*A/N: Hey Everyone! Thanks for reading this far! This is it, the last chapter. Ahhh! There will be an epilogue and I'm working on a sequel!! Stella's journey is not over :)
^^^ A/N: Edit 8/27/2021 so clearly this is not the last chapter, haha. As I've gone through and edited the chapters, I tried to make the story flow better than the first draft. There were also quite a few chapters with a word count of 5000 or more so I tried to break it up so not so much was happening in one chapter. And instead of an epilogue I just changed the heading to a numbered chapter.
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STELLA/CHARMAINE
I move my arm over and don't feel JP next to me.
I crack an eye open and see he's not in bed; the sheets feel cold where he was laying, but then I hear the shower turn off in my bathroom.
I roll over, groaning quietly, feeling a little hungover, but not too bad, considering JP had me drinking water like a fish last night. I know he didn't want me to get wasted to the point of getting sick like I had on my birthday.
As my eyes begin to focus more, I see the trail of our clothes from the bed to the door.
I smile blissfully, remembering how we barely made it to my room before we started ripping each other's clothes off when we got home last night. And JP demanded I leave my shoes on just like he wanted when we first got to the bar.
We went at it like a couple of crazy, hormonal teenagers until we both passed out from exhaustion, but it was incredible to feel so connected, so loved, and wanted all at once.
I grimace at the soreness between my legs, attesting to how hard he drove himself into me again and again, but I didn't mind; I begged him to go hard. Who knew I'd like it a little rough?
I smile as I stretch out my arms and legs, relishing the feeling of the cool sheets on my naked body. But then I feel wetness in between my legs, and I sit up quickly as I lift the sheets and glance down.
"Shit!"
I look up and see JP, clean-shaven, walking out with a towel hung low on his hips. A toothbrush is hanging out of his mouth while he's looking at his phone. He still has water trickling down his perfect body.
He looks up, catching me staring, and smiles.
"Good morning, princess."
I smile back at him, and he continues brushing his teeth and walks over to the bed; he has a new set of clothes laid out. And I watch him as he takes the towel off and slips on his boxer briefs.
His phone goes off, and he walks back towards the bathroom.
I seize the moment, moving quickly like a secret agent, my window of opportunity is short. I carry his clothes to the lounge chair in my room and then proceed to rip the sheets off my bed, rolling them up on the floor.
I'm relieved to see it didn't bleed through to the mattress. I wrap the top sheet around me and head to the bathroom quickly as JP's walking out, the timing perfect.
He raises his eyebrow as I rush past him, locking the door. "Is everything okay?" He asks through the door.
I'm doing my business and see the tinged, pink color in the toilet and groan. Even though the birth control has helped alleviate a lot of the symptoms, I'm not looking forward to the cramps, back pain and bloating, or just overall pain in the ass, that is hell week for me.
"Baby?"
"Just a sec," I sigh as I finish up and put my robe on.
I hurry, brush my teeth, and open the door, finding JP dressed in his black dress pants and crisp white button-up shirt; he's clasping on his watch when he looks over at me.
"Let me guess...Aunt Irma's in town..." He grins at me, using the funny name used for everyone's favorite monthly visitor from one of his favorite shows.
"Yes." I groan, walking around him to grab some clean clothes.
"Is that why you stripped the sheets off the bed?" He laughs. "It's just a little blood, princess."
"Yeah, well. I didn't want it to go through to the mattress, and I didn't want you to have to see it, either."
"I don't care, Char." JP smiles at me when I look over at him like he's joking.
He walks up behind me, wrapping his arms around me; resting his chin on my shoulder as I go through my underwear drawer, looking for my period panties, wanting the extra coverage.
I don't like saying granny panties, but I guess period panties aren't any better.
"I guess it's a good thing we went at like rabbits, all of yesterday since I won't be here for the next week, and now the playgrounds' closed, too." He chuckles.
I laugh, shaking my head at him. "Are you leaving soon?" I turn around in his arms, resting my head against his chest, taking in a deep breath of his cologne and clean scent.
"Yes, but I have a few things I need to do before I head to the airport." He tells me, his hands stroke my back. "I'll call you as soon as I land, okay?"
