See, Ellie was nothing like I thought she’d be. Instead of pushing us away when she found out there were three of us in the closet, she warmed to the situation. She let us discover what it took to get her off, and she came like a river.
At least, that’s what Micky said. He was the one who got to taste her pretty pussy. And Seb got his lips around her tight little nipples.
And me?
I got to whisper in her ear and feel her trembling response. I got to hear just how much she enjoyed everything we did to her.
And when Dornan yelled for her through the door, it was me who felt her flinch.
Fuck.
At that moment, my life flashed before my eyes because there are things that happen between two people that it’s impossible to come back from and holding your stepsister still while your brothers make her come is one of them.
Shit.
I rub my temple, closing my eyes against the bright sunlight illuminating the yard of our family home.
Family. Even thinking about the word makes my head pound harder.
“Colby, can you take this salad to the table,” Lara says. Lara, Ellie’s mom, has no idea what happened last night. No idea of the real reason Ellie has been up in her room all morning.
Ellie never misses breakfast, especially on the weekends. Lara makes the world’s best pancakes, but only on Saturdays, in case we learn to take them for granted.
Not that there’s any chance of that.
Now it’s lunch, and she still hasn’t made an appearance.
“Sure,” I say, reaching out to take the large wooden bowl that is almost overspilling with crisp lettuce and juicy red tomatoes. My stepmother smiles brightly at me, her deep brown eyes filled with approval. Eyes that are almost exactly the same shape and shade as her daughter’s.
“And come back for the potato salad.”
“I’ll get that,” Sebastian says, jumping up from the sun lounger he was reclining on.
“You boys are so helpful,” Lara says. “Unlike my lazy daughter. Where the hell is Ellie?”
I turn to Seb and find his eyes widening. “There was a party last night,” I blurt. “Maybe she ate something that didn’t agree with her.”
“Ate something?” Lara rolls her eyes. “Do you boys think I was born yesterday? Since when do they serve food at frat parties? In my day, bowls of chips were the only things edible at those events.”
“Not much has changed,” Micky says, but I don’t miss the way his tongue darts over his top lip like he’s imagining savoring the taste of Ellie all over again. The fucker thinks he’s clever.
“There was pizza,” I say quickly. “And you know what those cheap pizza places can be like…no hygiene.”
“Maybe I should go up there and check on her?” Lara says, glancing up at the house, even though Ellie’s window is at the front.
“You have your hands full,” I say quickly. “I’ll go.”
Seb’s eyebrows shoot up so quickly that it’s comical, and I get why. I’m not exactly the man you send anywhere to offer soft concern and sympathy. I’m the man you send when you need shit done. Give me a task to complete, and I’m in my element. Finding out if someone has the shits or is just hiding away from three men she orgasmed all over would be better suited to anyone other than me.
But I can’t send Micky. Lord only knows what he’d say. He’d probably apologize and then tell Ellie he was hoping Alexandra would come into the closet. And Seb’s go-to style under pressure is to make a joke of everything. Not what this situation needs.
“Well, that’s so kind of you,” Lara says. “Especially when Ellie’s probably just being her usual uncooperative self.”
“It’s nothing,” I say, already making my way to the sliding doors. The house is my father’s. He and my mom bought it when we were little. They stretched themselves financially to make sure we each had our own rooms, and there was a spare room for when our grandparents stayed over to help. Now Ellie occupies the spare room, and mom’s place in the master suite has been filled by Lara. I don’t blame dad for remarrying when he lost mom. He couldn’t deal with the demands of three teenage boys and keep his sanity and employment. Lara stepped in to run us between school and extracurricular activities. She fed us, clothed us, and ensured we kept our grades up; for that, I’ll always be grateful.
I wonder if Ellie feels the same about our dad. Not that he’s played much of a role in her upbringing outside of putting a roof over her head. I get that his effort would have been a lot less visible for her.
There’s always been a prickliness to Ellie within this house that doesn’t fit with the person she is around friends and at college.