fine. A person that is ‘fine' does not react the way you just did to something as simple as turning off a lamp. Why are you frightened?" Stefan asked pointedly. "Tell me what you are not letting me see."
"No. I don't want to talk about it." I feebly tried to wiggle away from him. He applied more of his weight to me, effectively holding me in place. "Stefan, move."
"I am not moving. Start talking," he ordered, his voice terse. "If I remember correctly, you said that if things were going to work between us we needed to communicate. You are not communicating with me."
Damn Stefan and his vampire memory! I hated to admit that he was right. I had told him when we were still in Bali that we had to be honest with each other.
"Alright, I'll tell you. When I blacked out, I was afraid everything was a dream or a fragment of my imagination. I couldn't move or communicate and I would have flashes of memories. You were by my side the whole time and your presence in my mind is what kept me here. I was scared I'd wake up and you'd be gone." I sighed in defeat. "Are you happy now, Mr. Total Disclosure?"
He frowned and shook his head. "No, I am not happy to know that you are frightened." He rolled back on his side and paused for a moment, running his fingertips across my lips. "Would you like to know what I was thinking as I watched you lay on that fucking couch? For the first time in my existence, I felt helpless …  I wanted nothing more than to see your green eyes staring back at me. I searched for centuries for you and you were lost to me. I can protect your body. How can I fight off the demons in your mind?"
He was off the bed and darted to the window, pushing the motorized curtains open. The lights of New York twinkled in the background and he stood with his back to me, frozen in front of the window, as beautiful as a finely-sculpted statue.
I rolled over on my stomach and rested my chin in my hands. "You can't protect me from everything, silly. And you're making a mountain out of a mole hill."
He whirled around to face me, his face was terrifyingly stunning in his anger. "As your mate it is my job to protect you. Everyone else is meaningless to me, Josephine. If I were to lose you now my life is forfeit."
"Don't talk that way. If something would happen to me, I want you to be happy," I whispered, shivering at the thought of Stefan just giving up and asking to be killed if something were to happen to me.
He darted back to the bed, his chest heaving with emotion. "You do not get it, do you? I only existed on this earth prior to meeting you. You have made me feel more than I did even during my human life."
His cell phone rang, shrill in the quietness of the bedroom. He ignored it, still focused on me. Hoping to change the subject, I glanced at his phone on the dresser.
"Aren't you going to answer that?"
His eyes unfocused and he spoke in a monotone voice. "It is Nigel. He wants to arrange to see us. He has information for you. Is that phone call more important to you than our conversation?" Stefan pulled away from me and stalked naked out of the bedroom. I heard the door slam to his office and I pulled the pillow over my head, groaning loudly. Leave it to me to fuck up a heart-to-heart conversation when the love of my life offered me his heart on his sleeve.
Wrapping the sheet around me, I walked out of the bedroom and hesitated outside of his office door. Taking a deep breath, I nervously turned the doorknob and pushed open the door to his office.
"Stefan?"
His back was to me at his desk, his shoulders tight as he flipped through e-mail after e-mail. He ignored me and continued tapping away at his computer.
I held the sheet with one hand and walked to his side of the desk. I sat down on the edge of the desk and scooted between Stefan and the laptop.
"Hey." I brushed my fingers through his hair. His sea blue eyes shifted to meet mine. He didn't move, but he was at least acknowledging me. "I'm sorry. You know how I feel about you. You're everything to me. I'm just not good at this relationship stuff, Stefan. I'm still learning."
He nodded and buried his face against my chest, wrapping his long arms around my waist. We sat like this for a long time, his face pressed between my breasts as I methodically stroked his hair.
Finally breaking the silence, I spoke quietly. "Come back to bed. All of this can wait."
He pulled away from me and stood, offering me his hand. Taking it, I followed him back to the bedroom, watching as he spread his lean body across the king sized bed and stretched his arms out for me to join him. I unwrapped myself from the sheet and snuggled beside of him. Smiling gently, I reached behind me and turned off the light. Stefan's eyes met mine in the darkness of the room, his eyes filled with unspoken questions.
"I'm not afraid anymore. I have you to protect me."
A beautiful smile broke across his face. He slid down the bed, once again wrapping his muscular arms around my waist. His head rested above my stomach and he clung to me, softly humming against my skin.
"I have to leave you for a few hours tomorrow. I do not want to; however while I am here in the US there are things I need to attend to," Stefan murmured. "I will be back by evening."
"Ok. Be safe and come back to me," I replied, mimicking his lilting voice.
Stefan snickered. "That is my line, vackra. I love you."
Not another word was spoken the rest of the night. We lay together in silence, holding each other and watching the night sky change from shades of gray, morphing into light blue as morning broke over the New York skyline.
Stefan finally pulled himself away from me to shower. I listened to the water running and lightly dozed off, the sound of the shower lulling me to sleep. The feel of Stefan's lips pressing against mine awakened me. I opened my eyes to see his face inches above mine, the smell of his expensive cologne, woodsy and sensous, filling my nose.
"I am leaving, Josephine. I love you."
Stifling a yawn, I wrapped my arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. "As I love you. Hurry home."
He stood, towering over the bed. He was smartly dressed in an expensive black suit and white shirt, unbuttoned at the collar. His blond hair was still damp and finger combed away from his face. A red silk tie hung over his broad shoulder. He closed the curtains and headed for the door, looking back at me and winking. I listened as the apartment door closed and the locks slid into place. Snuggling into my pillow, I fell asleep dreaming of Stefan and the possibilities of what we could do with that red tie.
* * *

Papers rustling loudly was the first thing I heard. Sinking my head deeper into the pillow, I tried to slip back into sleep. It was quiet for a moment and then I heard a bored sigh and the paper crackled again. Turning over, I gasped when I saw Lukas propped up on the pillows next to me, flipping through a magazine. His thin lips were pursed and his pale, aristocratic face was twisted in annoyance.
"Lukas! What are you doing here?" I screeched, pulling the covers higher to cover my breasts.
"Reading this month's Cosmo and waiting for you to wake up. I was reading the article on the top 10 ways to blow your lover's mind. Been there, done that." He gave an exaggerated yawn. He closed the magazine, placing it on his lap and flashed me a dazzling smile. "Josie, darling. I missed you."
"Lukas, what are you doing here?" I repeated. I could hear the aggravation creeping into my voice. It was way too early for Lukas.
He stuck out his lip in a pout. "You wound me. You're awfully grouchy, Josie. Are you missing Stefan's massive throbbing cock this morning?"
"Lukas!" I groaned. I felt a blush spread over my face and chest.
"Fine, fine. I'm here to babysit you for a little while. And to take you shopping. We're in New York City, baby." Lukas clapped his hands and bounced up from the bed. He went to a bag and pulled out a pair of jeans, a black tank top and a black cardigan sweater. "This will have to do until we can get you some better clothes."
"Babysit? Stefan made you fly all the way from Indonesia to babysit me?" I was fuming at Stefan. I didn't need a babysitter. I was a 28 year-old woman. Half-immortal woman, I mentally corrected myself.
He sat back down on the bed and clasped my chin, forcing me to meet his icy stare. "First things first, Josie. Stefan didn't make me do anything. You just had some scary shit happen, girlfriend. Stefan thought it would be better if you weren't alone and I agree with him. You shouldn't be by yourself right now. Besides, we're neighbors. My flight got in last night and I heard the two of you christen the living room. I didn't think you had it in you." He fanned himself with his hand.