He said nothing, only stood there silently, his eyes locked into battle with hers, daring her to say anything, to scream, to run, anything but stare back in amazed silence. When Isabelle had left her bed after hours of tossing and turning to get a glass of water, nothing could have prepared her for the sight that greeted her in the hallway. He was back and casually leaning against the wall, waiting for her.
She must have sensed it on some level. How else could she explain the fluttering sense of anticipation she had been feeling all night. There was no fear, only a slight, startled moment when she realized there was a stranger in her hallway. The surprise quickly turned into pleasure when she realized it was the stranger in her dreams.
She tilted her head back to get a better look at the man who had been haunting her dreams. He seemed taller than before but then again she hadn't exactly been taking inventory of his attributes save for one at the time. The light coming out of the living room caught on his tousled dark hair and highlighted his lean form. He was good looking in a rugged way, with dark no nonsense eyebrows that slashed over dark gray eyes, a nose that said he'd been in a few fights and soft full lips that should have looked ridiculous on a man but only managed to make him look even more sensual.
And he was a sensual man; she had experienced those sensual lips on her body and remembered how they had caressed her skin. Isabelle felt a blush creeping up her cheeks at the memory of his lips on her and quickly tried to steer her thoughts to other things, like why he was back after so long.
"Why are you here?" She asked softly.
"You know why Isabelle, don't play games. You're smarter than that. I'll answer your question though; I'm back because I'm hungry for you. But you already knew that didn't you?" He said, taking a step closer to the position she had taken leaning against the opposite wall.
"I... well, yes." She had no intention of playing games, but the question was the first thing that had slipped out her mouth. Or maybe on a subconscious level she had wanted to hear him say it. She was no longer sure of her intentions anymore when it came to this man.
"Are you hungry for me Isabelle?" He asked, searching her eyes for the answer, "Have you spent your nights dreaming about us?" His gaze drilled into hers, forcing a nervous laugh out of her as she turned away.
Her answer didn't really matter, he could see through her façade. The nervous way she refused to look at him, her fingers grasping at the hem of her robe and twisting it into little balls of cotton said more than any lame answer she could give him.
Still he forced her to answer, taking a step closer to her and snaking a hand out to cup her chin, bringing her cat eyes up to meet his. His nearness stole the breath out of her, rendering her speechless as she locked eyes with him. God, she was so hungry for him, it was ridiculous for her to try and deny it. It was woven through the very fabric of her being, this lingering, insatiable hunger that twisted her dreams into dark sensual journeys she never wanted to awaken from.
"Answer me." He said; his voice a rich baritone that floated through the air and hummed through her veins.
"Yes, I'm hungry for you." She replied huskily, unable to stop the catch in her voice.
He loosened his grip on her chin and began to rub her jaw gently. His hand flattened out and spanned her neck, lightly encircling it. Isabelle stood still, trying desperately to breathe normally but unable to move away from his mesmerizing hold. His touch wasn't threatening, at least physically she felt safe, but the hold he had on her was far more dangerous than any physical harm he could inflict on her.
"How hungry?" He whispered, refusing to let her eyes escape his.
Isabelle wanted to tell him she had lain awake almost every night since she had last seen him, reliving in her mind his touch, his taste, the pleasure he had given her, but something stopped her. She had never been an overtly sexual woman and expressing those things out loud wasn't something she was comfortable with. Instead she opted for the easy way out.
"Very hungry."
"You disappoint me, Isabelle. I can see in your eyes you want to tell me how much you missed me. What's stopping you?"
She wanted to slide out of the room. Why couldn't he just cut her some slack? Wasn't the fact that she had never reported his actions proof enough of her need for him? Wasn't the fact that she refused to deny the attraction that existed between them enough? Now he wanted her to tell him all her dark secrets. Well she had news for him. She wouldn't be spilling out her need for him anytime soon. She seethed inside at his gall, refusing to answer his last question and instead lifted her chin to look him squarely in the eye.
"There's nothing stopping me. I choose when and whom I will confide in. I simply choose not to confide in you. I mean, really, can you blame me? I don't even know your name." She said the last with a scathing look that emphasized her point.
He chuckled in response and it threw Isabelle off for a moment, obviously not the reaction she had expected.
"It's cute how you think you have a choice. Do you really think my name matters when this exists between us?" He asked, moving his hand farther down her throat and pushing her robe aside. "Do you think not telling me how much you want me is going to change this?" He asked his last question while his hand roamed freely over her breast, rolling his thumb over her nipple and pinching the hardened nub between his fingers.
"You're a stubborn woman Isabelle. I'm going to enjoy punishing you."
He stepped even closer, forcing her to inch closer to the wall in an attempt to put some distance between them. He refused to back up, and when she tried to scoot to the left he braced his arms on either side of her head, effectively blocking her exit.
Fine, he obviously didn't want her moving away and Isabelle gave in with a muffled sigh. There was really nothing else she could do; he was much too big to fight off. She was more concerned about the punishment he was talking about. She knew from past experience that he had a sadistic streak, and while he wasn't cruel, she worried about the punishment he had planned.
