Stella in Stilettos (29 page)

“Again with the job. I’m going to puke if I hear that word again. Marc and Jett wanted you, not her. You both have to get over it.”

Irritating or not, Steve had a knack for laying things out straight out. Alex repeated Steve’s words in his head. Alex realized he screwed up the best relationship he ever had for a job, one he said no to. Everything he’d been struggling with for the last couple of weeks crystallized in the span of a millisecond. There’d be other jobs – like the one his dad offered on a continuous basis – but there wouldn’t be another Stella. Steve told him the same thing awhile back, but it didn’t sink in…until now.

Steve gulped the last of his drink. “I need another beer.”

“Yeah. Me too.” They took off toward the bar, but stopped dead in their tracks when a mop of curly hair filled their line of vision. “Son of a …”

Stella had all the alcohol and mirages she could handle for awhile. “Let’s go up on deck. I need some air.”

Trish shoved another drink in her hand.

“Seriously, Trish, no more alcohol.”

“We’re on vacation,” Trish whined.

“My liver isn’t,” Stella countered.

Trish scoffed and ordered another margarita; heavy on the salt, with a wedge of lime and an umbrella.

The bartender turned on some background music and right away Stella thought about Maggie’s comment in the job interview. She’d said Stella was background music. Pfft. Why say something so incredible and a couple of weeks later revoke it? It was baffling. Something else hit her from out of the blue – the elusive Mr. Right needed to stay elusive. Someone calling himself Mr. Right and allowing himself to be covered in ants wasn’t worth her time and energy. He might be fun for awhile, but he wasn’t the one for her. Her thoughts went back to Alex. She’d been kicking herself in the head for hooking up with him, and she’d been blamed him for everything that went wrong. The fault wasn’t entirely his. She pursued him as much as he pursued her. She’d willingly fallen into bed with him…and in love with him

A vise-like grip squeezed her upper-arm. “Ouch!” Stella turned to rip into Trish. Her gaze slammed into angry violet eyes instead of hazel ones. Inwardly, she collapsed.

Anger roared from Alex. “What are you doing here?”

Steve seconded the question to Trish, but in a much-less grouchy tone.

Stella tried to speak, her words locked in her throat.

Despite the noisy room, there were a few moments of heavy silence between all four of them.

The pain of having the circulation cut off in her arm, made her cut into the silence with a woeful sound. She yanked her arm free.

 Alex grabbed it again and held it tighter.

Stella squinted hard and tried to tug loose, which only made him tighten his hold.

His inflexible gaze made her knees buckle slightly. “What are you two doing on this boat?” He asked.

“I know,” Trish grinned. Steve shook his head.

Stella could barely get her voice to work. “W-we’re on vacation.”

“No kidding,” he replied sarcastically.

Trish shrugged from Steve’s tough stare to protect Stella. “Unhand her you big lug.”

Alex ignored Trish and continued to hold Stella. “No wonder you kept your plans secret. You’re on the prowl.”

Stella jerked back. She wasn’t on the prowl and the accusation ticked her off. With deceptive calmness, she leaned toward him. Her mousy voice took a back seat and she blasted him with bold assertion. “I’m not on the prowl. But if I was skulking around for men, it wouldn’t be any of your business.”

A muscle clenched in his jaw. “You’re at a freaking chat Meet and Greet.”

He was totally out of line, and his fury was unjustified. “Let me point out the obvious, so…are…you,” she replied with just as much conviction.

Alex didn’t as much as blink.

It was unnerving having him not react. Stella thrust her chin upward and waited for some sort of rebuttal.

Steve stepped between them. “Enough you two.” He exhaled dramatically. “Alex, stop being a hard ass and tell her what’s really going on.”

Alex drew his eyes away from Stella long enough to give Steve a murderous look. “Stay out of this.”

“Umm…no.” Steve winked at Stella. “Since he won’t tell you the truth, I will.”

