Page 7

7

Isaac

I was bluffing, of course. I knew her last name, knew she had some reason she wanted to destroy my family. My sister had gotten me little to nothing about Tovah Lewis. There had been a police APB out on someone with the same name once, but whatever the case had been, it went dead. I’d thrown the threat out there as a test. Based on her reaction, I was onto something.

Not to mention, if she knew who my father was, she knew I wasn’t bluffing. I could get her killed. And maybe I should. I meant what I said: I’d do anything to protect my family, and I considered my team my family, too. I might hate my father, but I had siblings to protect, cousins I cared about. If my father fell, then so did the entire dynasty, leaving them easy prey for the vultures who would come. Tovah had revealed herself as a true threat, and as my father always said, threats had to be put down.

No.

Everything in my body rejected the idea of a world without her in it. I loathed that I felt that way, but it was the truth. Death wasn’t what I wanted for the fucking snoop. Not when she brought out the violence I tried to hide from. Not when I wanted her so badly I couldn’t think about anything else except hockey—and sometimes, not even that. So, I was going to make her life hell and finally get what I wanted from her. Extract my pound of flesh, in a way that would make my cock happy and finally end this obsession for good. When I was done with Tovah Lewis, she’d be nothing more than a broken shell. And I’d be free, no longer haunted by her face, her voice, her goddamned scent.

Oh, this was going to be fun.

Placing a heavy hand on her delicate, rounded shoulder, I began to push down firmly. I wanted her on her knees, but for now, forcing her to sit back down in her chair would do. Especially because, short as she was, it put her at nose level with my cock, and with her gazing up at me with that wild fear and even more wild defiance, it made it easy to imagine her in this position for other reasons.

My cock picked up on that, straining in my jeans like it could pop through the zipper and make its way into her hot mouth.

All in due time.

“Like I said earlier, here’s how this is going to go. First, you’re moving in with me. Can’t risk you trying to publish the story.”

“I’m not moving into the hockey house,” she protested. “I have no interest in being surrounded by you fucking slobs, partying all the time, and?—”

Offended, I put out a hand. “I don’t know who you’re calling a fucking slob, but we keep things clean. We have a maid.”

“Of course you do,” she scoffed.

“Careful, or I’ll put you in a maid costume and nothing else. Make you clean my floors with your tongue,” I threatened.

Fuck. The image of her on her knees with her ass exposed, bent over as she cleaned what was going to be my cum off those floors made my cock hurt. Too bad the bar was opening soon, or I’d make that fantasy a reality.

Holy fuck, what was wrong with me? I was as bad as Jack had been with Aviva. I knew better than this, couldn’t be this person. But Tovah’s lemon and sugar scent and big brown eyes were turning me into him, no matter how hard I fought it.

Shoving that thought away, I continued. “I have my own house on the edge of campus; you’ll live there with me, so I can keep an eye on you. You don’t go anywhere without me knowing, or without me or one of my teammates accompanying you.”

“But I have class! And newspaper meetings!”

“Should’ve thought of that before you tried to blackmail me,” I said smoothly.

She glared. “Aren’t you doing the same thing to me?”

I winked, loving every second of this. “Yes. But I do it better.”

She growled. It was cute.

“And what, people are just going to believe we’re happy to be around each other that much? All of Reina knows we hate each other.”

I moved in even closer. I could feel her breath against my jeans.

Fuuuuuuuck. Could she tell how hard I was getting?

Forcing myself to focus, I bent down, sliding my thumb under her chin and lifting it so she had to look directly at me. “Then you better hope you’re a good fucking actress, because everyone is going to have to buy that you’re happy with our new…arrangement.”

Her eyes widened. “I’m not going to pretend we’re dating.”

I scoffed, ignoring the way her rejection sliced into me. “Who said anything about dating? You wouldn’t be the first girl willing to be my toy .”

Of course I’d never forced another girl to live with me or tracked her every move. But Tovah didn’t challenge me on that point.

“Is that all?” she practically spat.

