"Go away Rebekah," Klaus said irritably, the tread of feet on wood flooring loud in the relative silence. "I'm not in the mood."
The morning has started off decently enough, but the afternoon had descended into a bit of chaos, with his family making enough racket to wake the dead. Any attempts at a quiet, calm afternoon painting was ruined, so he'd retired to the library in the hopes of avoiding his sister's drama.
In vain, apparently.
He set his teeth and closed his eyes for patience as the door opened. A faint, whisper of perfume had his spine stiffening even as his intruder spoke.
"Don't say a word."
Klaus lowered his book in shock, blinking at the sight of Caroline Forbes. She was dressed down in sneakers and jeans, hair pulled back in a messy bun. Her eyes were clear, no sign of tears. Still, she looked worn.
She met his gaze as she continued her approach. "I am not here. This never happened."
Brows bunching together, his lips parted and she violently shook her head. Caroline didn't say another word, just toed off her shoes and climbed onto the couch he'd sprawled across.
Body tight with shock, Klaus was still she crawled up the length of him and pressed her face into his neck. Slowly, agonizingly aware of how each inch of her was pressed against him - breast, stomach, thighs - he swallowed down his surprise.
"Not a word." She repeated, fingers digging into his shirt; breath hot and damp against his neck. Closing his eyes for a moment, he slowly relaxed under the press of her. Just as slowly, the tight, wary lines of her eased. Carefully, he shifted until he could wrap one arm around the back of her, casually lifting his book back to his line of sight.
She trembled against him and then sighed, shifting her cheek to his shoulder, hands loosening their tight grip. Still, Caroline made no move to leave, so Klaus delicately turned the page, eyes unseeing.
He could wait.
Hand stroking down her spine, Klaus settled in for the afternoon.
