Boxed Set

by Brenda K. Davies

  "Stop! Get off!" she cried, shoving angrily at his chest and shoulders as she squiggled to break free of his iron grasp, but he didn’t move.

  She pushed at him again, but it was like shoving at a brick wall. Tears of frustration welled up in her as she fought back rolling waves of nausea. Finally, he lifted his head from her breast to gaze down at her. She stopped shoving at him and quickly pulled her nightgown back into place; embarrassment rose to mix with the tangle of her emotions.

  Clinging to the neckline of her nightgown, she forced herself to lift her chin and stare at him. She moved to get off the counter, but he planted his hands on either side of her. His arms shook when his smoldering onyx eyes met hers. There was regret in his gaze as he kept her from escaping.

  "Isabelle—"

  "No! Get away from me!"

  Releasing her nightgown, she went to shove at his chest again but thought better of it. She didn't want to touch him, didn't want to feel the heat of his body. She was scared she would lose her will if she did.

  "You just left her bed and now... now..." She broke off, unable to speak through the humiliation suffusing her. She was appalled at herself, infuriated with him, and all she wanted was to run to her room, bury herself under her blankets, and forget this awful experience happened. Isabelle inhaled briskly as his gaze traveled leisurely over her.

  "You didn't mind a minute ago," he replied with a sneer.

  The breath rushed out of her as all her composure fractured and rage sprang forth. Without thinking, she swung her hand up with every intention of hitting him. He caught it easily, holding it in his large, powerful hand. His face became as emotionless as granite, and his eyes were cold chips of black ice. He looked unbelievably deadly, and she knew he could break her in half if he chose to.

  "Don't," he growled in warning.

  She glared hatefully at him. Stefan shook with unfulfilled lust as he met her furious stare. Then, he dropped her arm and stepped away before he found himself unable to let her go. Her eyes flickered uncertainly over his face before she warily slid off the counter. He made no move toward her as she tilted her chin, cast him a scathing look, and stormed away.

  Stefan leaned against the counter and admired the sway of her hips as she hurried away. He closed his eyes against the pressure in his throbbing dick and the overwhelming disappointment filling him.

  Shit, he thought silently. He hadn't meant to say that to her, hadn't intended to be so cruel. It was himself he was mad at, not her. But he’d been so aroused, and so irritated when she'd told him to stop, he hadn't been able to stop himself from getting nasty with her.

  And the kick in the ass of it all was it was his fault. She’d been willing, he could have taken her before she even knew what was happening, but he’d completely forgotten about Jess. Of course, she would smell Jess on him, in him. She was one of his kind, after all.

  "Shit," he muttered as he slammed his hand on the counter in frustration.

  Shoving himself away from it, he stormed over to the door and flung it open. He was desperate to escape from the suddenly stifling confines of the house. A refreshing dip in the lake was what he needed to douse his arousal as he attempted to sort out the mess he’d gotten himself into.

  Chapter Nine

  Isabelle was in the worst mood of her life when she woke the next day. Not only had she gotten almost no sleep, but that jerk had ruined what little sleep she did get by invading her dreams. Dreams that left her tingling and aching for something she didn't understand. Dreams starting where last night ended.

  She dressed quickly in a pair of cut-off shorts and a loose tank top before pulling her hair into a ponytail. Glancing at the basement window, she was surprised to note the sun was starting to rise. She scowled; she was never up this early, and that was his fault too. So was the fact she was starving.

  Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath to calm the fire racing through her veins. She tried to recall the last time she fed, but she couldn't remember. It was before Stefan came, four... no, five days ago. Hunger exploded through her, hot and burning with its intensity. She’d never let herself go this long before, but she'd been so obsessed with him, and trying to stay away from him, she’d completely forgotten about it. Her body was now painfully reminding her.

  Hurrying out of the basement, she practically ran up the stairs in her eagerness to ease the anguish in her body. She froze in the doorway of the living room when Jess came out of the downstairs bathroom and headed for the kitchen. She looked pretty with her light blonde hair flowing down her shoulders and back. She wore a pair of form-fitting jeans, and a tank top emphasizing her full chest, and curvy figure.

