by Jenika Snow
She pushed her plate away. “Let’s just get this over with.” She knew a heavy duty conversation was about to take place and she wanted to get it out of the way.
Isaac sighed and Kara shifted in her seat. “I called the Chief of Police last night.”
“What? Why?” That was the last thing Mona expected to hear. Didn’t he realize that despite everything, the police getting involved was the last thing she wanted?
He pushed his chair back until the wood scraped against the tile floor. “I have certain obligations where you’re concerned.”
“Yes, but you didn’t…”
He held up his hand for her to stop. “I didn’t do it to hurt you. I did it to protect you.”
Mona looked over at Kara. She kept her eyes on her plate and wouldn’t meet her gaze. Mona turned her attention back to Isaac. He watched her intently, most likely gauging her reaction. She wasn’t a fool. She knew why he felt he had to call the police, but now she would never be able to push this behind her. Things would just get drug out.
“What did they say?”
“They arrested your father last night. Your mother started to fight them when she realized what was happening. She is now being held for assaulting a police officer and obstruction of justice.”
Oh God. This just got so much worse. Mona rested her head in her hands and fought off the tears. She felt a light touch on her shoulder and looked up. Isaac watched her with compassion and concern in his green gaze.
“If I hadn’t done this, things would have just escalated.”
He was right, but she didn’t want to admit it out loud. “So what happens next?”
Isaac took a deep breath before continuing. “Your parents have several DUI’s on their record as well as numerous other strikes that most likely will not win them any points with the Judge.”
Mona looked at him with shock. Of course she had known all of that, but hearing someone else admit what losers her parents were was icing on the cake. “I won’t have to testify about anything, will I?” She didn’t think she could go that far.
“I don’t think it will come down to that. They have enough going against them that I have a feeling what’s on their record will be plenty.”
“I know what you’re thinking, Mona.” Kara placed her hand on top of Mona’s in a comforting gesture.
“They will get the help they need and hopefully learn to change their lives around. Trust me when I say I have seen this all too often. It would have only ended up worse.”
Mona knew Isaac spoke the truth. She knew he had to have seen domestic violence cases like these on a regular base. She just wished she wasn’t one of them.
“You’ll stay here, Mona.” He held up his hand when she was about to speak. “I wouldn’t have it any other way. Besides, you don’t need to stay at your house alone. You are part of this family.”
She couldn’t help it. She cried because she really did feel like a part of their family. Even though it had been awkward to see him this morning after what they shared the previous night, Mona knew, deep down and despite her inner feelings, that it was best to keep her distance. She just hoped she had the willpower to do so. Or did she?
Chapter Eight
As the days turned into weeks and the weeks into months, Mona was starting to become more and more comfortable with her new situation. The judge on her parent’s case hadn’t been lenient in the slightest, and although she had felt guilty at first for the lengthy amount of time they had received in jail and in rehabilitation, she was starting to see a positive difference in her parents when she visited them.
Every time she saw them there would be tears, apologies, and promises to make things right. She wanted to believe everything would work out that way, but her parents had been in rehab before and then had relapsed. It was a sick and sad cycle that she prayed would end happily, but she didn’t keep her hopes up.
The smell of nail polish wafted around Mona as she put a second coat of Kissable Red on her toenails. It was going on six at night and Isaac was still at work and Kara was on another date with Marcus. Mona admitted she was surprised by Marcus and how he acted with Kara. Her best friend had even brought him over for dinner and introduced him to her father. Mona still had her reservations about him, though.
With each passing day Mona was finding it harder and harder to keep her thoughts clean concerning Isaac. He on the other hand seemed to be oblivious to the chemistry that was going on between them. Or maybe there was no chemistry. Maybe Mona was letting her emotions run away from her and control her? Either way, instead of time making it easier to be around him, she found it harder and harder.
For instance, as she sat on the end of the couch, the soft glow from the table lamp illuminating the living room, she couldn’t stop thinking about how he had looked this morning. His hair had been disheveled yet had looked incredibly sexy, and he had been bare-chested. The sweats he’d worn had ridden low and that delectable vee of muscle on the sides of his hips had stood out in stark contrast.
Oh God. Her pussy was so incredibly wet. She contemplated touching herself and relieving the ache that had been slowly building since their kiss, but as she set the nail polish down to do just that, the sound of the front door opening stopped her.
“Anyone home?” Holly’s annoyingly pleasant voice filtered from the foyer.
Mona turned around on the couch just in time to see Holly peek her head around the corner. The smile that the look-alike Barbie had fell slightly when she saw it was Mona and not Isaac.
“Oh. I thought Isaac would be home by now.”
“He’s working late.” She assumed Holly would have known something like that given the fact she worked in the same law office, but it wasn’t uncommon for things to go over her head, even if those things seemed pretty obvious.
“Oh. Well, I brought over Thai, but only enough for the two of us. I assumed you girls would be out on a Friday night.”
