Page 77 of Saving Stella
“You’re not showering with me!” she cried.
“I mean, I’ll join you in leaving this conversation.” He rolled his eyes. “I wasn’t asking to shower with you.”
“Good, because I’m not offering.” Snorting at him, she tossed her blonde hair over her shoulder, then marched out.
“Give me back my shirt!” Jacob called as he trailed after her.
Stella took a few seconds to compose herself. “Now that we’re alone, could you please explain why you think I’m having your baby?”
“We had unprotected sex.”
“True, but I’m on the pill to regulate my period.” He didn’t ask last night, but she wouldn’t have been stupid enough to sleep with him without protection. “We can’t be certain.”
“Untrue. You’re pregnant right now.”
She huffed indignantly. “And how would you know?”
“Because you’re my True Mate, that’s why.”
A dull throbbing began at her temples. “That’s … it can’t be …” Charley had mentioned something about True Mates when they were in New York, but only in passing. “You’re not serious.”
“I am. And the fact that your wound healed in seconds proves it. When a female is pregnant with her True Mate’s child, she becomes invincible.”
Her hand went up to her shoulder. She still could not believe what he was saying, but the evidence was there. Sloane’s claws had cut deep, and the blood gushed out; the pain had been unbearable. And now it was as if it had never happened at all. “You came back because I’m pregnant?”
“Of course not. I didn’t even know until I saw you heal in the garage. But I was ready to leave, sitting there in the plane when I realized something.” His tone was gentle now as he rounded the table before sitting on the chair beside her. “I was wrong, Stella. To leave you like that, after the night we shared.”
“It was a one-time thing. We agreed. I under?—”
“No, no.” Taking her hand, he pressed it to his cheek, turning his head to kiss the skin of her palm. “I left because I was scared.”
Blood pounded in her ears. “Of what?”
“You. Of what you made me feel. Vulnerable and opened-up and raw. And that meant I could get hurt again.”
“Madelyn,” she said. “And your championship title fight.”
He nodded. “I have to stop living in the past. I can’t stay locked up because I’m afraid of getting hurt. But even if you did hurt me, I’d keep coming back.”
Her heart soared at his revelation. “I could never hurt you, Cliff.”
“I know. And that’s why I love you, Stella. Will you forgive me for running out on you today? For being an idiot? I’ll grovel for the rest of my life if I have to”
She chuckled as tears gathered in her eyes. “I forgive you. There’s no need to grovel.”
“Because my apology was sincere?”
“Yes. And because loving someone means forgiving them.”
Scooting over closer to her, he pulled her to his chest. “Maybe I’ll do it anyway.”
With that, he sealed his mouth to hers. Stella reached up and cupped his jaw in her hands as she angled his head to give her more access to his mouth. His wonderful coffee scent invaded her senses, sending her wolf into a joyful frenzy.
You knew, didn’t you?
The she-wolf yipped and spun around chasing its tail.
I’m so glad he’s our True Mate.