He shifts me, clearly wanting me off his lap, so I get up and already miss feeling him. I don’t know what possesses me to look down, but when I see the outline of his hard cock straining against his tight black jeans, my pulse thundersharder in my ears and those butterflies turn into bats. I only stare for a second, but it feels like an eternity. I glance away and retreat to the abandoned first-aid kit on the counter.
“I can clean myself, if you want,” I say, hoping he’ll let me this time. Not that I need his permission, but my brother is nothing but persistent and always gets whatever he wants.
“No,” he says as he comes to my side. He picks me up without making a sound and sets me down in the same spot. “I told you I’d take care of you.”
I bite the inside of my cheek, holding myself back from arguing with him. It’s not worth it.
He soaks a cotton pad with hydrogen peroxide and murmurs a soft warning before he pats it against a cut on my cheekbone. I hiss and pull my head away from him.
“That hurts!” I cry.
“Sorry. I did warn you.” He cups the back of my head, bringing me back to him to keep tenderly cleaning the cut. As Jaxon cleans me, his gaze loses focus, like he’s receding into his mind, so I say the first thing I think of to keep him here with me.
“Do you think this house is haunted?” It’s a strange question, but it accomplishes what I intended.
Jaxon blinks, and his hand pauses as he focuses on me. “No,” he drawls. “Why?”
“Well...” I close my eyes. “I’ve just been hearing some stuff. Seeing stuff too. Probably ghosts.”
Jaxon’s touch disappears, and I crack an eye open. He cocks his head curiously. “What sorts of things?”
I shrug and close my eye because I always find more courage through that than looking directly at him. “They look like burned demons. Then there are these faces that are right next to me while I try to sleep.”
I open my eyes at the sound of crinkling paper. Jaxon opens bandages and gently lays each one on the sore cuts onmy face. He says nothing after I just told him something embarrassing. I may as well never talk about it again. I know it sounds stupid and childish, but the things I see are terrifying and I’ve been dying to talk about them.
I sag, disappointed and embarrassed with myself. All I want to do is crawl into bed and sleep. Exhaustion settles in my bones at the thought of sleeping, and I sway in place as Jaxon finishes tending to me.
“That adrenaline is wearing off,” he murmurs into my ear, then drags me into his arms and carries me out of the bathroom.
I rest my cheek against his shoulder. “Where are you taking me?”
“Bed.”
“I’m fine,” I grumble. “Just resting my eyes.”
His chest vibrates with a soft laugh, and his arms tighten around me, one hooked beneath my bottom. The sway of his gait lulls me closer to sleep, and I shiver from being cold.
You know what? Curling up in my bed doesn’t sound so bad after all.
Jaxon carries me out of his room and into mine, gently laying me on the mattress. I’m a little disappointed that he didn’t take me to his bed, but at the end of the day, it’s for the best. In my sleepy state, I would have said or done something I’ll later regret. I don’t want to lose my brother and best friend because of this weird attraction I have for him. Eventually, I’ll grow out of it.
An idea pops into my mind. I can speed things along by dating someone who will distract me from my brother. That sounds great, actually, but I don’t know how Jaxon will feel about that. He’s protective of me, and I’m sure he’ll try to scare off potential dates.
I yawn. We’ll cross that bridge whenwe get to it.
“Go to sleep,” he murmurs. He pulls off my boots, then tucks me under my sheets.
I roll onto my back, my arm covering my eyes to block out the light streaming through my window. “You’re the best big brother,” I mumble.
He stays quiet. I assume he’s left, but then I peek out from under my arm and find him staring at me with a strange look on his face.
He shakes his head, guilt twisting his features. “I don’t think I am, flower.”
“Why?” I slur.
Before I fall asleep, I hear him say, “Because what’s in my head would scare you.”
Dahlia is asleep seconds after I hint at the things I think about her. I leave her bedroom, my hard dick straining against my zipper and demanding that I relieve myself. I can still feel her breasts in my palms and hear the breathy, wanton moans she made while I felt her up.