I look up at him and nod, and reach up on my toes to kiss him. "I love you."
"I love you more, principessa." He pecks me quickly again, smiling as he turns away.
Forty-five minutes later, as I'm brushing out my damp hair, I hear a knock on my door. I call out for them to come in, and Joey walks in, his arms full of things.
"I come bearing gifts."
I narrow my eyes at him, wondering what he's up to, and I walk over to my desk, where he's setting everything down.
"I had strict orders to bring this up to you asap. So I'm gonna go out on a limb and assume it's 'shark week.'"
I hit him on the arm as I look over the things on the desk ranging from Chocolate, Ben & Jerry's half-baked ice cream, face masks, lotions, candles, new fuzzy socks, and Midol.
I grin like an idiot as I pick up the socks. "JP?" I look up at Joey.
"I sure as hell, wouldn't bother with all this shit. I'd tell you to pop in some pain meds and call it a day, but that's just me." He shrugs. "But yes, he went out and grabbed this before he left for the airport. The guy is fucking whipped." He says, walking back out the door.
I pull out my phone and text JP, thanking him.
He probably won't see it until after he lands in Chicago.
I head out to the kitchen to put the ice cream in the freezer to eat later when my phone chimes, and I check it, smiling when I see it's JP.
*Anything for my princess. We're about to take off. I love you, baby.*
<><><><>
The last few days without JP have dragged on painfully slow, well okay, maybe not really painful but extremely slow; like watching paint dry slow.
On the plus side, my period was pretty short; in fact, it was the quickest it's ever been. Even the cramping wasn't that bad, either.
Annalisa stopped by during the week, and we've gone out a few nights with my usual entourage of armed bodyguards. One of the nights we went out, she took me to a wine tasting, but it just wasn't for me, maybe I'll acquire a taste for it later, but I wasn't feeling it.
JP and I have talked daily, which has helped the longing I feel for him not being here.
I smile, thinking about how things were so different between us just a few months ago, yet they're the same in many ways.
Looking back, I realize I would get excited to see him, but I just assumed that was because we were friends. I can't say I never got jealous of the girls hanging all over him, but at the same time, I felt they didn't measure up to him and what he has to offer with his generosity, his sharp mind and compassion .
A part of me was also in denial that I liked him or that I fit into his usual type.
I guess I didn't see what was right in front of me, and now I can't look at him in any other way. Obviously, with my zero relationship experience, I can't compare him to anyone or the relationship itself to anything, but I love how I feel when I'm with him.
He makes me feel like I can do anything, fearless and encouraged. And I can't deny, how with just one look from him, he can get my insides all stirred up.
While he's been gone, I've been sleeping in his room, feeling the comfort of surrounding myself of everything that is him, including his lingering masculine scent.
He'll be home in another two days, but they seem forever away. It makes me dread when he leaves again in a couple of weeks, for Miami, for an entire month.
It has helped to have Enzo also around; he was here earlier in the week. He helped more on my punching technique, and I have enjoyed reconnecting with him. He doesn't seem to mind my endless questions on what he does or the specifics on how he can make himself untraceable—for example, detailing me switching out burner phones, safe houses, and always paying with cash.
I also finally asked him about his relationship with Elena, aka Sofia. He admitted that he had only gotten to know her to get to me before the library incident.
He didn't seem to like it when I told him she referred to him as a friend of the family; in fact, he looked worried. But before I could ask him what was on his mind, his phone rang, and when he finished with the call, Enzo told me he'd be going away for a few days but would call me when he's back in town; so I haven't seen him since the beginning of the week. It's weird not hearing from him daily, now that he's been around so much.
Joey has been my sparring partner this week as well, which has been fun, considering I've knocked him on his ass pretty much all week. And I just finished an intense and grueling workout with both Joey and Santino.
I alternate, pulling my arms across my chest, stretching out my muscles that feel extra sore as I walk back through the house after leaving the gym.
As I'm undressing, after the long workout, I get ready to take a shower when an idea comes to my mind.
My heart beats faster at the thought alone, and I hurry to get ready before I talk myself out of it.
I grab my phone and do something I never thought I'd do before.
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