Boxed Set

by Brenda K. Davies

  He groaned as he rubbed against her, felt her, tasted her until he was consumed by her. Never in his life had he felt so lost with a woman, so totally out of control with lust. He couldn't get enough touching her, couldn't get enough of the way she felt and moved. He wanted, needed, to feel every inch of her, to possess her.

  Isabelle jerked as his mouth descended on her nipple, and he began to suck on it. Even through the thin material of her tank top, his mouth seared into her, turning her to liquid heat. Never had she imagined something could feel as magnificent as he did or that something could be this consuming. Her fingers wrapped in his hair as he nipped at her, causing her body to melt everywhere at the same time she caught on fire.

  "Stefan!" she gasped.

  The sound of his name on her lips in that erotic, husky tone, damn near drove him over the edge. He hungrily reclaimed her mouth as his hand slid down to the edge of her shorts.

  "Isabelle!" Ethan's loud pounding on the door broke her carnal haze. She jumped and pulled her mouth away from Stefan's. "Isabelle, are you in there?"

  "Ye... yes!" she stammered out.

  "Is Stefan in there with you?"

  His eyes were impossibly black now, the pupils unnoticeable in the cloud of passion smoldering within them. "No! Why?"

  "Because Jess is up there making a thousand pancakes, and we can't get her to stop! Do you know what's going on?"

  At the mention of Jess's name, she wrenched free of his grasp and cast him a scathing look. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath to ease the remaining passion in her body. "I'll be right out!"

  "Hurry up! She's like a robot we can't turn off, and she's freaking me out!"

  Isabelle would have snorted with laughter at the distress in his voice, if she hadn't been so infuriated. She berated herself for letting Stefan arouse her when she’d resolved never to let it happen again. But whenever he touched her, all her willpower melted away. She was beginning to hate herself for the weakness she possessed. She hated him for it, hated herself for it, and vowed fervently it would never happen again. He would never touch her again.

  She waited for Ethan's retreating footsteps to fade before turning back to Stefan. Her body still burned from his touch, but she was determined to stand her ground. She could do it; she could refuse him anything, as long as he didn't touch her again. It was only when he touched her she lost all control. She'd never thought lust could be stronger than reason, but she knew now it was.

  "You better go stop her," she said coldly.

  He raised a black eyebrow as he surveyed the incensed woman before him. She was back to being angry with him again. By the time he was done with her, she would be too tired to even think about being mad. Hell, she wouldn't even be able to think.

  "And why is that?" he asked.

  "Because she's your girlfriend!" she spat.

  "Jealous?"

  Isabelle nearly screamed. He was the most aggravating, infuriating man to walk the face of the earth. He was also the most sensuous, desirable, and irresistible one too. She firmly shut out those thoughts. She didn't know where they came from. She fisted her hands at her sides as she glowered at him.

  "Hardly!" she snorted.

  To him, it was apparant she was jealous, and the realization greatly pleased him. Smiling smugly, he folded his arms over his chest as he eyed her with obvious pleasure. "Could have fooled me."

  He thought she was going to start spitting with rage as her eyes flashed a fiery shade of red.

  "Get out!" she yelled. "And stay away from me!"

  "That, Isabelle, is not going to happen, so accept it right now.”

  "How dare you!" she snapped.

  He took a step closer to her, but she backed up quickly, shaking her head as she held up her hands to ward him off. "I'm not going anywhere until you tell me how long it has been since you last fed."

  Isabelle couldn't take much more of this. Her emotions swung riotously back and forth. "I told you, I wouldn't harm her," she whispered.

  "And I told you, I don't care about her! Now answer me!"

  Isabelle was rapidly batting back tears. She hadn't cried since Ethan and Ian had cut off her hair, and she refused to cry now, especially in front of him. She didn't want to give him the satisfaction of answering, but she needed to get away. She needed space and distance, and if her answer would make him leave, then she would give it to him.

  "Four or five days."

  His breath hissed out of him as he clenched his jaw. "Which is it, four or five?" he demanded.

