by G. Bailey
“She would be proud that you did that,” she says gently, placing her hand on my arm.
“Why are you avoiding me?” I ask her, gentling my tone because I don’t want to come across as demanding an answer from her. I knew when I first met her that I couldn’t demand anything from her, she has to come to me.
“I don’t know. I guess it’s because I know this can’t go anywhere, and if I let myself keep being with you . . . well, I would want more because I feel something,” she tells me, moving her hand away and trying to walk away. I grab her hand, pulling her closer and sliding my hands up her arms.
“I felt something, too, but it’s your choice. I know it’s complicated because of our parents and my brothers, but I want to spend the next week worshipping every part of you,”
“Same here, but then what happens at the next family meeting? It’s bad enough I’ve had sex with you all and can’t stop thinking about you but–”
“Relax, Elsie. You know where I am if you want me,” I tell her and step away. It has to be her choice and not mine. She smiles tightly before walking out of the room, and I run my hands through my hair, turning around and picking up a paint brush. I spend the next few hours painting in silence before I hear the door open, and I look around, seeing Max coming in with Ezra following.
“Any luck?” he asks, referring to Elsie, and I shake my head.
“No. We have to let her come to us. I like her, but she is that kind of woman who does whatever she wants,” I say.
“Yeah well, I hope doing me is what she wants. I can’t stop thinking about her,” Ezra mumbles, annoyance all over his face. I almost want to laugh that a girl has finally caught his undivided attention if it wasn’t for the fact that she has caught all of our attentions. It’s been a week and a half, and it looks like we are all hooked on Elsie.
“I’m with you on that,” I reply, the silence from my brothers is the only response I need to know that all of us are all in with her. I glance back at the painting I’ve started of a girl with long, dark hair, bright-red lips, and blue eyes that draw you in like a flame.
I’m hooked on Elsie.
11
Elsie
“What are you making?” I ask as I follow the melted chocolate smell into the kitchen but seeing it empty with just a plate of brownies on the side. I wonder if my mum made them, but I’m sure she won’t mind if I have a couple. I eat two of the brownies and place three more on a plate, walking into the lounge and turning on the TV. I can be greedy this week, as it’s Christmas break, and spend all next week in the gym suffering for it. It’s New Year’s Eve and we have hours to go until midnight. John said the next-door neighbours always do a massive fireworks show and that we should watch later. I wonder if they are still going to do it with the snow. At least, the storm has passed, but the snow hasn’t melted, instead turning icier.
“Where did you get these from?” Ezra asks as he sits next to me and helps himself to the strange-tasting brownies. They’re nice but a little strange.
“I found them on the kitchen side, no idea who cooked them,” I tell him, and he chuckles as he finishes his brownie off and picks the last one up.
“Erm, no. That’s mine,” I hold a hand out, and he grins over at me.
“Why don’t you come and get it?” he chuckles, and I smile, sliding off my seat and moving to stand in front of him. I reach for the brownie, and he holds it higher, out of my reach.
“That’s not fair,” I laugh, and he holds it higher in the air away from me.
“Give me it!” I say, kneeling on the sofa between his legs and reaching for the brownie, giggling when puts it into his mouth and eats it, as he pins me to the sofa, moving his body over mine.
“I can’t believe you just ate that.”
“There are other things I want to eat too,” he says, meaning something completely different as I feel how hard he is as he is pressed up against me.
“Ezra, we can’t here,” I moan as he slides his hand down my stomach, his fingers grazing the top of my underwear under my jeans.
“We can’t?” he asks me, kissing me gently, and I moan as he slides a finger lower, brushing against me softly.
“Ezra,” I moan, and he chuckles before he kisses me. The kiss is hard and fast, before he moves to kiss down my neck and slides down my body. I don’t stop him as he pulls my jeans and underwear down, and slides them off my legs. Ezra watches me as he pushes a finger inside me, and uses his thumb to drive me insane with every stroke.
