He smiled in amusement as he took her in. She was sweating, and panting, some of her glorious hair had escaped from her ponytail to cling wetly to her exquisite face. He had to admit that she was the most determined, stubborn, beautiful woman that he had ever seen. They were traits that he would have respected greatly, if they weren’t serving to undermine his control, and his goal of having her.
“I see that you were taking it easy on Aiden,” he said, his voice full of admiration.
“Of course,” she replied with a flashing grin, her eyes twinkling mischievously.
“Good, because I was taking it easy on you.”
Her eyes narrowed as she planted her hands on her hips. He flashed a smug smile before turning and walking away. Isabelle’s temper was quickly reaching its boiling point, and he was going to be on the receiving end of it when she blew. Damn him! she thought angrily.
Four plays later Mike wanted to give her the ball again. She almost refused, not wanting to take the chance that Stefan just might be able to catch her, but she quickly changed her mind. There was no way that he would be able to get her and this was the perfect opportunity to show him that he was completely wrong. No one was going to break her, least of all him!
She walked back up to the line, flashing him a cocky grin as she waited for Mike’s command. She bolted off the line, caught the ball, and put every ounce of energy she had into running. Her legs were burning, and her lungs were aching painfully as she neared the goal line. She was only ten feet from it when she felt his arms wrap around her waist. Despair washed over her. She hugged the ball tighter against her chest as the ground rushed up to meet her.
Grunting from the force of the impact, she lay still for a moment, unable to believe that he had actually caught her! Then, his hands were upon her shoulders, and he was turning her hurriedly over. The anger that had rushed to the forefront of her mind disappeared as his troubled eyes scanned her face worriedly. “Are you okay?” he demanded harshly.
Isabelle was surprised to discover that he was truly concerned about her, truly afraid that he might have hurt her. “Of course, you tackle like a girl,” she couldn’t help but tease
Stefan searched her face again to see if she was lying to him. He knew that her pride would keep her from admitting any kind of pain to him. Her violet eyes were twinkling happily though as she grinned at him. That grin caused something to shift, and change inside of him. Something melted in him as he realized that he had been truly afraid that he had hurt her in his overzealous attempt to prove that he could catch her. That she couldn’t avoid him. He had never been worried about anyone in his life before.
“Well, you would know,” he retorted, before he could begin to think about what that worry might mean.
Isabelle laughed softly as he grinned down at her. His black hair was matted to his forehead with sweat, and his skin was glistening with it. The shirt he wore clung to every hard muscle of his chest, and upper arms. Suddenly, she became aware of the heat of his arms, of the way that they felt around her. Their encounter in the bathroom flashed through her mind as her body tensed with anticipation.
He must have seen something in her face for his smile suddenly vanished, and his eyes darkened with desire. Isabelle’s breath froze in her lungs as she felt him harden and lengthen against her thigh. Desire ripped through her and she shuddered in response to the fierce hunger that radiated from him.
“You caught her!” Aiden jogged up, a bright grin on his face as he effectively shattered the moment.
Stefan sighed angrily as he cast a lingering look down at her passion clouded eyes. He was truly getting sick of all the interruptions that her family caused, and he was beginning to think that he would never have a moment alone with her. Isabelle shifted beneath him and he had to stifle a groan against the bolt of fire that caused his hardened shaft to jump. He ground his teeth as he forced himself to his feet, pulling her with him.
“I can’t believe you caught her! No one’s caught her since she was thirteen! This is great!”
Aiden’s team rushed up to gloat as her team walked over to stand behind her in silent misery. Isabelle risked a glance at Stefan, expecting to see smug satisfaction in his eyes, but his jaw was locked firmly and his eyes were troubled and distant.
CHAPTER 10
That night, Isabelle gave into common sense and returned to the other house. She could no longer stand her mother and father’s silent, questioning looks. Nor could she stand her own cowardice. She couldn’t avoid Stefan forever, and hiding from him was proving to be a useless endeavor. He would find her; she just had to make up her mind as to what she would do when he did. She was becoming more eager to just give into temptation, and cast all caution, and reason, out the window. However, her lingering fear about the consequences that might follow kept holding her back.
She could no longer deny the fact that the attraction she felt for him was more than a simple, passing fancy, but something more. It was the possibility of what that something more might be that scared the hell out of her. She would just have to take her chances and see how the chips fell. There was still the hope that he wasn’t her soul mate, that maybe she was wrong, but every day that hope became smaller and smaller. She wasn’t even entirely sure that she wanted to hold on to it anymore.
In the short time that he had been here, he had managed to totally disrupt her life, and shake the firm resolve of everything that she had wanted, and believed in. She wasn’t quite ready to concede defeat, but she knew that her determination was wavering. She just needed time to think, and to sort through everything.
She had stayed to help her parents clean up, but her mother had shooed her away when only a few dishes were left, so the house was dark by the time she returned. She was grateful for that fact. She was completely exhausted, and she didn’t want to deal with anyone tonight. Her body ached from the football game, a game that they had managed to win by the skin of their teeth, and she longed for a comfortable bed instead of an uncomfortable couch at her parents.
