It was all she needed to say before he helped her remove his pants.
Her hand reached for his cock—already hard at just the thought of being inside of her again—and when she wrapped her fingers around him, he let out a low moan. His eyes snapped shut and he could do nothing until she released him.
It still surprised him every single time just how much power came from her touch.
He dropped his head until his lips found her neck. He started sucking on the skin. She smacked his shoulder.
"I'm going to court," she reminded him. "No hickies on my neck."
His lips curled up and he dropped his head to her collarbone, resuming the sucking on her skin.
She smacked him again. "Asshole," she said but he could hear the smile in her voice and he knew he could continue on.
His left hand outlined her body before crossing her waist and dropping so his fingers could slide between her folds. She gasped at his touch, causing his cock to throb. Any of the noises that came out of her mouth when they were intimate was enough to get him even harder—which was something he thought wasn't possible.
"You love it," he muttered.
She grunted in response, spreading her legs further so he had better access to her. She was already slick and ready for him, and as much as he wanted to take her now, she always inspired him to slow down. It was as though he felt he needed to prove himself every time, to make sure she received all the pleasure he could give her.
"Tell me," he urged as his fingers danced on her nub. "Tell me you love it."
Xander watched as her lips curled up, but she didn't give him the satisfaction of admitting anything. He had to hand it to her; the woman was stubborn.
When her breathing hitched, he knew she would climax in a matter of seconds. He immediately pulled his hand away, and a garbled groan ripped through her mouth.
"Tell me," he commanded again, "you love it."
"I love it," she got out.
He grinned mischievously before resuming his assault on her body. His fingers sped up so her orgasm happened before she could anticipate it. The moan that tore from her mouth was long and loud and caused him to twitch underneath her.
The minute she finished, she slid on top of him. Her hands gripped his shoulders tightly, pinning him down beneath her so he was not allowed to get up. She slid onto his cock without hesitation and he grunted. He knew she was slick with desire—he had felt inside of her just seconds ago—and yet the feel of her sheathing him in her warmth was still surprising enough that his eyes rolled back and his hands held onto her waist. He needed to hold onto something.
While on top of him, Isa slid her hand down her body and between her thighs. She paused her body's movements to make sure she positioned him at the correct angle, hitting her core just the way she liked it. In all honesty, Isa's complete disregard for him and his preference was a complete turn on. It felt like she was using him to gain pleasure solely for herself and he was completely in support of it.
Once she found her angle, she began to touch her nub just the way he had. Of course, his fingers could never be as skilled as hers were on her own body. He liked to think he was worthy competition, but deep down, he knew women were the best at giving themselves pleasure. He was just glad he could assist. She began to move up and down. His eyes pinched shut.
It was the strangest feeling—he was always surprised how good it felt when she moved. Like it was the first time.
God, he was such a teenage boy.
It was difficult for him to last. He dug his fingers harder into her waist. He needed to stop himself from releasing too quickly.
"Touch me," she told him. "Please."
He knew what she meant. He released her waist—could see the subtle imprints in her skin that would disappear by the time they finished—and cupped her breasts. His fingers began caressing her nipples. Isa arched her back, pressing her breasts further into his hands, her long hair spilling back.
Jesus Christ, the sight of her like this.
He let out another moan. He needed to hurry. She needed to come again so he could finish quickly. He did not know how long he would be able to hold back.
And then, she started to twitch against him. He could feel a rush of warmth, of heat, coming from her core. It teased out his own climax until he was so completely spent he would have been ready to collapse if he had not already been lying down.
Isa fell on top of him, her head hitting her shoulder. He could feel her heart jumping against her chest like a rabbit's. Her head rested on his collarbone, her fingers played with his hip bone. She was sweating, their bodies slick together. He felt himself relax slowly. His heartbeat returned to normal. His hand came up to hold her in place, flat on the small of her back. The other started curling locks of her wavy hair around his finger.
As he came down from his high, he realized that he liked feeling this way. He felt at peace. Content.
After another moment, Isa slowly pulled away. "You have your skate," she told him.
"You have court."
Isa nodded as she sat on the edge of her bed, twisting her hair behind her back and tying it up. Xander let his eyes linger on the slope of her neck, watching the way a drop of sweat ran down it. There was something sensual about a woman's neck, back, and somehow, to Xander, he hadn't noticed it all at once until he saw Isa.
She was a goddess, and he was some human who wasn't even worthy of looking at her much less holding her the way he was.
"I wish I could go with you," he murmured. He didn't know why he said it, but he felt compelled to. "I want to."
She glanced over her shoulder and offered him a smile. He could tell it wasn't natural but it wasn't entirely forced either. "I know," she said, reaching out to squeeze his hand. "I appreciate it."
From there, she stood and headed into the attached shower, leaving Xander by himself. He was almost tempted to join her, but somehow, he knew that maybe space was a better option for them both.
Chapter 8
Going to court today was the last thing Isa wanted to do. She would have rather stayed in bed, curled next to Xander, than have to rip her body away from his and pop in the shower. At least the shower helped wake her up in the morning.
