The Fight for Us (26 page)

He stood from the bed, and he leaned over her, inching her pants and underwear down her hips. His eyes weren’t straying though, and they remained focused on hers. She lifted her hips so the pants could slide past her bottom, and then she relaxed back to her bed. He still refused to look at anything but her eyes, and he shifted to her side to avoid pulling back far enough to force himself to see more as he stripped the pants from her legs. She had no idea what was making him wait, except that he was admittedly the most patient man in the world. She wasn’t.

He dropped her pants to the floor, taking his place directly over her again. He trailed his hand down her body, and when he reached the lips of her sex, he delved and ran his fingers softly over her swollen tight nub. She mewled like an animal as her head dropped back, but he stopped her.

“Look at me.”

She had to force herself to, and her eyelids fluttered as she consciously held them open.

“Is this how you made yourself come that night? Hmm?”

He stroked gently over her clit again, and she nearly came. She was slippery and wet, and his finger was sliding so smoothly over her skin, driving her mad and keeping her orgasm just out of reach.

“Yes.” She whispered.

“And did you say my name when you were coming?”

He swept a feather light trail over her nerves again, and she groaned.

“Yes.”

“Good girl.” He kissed her quickly on the mouth, but as he pulled back and held his face close to hers, he took a deep breath. And then he stood up, leaving her alone on the bed with her legs splayed open. His eyes moved slowly down her body, so slow she could pinpoint exactly what spot on her flesh he was studying at any given moment, and when they reached her belly, he swallowed harshly before they drifted lower.

His breath left in a rush that was tinged with the slightest throaty moan, and he gaped at her open body before him. Her legs started trembling, and her own breathing started to come in uneven lurching spasms. He was licking his lips again, and his nostrils flared as he studied her.

When he finally looked up to her, he cleared his throat. “I want you to lie at…” His voice caught in his throat. “…the head of the bed.”

She backed herself up to the pillows, propping herself just slightly. She closed her legs with her knees up and her feet planted firmly on the bed. She wouldn’t get far with him in that position, but she was just a bit too modest to drop her legs back out again. As it was, it didn’t much matter.

He crawled on her bed too, sitting at her feet and gently clutching her knees. He parted them, pushing them out wide as he studied her eyes, and when he dropped to lie on his stomach between her parted legs, she held her breath. He turned his head, kissing the inside of her thigh. He ran his stubbly cheek against the same spot when he looked back to her.

She’d folded her hands on her stomach in her nervousness and clasped them together tightly. His eyes finally moved back to her pussy, and he studied again. His concentration was impressive, and he’d pulled his lower lip back into his mouth. But the attention left her shaking and trembling—her whole body vibrating in nervousness. Her stomach muscles danced and twitched as she started to fall apart from the intense scrutiny of what he was doing.

He glanced to her eyes and instantly climbed up her body to kiss her. He shushed her as she whimpered. “You’re stunning. I know you’re nervous, but I want you to relax and let me play a little.” His smile was small, but he focused on her, refusing to break eye contact until she nodded.

As he descended down her body, he paused along the way, nipping the skin on the side of her breast and causing a flood of wetness to her pussy. He trailed his tongue over her skin along the side of her torso, and he dipped it into her navel as he passed farther down. By the time he’d returned to lay between her legs, she was panting and her body felt warm and tingly. She dropped her hands to the bed at her hips, and she watched him.

His elbows were propped on the bed between her legs, and both hands dropped to her sex together. He ran his thumbs side by side down the seam of her pussy, gently delving and then spreading her lips. The cool air instantly touched the wet sensitive skin within as her lips were parted, and his mouth dropped open as he looked at her. His thumbs caressed along the inside of her lips, sending prickly shards of desperation through her. His other fingers anchored her hips in place as they dug gently into her thighs, stilling her legs.

He glanced to her quickly, and then she watched as he pushed both thumbs into her pussy. She cried out as they passed into her body, and then he pulled her open, studying as his nostrils flared and his eyelids fluttered. When he leaned to her, he glanced to her eyes one more time, and then she felt it. He dipped his tongue between his thumbs, letting it flick up the underside of her opening. He licked again, dipping and pushing it inside. His thumbs pulled again, spreading her entry open farther, and his tongue pushed deeper, moving and slithering the most incredible wet trail around the inside of her body.

