“Ugh, you two are so cute, it’s gross,” I bemoan.
“He’s just being a baby. Vasectomies are very common procedures.” Bridget moves over to the loveseat next to me as Ethan swings his legs onto the couch, readjusting his frozen peas. She looks at me expectantly.
“I’m taking a couple summer classes, but nothing other than that.”
“How are you with kids?” she asks. “My best friend Becka is looking for a sitter to help with her daughter. It could turn into more than the one night since they don’t have a lot of options with their families, and Ethan and I aren’t always available.”
“I’d love to,” I say before she can give any other details. This could be the perfect distraction to take my mind off my pathetic love life.
“Great. Can I give her your number?”
“Sure. Now, I believe I was promised face masks, and I really need to see Ethan in one. Ella is never gonna let him live it down. She still has pics of the makeovers we gave him on her phone as blackmail.”
“Oh, he still has those on his phone too. You girls made him look very pretty.” She laughs as Ethan smiles at her.
Once we eat and don our face masks, I turn on a movie and settle into the couch. I can feel my brother staring out of the corner of my eye, and once Bridget excuses herself to use the bathroom, I pause the movie and glare at him. “What is it?”
“What’s what?”
“The reason you’re staring at me. You’re doing that thing you do where you stare at me as if you can hear my thoughts.”
“I heard about what happened with your dad,” he admits quietly.
“What? How?” My cheeks pinken at the thought of my mom sharing this with him.
“I was picking Lizzy up to take her to therapy, and overheard Mom telling Dad about it in the kitchen.”
My nerves ease slightly at his words.
“Are you still having nightmares?”
I sigh. “They started up again recently. My therapist said it’s just my body’s way of watching for danger. She said I’m not going to erase my triggers overnight, but I need to trust that when they do occur that I’m not letting them define me. But it’s hard not to feel discouraged. Once I knew who was haunting my dreams, I’d hoped they would stop. But it doesn’t work that way.” I don’t tell him that a new masked figure has been making guest appearances in my recent dreams.
“I’m so sorry you’re dealing with that but thank you for sharing it with me. Need me to look up some resources for you?”
I smile at his offer. He does this for Lizzy too. She shows an interest in something, and he learns everything he can about it. She has a problem, and he’s looking for solutions on every corner of the internet. “I’m good. But could I stay here tonight?” I ask through a yawn.
——————
He looms over me as sweat trickles down my back. I take off in a sprint, my heart beating wildly in my chest. I climb the stairs two at a time, then race down the hall into the nearest bedroom. There’s not even time to shut the door behind me. I can hear his footsteps, practically feel his hot breath on my neck.
I make it into the closet, but before I can shut the door behind me, a hand snakes in, grabbing hold of my ankle, pulling me out. I try to kick with my free leg, but I can’t see, can’t make contact with anything. The carpet drags against my skin as I flip onto my stomach, grabbing at anything I canfind to hold onto, but I lose the game of tug-of-war we’re playing.
There’s no point in trying to fight it. I lay there motionless as he straddles the backs of my thighs, pressing his hard body against mine. “You can’t escape me. Stop trying.”
Goosebumps prickle my arms as he slowly traces his fingers along them. I can feel my panties dampen at his touch.
Strong arms slide under my torso, flipping me onto my back. I peer up at him, anxious to finally see his features, but the room is too dark and his face is in shadow. His rough palm cups my cheek, and I let out a stuttered breath.
He leans down and I can feel his lips brush my skin as he speaks. “Let me take care of you. Open your legs.” My obedience is on autopilot as I widen my thighs so he can settle between them. He pushes my skirt up before trailing down to trace the side of my panties, running a finger along the crease of my leg as a shudder rocks through me.
I’m all frantic need and anticipation as he slowly lowers his head, pushes my panties to the side, and licks me. It’s relentless, all-consuming, and a rush of heat courses through me. He sets a steady pace, flicking and rolling his tongue against me, applying firm pressure on the spot I need it most as I buck against him.
When his head pops up, I whine, groping around in the darkness so I can push his mouth back where I want it. Where I need it.
“Use me. Show me exactly where you want it most. Let me hear how needy you are for me to make you come. Soak my face, drench my fingers, make me taste you for days.”
I can hear the wicked grin in his voice, feel the smirk in his dirty words. And then he’s moving back to my core, pressing his face against me as he tortures me with that filthy tongue. My fingers thread through his hair as I move him to the exact spot I need and begin rocking against him, taking what I want.