Of course you only brought enough for the two of you. Mona pasted on a smile but didn’t comment. It wouldn’t have made a difference anyway since Holly presented her back to her. She could hear the fridge open and close and several cupboards banging together. Ever since Mona had moved in she noticed Holly became more and more hostile toward her. Not that Mona gave a damn one way or another, but it was almost as if the blonde was jealous. Maybe she was because Mona knew Holly wanted more from Isaac than he was obviously willing to give, like say a big, fat diamond.
She grabbed her bottle of nail polish and headed for the stairs. If Holly wanted some time alone, who was she to be the third wheel? Mona didn’t particularly want to be around the two of them anyway, not when Holly made it a point to be attached to Isaac’s hip and engage in way too much PDA.
She took the stairs two at a time and headed into the spare bedroom she now called her own. Several boxes were still pushed up against the wall because Mona refused to unpack. If she did it would mean this was a permanent situation and Mona didn’t see it that way. She wanted to make something out of her life, be on her own and support herself. Although she knew Isaac and Kara didn’t see her as a burden, Mona couldn’t help but feel that way at times.
She had found a job, although it was part-time, and she was saving what she could since her first semester at college was fast approaching. The community college wasn’t anything prestigious like where Kara was going, but it would help her get her feet wet and accomplish something with her life.
After throwing on a pair of jeans and a tank, she headed downstairs. Right as she stepped onto the landing the front door opened. Isaac held his briefcase in one hand and a large brown paper bag in the other. Their eyes met and their gazes held for several moments. The way he looked at her, as if he knew she wasn’t wearing a bra and could see right through the material of her tank, had her breathing increasing. They might have stayed there all night just staring at each other if the sound of Holly crying out in mock delight hadn’t pierced the encounter.
Mona looked at
Holly and all but cringed when she ran up to Isaac and threw herself into his arms. Holly was way too dramatic when it came to her affections toward Isaac. Mona also couldn’t deny that there was a stab of jealousy when she saw it. With Holly wrapped practically around his body, Mona looked away. Next there would be making out and Holly rubbing her body all over his as if no one else was in the room. Even though Mona truly didn’t want to look at the two of them, she found that her gaze slid back to them. To her surprise Isaac was staring right at her.
Isaac all but pushed Holly off of him and straightened his large body. Mona didn’t miss the scowl that crossed her face or the way she quickly hid it with her perfect smile.
“I thought we could have a romantic dinner, baby. I brought Thai and have everything set up.” Holly turned her gaze toward Mona. “Didn’t you have something to do tonight?”
No, she didn’t, but she would find something to do, even if it meant walking down to the park and killing the time while the two of them no doubt fucked. Before she could answer, Isaac spoke.
“I didn’t know you were coming over, Holly.” The way he said it, almost as if scolding a child, had Mona smiling internally. She had noticed that his patience with Holly seemed to be wearing thinner and thinner. Maybe he was finally seeing her true colors?
“I brought dinner for Mona and me because I knew Kara would be out tonight.”
“Baby.” Holly’s high-pitched whine was like nails on a chalkboard. “I was hoping it could just be the two of us tonight.”
Isaac didn’t even respond. Holly followed him into the kitchen and Mona contemplated slipping out the front door, but before she could take a step Isaac was standing in the doorway.
“Come on, Mona. I bought Italian.” Her favorite, but of course he would know that.
“I don’t want to intrude on your time together.” She peeked around his shoulder and saw Holly glaring at her. Oh, that was icing on the cake, and all that did was make Mona want to stay. “But if you insist.” Okay, so maybe it was childish, but a spark of pleasure coursed through her veins at the knowledge that she was ruining Holly’s night. There was just something about her that didn’t sit right with Mona.
Day in and day out Holly’s attitude toward her became darker and darker. Mona had been able to ignore it to an extent, but it seemed once Holly had found out she was living with Isaac and Kara, the snide remarks, dirty looks, and down right rude demeanor had Mona going from uncomfortable to pissed off.
The three of them sat around the table and ate in silence for a good ten minutes. The tension was thick, so thick Mona could feel it in the air. She glanced up and saw Holly glaring at her. The urge to ask what her problem was rose to the surface, but Mona fought it down. It wouldn’t do any good anyway.
Isaac tried to make small talk, but he was either blind to the tension or didn’t care. Either way Mona was ready to get out of there. She quickly finished eating and took her plate to the sink.
“Thanks for dinner, but I’ll leave you two alone.” She left the kitchen and gripped the handle of the front door. Where the hell was she going to go?
“Mona?” She turned around and looked at Isaac. “You don’t have to go just because Holly is here.” His voice was pitched low, but not too low that Holly wouldn’t be able to hear if she really wanted to.
“It’s alright, really.” Before he could say anything else, she opened the door and left. She walked quickly down the street, not knowing exactly where to go, but knowing she needed to get far away.
Chapter Nine
Several hours passed before Mona headed back to the house. Hopefully she wouldn’t walk in on anything that would give her nightmares, but it was starting to get chilly and the swings at the park only offered so much amusement.
When she reached the house, she noticed Holly’s car was gone. Kara’s car was still missing and all the lights seemed to be off in the house. She checked her watch, saw it was only eleven, and wondered why Isaac and Holly had called it a night.
