Chapter 6 - Unforgettable
The girl had game and mad fucking skills. I’d never met a female who was as full of shit as I was. Izzy was everything I’d ever wanted in a woman—fierce, strong, driven, and full of attitude.
Riding with her on the back of my bike for over three hours should’ve been boring and tedious. I was finding out that nothing we did together could be described with those words.
She’d taken every chance to brush against my dick when we were stopped at a light. Running her hand down my thigh, all in the name of stretching her back. She hadn’t just held me to stay on the bike. She’d felt me up and I fucking knew it.
As I pulled into her drive, I could feel my semi-hard dick I’d been sporting for the last twenty miles start to stiffen. It wouldn’t happen today. I had shit to do, including a long ride back to Daytona.
I parked the bike, securing it in place before turning off the engine. Izzy pushed off using my shoulder and plucked the helmet from her head. Leaning over, she shook out her hair, flipping it like a wet dream. She was a fucking tease.
“Thanks for the ride.” She smirked, holding out the helmet.
“Can I use the bathroom before I head back?” I asked. I figured I could have a little more fun with her before I walked out of her life for a short time. I knew I’d be back. No one could keep me away from Izzy Gallo.
She rubbed her face and stared at the ground. “If you must,” she mumbled, bringing her eyes to meet mine.
In the sunlight, her eyes matched the color of the Gulf on a sunny day. Turquoise with hints of sky blue. They were lush and big for her face. I didn’t speak as I hopped off the bike and stretched.
She walked away, heading for the door, and I followed behind, admiring her ass. Looking over her shoulder, she glared at me before stopping in front of her door and unlocking it.
The house sat on a canal, the Gulf of Mexico not far away from the multistory dwelling. The façade was white with muted orange trim, and it stood three stories tall. Following her inside, I took in the beauty of the living room. It was like Izzy—loud and unforgiving and alive with vibrant color. Large windows lined the back of the house as the sun cascaded through the room and shone on the dark wooden floors.
“Restroom?” I asked, looking around, taking in the layout of her home.
“Over there,” she replied, motioning to the left with her head.
I walked away, finding a hallway where she had pointed. I stopped when I passed an open door that held a bedroom. I didn’t think it was hers. It was all white and too plain for her tastes. I continued to the next room and found the Holy Grail.
This was Izzy’s bedroom. The walls were painted a deep red with black trim. Black curtains hung from the floor-to-ceiling windows. Along the opposite wall was a king-sized bed with black satin bedding. It wasn’t feminine, but totally her.
“Find it?” Her voice carried down the hallway, forcing me back into the hall.
“Yeah!” I yelled, and moved toward the last door on the right.
After I was done, I didn’t bother looking around before I headed back to find Izzy. She was standing in the kitchen, moving with ease, a coffee pot in hand.
“Want a cup before you head out?”
Look at Betty fuckin’ Crocker. “Sure,” I said, my voice uncertain.
“It’s the least I can do. I need you to make it back to my brother safely.”
“Well, I’m kind of hungry too.” I smiled, taking a seat at her breakfast bar.
“I don’t cook, and you’re pushing it.”
“I’ll grab something at the gas station down the street,” I responded, propping my chin on my hand and staring at her.
She blanched. “I have some leftovers from my mom’s place.” She opened the fridge and bent over to look through the contents.
It was a perfect ass shot. I grinned, watching her move.
“How about some pasta?” she asked with her head still stuck inside.
“Perfect.” I leaned back, looking away before she turned around. I wouldn’t fuck with pasta from Mrs. Gallo. Thomas always raved about it.
She pulled off the plastic wrap and splashed a bit of water on the plate before sticking it in the microwave. “Is my brother really okay, James?” she asked with her back to me.
I sighed, wishing I could fuck with her mind, but I wanted to put her at ease. “He’s doing okay, Izzy. He’s smart and tough. He’s made it deeper than any other agent.” I tapped my foot on the floor, feeling uncomfortable while trying to shovel a load of bullshit at her.
