by Clark, Mia
I do. And yet...
"I like when you touch me like that," I say, whispering. "But Ethan, I'm really sore."
He stops, confused, then smirks at me. "You're sore? Like sex sore? Your legs?"
"And inside," I say. "There's muscles in there, too, you know? I didn't realize how much of a workout they got, but I guess it makes sense."
"Wow," he says with a grin so big it could split his face in two. "Didn't realize I was that good."
"Well, I don't know for sure, but I think you are," I tell him, grinning, too. "Also, um... you're a little big."
"A little big?" he asks. "Please, can you stroke my ego some more, Princess?"
I could, I think. I could tell him how much I appreciate him caring for me, for taking care of me. I could say that I love the fact that he's patient and kind to me, that he's gentle when I need someone to be gentle to me, but he knows when to be a little rough, too. I could tell him that I thought I'd regret this forever when I woke up that morning after our accidental night together, but after spending the entire day with him after that, that I don't regret it at all.
I could tell him that the only thing I'll regret about this is that we only have a week together. Except I can never tell him that. I need to stop. I need to understand that this is a temporary situation and that I'll never have it ever again, because no matter what, it won't work out, whether I want it to or not.
And this is Ethan Colton we're talking about. I can't change him. I know this, but it doesn't stop me from hoping and wishing and wanting...
"Can I ask you something?" I ask.
"Yeah, anything," he says.
"Can we not have sex today?"
"No sex," he says, nodding. "Got it."
"But..."
"But?" he asks. "But what?"
"You can say no if you want, but maybe we can still spend the day together and have fun?" I ask.
"Nah, no way," he says. I knew it was too much to ask for. Then he adds, "Why would you want to hang out with me? I'm just an arrogant prick."
I smile and roll my eyes at him. "Shut up. I don't think you are."
"You don't know me that well then, Princess," he says, grinning. Quick and fleeting, he kisses me on the nose. "Yeah, I'll spend the day with you. Sounds fun. What do you want to do?"
"Do you have any plans or anything? Like with um...?"
"Nah, that stupid fuck is gone. I texted him before you came back from college. Thought it'd be nice to have someone to hang out with this summer, but I found someone better. I don't want to ever see that asshole again."
"Oh," I say. "Who did you find?"
"Are you serious?" he asks, looking confused.
"Um... yes?"
"I thought you were smart, Ashley. I really thought you were smart. Now I'm not so sure."
"I don't... no really, who is... wait, me? No, that's not it, is it?"
He pulls me close into a tight embrace, but this one is different. It's intimate, but it feels different, too. It's closer, more... like he really is my brother now? Like we're actually a family, even if we aren't really. It's like...
"Yeah, you're pretty cool for a Smarty Pants Goodie Two Shoe Little Miss Perfect Princess," he says. "You're growing on me, Ashley. I could get used to this."
"Do you want to make breakfast with me? I was going to try and make it before you woke up, but um... you're awake now. I didn't start cooking yet, but everything's ready."
"Yeah, what are we having?"
"I was going to make omelets. Greek-style ones, with tomatoes and feta cheese and spinach and grilled chicken breast. And then French toast."
"Oooh," Ethan says, his eyes lighting up. "We got any Greek yogurt? Plain? Would go good on top of the omelets, don't you think?"
"Oohhh, that would be good, huh?"
"Yeah."
"Let's go check?"
"Sure. You good now? Don't worry. I'll protect you from stupid fucks like that guy from before."
"Thank you," I say, kissing his cheek.
"Nah, you don't have to thank me," he says, grinning. I've never seen him grin this much, nor smile as much as he has the past few days. I like it, and I wonder if maybe he's changed after his first year of college? Maybe I've changed, too.
"You would have taken that guy down if I didn't show up. You're tough, Princess. Would have kneed the fuck right in the balls and tossed him on the ground."
"Yeah right!" I say, laughing.
I'd like to think I'm that strong. I'd like to think that Ethan actually thinks I'm that strong, too.
*** Ethan
Breakfast is fucking amazing. Holy fuck. Ashley is a food god. Goddess? Who the fuck knows. She's amazing, that's all. Kind of fucking obvious if you ask me, but who knows?
She's smart. Responsive as fuck. Curious and interested in sex? Yes! Fuck yes. And she's cute. Intelligent, which is different from being smart. Could work on some of her street smarts, but whatever. That's what I'm here for, right? I'll handle that shit for her, and deal with stupid punks like Johnny, too.
She's fun to hang out with, too. And really fucking cuddly. I don't like that, alright? I'm not a cuddler. I'll hold a girl a little after sex so she doesn't think I'm a completely emotionless bastard, but that's about it. Enough to get the job done, then I move on.
I want to fucking cuddle the fuck out of this girl even though we're not going to have sex. No sex? None! All fucking day. And...
Holy shit, there's something seriously wrong with me.
Yeah, well, who cares? It's just a week. I'll fix myself after that. Get back into my zone. It'll work. Don't worry about it. You worry about you, I'll worry about me. Good, glad we got that straight.
"It's really nice out today, huh?" she says after we finish eating and we're cleaning up our mess. Yeah, there's a dishwasher, but it's kind of fun cleaning and drying the dishes ourselves. Makes you feel accomplished, you know?