“So, sexy Elsie. I’m never going to let you go at this rate,” Ezra says quietly. As I get close to coming, he pulls his hand away and undoes his jeans, sliding his large cock out and sitting up.
“Come here,” he says, wanting me to be on top. I crawl over and hold myself above him as he grabs my hips, and I slowly take him inside me. I move up and down slowly, as he grabs the back of my head and we kiss.
“Elsie,” he groans as I pick up speed, moving quicker and feeling myself getting close. Ezra takes control and slides me onto my back on the sofa and starts thrusting into me harder. He kisses me as I finish, and he finishes with me only seconds later.
“Elsie, don’t leave,” he begs me, his words only a whisper next to my ear.
“How can I stay?” I ask him, and he leans back, looking down at me.
“How can you leave?” he asks.
I don’t have an answer for him.
“The fireworks are starting,” John says, making me jump off Ezra’s lap where I must have fallen asleep and seeing there’s a blanket covering us up. John stops when he sees me and Ezra, half clothed on the sofa and looks away.
“Come on outside,” he says and walks away as I give Ezra a worried glance. He only shakes his head and places a finger on his lips before getting up. I hear the bangs of the fireworks as I pull my jeans on without my underwear as I can’t see them. I laugh when I finally see my red lacy underwear in the side pocket of Ezra’s jeans as he pulls them on and walks off.
“Do I get my underwear back?” I ask quietly when I see the front door open.
“No,” Ezra replies, pushing them further into his pocket as he hands me my coat. I laugh and pull my coat on and then my boots.
“Sexy Elsie, I haven’t seen you today,” Max says as he comes down the stairs with Flynn by his side.
“Shh!” I whisper.
“They can’t hear you over the fireworks,” Flynn says as he grabs his coat and hands Max his.
“Your dad found me and Ezra . . .,” I say, and Ezra laughs.
“Well, he knows now. Only your mum to go.”
“No, we can’t tell her,” I say, and Flynn wraps an arm around me.
“Whatever happens, you have me Elsie,” Flynn says and kisses my cheek before he walks out the door. Max comes over next pulling me into a hug,
“I love you, Elsie, don’t say it back, but it’s true. I don’t care who knows about us but don’t leave,” he says close to my ear and doesn’t give me a chance to respond as he walks out. Ezra doesn’t say a word, he just walks over and pulls me into a deep kiss that leaves me breathless, and he walks us out the door. I clear my throat, feeling so many emotions for them all and not knowing how to deal with it. When did Christmas fun become serious? I walk outside, pulling the door shut and looking up at two fireworks blasts in the sky, mixing silver and pink as they sparkle. I look over to see my guys all looking up at the fireworks, and they seem to notice me watching them, as they all turn to look at me. Flynn holds a hand out for me, and I walk over, letting him pull me in front of them. The fireworks are amazing, and we watch them fill the sky for what seems like ages before they finally stop, and John’s watch starts beeping.
“Happy new year,” he says and kisses my mum. I don’t move as Flynn kisses me gently on the cheek and lets go, then Max kisses me in the same place, and then Ezra does the same.
“Happy new year,” I whisper to them.
“That’s enough of the kisses. Come on,” my mum says,
walking over and putting an arm around me as John meets my eyes. He smiles a little, but it’s clear he isn’t going to say anything to my mum which I’m thankful for.
12
Elsie
“Elsie, you shouldn’t wear red, it’s far too sexy on you,” Ezra says as he walks down the corridor, stopping next to me as I look at the photo of all of them together that I’ve just seen. Their mum is with them in this, and their dad is holding an arm around her waist. I wanted to look at the photos once before I have to leave tomorrow. I can’t believe it’s tomorrow already, and every little part of me wants to stay here.
“I was just looking at your mother. She was very beautiful,” I comment. Beautiful is an understatement for the lovely woman in the photo with her long, brown hair and hazel eyes that remind me of her sons. Their mum looks the very opposite of my mum, they couldn’t be any more different.
