Odyssey (The Vampire Destiny Series Companion Book 1) (35 page)

She sat on the edge of my desk, wrapped only in the dark brown sheet. “Hey.” She brushed her fingers through my hair.  My eyes shifted to meet hers.  I still did not move closer, choosing to keep my distance.  “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.  And I know you are concerned about me…I didn’t mean to blow you off.”

I released a weary sigh and buried my face against her chest, enveloping her in my arms.  We sat like this for a long time, my face pressed between her breasts as she methodically stroked my hair until she had calmed me.

Finally breaking the silence, she spoke calmly.  “Come back to bed.  All of this can wait.”

I untangled myself from her and stood, offering her my hand.  She took it and trailed behind me back to the bedroom, watching as I spread myself across the king sized bed and stretched my arms out for her to join me.  She dropped the sheet and snuggled beside of me tightly.  She turned away to reach behind her and flipped off the light.  Our eyes met in the darkness of the room.  I simply waited for her to explain.

Her smile was beautiful, her pearly white teeth gleaming brightly.  “I’m not afraid anymore.  I have you to protect me.”

Those words…they released any remaining tension that lingered.  She could not comprehend what they meant to me.  Sliding down the bed, I once again wrapped my arms around her tiny waist.  My head rested above her stomach and I clung to her, softly humming against her warm, sweet-smelling 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,” I murmured.  “I will be back by evening.”

“Okay.  Be safe and come back to me,” she replied, mimicking my lilting voice.

Snickering, I kissed the soft flesh by her navel.  “That is my line, vackra.  I love you more than you can ever comprehend.”

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.

I finally pulled myself away from her to shower.  I dressed quickly and reentered the bedroom, staring at the stunning woman asleep in my bed.  Her long eyelashes were casting shadows under her eyes, her straight nose was burrowed into the pillow and her pale copper hair cascaded across the covers.  I knelt beside of her and dropped a kiss against her soft, pliant lips and her eyelids fluttered open.   She managed a sleepy smile and reached for me.  She was so enticing, all wrapped up in the tangled blankets.

“I am leaving, Josephine.  I love you.”

Stifling a yawn, she wrapped her arms around my neck and hugged me tightly.  “As I love you.  Hurry home.”

I stood, towering over the bed.  I was reluctant to leave her, but I knew she would be in good hands.  Lukas had arrived less than an hour ago, and he would be responsible for keeping her company until I returned.  As I left the room, I glanced back, only to see her snuggle deeper into the covers.

Chapter Thirteen- Suitably Wooed

“Ah, vackra.  Hearing your voice is a welcome relief.  I was calling to tell you that I should be home in the next hour or so.  If you are not too angry with me for leaving you with Lukas, do you feel like going out for dinner?”

She lowered her voice seductively and whispered into the phone.  “Are you asking me out on a date?”

I laughed loudly as I drove towards our apartment.  The hours apart from her had been agonizing.  As I signed papers and contracts, my mind was only on her.  “Even though I think we are past the dating phase, yes.  Consider this my attempt at wooing you.  Dress to impress, Josephine.  I will see you soon.  Jag älskar dig.”

She knew enough of my native language to answer back.  “I love you too.  Hurry back.”

I hung up and tapped my phone against my chin.  She wanted a date, to be wooed.  If that is what she desired, I would do anything to provide it for her.  Shaking my head at my own sudden sentimentality, I dropped the phone on the passenger seat, pressing my foot on the accelerator and swerving through traffic.  I had a beautiful woman waiting for me.

* * *

She was putting on her earrings in the mirror when I cleared my throat to get her attention.  When she spun to face me, she rendered me speechless.  There were not words to describe her beauty, but centuries ago, men would have written sonnets and poems to honor such magnificence.

“As usual, you look exquisite.”  My eyes swept over her; lingering on her high, rounded breasts and slim hips to finally caress the length of her long legs in her sky-high high heels.  The chocolate brown knit dress she had chosen to wear had three-quarter length sleeves and ruched details on the side, giving the dress an asymmetrical hemline.  It clung to every curve she had and the matching shoes added nearly five inches to her height.  She appeared even more svelte than normal, a goddess incarnate.

“I could say the same for you.  You look too handsome for your own good.”  She almost sprinted across the room to me, reaching up to adjust my red silk tie.  Her hands slipped under my suit jacket to run over my chest, her green eyes gleaming like jade with her undisguised desire.  “How will I keep all the women away from you?”

“I see no one but you, vackra.  Shall we go? It is time for me to suitably woo you.  I do have an ulterior motive,” I confessed.  I ran my fingertips over the swell of her breasts and down the seductive curve of her body, my eyes never leaving hers.

