0597092001436358459 eveline vine

by Unknown

  No, his eyes told me steadily. I looked back at the drawing with a feeling of dread. There was no way I could get Stone to wear this outfit. It was of a safari hunter. Nearly straight out of one of those books. The funny hat, the cream-coloured shirt and matching shorts…with tan coloured boots. A kerchief around the neck and a rifle in hand. I sent a look over at Briar.

  Are you kidding? I asked with my eyes, but she didn’t seem to understand. Sure, Stone would look good in anything…but there was no way he was going to agree to it.

  “C’mon Stone,” she urged, “You’ll look so cute next to Evie in this outfit!”

  I shook my head at her. She knew Stone. Cute, was definitely the wrong word to say.

  Stone’s glare must’ve been enough to make her back off, because she turned and smiled sweetly at Alec. “Alec,” she purred. He raised his eyes to meet hers warily. “We should finish the final adjustments on your costume.”

  He frowned, but heaved a sigh and stood with a reluctant nod. Briar shot me a wink, before hurrying to escort Alec away. I glared at my empty food tray, ignoring my growling stomach. It was easy for her. Alec was smitten and a lot more easy going than Stone.

  Stone handed me his knife and fork and rearranged my position on his lap so that I was sitting more comfortably. He edged his tray closer to me and sat back to give me room, his hands resting on my hips and his thumbs teasing the gap of skin between my singlet and shorts. I smiled at him gratefully and tucked in.

  “So what are you making me wear Winnie?” Donny asked Fredi with a smile. She looked him over with a grin.

  “I’m going as Red Riding Hood,” she said with a shrug.

  Donny’s smile turned wicked. “Cute,” he said with an approving nod, running his eyes over her body as if imagining it.

  Fredi shook her head. “Not cute. I’m going to be the independent woman version of little Red. It’s going to be sexy and barely clothed, with guns and knives and bright red lipstick.”

  “Awesome,” Donny breathed, tugging her chair closer to his and leaning in, “So what does that make me?”

  Fredi smiled sweetly and I swallowed nervously. She leaned forward a little, waiting a breath before saying smugly, “The slaughtered wolf, dressed up in granny’s clothes.”

  I smothered a laugh…but Donny reared back and laughed loud. “No,” he said firmly, “I mean seriously.”

  “I am being serious Donovan,” Fredi growled, “If you want to dress up with me, then that’s what you’re wearing.”

  “And I say fuck no,” Donny growled back.

  Fredi went into fight mode and I felt Stone huff with frustration. He nudged me off his lap and stood, glaring at Donny and Fredi, before tugging me away to his room.

  ***

  I sat nervously on the edge of his bed with the notebook as he turned on his TV and flopped down on his back.

  “So,” I started hesitantly, my voice barely a whisper, “Maybe if we asked Bri to change a few things…your costume wouldn’t be too bad…”

  “No,” he growled, not looking away from the TV.

  I crawled over beside him and tried to use my feminine wiles, pressing myself against him and looking up at him pleadingly. “It will look sexy on you,” I whispered against his bare bicep, placing a small kiss there. His eyes left the TV and stared down at me. Suddenly, he rolled onto his side and pulled me close.

  “Let’s not go,” he murmured in my ear.

  “But…” I stammered, “It’s supposed to be fun…Briar is really excited about it…”

  “We’ll have fun here,” he growled against my neck, slowly kissing his way along it.

  I trembled beneath his touch as he started stroking along my side. “We can have that kind of fun afterwards,” I said breathlessly, “But I want to go to the party.”

  I blinked, a little surprised that I actually meant it. I wanted to go out and enjoy myself. I wanted to dress up and go to a packed club. Well, okay, so I wasn’t too keen on the dressing up part…but I wanted to share this experience with friends.

  “Fine,” he said easily, “We can go…”

  His lips moved to my ear and his voice lowered to a very quiet growl, “But I’m not dressing up.”

  My body went slack and I sighed with defeat, picking at the lint on my singlet and frowning down at my hands.

  Stone groaned. “What’s wrong?” he demanded, “Tears won’t work.”

  “I’m not crying,” I said softly.

  He tilted my chin up and studied my face. “Why?” he asked.

  I blinked in confusion.

  “Why is dressing me a like a fucktard so important?” there was a little bite to his voice and it made me shiver slightly.

  I looked away with a blush and shrugged, but he turned my face back to his.

  Why?

  I closed my eyes and whispered, “Because it proves my power as a woman.”

  He let go and I carefully opened my eyes. He waited, eyeing me cautiously, but commanding me to explain.

  “Briar and Candy and even Fredi expect me to be able to convince you. They’re all working on their men…Briar and Candy have already got theirs to agree. They think that I can find a weak spot in you. That you’ll be willing to do this for me.

  “I tried to tell them,” I whispered, “We’re not…You don’t feel…I don’t have that sort of power over you.”

