I close my eyes. “I never believed that anyway...I just...well, you’re this incredible man...you could have anyone. I guess it’s just a little hard for me to believe that you’d choose me over any other woman.”
“I’ve never wanted any other woman,” he growls. “All this time, I was waiting for you. I knew my perfect woman would come along when the time was right...and now is the right time, Stella. You’re beautiful and smart and creative and sexy...of course I want you. Every man wants a woman like you.”
I feel tears sliding down my cheeks and he reaches out to brush them away with his thumbs.
“Don’t cry, baby,” he says in a soft voice. “You’re mine now. My woman. And I’m going to take care of you. I’m going to show you just how special you are. I’m going to treat you like my queen because that’s what you are. You deserve the world, baby, and I’m going to give it to you.”
I lean in to kiss his lips. It still feels so strange to me that I can just kiss him whenever I want, but it’s also more magical than I can ever describe. His tongue slides into my mouth and he presses his body against me. Through his underwear, I can feel his cock alert and ready for me. My heart beats faster. I feel like we’re about to make love again, and I’m more than ready. I want him to take me all day long…
But as that thought strikes me, the door flies open.
Jaxson
I hear the door slam open and Stella moves away from me with a gasp. If it’s housekeeping coming into the room, then I couldn’t care less. Not much can stop me from having Stella right here, right now….even if we do have some interruptions.
But from the look of horror on Stella’s face, I realize that the reality of the situation is much worse. I turn around to see Sam standing in the doorway, his face red with anger. His gaze fixed on me and I’ve never seen a man look so angry.
“You…” he hisses. “I should’ve known. I should’ve known you couldn’t be trusted!”
I put my hands in the air in surrender. “Easy, easy,” I snarl. “You have no idea what’s happening here.”
“You’re taking advantage of my daughter, that’s what’s happening!” Sam snaps. “You’ve been eyeing her up like a piece of meat for the past two days...you never cared about making amends, did you? In fact, this is just your way of stabbing me in the back again isn’t it.”
“No, Dad, it’s not like that,” Stella says desperately, grabbing her robe and pulling it on. “Just listen to me, I can explain…”
“You lied to me,” Sam snarls at Stella. “You knew this would make me angry and you did it anyway. Worse, you tried to keep it a secret. What the hell, Stella? I thought I knew you...my little girl…”
“You do know me,” Stella sobs. “But I’m not a kid any more, Dad. I’m a grown woman and I’ve fallen in love.”
“Love?” Sam scoffs. “You’re not in love. You only met two days ago!”
“I love him, Daddy, with all of my heart. Please listen to me.”
“I don’t want to hear another word out of your mouth!”
“Don’t talk to her like that,” I growl, stepping forward. Every possessive bone in my body has stiffened, readying me for a fight with Sam if necessary. I didn’t want it to come to this, but he’s managing to push every single one of my buttons. He comes closer to me, trying to intimidate me by getting in my face.
“I’ll talk to her however I want to, she’s my daughter! Who the hell are you to tell me what I can and can’t do?”
“You seem to think we can live by your own rules...you tried to stop me from going after her...but I did. I guess we’re both pretty bad at doing what we’re told,” I growl. “You need to listen to me. Stella is an amazing woman and I’ve fallen for her. I’m not going anywhere. Not now that I know she feels the same way as I do. Not now that I’ve gotten her pregnant. We’re going to be a family.”
Sam’s eyes widen in genuine shock. “What?”
“You heard me, Sam. We’re going to have a baby. We’re going to be a family and get married and build a future together. I’m not kidding around. You’re just going to have to accept it and move on.”
For a second, I think Sam’s going to nod and say it’s okay. For a second, I genuinely fool myself into believing that he’ll put his daughter first. But then his face twists in anger and I know that he’ll never be able to move past this. He glares between me and Stella.
“You mean to tell me that after two days, you’re planning to spend the rest of your lives together? With a baby?” He shakes his head. “No daughter of mine is going to have that man’s child,” he snarls, jabbing a finger in my direction. “You can’t trust him, Stella. He’s a backstabber and a liar and...”
“No, he’s not,” Stella cries. “You told yourself all those things years ago and you’ve clung onto that idea ever since just so that you wouldn’t feel so damn stupid for giving up the chance to work together. You want to believe that Jaxson is the villain here...but if you tell me to leave him, Daddy...then it’s you who is the villain.”
With his eyes filled with fury, Sam grabs Stella’s wrist and pulls her toward the door. “You’re coming with me. We’re flying home today. And you’re never going to see Jaxson again.”
“Dad,
