"What if I have plans for you instead?" I asked him, raising an arched eyebrow at him. We were pressed close together, the water from the pool doing nothing to cool the overheated state of my arousal.

"Then I would tell you to show me your plans, vackra." Stefan's mental voice murmured seductively in my mind. His words were like pouring gasoline on the already smoldering fire in the pit of my stomach.

The small amount of patience I'd possessed disappeared. I wasn't sure if I'd ever get used to the sound of his softly lilting voice, the way his velvet skin felt against my own or the longing I had for his touch. I had no control over my own desire and hunger for him. The overpowering need for him coursed through my veins, insatiable and demanding.

My hand snaked up to his neck, gripping him fiercely. My lips were desperate as they covered his and my tongue darted into his mouth. His tongue flickered to meet mine lazily, sending spirals of need through my body.

His hands were teasing as they drifted up the skin of my back, gently threading in my wet hair. His tongue moved to explore deeper inside of my mouth and his hard cock pressed against my stomach. I moaned against his mouth, my fingers combing through his thick wet hair. I let my hands delicately trail down his neck, my nails sinking into the skin on his broad shoulders. Shifting to lock my legs around his narrow waist, I slightly tilted my hips to lower myself onto his thick cock. My breath caught as he stretched and filled me, losing myself further to the feel of him inside of me, deep and twitching.

Stefan's body tensed and a deep growl escaped from his lips. His hips bucked against me on their own volition as his large hands gripped my ass. He slowly turned us in the water and walked us out of the pool, our bodies still joined intimately. Water fell from our naked bodies in sheets on the deck.

He raised his mouth from mine as he gently eased me down on one of the cushioned lounge chairs. His tongue darted out to lick across his lower lip sensuously, his chiseled face dark with desire. Water ran down his chest in tantalizing streams.

His fingers traced lightly down the length of my legs to grab my ankles, spreading my legs wide. He hooked my knees over his muscular forearms and loomed over me, his large hands pressing into the chair next to my head. His movements were slow and deliberate as his cock slipped deeply inside of my slick pussy, our wet bodies gliding effortlessly against each other.

"Why can I not get enough of you?" His mental voice was ragged, his jaw clenched in a mixture of agony and ecstasy. "No matter how many times I have you, I only want more."

The chair creaked in disapproval as he pounded into me. Soft, ragged moans slipped from my mouth as one of my hands tightly gripped his arm as I welcomed his powerful thrusts. My head arched back against the chair and my other hand slid between my thighs to slowly rub my swollen clit, writhing under the feel of my own touch and the sensation of him moving forcefully inside of me.

Our bodies continued to move in unison, my hips rising to meet his rapid strokes. Our eyes locked and his lips parted slightly in response. His fangs were fully extended and softly glinting in the fading light.

"Stefan...." I cried softly, my fingers pressing against my clit as I continued to pleasure myself, my nipples growing taut and my inner walls tightening around him. Stefan snarled and began to move his hips faster in response to hearing his name fall from my lips.

He reached down to capture my hand that was busy between my legs and placed my slick fingers inside of his mouth, his tongue wrapping sensuously around each one. His fangs scraped against my skin as he pulled them slowly from his mouth with a violent groan.

"Delicious, vackra. You are fucking magnificent."

Stefan sat back on his heels, my trembling legs slipping down the length of his long arms to rest on top of his thighs. His powerful hands gripped my hips as he pulled me roughly against his cock as our bodies met with an explosion of raw passion.

"Don't stop...don't you dare stop..." I begged for release, slowly coming unraveled underneath him. My body felt as if it was engulfed in flames, desire coursing through me like liquid fire.

Stefan's hands wrapped around my arms and pulled me upright against his chest. My legs encircled his waist and my heels dug into the cheeks of his ass. His surging hips tilted up as I frantically ground against his thrusting hips. My arms wrapped around his neck and my head fell to the side, exposing my neck to his lips.

"Fuck, Stefan. I want to come! I can't stop..."

