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"There you are" Michael stepped outside, and the door shut behind hiaze ju on? Are you okay?"

"I needed some fresh air"

Quan’s brow furrowed like he wanted to speak, and Stella held her breath

Don’t tell hi would change And she didn’t want that to happen yet

"She was trying to borrow cab fare fro and wanted to run," Quan said

Her stohter at his words He made her sound emotional and possessive She wished it weren’t true

"You were going to leave? Just like that?" Michael asked, his voice tinged with disbelief

She stared down at the paveht there? Give ripped her waist and pulled her against hiht around her, his solid presence Heaven She shut her eyes and sagged against hio back in?" he asked

"No" Adrenaline shot through her body, tightening every ht, she added, "Please"

"Let’s go home, then"

Chapter 11

Stella was reserved as they walked the few blocks back to her white Model S Several ti her temples, but when he asked if she had a headache, her response was an unintelligiblethe silent , but that didn’t seele word When Quan had told him she wanted to abandon hiut The last person to leave him had been his dad But where Michael’s dad had left him with an enormous mess to clean up, Stella had planned to leave him with her car and her credit card Who did that?

Even worse, he hadn’t deserved it Either ti his crazy ex-client fro an enormous scene in front of Stella Aliza was a true diva and loved dra herhalf of his net worth--she wanted Michael back She illing to pay whatever it took

She refused to accept that Michael would rather fuck his way through splintered driftwood than return to her bed She’d detained hiant nu her mouth to his

He would forever associate the taste of cinnaarettes, and whiskey with Aliza

So different from Stella, who tasted likemint chocolate chip ice cream

They piled into her car, and she activated the seat warainst the backrest, and stared out the , absently tapping her fingers on her knees He turned the radio on to break the silence, but she pro It was hypnotic but a little annoying

He sent her a pointed look, but she didn’t notice

After he took theht traffic on 101S, he broke down and said, "When you do that finger tapping, are you playing a song? Like on the piano?"

She stopped tapping her fingers and sat on her hands "It’s Debussy’s Arabesque I really like the cohth notes"

"So you play?" When he’d picked her up from her don Palo Alto house, it had been i her otherwise e roo seous, she was officially his dreaue as to be laughable

Even if he didn’t have all the shit associated with his dad dangling between theirl like her could want There was his face and his body, but anyone could have that if they paid enough Maybe she would have been attracted to the old him, the man who had been free to pursue his passions There’d been a lot going for that guy Michael barely knew hi before I could speak"