  Isabelle wrapped her arms around herself to ease the chill racking her. "Five," she muttered glumly.

  He grasped hold of her arms. Her gaze flew to his as he glared down at her. "You will not do that again," he commanded.

  The commanding, hostile tone of his voice immediately made her anger rush to the forefront. "I told you, I wouldn't hurt her!" she yelled.

  He brought her to within an inch of his face. "And I told you, I don't care about her. If you lost control and injured Jess, you never would have forgiven yourself, would you?"

  Isabelle swallowed the lump in her throat. "No," she whispered.

  He put her back down, unable to touch her anymore without wanting to take it all, to taste it all. "Now," he grated through his teeth. "We are going to get a few things straight between us. Jess means nothing to me. If you want her gone, I'll toss her out right now—"

  "No!" she cried as guilt and self-loathing flowed through her.

  Stefan forced himself not to argue with her. He was going to set the rules right now, and she was going to start obeying them. "Fine, she can stay if you want, but I think it will be a little awkward because I plan on having you."

  Fury swelled through her veins as she took a quick step back to make sure she was out of his reach. Not like it would do her much good, he moved faster than anything she had ever seen. He could grab her again if he wanted to.

  "You arrogant bastard! If you even remotely think just because you say you're going to have me, you will, you are dead wrong!" she spat.

  "No, Isabelle, I am very right. You can fight it all you want, but it is the truth. You want me, I want you, and I will have you."

  She sputtered in disbelief, unable to believe the full extent of his arrogance. "Get out!" she nearly screamed. "Get out now!"

  He grabbed her arms, dragging her against him as she wriggled within his grasp. He held her as he waited for her to settle down. Her eyes flashed red as she ceased the useless struggles and stood trembling within his grasp. She looked so tempting it took all the restraint he had not to kiss her again. If he did, he wouldn't be satisfied with one kiss, and he wanted Jess effectively out of his life before he took Isabelle. She would feel guilty afterward if Jess wasn't gone, and he didn't want that.

  He realized with a start, for the first time in his existence, he was putting someone else's feelings ahead of his own. He didn't know how she managed to get to him so much, nor did he particularly care. Right now, he just wanted to get his point across.

  "You're going to stop fighting me, Isabelle, and yourself. It will be good between us, you'll see."

  She should be infuriated at his highhanded attitude, but suddenly all her anger vanished, and she couldn't seem to regain it. It would be good between them, but she was afraid of just how good it would be. Of what it would mean. She didn't want to think about it now, couldn't think about it now. All she wanted was to be free of him for a few minutes.

  "Go out through the storm doors," she told him.

  "Are you going to stop fighting me?"

  All her frustration hit a boiling point. "Yes!" she cried in exasperation. "Now, please go! If you don't stop her, Ethan will have a nervous breakdown; he hates robots."

  Satisfaction gleamed in his black eyes as he smiled smugly. He dropped a quick kiss on her nose and set her on her feet. Isabelle instantly jumped back to put more distance between them. She promised to stop fighting with him; she hadn't promised to stay anywhere near him
though. She kept her smug satisfaction hidden from him as she met his gaze with a heated glare.

  "Did you ever torture him with one of those?" he teased.

  "Go!" she yelled.

  He strolled by and tugged on a piece of her hair. She glared at him as she jumped further back. He turned away from her, smiling as he ascended the stairs and opened the door.

  "Oh, Isabelle!" he called back.

  "What?" she snapped.

  "Change your shirt before you come up."

  He laughed as her curses followed him out the door.

  Somehow, even though she had to change her shirt (his mouth left a wet mark right over her nipple), she still beat him up the stairs and into the kitchen. She shoved her way through Ethan and Aiden to the counter and froze. Jess was walking back and forth in the kitchen, pouring batter into frying pans, and flipping them over. Isabelle couldn’t believe the stacks of pancakes filling the plates, overflowing the counters, and spilling onto the floor. In the short time they’d been gone, Jess managed to make at least fifty pancakes.

  "Wow," she breathed as Jess flipped another pancake onto an already overflowing plate.