I was ready to shatter around him when his frenzied mental thoughts flooded into my mind. They were jumbled, feral in nature and his response to me turned completely instinctual. My Stefan was lost to me right now, he was simply a vampire focused on the act of fucking and my blood. Moaning in a combination of fear and arousal in response to him, his black eyes darted to mine briefly before his head blurred to my neck. His fangs slipped into the skin of my neck and he slammed his hips against mine mercilessly, a harsh growl vibrating in his chest as fed from me. Feeling my eyes roll back, I let out a strangled scream. My pussy clenched around him and my orgasm caused my body to seize around him uncontrollably.

He withdrew his fangs from my neck and smiled dangerously. "We are not finished yet, Josephine."

He turned me around and slipped into me from behind, pressing my back tightly against his chest. Moaning brazenly, I turned my head to place wet kisses against his throat as he continued to plunge up into my boneless body.

"Stefan..." I murmured as he thrust inside of me, his hands roughly caressing my breasts. "Why do you always feel this good?"

He moved faster, a guttural moan rumbling in his chest. My head pressed into his neck, another orgasm charging through me and igniting his own. I shuddered around his cock, screaming and contracting around him wildly as he pulsed inside of me. His roar of completion was deafening as it burst from his chest into the humid air.

Trembling, my heart hammered in my chest as I fell back against him. It didn't matter where I went now. Being with him was the home I'd been searching for. I couldn't be without him now.

"You are my home, vackra. You own my heart and soul."

The sound of Stefan's mental voice brought me out of my thoughts. He fell back against the chair and shifted to his side, pulling me to lay beside of him. His eyes were clouded with worry as they searched my face.

"I love you, Josephine," Stefan said, his voice thick. His troubled blue eyes closed slowly and he lowered his forehead to rest against mine. I lightly stroked the side of his face and my fingertips traced the curve of his lips.

"I love you." I pressed closer against him, our bodies fitting together perfectly as if they were made for one another. "Stefan, look at me."

He raised his head, his blue eyes boring into mine. "I am angry at myself, Josephine. I lost control and I could have hurt you. All I could think of was fucking you and your..."

"Blood." I finished for him. I ran my fingers across his lower back, brushing against his taut ass. "I'm not going to lie, Stefan. For a moment I was scared, but I knew even when I'd lost you for a moment that you wouldn't hurt me. You're a vampire and you're going to be focused on blood. I don't think I helped things out by offering my neck to you either..."

Stefan froze as my words sank in. He was a blur as he sat up, grabbing my head and turning it to the left to look for the marks from his fangs. He dropped his hand slowly, his face confused and his eyes blank.

I tried to focus on his thoughts. Unless he was directing them to me or he was distracted, they were similar to watching a movie on fast-forward. They tumbled over each other as he considered a new idea, discarding it to move to the next.

Quickly sitting up beside of him, a shiver of panic coursed through me. "Stefan. What's wrong? You need to start talking."

He sat motionless, the air between us growing tight as his mind continued to race.

"Stefan, please talk to me." I pled with him mentally. A cold knot began to grow in the pit of my stomach. If he was quiet this long, it couldn't be good. I didn't know what was going on but he needed to explain before I really started to panic.

His cool fingers reached up again to stroke the skin on my neck. His jaw was clenched and his eyes slightly narrowed.

"There are no bite marks, Josephine. They are gone." Stefan's voice was tense with anxiety, the muscles in his broad shoulders tight.

"What do you mean they're gone? You bit me. Believe me, I felt it in a good way," I said, my fingers absently moving to run over my own neck. I felt nothing but my smooth skin under my fingertips. It was if he had never bitten me.

"Where did they go? Bite marks just don't disappear, right?"

Stefan was quiet for a moment, the tense lines on his face deepening. "No. Bites do not just disappear. I do not have an explanation, only an opinion."

I swallowed roughly. "What's your opinion?"

"I am going to make the assumption that you healed from the blood you have taken from me. You have bitten me twice. My blood possesses healing properties, Josephine. It could be as simple as that."

