That Christmas Eve: A Brother’s Best Friend Baby Romance

by Ford, Mia

  My heart beats so hard my whole body vibrates with it as Josiah pulls me behind him. He’s been so good at keeping this a secret so far, he has as much to lose as me, but now he’s pushing the boundary. I don’t like that; it scares the living hell out of me. What if he pushes things too far and we get discovered before I’m ready for the fall out? And there will be a fall out. A massive one with horrible consequences. I just know it.

  “What was that about?” I finally pant out the moment that we’re alone. “That was scary.”

  “I’m sorry, I know it was.” He holds me in his arms again which still manages to make me feel safe, despite everything that’s going on around us. There is something magic about his hugs. “I just wanted to see you, but I probably shouldn’t have done that. I won’t do it again… not without warning you anyway.”

  I smile and nod, unable to stay mad at someone I care so much about. “Fine, okay.”

  “Hey, I know a bar around here that we could always go for a drink in.”

  “What, in public?” There it is, my racing heart again. “Have I not had enough terror for one night?”

  “It’s a dive bar. Not the sort of place your brother would ever go into. Or any of our friends. It’s perfect as well because it actually isn’t as bad as it seems on the outside. I actually think you might like it.”

  The thing is I would like to do something just a little bit normal with my boyfriend. Much as I adore having him alone at his house where we can do whatever the hell we want, having a drink out in public would make us much more official. I don’t know why, but it would. I find myself nodding without even thinking about it.

  “Really, you want to?” He nods so eagerly I can’t turn back now. “Come on then.”

  He pulls me into a small and smoky bar. There aren’t many people inside which is perfect but there are a few eyes who see me and Josiah as a couple. They might not know me and him, so their opinion doesn’t matter, but I still like the shiver races up and down my spine. Josiah’s hand slips into mine.

  He goes to the bar and orders us drinks, then we sit at the bar and sip them delicately. Chatter raises up around us, but we don’t actually say that much. Mostly because it’s just so weird being in public together. I wonder if there will ever come a time when everything feels normal. I imagine us married and still struggling to just be out in public together. We will eventually turn in to hermits at this rate!

  “We should head back after this, shouldn’t we?” Josiah laughs. “I know that this was my idea but it’s odd.”

  “Yeah, alright then.” I nod and laugh. “I prefer being at your place anyway.”

  We slug back the rest of our drinks and rise to our feet. Just before we leave, Josiah holds up one finger. “I just need to go to the bathroom, I will be back in a second.”

  I watch him leave, admiring his body and planning what I’m going to do to him the moment I get him back home. Yes, me and him are better in private, and even more so when we can be naked together…

  Oh my God. I don’t know what alerts me to the new thing to fear, my blood just all of a sudden runs cold as if from nowhere. I twist my head slowly around, silently having a panic attack as I try to see where the fear has come from and my instincts are right. I definitely have something to fear, because in the door way, not quite coming inside but not far enough away for my liking either, is Adam and the woman I presume he has been set up with. I thought they were going to be spending a night at home with our parents, not coming out for their date. And certainly not here, why the hell would they come here? It isn’t a date place… well, not for normal people.

  What am I going to tell him? My brain demands. What excuse can I give?

  But I already know there isn’t one. As soon as Adam sees that I am with Josiah he will just know. Since I’m not the best liar in the world it will all just come out and everything will fall apart. I can’t let that happen.

  “What do I do?” I murmur quietly. “What the fuck do I do?”

  My limbs can’t move. I know that danger is about to descend, and I’m filled with lead. I know that Josiah will come out of that bathroom soon and that will change everything. I need to do something, but what?

  Adam looks smitten, that’s one thing that catches my attention. He looks really enraptured by the woman in front of him which is a look that I haven’t ever seen before. It’s curious, but that will just be another thing that I have taken from him if he’s forced to lose his temper at me. No first date works out with temper lost.

