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I watched him stir hot water into the mug. His pleasure seemed genuine. What of my own reaction? Relief at finding him prevailed, but was I pleased to be in his company?
Stefan handed me the steaming mug.
My hands shook and I stared at the swirling liquid. “Thank you,” I croaked.
He pulled up the stool opposite me, perched on the seat and leaned his elbows on the granite surface of the breakfast bar, before him a half-eaten platter of various cheeses. I’d interrupted his supper. I eyed the food, aware of the growling in my stomach.
So far, he hadn’t touched me. Whether he wanted to or not wasn’t clear. His eyes twinkled under the spotlights. I cleared my throat. “How’s your father?”
“Better. They did something to his pacemaker,” he explained. “I’m hoping he will be home soon. I’m trying to arrange a live-in caregiver for him, but… He’s a stubborn man.”
“Good. I mean, I’m glad he’s better,” I said. Things between us would have been so much harder if Stefan’s father had been at death’s door.
“Callie… I thought you never wanted to see me again,” he said softly.
“That was Tuesday. Then, on Wednesday, Debbie told us you’d left for Germany. I…was concerned.” I ducked my head down and took a sip of hot chocolate. The creamy liquid slid down the back of my dry throat, warming my belly.
“Concerned?”
“A little. Enough for me to revisit our…conversation. What you told me about Monday.”
He scratched the stubble about his face. “What prompted you to fly out here? My father?”
As much as I wanted to sink into a bed, I couldn’t leave him uncertain, questioning my appearance without an explanation. As for me, I had to have it out then and there. I had to find out the whole truth about Stefan.
Chapter Fourteen
“I went to see Magda.”
Stefan’s jaw dropped then he quickly recovered his poise, snapping his mouth shut. I’d surprised him with my announcement.
He picked up a knife and sliced through a piece of cheese on his plate, offering it to me. “You did? Well, that explains how you knew how to find me. And you didn’t scratch out her eyes?” The humor he attempted to inject into his question fell flat.
My lips remained pressed together in a serious expression. I picked the cheese off his knife end. “It was my intention, but she wasn’t what I expected,” I admitted. Magda, as much as I wanted to hate her, had not become my rival. She’d ducked out of the equation.
“No, she’s…special.” Stefan glanced up at me and his face flushed. “I mean, caring. I owe her a great deal.”
The cheese hovered in front of my mouth. “Why?”
“She understands what I am. You see, I have an inclination to dominate.”
That word again. Did it bother me? What did it make me?
“I’ve noticed.” I munched on the cheese. The rich flavor activated my hunger.
“She has the experience to deal with it and her knowledge has guided me. I’m not one for networking. It is Magda who, through her friends, enables me to meet the right people.”
“And I’m not right?” I batted back.
“Oh God, Callie, you are perfect for me. Surely Magda explained?”
“About what?” I asked.
“Submission.”
I shifted on my stool. Labels again. “I’m not comfortable with the terminology.”
Stefan grinned. “It doesn’t matter. I don’t bother with it either, but I do appreciate the behaviors, the traits. When they match mine, the sparks fly. More cheese?”
