An Exceptional Twist (56 page)

They’d just finished eating, and Leah had
already given Dani a hard time about keeping her out of the loop.
Having her favorite sister living so close was going to be great.
And she looked forward to getting to know Bri even more.

Stefen excused himself to make a call,
triggering her insecurities once more. She really wanted to believe
that he would be faithful, but there was that lingering feeling
that he could easily find another girl.

Bri and Dani left for the restroom with
Madison when Abby placed her hand on top of Leah’s, “You ok,
sweetie?”

Caleb rubbed Abby’s back, seeming to wonder
if he had a place in this conversation. Leah loved Caleb like a
brother, and he was welcome in any conversation they had, but she
wondered if his loyalty to Stefen would cloud his opinion.

She looked down somberly at Abby and her
hands. “I’ve just been thinking. Stefen’s changed so much since
he’s been here, but there’s a little voice nagging me, wondering if
he could fall back into old habits. I don’t think he will, but I
can’t help but wonder every time he walks away from me on a phone
call.”

Caleb spoke up, giving her
reassuring smile. “Leah, you know how happy I’ve been about the
changes he’s made, but to be honest, he didn’t change because of
what happened. He seemed different when I dropped him off at the
airport, after he’d spend all those weeks with you. This isn’t a
new thing. He loves you.
Trust me. I’ve never seen him like this
before.”

Even if Leah thought Caleb was full of crap,
the adoring look Abby gave him would have convinced Leah otherwise.
She trusted Caleb. Now all she had to do was learn to trust the one
that held her heart.

Leah enjoyed spending her days off, relaxing
with Stefen. They’d slept in again today and had a late lunch in
bed. He sat with his back to her, yelling at the TV while slapping
his palms down on the mattress.

His favorite hockey team was playing in the
live telecast game. She didn’t get the whole love of sports thing,
but was thankful that this was the only one he followed. He joked
with her saying that one of the benefits of living in California
was that he got to watch his games at an earlier hour than in
Chicago.

Abby had to endure the same torture with
Caleb this time of year. Then again, she’d learned to love it
herself after going to a live game.

Sitting with her back against the headboard,
she had to admit it was pretty hot watching a shirtless Stefen get
all riled up over a bunch of padded-up guys, hitting a little disk
around on the ice. She could see why girls liked hockey guys.

The timing was perfect for her to catch up
on her bookkeeping. The last few months, she’d been so busy
spending time with Stefen, helping their sisters settle into their
new condo, teaching her weekly dance class, and planning Abby’s
upcoming baby shower that her accounting had suffered.

Thankfully, Melissa was a wiz with numbers
and helped with payroll, billing clients, and all the other
financial matters Leah was too distracted to deal with. She relied
so much on Melissa, she wanted to find a way to properly thank her.
She’d even thought about letting Melissa move into her apartment
with her son, since Leah was at Stefen’s pretty permanently
now.

Grumbling, she opened up
her laptop and started working on the accounting program. She had
just realized some of the papers she needed were at the
shop.
Dammit.
Without that information, none of the other numbers would
make sense.

“Man, I have to go into the store to get
some paperwork,” she whined, closing the laptop. Setting it on her
nightstand, she scooted down to lay her head on the pillow.

Too sucked into the game, Stefen quickly
glanced down at her. “What’d you say?”

Sticking her bottom lip out, she grumbled,
“I don’t want to go to the shop, but these numbers aren’t working
out. I can run there and back while you’re watching the game.” She
said it but didn’t want to leave the comfort of her cozy jammies,
or the bed that occupied her gorgeous boyfriend.

A commercial came on, freeing him to give
her his full attention. Nestling his chest between her thighs, he
laid his chin on her belly. “It’s the third quarter and my guys are
winning. If you give me about another half hour, we can go for a
walk, then bring the girls some dinner before they close the store.
I can help you with your numbers later.”

Wow, he paid attention to what I said, even
with his game on.

“It’s too cold to go for a walk,” she
pouted.

He sighed, shaking his head. “Too cold?
Leah, its sixty-two degrees. That’s not cold.”

Pursing her lips, she scrunched up her
forehead. “That’s freezing.”

Taking his time, he
gently touched every centimeter of her exposed skin with his
fingertips, driving her mad with desire as he inched up her body.
She trembled when he glanced up with a knowing look and a
mischievous smirk.

“
Games back on,” he said.
He had the nerve to wink before giving her a peck
on the lips and turning back to the TV.

She let out a cry of frustration.
Damn sexy jerk!
He knew exactly what he did to
her.

Throwing the blankets off,
she dragged herself into the bathroom. “I’ll get ready for
our
icy
walk
while you finish the game.”

True to his word, the game ended within
thirty-minutes. He put on his running shorts while she bundled up
in a hoody and thick cotton pants before they headed out.

Leah crossed her arms, hugging herself for
warmth as they strolled along the shoreline. “It’s so cold. How can
you walk around in shorts?”

He smirked at her. “It’s not cold.” Stefen
bent down and scooped up a handful of water. “But this is.” Then he
tossed it at her.

Leah momentarily lost her breath, shocked
from the ice-cold ocean water smacking her head. Spinning around in
his direction, she saw his expression change when he registered how
much trouble he was in.

He started running backward, watching her
every move.

Jogging after the escaping tide, she was
able to capture just enough water in both hands. She lopped it at
him, but he moved out of the way without a drop hitting him.

“No fair, you caught me off guard,” she
pouted again.

Pursing his lips, he lifted his shoulders.
“What can I say? My timing is impeccable.”

Narrowing her eyes, she scooped up more
water, then chased after him. But by the time she caught him, all
the water had dripped out of her hands.