“An ulterior motive?” She eagerly licked her lips.  For a moment, I felt her passion; the frissons of fire and ice that ran up her spine and the way her pulse flickered and leapt from my touch.

One side of my mouth raised in a sexy grin as I dragged her roughly against me, gripping her taut ass possessively.  “Ah, I always have an agenda.  You are so sexy, Josephine.  You do not even realize the power you have over me.”

Looking at me with wide eyes, she released a shaky breath as I placed my forehead to hers.  My lips were soft as they brushed over her cheeks and a low snarl rumbled deep within me.

If I did not pull away now, our plans would be ruined.  I reluctantly released her and tucked her hand in the crook of my arm, guiding her down the hallway to the living room.  Her heels clicked over the wooden floors and her dress swished provocatively around her legs.  As I was opening the door, I captured her lips in a feather light kiss.
“Come.  We need to hurry.  We have reservations to keep.”

***

Tucked away in the corner at Swing 46, we were hidden from the prying eyes of other patrons, making it easier for me to maintain my façade of acting human.  Josephine had finished dinner and was sipping a glass of white wine, enjoying the soulful sounds of the singer performing.  She was singing renditions of Ella Fitzgerald, Etta James, and Billie Holiday.  I held her hand across the table, my thumb tracing patterns on the top of my hand.  The dim lighting and candlelight made her appear more mysterious and beautiful than usual.

Strains of
The Very Thought of You
had just begun to play. She was startled when I suddenly rose to my feet, smoothly tugging her hand and leading her in the direction of the dance floor.  I wrapped my right arm around her tiny waist and took her hand in my left, tugging her close to me until not an inch separated us.  Her other arm wound around my shoulders as I slowly whirled her around the dance floor, our movements effortless and smooth.

Lowering my lips to her ear, I began to hum along to the music.  When I began to sing in her ear, I felt her knees shake and her hold on me increased.  “The mere idea of you… the longing here for you… you’ll never know...how slow the moments go… till I’m near you.”

She drew in shaky breath and turned her head slightly to meet my stare.  The unabashed love that she revealed to me was so powerful that it shook me to my very core.  If it was possible to love her more, I did in that moment.

“If there was a song that was written that describes how I feel for you, this would be what I would write, Josephine.”

Speechless, she could only nod and swallow back a moan. 
“Stefan…”

The song came to an end but I refused to let her go.  I held her until the next song started, the seductive sound of
At Last
filling the room.  Quickly flicking my wrist, I spun her away from me, only to quickly pull her back to my chest in one fluid motion.  Once again, our bodies were pressed tightly together and yet it still was not close enough to suit me.  My right hand began drifting lower to cup her ass and I brought the hand I held to my lips, dropping a moist kiss against her skin.

I was aware of her presence in every pore of my body.  Her nearness, the scent of her delicious blood, the heat of her skin.  She was impossibly perfect...

The song finished and I brought both of my hands up to cradle each side of her face.  My eyes searched hers for a moment before I lowered my lips to hers.  Her mouth was soft and supple, moving gently against mine.  I savored the taste of her and the entire room disappeared as we stood in the middle of a dance floor in New York City.  I smiled against her lips and sighed.

“Are you happy, vackra?”
I was unable to speak, relying on our mental talk
.  “Have I wooed you?”

“Yes… I think you’ve wooed me, Romeo.  Take me home.”

I glanced at her and nodded, pulling my cell phone from my jacket pocket.  I typed out a text message before tucking it away.  We stopped by our table to pick up her clutch and slowly made our way out of the club.  By the time we had climbed the steps to the street level, the black sedan was waiting for us at the curb.  I opened the door for her and I  walked to the other side of the car to slide in beside of her.

“261 W. 28th Street,” I said to the driver and then pressed a button that raised the tinted partition up between the back seat and the front of the car.  When I twisted to face her, my mood had turned devilish.  My hand disappeared under the hem of her dress, creeping up the inside of her thigh.  Her legs instinctively parted for me and I slid off the seat, placing one knee down on the floor of the car, angling my body closer to her.  Pushing her panties to the side, I slipped two of my long fingers on the outside of her folds, spreading the slickness of her growing arousal over her clit.  A lustful cry fell from her lips as she watched me pleasure her, growing more excited when I thrust my fingers inside of her, curling them upwards as I pumped them in and out.  Her eyes flickered up to meet mine and her soft pink lips parted into a perfect ‘o’.  Her hands pressed against the roof of the car and she arched her back against the seat, pressing her pussy into the heel of my hand.