  A bolt of jealousy shook Isabelle to the core and left her breathless. Determined to smother the emotion, she gritted her teeth against it and took a deep breath. She didn't care what, or who, the arrogant ass did. After last night, she knew she’d been right; she hadn’t stumbled across her soul mate. The man was too infuriating, too arrogant, and way too cruel to ever be the one she was meant to be with forever.

  The attraction she felt for him was officially over; she would not allow herself to be charmed by him ever again. No matter how he made her feel, no matter how much she wanted to respond to him. A flush started to creep up her cheeks as she recalled exactly how wantonly she had responded to him. She'd never imagined she could be so easily swept away by passion. She wanted to blame that on him too, but she couldn’t. She’d reveled in his kisses, in his caresses, and if she hadn't smelled Jess…

  Isabelle closed the thought off as her face grew hotter. She didn't want to think about what could have happened, what she would have allowed if Jess's scent on him, and in him, hadn't assaulted her. It didn't matter anyway; it was never going to happen again. Isabelle closed her eyes and took a deep breath to steady her nerves. It was too freaking early in the morning to have to deal with Jess on top of everything else.

  "Hi," Jess greeted coldly.

  She opened her eyes to find Jess glowering at her as she stood with her hand on the handle of the fridge. For a horrifying second, Isabelle worried she still reeked of Stefan. It took her a minute to recall Jess was human and wouldn't be able to smell him on her. Sagging with relief, she sighed as her trepidation vanished. Jess's hostility had nothing to do with last night. For some reason, she simply didn't like Isabelle, and Isabelle didn't particularly care why.

  "Hey," she forced herself to mumble in return.

  Jess's blue eyes narrowed as Isabelle moved toward her. "Have you seen Stefan?"

  A wave of guilt rushed through her. Not only had she acted like a wanton whore last night, but she’d done it with Jess's boyfriend. She may not particularly like Jess, and Stefan may not care about Jess's feelings, but Isabelle did. Never had she thought of herself as a careless, insensitive person, but her behavior last night proved she was. And that was his fault too!

  "No," she managed to say. "Why?"

  It took every ounce of control she had to keep her face as impassive as possible. Inside, she was a seething mass of guilt and horror. Jess finally turned away from her. "He wasn't in bed when I got up this morning. He usually doesn't get up until late."

  "Hmm," Isabelle grunted in reply. Now she could add lazy to his ever-growing list of faults.

  The scent of Jess's blood suddenly assaulted her, causing the fierce burning in her veins to become almost unbearable. She closed her eyes, willing the beast to go away as she leaned against the long counter, trying to get her breathing under control. She should never have gone this long without feeding, and she never would if she hadn’t been preoccupied with trying to avoid the idiot living with them.

  In the past three days, he managed to turn her world entirely upside down. She fed the flames of her anger and resentment, determined to use them as weapons against him if he ever tried to come near her again.

  Jess's startled cry caused her to jump, and her eyes to fly open.

  "What is it?" Isabelle demanded.

  Jess spun
away from the fridge, her mouth was opening and closing, and her eyes were wide as she held up a bag of blood. Isabelle only had time to blink before Jess flung the bag across the room. Isabelle snatched it out of the air as Jess's cries echoed loudly in her ears.

  "Jess, calm down! Just calm down!" she urged.

  "What is that doing in the fridge?" she yelled hysterically.

  Because they forgot there was a human in the house, Isabelle realized.

  The smell of the blood suddenly wafted up to fill her nostrils. A wave of dizziness nearly knocked her off her feet. She stumbled back as her veins seemed to burst into flames, and a raging inferno of hunger encompassed her body. She doubled over, her arm wrapped around her stomach as the beast within burst forth. Panting heavily, her vision blurred as she spun to flee the room.