"Yeah. Great day." It is. Sunny as fuck.
"Do you want to go swimming?" she asks.
"I didn't think you liked swimming?" I say.
"I do, but I feel weird sometimes."
"What the fuck, why?"
"It's stupid," she says.
"It's not stupid," I say. "You can tell me."
"I'm kind of um... I know I'm not fat, but..."
"Look, Princess, you're not even close to fat."
"I'm not very athletic, though! Also I think my breasts are kind of small, don't you?"
"Are you on drugs?" Is she being serious? Yeah, they aren't huge or anything, but who the fuck wants huge breasts? I want enough to squeeze in my hands and have some fun with, but anything more isn't necessary. Ashley's got plenty.
I don't think she believes me, though. She rolls her eyes and slaps my shoulder. "You're just saying that because you want to seduce me."
"You're damn right I want to seduce you, but, nah, Princess, you're hot. You've got curves in all the right places, and, yeah, maybe you don't have girl abs or anything, but I love your stomach. And you're shaved pussy. You've got a great ass, too. And you know what? Your breasts are amazing. Maybe they aren't grossly overlarge or some shit, but I could still titfuck you pretty damn easily."
"Is this how you sweet talk all the girls?" she asks me, giggling. "You're going to have to be a little more romantic for that to work on me."
"You want romantic?" I ask, grabbing her sides. I squeeze her tight, tickling her. "I'll give you romantic, Princess. Your breasts are so nice I want to lay you down in my bed, romantically, and then straddle your stomach and thrust my cock in between your beautiful mountains and valleys while I pinch your peaked nipples of perfection."
She laughs and giggles and squirms as I tickle and tease her. This is fun. Playful as fuck, and she's cute when she smiles. Gorgeous, really. I could get used to this.
Don't get the wrong idea. I'm just saying I could.
I ease up and let her catch her breath when she starts gasping for air after laughing too hard.
"Just because
—" she says, but she stops to take another breath. "Just because you say something is romantic doesn't make it romantic, Ethan. Also, your poetic purple prose is stupid. You're not going to win any poetry contests with that. I'm giving you negative points for it, too."
"Shit," I say, pretending to be seriously disappointed. Does my smile give me away? Yeah, probably. "Negative points sucks."
"It's alright," she says. "You had a lot of bonus points from yesterday, so you're still in the lead."
"Wait, who else is in this game? How much of a lead do I have?"
"Well, no one else yet, but you never know, right?"
"Shit. I need more points. How do I get more points, Princess?"
"Do you really want to know?"
"Yeah. Tell me. I'll do it, whatever it is."
She tells me. Yeah, she fucking tells me. Holy shit, Ashley is a freak. This is going to be fun.
A Note from Mia
Can't get enough of Ashley and Ethan's story? Keep reading right away!
Stepbrother With Benefits 4
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You can find all of the books in my Stepbrother With Benefits series on Amazon
Stepbrother With Benefits series
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Third book finished. Yes!
I like this one a lot. It gives a fun glimpse at Ethan and his bad boy tendencies, but maybe he's kind of nice sometimes, too. I don't know for sure. You really can't trust those bad boys, now can you?
Ashley is fun, too. I think she's cute in how naive she is sometimes. I think we can all probably remember when we were like that, too. It's fun to remember stuff like that, where we were excited and interested in things that might seem a little normal nowadays.
Maybe not too normal, haha. I can't say that I often have sex in the backseat of a car at a drive-in movie theatre. That's a little unfortunate. It sounds like a fun time. Um...
Back to book talking!
This is the middle of the book series, and I think middles are difficult sometimes, but I like this one. There was a little tension at the end with Ethan's friend, too. This secret of theirs is becoming a little complicated, don't you think? Johnny was a jerk, too, though. I'm glad that Ethan stood up for Ashley like that, but it makes you wonder if he's doing it because she's his sister or because of...?
Huh!
It's a secret. I can't tell you or it would ruin everything, now wouldn't it? You'll find out soon enough!
Thanks for reading and I hope you like how the series is going so far. It's a fun one, and it was a lot of fun to write about, too. Ashley and Ethan are getting a little weird and kinky at parts, but I kind of like it. It's alright to be freaky sometimes.
If you liked the book, I hope you'll rate and review it, too! What did you think about Ethan sticking up for Ashley against Johnny? Is he changing, or has he already changed, or is it a "once a bad boy, always a bad boy" kind of situation? I'd love to hear your thoughts!
I hope you're liking this series so far, though. There's more to come, don't worry!
Thanks for reading, and I'll see you soon! (next book!)
~Mia
About the Author
Mia likes to have fun in all aspects of her life. Whether she's out enjoying the beautiful weather or spending time at home reading a book, a smile is never far from her face. She's prone to randomly laughing at nothing in particular except for whatever idea amuses her at any given moment.
Sometimes you just need to enjoy life, right?
She loves to read, dance, and explore outdoors. Chamomile tea and bubble baths are two of her favorite things. Flowers are especially nice, and she could get lost in a garden if it's big enough and no one's around to remind her that there are other things to do.
She lives in New Hampshire, where the weather is beautiful and the autumn colors are amazing.
You can find the rest of her books (here)
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You can also email her any time at [email protected] if you have questions, comments, or if you'd just like to say hi!