“Ash, can you let go now?” I stutter, embarrassment sweeping over me at how naked he is with just a pair of jeans slung low on his hips.
With his arms still around me, I'm pressed up against his front, and I suddenly feel too hot, realizing just how intimately we are standing. Burning all over, I’m all too aware of Ash, and his erection digging into my stomach.
He shakes his head, and his nose lightly touches mine. I gasp when his tongue sweeps over my lips, seeking entry, and then he’s kissing me. I can feel the pressure of his lips on mine and the slight bite of his lip rings digging into my mouth.
All too soon he breaks the kiss, leaving me breathless, dizzy, and staring up at him in confusion. I’m swaying like I'm drunk, but his next words send a strange skittering through my body.
Ash’s lips ghost over my mouth, and I feel them when he says, “I don’t want to let go, but I have to. Happy birthday, Ember.”
Chapter Ten
ASH
She’s seventeen. She’s seventeen. She’s seventeen. I repeat it over and over in my head like a mantra, but I can’t seem to pull away from her. I know she’s turning eighteen tomorrow, but I still can’t act on my desire for her just yet. We are trapped in our little bubble, neither moving closer or further apart, and the desire building in me is making it hard not to take her right now.
I’m about to snap when we hear, “Em, where are you? The popcorn is ready.”
I grit my teeth and stepping back, I turn away from her, but not before seeing her slightly swollen lips and pink cheeks as she darts from the bedroom.
I hear her flustered voice call out, “Coming, Case!”
I. Fucking. Wish.
I throw myself down on the bed and cover my face with my hands, fucking hell that was intense. I adjust myself in my pants and groan because I’d literally just taken care of that in the shower, but Ember is far too fucking tempting for her own good and has no idea what she does to me,
I see the box still sitting on the bed and take it back to Casey’s room where I place it next to Ember’s bag once more. This time I don’t pick her bag up; the last thing I need is for her or Casey to walk in and see me snooping again. I back slowly out of the room, and because, apparently, I love to torture myself, head quietly downstairs to get a drink and to see if I can catch another glimpse of her.
As I inch slowly down the staircase, I hear their muffled voices carrying from the living room, but can’t quite make out what they’re saying. Thankfully, I don’t need to go past them to get to the kitchen. Once there, I stand just out of sight, listening to their conversation.
“Em, I know you like Ash but please don’t go there. I love him to pieces, but he's an asshole. I don’t want to see you get hurt.” I hear Casey say, and I clench my teeth.
I know that if I did hurt Ember, then Casey would make my life miserable. She's so damn protective of Ember. Despite all the taunts and jokes she makes about me to her, she cares a lot about her friend.
“Nothing is going on between us, Case, and there won’t be,” Ember replies.
Ember’s words sting because that isn’t what she was saying with her body and mouth, ten minutes ago, when she was pressed up against me and practically grinding against my cock as I kissed her. I want to spank her ass for telling lies, but not where Casey can hear. When I finally have her, she will be begging me for more, and I will deliver until she's a screaming mess and ready to be mine in every way possible.
I start the tap running, needing the coldness of a glass of water to cool the heat burning through my veins, which is a mix of desire and anger at her dismissal. The voices from the other room abruptly stop, and Casey comes to the door to glare at me.
“How much did you hear?” she asks, and her voice is low and worried.
I walk over to her and grin while messing up her hair, “Nothing, little sister, why? Were you talking about me?”
She shakes her head, shoving my hand away and turns to go back to the couch where Ember is sitting. With her back turned, Casey can’t see the look on my face as I glare at Ember. When I catch sight of my reflection in the hallway mirror, I can still see the promise to own her lingering in my eyes. Ember quivers under my gaze, and when Casey catches sight of her reaction to me, she turns and gives me a look, threatening bodily harm.
“Big brother, kindly fuck off. This is a girls’ night,” she says sweetly, and I hear Ember giggle at Casey’s words.
