There was a heavy, suffocating silence and darkness about the air. Caroline laid on her side, staring at Stefan's bare back. The broad, smooth expanse of it. Hard muscle under soft skin. She had imagined it plenty of times before. Thought of how nice it would be to be free to reach out and stroke his skin whenever she wanted. Now here he was in front of her and she was terrified. Because even it was Stefan's skin, it wasn't Stefan.
She blinked against the darkness, exhausted points of light behind her eyes. Sleep was evading her. Her brain churning and rolling and flipping around thousands of possibilities. What had she done? What would she do next? How would this end?
Stefan stirred, rolled over onto his back, still asleep. Caroline observed him more closely, using his sleeping face as a lullaby. The sheet had crept down to his hip bone. Caroline soaked up the sight of his chest and stomach in the glow of the moonlight through the window. She blushed as she quickly relived the night's earlier events.
Part of her wanted to run. Part of her wanted to lay her head on his chest and feel his fingers in her hair. Another part of her wanted to just climb back on top of him and forget everything else. She realized that her emotions were creeping back in, and that would be a problem. His touch had ignited immediately feelings in her, but she had been helpless to stop him. It felt too good. Too right. Too much like home.
Her fingers crept out to stroke the skin of his chest, unable to fight the urge any longer. His hand caught hers like lightning and she gasped in surprise.
"Ready for Round 2?" he asked, cockily, his voice gravely from sleep.
Caroline's heart sank, but body ignited at his cold words. She looked him over again. The skin was the same as she'd always wanted to touch, but what was beneath was something different. An actual wolf in sheep's clothing.
Pushing away the sadness, she let the warmth and weight of his body covering hers to momentary still the spinning whirlwinds in her head. Let his lips quiet the demons. Demons that he caused, and she caused and they had caused each other. And for a moment, she wouldn't care that he was only disguised as Stefan, because maybe she was only disguised as Caroline. And maybe someday this would mean something. But not today.