  I looked away and this time he let me. “I just feel…like a failure. Like they will be disappointed. Like they’ll think less of me or something…”

  I cringed and shut my mouth, wishing I’d never opened it.

  Stone’s sigh was loud and long, but he sat up and reached for the notebook.

  “I’m not wearing the hat,” he growled fiercely. I glanced up at him hopefully and he glared at the picture, as if trying to correct all that was wrong with it by commanding it to change.

  I squealed my relief and jumped on him, grabbing his face for a kiss even as his arms wrapped around me.

  “I’ll get Bri to change it for you,” I whispered between kisses, “Thank you.”

  He didn’t answer me with words. He rolled me onto my back and proceeded to take his payment…

  Not that I minded in the least.

  Thirty-Three

  As expected, Candy and Briar were smug when I told them Stone had agreed to the costume – or an altered form of the costume anyway. My costume was looking more and more scandalous as Briar worked…so I was making the most of the university gym. This also meant that I saw a lot more of Jesse, Vince and the other Rugby players. My face was constantly red – a combination of exertion and blushing. Those boys were incorrigible flirts.

  It was after one such strenuous session, that my mother decided to ring. Needing to eat and shower, I was far from in the mood to speak to her, but I couldn’t ignore her call. My mother wouldn’t stop ringing until she got hold of me and the longer I put it off…the more her imagination and curiosity stirred.

  “Hello Mum,” I said softly, sinking down onto the bathroom floor and trying to ignore my growling stomach.

  “Evelyn darling!” she greeted enthusiastically as always. I swear, even if you rang her at some god awful hour of the morning, she’d still answer the phone with unrivalled enthusiasm. I bit back a smile of warmth. My mother needed all the enthusiasm she could pack with twelve children underfoot.

  “How’s the novel going?” I asked, hoping to distract her from asking any probing questions about my love life.

  “Awful,” she said, a pout in her voice, “I’m completely uninspired.”

  I bit back the urge to tell her about Evan’s recent sexual exploits (Charlie had recently updated me on all the family gossip)…but I’d learned my lesson about speaking to Mum without thinking. Whilst Evan wouldn’t blow up at me like Harvey had done…he’d definitely be unimpressed.

  “How are the boys?” I asked quickly.

  My mother sighed and chuckled ruefully. “You’d never believe how much trouble the triplets
have been causing. I think they think that they can do whatever they like now that they are in the last term of school. Phone call after phone call I’ve been getting…and did you know that Luke has a girlfriend?!”

  “No,” I admitted, but then Luke had always been the more secretive one of the younger triplets.

  “Caught them at it in the shed!” Mum went on excitedly and I rolled my eyes. Every one of my siblings had used the ‘shed’ for making out at some point…even Ben and I had once or twice.

  “How do you know she was a girlfriend?” I asked with a giggle.

  Mum chuckled and made a tutting noise, “Jake told me. And my Luke isn’t like that anyway…”

  Mum snickered and lowered her voice, “Not like randy Mike. I’m always shooing his sluts away from here. Carries on in the open that boy does.”

  I shook my head with suppressed laughter and wondered if she knew Jake was nearly as active…but definitely more discreet.

  “How is Paul doing?” I prompted, “His final exams and interview with the education board should be soon right?”

  Mum huffed. “Paul is so boring,” she complained, “All he does is go to the clubs and study. He never brings home any women and he’s moving out after Christmas.”

  “Paul isn’t boring,” I argued, sticking up for my older brother, despite how annoying he’d been lately.

  Mum snorted and changed the subject, “Have you talked to Logan?”

  I groaned and closed my eyes. I was getting sick of this question.

  “Yes, but I have no idea what’s going on,” I told her firmly.

  “Well I don’t understand why he’s avoiding my calls!” Mum snapped, her usually cheerful voice suddenly sharp, making me sit up a little straighter. This voice didn’t appear very often…and when it did, she meant business.

  “Look Mum,” I said carefully, “I think Logan is trying to sort some stuff out and he’s not ready to tell everyone yet. He doesn’t need the added stress of everyone calling him and picking at him. He’ll tell us when he’s ready.”

  “But he has the most interesting sex life and I need inspiration,” she complained, trying to hide the hurt in her voice. I winced. Logan hadn’t said a word to Mum in nearly six months. I didn’t think he’d talked to any of the others either. I hated the thought that he was hurting Mum though. However annoying and weird she might be, she was my mother.

  I winced, knowing that I was going to do something incredibly stupid to make her feel better…

  That’s how I ended up skipping dinner and spending the remainder of the evening on the bathroom floor…telling my mum about Stone.

  ***

  To say my mother was overjoyed to hear about Stone was the understatement of the century. She thought he sounded incredible and demanded I send her a picture. I refused, knowing she’d send it to Zane and then the next thing you knew, Stone would have a contract on his head. I winced, hoping that mum would have moved on to the next sibling’s love life before she next talked to Zane. Even mentioning I had a lover could be disastrous. Zane probably wouldn’t even need a picture to track Stone down.

