by Alexis Davie
His garden was huge, and while a few people hung around the doors smoking or just getting some air, Madeline could see the majority of the garden was deserted. She stepped off the patio and began to follow a small, gravelly path. She passed by a bench where a couple were making out. The guy clearly had his hand in the girl’s panties, and Madeline looked away quickly. She continued down the path until she was far enough away from the couple that she couldn’t see them anymore and then she sat down on the next bench she saw.
She sipped her beer and tried not to cry, concentrating on how good the breeze felt on her skin instead of thinking about Ethan and how he was kissing that damned girl. She hadn’t been outside long when she heard footsteps approaching the bench. She looked up and saw Lee heading toward her.
Her heart sank at the sight of him and she shook her head. The guy couldn’t win with her. Inside, she’d been annoyed because he hadn’t shown any concern for her. Now he was here to make sure she was okay, and she was annoyed about that. She wasn’t annoyed at Lee at all, though, not really. She was annoyed at Ethan for kissing another girl, and she was annoyed at herself for caring so damned much. The only thing Lee had done wrong was not being Ethan and that was hardly something she could hate on him for.
“Are you okay?” Lee asked Madeline as he reached the bench.
She nodded her head as he sat down beside her.
“Yeah. I just got too hot and I started to feel a little sick and dizzy. I feel better out here, though,” she said.
“Good,” Lee said. “That you’re feeling better, I mean. Are you ready to go back in?”
Madeline shook her head. There was no way she was ready to go back in and be confronted by the sight of Ethan and the blonde girl again. Not yet. Maybe not ever. The thought filled her with a deep sense of panic, like she needed to run away.
“Not quite,” she said. “But you should go back in and enjoy the party. Seriously, I’ll be okay soon enough and I’ll follow you back in.”
Lee looked longingly at the house, but he didn’t move.
“Umm, it’s okay. I’ll wait for you,” he said.
He didn’t sound very enthusiastic about the idea.
“Honestly, go. I’m fine,” Madeline insisted.
“Well, if you’re sure…” Lee trailed off, clearly wanting to go back inside.
“I’m sure,” Madeline said, forcing a smile.
Lee stood up. He looked at the house then back at her, and for a moment, she thought he was going to sit back down again, but instead, he nodded to her and made his way back toward the house. Madeline was glad. She could hardly tell Lee what was bothering her, but she wasn’t in the mood to pretend that she was fine when she felt so broken inside.
How am I this bothered? she asked herself. I mean, I’ve had crushes on guys before who ended up with someone else, and I’ve never felt like this about it. And let’s be honest, I only realized Ethan was even attractive this afternoon. God, what is wrong with me?
She didn’t have any of the answers to those questions, but she did have a bottle of beer and she went back to sipping it, enjoying the cool, bubbly crispness on her tongue. She heard footsteps approaching her again and she rolled her eyes. Lee couldn’t take a hint, that much was for sure. She looked up, ready to insist he go back inside, but it wasn’t Lee walking toward her this time. It was Charlie.
“Are you okay, Mads?” Charlie asked, sitting down on the bench beside Madeline. “Lee said you were feeling sick.”
“I just said that to explain why I was out here,” Madeline said. “I don’t feel sick.”
She did if she thought of Ethan kissing the blonde girl, but she tried not to picture that anymore.
“You wanted to get away from Lee? I really thought you would like him,” Charlie said with a frown.
“It’s not Lee. I do like him,” Madeline said. “Or at least I think I could. If I was open to liking anyone right now. I just…”
She stopped talking when she realized that rather than explaining her situation, she was just confusing Charlie. She sighed loudly as Charlie watched her, waiting for her to go on.
“I… I just…” Madeline sighed again and started over. “You were right, okay? Happy now?”
“I might be happy if I had any idea what you’re talking about,” Charlie grinned.
“You were right about Ethan. I do like him. Like, more than I should, if you know what I mean,” Madeline sighed.
“I knew it,” Charlie said with a grin.