  "What happened?" Ethan demanded.

  Isabelle closed her mouth as she turned to look at him. He was the only one who wasn't highly amused; everyone else grinned as they watched the endless pancake assembly line.

  "I uh... well... I, oh I'll explain later," she finished lamely.

  The front door banged open, and Stefan came striding in. Although she still felt flustered from their encounter, he looked poised and anything but ruffled by it. Isabelle scowled as she turned her gaze forcefully away from his. His arm brushed against her back as he passed her, causing her to nearly jump out of her skin.

  "What did you do to her?" Jack asked with a smile.

  "I told her to make breakfast."

  Jack started to laugh. "For an army?"

  Stefan cast him a grin as he moved around the counter toward where Jess was pouring more batter into a pan. "She probably thinks you're growing boys."

  "She'd have us be exploding boys," Ian replied.

  Everyone but Isabelle and Ethan found this hilarious. Stefan grabbed Jess's arms and turned her toward him. Jealousy exploded through Isabelle, causing bright lights to burst before her eyes. She turned away so she couldn't see anymore. Heading out the door, she hurried to her parents’ house.

  Chapter Ten

  Isabelle somehow managed to avoid him for the next two days. She spent all her time at her parents’ house, helping her mother plan Aiden's going away party. She was irritable, snippy, tired, and achy from sleeping on the couch. Her mother questioned her bad mood and why she was crashing there. Isabelle told her she was too tired to go back at night. She knew her mother didn't believe her for a second, but she let it slide and didn't push Isabelle.

  There were a few times Isabelle almost poured her heart out about her frustrations with the infuriating man. But, she bit her tongue and somehow managed not to. She was too frightened her mother would confirm her worst nightmare, and that was the last thing she wanted to happen. So, she stayed mute and despondent.

  It didn't help; she found herself constantly thinking about him throughout the day. Found her mind wandering to him, and what he was doing, and with whom. Although, she knew what he was doing and who he was doing it with.

  He did this to her. If he’d stayed away she wouldn't be unhappy, she wouldn't be sleeping on a couch, and she sure wouldn't be having the awful dreams every night. Well, the dreams weren't horrible, they were actually pleasant, but they caused her to wake up feeling edgy, out of sorts, unfulfilled, and even madder at him and the world for upsetting her life this way.

  She didn't know what to do anymore. She longed for the day he left. At the same time, the idea of him leaving caused her to feel even more depressed and irritable. It opened a pit of loss in her chest —a loss she was sure would go away as soon as he got out of her home and life. It was simple attraction; that was all. She would feel it with other men if she spent more time around them. There were probably a few humans she would feel attracted to if she gave them a chance.

  She hadn't liked anyone in high school because they were all immature idiots. If she went out and spent time with men, she would find a few she liked. Her brothers and The Stooges were attracted to human women all the time, and it never meant anything. Vicky and Abby had an endless parade of admirers they were always dating.

  Her attraction to Stefan meant nothing; she could find someone else who would make her feel the same way. At least that's what she told herself during the day, over and over, but at night her mind and her body betrayed her. She hated both of them for it.

  "Isabelle, will you bring out the lemonade?"

  She glanced up as her mother tore her from the morose thoughts. She glanced down at the spoon in her hand and the big jug of lemonade she had been stirring for...

  Ah hell, she didn't know how long she’d been mixing it. She tossed the spoon angrily aside.

  "Yeah," she muttered.

  Her mother’s violet-blue eyes studied her. "Are you ready to tell me what's wrong?"

  "Nothing is wrong."

  Her mother gave her a questioning look but refrained from saying anything more. Her eyes took on the distant look they got whenever she was communicating with her father. What Isabelle used to find wonderful, and reassuring, now made her feel even edgier and out of sorts.

  "Well, come on," her mom said as she lifted a plate of hamburger patties.

  Isabelle grabbed the lemonade and followed her mother into the sunlight. She blinked rapidly against its rays, waiting until her eyes adjusted before moving down the stairs and out to the large back yard. A volleyball net was set up, horseshoes were already clanking loudly, and the smell of human food hung heavy in the air.