Taking a quick inventory of my body, I looked for his fang marks. He had bitten me many times on my breasts and once or twice on my inner thigh. My eyes roamed to both places, looking for any lingering bite marks.

All of them had disappeared. Every single one was gone.

My voice didn't sound like my own when I spoke again. "They're all gone, Stefan. Is this bad?"

"That I do not know. I have only shared my blood with one other human and he is now a vampire," Stefan answered thoughtfully, his voice quiet. "I can call one of my friends on the Council. He may have answers for us."

"I'm not turning into a vampire am I?" I questioned softly. I felt my hands twisting nervously in my lap, my eyes wide as they searched his face.

A brilliant smile broke over his face. He lowered his head to lightly kiss my forehead, my nose and then brushed his lips against mine. "No. You do not have fangs and you do not want blood. We just require answers. Perhaps contacting my friend would be a good thing. If nothing else it will put both of our minds at ease, yes?"

I nodded and my shoulders relaxed in obvious relief.

"Let us go inside. I have a bathtub I want to explore with you." Stefan winked, standing up and offering me his hand. I took it and he led us up the steps into the house. We walked through the spacious living area, climbing up another staircase that led to the master suite. The bedroom was huge, decorated in neutral colors and faced another wall of windows that overlooked the ocean.

Pausing to take in the enormous bed that faced the windows, my thoughts were moving at a frantic pace. My shields were changing and bite marks were disappearing from my body within minutes. I felt like I was on the cusp of a major change, I just had no idea what that change was going to be or if I was ready for it. I gave up trying to be normal when I chose to be in a relationship with a vampire, a creature of legends.

Leave it to me to push the proverbial envelope.

Hearing water start to run in the adjoining bathroom, I padded across the plush carpet to lean against the doorway of the bathroom, watching him adjust the temperature of the water that was filling a large bathtub. The smell of sandalwood drifted from the steaming water, filling the room with the delicious scent. I unconsciously exhaled a deep sigh of contentment as I breathed in the fragrant air.

It smelled like Stefan and home.

"Ah, there you are, vackra. Come." Stefan said, turning to face me. His large hand beckoned for me to join him.

I quickly moved across the cool, white tile to stand beside of him. He leaned to effortlessly lift me in his arms, stepping into the bathtub and lowering us both into the fragrant water to face each other. The water brushed lightly against the tops of my breasts.

He twisted slightly to turn off the taps and then turned back around to face me again. His eyes swept over my face intently, a play of emotions running across his handsome face.

"You are truly breathtaking, Josephine. There are moments that it seems as if I am seeing you for the first time." His hands moved under the water to pull me closer to him, moving my legs to rest lightly on the tops of his thighs. We sat close together, our skin making contact intimately. His hand emerged from the water and he ran his wet fingertips over my hardened nipple.

"Stefan...."

"Shh. I want to just be with you right now. I want to hear your heart as it beats. I want to feel your skin against my skin." He traced a wet fingertip across my lips and his eyes darkened with emotion. "You think too much, Josephine. There are times you need to let yourself feel."

His hands moved to wet my hair, reaching for the shampoo to lather my hair. My eyes closed and I concentrated on the feeling of his gentle fingers rubbing my scalp and the quiet sound of his breath, slow and steady as it fanned across my face. Warm water flowed over my head and shampoo suds ran over my shoulders. His hands, slick with soap, ran over the length of my arms and moved to slip around the fullness of my breasts.

"You need to stand up, vackra."  Stefan's mental voice nudged tenderly into my thoughts.

Pressing my hands against his shoulders, I moved to stand in the bathtub. His soapy hands continued their downward descent, running across my stomach and exploring the wet skin of my hips and thighs. Stefan's hands glided down each of my legs and his hands brushed between my thighs.

"Beautiful. Sit down, Josephine."

My heavy-lidded eyes met his, my pulse quickening from his touch. I could see the emotion burning in his eyes as he watched me sit back down to face him, the warmth from the water rushing against the heat of my flushed skin.