I cleared my throat. This last part…I hated myself for what I was about to say, but the anticipation outweighed the realization that I was about to act like a complete animal.

But then, maybe it was time to let the beast out if its cage.

“Finally, you’re mine. However I want you, for however long I want you for. I say jump naked, you say, ‘yes sir, how high?’ I say get on your knees…well, you know the rest. And you won’t go near another man when you’re with me. I don’t care about your history, or whoever else you’re seeing. I. Don’t. Share.”

“That’s not what I heard,” she countered, sickly sweet in her helpless anger.

“Let me rephrase then. I. Don’t. Share. You. Got it?”

“I got that you’ve legitimately lost your mind if you think I’ll go through with any of this,” she said, rolling her eyes. But she licked her pink lips, chest heaving. She may hate the attraction, but like me, she couldn’t help herself.

“Or I can call my father right now,” I said. “How does that sound?”

She glared. “Hockey players. Thinking you own everything and anyone and can get away with whatever you want. You are an entitled piece of shit, and I hate you.”

That was fine with me. “I don’t particularly like you either.”

She seemed to consider something, and her eyes lit up. I didn’t know what had just occurred to her, but I didn’t like it, whatever it was.

“Fine,” she said. “I’ll come home with you, stay with you, let you and your dumb friends escort me around campus like my own personal entourage. Pretend I like you.” She flipped her hair. “But I’m not sleeping with you.”

“Who said anything about sleeping?” I made sure to look her up and down.

“I mean it, Isaac. I am not fucking you.”

That made me laugh.

“We’ll see about that,” I said. Her nipples were hard, and it wasn’t cold in the bar. Tovah Kaufman—no, Tovah Lewis—wanted me, badly.

She started to argue with me, when the door to the bar swung open.

Without even thinking about it, I turned around, shoving her behind my back like I was her shield from whatever harm might be coming our way.

But it was only the bar’s bouncer, Alec or Alex or something.

Fuck. There wasn’t even a real threat and the first thing I’d done was protect her. Which was bullshit, since she wanted to destroy me.

The giant bouncer filled the doorway, his concerned eyes on Tovah.

“Everything okay?” he asked her, before looking at me and doing a confused double take.

“Jones? What’s up, man? Great game last night.” To Tovah, he said, “I thought something was wrong.”

Why would he …

…she was clutching her phone in her hand.

The clever journalist must have texted for reinforcements when I’d threatened her. I couldn’t help admiring her for her fast thinking, even if part of me wanted to throttle her for getting someone to interrupt us just as things were getting good.

Fortunately, Alec/Alex knew Isaac Jones, Good Guy, and had no reason to think I would hurt Tovah, even if she had asked the bouncer to come.

“We’re good,” I said, flashing him an easy grin. “Tovah wanted to see if you could cover for her so she could ditch work and leave with me.”

“He’s never going to believe you,” Tovah hissed from behind me. “There’s no way I’d ditch work, much less to spend time with you. ”

Ouch. “He will if you sell it,” I murmured back. “And it’s in your best interest to sell it, Tovah. Even better if you sell us. ”

“You want to ditch work and go hang out with Jones? I thought you two hated each other…” Alec/Alex trailed off, looked confused and a little suspicious.

Tovah stepped out from behind me, her voice high and bright. “Yeah, we’re good now! No more hate.” She flipped her pink hair.

“So what, y’all are,” he gestured between us. “Hooking up?”

I didn’t have to see her face to know she was blushing. “Just…talking,” she said.

Talking. Like she was embarrassed that anything else could be happening between us. Overwhelmed by a ridiculous urge, I slowly sat back down in my chair, pulling her onto my lap. I rested my chin on her head, wrapping my arms around her waist. It was supposed to look tender, but it was so she couldn’t get away.

“We’re calling it talking now, baby?” I asked, hugging her close to me, and staring straight at Alec/Alex, daring him to interject.