He didn’t let loose his hold, and he pulled farther, wanting to get more of his tongue in. She could feel his chin tightly held to her skin as he pushed, sealing himself to her pussy, and when he moaned a vibrating warm sound against her, she could feel it radiate up through her womb. The moment he trailed his tongue up to the tight bud of her clit, he stopped pulling with his thumbs and started thrusting them into her, fucking her.

He licked around her clit, swirling the nerves gently, and as her body inched closer to release with every movement of his thumbs and tongue, her right hand started clutching and clawing at the top of his left hand. He pulled his thumbs from her, replacing them with two long fingers from his right hand, and then he held her hand with his free one, weaving their fingers together as she bore down on him.

His fingers thrust and twisted through her wet sheath, and he moaned as he licked her. Pushing his tongue up under the hood of her clit and forcing his way to the most sensitive of those nerves was how he put her over the edge, and she shrieked as her body started spasming its way through her release. His fingers plunged into her as she clamped down and released them over and over. He licked her through to the end as her body shuddered and twitched back to rest.

His eyes had never left her face once, but as he pulled back from her body, his attention moved to her pussy, and he focused as he scissored his two fingers, opening her as her muscles tried to tighten around him. He replaced those fingers with his thumbs again, spreading her lips. He was close enough she could feel every exhalation of his breath on the swollen sensitive skin between her sex lips, and every time his breath tickled her, she could feel her pussy twitching. He smiled as he watched her muscles jump and dance at nothing more than the air from his lungs touching her. It was a small eternity before he pulled his thumbs away, letting her body finally find some measure of modesty again.

He crawled up her body, hovering just slightly above her, and he kissed her mouth, dipping his tongue between her lips. He moaned as he kissed, and then he finally dropped down beside her, pulling her into his body to snuggle against his chest with her head nestled in beneath his chin.

“That was incredible. Well worth the wait.” He murmured as she closed her eyes and snuggled in even closer.

She hummed. There was no doubt about that. “Tell me more about Duluth.” She was still panting.

“Nothing much to tell. You’re coming with me. We’re leaving on the first ferry Friday morning, girls are staying with Steph, we’re doing some shopping, and then we’ll stay the night. We’ll come home midday Saturday.”

“What’s in Duluth that you can’t get in Bristol?”

“You. All of you. Our time is too limited, and I want more of it. Too much of a struggle to get privacy for any extended period of time with nosy teens running around all over the place.”

He chuckled, and the vibration ran from his body through to hers.

As fate usually had it with them, there was suddenly the quick blare of two honks coming from outside. She shot out of bed, throwing her sweatshirt back on over her head and slipping into her yoga pants, ignoring her underwear on the ground. Isaiah was much calmer as he shrugged into his shirt.

He laughed as he watched her panic. “Chill out, for God’s sake. Our children are going to have to deal with the fact that we have an intimate relationship someday.”

“Yeah? Well, it’s not going to happen today. I’m trying to teach her responsibility when it comes to boys, hell, even abstinence. Believe it or not, I actually don’t want to see her making the same mistakes I did. At the very least, I’d like her to think patience is a virtue when it comes to men and women as much as it is for any other aspect of life.”

He followed her from the room, muttering as he went. “I’m patient.”

She reached back, taking his hand and squeezing it gently. Yes, he was. They made it downstairs and into the kitchen before the front door opened and a gabbing Steph and Harper came in.

Joss and Isaiah waltzed casually back out to the foyer to meet them, having just passed through the room seconds before.

“Don’t look, Mom!” Harper shrieked at her as she started lugging her bags upstairs.

Joss held her hands up in placation.

“Oh! I bought Nat a present. But I didn’t get
you
one, ’cause I think you might be rich.” She pointed at Isaiah as her face screwed up in a bizarre joking expression. Her daughter definitely got her weirdness from her mother.

