Isabel tightened
her jacket around her waist as she began her walk down the crowded sidewalks
of
Isabel sighed and
kept her eyes on the ground for fear of someone recognizing her, which was
the last thing she needed at that moment. By the time she looked up again,
she found herself in an unfamiliar park. This was the first time she had
been on this side of the city, and she found herself growing uneasy in the
dark neighborhood. Although she had only been living in the metropolis since
the beginning of summer, she quickly understood why people warned her to
stay away. Usually, she was very careful where she went, but tonight seemed
to be an exception.
The chilly air
wasn’t helping the eerie mood, nor was the dark looming shadows that fell
upon every inch of the park. The only light provided was from the stars and
moon, which shone brightly in the night sky. Isabel stopped abruptly,
hearing the sound of a twig break in the distance. She turned around in a
circle, her sharp eyes taking in everything they could, surveying her
surroundings to make sure it was safe to continue. By this time, she was
cursing herself for leaving the safety of the club. Clutching her purse, she
made sure her cell phone was accessible in case she needed it.
With a few calm
breaths of air, Isabel began her trek through the park again, her ears
perked. As she walked further, Isabel noticed a light peeking through the
branches. Thankful to see something other than darkness, Isabel continued
down the trail she was on and walked toward the light in hope of finding her
way.
She looked up and
found she had walked directly to a basketball court that seemed to be
unoccupied. As she reached the lighted area, she heard the faint sound of a
ball bouncing on the pavement. Looking up from the ground, her eyes fell on
a young man. A spark of curiosity hit her as she continued to look at him.
With his back turned to her, he shot a free throw into the net effortlessly.
A smile tipped her lips as she watched him carefully.
Fond memories
flooded her mind of childhood days playing basketball with Mackenzie’s
father. Rooting for opposite teams was always the highlight of her Sunday
afternoon. Isabel continued to reminisce, not noticing the ball rolling
toward her feet. It hit her ankle, coming to a stop as she jumped from the
soft blow, looking down. Slowly, she bent over and picked up the cold ball,
feeling the familiar bumpy texture under her fingers.
Isabel shifted her
gaze and looked up to see the young man walking towards her. She froze for a
second as he continued approaching her, his stride assertive and full of
dominance. While Isabel stood there, the ball in her hands, she did a quick
rundown of his figure, her heart practically pounding out of her chest.
If there was any
word to describe this man, it was gorgeous. Mountains of curly tendrils
topped his head, and his shoulders, broad, strong, and muscled, were covered
by a muscle shirt. The thin material hugged every inch of his formed
physique. As he came to a halt in front of her, she saw he towered over her
5’5” frame like a giant.
“Are you going to
stand there staring, or are you going to give it back?” he asked bluntly.
He continued to
stare at her, waiting for some form of intelligence to escape her gawking
form. As time ticked away, and she proceeded to remain silent, he rolled his
eyes and ripped the ball from her hands. Turning around quickly, he walked
back to the middle of the court to continue his game.
“Women,” he
muttered, quickly repositioning to shoot the ball.
Isabel stood there,
her eyes never leaving the man. For mere seconds she had gazed into a pair
of crystal blue eyes, a color unlike any she’d seen before. It was only a
few moments until she realized how much of an idiot she had been, staring at
him as if she were a lovesick puppy.
Taking a deep
breath, she walked onto the court, feeling her cheeks warm with a sudden
blush as she watched him play his game. His body moved effortlessly around
the court as he dribbled with an eccentric style. Isabel’s eyes moved away
from the bouncing ball toward the young man holding it. She focused more on
his face this time; his strong jaw clenched tightly, his eyes narrowed in
complete concentration. He was unlike anyone she had ever seen before, with
his curly hair so wild and yet so alluring. His well-defined cheekbones made
his features more attractive, and he had a set of lips that almost beckoned
to her.
“Is there some
reason you’re on my court?” He narrowed his eyes at her and he tucked the
ball under his arm, walking over to her again. “Are you lost?” he asked.
