Freeing Destiny (Fate #2) (17 page)

Now I was miffed. I swung one leg over his body and stood from the couch, snatching my bra from the place he’d flung it beside him. Redressing, I huffed and puffed like a little kid venting her defeat. How many guys would stop at second base during a kiss like that? Was something wrong with me? Maybe I wasn’t sexy enough? Was I doing it wrong?

My doubts only made me angry at Jack. “I don’t need you to treat me like a baby. I’m not trying to
prove
anything, you jerk. I wanted
that.
I
was
enjoying myself. What the hell’s the matter with me?” Hot tears burned the corners of my eyes, but I couldn’t give in and let them flow. I’d look pathetic.

Turning away to head toward the kitchen for a drink, I wiped at the lone tear that managed to escape. Before I could take a step, Jack was at my side, his arms tightening around my shoulders.

“There is nothing wrong with you, Stella. Don’t you dare think that! This is all me. I don’t want to fuck it up, and I don’t want you to race into things. It’s all been one big rush and I’m scared you’ll come to your senses and regret it all. We don’t have to do this at some high speed pace because you think we’re running out of time. I want you so fucking bad you can’t even imagine how hard it was to stop, but I’m the one with something to prove here, Stella. I have to prove that I’m worth it. That I’m worth what you’ve given up for me, and that I’m in it for the long haul.”

It was sincerity at its finest. There was no bullshit to cut through, no ulterior motive to be suspicious of. It was moments like these when I knew my heart wasn’t being led blindly. I was falling for the right reasons. He was the kind of man every girl only dreamed of finding. I was lucky enough to have found him. Now all I had to do was figure out a way to keep him without screwing things up.

Jack

Damn, I wanted to be inside her already. My balls were punishing me for not letting my dick get its way, but my balls would have to be patient. This wasn’t a race, or a shag to brag to my friends about. This was the real thing. Something I’d been unintentionally searching for all my life. Realizing that was like discovering I’d been living with a set of blinders—impairing not only my vision, but every God-given sensation.

When I locked my eyes on her at the wedding last week, something clicked—and it wasn’t just a dick rumbling awareness. It was something I’d never experienced before; something I couldn’t possibly pass up because of pride or uncertainty. Going for my best friend’s stepdaughter and a girl who wasn’t exactly on my sister’s favorite-person-list was definitely not ideal. But none of that mattered now.

What had once been a hankering of curiosity was now a full blown relationship with feelings, rearranged plans, and talks of a future.

One fucking week. Seven stinking days was all it took for me to realize everything I’d been missing out on. And now that she was staying—giving up what she believed in for
me
—I had a lot to prove. Sex was not the way to prove anything other than how fucking attracted I was to Stella. But she knew that already, so I’d have to work on the more important aspects of our connection. I’d do anything to show her she made the right decision by giving us more time.

I opened my heart to her by admitting why I wanted to wait. She seemed disappointed that I stopped her from getting in my pants, but I’d make her understand it wasn’t about
not
wanting her. It was about wanting so much more from her than sex.

“Don’t be upset, Stella. Believe me, I want you, baby. But not like this. Not with you using your banging body as a distraction or as some hasty weapon against time.”

Pulling out of my embrace, a whoosh of beachy blonde waves swirled around her as she reared back and threw her hands on her hips. “Hey, are you accusing me of using my greater attributes to screw with your head?”

Her adorable grin gave me more ammo to continue messing with her. “Yes. I’m not as dumb as I look, you know? I can think with my brain and not my junk even while being lured in by a temptress.”

“Temptress?
Me
?” She seemed surprised, but pride flickered across her face. I was feeding the wrong ego here, but so be it. I’d feed her beautiful ego any day.

I placed a soft, lingering kiss on her forehead. Girls were suckers for forehead kisses—showed a guy could be sweet and tender or some shit like that. Her breath hitched and a low moan escaped her lips as I brought my fingertips to them. Eyeing her with the kind of emotion I could only describe as adoration and worship, I told her what she needed to hear. “Don’t pretend you don’t know how crazy you drive me, Stella. You can’t be that naïve. You’re gorgeous, smart, funny, your body is
insane
, and you make me smile bigger than I’ve ever smiled before. How many times do I have to tell you you’re the whole package for you to start believing it?”

She closed her eyes and inhaled through her nose. On the exhale, she reopened her eyes, now filled with acknowledgment. “Thank you, Jack,” she hummed, before she kissed me gently on the mouth.

“For what?” I had so much I wanted to thank
her
for.

“For being you. I don’t know how I got so lucky.”

