“I’m waiting for her to change so we can head for Taupo. The Jets are playing in a rugby tournament down there.”
“What’s that got to do with you?” Adam’s face remained unsmiling.
“Mind out of the gutter, man.” Hell, he didn’t have to take this crap. He wasn’t an axe murderer. “I’ve been coaching the Jets for the last month because their coach had a mild heart attack.”
“Adam! I’m not a child and you don’t need to act the heavy when a man comes near. I can cope just fine on my own. Come inside and bring Tyler with you.” She stomped down the passage that Tyler knew led to her bedroom.
He glanced back to find a thoughtful look on Adam’s face. His stomach sank. He knew what that expression meant and it didn’t bode well for him.
“I’m at a loose end this weekend. I might come to the tournament with you.”
They shared a measured look before Tyler exhaled. “It’s fine with me, although you should check with Issy.”
Adam nodded, his brown gaze narrowed in concentration. Small lines radiated from the corner of his eyes and there was a faint scar on his forehead caused when he’d fallen out of a tree during their younger years. Other than that, Adam was a masculine version of Issy.
Issy returned fully dressed in jeans and a mauve jumper that skimmed her form and made the most of her feminine attributes. Tyler’s gaze lingered on her breasts for an instant. “Adam wants to come with us. Is that all right with you?”
“Why?” She glared at her brother.
“I’ll load your gear while the two of you slug it out.” Disappointment filled Tyler at the thought of a chaperone. Hell, initially he’d meant this affair to last for a month, positive that was all the time he’d need to disperse the instant lust he’d felt on seeing Issy.
Hadn’t worked. Not a bit. Instead, the feeling had intensified to the point where he wanted more than casual. Tyler hadn’t trusted himself not to blurt it out while they were making love, which was why he’d stayed away for the last two nights. Issy was a damn fine rugby player and he hated to distract her before the tournament.
Fifteen minutes later it was an uncomfortable trio who headed south for the drive to Taupo. Tyler took the turning onto the motorway heading south before glancing across at Adam who sat in the passenger seat beside him. “How long are you home for this time?”
“Two weeks’ leave. Maybe we can go out for a few drinks one night?”
Now he decided to act the friend. Tyler bit back a snarl and wished their timing had been a little better and that Issy hadn’t been running late. His foot pressed the accelerator, the needle on the speedo easing upward.
“We’d like to arrive in one piece,” Issy said, leaning forward between the front seats.
“Sorry.” Tyler slowed to the speed limit and wondered what the hell he was doing trying to hide his relationship with Issy. He glanced at the rear-vision mirror and caught her warning look. Fuck, it was going to be a long trip to Taupo.
* * * * *
“You’ve only booked one motel room,” Adam snapped, suspicion coloring his tone.
“That’s right,” Issy said, jabbing her stubborn, opinionated brother in the ribs with her elbow. His grunt brought satisfaction. “Tyler and I are sharing. You can take another room.” She didn’t give him time to do more than splutter. “We’re adults and we’re sleeping together.”
“You can share with one of the other girls,” Adam informed her.
“No, I will not.”
Wisely, Tyler remained silent, letting her handle her brother. This time her finger jabbed the air in front of Adam’s nose, missing by a whisker. There was nothing wrong with the room and because of the tournament, accommodation in the tourist town was at a premium. She glanced at the small kitchenette and the dark brown two-seaters planted at right angles to the television. A small table completed the furnishings. Comfortable but not luxurious. No matter what Adam said, she wasn’t budging.
Adam took a step back, a dark frown on his face. “It won’t last.”
“Maybe not,” Issy said, maintaining a steady voice, although acute pain struck in the region of her heart. “But that’s none of your business either.”
She wasn’t ready to let go, dammit. Tyler hadn’t succumbed yet. More time, that’s what she needed. Unfortunately that wasn’t going to happen. She’d done her best and the month was almost gone. Issy exhaled in a slow breath. It was time to focus on tomorrow’s tournament and playing well in front of the selectors.