When she opened the door the sound of the grandfather clock chiming filled the foyer. A dim glow from the kitchen illuminated the hallway. Everything was so still. She moved closer to the stairs and noticed the television on yet there was no sound. When she entered the living room she spied Isaac on the couch, his back toward her, his feet propped on an ottoman. Mona took a few more steps into the living room, trying to be quiet because the last thing she wanted was to wake him.
When she was close enough to really see him her mouth went dry. He wasn’t in his usual sweats and tee. No, he was only in a pair of boxers. The blue light from the television cast shadows across the dips and hollows of his muscular chest and legs. His head was resting against the back of the couch and his hair was disheveled around his head. He was sound asleep and she didn’t doubt it was from exhaustion at work, but the bottle of whiskey on the table and empty glass beside it led her to believe he might have drunk a bit too much.
She could have stood there all night long, fantasizing about what she would like to do to that toned body, but the idea that he might wake up and catch her, or worse, Kara walking in on her leering at her father, had her snapping out of her aroused haze. A blanket was dropped over the arm of the couch, so she grabbed it and placed it over his body.
“Mona…” She stopped in her tracks as Isaac’s sleeping voice rang around her. When she turned to look at him he was watching her with a glazed over expression. “I thought about coming and finding you.”
“You did?” At his nod she felt her face heat with a mixture of embarrassment and pleasure. She didn’t really know where the pleasure part came into play, but an unexplained tidal wave of heat coursed through her at the thought that he cared.
He pushed himself into a sitting position and the blanket fell to the ground. She got another delectable sight of his chiseled chest, but when she looked up at him she realized he had caught her red-handed. Her faced grew even hotter, although she hoped it was dark enough he didn’t see her mortification.
“Well, I guess I’ll head to bed.” Mona didn’t wait for a reply. She was too embarrassed to stick around. When she got to her room she grabbed a change of clothes and headed to the bathroom. A hot shower was exactly what she needed.
The shower, to her disappointment, only seemed to intensify the ache between her legs. The nightgown rubbed against her nipples, causing the buds to tighten even more and cause unbearable pleasure to course through her. When was the last time she had gotten off? She couldn’t even remember. The one and only time she had had sex was last year and it had been anything but memorable. She was no stranger to touching herself, but with everything that had been going on that was the last thing she had been worried about.
She just needed to go to bed and sleep it off. Maybe in the morning she could put this ridiculous notion of being with Isaac out of her head. When she opened the bathroom door the built up steam from her shower became a wall of fog. She clicked the light off and stepped into the hallway, but the hallway isn’t what she walked into.
A wall of hard, warm muscle pressed up against her chest and had a gasp escaping her. Her eyes had yet to adjust to the darkness, but she didn’t need to see to know who was right in front of her. The smell of his expensive cologne and the feel of his smooth chest reminded her all too well of what she really wanted. As if her body knew what was right before her, desire like no other rushed inside of her.
“I’m sorry, Mona.” The way Isaac said her name was deep and husky. The smell of the whiskey lacing his breath was like an aphrodisiac that heightened her hunger for him. His hands were wrapped around her upper arms, keeping her balanced, yet drawing her closer to him.
Mona swallowed the lump in her throat. Her lips were suddenly dry and her heart thundered behind her sternum. “It’s okay.” Was that her voice, a seductive whisper that sounded desperate?
With her eyes now adjusted, she stared into his face, feeling herself fall deeper and deeper into the web of arousal. Did he feel it t
oo? That unexplainable pull? “Is everything okay?” Why in the world had she said that? It didn’t even make any sense.
“It is now.”
Her heart thundered harder as she watched him lower his head. Oh God. Is he going to kiss me? This was what she wanted, but a twinge of fear mixed with her desire. On one level she knew this wasn’t a good idea, but on another it seemed like the perfect thing to do.
His lips were now a hair’s breadth away from hers. The smell of whiskey swirled around her and seemed to make her intoxicated as well. She knew the alcohol most likely had a big part to play in his uninhibited nature, and maybe she should have stopped it, but she couldn’t seem to tell him no.
“We were arguing about you.”
His words couldn’t stop the fog that covered her mind. “Who was?”
“Holly and I.”
That comment did have her blinking a few times in surprise. “You were? Why?” His eyes stayed glued on her lips and she licked them involuntarily. She heard him swallow as he watched the act.
“Because she knew how I felt about you and didn’t like it.” He took a deep breath and continued. “I told Holly to leave because I wanted you.”
He wanted her? He looked at her, his eyes at half-mast and incredibly sexy.
“I want you, Mona.” One of his hands that had held her upper arm moved seductively down her arm, over her belly, and between her legs. He cupped her pussy, pushing the material of her gown into her cleft and causing her toes to curl.
“I want you so fucking bad I ache inside.” He took possession of her mouth in a searing kiss that left her breathless. His tongue was like silk against hers, and his hand was like fire on her cunt.
He used his thumb to rub circles against her throbbing clit while he kissed her. This kiss wasn’t anything like the one they’d shared in the living room all those months ago. This kiss was fierce and urgent. It was exactly how she felt at the moment.