“So you say,” she teases as she walks to the order system. “Same as usual?”
I nod. “Extra sauce.”
“Gotcha,” she calls over her shoulder, and of course, I check out her sweet ass. It makes the perfect upside-down heart. She has a pear-shaped body, and I want to suck the juice out of her. I know she’d taste damn good, and I want to drown between her legs. When she looks back at me suddenly, I know she catches me checking her out, but I don’t think she minds. She gives me a wide grin before moving down the bar. “I’ll be back.”
“Not soon enough,” I mutter as I glance up at the TV above the bar. The bar area isn’t packed like it usually is, but there are a decent number of people. Stella works the room like she’s been doing this since she was a toddler. Everyone loves her. How could they not? She’s insanely beautiful and funny. Every few minutes, she comes to check on me and refills my drink. When she gets a moment, she leans on the bar, taking in a deep breath.
“How’s it going?”
“It’s going,” I say, a little more melancholy than I intend.
“I hear that,” she says with a sigh. “Sorry y’all lost last night.”
I shrug. “Things are a mess right now.”
“I know. Aiden isn’t happy.”
“Nope. None of us are.”
Our eyes meet, and everything inside me clenches. She’s just so fucking beautiful. “You’re gorgeous as always, Stella.”
She waves me off. “Behave, Wesley.” But I see the grin. The glow on her face. She loves my attention, and fuck, I love hers. When she walks away, I watch her as she heads to the back. I reach for my cup, taking a long pull as I glance up at the TV. Baseball is on, but it doesn’t hold my attention. My mind is still whirling, and I really don’t want to go home. We don’t have practice tomorrow, so I might hit up one of the guys and see if they want to hang. Or maybe I should just face my fear of being alone. I have to accept that my therapist is leaving. There is nothing I can do about it. Her family comes first; I get that. I never had that after I lost my mom, but I get it. I crave it.
Stella comes from the back with a tray of food. I watch as she moves along the bar, setting down meals with a grin and asking questions. When she comes to me, she places my plate in front of me and grins. Instantly, my mouth waters, and I’m unsure if it’s because of the juicy steak or her.
I’m thinking the latter.
“I am starving.”
“Me too,” she groans, looking at my food. “I’m gonna get this when my shift is over.”
“Want some now?” I say, offering my fork, and to my surprise, she takes it.
“Thank you. I’m so hungry!” she says, laughing before reaching for another fork and handing me mine back. She quickly eats two bites and groans loudly. “I swear they make this the best when it’s for you.”
“I feel special.”
“You are. I told them you were down in the dumps because your face is broken.”
I scoff. “It’s not broken anymore. Just super fucked up.”
“Eh, it’s not bad at all,” she says, waving me off.
“No?” I ask as she meets my gaze with a piece of steak on her fork.
“Nope,” she says, putting the full piece in her mouth. “I tend to find you hot all the time, though, if I’m honest. So the bruising doesn’t really bother me.”
“Do you now?” I tease, and she grins, not even the least bit ashamed.
“You know I do. Don’t try to embarrass me. If I didn’t find you hot, I wouldn’t have let you feel me up.”
Oh God. My body catches on crazy fire as our gazes stay locked. “That’s good to know. But that’s when I looked good. Now that it looks as if I’ve been kicked in the face—”
“I’d still let you feel me up, Wes,” she says simply, taking another forkful of pasta as her eyes dance with mine. I’m so glad I didn’t go home. “Not that I will.”
“Of course not.”
Her lips quirk, making my stomach clench. She takes big bites, and I love that she likes to eat. She’s got a pretty amazing figure, and I wouldn’t expect her to be an eater. Most girls with her body type don’t eat, but that’s not the case with Stella.
“Have you not eaten today?”
Her cheeks turn red as she covers her mouth. “Sorry, I’ll order—”
“No, it’s fine. You just said you were hungry.”
“Yeah. I’ve been going all day. I worked out this morning, had four classes today, and then I’m working now. Thankfully, I get off early.”
“You need to eat, Stella.”
“I know. I don’t usually do this. Though, I did have three cupcakes this morning.”