She pulled her shoes off and moaned in pleasure as she wiggled her cramped toes. Opening the screen door quietly, she picked up her shoes, and crept into the silent house. She tiptoed through the entryway and into the living room. “You came back.”
Isabelle almost shrieked as she jumped in surprise. Her shoes dropped from her numb fingers, thudding softly onto the floor. She spun quickly, her eyes wide, her heart hammering, and her breath coming in rapid pants. “Didn’t mean to scare you.”
Isabelle inhaled sharply as the adrenaline jolt she had just received slowly dissipated. “Crap,” she whispered her hand flying to her badly abused heart. “Don’t do that!”
Stefan chuckled in amusement as he propped his head on his arms. “Sorry, I figured you would have sensed me.”
Now that she wasn’t shaking with terror, and her heart was beginning to return to normal, she was able to think, and function again. “I wasn’t paying attention.”
“So I noticed.”
His dark eyes gleamed predatorily in the moonlight streaming through the windows. He was sprawled out on the couch, his hands propped behind his head on one of the couch pillows. His long legs were crossed, his lower calves, and feet, dangled over the edge of the armrest. He looked casual, and relaxed, but she could sense a tension in him that belied his demeanor. He looked absolutely delicious, she decided.
“What are you doing down here?” she whispered breathlessly.
“Resting.”
“You have a bed.”
“I know.” It was just being occupied at the moment by someone that he didn’t want in it. In fact, the one he wanted in it had finally returned, and was staring at him as if she couldn’t decide if he were a monster, or if she wanted to devour him. He was going to make the choice very easy for her. “Finally decide to stop avoiding me?”
She shifted uncomfortably as she bent to pick up her shoes. He looked dark and dangerous sprawled out on the couch. He looked deadly and frightening
, and utterly irresistible. For a brief moment she wondered what he would do if she walked over to him and laid down beside him. Actually, she knew exactly what he would do, and what she would let him do to her. Her body was beginning to tighten just from the thought of what would happen, of what she wanted to happen. She wanted to learn what it was that her body was seeking, wanted to learn what he could teach her.
She swallowed heavily and took a deep breath as she tried to get herself back under control. All of her resolve was slipping away, and she couldn’t let that happen. She just couldn’t. She needed a few moments to breathe, to relax. She pretended that she couldn’t find her shoes so that she could take the time she needed to regain her discipline. The thoughts she was having were wrong. She was supposed to be staying away from him, not fantasizing about joining him on that couch.
She took a deep breath, strengthened her resolve to treat him as casually as he treated her, and seized hold of her shoes. Standing back up, she crossed her arms at her waist, holding her shoes as if they could be used to ward him off.
“I was tired of the couch,” she said softly.
“I know the feeling.”
Isabelle frowned as she studied him. “What?”
He laughed softly at the bafflement in her voice. Swinging his legs down, he sat up, his gaze never leaving hers. “They do get uncomfortable.”
“Then go to bed,” she replied crisply.
“Is that an invitation?”
Isabelle’s mouth gaped open as her heart rate accelerated. She took a small step back, shaking her head in denial, while her entire body was tense with want, and need. He stood slowly, tall and dangerous in the moonlight, his broad shoulders blocked out the window. “Don’t,” she whispered, holding her shoes out to ward him off.
“Then go to bed Isabelle.”
She found herself unable to move, unable to blink as a hard lump formed in her throat. She wanted this, wanted him, but she couldn’t, she shouldn’t. He took a step toward her, and all reason, and logic, fled out the window. Her shoes fell numbly to the floor as she began to tremble with anticipation. All she wanted was to feel him again, to touch him, to have his hands and mouth on her. His eyes gleamed ferociously as she took a step toward him, not caring about the consequences of what she wanted.
“Stefan?” The soft voice jerked both of their heads around. Reality slammed down on her as she took a step into the shadows. “Stefan, are you down here?”
His eyes flashed dangerously as they remained locked on Isabelle’s. For a moment she was more shocked by the loss of control that his red eyes revealed than she was by Jess’s interruption. Then, the full reality of Jess’s interruption slammed down on her, and anger blazed forth. She slipped further into the shadows, hiding herself behind the screen in the corner as the kitchen lights flicked on.
“Why do you insist upon sleeping down here?” Jess demanded.
Isabelle’s blood was boiling as she swung her leg silently over the banister, desperate to escape from this awful situation. Her gaze landed upon her discarded sneakers, and she froze. The last thing she needed was for Jess to see those sneakers. Gritting her teeth, she tried to decide if she could grab them without drawing any attention to herself.
“You know why Jess!” he snapped.
Stefan studied Jess as she stood in the doorway of the kitchen, her arms folded over her chest as she glared at him. But his entire body was focused upon Isabelle behind the screen. He knew she had to be angry, and as soon as he got rid of Jess he was going to have to deal with that anger, and explain what was going on. As much as he hated to admit it, he supposed that he would have to tell her the truth. “You’ve slept down here for the past three nights.”
Isabelle forgot about her sneakers as she turned her head in surprise. She could see his shadow through the screen, he hadn’t moved an inch. Her forehead furrowed as she puzzled over Jess’s words. He had been sleeping on the couch for the past three nights? She swallowed down the lump of hope that suddenly formed in her throat. Why would he do that?