  Aiden had invited some of his friends from school who brought their girlfriends. There were now eleven humans in their midst, including Kathleen, Jess, and Delia. There were more here now than ever before, but Stefan assured her mother he could handle them all.

  That only aggravated Isabelle more. Her mother and father truly liked him, Aiden was ecstatic, and everyone else was happy they wouldn’t need to go out to feed. They made him into the hero of the day.

  Isabelle scowled as she slid the pitcher of lemonade onto one of the long tables set up for the day. Potato chips, Doritos, cheesy puffs, hamburgers, buns, hot dogs, chicken, sodas, alcohol bottles, plates, and cups covered them. Isabelle's stomach turned at the sight of all the food. Human food.

  She turned quickly away from the table. She honestly didn't know what was wrong. Human food never bothered her before; now it suddenly made her nauseous. She decided that was his fault too. If she wasn't feeling so awful and grouchy, and if she could get one decent night of sleep, it wouldn't be bothering her at all.

  She scanned the people gathered around. Kathleen, Delia, Jess, Abby, and Vicky were sitting in lawn chairs with sunglasses on as they absorbed the sun and watched the people around them. Aiden and his friends were tossing horseshoes, laughing happily. Ethan, Ian, Stefan, her father, and The Stooges were standing by the keg. Her gaze lingered on Stefan, her pulse instantly picking up at the sight of him.

  The black T-shirt he wore showed off his amazing biceps and forearms while emphasizing the muscles of his broad chest. His snug jeans clung to his muscular thighs. To her utter dismay, she felt the familiar anticipation she’d experienced in her dreams take hold.

  "He is good-looking," her mother commented.

  Isabelle groaned inwardly. She’d been staring at him, and of course, her mother would notice. She turned her gaze away from him as she remarked, "He's an ass."

  "He seems very nice to me. Just look at what he did for Aiden today."

  "You don't know him very well. He is an arrogant, insensitive ass!"

  Her mother's eyes twinkled as she looked at the group by the keg. "Maybe, but so are your brothers, your father, and The Stooges."
/>   "No one is as bad as him," she grated.

  "So, you like him then?"

  Isabelle grit her jaw as her frustration simmered to a boiling point. "I can't stand him!"

  Her mother smiled as she patted her arm. Isabelle stood seething, feeling like a child. She hated it. She turned away from her mother, scowling angrily, as she moved swiftly over to the empty chair near Vicky and Abby.

  She didn't want to be near Jess, but she didn't know where else to go. She couldn't hide in the house all day. It would only draw more questions she couldn't answer. She didn't want to let him know how much he’d gotten to her. However, she was sure he already knew, and he was reveling in the fact while secretly laughing at her.

  "Hey, Issy," Abby greeted as Isabelle settled in the chair, propped her feet up, and laid back.

  "Hmm," she mumbled by way of greeting.

  "Aiden's friends are cute," Vicky gushed. "I especially like the redhead; do you think I should go talk to him?"

  Isabelle looked at the redhead playing horseshoes. His girlfriend, a small, petite brunette hung on his arm. "I don't think his girlfriend would like that."

  "Oh, who cares about her?"

  Isabelle ground her teeth as she closed her eyes. Why couldn't she be more like her sisters? They liked every boy who crossed their paths. They flirted outrageously, kissed them, and threw themselves at the boys. Isabelle had never even kissed someone before the ass walked into her life, nor had she ever wanted to.

  "We haven't seen much of you lately."

  Isabelle chose to ignore the hostility in Jess's tone. In fact, she chose to ignore her completely. "Isabelle's been helping mom," Abby answered for her.

  Isabelle didn't speak at all for a long time. The day passed in a torrent of games Isabelle steadfastly avoided. It wasn't until late afternoon, when her mother and father reappeared, that her father announced the one thing she’d been dreading all day.

  "Time for football."

  Abby and Vicky groaned; Jess paused in the middle of applying her suntan lotion, while Delia frowned thoughtfully. Her mom smiled as she slid into the chair next to Kathleen.