I expected her to drop the acting, to fight me, to tell him she needed his help, to rat me out, anything. Yeah, I’d threatened her and told her she had to sell us getting along, even implied it was better if she sold us as “together,” but I didn’t expect her to actually listen to me and follow my lead.

So I was shocked when she leaned into me, sighing sweetly—so sweetly it made me harden under her delectable ass, even though I knew the sound was fake.

Her giggle was even faker. “We can call it whatever you want, baby .”

Nicely played .

She surprised me further when she twisted around on my lap, wrapping a hand around the back of my neck.

And kissed me.

It didn’t matter that it was fake, or simple, or close-mouthed. Just the feel of her soft lips pressed firmly against mine made my blood roar, my heart pound, the floor beneath my feet rumble. That lock in my chest shattered, releasing something feral and terrifying. In that moment, as I tasted her lips, lost in a cloud of pink hair and citrus scent, my entire world shifted in ways beyond my understanding or control.

And then I was taking over the kiss, over her . One of my hands cupped her cheek, the other wrapped around the back of her hair, fisting it, as I tilted her head to an angle that satisfied me, dominating her mouth with mine and demanding she let me in.

With a gasp, she did, and I took advantage of her temporary surrender to taste her, licking her cheeks, her teeth, tangling with her tongue. I could taste the lemon and sugar on her. She tasted like shocking sweetness and sharp danger. Because this woman was dangerous. To me, in unfamiliar ways I’d be wise to stay away from.

But in this moment, I wasn’t wise. I was too captivated by her taste, her scent, the feel of her in my arms, the little gasps and whimpers she made into my mouth as she gave in, chasing my tongue with hers, just as lost as I was. At that moment, nothing mattered—not that I hated her for who she was turning me into, or that she was trying to destroy both my family and my team, or that everything about her including that goddamned pink hair drove me crazy. Nothing and no one could’ve separated me from her. I’d like to see someone try.

Tovah was the one who tried. She bit down on my lip—hard. The taste of copper exploded in my mouth. She’d broken skin.

Too bad for her I liked that kind of shit.

Ripping her mouth away from mine, she gasped two words:

“Game. On.”

Trying to regain my equilibrium, aware of that bouncer still watching us, I smiled at her indulgently, licking the blood off my lip.

“That the best you’ve got?” I taunted under my breath.

“You haven’t seen my best, Isaac Jones ,” she taunted back.

I rose with her on my lap. She had no choice but to wrap her legs around my waist and grab onto my shoulders or she would’ve crashed to the floor.

“Isaac, put me down. You can’t carry me anyway, I’m too heavy—” she started to argue.

I snorted. “I could bench press five of you. But if you want me to pretend otherwise and drop you, I will.”

“Tovah, you sure you’re okay?” The big bouncer’s voice betrayed his uncertainty.

He glanced down at his phone, then back up to us. I could read it in his eyes and the tightness in his body: she’d likely texted him that she needed his help, or something along those lines, and he couldn’t reconcile her need for backup with who she needed backup from.

But I was smiling easily at him, like I didn’t have a care in the world, like there was no monster inside me rattling his cage. Channeling the message that I was a decent guy who wanted time alone with his girl.

Needing to send that message loud and clear, I pinched the dimple between Tovah’s hip and waist—and immediately wanted to bite and suck the skin there. Leave my mark on her.

“All good,” she craned her neck around and assured him.

The tightness in Alex/Alec’s shoulders loosened. “Y’all are cute,” he said. He’d bought it.

Tovah growled.

Reaching into my pocket, I withdrew my wallet, pulling out a hundred-dollar bill and dropping it on the table.

“Have a good night,” I said as I passed by him. He let us through. As Tovah, clearly not trusting me, tried to jump down, I caught her with my free arm, wrapping it tight so she couldn’t escape.

“Let’s go home, baby ,” I said. “Do some more talking .”

As I exited the bar with her reluctantly wrapped around me, satisfaction filled me. Finally, I had what I wanted, even if I wasn’t supposed to want it.

Game on, indeed.