Page 61 of Saving Stella
“I bet you do.”
“I can walk away anytime and?—”
“Cliff?”
He froze.
Fuck me.
He had hoped he heard wrong, but when he turned, saw that it was definitely Stella. She stood above him, a few steps up the staircase. “Stella, I?—”
“Who is this?” she asked. “An old friend?”
Madelyn’s lips pulled back into a malicious smile. “You could say that.” Before Cliff could stop her, she grabbed at him, pulled at his lapels, and brought his head down for a kiss.
“Fuck off!” He managed to push her off before their lips touched. A low, feral growl made the hair at the back of his neck stand on end. At first he thought it was his wolf, but he realized it was Stella—towering over them, her shoulders hunched, fingers in a claw gesture, and her eyes ablaze with the presence of her wolf.
“Fuck!”
Stella lunged at Madelyn, but Cliff managed to catch her. She thrashed in his arms, managing to elbow him in the chest.
“Stop it!” Gritting his teeth, he swung her around and threw her over his shoulder, then rushed toward the back of the room.
He didn’t know where he was going, but he had to get her out before anyone saw her shift, so he hurried through the first door he saw. It led him through the service area, where he rushed past bewildered waiters and dishwashers, then bolted toward the nearest exit sign. It turned out to be the staircase, and since they were fifty stories up, he headed toward the roof.
“Put me down!” Stella shouted as they burst out into the empty rooftop. “Get your hands off me!”
He obliged and dropped her to her feet. “Stella, calm down.”
She swayed side to side before she found her balance, then her hands clawed her unruly locks away from her face. “That was her, wasn’t it?”
“She doesn’t concern you.”
For some reason, that only made her angrier as a snarl ripped from her throat, and her eyes glowed brighter. With her hair mussed, dress disheveled, and face filled with indignation, she looked like an avenging angel coming down from heaven.
Cliff wasn’t sure if he was scared or turned on.
“What I mean is, you shouldn’t let her bother you, sweetheart.” Carefully, he inched toward her, hands raised in front of him so she could keep an eye on them. “She means nothing to me.”
“Then why was she all over you? Why did you kiss her?”
“She was the one who pulled me down—and I didn’t kiss her. Told her to fuck off and pushed her off before her lips even touched mine.” He was right in Stella’s personal space now. “I don’t want her.”
Her shoulders relaxed and her expression softened. “I know. My mind tells me that. After what she did, the trauma she put you through, I told myself that there was no way you could want her. But …”
“What?”
She massaged her temple with her fingers. “It was like something was taking over me. I think … I think it was my wolf.”
“It was,” he confirmed. “I saw it. Your eyes were glowing.”
Her face paled. “It wanted m-me t-to harm her. Cliff, I swear I’ve never?—”
“Shh …” Not knowing what else to do, he closed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around her. “I know. You would never hurt anyone, sweetheart.” Her body shook as he held her, so he kissed the top of her head. “It’s scary, right? Your wolf wanting to take over. Feeling its emotions. It’s like losing control of a car you’re driving.”
“Yeah.”
“It’s natural. And you’ve never done it before, so it’s okay to be scared. I’m sorry I carried you up here like a sack of potatoes, but I didn’t want your first shift to be so public and in front of your coworkers. I wanted you to have a choice.”