Isabella (The Mitchell/Healy Family #2)(39)
Author: Jennifer Foor

“I’m not following you, Iz.”

She took several steps toward me. While peering into my eyes she began to explain. “This thing between us has to be over, Rusty. I can’t keep fightin’ this.”

I reached forward, grabbing the elastic to her pajama pants. She moved closer with ease, and her breath was hot against my face as I attempted to change her mind. “I can’t let you give up.”

I watched her eyes close as I inched my lips to hers. My hand kept a firm hold on her pants, in fear that she’d try to pull away. Our first kiss was slow, and cautious. It wasn’t until I felt her hands touching my upper arms that I finally let go and wrapped my hands on her waist.

Just as I was about to guide her back to my bedroom she pulled back. “No. I didn’t come here for this.”

I wiped my mouth before speaking. “Then what? Did you walk all this way to tell me to go to Hell? These mood swings of yours are making my head spin, Iz. It’s like one second your right there with me and the next your somewhere else. I never know what to expect.”

“Exactly!” She sat back down on the couch. “Don’t you get it? You make me crazy. It’s got to stop. All of this has to stop. That’s why I want you to stay away from me. I need to make good decisions. Please, if you care about me at all, you’ll let me do this.”

I put my hands on my head unable to rationalize with her form of decision making. “This is ridiculous. I’m not some child you can send to the corner. I’m a grown man who wants to be with a grown woman. Why is that so hard for you to get? You say you’re confused, but all I’m seeing is you fighting yourself. You and I both know there’s something between us. Why can’t you admit it? Why is it so hard for you to look me in the eyes and tell me how you feel?”

“You know why. I already told you. I’m not going to fill some void you have for your family. I don’t care how good you’d treat me.”

“Isabella, don’t say that, especially when you know it ain’t the truth.”

“The truth is a joke.” She began to sniffle like she was fighting tears. I pulled her to a standing position and forced her to look at me.

“My feelings have nothing to do with who you may or may not look like. I want you because you make me feel alive again. I think about you all of the time because I can’t get your lips out of my head. I long to be with you because I’m falling in love with you.” My next words were almost a whisper. “Why can’t you believe that?”

She looked away and started crying. “Because I can’t.”

“You can’t, or you refuse to? Is this even about me?”

She wouldn’t answer.

“It’s not about me at all.” I let go of her arms and backed away. “It’s about the father of your child, isn’t it? After everything you’ve told me you still want to be with him?”

“It’s not like that.”

“How is it not like that? You either want to be with me, or you want to be with him. Don’t tell me that you don’t want your child to have a father, because one look at the bond you have with your own dad would prove that theory untrue.”

I knew I was pushing the limits with her. If I knew anything I knew she was ready to break. It was never my intention to stress her out, but I certainly wasn’t okay with her walking away from me when I knew I was the better choice.

“Rusty, please don’t make me answer. Just let me go back to my house.” Why was she avoiding it?

“So that’s it? Does he know about the baby? Did you already call him, and that’s why you’re pissed at me? Did I ruin your plan to bring him back into the family?”

“Stop it,” she pleaded.

“No. I need to know. Is that it? Is that why you can’t let yourself fall in love with me?” Admittedly, saying that out loud brought up some feelings that I wasn’t prepared to experience. I wanted this woman, more than I even knew. The idea of her pushing me away for someone else hurt. It was like an oozing cut that was going to get infected and eventually cause me to lose a part of myself. I focused on my breathing as I spoke. “Please answer me.”

“Yes, okay? It’s because of Tate. Are you happy now? Is this what you wanted, Rusty? Did you want me to come over tonight to hurt you? Does it make you feel better knowin’ that I don’t want to be with you?” Her words stabbed me in the heart, and for a few seconds I had to look away and clench my jaw to avoid showing her how her words were getting to me.

“No,” I grabbed both of her arms and pulled her close to me. “I’m not happy, but I also know you’re lying about something. There’s no way that you don’t feel what’s between us. Look me in the eyes and tell me you don’t want me. TELL ME DAMN IT!” I raised my voice and watched her jump. Her glossed over eyes looked petrified.

“I -.” She tried to speak, but couldn’t bring herself to do it.

I knew what I had to do, and I wasn’t going to hold back this time. My lips smacked against hers, as my hand reached around and grabbed the back of her head. At first she tried to pull away from our kiss, but after only a few seconds she was being lifted in my arms and carried to my bed.

There was nothing slow and passionate about this encounter. Clothes were ripped off as I prepared to claim her, to take what I knew was going to be mine. She wasn’t going to deny me what I already knew she wanted.

Her naked body welcomed me. I filled her will every bit of pent up emotion I had in me. She clung to my skin, digging those nails deep into the edges of my back. The harder she scratched, the more I got off on it. Our lips collided, vigorously meshing our tongues only to pull away and tease each other with them. Our pace never slowed, knocking the headboard of my bed loudly against the wall in the room. She reached back and held onto the top of it, allowing me to slam in and out of her. Her pu**y, so wet, yet tight enough to make my dick feel smothered, fulfilled my lust for her. The second I felt those inner walls squeezing, I came hard, hovering over her while I gained some sense of stability. Finally, after opening my eyes to admit what we’d just done, I peered into hers, waiting for her to respond in some way. When she said nothing I leaned down and drug my lips overs hers. Her eyes closed again, and I watched as she sucked her bottom lip into her mouth and moaned. “I don’t care what you say, Iz. I know exactly where you want to be.”