Above All Else

Chapter 6

Klaus took a deep breath as Caroline left the room to head into the kitchen. He never imagined having such an intense moment with her. Well that's not quite the truth. He imagined it quite frequently, fantasized about it, had such vivid dreams of it that he woke up out of breath and painfully hard as a rock. What they had just shared had been intensely passionate. He wondered if Caroline felt it as deeply as he did, judging by the way she all but bolted from the sofa it could go either way. Klaus allowed his eyes to trail her movement in the kitchen; Caroline was placing her bag on the island when her vivid blue eyes met his. Klaus watched as Caroline's milky white cheeks turned the loveliest shade of pale pink. Oh yes, she felt it too. Klaus thought to himself with a salacious smirk as Caroline quickly broke eye contact with him.

Caroline pulled her bag up from the floor to place it on the counter so she could search through it for her phone. She could feel Klaus's eyes follow her movements. Don't look up. Don't look up. Don't look...damn it! Caroline's eyes locked with Klaus's and she could see him searching her face for something. She watched as he must have found something he was looking for as his eyes went darker again with unhidden want. Danger! Look away Caroline! What the hell! She felt her cheeks heat up as she tore her eyes away from him to look back into her bag for her phone. Please don't let him notice my blush! Oh who am I kidding! Of course he saw it. He's the freaking paranoid Hybrid for Christ sakes! It's like one of his favorite hobbies, seeing things people don't want him to see.

Caroline began to pull things out of her tote bag and put them on the island counter as she started grumbling to herself. "Oh come on! Where are you? I swear it doesn't matter what size bag I use, I can never find anything." She just started to remove a large black book when Klaus interrupted her self-complaints.

"Where did you get that Sweetheart?" Klaus was trying his best to seem unaffected by her holding his most private sketchbook; he hope the years of experience of keeping his emotions hidden would not fail him now. Did she open the book? Had she seen that the majority of the pages were filled with her likeness?

Caroline sent Klaus a quizzical look; she didn't realize what had him in such a state of panic and, was that what nervousness looked like on him? She glanced down at the book she held in her hand and realized it was his sketchbook she found in his study. "Oh! This? I totally forgot I put it in my bag when I was grabbing the liquor from your study." She felt in her bag again and pulled out his pencils as well. Figures I can find his stuff without a problem, but can I find my phone? Of course not. "I figured since art was such a passion of yours, it might help to have it on hand." Oh my God! Stop flirting with him! What is my problem?

Even with his apprehension at her holding that particular sketchbook of his in her dainty hands, he couldn't help but respond to the innuendo she innocently laid in his lap. "Well Love, I do enjoy having my passions on hand."

She could feel her blood scorching through her veins at the look he was giving her as her own eyes widened slightly. No Caroline. Baad Caroline! He is evil! You are just being the good person you are and being here for him. Being so use to controlling any feelings that she had that other would consider wrong, she pushed the feeling deep down and looked back at her bag. "Finally!"

Could she mean what he thought she meant? Their flirtatious banter was one thing, but he was sure he understood Caroline enough by now to know she would never give in so easily, even if it was what she wanted. Still, it was worth the chance. Keeping his gaze locked on her, he tipped his head lower and asked her with a husky voice, "Finally what Caroline?"

Falling back into her patented go-to cocky demeanor she cocked her hip and rolled her arm out holding her phone, "I found my phone duh."

Feeling deflated but somehow knowing that was where she was going, Klaus leaned himself back as casually as he could onto the sofa. "So my sketchbook then Sweetheart, may I have it?"