I laugh and can’t resist teasing her, knowing how much it winds her up. “Fine, but don’t let Mom hear you cussing at me; she’ll shove a bar of soap in your mouth.”
Ember can deny our connection all she wants, but in the end, she will be eating her words, and hopefully other things too. With that thought, I smirk and head back up the stairs toward some kind of sanity. She must realize that I'm not going to let her run very far from me. If she tries to escape, then I will catch her and drag her back to me. No matter how hard she fights this, we will be together.
Chapter Eleven
EMBER
Sometimes it makes me ache when I hear Casey and Ash teasing each other and the easy banter they share as siblings. I’m an only child, which means it was lonely growing up. I always wished for a brother or sister, and I found that in Casey. She's my best friend, and my sister in every way but blood, so it hurts me that I have any kind of feelings for Ash.
I’m determined not to let him ruin our friendship. Even if I were old enough to be with him, it would only end in disaster, and I won’t risk losing Casey because of it. I mentally shake myself and promise not to let him affect me, as hard as it may be. After this weekend I won't let Ash confuse my feelings any more than he already has.
“You two are crazy,” I laugh, letting their light hearted teasing, calm my nerves.
Casey shrugs and smiles. “Yeah, but growing up we practically tore each other’s hair out. This is just a bit of fun compared to back then. We drove our mom mad.”
Lying down on one of the two small couches in the living room to watch a movie, I say to her, “Must have been nice to have someone there with you.”
Casey sits up and looks at me. “It’s not always as enjoyable as it seems.”
We sit quietly for a while after that, eating popcorn and watching the movie. That is until Casey throws a handful at me.
“Hey!” I say, giggling and throwing a handful back at her.
Later, Casey turns to look at me, “I miss him when he’s gone, Em. He might drive me mad, especially when he's acting like an ass, but I still miss having him around. If it weren't for you, I’d be alone a lot more. I’m so glad you’re here.”
I give her a hug. “Me too, Case. I’m glad I’m here too.”
The next morning, we’re sitting at the kitchen table having breakfast when my phone lights up with a message, which I pick up and read. Frowning at the contents, I turn to show the screen to my friend. “Casey, look at this.”
She reaches out and takes the phone from my hand and laughs, “Oh my God! I can’t believe Ollie is asking you out. “
I shake my head. “I know right! But I think I’m going to tell him no.”
Casey frowns. “You shouldn’t; you should make plans with him.”
I know why she's saying this, and a part of me agrees. I should listen to her and say yes. However, the silly part of me with hearts in her eyes doesn’t want to give up on Ash. I chew my lip, considering, before typing out YES. I feel kind of strange after sending my reply, but I try not to think too hard about the reason why.
I smile shyly at Casey, trying to shake off the weird feeling. “I told him yes.”
She jumps up, squealing. “I'll make you look awesome when you do go on a date with him! You need this, Em. Even if it's just a movie or dinner, you need to go out and have some fun.”
I feel eyes on my back at that moment, and turn my head just enough to see Ash standing there with a dark look on his handsome face. I have to stifle a moan when he slowly sucks those metal rings i
nto his mouth.
I can’t deal with him right now. I could barely face Casey last night after he practically devoured me with his mouth. I shove the memory away, but I still squirm slightly in my seat, making a point of ignoring him while I carry on talking to my friend.
“What should I wear? Have you got anything I can borrow?” I ask her, giving him my back again.
“Ooooh, I have an adorable top that’ll look great with your skinny jeans, and you have got to let me do your hair and makeup. Even if it doesn’t go anywhere, you should still look gorgeous.” Casey babbles so fast her words are almost running into one another.
“Breathe, Case. Slow down before you turn blue.” I laugh at her enthusiasm, which is more than I can muster although it's rubbing off on me a little bit.
The tiniest bubble of excitement is forming in my stomach, and a night out with Ollie is sounding more and more appealing by the minute. Even with Ash burning a hole in my back with his glare from the doorway.