“She was and kind, too.”
“It must have been difficult to lose her,” I reply, and he nods sliding his hand into mine and squeezes as he looks at the photo.
“What about your dad?” he asks me.
“They split when I was ten, and my dad still claims he loves my mum when he doesn’t. He just can’t get over that she left him, I guess,” I tell him. I still haven’t called my dad back after our last conversation, and I don’t think I will. I will just wait for him to call me again and hope he is interested a little in my life.
“I was angry when my dad came back saying he married a woman he met abroad.”
“I bet,” I reply.
“But then, he seems happy, for the first time in five years he was smiling and laughing when he got out of the taxi. I don’t know a thing about your mum, but if she makes him happy, well everyone should get a little bit of that,” he says, sliding his hands into his jeans pockets and shrugging.
“What do you think I should do on my last day?” I ask with a laugh when he raises his eyebrows. I want to be doing that too, but I can’t, not again. Every time I’m with them, I fall a little more, and I don’t want it to hurt any more than it’s going to already when I leave.
“I’ll get the guys, and you go put a coat and wellies on.”
“I don’t have any wellies.”
“Your boots will do,” he laughs and leaves me in the corridor. I walk down the stairs, spotting my mum’s wellies by the door and decide they are better than my boots. After I put them on, I put my coat on and wait for the guys to come downstairs. I watch them all walk down the stairs a few minutes later, looking ridiculously attractive in their coats and boots. Flynn walks over to me, kissing me on the cheek quickly as he places his scarf around my neck.
“It’s cold out,”
“We are going outside?” I say with fake horror, and they laugh as I pull on my gloves from my pockets.
“Come on hermit, we are going to make a snowman and have a snow ball fight. The normal things people do with snow.”
“Okay,” I laugh and follow them out. The snow stopped falling two days ago, but the roads haven’t been cleared. John said they are clearing them later tonight, so I shouldn’t miss my flight. Ezra and Flynn hold my hands as we walk around the house and towards the side where there is a field of untouched snow. We spend ages rolling snowballs big enough for the base of the snowman and then the top. Thank God, the guys are strong as they made it a lot easier. Max puts his hat on the snow man as I find some stones for the eyes and mouth. Flynn gets some twigs and makes the arms.
“It’s missing a carrot nose.”
“I’ll go and get one,” Max chuckles and runs back to the house. I lean down and roll a ball of snow up, lifting it and throwing it at Flynn. It hits the side of his face, and he laughs, rubbing the snow away and looks over at me.
“You’d best run,” he says, and I watch as Ezra picks up a snow ball and throws it at Flynn. Using the distraction he gave me, I run into the woods and hide behind a large tree. I roll myself another snow ball and keep an eye out in the direction they last were. I scream when a snow ball hits my side, and I look over to see Flynn laughing. I throw my snow ball at him, but he knocks it away with his hand and comes over to me, pressing my back into the tree as he looks down at me.
“Cheeky Elsie,” he says and then kisses me. I let him push me further into the tree as the kiss deepens.
“What the hell is going on here?” my mother’s voice shouts through the woods to my right, and I look over to see her walking towards us, with John at her side. Flynn moves away slightly as we turn to face them, but he slides his hand into mine linking our fingers, and I know he isn’t going to leave me alone to face this.
“Mum, it’s not–” I start to say and then stop when she glares at me.
“Are you two sleeping together?” she asks me bluntly as we stare at each other. She doesn’t look disgusted as I expected her to. No, she looks upset, and I’m not entirely sure why.
“Yes,” Flynn answers for me when I don’t respond.
“Lynn, perhaps we should step indoors and think about this before anything is said that might be regretted when we have calmed down,” John says gently, and she shakes his hand off her arm.
“It’s wrong. He’s your stepbrother,” she says to me.
