"I dreamt about you last night," he whispered, focusing on the dark grey carpet beneath his feet. He had no clue why the confession had slipped out, but in a weird way he felt better for letting go of the dirty secret.
"You... really?" Luc asked, not suppressing the surprise or excitement that rose up in his voice.
Adam nodded miserably. "I haveneverthought about you like that before. And then you tell me you're into me and suddenly I have a dream about kissing you. Why?" There was no way he was going to tell Luc the more sordid details of the dream, or how good it had felt whilst he'd been trapped within it.
Even though he was refusing to look at Luc, he was aware of his stepbrother slipping off the sofa, shuffling forward on his knees until he was much closer.
"You can't always take dreams literally," Luc said softly.
"I woke up with a hard-on."
"Oh."
Luc moved into Adam's limited view. They were so close now, Adam could feel the warmth radiating off his stepbrother's body. He could smell the spicy scent of his aftershave and see the way the dark hairs were standing up and quivering on Luc's arms.
"Maybe it's your subconscious trying to tell you something, then," Luc said, his voice bordering on husky.
Adam shook his head, refusing to admit that, alongside the revulsion that churned his stomach, he’d also felt a quiver of desire the moment his stepbrother had moved closer. "I'm not going to start fancying you, just because you told me you're into me,” he snapped.
"No," Luc agreed. "But maybe there was something there before that. Something you always put down to friendship."
"We haven't been friends for years," Adam spat. He lifted his head and glared at Luc. "I don't want you like that. And even if I did, it would be wrong. It would be revolting." The words sounded hollow to his own ears, but he had to believe them.
"Really?" Luc asked, lifting his eyebrows. "You didn't enjoy that dream at all, then?"
Adam scowled. "I was asleep."
"And you're not even the least bit interested in enacting that dream for real?"
"No." Yet his palms were sweaty and his heart rate had increased. His breath caught in his throat as Luc edged even closer, so that his body was pressed against Adam's knees. "No," Adam repeated, grinding his teeth together so hard it hurt.
"You sure?"
Luc kissed him. His lips were soft and smooth, just like they'd been in Adam's dream. It felt like Adam's heart had stopped beating. His stomach flipped. He was on a rollercoaster that had been travelling slowly uphill. But when Luc’s lips had pressed against his, the rollercoaster had tipped over the peak and was now hurtling downhill so fast and for so long, that his stomach flipped a dozen times. He wanted to pull away, possibly even slam his fist into his stepbrother's face, but he also couldn't deny the quiver of desire he felt in his groin. He couldn't deny that Luc's lips felt good against his. Luc cupped Adam's face in his hands, as he deepened the kiss. He pulled back a fraction, so he could run his tongue over Adam's lips. Then he mashed his lips against Adam's again, stroking his cheeks with his thumbs.
By the time Luc was done with him, Adam was breathless. He sat, staring at Luc, the air rasping out of his throat.
"Are you going to tell me you didn't enjoy that?" Luc asked, as he gazed at Adam hungrily. He licked his lips slowly and seductively. "Because you definitely didn't pull away."
No, he hadn't and he didn't understand why. He knew he should have, but instead hehadenjoyed it. He felt physically sick.
"This. Is.Wrong," he breathed. "We can't..." He shook his head. "Ican't." He pushed Luc away and stood. "Don't touch me again," he snapped, before striding towards the door.
"Do you want me to leave?" Luc asked, his voice a harsh whisper as Adam walked away from him.
Adam looked over his shoulder. Luc had turned to face him and had rocked back onto his heels, his arms hanging limply by his sides.
"Because I will, if you ask me to."
"No," Adam said. "I won't be the reason why Mum's heart gets broken again. But stay away from me," he growled.
Luc nodded. "If that's really what you want."
Adam clenched his hands into fists. "It is."
"Okay..."
For a moment, Adam actually thought Luc was being sincere. But that was before a wicked grin spread across Luc's face.