She was surprised when Xander opted to join her, muttering something about how he needed to get to skate around the same time she was required to get to court. They didn't speak much in the shower, but Xander helped wash her back and rinse the lingering soap from her body. At the same time, Isa was able to wash his chest. She could tell Xander was getting affected by the close contact between their naked bodies; she could see his cock start to stir, and she very nearly took it in her hand. However, Xander grabbed her wrist in a gentle grip.
"Not now," he told her, resting his forehead on hers. Water from the shower dripped between them, coating their bodies in slick heat, steam cradling their skin. "I won't be able to stop if you start to tease me."
She nodded against him but felt herself get disappointed. Being with Xander was enough to distract her from Ben showing up in her life. With Xander inside of her, she felt safe and protected. Yes, pleasure always came from her time with him as well, but there was more to it than just that, and Isa did not want to give that up in order to face reality.
Their shower stopped much more quickly than Isa would have liked. Xander took his time drying her off, lingering when he could have probably taken off already. When he finished, Isa stepped into her closet and pulled on form fitting slacks and a white collared shirt. She didn't have time to blow dry her hair, so she brushed it as best as she could and pulled it into a ponytail.
"Don't you look professional?" Xander asked as she walked back into the living room. He was already dressed in his sweats, just tying up his shoes. "Make sure to keep that on so I can peel it off of you later."
Isa giggled despite herself, shaking her head.
"Hey." Xander stood and moved to Isa, placing his hands gently on her shoulders. "I'm here for you. You can do this, you know that,
right?"
Isa nodded. "I know," she told him. "I do. I just...I just don't like to see him. It makes me feel unsafe. Uncomfortable."
"You will always be safe," Xander said. "You're too stubborn to let anyone control your emotions. And if you need me, I'm here for you. Always. No matter what. Do you understand?"
Isa nodded.
"Good," he said.
"The event you have to go to is Friday night, right?"
Xander kissed Isa on the cheek. "Don't worry about my event," he said. "This is much more important."
Isa pressed her lips together. The two walked out of the apartment together and down to their cars. Isa had let Xander use her spot but she’d managed to find parking on the street close by. Xander insisted on walking Isa to her car.
"Call me when everything is done," Xander said. "I still want to meet up. But I want to know you're in your car, on the way, away from Ben."
"I will."
Xander opened the car door and Isa got inside. Once she strapped her seatbelt on, Ben leaned down and gave her a quick kiss on the lips before shutting the door. Something ignited deep in Isa, something warm, something powerful. In that moment, it almost felt as though Xander was more than just a friend who knew how to please her. It almost felt like he was her boyfriend.
When Isa got to court, she was surprised to see not only Trisha, but Christopher as well. As she made her way from the parking lot over to the court building, she furrowed her brow at her brother.
"Don't you have a morning skate?" she asked as he leaned down and pulled his sister into a tight hug.
"I do, but I told Cherney what was going on and he is probably going to bench me for a few shifts, but he understood why I'm here and not there," Christopher replied.
Isa felt her heart warm at her brother's sacrifice. It was moments like these when she wished he would get his head out of his ass and find a woman he could actually settle down with. Someone who wasn't there because he was a professional hockey player or because he made a lot of money. Her brother was a good-looking guy and he deserved someone sweet and genuine.
"You both ready?" Trisha asked. "Let's get inside. I don't want to see Benjamin and his smarmy lawyer until I have to, and I'm sure you feel the same, Isa."
"I do," Isa said.
They headed inside, where Trisha led them to their courtroom. Isa had always been impressed with Trisha and how cool and collected she was in the courtroom. She had this unbreakable look of determination on her face that Isa thought told the world that just because she was petite and pretty did not mean she couldn't break balls if she had to. Trisha was someone Isa admired and respected, and Isa hoped she provided something similar for Trisha.
"No matter what happens, you know you'll always be protected, right?" Christopher asked in a low voice as he walked Isa inside. "We're all going to be here for you."
"I know." Isa squeezed her brother's hand. "Thank you."
It did not turn out the way Isa had hoped. Trisha had been right. There was nothing that could be done. Because Ben had completed all of the required steps in the program, because he had not been a threat to Isa the past three years, the judge thought it was safe to let the restraining order expire and allow Benjamin back into Orange County.
"Don't worry about it," Christopher said as they headed back to Isa's car. "The guy is a prick. If he fucks up at all, they'll slap him with more than just a restraining order. On top of that, he'll have the whole Newport Gulls beating the shit out of him."
"And I'll rent that semi and crush every bone in his wrist so they'll have to amputate and he'll never play tennis again," Trisha said on Isa's other side.
Isa laughed. It wasn't exactly a comfortable laugh, not after what the judge decided, but it made her realize that she had people who loved her.
"Thank you both for being here," she said when they got to her car. "I think I'm going to get some coffee."
"Got it," Trisha said.
"You know," Christopher said. "I think I'll join you."