  She slammed right into a massive chest and stumbled back from the impact. Hands grabbed her arms, quickly righting her and dragging her against a wall of flesh. Mewls of pain issued from her as the strong hands wrapped around her head and pressed her face firmly against the solid mass of warmth and comfort.

  "Jess, it's all right, everything is fine. There is no problem. You saw nothing this morning, not me, or Isabelle. Now, make some pancakes for breakfast."

  Shudders racked Isabelle as Stefan's voice washed over her and his hands soothed her hair. The power flowing from him, and into her, eased the fire burning through her veins as the demon gradually receded. The amount of powers she and the others possessed couldn't compare to his. They had to touch people to change their memories, but Jess was on the other side of the kitchen, and Isabelle could already hear her opening and closing cabinets as if nothing had happened.

  Holding her firmly against his side, Stefan hurried her from the room. He could feel the weakness in her body, the tremors shaking her as he led her down the basement stairs. Gritting his teeth, he fought back the annoyance and unease growing in him as he crossed through the weight room to the door in the wall.

  He thrust the door open and was enveloped with Isabelle's fresh scent. He inhaled deeply, savoring in the pleasant smell as he closed the door behind him and led her over to the bed. She slumped gratefully onto it, the pathetic bag of blood clutched in her trembling hands.

  "Eat," he commanded.

  She looked up at him, her eyes flashing rapidly between violet and red. "Could you please go away?" she asked tremulously.

  Scowling at her, he planted his hands on his hips and refused to move. She looked dejected as she gazed back at him. For a second he was almost swayed by the pleading look in her eyes, but he was determined to show her he was the dominant one, and he wasn't about to back down. It was the only thing he’d managed to sort out through the long, aggravating night. He would have her, and the sooner she realized it, the happier they would both be.

  "Now is not the time to fight," he told her coldly.

  "I'm not fighting!" she snapped. "I don't want you to watch me!"

  "I'm not going anywhere!"

  Tears suddenly filled her eyes. She blinked them angrily back as her eyes flashed a violent red. "If you don't leave, then I won't feed!" she spat. "I don't do it in front of anyone!"

  "Not even your family?" he retorted sardonically.

  "Especially not my family!"

  He was about to argue with her, but the distress in her eyes was enough to sway him from his stand. Arguing with her was pointless, especially when she was unstable and in desperate need of sustenance. "Fine," he grated reluctantly.

  He turned and walked back out the door. Standing impatiently on the other side, he angrily tapped his foot as he waited for a few minutes. When he was sure enough time passed, he walked back in the room. She still sat on her bed, her head in her hands, so her long hair cascaded forward to shield her face.

  "I knew it was too much to hope you’d left," she muttered bitterly.

  "Yes, it was. When was the last time you fed?"

  She lifted her head to glare at him. "Why do you care?"

  Stefan took a deep breath as he struggled to control his temper. "I care because there is a human living in this house. I don't need you losing control and killing her," he replied coldly, deliberately being just as nasty to her as she was with him.

  The color drained from her face. "Get out of my room!" she spat.

  "I am not leaving until you tell me."

  Wrath radiated from every inch of her body as she leapt to her feet. "I've never fed off a human, so you can trust me not to lose control and kill your precious girlfriend!"

  She was nearly screeching by the time she finished speaking, but he was so damn infuriating, so damn arrogant and condescending she couldn't take it anymore. The fact he thought she would harm someone was more than she could stand.

  Stefan's jaw clenched as he stared back at her, a muscle twitching in his cheek from the force of his locked jaw. This conversation wasn’t going at all the way he’d planned. He never should have baited her, never should have been deliberately cruel to her, but she brought it so easily out of him with her maddening attitude. She pricked his temper just as easily as she brought out his arousal, and earlier in the kitchen, an extreme surge of protection. He’d needed to get her to safety and make sure he shielded her from Jess's horror.

  He took a deep breath to calm himself before he spoke again. "That was not what I asked you."

  Isabelle folded her arms over her chest. "And I told you, it was none of your concern.”