“Yeah, well, I didn’t. But now I do. And he’s in there kissing some other girl.”
“Not anymore he isn’t,” Charlie murmured.
Madeline looked up and saw Ethan making his way down the gravel path toward her and Charlie. Charlie jumped to her feet and winked at Madeline before hurrying away, leaving Madeline alone, her heart racing as Ethan came to join her on the bench.
8
Ethan pulled away from the kiss and smiled down at Reese. The kiss had made him feel nothing. All it had done was solidify his belief that Madeline was the one he should be kissing. He knew it. His wolf knew it. He just wished Madeline knew it. Maybe, though, she did feel something for him, and she just kept it well hidden. No one would ever believe he was into her, but he was. Maybe if he just talked to her, and told her how he felt, she would be willing to give them a chance.
Of course she won’t. She’s practically my sister. She would say I was sick, Ethan told himself. His wolf disagreed. Every animal instinct in his body was telling him Madeline was meant to be his mate. His instincts were usually spot on, but not this time. This time, his wolf had it all wrong. Even if Madeline could get past the stepsiblings thing, he could never be with her, because he could never tell her who he really was, and he didn’t want to live a lie.
It was his destiny to mate with another wolf shifter. Was it, though? His mom had found Vic and she must have turned him. Maybe he could do the same for Madeline. He knew he wouldn’t, though. He knew he couldn’t handle the disgust in her eyes when she found out he was a monster, an animal.
“Ethan?” Reese said, reminding Ethan of where he was and what he had just done.
“Sorry,” Ethan said, turning his focus back to her.
She frowned at him and then stepped out of his arms.
“What’s going on?” she asked. “You seem to want to look anywhere but at me.”
Ethan shrugged. He didn’t have the energy to try and convince Reese that wasn’t true. If he succeeded, then what? He would start dating her, knowing she could never make him feel the things Madeline made him feel?
“It’s that girl, isn’t it? She’s not really your sister at all, is she?” Reese said, her voice angry.
She stormed off, not waiting for Ethan’s answer, and he let her go. Let her think what she wanted. He really didn’t care anymore.
He turned to look for Madeline, but he couldn’t see her anywhere. He thought for a moment that she must have left already, and he felt a sick feeling in his stomach when he pictured her in a car with Lee, the pair of them making out somewhere. He felt slightly better when he saw Lee and Scott still sitting on the same couch. At least if Madeline had left, she hadn’t left with Lee. He didn’t think she had left now, though. He couldn’t see Charlie leaving without Scott. He scanned the room again, and he spotted Charlie stepping into the kitchen.
On a whim, he started to follow her, sure that wherever she was going, Madeline wouldn’t be far away. He wasn’t entirely sure why he was doing it, or what he would say to Madeline when he caught up with the girls, but he knew he had to find her. His wolf was guiding him, telling him to just find her, and then everything would seem better.
He reached the kitchen door and spotted Charlie stepping outside. They must need a bit of air. He decided against following them outside. It would be too exposed out there. He needed the cover of the music and the crowd if he was even going to hint to Madeline that he liked her.
He went to the keg and poured himself a
beer. He sat down on the countertop and started drinking it. When the girls came back in, they couldn’t miss him sitting here, and maybe Charlie would decide to come and say hello to him. If she did, Madeline was sure to follow her.
He drank most of his beer and jumped down for a refill. He began to feel a little worried that Charlie and Madeline hadn’t come back. Maybe Madeline had gone for some air because she felt ill or something. It would explain why she was out there with Charlie rather than Lee. Ethan felt a pull in his stomach, his wolf telling him to go to Madeline and protect her.
He tried to ignore the feeling. She wasn’t in danger of anything more than throwing up because she’d drunk too much beer. He couldn’t shake the feeling that he needed to go to her, though, and he found himself moving toward the door, his feet taking him there almost of their own accord.
He slipped out into the cool night and looked around. Madeline and Charlie weren’t on the patio. He shrugged and stepped off the patio, following a gravel path down the garden.
