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The Deal With The Devil 11
VeronicaI followed him down the hall to the third door. He opened it, and I stepped inside. My suitcases were already arranged on luggage holders, which were the only modern things in the large room with its king-size bed, draped by curtains hanging from the ceiling with high, intricately carved wooden head and footboards. Blues were the theme here, and the curtains at the picturesque windows matched that of the headboard. The windows stood open, and I realized that for as warm as it was outside, the house itself felt reasonably cool, even if it had a slightly musty smell. Stefan seemed to notice it the same moment I did."The room hasn't been used in a while.""It's beautiful." I turned in a circle, wondering how old the furnishings were."Bathroom is here."I followed him to an adjoining room, not very large but big enough to house a bathtub separate of the shower. White marble veined with gold covered floor, ceiling, and walls, although the fixtures looked quite old. He turned the
The Deal With The Devil 12
Veronica"Why do I make you so nervous, Veronica?" he asked, setting a mug on the counter.I turned around and looked up and found an array of tea bags in the cupboard. "You don't," I said weakly, focusing on reading every box."I told you I don't expect to bed you. I thought that would ease your mind."I concentrated on opening a tea bag."Unless you wanted me to, that is. I'm open to the idea, of course.""You like messing with me," I said, watching the water as he filled my mug."I do. It's so easy."He set the pot down and went over to the sink. On his way there, he glanced down at his shirt, which was smeared with dirt. He pulled it over his head and dropped it down a chute along one of the walls. A laundry chute. I had one in my room too. He stood with his back to me, scrubbing his hands and splashing water on his face. I wasn't sure if it was the marks I noticed first, thin silvery lines crisscrossing flesh, or his powerful back flexing with muscle at the movements.When he tur
The Deal With The Devil 13
Veronica"Sit," he growled."No.""Just fucking sit. Ask me a question. A different one.""Are you going to stop being a jerk?"He gave me a lopsided smile. "I'll try, but no promises. It's my nature."I hesitated."Sit down and talk to me," he said finally.I wasn't sure if it was his tone or his words that made me do it, that made me sit back down and meet his eyes and feel at least a little closer to equal footing for the first time with this man.He nodded in acknowledgment."Is this home for you?" I asked.He inhaled deeply. He took his time to answer, and I thought about what he'd told me earlier, what he'd promised. Truth."Yeah, I guess it is.""Why?""Because it's where things were good. It's where I remember my mother. Where I remember my brothers and me as kids." He paused. "I remember being happy mostly."Hearing him say that last part, it was strange. In a way, it almost hurt me to hear it. I felt the loneliness coming off him, and I realized it was always there, every ti
The Deal With The Devil 14
StefanVeronica looked so completely confused sitting there, it was charming. Almost endearing, even."Up. I'm taking you to bed." I hauled her to her feet. It was the first time I'd really held her, and she felt smaller, lighter than I expected. More fragile."That's what you'd like, isn't it?"She tried to stand on her own and stumbled, her little hand shooting out to grab hold of me to steady herself. The moment we made contact, we both stopped. I looked down at her hand, pale and delicate against my chest. I'd been working outside since late spring, so my skin had been tanned a rich golden brown, making her soft white a beautiful contrast.I thought she'd pull away, and maybe if she hadn't drunk that whiskey, she would have. Hell, she'd be smart to. I'd been messing with her up until now, but something about her innocent, maybe naive directness, intrigued me. And when she let her hand move over my chest, softly feeling the touch of my skin, sliding it over to my shoulder, then bic
The Deal With The Devil 15
StefanAfter she ate, I led the way to the large garage. It was built in the same style of the house and had enough space for three cars, but two of those were loaded with old equipment for the vineyard we no longer used. In the third stood the truck I'd been working on, a 1970s Chevy."That's very old. Does it still run?" she asked when we neared."I hope so. I spent last night and two hours this morning working on the thing." I'd been up since half past five."You didn't get much sleep."I shrugged a shoulder.She touched the rust and peeled off a layer of old paint, then opened the door and climbed in as I settled behind the driver's seat."Is it safe?""I wouldn't drive you around in it if it wasn't."She stole a glance when I said it, then fastened her seat belt. The engine hiccupped then roared to life, and we drove off."I hope you don't mind the wind." I had both windows rolled all the way down. "Couldn't quite get the AC working.""No. I like it. How big is the property?""Ab
The Deal With The Devil 16
VeronicaWhen I'd woken up this morning with a headache and bad memories of what I may have said last night, I hadn't expected to be smiling from ear-to-ear later that same day. But here I was, carrying my brand-new puppy into the house. I decided to name him Charlie.Stefan surprised me. Even if he did end on that cryptic "I'll think of some way for you to repay me later." The memory of it made me shiver.Last night, the whiskey had hit me hard. For one thing, I was an inexperienced drinker, to say the least, and for another, I was jet lagged and exhausted. I remembered almost everything but hoped I'd dreamed parts of it, especially the last part when I'd told him he smelled good, and worky—what kind of word was worky—oh, and like a man. God. How embarrassing. And if that wasn't enough, I also clearly remembered telling him I was a virgin.Stefan had said he had work to do and left me at the house to wait for the seamstress.Maria gave Charlie a little pat on the head, but from the w
The Deal With The Devil 17
Veronica The door opened at that moment. There was no knock first. We both turned to find Stefan standing there. His mouth fell open, and he didn't speak for a long time. Finally, I moved, sliding the veil from my head, and facing him."It's bad luck for the groom to see his bride before the wedding," the seamstress said with a wink.Was she oblivious to the tension between us?"This is no ordinary wedding," I muttered.Stefan cleared his throat and dragged his gaze from me. "Do you need anything?" he asked the seamstress."No, I should be fine. I'll have it back within a few days. Not too much to do.""Good." He looked me over again, his expression strange, tight. He then nodded, walked back out, and closed the door. The seamstress helped me undress and carefully placed the gown back in its bag. After gathering her things, she said good-bye and left.Feeling the weight of jet lag, I lay down to close my eyes for a few minutes, but those few minutes turned into two nightmarish hours.
The Deal With The Devil 18
VeronicaMy heart beat hard as he swam out to me, his dark head parting the water like a shark as, with two powerful strokes, he was at my side, then had me cornered, his arms trapping me at the edge of the pool."One thing I learned early in life is never let your enemies see your fear." He moved in closer, his wet face inches from mine. "Never let them smell it on you because it's like a fucking drug." He inhaled deeply. "You can get high from it, Veronica.""Are you my enemy?" I asked, focusing on that one word. Unable to think about the rest. Knowing it was true."I'm not your friend, am I?""No.""Your eyes betray your desire, Veronica. Your hunger.""You don't see very clearly, Stefan.""I see very clearly. And I read you like a fucking book."I looked away, very aware of his body so close to mine, very aware of how my lips parted and my tongue darted out to lick them. And how he watched that little involuntary movement so knowingly."You're curious, Veronica. At least admit it
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