  I can sense Josiah creeping up behind me. I don’t even need to turn to know that he’s around. I have such a sizzling connection with him now that I just feel him. But I snatch away as he wraps his arms around me and point to what I have seen. I need him to panic with me, I can’t be in this alone.

  “Oh my God.” Panic laces his tone as well. “Is that Adam? What the hell are we going to do?”

  I dart my eyes towards him and grab him. The only thing we can do now is hide, so I grab Josiah and fall to the ground as if we are hidden down here. I can almost feel the confused eyes of other patrons upon us but that doesn’t bother me. I don’t care about their opinions when my brother is out there. My brother!

  “What do we do now?” Josiah asks, his hands sticking to the slightly grubby floor. “What if they come in?”

  “They won’t.” I shake my head frantically. “They won’t come in, will they?”

  “I don’t know. We need to plan an escape route now.”

  But we both know that sentence is pointless. There is only one way out of here and it’s out the front door. I don’t even think there’s a back entrance through the bar. We really are stuck. Even if Adam moves away from here it’s going to be hard for us to get out of here unnoticed. This is a nightmare scenario.

  “We should just wait here a little while longer,” Josiah gasps. “Wait for him to leave.”

  “Okay.” I nod quickly. “We probably should get up off the floor though.”

  We both climb back upwards and Josiah orders us a couple more drinks. We take a seat in the back corner, trying to be covered by shadows, and we sip our drinks in silence. Reality drenches over us, it’s like a nasty cold shower, we really shouldn’t be messing around pushing boundaries. We need to be so careful.

  “Do you think we should risk it now?” Josiah asks me in a whisper after ten minutes have passed. “Do you think that maybe we should go out one at a time, so we aren’t seen?” I nod frantically. “Okay, I will go first. I’ll head to the clock tower and wait there for you. I’ll text you once I know there isn’t anything to worry about.”

  I nod and slide back down into my chair to wait for him. It should be better as Josiah walks away because then I could give Adam a million excuses involving all my friends instead of Josiah, but it isn’t. It feels so much worse. I just prefer having him around. Especially as time ticks so much slower when he’s gone.

  I tap my foot impatiently on the floor, desperately willing every second away. My cell phone sitting on the table remains annoyingly silent. I can’t help but wonder what is going on outside. Has Josiah run in to Adam? Are they talking right now? I hope Josiah is smoother than I would be in that situation. I would be a right mess; I don’t think I would be able to tell any kind of lie.

  Bleep, bleep.

  I nearly leap out of my seat as my phone goes off. It’s what I’ve been waiting for, but it manages to shock me. I grab it off the table with my pulse pounding ferociously in my ears. My trembling fingers open up the message.

  Josiah: It’s safe. Come and meet me xxx

  Paisley: I’m on my way! Xxx

  I grab my bag and run then, desperately wanting to look around, but I don’t. I keep my eyes firmly on the ground until I get to the clock tower. There I fall into Josiah’s arms and I burst in to unexpected laughter. I feel all hysterical like I have escaped from prison and I’m on top of the world.

  “Come on, crazy girl,” Josiah chuckles. “Let’s get you home.”


  “Yes! Please take me away from here. It’s a nightmare.”

  I go willingly, happy to get the hell out of here and away with danger. I don’t go anywhere near Josiah as we walk away but I know it won’t be long before we can get back to just being us. And we won’t ever make this mistake again. Taking risks, being out in public, getting validation this way, just isn’t worth it.

  11

  Josiah

  The atmosphere shifts and changes as soon as we crash through my front door. I don’t know what it is, I suppose it could be what almost happened with Adam, but a desperation seems to consume us both. We haven’t even left the hallway before we start pawing at one another, tugging each other’s clothes off, and kissing frantically. The need to have Paisley right here, right now, is so intense I can barely contain myself.

  “Oh fuck, Paisley.” She isn’t messing around as her hand grabs on to my cock. “Fucking hell.”

  I tug her top off and unhook her bra while she pumps her fist, sending my head spinning. Her soft velvety fingers are like magic, especially when she’s touching me hard. I love it, it’s crazy. The contrast is intense.