He spotted Madeline sitting on a bench with Charlie. She looked upset rather than ill and he felt a moment’s triumph. Lee had upset her. They were done. He hated himself for reveling in Madeline’s misery, and as he cursed himself for being the worst guy in the world, he forgot himself and when Charlie looked up, he wasn’t quick enough to duck behind anything and hide.
It was too late for Ethan to change courses now without drawing more attention to himself, so he kept heading in the girls’ direction. Charlie said something to Madeline and she looked up and saw him. Charlie winked at Madeline as her face broke into a wide smile, then she stood up and walked away, leaving Madeline sitting alone. She passed Ethan without a word, but she grinned at him like she knew something he didn’t.
It gave him pause for thought. Did this mean Madeline felt the attraction between them too? She’d looked so happy when she looked up and saw him approaching, and Charlie had made herself scarce quickly enough. And that knowing smile. Madeline could have just told her she liked Ethan.
Ethan was almost at the bench Madeline was sitting on, and he realized he had no idea what he was going to say to her. His wolf had gone quiet now that he felt like he needed the extra courage the animal inside of him gave him. Typical.
Madeline caught his eye and smiled shyly at him, and he felt his stomach whirl and his cock twitch when he looked into her eyes. Maybe it didn’t matter what he said. Maybe it just mattered that they were both here.
He reached the bench and sat down beside Madeline.
“Hey,” he said.
“Hey,” Madeline replied. “Great party, huh?”
“Sure,” Ethan shrugged. “You can’t be enjoying it that much, though, if you’re out here.”
“You’re out here too,” Madeline pointed out.
Ethan took a deep breath, his heart pounding and his palms sweating as nerves threatened to overwhelm him.
“I noticed you were missing and I wanted to come and find you and make sure you were okay.”
“Why wouldn’t I be okay?” Madeline asked.
Her tone was cool, like she wasn’t interested in Ethan, but her eyes told a different story. They roamed over Ethan’s body, making him feel like she was really seeing him, like maybe she was imagining what he would look like underneath his clothes.
“I don’t know,” Ethan shrugged. “I thought maybe that guy had upset you or something.”
“Lee? No. See, he wasn’t the one kissing another girl,” Madeline replied haughtily.
Ethan and Madeline looked at each other in shocked silence for a moment as it dawned on them both what Madeline had just said, and what it meant. She was jealous. She had to like Ethan or she wouldn’t have cared he was kissing another girl.
“Umm… I meant that…” Madeline started.
Ethan didn’t let her finish. He had gotten his answer without even having to ask the question. He reached out for Madeline and pulled her into his arms. She didn’t resist his touch. Instead, she laced her arms around his neck and peered deeply into his eyes. He didn’t want to break the eye contact, but he couldn’t wait a moment longer. His wolf was stirring again now that he had gotten the result he wanted.
He leaned closer and brushed his lips against Madeline’s lips. She made a moaning sound deep in the back of her throat, a sound of longing that made Ethan’s cock instantly hard. He held Madeline tightly around the waist and scooped her up, lifting her to sit in his lap.
She smiled down at him and leaned forward and their lips met again. Fire flooded through Ethan’s body and his wolf howled inside him as he deepened the kiss. Madeline tasted of sunshine and beer, and something else. Something slightly spicy. Something he couldn’t identify, but that sent him wild as he swirled his tongue over hers, marking his territory and claiming her mouth. His hands moved lower, coming to rest on Madeline’s ass.
She pushed her hands into his hair, and she began to move her hips back and forth, rubbing her center against his hardness, teasing him and making him gasp.
He was ready to throw Madeline onto her back on the ground and claim her right there when a shout drifted across the night air to them.
“Get a fucking room, you two,” someone shouted, laughing.
Madeline pulled her lips away from his and scooted back off his lap. They sat side by side on the bench and laughed. Ethan was a little shocked by how far he had been willing to go, by how he had temporarily forgotten his surroundings when Madeline kissed him.
“Do you want to get out of here?” Ethan asked.
“More than anything,” Madeline said.