“Steve,” Alex threatened.

“He’s insanely jealous,” Steve spouted.

Steve’s words floated around her but she was in some sort of thick Alex-fog because she couldn’t comprehend them.

“The hell I am,” Alex spat angrily.

Steve’s gaze dropped to Stella’s name tag and a lazy smile took over. “So you’re the infamous Blonde1.”

Alex’s tight jaw went slack. The disclosure made his eyes hurry to her name tag. He started to look up at her, but he went back to the name tag. When his eyes drifted back up his brows were knit tightly together. He released her arm and ran a hand over his chin like he was sifting the information through a mental sieve.

Stella sought his name tag, he wasn’t wearing one. She drew her eyes to Steve’s amused ones and with precise assurance she answered him. “I am.”

Steve chuckled when he read Trish’s tag. “You go by Trish?”

Trish swatted him on the arm. “It’s my name, pinhead. I don’t chat. I’m Stella’s guest.”

Stella sent her a black look.

“But I totally talked her into this.”

Steve toyed with them. “You’re not here to pick up guys?”

Trish volleyed back with a playful answer. “Bite me.”

The blond, blue-eyed funny man roared with laughter.

While Trish and Steve tussled, Alex kept his eyes glued to Stella, and she felt herself wither under his scrutiny. His voice softened a little. “Blonde1, huh?”

Emotion barreled at Stella faster than she could process it. She threw her hands in the air. “Okay. I’m on the prowl. Are you satisfied? I’m here to find the one guy who actually gets me.” She told the truth. It wasn’t as liberating as she’d hoped.

The anger visibly ebbed from Alex, which made her heart start a weird beating in her chest.

When he spoke, there was an unusual mix of shock and gentleness to his tone. “You don’t have to go looking for affection on a stupid boat.” He pulled her against him.

The trauma of his embrace confused her even more. She didn’t know whether to faint, scream, or cry. “I’m not looking for affection.”

“Yes you are.”

A single tear slid from the corner of her eye and Alex brushed it away with his thumb.

“What I’m doing here has nothing to do with you.” Her heart pounded harder than it had ever done before.

Alex clutched her tenderly and the tight lines of his mouth gave way to a warm smile. “It has everything to do with me…and you.”

None of this made sense. None of it. Stella looked away to balance her out-of-control thoughts and emotions.

Gently, Alex brought her face back to his. “I’m sorry I didn’t meet you at nine o’clock.”

His words made her brain creak with confusion. “What?” It took a few seconds for awareness to dawn, when it did, she almost crumbled to the floor.

“Easy now,” he whispered, and held her steady.

Blood pounded not only her in chest, but also at her temples. “Y-you’re Mr. Right?”

Alex wrenched her tighter. “Alexander…Wright…Clay. I used my middle name as my nickname.”

Stella stared at him with wonder. Standing before her was the guy who had so much power over her. He could make her heart and soul sing with just a glance, make her body react with just a touch and now he was the guy who could draw those same responses with a few lines of text. “I didn’t know.”

Alex ran a finger across her name tag. “I was furious when I saw you here.”

“I don’t understand why.”

“I think you do.” His voice was gentle with indictment.

Her hopeful heart didn’t want to reach the wrong conclusion. “I need for you to tell me.”

“I was ready to throttle whoever it was you came to see, because…you’re mine. You’re my woman, Stella.”

Stella’s cautious heart did an arabesque.
His woman
. It had a sweet ring. She wanted to be his woman, but…

“Stop thinking, Stella,” Trish advised. “Let it happen.”

Stella continued to stare at Alex. She wanted to rip into him because he deserved it. At the same time, she wanted to throw her arms around his neck and plant a deep, soulful kiss on his mouth.

Trish gave her a gentle nudge. “Life’s going to pass you by while you’re thinking about it.”

Stella allowed a slow smile to tug at the corners of her mouth. “Maybe.”

Trish gave her another push.