Isaiah laughed. “I’m glad you didn’t spend your money on me, but Nat will be delighted I’m sure. I’m on my way out. See you later, Harp.”

“Bye,” she hollered over her shoulder as she trampled up the stairs and disappeared.

“Did I seriously just have your daughter buy you tampons to put in your stocking?” Steph was shaking her head as she spoke.

Isaiah laughed. Joss shrugged.

“Anyway, here’s your change. They were having a sale on toilet paper, so you should be set for a year.” Steph turned her attention to Isaiah. “Hey, Isaiah. How’s it going?”

“Fabulous, but I need to go. I left Natalie working on a school project, so I should get back.”

“Tell her I’m looking forward to girls’ weekend, and I’ll see her Friday morning.” Steph hollered at him as she took off for Joss’s kitchen, pushing through the door and leaving them alone.

Isaiah kissed Joss, trailing his lips back to her ear. “Can you taste that?”

She could—the light scent of herself on his lips. It was both arousing and humiliating.

“Incredible.” He kissed again, and he turned away. But he didn’t make it far before she stopped him.

“Oh! Steph asked me to invite you to Christmas dinner at her parents’ house on Thursday if you don’t have plans. My parents live in Phoenix, and they don’t get back much, so we’re going to be there.”

He smiled. “I wish we could. Steph mentioned it last night when I talked to her. Nat’s grandparents are coming.”

“Oh, your parents?”

“No. My dad died when I was in high school and my mom a few years ago. They were older than most when I was born. Anyway, it’s Delia’s parents, and they’re coming to visit.”

“That’ll be nice.”

He scoffed. “For Nat, yes. They love her. They don’t seem so fond of me anymore. Trust me, I’d rather be with you, but it’s important that Nat spend time with them.” He smiled, and then he was gone.

Within moments of the door closing, Steph was yelling at her from the kitchen. “Get in here and pay attention to me!”

Joss laughed as she returned to her friend who was obviously attention deprived.

“Yes, dear Steph?” She spoke as she pushed through the door to the kitchen.

“Well? Going away to Duluth? I mean, he could pick somewhere better than Duluth, but this time of year even that is a risk. Freeze up is going to happen within a couple of weeks they’re saying. Don’t want to be stranded landside when all that’s running is wind sail. Know what I mean, Jean?”

“It’s Joss, and yes, I do know.”

Anyone who’d lived through a winter on Bristol knew. The ferries were still running, but soon the water would be well on its way to freeze up, and the ferries would stop running. Then, it would be wind sail until the ice was solid enough to drive on. Wind sail wasn’t for vehicles, only people, and their cars would be stranded on the island until the ice road was open. This was when winter got real around these parts. You had to be able to handle the cold on Bristol Island, but it could be isolating too. In some respects Joss loved that about her home. In other respects it worried her.

Todd had rarely made it up from Madison for their regular fuck once the deep cold hit, and it usually gave her a reprieve. Now, she was going to be trapped on this damn island with the man. Not that she was fucking him anymore, but being so close was going to feel infinitely closer once travel became difficult.

“Want a beer?” Steph asked as she grabbed herself one from the fridge.

“Sure.” Joss sat at the table.

“So, feeling better?” She didn’t even give Joss time to answer before speaking again. “I mean, he came up with this on his own, called
me
to ask if I could help out with the girls. That man really likes you.”

Joss smiled. “Yeah, I know.”

“So, you
are
feeling better about this—you know dead wife, your place in his life, his ability to move on?”

“Yeah, I think so.”

“Good. You should.”

Chapter Twenty-Two

By the time Friday morning rolled around, Isaiah was chomping at the bit to get out of town. After a day of Delia’s parents, he felt like a verbal punching bag. It wasn’t overt cruelty. They were good at the subtle insinuations, the glances that were loaded with blame though remarkably impassive to anyone who wasn’t looking for it. Hell, even Nat didn’t see it, and after the second time Delia’s mom threw down the “well, Isaiah, you’ve always seen what you wanted to see” remark, he’d been done with the day.

He snuck away to his bedroom, dialing Joss and hoping she was free enough to answer.