“Is that what you’d like to do?”

She shrugged. “Maybe. But I’m not in any rush. I’d like to make sure everything goes smoothly with Signature Scent for a while. I worked on it while working full-time for so long, and then after I left my job, I threw myself into it even deeper.” Stella paused and looked out to the ocean. Smiling, she said, “I think I’d like to conquer happiness next.”

The waitress brought over our wine. Stella dipped her nose into the glass for a sniff and smiled, so I knew it would be good. After, the waitress filled both our glasses and said she’d be back in a few minutes to take our order.

“Are you saying your happiness system isn’t working?” I teased.

“No, not at all. I just…working fourteen hours a day might bring financial satisfaction, but that’s not the only thing that matters.”

My eyes roamed her face. “Yeah, I’m starting to realize that myself.”

She smiled and tilted her head. “Are you happy?”

“At the moment, very much so.”

She laughed. “I’m glad. But I meant in general, in your life.”

I sipped my wine and gave it some thought. “That’s a pretty big question. I guess there are things in my life I’m very happy with—my work, having financial stability, my friends, my family, my current dating situation.” I winked. “But then there are things I’m not happy with, like not seeing my daughter every night when I get home, coming home to an empty house...”

Stella nodded. “I think a lot of the reason I’ve struggled to be happy over the last year or two has been that my life turned out a lot different than I’d envisioned it. I needed to let go of what I thought my life was supposed to look like in order to write a new story.”

And to think when I first met this woman, I’d thought she was flaky. A few months later, I’m realizing she’s the one with the firm grip on life, and it’s me who has a lot to learn. Even crazier than that, I’m hoping that when she writes that new story, I get to be part of it.

CHAPTER 22

Hudson

I couldn’t help but kiss her.

After an entire day and evening looking at her with barely a touch, I’d begun to feel like a man who hadn’t eaten in days, and she was a big, juicy steak. So when the kid at the valet jogged off to get my rental car, I tugged Stella’s hand and pulled her to the side of the building.

“What are you doing?”

“Eating your face.”

She giggled. “Eating it? That doesn’t sound too romantic.”

“Trust me.” I wrapped one arm around her waist and pulled her flush against me, while my other hand gripped her neck and tilted her head where I wanted it. “I’ll romance you—whispering in your ear, sending you notes to let you know I’m thinking about you. You just might want to shield your phone when you’re around others before you open my messages.”

She bit down on her bottom lip, and I groaned.

“Give me that.” My mouth descended on hers, and she surprised the shit out of me when she caught my lip and bit down.

Pulling her head back just slightly with my flesh between her teeth, she flashed an evil smile. “I might eat your face first.”

We were both still laughing as I sealed my mouth over hers for a long-ass kiss. The sound of a couple nearby was the only thing that kept me from feeling her up right outside the restaurant.

We returned to the valet station, and when our rental car pulled up, I waved the kid off as he went to open Stella’s door. I handed him a tip while she climbed inside.

I was glad it was a long drive to show her all of the touristy crap, because I needed some time to recover after that kiss.

Settling in behind the wheel, I buckled. “I was thinking we could hit the Hollywood sign and then go over to Hollywood Boulevard to take a walk. That’s where the Walk of Fame is. Maybe tomorrow we could check out Santa Monica Pier, Venice Beach, and a few other places.”

“Would you mind a change in plans?” she asked. “I was thinking we could just go back to the hotel.”

As much as I hated touristy crap, I’d been looking forward to showing her around. I definitely wasn’t ready to call an end to our first official date. But today had been a long day for her, so I hid my disappointment.

“Sure. Of course. You must be tired. I wasn’t thinking.”

“Actually…” She reached over and laid her hand on my thigh. “I’m not tired at all.”

And…the woman just kept on surprising me. I turned my head and caught her gaze. “You sure?”

She nodded with a shy smile. “How long is the drive back? I wasn’t paying attention on the way here.”

“It’s about a half hour.” I put the car into drive. “But I’ll get us there in twenty minutes.”

***

I replayed Stella telling me she wanted to go back to the hotel over and over in my mind as I broke a half-dozen traffic laws on the drive. She’d laid her cards on the table. She wanted to be alone with me, but I didn’t want to assume that meant she wanted to have sex. I’d have to remember that, because I tended to go from zero to a hundred whenever my lips so much as touched hers.

We’d gone to dinner early since we’d planned to go sightseeing after, so when we walked into the hotel lobby it was barely eight o’clock.

“Do you want to get a drink at the bar?” I asked.

“I haven’t touched the bar in my room, and it’s stocked pretty well.”

I smiled. “To your room then…”

Back in her suite, Stella slipped off her shoes while I walked behind the bar to see what she had. She hadn’t been exaggerating; the thing had more choices than any hotel room I’d ever stayed in.

I lifted a bottle of merlot and a full-size bottle of gin. “Are you in the mood for more wine or something else?”

Stella was rummaging through her purse. She sighed with exasperation as she tossed it on the couch. “Do you have condoms?”

Okay, then. Something else it is.

I set the bottles down and stepped out from behind the bar, keeping a few feet of distance between us.

“I do.”

“With you now?”

I chuckled. “Yes, with me now.”

She swallowed. “I went back on the pill a few weeks ago, but you need to be on it a full month before you’re protected.”

I took a step closer to her. “We’re good.”

“How many do you have with you?”

My brows jumped. “Big plans for the night?”

She flashed the goofiest smile. “It’s been a while for me. A long while.”

I smiled and closed the distance between us. Brushing the hair from her shoulder, I leaned down and dropped a soft kiss on her creamy skin. “I have two with me. But I have more in my suitcase back in my room.”

“Okay…” She looked away for a few seconds, and I could see the wheels in her head turning as her eyes lost focus.

“Is there something else you want to talk ab—”

I didn’t get to finish the question because Stella launched herself at me. Caught off guard, I stumbled back a few steps but managed to keep her in my arms. I’d heard the saying climbed like a tree before, but never actually experienced it. In one swoop, she jumped up, wrapped her legs around my waist and arms around my neck, and her lips came crashing down on mine.