Isa froze just as she took a seat in her car. "Oh." She cleared her throat and tried to buckle her seatbelt but for some reason, it locked. She tugged on it once, twice, but to no avail. "Well, that's...that's fine." Maybe she could text Xander to keep him from coming. She could call him, even.
Before she could do either of those things, however, he popped into the passenger seat and slammed the door shut. "You can just drop me off here when we're done," he said.
Oh, may I?
Isa held her tongue, though. Instead, she cleared her throat and started the car. The seatbelt finally gave so there was nothing preventing her from driving. Any idea of killing time went out the window.
She tried to drive slowly but she didn't know how that was going to help with anything, especially considering she wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible. Xander would wait for her no matter what. In fact, he might call her to see if she was okay and she wasn't sure what would be worse, Xander calling her and Christopher listening in on the call since her phone had Bluetooth and was linked up or going into Starbucks with Christopher and giving no warning to Xander.
Both. Neither.
In the end, she was fucked either way.
Luckily, Xander didn't call her so she pulled into the parking lot, keeping her eyes peeled for Xander. Maybe if she saw him before Christopher did, she would be able to warn him. She grabbed her phone, ready to send a quick text to Xander as they walked in, when Christopher called Xander's name.
"How funny," Christopher said. "Who would have thought you go to the same Starbucks he does. This is kind of out of the way for you."
"Yeah, well."
Isa could say nothing else as Christopher walked over to a somewhat startled Xander. Luckily, he was able to control his surprise much better than Isa felt she did. She stepped in line—with a couple of people ahead of her—as Christopher talked to Xander by the window where he expected to pick up his drinks. Isa's heart hammered against her chest. The gentle murmur of the cafe fell to the background. All she could hear was her heart as it beat once, twice, three times faster against her chest. Her hands got clammy. She rubbed them on her thighs but it didn't do any good. She kept darting her eyes over at Xander, but he kept them fixed on Christopher. Which made sense, because why would Xander have any reason to look at Isa unless he was interested in her?
Xander, as usual, was protecting her—and himself, to a degree.
"Xander—one black coffee and a hot chocolate."
The order rang out in the cafe. Isa knew nobody else understood the significance of it. She was certain no one probably even heard over their low conversations or their iPhone headphones. But she knew it.
Her eyes shot to Christopher.
"You meeting someone?" Christopher asked with a mischievous grin. "Someone who drinks hot chocolate in April? I thought my sister was the only who did that!"
Isa cleared her throat and looked away just as the cashier invited her to step forward. She avoided looking at both Xander and Christopher and ordered her usual hot chocolate and Christopher's latte. Isa knew Xander had gotten that drink for her. Her heart swelled with warmth. Despite being a simple gesture, it made her feel good.
Once Isa had paid and moved toward the window, she nodded a subtle hello to Xander. He caught her eye and the corners of his lips quirked up. She wasn't sure if he was amused by the turn of events or amused that Christopher didn't put it together that they were meeting here. Either way, she felt herself relax. Christopher knew nothing and she was still here with Xander, which made her feel infinitely better than before.
Christopher didn't bring up court because he didn't want to involve Xander in business he didn't realize Xander already knew about. Isa appreciated that but she wanted to share. She wanted to unload and she couldn't. Not with Christopher there. It would only be a matter of time before Christopher realized what was going on.
So they talked about innocuous things like morning skate, the weather, when C
herney was finally going to blow the vein in his temple. Things that were safe.
Isa focused on keeping her attention on Christopher and not Xander, and she felt like they had almost gotten away with it.
As they were depositing their trash in the trash can, Christopher blinked.
"Guess your date didn't show up, eh?" he teased, nudging Xander with his shoulder. "Maybe next time."
"Her loss," Xander said, though his eyes flickered over to Isa. "Luckily, the company made up for it."
Isa felt a blush taint her cheeks, which was strange because Isa never blushed. They hurriedly said goodbye. Xander whispered something in her ear that left her tingling with anticipation.
Tonight.
Chapter 9
Xander headed straight for Isa's apartment after the awkward coffee he just had with the woman he was sleeping with and her older brother who did not know he was sleeping with his sister. The look on her face told Xander that Isa had not been expecting Christopher's company in the least, which meant he had tagged along. Xander couldn't fault Isa on that—and he couldn't blame Christopher either.
When Christopher hadn't shown up for morning skate, Xander wasn't surprised to learn it was because he was with Isa. Christopher had always been a protective big brother. Xander didn't know much about the nature of their relationship, but he did know when Christopher got traded to the Gulls last year, Isa came with him and got her own place so she could support him while still maintaining her independence. The two were inseparable to a degree, and Xander appreciated the nature of their relationship.
He also knew that he was something that could very well come between them because he was a lie Christopher did not know Isa was keeping from him. Xander tried not to think about it.
He pulled into Isa's spot, already seeing her car in a visitor parking spot and headed to her door. He knocked, and after a moment, he could hear Isa undoing the latch and unlocking the door before opening it. She said nothing, but stepped aside so he could come in before closing the door and returning the locks to their proper place.
Enticing Enforcers: A Slapshot Novella Page 5