Fated (3 page)

It couldn't be possible.

“N-nothing really,”  I stuttered, my breath coming out in a shudder.  “It's sort of an inside joke about my friends inside.”

“Ah.  A joke.”  The blond man moved to stand close enough to me so that our arms were touching.  I'd obviously had too much wine to drink, since I could have sworn there was some sort of spark that passed between us when our skin brushed against each other.  I absently rubbed my fingers over my arm, wondering if I'd finally lost my mind or if this was just another dream that I'd be waking up from soon.

Let's face it, men that looked like he did just didn't just appear on a beach and approach me every day.  In fact, the only time I'd ever seen a man that looked like him was in my dreams.  I could feel my heart start to race when I started to notice the similarities between him and my fantasy man.  They shared the same blond hair and chiseled face with skin that almost glowed iridescently.  He was almost too perfect to be real, a work of impossible masculine beauty. 

I was way out of my league with him.  Hell, we weren't even in the same ballpark. 

Unsure how to proceed, I lowered my shield to try to see his future or feel his emotions and gasped when I couldn't do either.  He was a void, his presence a gentle hum in my mind.  The hair raised on the back of my neck as my brain worked overtime trying to figure out why I couldn't read him.

His deep voice brought me out of my thoughts as he extended his large hand to me, inclining his head slightly. “I should introduce myself.  I am Stefan Lifsten.  And you are?”

Hesitantly I placed my much smaller hand in his and immediately noticed the cool, silky hardness of his skin.  I was startled at the electricity that jolted between us when his large hand enveloped mine.  Shivers of excitement shot through my body and a slow, long forgotten burn ignited between my legs.  I wasn't sure if it was a good sign that the simple touch of his hand made my panties want to disappear into the night.

“I'm Josephine Anderson.  Everyone calls me Josie but you can call me whatever you want.....” I said nervously, my cheeks burning with embarrassment at my mindless chatter.  I could now add verbal diarrhea to my mental checklist of the many reasons why I knew this man was out of my league.

“Josephine.  It is my pleasure to meet you.”  Stefan lowered his mouth to my hand and brushed it lightly with his lips.  My skin throbbed where his mouth had touched my skin, a sensation I'd never experienced before.  I drew in a shaky breath and glanced in the direction of the bar.  I was trying to focus on the faint sounds of music to calm down before I made a bigger idiot out of myself.

“Would you like go inside and dance with me, Josephine?” Stefan asked.  A beautiful smile slowly broke across his face, causing fine lines to crinkle around his eyes.

Stunned into silence by his question, my lips parted in surprise as I stared back at him.   Dance?!?  He wants to dance with
me
?  Would my poor body be able to handle it if I was wrapped in his arms, or would I just spontaneously combust from the sensation?  I didn't know for sure, but it was a chance I was willing to take.

“Sure.” I nodded anxiously.  Inwardly groaning at my lack of conversational skills, his compelling presence had reduced me to either nervous babbling or to one answer responses.

"Shall we go?" Stefan asked.  He placed his large hand on my lower back and gently nudged me towards the steps that led back into the bar.  We slowly climbed them together, the music getting louder as we approached the patio.  He opened the door for me and I blinked as we reentered the darkened bar area, my eyes taking a moment to adjust to the light after the darkness of the beach.

"Let me get you a drink before I take you up on the dance you promised me," Stefan said and waggled his eyebrows.  He led me towards the bar and pulled out a stool for me.  "What would you like?"

A few dirty thoughts of what I'd like to do to him crossed my mind as I sat down, swiveling on the stool to face him.  "A glass of red wine sounds great."

When he stepped away and motioned for the bartender, I was finally able to get a good look at him as he leaned across the bar to order my drink.  His hair was golden blond and thick with long layers that swept across his forehead.  He had high cheekbones and his brows arched over expressive sea blue eyes.  His square jaw was strong with a slight cleft in his chin.  The black t-shirt he was wearing strained tightly against his broad chest, hugging the lean muscles of his long arms.  His faded jeans rode low on his narrow hips and clung to his long, powerful legs.

