Stella stilled momentarily before rising up and standing on the bed above him. She felt his eyes clinging to her throbbing sex.

“I belong to you, remember? Whatever you want, it’s yours.”

After coming so hard he felt drunk, Van stumbled to the bathroom. He glanced at the shower, quickly choreographing the many ways he could take Stella Jo in it. He tried to piss, but his poor dick was so worn out it couldn’t aim for shit. Small price to pay in his opinion.

She was wrapped in his sheets when he returned to bed. Dreamy-eyed with sex-mussed hair. Fucking hell she was beautiful.

Even after he’d sprawled her onto his kitchen table and made her pussy his after sex dessert, licking her to orgasm after orgasm until she begged for mercy, she still looked at him with desire in her eyes. Tempting as it was to sink back into the warmth of her, he wanted to give her what she’d needed in more ways than just with his dick.

“You want to tell me more about those bizarre circumstances, cowgirl? The ones you learned about on your trip home?”

She snuggled in beside him and tilted her mouth up for a kiss. Which he gave her. There was nothing he wouldn’t give her.

Her fingers danced random patterns across his chest. “My mom isn’t actually my mom, not technically anyway. My parents used a surrogate to have me and… It was all just kind of… crazy. How it happened, I mean.”

Of all the things she could’ve said, he was pretty sure he’d expected that answer the least.

“And they just now told you this? Twenty-some odd years later?”

“I’ll be twenty-three next week,” she told him. “You know, in case you wanted to get me a gift.” Her mouth descended onto his chest.

He let his fingers tangle in her hair. “Oh yeah? I’ll see what I can do then.”

“Anyway,” she continued, propping her chin on his chest. “My biological mother’s name was Grace Whitman. She had an abusive boyfriend and…well, honestly, that’s about all I know about her. She died in a car accident with him when I was young.”

Van wrapped his arms around her tightly. “I’m sorry, baby. I know none of that probably felt good to hear.”

And then she’d come to him, and he’d been an asshole of epic proportions. Razor blades of self-hatred shredded his insides.

“No, it didn’t. But I had an idea. Grace’s story kind of reminded me of Val’s and it got me thinking.” Stella sat up suddenly. “What if there had been a place, a place where they could’ve went—somewhere they would’ve been safe, gotten help until they could get on their feet? Maybe they wouldn’t have ended up…like they did.”

“Like a shelter?” Van offered.

Stella bit her bottom lip thoughtfully. “Sort of. Just like… I don’t know. A safe haven where they could get counseling and have a roof over their heads until they figured things out. Grace’s Haven, I’d call it.”

Van sat up next to her. She was beautiful, this woman who he loved, who—by some miraculous gift from the universe—loved him back. Beautiful and selfless.

“If there’s one thing I’ve learned from being here, it’s that we all have to find our own way, you know? Find a way to live our lives without letting regrets and mistakes and painful shit from the past dictate everything we do. Or don’t do.”

Stella smiled as if he’d just revealed the formula for world peace. She leaned forward and placed her lips on his neck. He felt his arousal building just from the decadent brush of her bare skin against his.

“Place like that would probably be kind of expensive to run and staff and all that.”

“Yeah. Probably,” she said against his throat.

“Well if there’s anything I can do to help out with that, you just say the word, cowgirl.”

This time when a knock came at his door, he really was surprised. Stella froze and sat upright. His usual visitor was sitting next to him, naked in his bed.

“Who do you think that could be?” Stella whispered as he got out of the bed.

“No idea.” Grabbing a pair of mesh shorts and yanking them on, he nodded at her to cover up. His good girl pulled the covers over her head just as he looked through the peephole.

Jesse Ramirez stood there looking panicked.

Van checked to make sure Stella was hidden from view before he opened the door.

“Kinda early, man.”

“Yeah, listen. If she’s in there, you need to get her out. Now.”

Van frowned. “Okay. Why’s that?”

“One of the nurses has pictures of you two together. They aren’t innocent. And they don’t leave much to the imagination if you get my drift. My dad’s making sure they don’t get leaked to the public, but he has to do something.”

Van roughly scrubbed a hand over his face. “All right. Any idea what that something is?”

“The policy is pretty clear on employee-client relations. All I know is they’re coming to search your room under a bullshit tip that someone slipped you some pills. And if they find her, you’re screwed. Er, metaphorically speaking.”

Van groaned. That wasn’t a bullshit tip. That was Vanessa’s crazy ass trying to ruin his life as usual.

“Thanks for the heads up. I’ll handle it.”

Jesse nodded. “Look, man. One more thing.”

Van leaned on the doorframe and waited. “Maybe you should just confess. Say you seduced her but she turned you down after you practically assaulted her. You’re famous. Shit won’t stick.”

“No,” Van heard Stella say from behind him. “He’s not doing that.”

Jesse appeared unfazed as she appeared beside him wrapped in a sheet.

“The facility isn’t exactly thriving financially. My dad’s a practical man. He cares more about staying open for clients than the rules. He can probably be bought.”

“We’ll figure something out, Jesse. Thank you.” Stella dismissed him easily.

Van shook his head. “Man has a point.”

“Stop. It will be fine.” She ran back toward the bed and dressed quickly.

Van blocked Jesse’s view intentionally. His eyes hadn’t missed an inch of Stella’s bare skin. He didn’t care what she thought. Jesse Ramirez was on the same team as him. And he was not going to see his girl naked.

“You’re not giving up your career for one I’m not even sure I want. Hang on, Jess. I’ll walk back with you.” Stella came up beside him and kissed him hard on the mouth. She held his face until his eyes opened to meet her penetrating gaze. “I love you. I belong to you. I’ll see you soon, okay?”

He nodded, trying his best to ignore the unsettling feeling her words gave him as she walked away from him with another man.

She hadn’t even given him a chance to say that he loved her too.

“She what?” Van stared at the man across the desk.

“Resigned, Mr. Walker.”

He shook his head. “Cut the fucking Mr. Walker shit. You know who I am.”

They’d come for him a few hours after she’d left. Searched his place and found nothing. Except the red panties he liked to tie her wrists with.

Van had raised an eyebrow when one of the orderlies held them up. “What I wear on the weekends is my business,” he told the young guy, probably giving him a very unpleasant mental image of Van in those panties.

Dr. Ramirez shifted in his seat, returning his attention to the present. Van figured he was taking inventory of his breakable belongings. Smart man.

“She emailed me just over an hour ago. Said something had come up at home and that she was needed on her family’s ranch.”

Bullshit. Van wanted to scream. Bull-fucking-shit. She’d told him enough that he knew that wasn’t true.

The doctor acknowledged Van’s surfacing rage with sympathetic eyes. “She would’ve been let go, Mr. Ransom. And you would’ve been released for inappropriate conduct with an employee. She knew that. It’s all very clear in our employee conduct policy. She did the right thing. Can’t say we won’t miss her. But it was best for everyone.”