  I cup her hands over her breasts, feeling her nipples, loving the little mews that come out of her mouth. I push her backward, pressing her against the wall, and groan as she arches her back and rolls her hips into me. She’s like an excitable little bunny and I cannot wait to feel absolutely every inch of her.

  “Josiah, I…I…” I slip my hands downwards and push my fingers into her panties. “Oh fuck.”

  I feel like she’s trying to tell me something important but I’m not giving her the time to get those words out. This should slow me down. But it doesn’t. I kiss her harder, more passionately, pushing my fingers all the way into her. Her wet heat surrounds my fingers; she drags me deeper into her. I massage her insides while brushing my thumb over her clit, trying to slide her trousers down at the same time. It’s hard to do so many things at once when I’m stuck in a fog of lust, but I do what I can to strip this stunning woman bare.

  “I want you,” she moans. “I want you to be inside me. Fucking hell, Josiah. You are too much right now.”

  I get her jeans all the way down and drag her panties off too. I can hardly wait to be inside her too, so I press her back up against the wall and push into her, fucking her where we are. It feels naughty, almost like we’re outside doing it, which amps up the tension and makes it more of a thrill. The danger that we’ve experienced tonight combines with the sensation once more and has us thrashing against one another hard and fast.

  “Fuck, Josiah, I think I might…” She bites down on my shoulder before she can finish whatever she’s trying to say. Her teeth sting a bit, but it’s a funny pleasure and pain sensation that I surprisingly like.

  I lift her feet from the ground and her legs clamp around me, she squeezes me to her. I lean one hand up against the wall to keep me upright while I continue to fuck her with intense passion. The pressure is building now, all my muscles are tensing up, I don’t know how much longer I can handle it. There’s a new feeling that’s creeping through me at the same time as the heat, which wants to break free. I don’t know what it is until it happens though.

  “I love you,” I scream out as Paisley begins to shudder and shatter around me. I can feel the orgasm tremoring through her body and it just feels right to tell her everything that I’m feeling deep inside. This love has been brewing for a while now, I have only kept it inside because of the strangeness surrounding us but seeing Adam has sparked something deep. I have to let it out. “I love you so much, Paisley.”

  She clutches tighter to me, her ragged breaths pounding against my body. “I love you too,” she cries out while in the throes of passion. “Oh fuck, Josiah. I love you so much. So, so much.”

  I come hard into her, exploding desperately with this gorgeous woman in my arms. I press my lips hard against her shoulder and yell into her skin as the endless stream of bliss leaves me while every fiber of my body busts open, exposing all the hyper sensitive nerve endings. Then once we are both drained, I carry her up the stairs into the bedroom and flop her down on to the bed beside me. I curl in to her and inhale her delicious scent.

  “Did you mean what you said?” Paisley asks as she turns over to kiss me gently. “Before?”

  “Which part?” I reply, teasing her. “I don’t know what you’re referring to.”

  “Yes, you do, don’t wind me up.” She giggles softly. “It’s okay if you said it in the heat of the moment.”

  “No, no, I did mean it,” I confess. “And I have wanted to say it for a long time, but I’ve held back.”

  “Why?” she asks with those gorgeous eyebrows of hers knotted together.

  “Because if we’re in love, it isn’t just a fling anymore, is it?”

  She pushes herself up onto her elbows. “You think we need to tell people?”

  “I don’t know… do you?” I really need to know what she thinks about this one.

  “I do… but I don’t know if I’m ready for it yet.” She shudders. “The idea is absolutely terrifying.”

  “We can wait,” I reassure her. “We don’t have to do it right away. And I can always be the one to tell Adam if you want. I don’t mind taking the brunt of the anger when it inevitably comes.”

  She nods slowly. “Okay, well let’s not make any decisions just yet. Let’s just be us.”

  “Us, but in love,” I laugh. “Yeah, I like the sound of that.”