Casey stops, spotting him standing there. “Hey, Ash. Sleep well?”
Ash nods and goes over to the coffee machine to make a drink. I’m not sure if Casey senses it or if I’m just on edge, but the tension in the room just shot way up. I know he heard Casey talking about the date with Ollie, but I can’t find the will to care. I’m too wrapped up in the way his eyes sweep over me from across the kitchen, and I wonder if I’m making a terrible mistake.
Chapter Twelve
ASH
I’m slowly losing my mind with this girl. She's pulling on every thread of patience I possess, and it’s only a matter of time before the last one snaps. I’m not sure what to do, but I know I need to stop this ‘date’ from happening.
I shoot Casey a death glare when Ember isn’t looking, and the little brat smirks at me. She doesn’t want Ember to be with me, but whatever her reasons, I can’t find it in me to care about any of them. Her thoughts on it don’t matter because I will have Ember in the end.
Ember knows I want her, but she's fighting her own attraction toward me, which pisses me off. If my sister wasn’t in the house, I’d be tempted to spank her for it and shock her into letting loose a little. I close my eyes and take a deep breath to calm myself down before I get a hard-on in the damn kitchen.
I make my presence felt by standing directly behind Ember’s seat, holding a coffee in one hand and placing my other hand on the back of her chair.
“What are your plans for today,” I ask them, using Ember’s hair to hide my fingers as I skate them across the top of her shoulders.
Ember stiffens slightly at my touch but doesn’t move away or brush me off, which I take as a sign to continue. I start running my fingers up and down her neck and then dip them beneath her shirt to lightly scratch her back.
Casey answers, entirely oblivious to what I'm currently doing to Ember, “We’re going shopping and staying out for lunch. Then I'm buying Ember her favorite cake from the bakery to celebrate her birthday.”
My lip twitches when Ember inhales sharply and fidgets in her seat before dropping a hand into her lap. I become mesmerized when she moves her hand and touches her pussy over her leggings. I’m now hard as a fucking rock. She turns her head slightly to look out the window, and catching sight of the relaxed, faraway look on her face and the tiny smile playing on her lips, I realize she's oblivious to everything, right now, but her own pleasure.
Ember is such a temptation, and she needs to know exactly what she does to me. Subtly, I edge closer until I'm pressed up against the back of her chair. So close, in fact, that I am certain she can feel my hard cock rubbing against her through the wooden slats.
She stops touching herself and, severing the contact between us, leans forward to grab her drink. Leaving me hard, pissed, and breathing heavily while trying to calm my fucking cock down so that I don’t ravage her right there on the kitchen table.
“Sounds great, Case,” Ember chirps, her voice happy but a little breathier than usual.
She isn't as unaffected by me as she thinks or would have me believe, in spite of her naughty little games. Ember is playing with fire, and she might just get burned by an inferno if she isn’t careful.
The urge to do something incredibly stupid isn’t leaving, so I do.
I turn to walk back out of the kitchen. “Happy birthday, Ember. I’ll catch you both later.”
My parting words hold a more subtle, hidden meaning because I will catch Ember later. I’ll chase her, drag her into the fire she's dancing around, and we’ll both perish in the flames of my craving for her.
Dark thoughts are running rampant through my brain. I need to get out of here, go back to college, and wait. I must restrain myself from taking Ember before the time is right to avoid making a mess of everything. In the meantime, I’ll make detailed plans, and when everything is in place, I’ll snatch her away from all she knows and take her for my own.
Running up the stairs, I stride along the hallway to my room. On entering, I grab my empty backpack from the floor and shove in my clothes and toiletries. When packed, I cast one last glance around to check that nothing has been left behind and then leave.