“You can’t have sex,” Adam snapped. “Everyone knows you can’t do the wild thing the night before a match.”
Tyler spluttered.
“I don’t subscribe to that theory,” Issy said airily. “Does anyone want to go out for dinner or should we order in pizza?”
“There’s a pizza place just down the road. I saw it when we drove in,” Adam said, evidently accepting the status quo.
“Suits me,” Tyler said. “I’ll meet you there. I want to see if all the girls have arrived. Half an hour okay?”
“That’s fine.” Issy waited until Tyler left before turning her wrath on her brother. “What the hell do you think you’re doing? I’m an adult. I don’t need you to vet my love life.”
Adam’s eyes narrowed. “He’ll hurt you. I know what men are like.”
“I’ll have sex with whomever I want. Male or female,” she added with a trace of defiance.
Adam’s face paled. “Are you—?”
“No, I’m not, but it wouldn’t matter if I were. That’s my point. It’s none of your damn business.”
“Mum and Dad should have paddled your backside more when you were little.”
“Oh yeah? Like they did with you? Let’s go. I want to have an early night.”
Adam growled. “Issy, that is not a good visual for me.”
“Deal with it.”
* * * * *
“I’m not sure this is a good idea with Adam in the next room.”
Issy chuckled, grinning down at Tyler while she rested on his naked chest. “I promise to keep my screams to a low roar. Please, sex will help me relax.”
She pressed a soft kiss to his lips and gradually the tenseness left his body. Issy cursed inwardly when desire along with another more complicated emotion kicked her in the belly. Love. Why did it have to hurt so much? Heck, she had to stop this and enjoy the time they had left together.
Issy threw herself into the loving. What she couldn’t tell Tyler, she’d show him with her touch. She ran her fingers across his chest, teasing flat nipples to taut buds, loving the sounds she dragged from him. After a loud moan, she paused to press her finger to her lips in a gesture of silence, and she’d bet her grin held pure naughtiness.
“Let’s see who screams loudest.” Tyler rolled, trapping her beneath his body. He lowered his head to draw a nipple into his hot mouth. With each tug of his lips, a primitive throb echoed through her veins, resonating in her pussy. While his mouth continued to tease her nipple, one hand crept down her body. It skimmed over her rib cage before flitting across her hot, wet core. A ribbon of sensation curled through her. He probed delicately, building her pleasure until it became a writhing, molten lump.
Issy attempted to move her hips but he held them in place, driving her higher. Giving up, she contented herself with kissing him, nibbling at the tender skin of his neck and everywhere she could reach.
“You’re wet for me.” No mistaking that for anything but satisfaction.
“Because you’re torturing me,” Issy said, nipping at a pectoral muscle.
“Adam was an ass tonight. We should interrupt his sleep.”
“I like the way you think,” she whispered.
Tyler slid a finger through her slick folds before guiding his cock into position, distracting her momentarily. He pushed inside a fraction and continued to tease, slipping his finger lower to rub back and forth over her puckered rosette.
Heat stabbed Issy. She attempted to force his cock deepe
r so she could gain relief from the savage throb in her lower body.
“Stop teasing. Please,” she begged.
Tyler laughed and pushed his thick cock inside. Slowly. So slowly. Stretching her pussy in a decadent manner. His lips caught her dark groan of pleasure when he pulled out and eased back inside her pussy.
“Deeper,” she said. “Harder.”
Tyler ignored her directions, taking his sweet time when he pushed inside her slick channel. “I like fucking you.”
“Why?”
“You’re responsive. Demanding. It makes me hot.”
But it hadn’t made him love her. Issy forced aside disappointment, flashed a smile and rocked against him. “Hot, huh? Prove it.”
Tyler’s grin was slow and sweet. He ran his finger through her juices and rubbed his finger across her pucker again while resuming his thrust and retreat. The long, luscious strokes stoked her need higher. Much higher. He kissed her, his stubble-lined jaw rasping across her cheek.
