Dalakis Passion 3 - Stefan's Salvation (19 page)

Their offer is more than fair and," he paused for effect. "You just don't know what
could happen to a woman living all by herself."
The whir of the axe split the night and the blade flashed a deadly silver as it flew
straight between the two men and imbedded itself in the large oak tree just behind
them. Both men jumped, their faces paling as they stared behind her. She could feel the
menace rolling off Stefan in waves as he stalked up to stand by her side.
"Sorry about that." Stefan crossed his massive arms over his bare chest and stared
at the intruders. "It slipped."
"You," Cyril sputtered. "You could have killed us."
"Yes, I could have," Stefan calmly replied. "If that was my intention."
Richard Webster recovered himself and looked at Stefan with growing respect in
his eyes. "Then what was your intention, Mr..." he trailed off, leaving his question
hanging.
"Dalakis. Stefan Dalakis." He took a step forward and slightly in front of her.
"Laurel Rose is not alone and her property is not for sale."
Mr. Webster nodded slowly. "It appears that I was misinformed and I apologize to
the lady." Laurel Rose was amused. Mr. Webster might have been apologizing to her,
but he hadn't taken his eyes off Stefan.
Stefan nodded as he sauntered forward. Cyril jumped out of his way, but Richard
Webster stood his ground, a watchful look in his eyes. The blade of the axe was buried
deep in the trunk of the tree, but Stefan gripped the handle with one hand and yanked
it out with one tug. Webster let out a soundless whistle of appreciation while Cyril's
face paled considerably more.
Laurel Rose shook her head at all the male posturing going on. The air was so thick
with testosterone she could hardly breathe. For God's sake, why didn't Stefan just piss
on the tree to mark his territory? He'd made it plain to both men that she was under his
protection. She cleared her throat. "Is there anything else?"
Cyril shook his head and glanced nervously at Stefan. "I'll talk to you another time,
Laurel Rose." Tugging open the car door, he practically jumped inside and slammed it
shut behind him.
Richard Webster surprised her by offering his hand to Stefan. "Sorry for the mix-up.
I hope my coming here didn't unduly upset anyone."
Stefan transferred the axe to his other hand before accepting the man's hand.
"That's fine, as long as it doesn't happen again." The implied threat was obvious. Next
time, someone would pay.
The corner of Webster's mouth turned up in a reluctant smile of respect. "I can
assure you that I never make the same mistake twice."
"Then there's no problem." Stefan released the man's hand and stepped back to her
side. They watched as he climbed back into his car, backed up and started down the dirt
road once again. She could see Cyril talking and gesturing, but the other man seemed to
be ignoring him.
"Has Cyril given you problems before?"
"Hmm," she answered, not really paying any attention to Stefan as she tried to
figure out why Cyril had brought the other man to her home. He knew she wasn't
interested in selling her land. Obviously he hadn't accepted that fact.
Stefan gripped her shoulders and whirled her around to face him. "Answer me,
Laurel Rose." His fingers dug into her shoulders as he shook her lightly, and she
absently noted that he'd propped the axe against the porch.
"Oh, no, I've really had no problem with Cyril before. I expect he thought he was
just doing his civic duty. He's the mayor and he's big on civic duty." Poor Stefan was
more upset by this than she was. "You can put me down now."
Stefan swore as he lowered her back to the ground. She could tell from his
expression that he hadn't even realized he'd plucked her clear off her feet. She rubbed
her upper arms lightly and he frowned. "Did I hurt you?"
"No, I'm fine. Really," she added when he still looked concerned. "Let it go, Stefan.
It doesn't matter." He didn't appear to be convinced, but he reluctantly nodded. "Now,
I'm going up to get a bath before bed."
Stefan nodded again. "You go on. I'll be up in a bit. I just want to finish out here
and take one last look around."
She couldn't quite figure out his mood, but decided not to worry about it. A hot
bath was exactly what she needed. Stefan wouldn't be too far behind her.
The door slammed behind her, jolting Stefan from his thoughts. Laurel Rose might
not take the threats from Cyril seriously, but he did. Picking up the axe, he carried it to
the shed and put it away for the night. Making sure the shed door was locked, he
walked back to the house.