I can hear Ember and Casey’s voices in the downstairs hallway, followed by the rattle of keys, and finally the sound of the front door closing behind them. I’m now alone in the house. Making a quick decision, I drop my bag and go into Casey’s room where I pick up Ember’s bag and rifle through it, looking for anything of interest.
I’m disappointed to only find clothes, but I grab one of her tees and bringing it to my nose, I inhale her scent. Her fucking scent is intoxicating. Smiling, I shove everything back into her bag and return it to where I found it… Soon.
Chapter Thirteen
EMBER
I’m sitting in the car next to Casey, and my head’s spinning at the nerve of Ash. I’m barely hearing a word she's saying to me. I can’t believe he did that, but there is no mistaking what I felt against my back. I couldn’t say anything to him, at the time, with Casey there because that would have been way too embarrassing. How do you tell your best friend that her brother was pushing his erection against your back while she was in the same room?
Ash makes me so nervous, and it’s not just because I find him attractive. He's so intense at times. It sends shivers down my spine the way his eyes always land on me when I’m in the same room as him. I mentally shake off the last half hour and focus my attention on Casey.
“So, Em, how about while we’re shopping, we look for something pretty for you to wear when you go out with Ollie? I know I said I’d lend you an outfit, but you should totally get yourself something new. It's your birthday after all,” she says with a huge smile, practically buzzing at the thought.
I grin at her. “Sounds great. It’s not a date, though, so I don’t want anything too out there. Just something nice.”
Casey tuts at me but doesn’t say anything else and concentrates back on the road. Silence then fills the car for a while until she turns her head slightly to regard me.
“Sooo, you and Ash?” she begins.
“Case, stop. Nothing is going on, and nothing will. For three reasons: one, he's in college and four years older than me; two, he's your brother, and I wouldn’t break the girl code by doing that to you; and three, I wouldn’t want to be with him even if that wasn’t the case.” The third reason I give her feels like a lie because it is.
“Okay, I just wanted to check. Things seem really weird between you two, and it worries me. He’s pretty intense at times, and the way he watches you... sometimes it scares me. I don’t want to see you get hurt. Like I said before, Ash being my brother won’t stop me from kicking his ass if he upsets you.” We both laugh.
“Thanks, but you don’t need to worry. Although I won’t stop you from kicking his ass if you really want to,” I answer in a light teasing tone.
When we finally arrive at the mall, Casey drags me to her favorite shop and starts grabbing different clothes from the rails: pants, jeans, te
es, dresses. She passes everything to me until I’m nearly buried under them all. She then propels me forward to the dressing rooms with a smile on her face while I frown warily at her.
“Try it all on,” Casey orders, and I gape at her.
“But…” I begin.
“Nope, it's all for you to try, babe. Now get in there!” She gives me a gentle nudge, and I glare at her, huffing as I shut the curtain.
I stare in dismay at the sheer volume of clothing she has given me. It didn't seem like this much when I brought it in, but now I’m looking at the large pile, and I want to crawl underneath it and hide. Letting out a heavy sigh, I pick up the first item.
After what feels like hours of looking at myself in the full-length mirror, finally, I pause. The knee length dark-purple dress I’m now wearing is soft and simple; I love the way it looks on me, and the way it’s fitted at the top and flares from the hips. I smile at my reflection, and I can’t help but wonder what Ash would think of it. I scold myself for even having that thought because it’s not for him, it’s for me.
I open the curtain and step out with a nervous smile on my face and do a twirl. Then, I wait for Casey to tell me what she thinks.
“Em, you look gorgeous! You should definitely get it,” Casey says excitedly.
I twist around to look at the tag, and my heart jumps happily when I see the SALE label marking it as half price. I can get the dress and maybe some shoes to match.
“Case, can you grab me a pair of shoes to wear with it, please? You go while I change back into my clothes,” I say as I head back into the cubicle.
When I come back out carrying the dress, I spot Casey by the shoes and head over to her. “Have you found anything?”
Love is Strange: A Taboo Anthology Page 27