  She leans back and down, and we hug tightly, drifting off to sleep in one another’s arms. As we do, I feel happier than I ever have done before, and more settled in this unexpected relationship too. It’s perfect… or at least, it will be once everyone knows. And the drama has settled of course. That’s going to be interesting…

  * * *

  I stare at my cell phone screen, trying to work out what words to write. Thought this message would be much easier to write than it is. I don’t even know where to begin, I can’t even work out how to say hello.

  “Are you okay, boss?” Dax leans into my office and asks me. “You look all pale.”

  I stare at him with slightly blurry eyes and fear in my heart. “Is it that obvious I’m struggling?”

  He comes right into my office and closes the door behind him. “Anything you want to talk about?”

  I don’t have anyone else to talk to, so despite the fact that I already know Dax doesn’t agree with anything I have done, I invite him to take a seat and open up to him all over again.

  “I need to message Adam, Dax, I need to somehow tell him what’s going on.”

  “So, you and Paisley are still together then?” He sighs, disappointed. “Is it serious yet?”

  “We’re in love… which means I need to tell Adam, doesn’t it?”

  Dax nods. “Yeah, you do. What does Paisley say about it?”

  “She hasn’t said that she wants me to say anything… but if we’re going to move forward then I just think we need to get him involved. Let him know. I hate betraying him and I know that she does too.”

  I can almost see an ‘I told you so’ on his face but thankfully he doesn’t say it aloud. He should say it, I would completely understand, but he’s too much of a nice person for that. “That’s a tough one,” he says instead.

  “Don’t sit on the fence,” I plead with him. “Tell me what you really think. I need to know.”

  “Okay.” Dax leans forward on the desk to get closer to me. “I think you do need to meet up with Adam and I think you need to tell him. The deeper you get into this thing with Paisley, the bigger hole you dig for yourself. There is already quite a big betrayal here. You don’t want to make it so bad that you can’t come back from it.”

  “But you are the one who told me that he would kick my ass. Now I’m really worried about it.”

  “You should be.” Dax nods quite seriously. “Because that is definitely going to happen. But the longer you leave it, the worse the beating w
ill become. You leave it too long and he will kill you.”

  “Kill me?” My heart races faster. “Yeah, you might be right there.”

  The scene comes to life in front of my eyes. Adam attacking me like a nutter when he finds out the truth, punching me over and over again, his fists covered in blood, but him still going for more. I shudder, fear shaking through my system. I haven’t ever seen Adam in a fight, but I know he’ll be strong. I could be too, but I wouldn’t be able to fight him back because I know full well that I am in the wrong.

  “Oh, God.” I drop my cell phone on the desk. “I don’t want to see him at all now. You’ve put me off.”

  Dax picks it back up and hands it to me. “You have to do it. Don’t make any more excuses.”

  I take it from him and give Dax a pleading look. “What should I say?”

  “Just ask him to meet you for dinner. That’s all you can do.”

  “What, tonight?” The anticipation builds to an uncontrollable level. “Already?”

  “If he can meet you tonight then yes, do it. Get it over and done with. Pull the band aid off.”

  “Yeah okay…” I suck in a couple of deep breaths. “Pull the band aid off.”

  I type out a message, nice and casual, the sort of thing I would normally send to Adam and I show Dax before I hit send. It doesn’t look right to me, all the words feel forced, and I don’t even want to think about what Paisley would say if she knew what I was doing. I’m just hoping that I can get it over and done with, then I can just tell her when it’s all over, taking that anxiety off of her. At least… that’s how it will go in my mind. I suppose I could always end up dead as well when Adam murders me. He wouldn’t ever hurt his sister though, I know that…

  “That looks fine,” Dax reassures me. “Now don’t back out. Just hit send, will you?”

  I do what he commands, seriously hoping that I have made the right decision, and soon he replies agreeing to dinner. Of course, I have spent some time with Adam since me and Paisley have been hanging out and it’s always felt weird, but this is the first time that I will really have to bear the weight of what I’ve been doing.