Stella chuckled at Trish. But she wasn’t laughing when she stepped on her tip-toes and grazed Alex’s mouth with a kiss. “Mr. Right.” Then she dove to his mouth for another kiss.

Alex separated them ever so slightly and his eyes dipped to her name tag again. “Blonde1.” He shook his head from side to side as though he was thoroughly amazed.

“I’m so glad you’re here, Alex.” Stella took a deep breath and stormed him with information. “I’m sorry I was bullheaded. I should’ve forgiven you when you asked me to. I don’t know why I didn’t. As soon as I got on the boat, I wanted to get back off so I could tell you how I felt. I flat out panicked when it came to meeting Mr. Right, because I didn’t want him. I wanted you.” She exhaled loudly. “I was a crazy woman. Ask Trish.”

Trish nodded animatedly.

“Stella.” Alex nuzzled her neck. “Don’t ask Steve how I behaved.”

Steve gave him a toothy-smile. “You were a prick.”

Alex glared, and then laughed.

Stella blinked up at him. “I’m so relieved he’s you. I mean, you’re you. And I’ve been dying to tell you…”

Alex smoothed a curly lock from her forehead. “To tell me what?”

There were no primitive impulses to stop her. “That I’m in love with you.” She expected his mouth to drop open and his hands to fall to his side.

Neither happened.

The eyes that had drilled her with anger a minute ago now sparkled with a gentler emotion. “I love you, too, Stella.” Alex traced her lips with his thumb before skimming them with a soft kiss.

“Let’s take this freak-show elsewhere,” Steve urged.

Alex beamed a smile at Stella.

RedHairedHoney popped out of the crowd. “I see you’ve found him.” She raised her penciled brows.

Stella put her hand on Alex’s chest. “Actually, he found me.”

Red wrapped her arms around both of them. “I love it when things work out.”

Alex intertwined their fingers. Then he plied Trish with a grin. “Any chance you could share a room with Steve tonight?”

“Duh. I had plans on kicking your weenie butt out the second I saw him.”

Alex smiled at Stella. “Looks like you have a new roomie for the night.”

The remaining two hours to Key West were amazing. Trish finally confessed that she knew all along that Alex was Mr. Right and that it had taken all her strength to keep it inside. She hadn’t even told Steve. Stella hugged Trish and had thanked her for keeping it a secret.

The three of them sat in the sun making small talk, holding hands and anticipating the moment they could be alone.

Finally, the boat docked and they checked into the hotel and were on the way to their rooms.

Stella gasped with happiness when Alex propped her gently against the door. The sensual movement infused her with a blistering heat. He lowered his mouth to taste her with deliberate, drugging kisses and she had no choice but to arch against him and moan with approval.

“You make me lose my mind, woman,” he whispered against her ear.

Stella’s heart melted on the spot and she knew for certain she loved this man. She also knew with complete confidence she would never be the same without him. She circled his neck with her arms, but Alex removed them and carefully extended them above her head

He brushed tender kisses across her forehead and the tip of her nose, before caressing her eyelids with his lips. Alex moved to her mouth and parted her lips so he could invade, plunder, demand everything from her, until she thought she would pass out from bliss.

While one large hand held her arms above her, his free one started down the front of her shirt until his fingers made contact with eager flesh. The sound of people coming off the elevator broke the fevered movement and they jumped apart.

Stella giggled nervously and planted her hands on his chest. “Maybe we should go inside.”

Alex lifted a roguish brow. “Good idea.”

He struggled to get the keycard in the lock. Stella was oddly happy to know she wasn’t the only one flustered.

After getting the door opened, Alex pulled her into him and nudged the door shut with his foot. The second it closed, he was all over her. His mouth and hands continued what he’d started outside. He slid the straps of her tank top off her shoulders and his greedy fingers cupped her breasts over her bra. Stella trembled when he slid his thumb and forefinger under the bra to seize her nipple.