Issy clutched him tighter, running her hands through his silky hair. Then his cock hit her clitoris at the perfect angle. At her sharp gasp, he repeated the move. The bed groaned and creaked. Her sigh filled the air along with the musky scent of sex and a hint of sandalwood.
He thrust again, angling the stroke. The climax broke over her in long, shuddering waves. Issy grasped Tyler’s shoulders and hung on tight, uncontrolled whimpers cramming up her throat.
“That’s it, Issy,” Tyler said. “Just a little louder.”
“Humph,” she said, trying not to laugh. She clenched her channel and felt the tightening of his body, the flex of his stomach muscles.
His bright blue eyes gleamed when he looked at her then he thrust hard three times before stilling, his cock jerking in orgasm. “Issy,” he gasped.
A thud on the connecting wall made them both still.
“For god’s sake,” Adam snarled. “Give it a rest. Issy, you need your sleep before the game tomorrow.”
“Good night, Adam,” Issy said in a firm voice.
Tyler grinned and separated their bodies before gathering her close. “He’s right, you know. Our star halfback needs her sleep.”
Issy smiled agreement while inside tears fought for freedom as she mourned lost opportunities.
* * * * *
Issy didn’t sleep well and decided to get up early to go for a walk. Part of it was nerves and worry about the upcoming tournament, but the main problem was Tyler. In anguish, she stared at his sleeping form. She didn’t know what to do, whether to blurt out she loved him or let him walk away. She’d dreamed erotic dreams. Of making love with him, their bodies writhing together, and Tyler plunging his hard cock into her, burying himself in her wet core while he nuzzled and sucked her lips.
Issy shivered—desire, liquid and molten, soaking her panties. The knowledge that she’d never experience his touch again after this tournament brought pain and made her throat tighten. Sighing, she dragged on a pair of jeans and a woolen jersey along with her brown leather boots. After grabbing her purse and an old corduroy coat, she let herself out of the motel room.
Her first breath was a shock, the icy coolness searing her nostrils and the back of her throat. Issy fastened her coat and walked toward the lake.
Lake Taupo was the biggest lake in New Zealand, formed by a volcanic eruption, and full of great memories for Issy. Her uncle and aunt had owned a holiday home here at one time and the entire family used to spend the school holidays at Two Mile Bay. It was a shame they’d sold the place.
She crossed the road to the lakeshore. The wind whistled over the water, an icy breeze that felt as if it came direct from the trio of snow-capped mountains on the skyline. White caps topped the waves and the wind sent them crashing to the shore, tossing about the boat moored near a small private jetty. Issy walked for half an hour, passing only a woman walking a prancing fox terrier in a smart red jacket. A glance at her watch told her she should turn back before Tyler and Adam started to worry.
“Issy.”
Her head snapped up and a smile formed, her heart singing on seeing Tyler. “Hi,” she said, a trace of shyness striking without warning. “Walking off the nerves.”
Tyler wasn’t quite as diffident. He drew her against his chest and wrapped his arms around her. He tipped back her head with a finger under her chin and claimed a kiss. Unhurried and tender, the kiss rocked Issy right to her toes. She melted against him. The warm, wet suction of his lips and the slow slide of his tongue against hers made her stomach yank tight. He pulled away to nuzzle her ear, his warm breath misting in the cool air.
“Good morning, sweetheart. I missed you.”
“Morning,” Issy whispered. “I guess we need to get used to being apart. Our month is almost up. It’s time to go our separate ways.”
Tyler frowned. “We’d better get back before the army sends out a search party.”
“Adam can be such a pain.”
“Your brother loves you. He wants to look after you. That’s not such a bad thing.”
“Try wearing my shoes,” Issy said, her tone dry.
Tyler laughed. “You said you were nervous. About playing today in the tournament?”
“Yeah. A little,” she confessed, the nerves returning in force to stomp around inside her stomach at the thought of the selectors watching her play rugby. “I guess all I can do is play my best and hope they like what they see.”
“Scoring a few tries might impress them,” Tyler said with a grin.