  She never even saw him move, never saw the blur her father, mother, Ethan, The Stooges, and herself made. She never had time to blink before he grabbed her arms.

  "And I told you it was!"

  Isabelle gawked at him before she closed her mouth, tilted her chin up, and stared defiantly back at him. "Let me go."

  He didn't release her as he stood towering over her. His hands burned into her flesh, and his chest brushed against hers, warming her from the inside out. She wanted to shudder from the force of the heat racking her. The new feelings he’d managed to awaken in her flared to the forefront. She forced herself to remain still and not let him know how he affected her.

  "When was the last time you fed?" he grated.

  Despite the set of his jaw, the strength of his body, and the sheer power radiating from him, she was amazed to discover he didn’t frighten her. For some reason, she was certain he wouldn't hurt her. Try to intimidate her, yes, but he wouldn't harm her. She knew it with every ounce of her being, and the realization shook her more than the feelings he’d awakened in her ever could. Some of her defenses melted as, for the first time, she saw him as a man and not her enemy. It was a scary comprehension that dissolved some of her resistance.

  Stefan was close to shaking some sense into her. She was the most aggravating, annoying woman he’d ever encountered. He didn't understand why she wouldn't answer his question. Why she couldn't be like every other woman, he’d ever met who tripped all over themselves to get near him. Instead, it seemed she purposely went out of her way to avoid or exacerbate him. He forced himself to take a deep breath and not rattle some sense into her thick skull.

  "I told you, I wouldn't hurt her," she murmured.

  He’d officially had it! He pulled her up so her face was a mere breath away from his, and only the tips of her toes touched the ground. To his surprise, and admiration, she didn't flinch. She didn't even stop glaring at him as her eyes spit violet fury.

  "I didn't ask that. I don't care about her. I care about you, and I don't want to see you like that again!" he yelled.

  For a moment, he simply stared at her as his words echoed loudly in the room. Shock registered quickly as the truth of his words slammed home with sickening horror.

  He didn't even remotely want to think about what he just said. Nor did he want to think about the fact it might be true. All he wanted to do was show her, once and for all, he was the one in control. He seized hold of her mouth with a punishing savagery.

  She whimpered from the sheer brutality of his kiss as
she began to squirm in his arms. He didn't ease his hold on her, didn't lessen his bruising onslaught. He wanted to punish her, to show her he was stronger, that he was the one in control. When she whimpered again, and her hands fluttered up to push at his chest, he finally eased the force of his mouth against hers.

  His hands loosened on her arms as he lowered her to the ground, refusing to relinquish her mouth. Her hands pushed against his chest, but he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her against him. He ran his tongue lightly along her lips, but she refused to yield to him.

  He moved slowly over her, licking and tasting, determined she would give in to him. She gasped when he nibbled her bottom lip, and he used that opportunity to slip his tongue into her mouth. She remained rigid in his grasp, then her hands stopped shoving against his chest to curl into his shirt, and her tongue hesitantly came out to meet his.

  He groaned as a bolt of desire shot through him, causing him to become erect instantly. She tasted so good and felt unbelievably right as she melded against him. Her full breasts pressed against his chest as her tongue entwined with his in a thrusting, mating dance. No woman had ever felt as wonderful or been so enticing. When she released a low moan, the erotic sound caused his shaft to jump in anticipation.

  He released her waist to caress the exposed skin of her flat stomach. She trembled as he moved steadily higher, tracing his fingers over her delicate ribcage before skimming across the lacy edge of her bra. Her trembling grew stronger as he molded his hand over her firm breast and began to massage it. Her nipple hardened beneath his touch as her shaking increased. He wanted to smile with triumph, but he was too far gone with her to do so.

  He released her hair and grabbed hold of her waist again, holding her up as he moved his hand to her other breast. He rubbed his dick against her as he pressed his pelvis against hers. She moaned with pleasure and instinctively arched into him. Releasing her mouth, he began to kiss his way across her long, delicate neck. He grew even more aroused by the scent of her blood, so pure and sweet as it pulsed through her veins.