“But it won’t be the same, come on Isabelle, you love playing, and I want you too.”
She couldn’t refuse the pleading look in his eyes, and the fake pout on his face. She sighed wearily and slipped her hand into his. He hauled her to her feet. She followed him slowly out to where everyone had gathered in the middle of the backyard. Mike and David were always the team captains, and the assigned teamsthey usually played withhad already taken their positions. Jack, Ethan, and Julian stood by Mike, and she walked over to join them. David, her father, Ian, Aiden, and Doug stood opposite them, smiling smugly as David picked Stefan for his side. Mike immediately picked Kyle, who was being allowed to play for the first time. The remaining four humans were divided between them.
She walked to her side of the field, feeling stiff, and wooden. Their football games could get rough and rowdy, her brother’s had no problem with slamming her into the ground, and neither did the stooges. That’s why she loved to play, but now...
Isabelle was chewing nervously on her bottom lip as she glanced quickly over at Stefan. Would he tackle her? Would he touch her? She found herself shuddering with dread, and anticipation, at the thought. She listened half heartedly while Mike outlined their first play. The ball was coming to her, which she wasn’t at all surprised by. Mike was hoping that Aiden’s friends wouldn’t want to tackle her.
They lined up, and her eyes instantly darted to Stefan. He was standing next to her father, and across from Ethan. She sighed in relief as she realized that he wouldn’t be anywhere near her. She turned her attention back to Aiden, who walked over to stand before her, grinning happily. Isabelle forced herself to smile back.
“My friends refuse to tackle you,” he said happily.
“Your friends wouldn’t be able to catch me,”she retorted.
“Hey!” one of them protested.
Isabelle glanced quickly at his friendbefore turning her attention back to Aiden. His eyes darkened with worry as he stared at her. All of their special abilities were called off for their games because the stooges,and her father,werestronger than her brothers, and her. Even without them though, Isabelle was the fastest. She didn’t have the physical strength of the others, but if she broke away, none of them could catch her. Her team loved her for it, while David’s team hated it. They usually flipped a coin to decide who would have to cover her. Aiden had obviously lost, and he didn’t look happy about it.
Mike called hike, and they all broke. Isabelle darted to the right, laughing as Aiden scrambled to keep up with her. She caught the ball easily, tucked it against her chest, and darted down the field. She crossed the spray painted line on the ground, and turned to hold the ball laughingly out as Aiden panted to a halt beside her.
He shot her a disgruntled look as he took the ball from her hands. “Slow poke,” she teased.
“Hmm,” he grunted.
The game wentbyquickly in a blur of laughter, and lighthearted banter. After a half an hour of play, Isabelle began to truly relax. She had been nowhere near Stefan throughout the whole game, and he seemed to be content to stay away from her. In truth, it somewhat aggravated her, but it was what she wanted after all, wasn’t it?
She shook the thought, and the confusion away,as half time was called. She gratefully trotted over to the cold water on the sidelines, drinkingit eagerly down to ease the dryness in her throat. She stood between Ethan and Ian, feeling secure between their tall, solid bodies. She poked her head around them, her eyes instantly landing on Stefan as hetalkedwith David. As if sensing her gaze, he turned slowly toward her.
His eyes sparkled mischievously as a soft smile curved his full mouth. Her eyes widened as she realized that she had been caught looking at him, and a dull heat began to stain her cheeks. She was never shy, and very rarely got embarrassed, but one look from him caused heat to suffuse her body, and her throat to close up. For a moment, she felt like a child who had been caught with her hand in the cookie jar.
She quickly turned her gaze to less threatening things. Her mother and Kathleen still sat on the sidelines;her fatherwasnow by her mother’s side. Isabelle rolled her eyes as she looked away from them. She wasn’t going to be like them, she wasn’t going to let that happen to her. She refused too. She turned her gaze angrily toward Jess and Delia. They were sitting beside them, their eyes glued on Isabelle, and narrowed angrily. She was momentarily startled by the fiercehostilitythat radiated from the both of them. An anger that was directed solely at her. An uneasy feeling settled into the pit of her stomach. She had never been hated by anyone before, but she was certain that they both didhate her.
“I’ll be right back,” she said around the lump in her throat.
Ethan glanced quickly down at her. “Where are you going?”
“Inside for a minute.”
“Hurry up, the games going to restart soon,” he replied impatiently.
Isabelle hurried away from them and up the steps of the porch. She just needed some time to get her thoughts back together, and to shake off the lingering dread from Jess and Delia’s look. They truly hated her. The thought brought a tight knot to her stomach, and the hot sting of tears to her eyes. She batted them angrily back as she slipped into the cool comfort of the kitchen.
This washis fault too, she decided. Jess wasn’tstupid;she had to have noticed that something odd was happening. But it wasn’t Isabelle’s fault, it was all his. She had been going out of her way to avoid him. He was the one that was always there, always prodding at her. Why couldn’t Jess see that she should be mad at him, not her?
Isabelle locked herself in the bathroom and leaned against the door as she tried to steady her nerves. Sighing heavily, she walked over, turned on the cold water, and liberally doused her face with it. By the time she was done, her anger had grown. She was an idiot to get so upset over what Jess thought about her. What did she care what the girl thought, she didn’t even like her? Stefan was her boyfriend, and if she chose to be mad at Isabelle because he was a horny bastard, than that was her own damn fault, not Isabelle’s.
She turned the water off, determined not to let Jess bother her anymore. Stefan was an entirely different matter. No matter what she did, he bothered her. She avoided him physically, he invaded her dreams. She tried not to think about him, but he was constantly on her mind. One look at him caused her to tremble and heat. She didn’t know what to do about him, but she knew that she couldn’t stay hiddenin the bathroomforever. Ethan and Aiden would come in and drag her out by her hair if she didn’t get back to the game soon.
She cast a quick glance at her reflection, and froze. She looked like hell. Her face was flushed from the game, her hairwasin wild disarray, and there were dark smudges under her eyes from not sleeping. She suddenly realized that she didn’t want to lookawful;she wanted to look at least somewhat presentable.She didn’t want to think about the reason why she wanted to look better, she knew why; shejust didn’t want to admit it.Hurriedly, she pulled her hair into a neater ponytail. It didn’t do much for the overall effect, but at least it was a little improvement.
Feeling a little better, and a little more in control, she straightened her shoulders and flung the door open. Stefan was standing beforeheraneyebrow raised questioningly,anda bright gleam in his dark eyes as he quickly surveyed her. Isabelle’s heart leapt into her throat as all of her new found composure vanished, and fire flashed through her body. His eyes came slowly back tohers;the gleam in them was gone as they darkened with a ravenous hunger. For a moment, her breath froze in her lungs, and the world around her vanished as his gaze burned into her soul. With heart stopping certainty, she knew that he was about ready to devour her, and she found herself welcoming it.
“I was sent to get you.” His voice was deep and husky with desire.
Isabelle forced herself not to shiver. “Okay,” she managed to say. She took a step forward, but he put an arm out,effectivelyblocking her exit. She looked back at him, determined not to let her fear, or her fierce longing for him, show. “I thought you were sent to get me?”
A small, predatory smile curved his full mouth as he took a step toward her. She took a step back, but he planted his other arm behind her, blocking her escape. Isabelle’s eyes widened in surprise as her mouth parted in anticipation. She turned to face him, her back pressed firmly against the doorway as he leaned closer.
“I was,” he said hoarsely. Isabelle swallowed nervously. Her whole body was aching and trembling. She just wanted to touch him, to feel him. She needed to with a desperate longing that shook her from head to toe. “You’ve been avoiding me.”
