Page 100 of Choosing Stella

“But you told me the warning. We made the plan. You triggered the alert when it changed.”

“And you came.”

“I trusted you.”

Stella looked up at me.

The white streak had fallen across her forehead. Her red lipstick had faded, and there was a tiny smear of raspberry near the corner of her mouth that had somehow survived everything.

I brushed it away with my thumb.

“I told you I would.”

“I know.”

I leaned down and kissed her briefly. The room still had police in it.

Stella smiled against my mouth.

“You know your terrifying fruit punch is probably still sitting somewhere.”

“I hope somebody threw it away.”

“That’s wasteful.”

“It was purple.”

“It was festive.”

“It was terrible.”

She laughed.

I kept her hand in mine as we headed for the doors.

Stella slowed beside me.

“Geo.”

I turned.

“When you said you wanted us after the assignment, you meant it?”

“I meant every word.”

Her fingers tightened around mine. “Good. Because surviving tonight didn’t change my mind either.”

“About me?”

“About us.”

I pulled her against me and kissed her.

Stella wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me back, warm and alive and still mine because she wanted to be.

When we finally broke apart, she smiled up at me.

“Take me home.”