“Who I’ve known for two weeks, so it’s not like we are really siblings. It’s not wrong, I–”
“You might as well be honest, Elsie. We have all been sleeping with you,” Ezra says coming out of the forest with Max at his side. They both give me comforting nods as they stop next to us.
“Three? You’ve been sleeping with three men who are your stepbrothers?” she asks, going a deathly white colour. I don’t want to lie to her, and I don’t see why I should have to. It’s too late to go back, and I don’t regret anything that happened between us all. I glance between all the guys, knowing that they likely don’t regret anything, and they are at my side, dealing with this with me and not running away.
“Yes,” I reply.
“I can’t believe you would do that,” she says, taking a step back in shock.
“Really, mum? Where did you think I learnt my loose morals from? Wait, don’t answer that. It’s nothing to do with you,” I snap.
“Perhaps you should go and pack, Elsie,” John suggests, and I ignore the pain I feel when he said that.
“No,” Flynn says firmly, moving to my other side and resting his hand on my back. I look at my mum as she bursts into tears and John pulls her into his arms, I know I should leave. I’m just causing trouble here.
“He is right. I don’t want to cause any more trouble, and I’m leaving tomorrow anyway.”
“Don’t run, Elsie,”
“What did you expect to happen? That we could live together? That you wouldn’t get bored with sharing me?” I ask, feeling frustrated. I know it isn’t anything to do with how I feel about them and more to do with the fact I kept hoping this was more.
“Are you just going to walk away?” Max asks me, as I step away from them all.
“What else can I do? If I stay, I’m going to get my heart broken and then what? This is just a Christmas break, and I will always remember you, but I can’t stay,” I say quietly.
“Elsie, I can drive you,” John says behind me, and I turn to see my mum walking towards the house, and John waiting nearby, watching us all.
“Thank you “I say walking over to him, feeling pain shoot through my heart as I walk away from them all and knowing I can’t come back to see them. I don’t look back once because I know I’ll just run into their arms.
13
Max
“Are we just going to let her leave?” I ask my brothers as we all watch her walk to the car from my bedroom window. She looks up for a second, and I almost think she might be able to see us, but she can’t. As I watch her get in the car and shut the door, every part of me wants to go after her and stop her from leaving.
“What should we do?” Flynn asks me, groaning as he rubs his face and moving to sit in the chair in the room. Ez
ra smacks a hand against the wall by the window, leaning down and not saying a word.
“I love her,” I tell them. There’s silence in the room before I see both Ezra and Flynn nod. They love her, too.
“I’ve been with plenty of women, but I’ve never felt anything like what I feel for her. Let’s go after her,” Ezra says walking towards the door, and I grab his arm, stopping him.
“We need to prove we are serious about her before we do that,” I say, letting go.
“What do you have in mind?” Ezra asks.
“The apartment she’s going to be living in, I think we should buy the other two off dad.”
“Then move in?” Flynn asks, nodding.
“Yes, and then we can see if she wants to be with us. No one, including our dad, is going to be okay with this or get it.”
“I don’t care,” Flynn comments, glancing back at the window once more.
“Me neither, but if we are going to do this, share her, we need to be open with everyone in our family,” I say, and he nods.
“Can I come in?” Elsie’s mum, Lynn, asks as she opens the door and pops her head around.
“Sure,” I say, and she comes in, shutting the door behind her. I watch as she stands awkwardly for a long time. I glance at Ezra and Flynn, who shrug.
“I love my daughter, and I want to know if it’s just sex you are using her for.”
“We aren’t using her for anything,” Ezra snaps, and I walk over, placing a hand on his shoulder.
“We love her. I want to be honest with you and say that the moment I saw her, I felt something. I don’t know why she has to be our stepsister in this fucked-up world, but it’s not going to stop me from going after her. It’s not going to stop any of us.”
“You can’t have a relationship together, all four of you,” she shakes her head.