9
Madeline lay in bed. It was getting late, but she was wide awake and staring at the ceiling, a goofy smile on her face as she thought back to the kiss she and Ethan had shared and how they’d sneaked away from the party shortly after it. She would have to text Charlie and apologize for running out on her. Probably she should text Lee, too.
When Ethan had asked her to leave the party, she hadn’t thought of anything except how badly she wanted him. But it was only when they had gotten outside that they discussed it and realized neither of them had come in their own cars. They’d called a cab and, of course, they had kissed some more in the back of it, but that was as far as they could go. And when they’d gotten home, their parents were still up and that had pretty much killed the mood between them.
Coming home like that and seeing her father and Ethan’s mother together only reminded Madeline why this could never happen. While technically they weren’t brother and sister, to the world, they were. Charlie accepted it because she was Madeline’s best friend, but to the rest of the world, it would seem wrong. Icky. Their parents would never accept a relationship between the two of them and neither would anyone else.
But when they were kissing, it hadn’t felt icky or wrong. It had felt right. Like Madeline had been waiting her whole life for a part of her that she hadn’t even realized was missing and Ethan had brought her that part of herself.
She still couldn’t understand how she could feel so strongly about Ethan so quickly, but she was sick of telling herself it couldn’t be real. It was real. She was drawn to Ethan with every cell in her body, and while she didn’t understand it one little bit, that didn’t make it any less real.
She closed her eyes, knowing sleep would evade her, but trying to drop off anyway. Lying there thinking about Ethan was just getting her frustrated. Her core ached for him to fill it. Her skin cried out for him to touch it. And the more she thought about the kiss, the more she was just teasing herself, working herself up into a frenzy.
She lay with her eyes closed, trying to think of anything except Ethan. She was just starting to fall asleep when she heard the door to her room click open. Her eyes flew open and she felt her center throbbing desperately when she saw Ethan standing in the doorway, his silhouette lit by the moon behind him.
She could smell a strange scent coming from Ethan. A scent she had never noticed before. It was an earthy smell
, musky and animal-like. It filled her nostrils and she felt liquid drenching her thighs. There was something about the scent that Madeline’s body responded to.
Ethan still stood watching her from the doorway and without a word, she pulled back the duvet, inviting him in. She heard Ethan swallow hard, and then equally silently, he stepped into the room and pulled the door closed. He crossed the room in three big strides and knelt on the bed beside her.
He reached for her as she reached for him, and she pulled him down on top of her. She felt like her body would burst into flames as his lips found hers and her whole body came to life.
Ethan reached down between their bodies, pushing his fingers between Madeline’s lips and finding her clit. She gasped into his mouth as electricity flew through her body beneath his expert touch. She moved her mouth from his, gasping and panting against his neck as he worked her clit.
He stopped as she was on the verge of coming and her body screamed for more. She moved her head away from his shoulder and rolled to the side, moving Ethan onto his back. She smiled down at him as she straddled him.
He looked back up at her, his face a mask of desire. She thought for a moment that his eyes were a different color than usual, darker somehow, but she dismissed it, thinking it a trick of the moonlight that shone through the tiny gap in her curtains and cast a yellow glow over Ethan’s head and face.
She leaned down and kissed him hard and then she scooted backward, taking his erection in her fist. She began to work her hand up and down, excited at the size of Ethan’s cock. She could hardly contain herself. She wanted to feel him inside of her right now.
She stroked Ethan, her grip firm, upping her pace until he was gasping and moaning beneath her, and then she moved forward again. She lifted herself, centering herself above Ethan. She lowered herself, feeling his hardness burrowing into her, opening her out and filling her up.
Madeline moaned, a satisfied noise as Ethan filled her core. She began to move up and down, slowly at first, enjoying the feeling of Ethan inside of her. He reached out and took hold of her hips, moving her faster, matching her pace with thrusts of his hips. Each thrust made her gasp in pleasure. He took one of his hands from her hip and moved it back around to the front of her body. He pressed his fingers into her lips again, gliding them over her clit.