“Actually,” I sang as I raised a finger and winced. “If we’re being honest here, you
didn’t
get lucky tonight. Now get your mind out of the gutter, stop with all the sexual innuendos, and slow your libido, woman.”

Stella’s eyes went wide as her hand balled up into a fist. She slugged me—hard—on the arm and even though it kinda hurt, I deserved it so I simply laughed at her stunned expression.

“You sure you want to stay? I’m a pain in the ass to put up with.”

Dragging her hands through her hair with a rumbling growl of frustration, she admitted, “Call me crazy, but yes, I’m sure.”

We spent the rest of the night singing along to The Dave Matthews Band concert while huddled in our own romantic cocoon. We laughed hearty, feel-good laughs. We shared secrets about our fears, and dreams for our futures. We talked more about our families—avoiding the one person I knew she’d rather me not mention. And we made plans to venture outside our little bubble fit for two.

I could finally call her mine. Stella was my girl. My California girl, for now. In a few months I’d most likely wind up being her long distance boyfriend, but the idea of being
nothing
to her was what scared me most. It wasn’t just Stella I had to prove shit to, it was everyone who meant something to her. They needed to see this was the real thing and not some fluke of fate.

“Why are you so scared of Nina? She’s not going to bite you.”

We had dinner plans with Nina and Ryan. Something about being on their turf—in their home—made me feel helpless. From what Stella told me, Nina was the strong-minded big-mouth of the two. Twins by genetics, but nothing more from what I
could tell. Stella loved her sister something fierce though. I’d gauged that their bond was something no man wanted to mess with. I felt a pang of guilt for not forging the same kind of relationships with my own family. Don’t get me wrong, Emma and I were close, but Aubrey . . . I’d always kept her at a distance. She was overbearing and dramatic. I loved her because she was my sister, but after the stunt she pulled on Caleb and Gabriella—I was glad she was out of the picture right now. We all needed a break from her.

“I’m not scared. I just want them to like me. Does that sound super cheesy?”

She laughed as she slipped on a pair of flip flops that decorated her dainty feet perfectly. “Coming from Mr. Machismo, yes, definitely cheesy, but also super sweet.” She planted a kiss on the tip of my nose and I suddenly had the urge to drown myself in everything that was intoxicating about this woman. Grabbing her arms, I pulled her down on top of me. She faltered at first from the forceful tug and then settled comfortably on my lap.

“Shit, I really like you, Sunshine.”

“Wow, a declaration of affection with the word
shit
in it. So romantic.”

“Seriously,” I chided, playing with the loose curls that draped over her shoulder. “Any last minute advice on how to win Nina over?” I held her tight on my lap to keep from popping up and pacing the floor. They’d be home from the liquor store any minute and I was as antsy as a sinner on Sunday.

“You have nothing to worry about. You’re already on her good list. You make her sister happy, that’s all that matters.” She tried to escape my embrace by wiggling out of my arms. “Come on. Let me go. I told her I’d make the salad before she got back.”

I loosened my grip, but not before I stole a kiss that would show her how much she meant to me. “You make me pretty happy, too. Now let’s go impress the sister . . . the mother we worry about later.”

Giggling, Stella rose from my lap and pulled me up by the hand. “Yeah, explaining this all to Mom
and
Caleb will be a lot of fun. I’ll need more than wine to get through that dinner.”

Her reaction made me realize that even if tonight went exceptionally well with Nina, we still weren’t out of the sea of scrutiny yet. I was sure Caleb would be happy for his friend the way I was happy he found Gabriella. But my sister was his wife’s arch nemesis and his real-life stalker—that was an issue we’d all have to resolve eventually.

Stella

Jack’s nervousness was adorable—yet another turn on. For a guy who was usually so cool and confident, his leg was bouncing up and down underneath the table, and he was eyeing Nina like she was a prison warden.

Easing his nerves with my hand on his knee, I cleared my throat as my sister lifted her glass for a toast.
Oh no
,
what’s this all about?
I didn’t want her making things more uncomfortable for Jack. “Neen, no need for formalities tonight. This is just a casual dinner between two sisters and their boyfriends.” I squeezed Jack’s bobbing knee at the mention of boyfriend. He returned the gesture by cupping his hand over mine. It was the first time I’d said it out loud and his reaction told me I hadn’t overstepped.

Interrupting my happy moment, Nina clinked my glass and blurted, “Exactly!
You
have finally managed to get yourself one. That’s reason to celebrate!”

I wanted to slap her smug face.

Jack somehow found it amusing because he let out a tiny chuckle.