Out of breath, she admitted, “Okay. You got
me. I’m no match for the Mighty Stefen.” Leah curtsied in front of
him. When she looked back up, he had a wicked gleam in his eyes as
he began to stalk toward her.

“What are you doing?” She backed away, but
he was too fast. Stefen lifted her off her feet, throwing her over
his shoulder. “Stefen, I’m going to hurt your shoulder. Put me
down.”

He snorted, “No way. I’m fine and I don’t
think your words were sincere at all. I want you to really mean it
when you say you’re no match for me.” He walked them straight
toward the surf.

Starting to panic, Leah screamed, “No way.
Put me down.”

Ignoring her, he kept going until he was
knee deep. Waves were crashing on his thighs.

She felt him start to pull
her down, and she freaked out. “
Stefen!
I
swear,
if you put me down!” She left
her warning at that. As he lowered her, she wrapped her legs around
him and held on for dear life.

He laughed. “Fine. I won’t
put
you
down.
We’ll both go.”

“
What? No!”

Stefen dove in, taking them both with him,
and her voice was cut off when the bitter cold water stunned her
system.

She was completely
drenched. Jolting up, she gargled, “I hate you! I absolutely
hate
you!”

He popped up next to her, laughing out loud
as he ran his hands through his sopping wet hair. “You don’t hate
me. As a matter-of-fact, you love me very much.”

“Not right now, I don’t,” she gritted out.
Her teeth were chattering, thanks to him. She tried to make her
getaway, but the heavy soaked hoodie weighed her down.

Smiling, he came after her. “No you don’t.
You’re not leaving yet.” Stefen picked her up and kissed her
shivering lips. Pulling away, he seemed to realize his mistake.
“Maybe that wasn’t the best idea. Let’s get you in the house.”

Leah shook in his arms.

Just inside the door, he set her feet on the
floor. She couldn’t do anything but stand and tremble as she
dripped all over the tile.

Tossing his keys on the side table, he
furrowed his eyebrows at her. “Oh, sweetie, I’m so sorry. I just
thought it would be funny.” He looked apologetic as he ran his
thumb across her mouth. “Your lips are turning blue. You really
don’t have any tolerance for cold, do you?”

“No,” she snapped. “I don’t.” She would give
him a dirty look if she wasn’t shivering head to toe.

He puckered his lips, scanning down at her
sopping outfit. “Let’s get you out of these and into a warm
shower.”

She nodded, her teeth chattering. It didn’t
matter what his intentions were, she just wanted to defrost. He
swiftly peeled both of their clothes off, excluding their underwear
and her bra, then he carried her frigid body up the stairs as she
trembled uncontrollably.

Walking them into the master bathroom, he
put her down long enough to turn the water on. Once it was warm, he
lightly pushed her inside. The luscious warmth hit her frozen skin,
almost making it feel like she was on fire. Leah finally began to
melt when she realized that Stefen had been stroking her arms to
help her warm up quicker.

Kissing her shoulder, he apologized. “I’m
sorry, I didn’t realized you’d be so cold.”

A shiver went down her spine and, suddenly,
she was no longer cold. Her senses were on high alert as she
enjoyed him running his hands up and down her body and his lips on
her skin. Unable to stop it, she moaned her approval several
times.

That definitely got his attention.

Stefen growled, “Baby, you can’t make sounds
like that when we’re half-naked in the shower.”

Tilting her head to the side, she sighed,
“It just feels so good. I like that we’re in here together.”

His hands began to roam down her ribcage to
her waist, thighs and back up. She whirled around to face him,
chest heaving up and down. His eyes darkened as he wrapped her
hands around his neck.

Running her fingertips up and down the back
of his neck, she closed her eyes. Leah whimpered when his hands
landed on her ass and he squeezed her butt cheeks.

Opening her eyes, she confessed, “I love you
Stefen, and I want this. I’m just scared.”

Pulling her toward his body, he brushed both
of his thumbs on her cheeks. “I don’t want to do anything you
aren’t ready for. I’m not going to rush you, but I’m a guy. I can’t
help that I want to make love to you right now.”

She bit the inside of her cheek like she did
whenever she was nervous. “Do you have any protection?”

He shook his head. “No. I was waiting until
you said you were ready. Aren’t you still on the pill?”

Surprised, she raised her eyebrows. “Yes,
but I thought you said you didn’t believe when a girl said
that.”

“Leah.” He leaned over to kiss her shoulder
then pulled back to look into her eyes. “I trust you. The question
is, do you trust me?”

She answered by reaching behind her back and
unhooking her bra. Then she stepped out of her panties. His eyes
widened, filled with surprise and desire when she said, “From the
moment I met you, Stefen, everything sensible in me screamed not
to, but I do trust you.” She placed her hand on the side of his
face. “I don't understand it, but my heart does.”

He didn’t waste any time, bringing her body
flush with his. Passion took over as he pulled his underwear off
and kissed her with everything he had.

“Stefen?” she whispered into his mouth.

“Yeah, baby.” He continued to cover her in
kisses.

“Promise me something first.” They hadn’t
talked about this yet, and it was an awkward time to do so, but she
had to say her peace before they went forward.

“Anything.”

She pulled away and looked at his face.
“Don’t leave me.”

Jerking his head back, he looked confused.
“What do you mean? I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.” He moved the
wet strands of hair away from her face, tenderly stroking her
neck.

“No,” she clarified, her heart in her eyes.
“I mean, stay with me the whole time. Here,” she pulled his head
down and kissed his forehead, “and here.” She placed her palm over
his heart. “Be present. Don’t shut me out.”