He leaned to kiss me and his lips were gentle and searching. My hand moved to cup the back of his neck, pulling his head closer to deepen the kiss. He teasingly pulled his lips away and his eyes glittered devilishly.

"Just feel, vackra." His mental voice was a seductive whisper. "Now wash me."

Swallowing nervously, I bit my lip. I washed his hair, using my hands to spread the shampoo through his thick, silky blond hair. I used my nails to lightly scratch along his scalp and let my fingertips lightly graze against the back of his neck. His chest rumbled slightly in pleasure, his eyes closing and his long eyelashes casting light shadows on his cheeks.

I lathered my shaky hands with the bar of soap and rubbed them across the broad expanse of his muscled chest. Moving to spread my soap covered hands down the length of his lean arms, my fingertips lovingly kneading the skin over his sinewy muscles.

"It's your turn to stand up, Romeo."

My eyes drank in the perfection of his body as he rose to his full height. Taking a deep breath, I rubbed more soap into my hands. They slid against the planes of his finely sculpted abdomen and over the small of his back, lingering as they caressed the cheeks of his taut ass. I couldn't resist the urge to lightly stroke his hard cock with my soap covered hands, feeling it twitch as my fingers moved over his thick shaft. A tortured moan fell from his lips as I continued to softly caress him from base to tip.

"Josephine, you need to stop. You are making it difficult not to fuck you."

Stefan grabbed the hand held attachment for the shower and turned on the water to let the spray wash the soap from his body, the suds running down the length of his body in soapy rivulets. He shut the water off, moving to sit back down with his back against the wall of the tub.

"Come and sit with me."

Stefan turned me in the tub and pulled me against him, the back of my head resting against his solid chest. His large hands cupped both of my breasts, his fingertips lightly fondling my nipples. His hands continued to softly drift over my body as he softly hummed.

"I think I could get used to this," I sighed with pleasure as my head rested in the crook of his neck.

His chest began to shake as he laughed at my words. "Tell me Josephine, was it the bathtub that convinced you? Not my sexual prowess?"

"The sexual prowess stuff is great but I think this bathtub was the deal breaker," I retorted saucily, a small laugh bursting out as he sighed deeply in response.

Stefan shook his head as he stepped out of the bathtub, opening the drain to let the water out. He lifted me out of the tub, wrapping a bath towel around me and quickly rubbed me dry.

Walking naked into the bedroom, I eyed the large bed with apprehension. This was Stefan's bed. Did I just hop in and act nonchalant about it? Or did I need to wait for him to invite me to join him? I rolled my eyes at the absurdity of my thought process. I'd had sex with him six ways from Sunday and now I'm scared of his bed? There has to be something wrong with the way my mind works.

"What is wrong? Why are you looking at the bed as if it will bite you?" Stefan questioned as his eyes moved between me and the bed, his eyes sparkling with humor as he observed my obvious discomfort.

"Stefan, I'm not used to all of this. I've never slept over at a man's house before. This is one of those situations where I'm struggling to catch up," I said, lowering my gaze to look at the floor.

Stefan pulled the dark brown duvet down and crisp white sheet down the bed. He sat down on the bed and rolled over onto his side, crossing his legs at his ankles, looking like temptation personified.  He rubbed the bed provocatively with his large hand. His eyebrows waggled as he watched me stand nervously at the side of the bed.

"Josephine, just get into bed. I promise not to bite. Unless you ask nicely," Stefan snapped his teeth at me, his fangs peeking out of the sexy smile that had curved his lips.

Rolling my eyes at him in annoyance, I sat down on the bed. His arms moved fluidly to gather me in his arms as he curled against my back. I felt one arm move to turn the bedside lamp off and to pull the covers over us. He snuggled against me, his head lowering to place kisses on the top of my shoulders.

"Was that so difficult, vackra?" His mental voice had a teasing tone to it.