“Can you talk?”
Isabel continued to
stand there silently. What was going on with her? She never lost control
around gorgeous guys. Her eyes finally sparked with life as she cleared her
throat to speak. “Of…of course I can talk,” she replied, cursing herself at
the impression she was making on him.
He nodded as his
eyebrow lifted in a questionable stare. “Good. So then tell me why you’re
here.” He looked her over as she started to back away, attempting to use her
jacket to further cover herself up. Smirking, he shook his head and turned
around. “Don’t flatter yourself. If I wanted to check you out, you would
know it,” he replied, beginning to bounce the ball again, the rhythmic sound
echoing through the silence.
She looked at him
and walked nearer, ducking as the ball flew by her head, inches from hitting
her. Regaining her balance, she looked at him angrily. “Hey! Watch where
you’re aiming that thing!” She placed her hands on her hips.
He scoffed and
turned to her, rolling the ball around his fingertips. “Let me guess, you’re
some snotty little rich girl who is lost in a big city and now you want me
to help you find your way home to your precious mommy and daddy?” he replied
arrogantly. He shook his head and let the ball fall. “Well, fat chance. You
got yourself in this mess you can get yourself out of it.” He turned his
back to her again.
Isabel’s eyes
flared, her mouth dropping open in complete shock. Quickly she marched to
him and grabbed the ball from his hands roughly. “Are you always this much
of a jerk or is tonight some kind of special occasion just for me?”
He kept his calm expression and reached over,
ripping the ball back from her hands. “I’m just in a bad mood tonight.
I get that way when prissy little girls get onto my court and hinder
me from playing my game.” He
winked before turning from her to go back to his game.
Taken aback by his forwardness, Isabel
stomped her foot in frustration.
“Even if I was lost, I wouldn’t ask you for help. For all I know you could
be some rapist, wasting your time here until you can find someone to
assault.”
He bounced it a few times and then looked up at her,
his handsome features settling into a thoughtful expression. “You know,
you’re right. For all you know I
could be a
rapist. Hell, I could be a serial killer, for that matter.” He looked up at
her, his eyes locking with hers. “But if that was the case,
you would
be an idiot for staying here.” He grabbed the ball between his hands and
began squeezing the sides together, his lips puckered. Circling her, his
eyes weighed her down as she stared back at him. “But you don’t look like an
idiot. It must mean you don’t really believe I’m a rapist. You must be hot
for me.”
Isabel rolled her eyes. “Oh, yes, that’s it. I’m
so hot for you,” she said,
sarcasm dripping from each word. “I want you, I
need you.”
She rolled her eyes as a cocky smile crossed his lips. “Get out of my face.”
He waited for her
to show some sign that she planned to leave, but she just stood there, her
arms angrily crossed over her chest. “Well, then if you’re not here because
of my good looks, you must be here because you want to see me do what I do
best.” He dribbled the ball a few times.
“I don’t
want to
know what you think you do best,” she replied, cringing.
“Hey, I wasn’t the one checking me out. You must not
find me
that repulsive,” he replied
with a cocky grin.
She looked at him
with a mixture of shock and annoyance. “I wasn’t checking you out!” she
cried defensively.
Laughing, he
nodded. “Sure you weren’t. I know your kind. You come out to a dangerous
neighborhood, looking for some poor fool so you can get laid, and then go
brag to your bratty friends at school and tell them how you tricked some
innocent guy into thinking you liked him.”
Isabel listened to his rambling, blown away by the
gall this man had. She walked to him and glared into his captivating eyes.
“If you think that I purposely got myself lost here in hopes of finding some
conceited, cocky, jerk, then I guess I succeeded. I found the biggest one on
the planet. You’re not
that good
looking.” She looked him over again, praying her attraction wasn’t obvious.
She kept her cool as he continued to stare her down with those intoxicating
orbs. “What are you looking at?” she asked, quickly feeling the discomfort
of his eyes on her.