Discovering Stella Read Online Free

out of the window and unaware that we’d stopped. I took the opportu nity to study her profile, taking in her saddened and seemingly lost expression. It was now very clear to me that something had happened to this woman. Something bad. Something that had the ability to put the fear of god into her and zap all of her light at the flick of a switch. That much was obvious. And it was in that moment that I found myself desperate to find out what that something was.
    “We’re here,” I said softly.
    She blinked a couple of times and then turned to face me, her brow furrowed with confusion, as if she’d had no idea I was even there. “What?”
    “We’re here,” I informed her again.
    Stella straightened and looked back out the window, this time taking in the scenery before her. “Oh, thanks,” she said quietly, giving me what I thought was an apologetic smile before open ing the truck door and climbing out. Why the fuck is she feeling sorry? I’m the world’s biggest arsehole here.
    I followed suit, making my way to her car and popping the boot to retrieve her bags. There were only two, which surprised me; for a girl, she sure as hell travelled light .
    The front door of the house opened, and Todd made his way down the porch steps, greeting Stella with a massive bear hug. “Holy fuck, Stel Bel, look at you. What happened to your blonde hair?”
    She appeared to grip him tightly, choosing not to answer at first, which made me panic just slightly. If Todd found out what had happened, there was no doubt in my mind we’d be having words, words with our fists.
    “Stel Bel, what’s wrong?” he asked, clearly worried. He looked toward me, eyes wide with uncertainty. “And why are you wearing Lawson’s shirt?”
    Before I could answer, Stella spoke. “I’m fine,” she mumbled into his shoulder. “I’m just tired and hot, and upset about my car. And the reason I’m wearing Lawson’s top is because mine got wet.”
    Well, fuck me laughing. The fact that Stella had chosen not to elaborate on her somewhat truthful answer and place me in the shit with her stepbrother surprised the absolute hell out of me. At the very least, I’d expected her to tell him I was the worst tow truck driver in the world.
    Nodding an unspoken greeting at Todd, I walked past with Stella’s bags. “I’ll just put them inside.”
    “Thanks, Lawson. I owe you, mate.”
    “No sweat.”
    “I can take them,” Stella called out after me.
    “It’s all good. It’s the least I can do,” I replied, ignoring the objection in her voice.
    Moments later, I exited the house to find Todd staring deeply into Stella’s eyes, his hands cupping her face. He looked at her with grave concern. Shit!
    “Stel, you can tell me —”
    “I’m fine,” she replied sadly, flicking her gaze toward me then quickly flicking it back to Todd. “Really, I’m fine. I’m just so happy to see you, and even more so because nothing has changed between us. Honestly, I wasn’t sure how you’d react after not seeing me for so long.”
    “What? I’ll always consider you my little sister.” He winked and pulled her in for an embrace. “You’re the only one I’ve got.”
    “I’ve missed you, Todd,” Stella said, choking out a sob.
    Not wanting to interrupt their reunion, I walked past the two of them and opened my truck door, climbing onto the side step.
    “Wait! What are you going to do with my car?” Stella called out with desperation as she broke free from Todd and jogged to my door.
    “I’m taking it to the workshop to have a look at it. You may have blown a head gasket,” I explained.
    “What does that mean?”
    “It means that if you have, I’ll need to order a replacement.” She looked down at her feet then up again. “Is that expensive?
    And how long will it take?”
    “A week ... maybe two. Don’t worry; as soon as the part is in I’ll get to work on it. How long are you hanging around?” My query hid an ulterior motive. I wanted to