"I'm sorry I'm like this, Stefan," I whispered, my body melting against him. His nose ran against the side of my neck, his lips pressing a soft kiss against the skin there.

"Never apologize for how you feel. I have had plenty of time to adjust to our relationship. You have had only weeks," Stefan murmured against my shoulder, his lips cool against my warm skin. "You cannot imagine what it was like knowing I would find you someday, only to be faced with centuries of being alone. Your face haunted me when I was awake and when I slept. I was always looking for you everywhere. It was frustrating and I was beginning to lose my patience."

He opened his mind to me and I let out a gasp when I saw the vivid picture of myself flicker in his mind. I appeared almost ethereally beautiful in his thoughts, my reddish blond hair falling in waves over my shoulders, framing my delicate oval face. My luminous eyes were green and large, shadowed with fringe of thick eyelashes. My cheekbones were high and delicate, my lips pouty as they curved up into a brilliant smile. I was slender and willowy with long and shapely legs.

Is this how I looked to him?

"Now you know how exquisitely beautiful you are to me, Josephine. Du ?r en gudinna. You are a goddess."

I turned my head slightly to kiss his lips softly. "I only had to wait a few weeks to find you. I can't imagine having to wait years to meet you. When I saw you that night on the beach, I can't describe what I felt. It was...powerful, like we had an instant connection. My body knew you were the one, Stefan. My head was just harder to convince."

"I love you, vackra. Now sleep." He kissed my temple gently.

"I love you. So very much," I mumbled, my eyes heavy as I struggled to stay awake.

"Stay with me, Josephine. Forever." Stefan's soft mental voice was the last thing I remembered hearing as I drifted off to sleep.

***

The salty smell of the ocean and faint sounds of waves were the first thing I heard when I woke. Stretching slightly, I opened my eyes to see Stefan's side of the bed empty. I reached an arm to pull his pillow against me, curving my body around it. His scent was lingering there, musky and alluring. I released a sigh against the pillow, letting my mind drift to picture him laying beside of me. His long, lean body would be stretched naked across the bed. I imagined his handsome face inches from mine as he leaned down to kiss me. His sea blue eyes would be sparkling and his mouth would be soft, the blond stubble darkening his strong, square jaw line. Our lips would meet and time would stop.

Letting out a groan, I mentally doused myself with cold water.

Closing my eyes, I pressed my face against the pillow and my mind relaxed as I started to drift off to sleep again. I was jolted awake when I felt the bed move and Stefan's cool, naked body press against my back. His fingers skimmed across my skin to palm my full breasts in his large hands as he nuzzled my neck with his nose.

"I could sense you were awake. Your thoughts were titillating and I could smell your arousal." His mental voice whispered into my mind, soft and alluring.

Instinctively I pressed back against him, letting my head fall back to rest against his shoulder, my ass pressing into hardness of his cock. One of his hands grasped my leg, pulling it back slightly to drape over his hip. His fingers ran up the outside of my thigh, brushing across my hip bones to descend to explore the wetness of my slick, hot folds. His mouth moved to place wet kisses on my neck, leaving a burning trail from the feel of his mouth on my skin. I boldly arched against him again, a small moan escaping from my lips.

"Vackra, I cannot resist you. The feel of your skin...."

Without waiting for a response, he sheathed himself inside of me and a growl of pleasure escaped from his throat. He withdrew almost completely and then thrust his hips to bury himself back inside of my moist, tight pussy. He began to move again in slower, fuller strokes as he rocked his hips against me languidly.

"You are so hot and tight, Josephine. Jag ?lskar knulla dig. Din fitta ?r s?v?t."

I cried out as I pressed against him. Our rhythm was slow, his body taking the time to explore mine as one hand continued to palm my breasts with relish, the other rubbing small circles over my swollen clit. He was slow and methodical as we moved together, neither of us wanting the intimacy of the moment to end.

