Fifteen

Chapter 38: Adorn

It only took Stefan a split second to catalogue every physical aspect of her as he made his way towards her. Her body was a siren song within itself and he was happy to oblige. Everyone else seemed to fade away as he leaned in close to her. "May I have this dance?" She smiled at him and he thought he would fly. The scent of lavender and vanilla drifted into his nose, and it made him want to bury his face into her hair.

Her hips were unreal as she rolled them. His hands had a mind of their own as the gently gripped her hips and swayed with her in beat. She turned around to face him and he thought he would lose it. Her eyes were so big and beautiful that he wanted to stare at them forever. Her robe tie had come undone and at the moment her full breasts were high and firm and pressed into his chest.

All the blood he normally used to fuel his brain rushed south with every pump of his heart. He held onto her waist and for moments they just danced in sync and oblivious to the onlookers. "Kiss me." Alarm bells rang in his skull. Stefan wasn't one for public displays of affection, but right now, he didn't give a shit. He was going to do as she asked.

Aria held her breath. The rising anxiety seemed to slow down time and her senses sharpened. Only a few distinct sounds filtered in passed the thundering of her heartbeat. Stefan's sudden change in breathing did something to her core. He smelled spicy with a hint of musk and she wanted to just lean in and nuzzle his chest to smell more.

The way Stefan held her and narrowed his gaze let her know he was going to honor her request. She didn't know why she made it. Yes you do, wench! Her inner diva was roaring to life. You want to see if there's magic. It was true. Sophia Kate's speech had registered with her. How she felt with Caleb was definitely something, but wasn't the growing heat within when she was with Stefan a telltale sign as well.

The first brush of his lips over hers was hesitant, slow. He was testing the waters to see if she'd bolt. No. Running. Here. Tentatively, she slipped her hand between them and placed her hand on his back, sighing into the kiss, letting his scent wash over her. Immediately, the tone changed, and he dragged her body closer, fitting her more solidly against his hard frame. He slid his hands into her thick hair and groaned. In a low whisper he said, "I can't take my eyes off of you."

As he licked over the seam of her lips, Aria opened to give him access, needing to taste him. His tongue slid over hers expertly, teasing, stroking, delving, and leaving none of her mouth unexplored.

She dug her fingers into his back and he made a sexy moaning sound at the back of his throat. The hand at her waist tightened roughly, and the hand in her hair tugged a little, coaxing her to angle her head the way he wanted to further deepen the kiss. He tasted like Vodka and mint and something spicy.

The length of his erection pressed into her, and she shivered. He was hot against her, thickening. "Yo, y'all might want to take that shit somewhere else." Preston's voice permeated their bubble. Stefan tore his lips from hers and tucked her head against his chest. Heaven.

His body was broad enough that he completely shielded her from view. Aria took full advantage of this close position and inhaled his cologne. "We're fine where we are." There was humor in Preston's voice as he said, "Okay. Carry on." Stefan kept looking down at her as he spoke, and she felt the rumble in his chest. "I plan to."

When he fused his lips over hers again, there was no decrease in potency. Her knees turned to liquid and heat flooded her core, making her wet, making her want him. She was so focused on the slide of his tongue over hers that she didn't even realize the change in music around them. It wasn't until Stefan moaned low and broke the kiss that she even realized where they were. He dropped his forehead to hers. "I think we made a scene."

Scene? Why did you stop kissing me? You should keep doing that. Like all the time. Then her brain came online. Scene. "Oh right." She lifted her head, tilting it back slightly. She didn't even realize why she told him to kiss her, but she was glad she had. The feelings he gave her were growing by the second and that kiss did nothing to slow them down.

He didn't release her. Instead, for a long moment, they stood, lips just within kissing distance, staring at each other. Their breathing slowly returning to even. Finally, he took a step back and released her. "We should probably go find everyone." She was too keyed up to even think straight. "Yeah, you're right." All she wanted to do was sway into him.

Have fun for once in your life! The little voice in her head screamed as loudly as it could. Take the chance! Treat yo self! "Let's get out of here," she blurted. Smooth Aria, real smooth. In her next life, she was going to get some experience with guys before she got to college. His breath came out in a rush. "I'd like that."

Gracia could see the muscle in Caleb's jaw working overtime. She had caught the tail end of whatever was unfolding between Aria and Stefan, but it was apparent that Caleb had seen the whole thing.

"Don't say shit, G," Caleb stormed off. "Where are you going?" He was clearly done for the night. "You can't be mad at anyone but yourself." Gracia called out as he headed for his dorm. "Own that shit!" She was in no mood to placate his ego. He needed to realize that Aria mattered to him.