An Exceptional Twist (45 page)

Marlene’s mouth dropped in shock. Leah
looked uncharacteristically smug.

His more than likely ex-agent moved to the
side. “Very well. I’ll be outside if you need me.” Storming past
them, she closed the door behind her. Outside, he heard a loud,
very unladylike grunt.

A playful grin broke out on her mouth. “You
didn’t have to say that, but thank you.”

Leah was a strong woman. Sure, she could
hold her own, but he wasn’t going to stand by and not say
anything.

“That bitch has been pissing me off all
week,” he grumbled. “There’s no way she’s getting away with that
shit.”

Stefen pulled at her arm, then stepped aside
at the doorway to the kitchen. “Come on, I want you to see the
entire house, not just the view.” He pushed her forward,
encouraging her to roam around. She looked so natural, gliding
through the modern kitchen. “So can you see yourself making me some
of those morning chilikilies here?” He purposely exaggerated his
mispronunciation of the word.

She narrowed one eye at
him, running her fingertips along the stainless steel stovetop.
“Uh, no. I’ve had your cooking, and you can make me breakfast
in
your
kitchen
and serve it to me on the veranda,
por
favor
. If you’re nice, however, maybe I’ll
cook something else for you.” She opened and closed the
cupboards.

I want her to live her
with me.
The thought hit him so strongly,
he was actually wondering how he could make that happen.

She moved throughout the downstairs, peeking
into every room as if she could also envision living here.

Heading up the tiled stairs, she ran her
hand along the rod iron decorative handrail. He had to admit, the
architect that owned and designed this house was an artist and
didn’t miss a single detail.

One the way up, Leah’s dress got caught in
one of the intricate designs along the railings. Immediately
bending down, he tried to untangle her hem. Glancing up, he saw her
nervously biting the inside of her mouth.

Is she nervous because I’m so close to
her?

The top of his fingers grazed the back of
her thigh when he freed the dress. He glanced up at her. “Looks
like that will have to be fixed somehow before all your dresses get
torn up.”

Leah’s eyes widened and she froze.

Standing up, he chuckled when he realized
how she’d taken his comment. “You know what I mean. Now let’s
finish looking through the rest of the house before I go fire that
bitch outside.”

Standing on the balcony off the master
bedroom, Leah had her eyes closed as she breathed in the ocean air.
Stefen leaned against the railing, facing her. “So what do you
think?”

With her eyes still shut, she asked, “About
the house or that woman downstairs that looks like she wants to
lick you, then kill me?”

He gently pushed her arm with his hand. “Ha
ha, very funny. Seriously, do you think I should buy it? Can you
see me living here?” He paused, peering down at their feet before
looking back up at her. “Can you see yourself hanging out with me
here?”

Slowly lifting her eyelids, Leah sucked in a
breath as if she was fighting something. “Yeah. I can definitely
see that.” She smiled shyly, blinking hard, and nodding. “It’s
perfect.”

Clapping and rubbing his
hands together, he announced, “It’s settled, then. But you have to
help me decorate it, and when you aren’t working or spending time
with Abby or your family,”
I’m not going
to even mention that prick, Ben,
“you have
to keep me company, so I don’t die of boredom.” He moved his
eyebrows up and down.

Stepping inside the bedroom, Leah glided to
the center of the room. Giving him a sideways glance, she staked
her claim, “You might have to kick me out when it’s time to go.
I’ll have my tent set up right here.” She motioned to where she
planned on camping out, then stuck up a finger. “One thing, though.
That woman downstairs was snotty, but don’t fire her. She worked
for her commission.”

Astonished, he stepped back. “Are you
kidding? She’s driven me crazy since the moment I met her. She’s
exactly the kind of woman I’m trying to avoid.”

“Yes.” Leah nodded. “In
your
personal
life, but she still did her job. You can’t fault her for
wanting a hot guy.” She smirked, tilting her head to the
side.

Wait, did Leah just say I’m hot?

“You are way too nice, but
because
you
are
asking me to, I’ll let her finish the transaction.”

Pinching the sides of her dress, she
semi-curtsied, “Thank you, kind sir.”

“Anything for you.” He ran his index finger
down her cheek. “But that skank will know you saved her ass.”
Waiting for her to pass, he placed his hand on the small of her
back and led them down the stairs.

Scrunching her nose, she proudly said,
“Because I’m a brat, I don’t mind that one little bit.”

Stefen lay in the way too firm hospital bed,
relieved his final surgery was over. Leah had wanted to stay, but
he’d insisted she go visit her mom. The hospital was only twenty
minutes from her family. He didn’t want to send her away.
Naturally, he wanted to be selfish and keep her right here to talk
and share her pretty face with him. But he was doing things
differently now, trying to be a little less of a selfish
bastard.

Plus, he wouldn’t be able to stomach if Ben
came in to see her during his shift.

With nothing more to do but think, Stefen
lay back, hands nestled under his head as his mind wandered. Things
were definitely looking up for him.

The escrow on his house had gone quickly,
and he’d moved in several weeks ago. Leah made fun of his
fastidious taste. He was used to working with interior decorators
and specifying everything he wanted. Leah thought he was too picky
and that his “frivolous spending” was a bit much.