Laurel Rose was already upstairs when he let himself into the kitchen. He could
hear the sound of water running and the low tone of her voice as she hummed to
herself. Good, she was occupied. He'd much prefer to make this call outside, but his cell
phone didn't work well surrounded by the trees and the mountains and he wasn't
willing to leave her alone long enough to go somewhere that he could get reception.
Picking up the receiver to her phone, he quickly dialed a familiar number. "I need
your help," he barked as soon as it was picked up.
"Anything."
A wave of relief went through him at his brother's familiar voice. "I found her." He
felt a sudden need to share with his brother.
He could sense Lucian's immediate tension on the other end of the line, but all his
brother said was, "Tell me."
"Her name is Laurel Rose McCaffey." Just saying her name aloud made his heart
pound in his chest. "And she's absolutely perfect."
"I'm happy for you, my brother." There was no doubting the sincerity in Lucian's
voice. "Delight's been very worried about you." Stefan smiled, but it died as his brother
quietly added, "And so have I."
"There is no need to worry. We haven't worked everything out yet, but we have
time. But that brings me to my problem." In succinct terms, he filled Lucian in on
everything that had happened, including the threats to Laurel Rose from unknown
persons.
"You want me to check out RW Hotels?" Stefan could hear his brother scribbling
down notes as he spoke.
"Yes. I don't think the threat is coming from there, but I want to be sure. Perhaps it
is better to remove the threat from them altogether."
Lucian laughed, easily following Stefan's train of logic. "Cristofor and Johanna
arrived yesterday, so I'll set Johanna to work on this immediately. I've always wanted
to own a company that had fancy hotels."
Stefan pictured Cristofor's wife, Johanna, and smiled. The woman was a shark
when it came to business and had taken over the incredible amount of work necessary
to manage the bulk of the Dalakis fortune. "We just need a controlling interest in the
firm and if we can't get that, then we need some leverage to use against them. Cristofor
can handle that if necessary."
"Do you want us to come to you? And where exactly are you?" Lucian's offer made
him smile. He'd been away from his family for too long.
"Salvation, North Carolina." Stefan laughed at the irony of it. "But no, there is no
need for you to come. I can handle the threat to Laurel Rose."
"If you need us..." Lucian's offer hung in the air.
"I know all I have to do is ask." They chatted for a few more minutes and Stefan
gave him Laurel Rose's phone number.
"You'll hear from me soon," Lucian promised just before he disconnected.
Stefan stared at the receiver in his hand and smiled as he hung it back up. "I'm sure
I will," he chuckled. Confident now that the threat to Laurel Rose would soon be taken
care of, Stefan's mind turned to more pleasant thoughts. The sound of running water
had stopped and he could hear her rattling around up in her bedroom.
Turning off the lights behind him, he hurried up the stairs, eager to claim his
woman once again.
Chapter Nineteen
Laurel Rose sat on a low-backed chair in front of her dresser, absently pulling a
brush through her long hair. Her dark blue, silky bathrobe--faded from many years of
wear and washing--covered her from neck to ankles. The sleeves were long and just
touched her wrists and the lapels formed a v-shape, ending where it tied at the waist.
She wished she had something nicer, something newer to wear.
The light was muted in the room. She'd lit half of the dozen votive candles that
she'd spread around the room. At least the lack of light hid the fraying cuffs of her robe
and the general shabbiness of the room. She'd thought it would be romantic. But the
tiny votive candles were slowly burning down. Stefan had not come upstairs as quickly
as she'd expected.
She was beginning to feel stupid just sitting there, brushing her hair in the
candlelight. What did she know about romance? Maybe Stefan would just think she
was being silly. Lowering the brush to her lap, she stared at her reflection in the mirror.
Her face was pale and the scar on her right cheek seemed less prominent than usual,
but it was still there, taunting her.
Closing her eyes against the picture before her, she sighed. She just didn't seem to
be the kind of woman that men romanced. Maybe it was because she wasn't exactly the
feminine type. She didn't wear fancy clothes or paint her nails, but that didn't mean
that she didn't long for romance as much as the next woman. Even before the accident,
none of the boys had ever romanced her, not even her boyfriend. No man had ever
brought her flowers or taken her out for a nice dinner. She was simply Laurel Rose, who
hunted and fished as well as any of them. A girl whom many of them had considered
strange.