I watched as he slowly turned and sauntered back towards me, a wry grin on his face.  He placed my glass of wine in front of me and sat down.  His large frame made the bar stool look much too small and his long legs stretched to brush against mine.  Swallowing the groan that threatened to escape, I gingerly picked up the glass and took a large drink of wine.

"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.

I was lulled into a dreamlike daze as we danced.  One of his hands gently traced lazy patterns along my back while the other splayed around my waist.  Closing my eyes against his chest, I nuzzled my nose against him and breathed in the musky smell of his skin: spicy sandalwood, the ocean and something that was just inherently masculine.

I
unconsciously pressed myself closer against him and moaned when I felt the hardness of his arousal pressing against me through his jeans.  Peeking at his face through my eyelashes, I was awestruck by his beauty and the emotion that had softened his face.  Wrapped in his arms, I wondered if this is what if felt like to be normal.  Not one emotion or premonition flooded my mind and being in his embrace made everyone else blissfully silent.

The song faded out and Stefan reluctantly pulled away, the back of his fingers caressing my cheek delicately.  His voice was seductive and lilting when he spoke.  “I think it is time I took you home.”

Nodding, I began walking towards our abandoned table and reached to pick up my purse.  “Oh, right. I'm sure you have other things to do and it's getting late. If it's too...” My words faded out when I spun around to find myself face to face with the broad expanse of his chest.  I had to fight the urge not to run my hands over the muscles visible underneath his shirt.

Chuckling softly, he leaned down slightly and his cool breath tickled my ear as he whispered to me.  “I was hoping you would invite me to your house so we could talk more."

The sensible voice in my head was telling me to say no.  However, my impatient body and heart had a mind of their own and the words tumbled out before I could stop them.  “Come on, Romeo.  Let's go to my house.”

“Romeo?!?” Stefan parroted, a look of arrogance flashing across his handsome face.  He ran a large hand through his hair and his free hand slipped into the front pocket of his jeans.

“I like it, so let's just go with it,” I retorted playfully, grabbing his hand and pulling him out of the restaurant with him following obediently behind me.  I could imagine how absurd it looked  to see me tugging this hulking giant of a man out behind me like a naughty child.

He gently removed his hand from mine and moved it to press against the small of my back as he led me across the parking lot to his car.  It was a sleek and black with heavily tinted windows, expensive and meticulously taken care of.  He opened the door gallantly for me and I lowered myself into the leather seat, feeling the heat of his eyes as they traveled the length of my legs.  I cleared my throat and glanced up at him to let him know I'd caught him staring.  His mouth quirked into a tiny smile as he closed the door and walked quickly around the car.  He slid into the driver’s seat and started the engine in one smooth motion.

“Where are we going, Josephine?” Stefan asked, his voice loud in the confined space of the car.  I glanced at him and blinked for a moment.  It hadn't hit me until now that I was inviting this man back to my home to 'talk'.  I had an idea that my version of talking and his version were two different things.

“Go right out of the parking lot, my house is about three miles down the road on the left.  28124,” I replied quietly, watching as he made short work of backing out of the parking space and pulling quickly onto the main road.

My eyes roamed over the interior of the car.  It was all leather and had every gadget available.  It wasn't the typical car you'd see in Canggu.  “Your car is beautiful.  It's much nicer than my jeep.”

"It is an Audi TT.  I spare no expense when it comes to vehicles.” Stefan shrugged offhandedly.

He hummed as he drove along and tapped his fingers against the steering wheel.  I used the time to study his profile in the darkness, the lines of his face harsh in the light from the dashboard.  He would occasionally glance over at me and smile tightly, almost appearing to be nervous.  I felt compelled to reach for his hand across the console, lacing my fingers with his.  He released a deep sigh of relief and our contact filled the car with a quiet energy.  We drove along in a comfortable silence and I lost myself in the quietness of his presence.