Resist Me(25)

I smiled but didn’t respond to her remark. She turned me down at every opportunity, but I was fine with the chase. Fuck, I loved a good game of cat and mouse. It was one of the reasons I’d joined law enforcement.

“It’s quite a place you have here,” I said, swiveling around on my stool.

“Want to see the upstairs? It’s my favorite part of the house.”

“Sure. And I’d love that cup of coffee.”

“You can bring it up with you,” she said as she grabbed two cups. “Black?”

“Yes, please.”

She filled the cup, adding sugar to hers before turning around with her hands full. “Here,” she said, placing it in front of me. “Let’s go.”

Once I took my cup, I followed her closely up the stairs I hadn’t noticed before. I had been lost in my thoughts of her and all the dirty things I wanted to do to her.

“This is why I bought the place,” she said when we reached the top.

As I made my way behind her, the stunning landscape came into view. She had a view of the Gulf of Mexico in the distance. The sun shimmering across the water made it look like a sheet of glass covered in glitter.

“Stunning,” I muttered, sipping the coffee.

“Come outside on the deck and have your coffee before you go.” She pulled open the sliding glass doors.

“I’m not used to the nice-girl act,” I said as I followed her.

“I’m not always a twat.” She laughed, sitting down on the swing, facing away from me. “Close the door, please.”

“I’d never call you a twat, Izzy. You have such a mouth.”

“You love my mouth, from what I remember, James.”

“I so fucking do.” I sighed as I closed the door and made my way toward her. As I sat, I said, “This is a little slice of heaven.”

“It’s my serenity. When shit gets bad or my life feels overwhelming, this is where I come to center myself.”

Listening to her talk while we sat together, I felt like I was seeing the real Izzy for the first time. She had her guard down and was speaking to me differently. There was no sarcasm in her voice, no smartass comment—just Izzy. I liked this side of her, but the other one made me wild and drove me crazy.

A comfortable silence settled between us as we sipped our coffee and gently rocked back and forth. The last thing I wanted to do was get back on my bike and leave her, but I had to. Duty called. If I didn’t go back and something happened to her brother, I’d never be able to make her mine. All hope for the future would be killed.

“I better go,” I said. “Thank you for the perfect ending to the last twenty-four hours.” I didn’t look at her as I spoke. I stared off into the distance, taking in the beauty of the Gulf and longing for this life.

I loved my job, but some nights, I wished for someone to be mine, someone to spend time my life with. I didn’t want to lead a senior-citizen lifestyle. I wanted a partner, someone I could spar with and make love to at the drop of a dime. Izzy was what I wanted; she just hadn’t accepted her fate. She couldn’t resist me for long.

“This has been nice. The rest, not so much. I could’ve done without the cuffs, James.” She turned to me and smiled.

I laughed. “You’ll learn to love them.” I winked at her, and her cheeks grew flushed.

“In your fucking dreams,” she shot back, rolling her eyes.

I reached up, stroking her cheeks, and leaned into her space. “I know many uses for handcuffs besides arrest. Imagine your body at my mercy. I could feast on your flesh for hours, Isabella,” I murmured against her lips.

She blinked slowly and stared into my eyes. “You say such pretty shit, but I’ll pass on the offer.”

Running my hand to the back of her neck, I gripped her roughly, holding her in place. “I could have you right now if I wanted. Don’t kid yourself. I don’t buy your bullshit. You want me as much as I want you. You haven’t forgotten how good my cock feels inside you.”

Her eyes flashed and her tongue darted out, swiping against my top lip. “You’ll never—“

I captured her words in my mouth, crushing my lips to hers to quiet her. The smart-mouthed woman I fucking craved was back, and I couldn’t control myself. I didn’t want to listen to her lies. I knew I’d have her again.

As my tongue slid across hers, mingling her taste with mine, the sweetness of the sugar from her coffee made my mouth water. She tasted so fucking good. I’d leave her with a reminder of what I felt like and how I tasted.

The tiny hairs on the back of her neck rose, brushing against my fingers as we kissed. She panted into my mouth, kissing me back with her hand resting on my forearm. Her body spoke the words she was too afraid to say.