But she was what she was and she wasn't about to change for anyone. The best
thing to do was to blow out the candles, haul on her old nightgown and crawl into bed.
Stefan didn't need to know about her pitiful attempt at creating a romantic setting.
Opening her eyes, she was held spellbound by the sight in the mirror. She hadn't
heard Stefan enter the room, but he was there, big and solid, standing right behind her.
His eyes gleamed in the candlelight as he stared at her reflection.
The best thing to do was to brazen it out. "Thought candles might be nice, but I was
wrong." She shrugged as if it didn't really matter. He frowned at her as she leaned over
and blew out the two candles on the dresser in front of her.
She started to slide out of the chair, but his hands clasped her shoulders and exerted
just enough pressure to keep her there. His thumbs traced the nape of her neck, making
small circular motions that relaxed and aroused her at the same time.
"You look lovely in candlelight." His thumbs continued to graze up the side of her
neck.
She took a deep breath and shrugged again, her hands strangling the handle of the
brush that she still held in her lap. "I should finish getting ready for bed." Again, she
tried to slide from the chair, and again, he kept her there with a slight pressure from his
hands.
"You don't believe me?" His voice was low and intimate in the dimly lit room. She
wished she could see his reflection better and cursed herself for blowing out the dresser
candles.
"I know what I am." Her hand involuntarily went to the side of her face, covering
her scar. When she realized what she was doing, she dropped her hand back to her lap.
He already knew what she looked like. There was no point in trying to hide it from him.
"Ah," he replied with a deep sigh. His low voice raised goose bumps on her arms.
"But you do not see yourself the way that I see you."
"How do you see me?" She honestly wanted to know. She really had no idea how a
man like Stefan, who'd probably been with many beautiful women, viewed her.
Stefan lifted one of his hands from her shoulder and waved it in front of her. All the
candles on the dresser immediately jumped to life, their flames burning high. Laurel
Rose gasped. He continually surprised her with his abilities. He winked at her in the
mirror and then waved his hand again. Every unlit candle in the room flared to light,
bathing it in a lovely, soft glow.
"Perfect." He reached down into her lap and plucked her hairbrush from her lap.
Examining it, he ran his fingers over the soft, natural bristles. "This should do."
Laurel Rose swallowed a moan. It was just an inanimate object, but she felt as if he
had stroked her body instead of the brush. Her breathing deepened as she waited to see
what he would do.
Starting at the top of her scalp, he drew the brush all the way down the length of
her hair to where it fell past her waist. The natural bristles massaged her scalp as he
once again drew them through her hair. It had been years since anyone had brushed her
hair. Her mother had done it for her when she was a child, but it hadn't felt anything
like this. They were both completely dressed, and yet the act felt incredibly intimate and
sensual.
"What do I see when I look at you?" He continued his long, even strokes. "I see a
woman of tremendous strength and integrity." Leaning down, he whispered in her
ear," I see a woman who fills the emptiness inside me." He nipped at her earlobe with
his sharp white teeth, drawing it into his mouth and sucking it lightly before releasing
it.
Heat shot through her body. That one simple touch had set her body on fire. Her
breasts felt heavier with every breath she took, the tips scraping against the fabric of her
bathrobe. Her pussy was hot and wet and clenched hard, wanting him inside her. She
felt empty and needy.
His tongue swirled around the outer shell of her ear. This time she couldn't
swallow the moan of desire that welled up from deep within her. She sensed Stefan's
pleasure as he laughed and repeated the motion. "A woman who responds to me like
no other."
He covered her neck with hot, open-mouthed kisses as he nipped and sucked his
way from her ear to the top of her shoulder. Laurel Rose shivered as her core continued
to pulse with need.
Straightening once again, he captured her gaze in the mirror. His eyes seemed even
brighter than before--a brilliant green tinged with red. He made no attempt to hide the
sharpness of his fangs as he smiled at her. Massively muscled and powerful, he stood
solidly behind her. The large hand resting on her neck could snap it like a twig if he
chose to. His psychic and physical strength were beyond measure. She was totally at his
mercy, this man who was more than a mere mortal.