No one in the life was safe. It could all end without notice, in the blink of an eye.
“That doesn’t sound so promising.” The microwave beeped, and she grabbed the plate from inside. “Will he be done soon?” she asked as she placed the pasta in front of me.
“Hopefully. We’re trying to get him out ASAP, but you know your brother. He wants more. He’s never content.”
She grabbed a fork from the dish strainer and held it out to me. “That’s how all the Gallos are. We always want more.” She smiled.
“I’m counting on it, doll.” I snatched the fork from her hands before she could throw it at me. I knew she hated it, but I wanted to change the subject from Thomas to something that made me happy.
“Just eat and shut up.” She took the dishrag from the sink and wiped down the counters.
Shoving the first forkful in my mouth was sheer happiness. Even a couple of days old and dry, the taste exploded in my mouth. I hadn’t had homemade sauce this damn good since my grandmother passed years ago.
“Mmm,” I mumbled, taking another forkful. “I never pictured the domestic side of you.” I laughed, placing the noodles on my tongue.
“Someone has to clean. I do it all myself, except cook. That is my weakness. Never had the patience for that shit.”
Swallowing my food, I offered, “I could teach you.”
Her hand stilled as she looked at me with big eyes. “You cook?”
“I’ve been known to, yes. I’d love to get your mom’s recipe for this sauce.”
She shook her head and stared. “That is for Gallo family members only. It’s a closely guarded secret. So, what do you cook?” She leaned over the counter and gawked at me as I attacked the pasta.
“Anything you want. I had to learn to cook, being single. I couldn’t maintain this body and eat shit food all the time.”
“Interesting,” she mumbled, watching me shove the fork in my mouth. “Never took you as a Paula Deen.”
I laughed, almost choking on my food. “I think of myself as a better-looking version of Emeril.”
“His food is so damn good. I’ll never believe you can cook like that.”
“Someday you’ll find out.” I wiped my face after I inhaled the pasta.
She pulled my plate from the counter, setting it in the sink. “I won’t, but I’ll take you at your word.”
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.
I backed away, breaking the kiss, and stared at her face. We were both breathless and didn’t release our grip on each other.
“What were you going to say?” I asked, trying to calm my breathing.
“I don’t know,” she said, her voice breathy and her face flushed.
“I can show myself out.” I stood and grabbed my coffee cup off the small table next to the swing.
Izzy sat there looking like a deer in headlights as I reached to open the door to the house. “Wait!” she yelled, standing on shaky legs.
“Yes?” I asked, turning to her.
“I can at least show you out,” she said.
I smiled and released the door handle.
“It’s more for self-preservation, really.” She opened the door, trotting down the steps in front of me. “I want to make sure you don’t leave a reason to come back.”
“I don’t need to leave something behind,” I said as I reached the last step, following her into the kitchen and toward the front door. “I’m all the reason you need.” I walked up to her as she stopped by the door and pressed her against the flat surface, brushing my lips against hers. “My cock is a good reason. I remember you mumbling something about God when I was finger-fucking you. And then…then there’s my mouth; you almost suffocated me to death. Do I need more reasons?”
She glared at me and exhaled loudly, her breath hitting me in the face. “James, I think it’s you who can’t forget my pussy. It was so damn good you keep coming back for more. We’ll see who’s begging.” She ducked, weaving out of my grasp, and laughed as she stood behind me.
I hung my head and smiled. The girl had smartass perfected. “Maybe we both have a problem.” I straightened my back and turned toward her. “We’ll find out soon enough. Thanks for the meal and coffee, doll.”
A flash of anger clouded her eyes before a small smile spread across her lips. “You’re welcome. Keep my brother safe, ya hear me?”
I opened the door and waved, leaving her behind. “I will. That I promise you, Isabella.”
I climbed on my bike, smiling as I pulled away, and caught a glimpse of her standing in the door watching me head away from her home. No one did that if they hated the person. The girl had it just as bad as I did. Now I had to figure out how to get her to admit it.