Against All Odds

Chapter 40

KILLIAN

"Killian?"

I was surprised to hear her voice and almost dropped my phone. Stella hadn't spoken to me since she disappeared inside her bungalow even though it was painfully obvious that we could both hear each other very clearly through the wall separating our units. It wasn't bad enough that Stella had made it very obvious that she couldn't stand me, but then our rooms were made of paper-thin walls, too? For the past hour as the sun began its dip towards the watery horizon, I had listened to her muttering curses and shuffling around her suite, accompanied by the occasional thump of something large landing on a hard surface.

Blocking her out was proving more difficult than ever before.

And considering her previous words and actions towards me, she didn't want anything to do with me.

Fair enough, I could understand her point. It wasn't exactly peaches for me, either, having her so God-damned near while I was trying to stop thinking about her every minute. This getaway was supposed to be a time for me to try to put Stella out of my mind, but it seemed she was wedging herself more and more within it.

"Killian?" her voice came again, soft and hesitant.

I glanced towards the source, through the panes of glass that swept the entirety of the sea-facing villa from floor to ceiling, left to right, to provide uninterrupted views of the ocean. Upon entering the suite, I slid open the doors leading onto the patio that shared a private plunge pool with Stella's, the outside deck separated by a small gated divider that was easy enough to latch should one desire privacy from the neighbouring occupants.

I moved off the plush sofa and towards the divider outside. The heat of the sun immediately fizzled across the naked skin of my chest and shoulders.

Stella was standing at the gate, looking unsure of herself. She hadn't changed from the attire she had been wearing since the plane- odd, considering I had figured she would have been making immediate use of the pool or resort facilities.

A pool that I shared with her and had a direct view of.

"Yeah?"

Her arms hugged her waist and her gaze dropped to my chest for a moment before dragging back up my body to my face. Good, I thought a tad miserably. I pervertedly hoped she was still as affected by me as I was by her, but she didn't let any desire or attraction permeate her expression.

"I need help," she admitted with a little shrug of one shoulder. Gesturing behind her into her own suite, she added, "I think I broke my tripod."

Stance wide, I crossed my arms over my chest and raised a brow at her. I had endured her foul mood for most of the day, getting her message loud and clear.

She wanted nothing more to do with me.

If it was mildly petty of me, I didn't allow myself to care and rather took a moment to relish that she had obviously discarded whatever pride she had to approach me.

A sigh left her and she dropped her arms to her sides. "Please could you take a look for me? It's important."

I felt myself cave... it was the forlorn look in those big blues of hers. I had always been a goner for her eyes. Well, I had always been a goner for everything that made up Stella. But if she had worked up enough guts to swallow whatever issues stood between us and ask me for help, then I could do the same and at least hear her out.

Besides, I was abundantly curious about what had her in yet another snit.

I relented with a nod in her direction and unlatched the divider separating us, following her into her suite.