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“Is that your parents’ doing?” Beau asks from one of the guest seats.
Noah scoffs. “They’re determined to see us married off sooner rather than later. Golden boy here, in particular,” he nods to his brother.
“We all knew this day would come,” Isaac mutters. “I just wasn’t ready for it.”
“It doesn’t have to come this early,” I say.
Noah agrees. “Are we really in a rush? We have it good with Stella. Too good for us and not good enough for her, mind you. That whole breakfast with our family thing did not sit well with her. She says she’s okay and whatnot, but I think we can all agree something shifted that day.”
“You should’ve told her about the breakfast guests,” Beau replies bluntly.
“We didn’t know,” Isaac says. “I thought it would just be Mom and Dad. They ganged up on us, that’s the truth.” He looks at Noah. “You know how Mom gets when she sets her sights on something. Right now, she’s determined to shove Tori and Alexandra down our throats.”
“Well, whether you knew or not, Stella has been avoiding us,” I bring focus back to my issue. “We can’t let that happen.”
Isaac frowns slightly. “We can’t force her to see us, Levi. If she needs some time to herself, we have to respect that.”
“No, something doesn’t feel right,” I insist, shaking my head. “She’s quieter than usual. Withdrawn. She could barely look me in the eyes when I saw her the other night.”
Beau takes a deep breath followed by a sip of his coffee. “The truth is, we don’t know where this will end,” he says. “I think we all want more from our relationship with her, but how would we make it work? Your political future is an instant disqualifier, Isaac. And you, Noah, you’d be collateral damage for his political opponents. Opposition research will likely seep into this place. Someone, somewhere… they’ll find out about Stella. It’ll destroy us all in the end. Including her.”
“I don’t think I want to talk about this just yet,” Isaac replies. “I haven’t seen Stella in private for over two weeks, and she barely glances at me otherwise. I don’t know what to do, either. We’re all stuck at this sort of crossroads with no idea where we’re going, yet none of us want to let go of her.”
“Then keep Tori and Alexandra away next weekend,” I suggest. “Postpone for another month or whatever. It’s not like Barbara can literally force you to spend time with them.”
Isaac and Noah shake their heads at the same time. They’re like two drops of water in perfect sync, and I know our hearts are all singing a similar tormented song. “Our mother has a way of persisting at the worst of times,” Noah ultimately says. “But I agree. Neither of us is ready to move forward. We’re not even sure what forward means anymore.”
I’m not truly satisfied with this conclusion, but I do know I don’t want us to leave Stella behind. She will always have a job here. She will always have a home here if she and her children need it. We will never abandon her, not after what she’s been through. Few are the people in this world that I have felt an authentic connection with, and Stella is one of them. What troubles me is the growing and undeniable truth that what we have is far greater than the “strictly physical” we originally agreed upon.
It runs deeper. And it makes the future murkier than I’m comfortable with.
I spend the rest of my day taking calls and writing a few pages of my next novel. This one is set in a cabin up in the Appalachian Mountains, and it’s a lot darker than my previous works. The heroine is a single mother of two whose psychopathic husband has made her doubt herself to the point where she no longer knows what is real and what isn’t. To be fair, I’ve subconsciously drawn some inspiration from Stella’s personal experiences here, but I like how the story is shaping up.
The problem is that by evening, I can no longer sit still. I find myself wandering through the Elizabeth and working up the courage to knock on Stella’s door. She must be with the kids. I’ve grown dangerously fond of Ava and Lucas, too. The boy hangs on to me for dear life when I’m around, asking me to tell him scary stories, much to his mother’s dismay, while Ava has made a habit of instantly falling asleep in my arms. It tugs at my heart in ways nothing else ever has.
Finally, I’m at her door. My palms are sweaty. My knees are weak. It’s always like this when I’m close to her. Stella has a way of demolishing my defenses and pushing me to leave my comfort zone. The reward is made to measure, though. Every moment I spend with her makes me stronger, makes me a better man. My mind works differently. She inspires me.
I can feel her in there without having to see or hear anything. My heart senses her before my ears pick up on the sound of her footsteps. I knock, and she opens the door, her grayish-blue eyes widening with surprise.
“Hey,” I say. “I just wanted to come by and make sure you’re okay.”
“Hey,” Stella replies, her tone low and empty. I don’t like it. It’s as if she is deliberately withholding the warmth that draws me to her. “I’m okay, thanks.”
“How was your day?” I ask, determined not to let her push me away again.
“Busy as usual,” Stella says with a placid smile. “I just put the kids to bed. I’ going to bed soon, too.”
Smiling, I reach out and tuck a lock of black hair behind her ear. My touch electrifies her. I see the goosebumps pricking along the side of her neck. Damn, her body instantly reacts to me, which makes mine light up from the inside, the engines quick to fire and work at full throttle as I take a step forward.
“Why don’t we go out for a walk? It’s not that cold,” I ask. Only a few inches of air are left between us, and the tension is enough to make my blood boil through my veins. “It’s going to be a full moon tonight. The forest path looks beautiful at this hour. Nowhere as beautiful as you, Stella, but it’s something to see.”
Her gaze softens. Her lips part slowly and I can no longer help myself. I kiss her, letting my tongue slide through and play with hers. I wrap my arms around her waist and pull her close, her body perfectly matching mine. She’s plump and sweet like a summer peach, the taste of her making my heart drunk.
She moans against my lips as I deepen the kiss, one hand moving up her side. The closer I get to her breast, the clearer the heartbeat pulsating against my fingers. She smells of lemon blossoms and mint tea, of a late summer evening, of burning desire and forgotten dreams. I’d give anything for this moment to never end. The way Stella gives in, the way she surrenders to me has my cock twitching, momentarily nestled in the warm triangle of her lower belly and thighs. A perfect match, a meeting of two puzzle pieces that clearly belong together.
I tighten my hold and let my hand move between us to firmly cup her breast. It feels fuller. Or maybe it’s been a while since I’ve last touched her. Absence does make the heart grow fonder. I trail kisses along her neck, disappointed when I reach the t-shirt collar and realize I’d have to undress her in order to get more—this isn’t exactly the time nor the place for that, regardless of my own body’s protests.
“Come out tonight. Let’s walk and talk, just the two of us.”