The large house was lonely when she wasn’t
around, and he really wanted her to move in. When he’d asked her to
become his roommate, she fought the idea, insisting that things
could get weird. That was understandable, since he would have to
struggle with not joining her in bed every night, but that didn’t
mean he had to like it.

The handful of times she’d
slept over in what he now referred to as
her
room, were pure torture. Knowing
she was only a room away and hearing her rustling in the bed
whenever she moved in her sleep drove him to the point of insanity.
He felt like such a creep the one time he’d stood at the
half-opened doorway and watched her sleep.

Man, I need help.

But no matter how difficult it was on him,
her new room was still right next to his, waiting for her whenever
she wanted to crash there.

With so much time on his hands, he found
ways to keep busy. Now that he was cleared to work again, his
father was sending him cases here and there. It felt good to start
contributing again.

He’d also resumed his exercise regimen. Leah
joined him most mornings on his runs, but she wasn’t too keen on
swimming in the ocean. Instead, she’d stay out on the shore,
stretching and waiting for him because she worried he would get too
tired out in the surf.

He liked when she worried about him, but he
knew his limits. He truly believed the ocean held mystical powers
that were helping him heal, physically and spiritually.

When Leah wasn’t able to meet up, Caleb
would swim with him before he got bored and switched to surfing.
Stefen tried to surf a few times, but he still needed to build the
strength in his arm.

Startling him out of his thoughts, Ben
cleared his throat as he strutted into the room. He snapped off a
pair of blue latex gloves, peering up from the florescent yellow
clipboard he held in his dry, powder-covered hand. “Hey, Stefen. I
promised Leah I’d come check on you.”

Fantastic
.

Ben’s eyes were glued to
the chart. “Everything looks good and you should be able to leave
in the morning.” He was all business.
Thank god.

“Thanks,” Stefen answered dryly.

Leah’s intentions may have been good, but
why the hell would she think it was okay to send this jackass in to
check on him? Neither admitted their distaste for each other, but
it was obvious Ben hated him. Maybe it was just a guy thing, and
she simply didn’t pick up on their pissing contest.

Jackass put the chart on the rolling food
tray, narrowing his eyes. “I want to talk to you about Leah. I
realize you guys are close and she considers you a good friend,” he
emphasized the word friend.

Stefen curled his hands into fists.

“I want you to know that I may not have time
to see a lot of her at the point, but we’re serious.”

He wanted to ask Ben if Leah was aware of
the seriousness of their relationship. That’s not the vibe Stefen
caught from her. He decided to let his snide comment slide and let
this dipwad know that he couldn’t care less what he had to say.

Lifting an eyebrow, Stefen said, “I think
this is a conversation you need to have with her, not me.”

Annoyed that he was at a disadvantage, only
wearing a hospital gown with one eye covered, Stefen crossed his
muscular arms over his chest. The irony was not lost on him that he
thought Ben was the cocky one and here he was puffing out his own
chest.

Ben continued to babble
on. “Like I said, I get it. She's even called you her best guy
friend.” Ben ground his teeth, obviously pissed by that. “I won’t
pretend that I understand because I think there’s more to the
story, but you need to know that I feel very protective of her.”
Ben imitated Stefen, placing his arms over his extended
chest.
Bastard
.
“I’ve known her a lot longer than you have, and I’ll stand by her
side no matter what. But there will come a time when this whole
thing between you won’t work for me. I just wanted you to know my
intentions since we’re both in her life—for now.”

Who the hell does this
prick think he is?
Ben was marking his
territory, which made Stefen’s blood boil. Stefen would definitely
let any bastard know if she was his, but this dumbass hadn’t even
made a commitment to her. Why the hell did he think he had a right
to do this? Leah would be pissed, too, but Stefen would let Ben dig
his own hole. Sooner or later, she would see that this asswipe
needed to go.

Stefen intentionally
nodded, carefully watching every word. He didn't need this dill
weed telling Leah that he was causing problems. “Duly noted. But
it’s only fair to tell you that I’m also protective of her. She’s a
remarkable woman and deserves the absolute best. Someone that will
be there for her,
present
and future. Likewise, I’ll fight to make sure
she’s taken care of.”

Okay, so maybe that wasn't so subtle.

Ben tapped his pen on the clipboard he’d
picked back up. “Good to know,” he grumbled. “I just wanted to make
sure we’re clear.”

Stefen laughed
internally.
I don’t even have to fight
this dimwit. He’s clueless and doesn’t stand a chance. I almost
feel bad for him.

He gave Ben a cocky grin. “Crystal
clear.”

That grin slid right down his face as Ben
smirked. “Good. I'll tell her tonight. We’re going out.”

Oh shit. This son of a bitch took a left and
slapped me upside the head. Had I known they were going out, I
would’ve let Leah stay.

“Thanks again,
doc
.” He didn't try to
hide his sarcasm.

Ben squinted, confused, then turned to
leave.

Infuriated, Stefen turned on the TV, almost
breaking the remote as he flipped channels. It took everything in
him not to throw it at the wall.

He was stuck in this bed and couldn’t do
anything about it, but knowing Leah was going out with that asshole
tonight, burned his ass.