Until This Lie Do Us Part

Chapter 17

She felt her body being lifted from the bed as they stumbled towards the bathroom. His focus never left her and before she knew it, hot water was pouring and steam was surfacing around her. She took her own clothes off, trying to speed up the process. When he pushed her backwards into the shower, she shrieked as the hot water turned quickly to cold. Stefan pulled her against him at the far end of the shower, trying to get away from the water. She was shivering against him, so he quickly reached over and adjusted the water until it was warm again. "Sorry" he smiled, pulling her back to him.

She smiled as he leaned in to kiss her. They both heard the bathroom door fly open. "Elena?" Alaric asked frantically.

"Get out!" Stefan and Elena both screamed, jumping apart from one another.

"I heard you scream!" Alaric yelled back at them.

"She's fine, get out!" Stefan yelled. Alaric didn't hesitate to shut the door behind him. Stefan smiled apologetically as he approached her again, cupping her face and kissing her softly. "No more guests. Ever" he said, leaning his forehead against hers.

"Your niece is coming next weekend" Elena reminded.

He pushed her against the wall, kissing his way down her chest. "I'll buy her something expensive. She won't even remember she wants to come over" Stefan mumbled against her skin.

Elena closed her eyes and tilted her head back. "You're terrible" she breathed out.

"So terrible" he agreed, not really caring when he had a naked girl in front of him. He didn't really care about anything at the moment. She was a good – very good – distraction.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

When Elena and Stefan returned downstairs, giggling and laughing about their escapades upstairs moments earlier, they were met with two pairs of grins. "Hey you two" Alaric said, eyeing them both.

Elena blushed from embarrassment, realizing that both knew what had gone on between her and Stefan upstairs. Stefan, clearly not embarrassed, slipped his arm around her, pulling her close. "Hi" Stefan grinned, addressing his friends. "You two ready?" he asked.

"Yeah, about that. I think I'll skip out on the horse thing" Alaric said. He focused his attention on Elena briefly. "It's not really my thing" he added.

Elena nodded in understanding. "I think I'll stay with Alaric. You and Caroline can hang out" Elena suggested, bumping into Stefan lightly.

"I would love your company, Elena" Alaric said, smiling.

"Alright then, come on Care" Stefan said, grabbing his jacket. "You" he said, pointing his finger at Alaric. "Keep your hands off my wife" he warned. "Bye" he added, placing his hand on Elena's hip and kissing her cheek.

Elena waited until she heard them leave before turning to Alaric. "So, what would you like to do?" she asked.

Alaric pretended to think long and hard about what he wanted to do. "Let's talk" he said, moving to sit on the couch. Elena took the seat across from him while he propped his feet up. "So, how are things going?" he asked.

Elena crossed her legs and stared at him. "Fine" she replied. "He's still alive, isn't he?" she grinned.

"Yes, yes he is" Alaric laughed. "You seem happy" he noted. "How many more months?"

"In another week, four months" Elena answered him. "And then Stefan will be rid of me and can get on with his life" she added, realizing that it came out with some bitterness that she couldn't help.

"See, I don't think he will get rid of you" Alaric said, shaking his head. Elena's look warned him that he was treading on dangerous waters. This was a business deal between the two of them with no room for others to weigh in. "Stefan is falling hard for you, Elena. He doesn't act this way with all the other girls he's seen. Well, except Katherine."