Page 58 of The Alpha Option
Which was perfect—not—since she hated his guts.
Del scrubbed a little harder at the bacon grease under his fingers. Damn it anyway. It seemed it was one step forward, two steps back for him around here lately.
God, just being in the same room with her made his entire body ache.
He’d felt a hit of interest in Cassidy because of her strength. An intriguing tug toward Stephanie because of the confusing scent…
Stacy left both those sensations in the dust.
“You’re going to scrub the bottom off that pan.” She stood beside him, her golden-brown irises flashing with sunshine as she hesitantly offered him a slight smile.
Clumsy like a starstruck teen, he dropped the pan into the sink. The splash of soapy water sprayed out and soaked him from midchest down.
Stacy gasped and backed up. She’d been hit as well. Water soaked the front of her shirt, and he tore his gaze away from her breasts before he made matters worse by staring.
God, he wanted to stare. Wanted to strip her down and lick her clean with his tongue—
“Sorry. So sorry.” He grabbed the hand towel and reached out to brush her dry, reconsidered, then handed the towel to her instead. “I’m so sorry.”
“You said that already.”
“I’ll say it again if you want me to.” Blathering, he was blathering. When the hell did he lose his balls and turn into a sniveling submissive?
Oh, right. When she’d decked him in the woods the previous night. Followed by her slamming the door in his face a couple of hours ago.
Stacy took the towel and dabbed it against her shirt, but her expression was thoughtful and then full of remorse. She looked him straight in the eye. “I’m the one who owes you an apology.”
Del didn’t move. “What?”
She took a deep breath, her gaze shaky, but she maintained eye contact. “Last night. I was upset at leaving Colt, but you did the right thing. You took me to safety, and even if”—her voice broke, but when he would have moved to comfort her, she held up a hand—“even if the worst had happened, and Colt had been trapped, you were right to get me to safety when you did. Me getting stuck in the van, both of us dying, would have left Ace and Blaze without their mom.”
A cold chill raced over him. The idea of her or any of the boys being gone was wrong. So very wrong.
Stacy raced on. “I’m used to doing things on my own. My first husband was gone a lot on tour, so he let me run things at home pretty much like I wanted. And my second husband—” She shook her head. “Let’s just say that by the end, I had to deal with a lot on my own there as well.”
Del wanted to pick her up and hold her close. Wanted to hear everything that was wrong so he could make it right.
He had it so bad.
Stacy straightened, and her expression turned serious. “Listen to me. I’m babbling. You don’t need to know that I went from the best husband in the world to the worst husband ever, but maybe that explains why being told what to do made my hackles rise.”
“It was a stressful situation. I wasn’t offended,” he assured her.
“I’m saying you were right to haul me away, despite my protests. Thank you for making the decision I couldn’t.”
His feet were nailed to the floor as he was struck motionless by shock. “I’m so glad it ended well, but thanks for being understanding.”
“And I shouldn’t have slammed the door in your face.” Stacy swallowed hard. “I… Well, I guess we’ll be sharing more secrets over the coming days, since Cassidy explained you’re part of the pack leadership. This is my fresh start with the kids. Another fresh start,” she said, wrinkling her nose in the most adorable way.
He’d heard bits. Knew her oldest son was from that military husband who’d died in service. Her younger two—their father sounded like a lot more trouble. “I don’t need to know your secrets.”
“No? Well, I guess not yet. But you do deserve an apology. I am sorry, and I’m glad I’m here to make it. I hope we can be friends going forward.”
“Absolutely.” They had to start somewhere. No way was he stopping at friends, though.
Stacy nodded. “I need friends.” She laughed a little uneasily, setting up and taking over the washing. “Lots and lots of friends.”
“You’ve got a good start,” Del promised. “Not only because Cassidy is a rock and you and your sister seem amazing together. But the pack will be there for you too.”