"Stefan..." I moaned softly, my body writhing against the firm and erotic feel of his hands on my skin. I couldn't hold back as I began to clench around him, causing his speed to increase, his thrusts long and deep. The slickness of my flushed skin slid against the silky hardness of his body, the coolness of his flesh against my own was intoxicating.

"Ah, vackra. The way you feel makes me want to eat you alive."

His sexy mental words sent waves of electricity throughout my body, causing all lucid thoughts to leave my mind. My hands moved backwards to roughly grab his thick, blond hair. His lips drifted down my arm and his fangs scraped against my sensitive skin.

"Don't stop, Stefan..." I released another wanton moan, my hips grinding against him with more force. My heart was thudding in my chest and my breath was coming in gasps.

"I will never stop fucking you." Stefan's hips bucked to accent each word he thought to me.

His fingers moved faster over my clit. His hips began to frantically drive faster inside of my pussy and our voices blended together in a symphony of sensual moans. We continued to move in perfect harmony together, I answered each of his thrusts with a slight roll of my hips, pressing harder against the rigidness of his cock inside of me.

Waves of ecstasy started to course through my body, my inner walls constricting, rhythmically clamping around him as my powerful orgasm overtook me. I turned my neck to the side, exposing my throat to him.

"I want to feel you bite me when I come, Stefan."

His tongue ran over my neck and then I felt the sting of his fangs sinking into my skin. A broken cry fell from my lips as I clenched around him, shuddering in bliss. Stefan's hips moved erratically against me as he emptied inside of me, his mouth sucking gently against my neck. I felt his fangs retract only to be replaced by his tongue, lazily licking over the slowly disappearing puncture marks.

Slowly rolling to face him, our lips met in a tender kiss. Our tongues tangled together softly, reflecting the closeness of the moment we had shared. My hands ran along the length of his lean, muscled back to palm his toned ass, my leg moving to rest over his hip. His large hands spread across the small of my back, pressing me tightly against his chest.

My mouth left his to nestle my forehead against the crook of his neck and I sighed into the coolness of his skin, savoring the sweetness of the moment.

The only sound in the room was our breathing, my steady heartbeat and the sound of the waves breaking in the distance. His fingers gently stroked the curve of my thigh against him, his touch tender and reverent.

"I spoke with my contact with the Council via e-mail last night. He will let me know what he discovers." Stefan's voice was still husky as it broke the silence that had settled over the room.

"Stefan, he can be trusted, right?" I asked uneasily. The last thing I needed was a vampire with a big mouth to start asking questions that needed immediate answers. Questions that I didn't really want to answer.

"Of course. I have known him for 300 years, Josephine."

"It just makes me nervous, Stefan. I trust you, I just don't trust him."

Reluctantly pulling out of his embrace, I stretched lazily as I walked into the bathroom. I froze as my eyes went blank and my mind misted over as a vision flashed in my head. I could see myself having dinner with Anna and Georgia, then a brief glimpse of myself on a crowded dance floor with them both, my head thrown back in laughter. The vision went hazy, blackness creeping around the edges to cloud the rest of the vision.

Shaking my head, I ran my fingers through my tangled hair. It was apparent I was going to be seeing Anna and Georgia tonight. The blackness to vision meant Stefan or Lukas was involved.  I just hoped that Georgia could manage to not anger the sexy beast in the other room for one night.

"By the way, Lukas is back. He planned an outing for all of us this evening. Something about drinks and dancing." Stefan's mental voice floated into my thoughts, a slight hint of humor coloring his words.

"Yeah, yeah. Psychic human here, remember?" I grumbled, walking across the bathroom to turn on the water in the shower.

I suddenly had the urge to crawl back into bed with Stefan and pull the covers over our head, groaning as I thought about dealing with Anna and Georgia's curiosity and their never-ending questions. Add Lukas to the equation and it was the perfect storm of annoyance and frustration. I stomped my foot in anger before I could stop myself.

"Can't you make Lukas cancel the plans? You're kind of like his Dad, right?"

I could hear Stefan's loud laughter to my question from the other room. I was glad someone found this situation humorous.