  With a sigh, I said goodbye to my mum and rang Logan.

  “Hey Evie,” his tired voice greeted on the third ring. I frowned into the darkness of my room, wondering why he was answering my calls and not the rest of the family’s.

  “You need to call Mum,” I said softly, without offering a ‘hello’.

  I heard his breath whoosh out in frustration, but I didn’t let him argue. “She’s really upset, Lo,” I said, raising my voice a little, “You’ve been ignoring everyone for nearly six months. She’s past curiosity. Now she’s just worried and hurt.”

  There was a few beats of silence, before Logan finally asked, “How bad is it?”

  “Bad,” I growled softly, “I had to tell her about Stone to cheer her up. You owe me.”

  He laughed softly, though without humour, “Sorry.”

  My own voice lowered to a whisper and I hesitated, before adding, “We’re all worried, Lo.”

  “I know,” he said slowly, “I just need a little longer.”

  “Are you at least going to come home with me for Christmas?” I demanded.

  He paused, “I don’t know yet. We might have to go to Katherine.”

  I took the we to mean him and Ivy. “So you and Ivy worked everything out?” I asked hopefully.

  His groan was filled with frustration, exhaustion and pain. “No,” he said desperately, “I don’t know what to do Eve.”

  “I can’t help unless you tell me what’s wrong!” I shouted, startled and distressed at my brother’s pain.

  “You can’t help,” he said forcefully, “This is something I have to fix myself.”

  Stone flung my door open and his eyes narrowed on me, taking in my tears as I sat in the darkness. I turned my back to him and whispered into the phone, “Please call Mum.”

  Logan groaned, “I’m going to visit her next month, I promise.”

  “You are?” I asked in surprise.

  “Yeah,” he muttered.

  Stone sat behind me on the bed and pulled me into his arms.

  “I have to go,” I told my brother.

  “I’m sorry Evie,” Logan said softly, “Please don’t cry over me…”

  He chuckled a little, “The others will kick my ass.”

  “I’ll kick your ass,” I said with a teary giggle.

  “Bye sis.”

  “Bye bro.”

  I put my phone on the bedside table and snuggled into Stone. He gently pushed me backward though and wiped away a few tears. His stare was hard and penetrating – demanding to know what was wrong.

  “My brother,” I said with a small shrug, “Family stuff.”

  He nodded and lay down without asking anymore, pulling me into his arms and tucking us under the blanket fully clothed. Exhaustion caught up with me and I gratefully fell asleep.

  ***

  “Holy fucking Christ,” I whispered, gaping at the reflection in the mirror. It was a Saturday night. The Saturday night. Halloween.

  Briar had refused to let me see my finished costume until now. She’d gone so far as to blindfold me during fittings. I’d know it was going to be tight and revealing…but Oh. My. God!

  The pair of ‘pants’ I was wearing was made from lycra. Cheetah-printed lycra that clung to every inch of my ass and legs like a second skin. You could see the separate globes of my ass cheeks! The waistband rested extremely low on my hips and the ‘leggings’ finished at my ankles. Strappy Gold heels were on my feet, matching the little gold clutch I carried.

  My top…

  Hell, it was a fixed halter-neck style (no ties) and dipped in a very low, cross-over neckline. Briar had inserted fitted cups into the chest area, so the top fit like a bra. It was made from the same lycra and ended just beneath my rib-cage. Both the pants and the top had been slashed with a sharp knife in several places, to give the appearance of claw marks.

  Briar had made me go for a tan the night before and tonight she’d made me cover myself in shimmer moisturiser. My skin glowed – not insanely so – but prettily. I was a warm, shiny light gold and it matched the golds and black of my costume.

  The front part of my hair was pinned up, leaving only a few soft tendrils around my face. My waves were turned to curls and Briar fussed for nearly half an hour as she tried to ensure the natural gold highlights in my chestnut hair were showing to their best. She’d placed a black headband on my head with little fabric ears attached, and then she’d tackled my face. Smokey-black cat eyes, very lightly drawn whiskers, and baby pink lips finished the costume and made my amber eyes seem brighter.

  I blinked and soundlessly moved my mouth. I couldn’t believe that was me. I looked nothing like the scrawny, shy mouse that arrived at the beginning of the year. Sure, I was still very slim, but I had boobs now, and some curves, and some muscles tone…and WOW! Had my legs always been this long?

  “Pretty sexy huh?” Briar call
ed out proudly from where she was changing in the bathroom.

  I blushed and bit my lip, realising that I’d actually have to go to the Uni Club like this.

  Candy giggled excitedly, running over to me somewhat awkwardly (her pants were as tight as mine). “Stone is going to fall over when he sees you!” she squealed.

  I winked at her, “Mason’s going to toss you over his shoulder as soon as he sees you.”