Issy wrinkled her nose. “We’ll see.” At least if she concentrated on rugby, the regrets about their relationship wouldn’t swamp her quite as badly.
Chapter Five
The tournament
The referee’s whistle pierced the air, fighting with the roar of the crowds cheering their teams on and the holler of team members. People wore warm coats, hats and scarves in team colors. The woolen scarves flapped in the wind. Issy noticed a few people wearing gumboots and didn’t blame them given the soft grass. A fitful sun played peekaboo behind steely gray clouds. Hopefully it wouldn’t rain until later in the day since there was nothing worse than sodden clothes and frozen hands.
Issy and her team members warmed up in the special area set aside for the purpose. Their opposition, the Panthers, stretched and jogged back and forth at the other end of the field.
They were on in five.
“Are you nervous?” Angela, their winger, asked.
Issy stretched her legs and groin muscles, concentrating on her breathing. “A little.” An understatement. She was bloody petrified she’d mess up this opportunity to impress the selectors.
“Me too.”
That made Issy feel a bit better since Angela had a good chance of making the Black Ferns as well.
Tyler and Adam wandered over to the warm-up area. Tyler waved them over. “Okay, girls. Gather around,” he called.
“Wow, do you know who that is?” Angela whispered. “He’s gorgeous. He looks familiar.”
Issy noticed the rest of the team was casting Adam surreptitious glances too. “Don’t get too excited,” she muttered. “That’s my brother Adam.”
“Ah, no wonder he looks familiar. Is he taken?”
Issy grimaced. “I wish someone would take him then he’d leave my love life alone.”
Angela fell into step with Issy. “Is he playing the heavy brother?”
“He wanted to share a room with Tyler.”
Angela’s bark of laughter was loud and attracted attention, specifically Adam’s.
“Shush,” Issy muttered.
“Your brother knows about the two of you?”
“Yeah, but he’s not happy.”
“How much is it worth for me to distract him?” Angela wrinkled her nose and grinned in Adam’s direction. “Introduce me and I’ll make it happen.”
“Deal,” Issy said, offering her hand to seal the promise.
They joined the rest of the players who clustered around Tyler and Adam. Th
e normal teasing laughter was absent, pregame nerves gripping them all.
“You’ve played the Panthers before and thumped them. If you keep to the game plan we’ve mapped out, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t do it again.” Tyler gazed around the circle of faces and Issy fancied his eyes lingered on her for a fraction longer. “You’ve trained well. You’re all fit. Now go out there and whip Panther butt.”
The girls moved to the sideline, waiting for the referee’s final whistle to finish the current game. It came seconds later, some of the players on the field leaping and hugging each other because they’d advanced to the next round while the opposing team stumbled from the field, shoulders hunched in dejection. Issy hoped that wouldn’t be them at the end of the game against the Panthers.
A male referee, dressed in white, trotted over to the sideline. “Captains, please. We’ll toss to see which team kicks off.”
Their captain hurried over to the referee and the Panthers’ captain joined them. The coin shimmered when it flew into the air. Heads down, they studied the coin before the captains walked back to their teams.
“Our kickoff,” the Jets’ captain said.
She stripped off her tracksuit pants and jacket to reveal a close-fitting teal blue rugby shirt and black shorts. Black socks with teal stripes around the top bands completed their uniform. Issy knelt to check the laces on her rugby boots. She didn’t want to trip on them at an inopportune moment.
“Issy,” Adam said. “Good luck.”
“Thanks.” A not too subtle cough from behind brought a grin to her lips. “Adam, this is Angela, one of our wingers. Angela, meet my brother Adam.”
While Angela and Adam were chatting, Tyler joined her, standing close so they could speak in private.
“Good luck.” He squeezed her shoulder and for a moment, she thought he might kiss her in front of everyone. Instead, he murmured, “You can do this.”
Issy nodded and hoped he was right. She jogged on the spot, trying to keep warm. A place in the Black Ferns. It was what she’d aimed for and dreamed of ever since she’d started playing for the Jets. Tyler had diverted her for a while but now that their time was over, she was back on track.
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