Page 22 of Saving Stella

Thankfully, she wouldn’t have to see him again tomorrow. Besides she never noticed he was watching her this entire time, so she could just pretend he didn’t exist.

In any case, she didn’t plan on crossing paths with him again, at least not until Friday. When she did, she planned to treat him with the same aloofness he displayed toward her.

Chapter 4

Cliff could only watch from the driver’s seat as Stella disappeared into the lobby of her hotel, the scent of lavender and sage lingering in the air.

He had never smelled anything as delicious as Stella Lennon.

He craved it, the moment her scent first hit his nose.

Craved her.

Fuck me.

He knocked his forehead on the steering wheel. This couldn’t be happening.

It couldn’t.

It can’t happen.

He couldn’t have the hots for Devon’s sister.

It was just too messy and complicated. He liked his life just the way it was now.

Simple and uncomplicated.

It took six years to get to this point where he wasn’t so angry at himself and the world. He’d worked too damned hard to throw it all away now.

The fallout from his last fight hadn’t gone as bad as it could have, but it still ended his career in the pros. Rumors and speculations had abounded, fueling every video blogger, sports influencer, and wannabe armchair journalist to publish their analysis of his fight with Alvarez—complete with screenshots and slowed down videos—and many concluded that Cliff had indeed thrown the fight. To his credit, Bonetti had been smart and greased the right palms because the gaming board never launched an official investigation. But the damage had been done, and no one wanted to book Cliff for future fights. Del Williams dropping him had been the final nail in the coffin.

Cliff hadn’t been to Vegas since then. Hell, he refused to even go back to the West Coast. He was just glad that after everything, he at least had his family to go back to. No one—not his parents, sisters, uncles and aunts or cousins, asked him if really did lose the fight on purpose. They all shielded him from the bad press and welcomed him back. His Uncle Killian even offered him a job at Lone Wolf Investigations and Security, which he appreciated as his assignments were often overseas. And then the mage threat popped up, and his Alpha asked if Cliff wanted to join a special task force he created—the Guardian Initiative—to fight them.

Fight their enemies, kick ass, and save the world and their kind?

Sign me up.

Despite the danger, Cliff had never felt more alive than when he tangled with the mages. Unlike when he fought in the cage, this time he had been fighting for his life and the very survival of the world.

Living on the edge and nearly seeing the apocalypse had changed his perspective—he wasn’t even angry about being forced out of the pros anymore, didn’t even miss the fame and fortune. The only regret he had about those days now was disappointing Del and the rest of his team.

If there was something he had been truly grateful for was that he had dodged the biggest bullet of all—his ex-fiancé. Cliff didn’t know what ever happened to Madelyn, and frankly, he didn’t give a shit. Her betrayal had completely destroyed him. More than losing the championship belt and his career, she’d made him swear off relationships. He hadn’t dated anyone since Madelyn, and if he were honest with himself, hadn’t truly wanted anyone else the way he’d wanted her.

At least, not until he met Stella.

I can’t go down that road again.

He couldn’t.

He won’t.

His wolf scratched at him, trying to get his attention. It had been acting weird all day for some reason. Ever since he left the pros, he’d never felt more in tune with his wolf. He’d always suspected it resented him for caging it away whenever he had a fight. After years working for Lone Wolf and the Guardian Initiative, he’d felt even more connected to his Lycan side. While in the pros, he’d forgotten what it was like to call on his wolf for strength and stamina—something he’d needed during their long battles with the mages.

But today, his normally calm wolf started acting restless, anxious even. It had eased somewhat during the long, uncomfortable drive here, but now it was acting up again.

I shouldn’t have come here. Shouldn’t have accepted this assignment in the first place.

When Devon asked him to keep an eye on his sister, Cliff didn’t think twice. Lone Wolf provided security and protection for VIPs all over the world, so it was just a regular job for him. Devon wanted to be prepared, in case the press somehow got wind of the existence of his newly-found sister and they tried to ambush her.