“Jess, go back to sleep,” he said impatiently.
“I’ll stay down here with you.” Isabelle’s breath froze as Jess’s shadow appeared before the screen, her hips swinging seductively. “I’ve missed you.”
She threw her arms around his neck and pressed herself against him. Isabelle’s temper flash boiled as her eyes narrowed. A bolt of jealousy, so fierce that it took her breath away, ripped through her. For an emotion that she had never experienced before she met him, she was becoming all too familiar with its clawing effects.
“I haven’t missed you, now go upstairs,” Stefan grated.
Isabelle didn’t care if he was getting rid of Jess, didn’t care if he had slept on the couch for the past three nights. All she cared about was what he had managed to turn her into. A whore. He was dallying with her on the side, while keeping a girlfriend that he obviously had no intention of breaking it off with. She had never thought of herself as immoral, but she realized now that was exactly what he had made her, and she hated it. She hated herself for allowing him to keep on doing this to her over and over again.
She had been blaming him for this mess, for the way that he made her feel, but it was her fault. She was the one that continuously allowed it to keep happening. She was an absolute idiot. A fool. She had been about to give herself to a man that had his girlfriend in the same house as her! What the hell had she been thinking? What the hell was the matter with her? Self loathing and disgust crashed through her in waves that left her nauseous and drained. She needed to get out of here, now.
“Stefan, come on,” Jess whined.
He winced as her voice grated over his nerves. She ground suggestively against him causing the erection he had experienced with Isabelle to vanish instantly. He grabbed hold of her arms and lifted her away from him. “Go upstairs Jess,” he grated. “I told you that it is over.”
Her eyes narrowed with anger as she planted her hands on her hips. “It’s Isabelle, isn’t it? She’s why you don’t want to be with me anymore! You just want to add another conquest to your list by screwing her!” Stefan winced inwardly as his eyes darted toward the screen. Isabelle had to be truly seething by now, but at least he wouldn’t have to tell her that it was over between him and Jess. This conversation was ample proof of that.
“Jess...”
“Don’t you Jess me!” she yelled. “I can’t believe that you would screw that slut!”
The anger that seized him was swift and violent; it caused him to react before he could think as he seized hold of her arms. “Don’t talk about her like that!” he hissed, drawing her up so that her eyes were even with his. Jess’s eyes widened in surprise, and fear as she stared at him, Stefan clenched his jaw and forced himself to release her. “Be out of this house tomorrow.”
Jess’s eyes filled with tears as she spun on her heel and raced out of the room. “Fine!” she shouted over her shoulder as she pounded up the stairs.
Stefan stood silently, his eyes resting on the screen. He suddenly didn’t want to go anywhere near it, anywhere near her. Shit, what had she done to him? The anger that had just seized him was so unexpected, so out of character, that he was absolutely stunned. For a moment he had been ready to rip Jess’s throat out just because of what she had said.
He took a deep breath to steady himself before striding over to the screen and ripping it back. She was gone. For a moment he contemplated going after her, finding her, talking to her, and much much more. Then, he changed his mind. He needed time to think, time to sort through his jumbled mess of emotions. He was beginning to realize that it was much more than a desire to only have her in his bed, but something more, something that he wasn’t sure he wanted. He was actually beginning to care about the infuriating witch.
It was the first time he had allowed himself to care about anyone since he had been a child. He had vowed never to let it happen again, but now, somehow she had managed to wedge her way under his defenses. M
aybe she had the right of it; maybe they should just stay away from each other. His entire existence had been nothing but death and destruction. An existence that Isabelle could not even begin to fathom, that didn’t even come close to the happy peacefulness of her life. His had been an existence that he had every intention of never letting her know about. Growing closer to her may just be the biggest mistake he ever made, but something about her kept drawing him to her, something about her made him determined to posses her.
The best thing for her, probably for both of them, would be for him to leave, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Not yet anyway. Maybe in a little bit. He just wanted to be near her for a little longer. He frowned as he thrust the screen back into place. For the first time he began to realize that when Isabelle was near, the darkness that had been haunting him, the loneliness that he had experienced since destroying Brenda didn’t tearing at him anymore. For the first time since he had been thrust into this dark existence, there was actually a little bit of peace in his soul.
And it was because of her.
Confused, angry, and extremely disgruntled, he returned to the couch. He lay awake for a long time before sleep finally claimed him. And then, the dreams started again.
CHAPTER 11
Isabelle managed to avoid him, and everyone else, for most of the next day. She was scared that Ethan would sense her humiliation, and discomfort. That the stooges would make some comment about her staying at her parent’s house, and she was petrified that she would run into Jess. Her own self hatred was enough, without having to see Jess’s hatred on top of it.
She got up before the sun rose, knowing that Aiden would be leaving early in the morning. She wanted to say goodbye to him before everyone else got up. She managed to corner him by the bathroom as soon as he rose. She had ended up in tears by the time that they had broken apart. The tears had shocked them both. She hadn’t cried in years, and it fully made her realize just what an emotional mess she had become.
Destined (Vampire Awakenings) Page 14