Hurricane Stepbrother

by Brother, Stephanie

  “How was Gerald to you?”

  It might not have been the smartest thing to ask, but I really wanted to know. Part of me thought that if Erik got whatever it was that was bothering him about Gerald off his chest, we could move past this conversation and back to lighter topics.

  But Erik just gave me a sad smile and shook his head. “He didn’t treat me or my mother with the same respect that he treated you and yours. But I won’t taint your memories of him by sharing mine. He’s gone. It’s… irrelevant.”

  I stood up with a frown, upset that he felt like he couldn’t tell me the truth. “Tell me.”

  “Remember how I said things get easier to figure out as you get older?”

  I nodded, even though I failed to see how it was relevant to the conversation.

  “One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that people can change. I’m really glad to hear that Gerald did.”

  “If you had known that he’d changed, would you have come back?”

  Erik laughed lightly, but there was nothing humorous in the sound. “Even though I’m aware that people can change, my memories of my father would have never allowed me to come back and get to know him again. I knew all I needed to know about the man he was.”

  There was a sense of finality in his tone that gave me the impression that this conversation was over. I was torn between being grateful that Erik hadn’t elaborated on whatever it was Gerald had done to him and his mother to cause such a rift, and being saddened that a man I thought I knew had obviously treated the family he had before us so terribly.

  I didn’t want to think poorly of Gerald, especially right after his death, but I had a nagging suspicion that he wasn’t the man I thought he was.

  But then again, like Erik pointed out, people changed.

  “It’s getting pretty late. Are you tired?”

  I snapped out of my depressing thoughts and looked up at Erik’s inquiring face. “Yeah, but I won’t be able to sleep. Not until the thunder calms down at least.”

  He looked hesitant, obviously wanting to say something but not sure if he should. I cocked my head to the side, silently inviting him to say whatever it was that was on his mind.

  “If it’ll help… I’ll stay with you.”

  It took me a moment to fully grasp the concept of what exactly he was offering. I was torn yet again, wanting nothing more than to curl up in his arms and hide there from the sounds of the storm but also concerned about the possibility of developing even more of a crush on him than I already had.

  My head and my heart were at war but neither of them stopped me as I opened my mouth and said, “I’d like that.”

  The smile he gave me was genuine and he reached out to me with the hand that wasn’t holding the candle. I slid my palm into his and stood up, grabbing a candle for myself before letting go of his hand and leading him down the hallway.

  Once we were outside my bedroom door, I turned to him with a questioning look and asked, “Are you sure you don’t mind? I can sleep on the floor in your room if that works better.”

  The look of nervousness on his face slightly put me at ease. “You don’t have a boyfriend who’s going to kill me for sleeping in your bed, right?”

  I shook my head, smiling a little before asking, “Are you fishing?”

  “It was a legitimate question,” he replied with a grin before nodding his head towards the guest room. “Let me change and I’ll be right in.”

  “Okay,” I said quietly, nerves pulsing through me as he turned to walk away. I entered my room and quickly placed the candle on the dresser before opening the drawers and looking for a pair of pajamas that weren’t totally embarrassing.

  I slipped out of my clothes and into a pair of black silk shorts and a white tank top. I mentally anguished for a moment about leaving my bra on, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep if I did. I reached behind me and unhooked the garment, pulling it off beneath my shirt and tossing it into my laundry hamper. I hopped into bed and pulled the flat sheet up to my chest, hoping he wouldn’t notice.

  A few moments later there was a tentative knock on the door followed by a muffled, “Kristen? You decent?”

  “Yeah,” I called back, turning on my side and refusing to look at him as he entered. I didn’t want to see what kind of pajamas he had on, too afraid that it’d reveal enough of his skin to tempt me into doing something I knew I shouldn’t.

  The light dimmed in the room as he blew out the candle on my dresser. The soft pad of his footsteps coming towards the bed made my heart flutter and I felt him pull back the sheet and sit down, the mattress dipping slightly under his weight.

  “It’s probably going to get hot with the A/C off,” he commented as he pulled the comforter from the bed and dropped it on the floor. “The sheet should be enough.”

  Suddenly, the room was encased with total darkness as he blew out his own candle. I felt him slide into bed beside me, laying close enough to me that I could feel the warmth radiating from his skin even though no part of our bodies were touching.

  A bolt of lightning momentarily lit up the room and yet another crack of thunder followed it, making me bristle. Erik noticed and reached a hand over to me beneath the sheet, lying it gently on my hip.

  “Do you…” he started, then trailed off.

  “Do I what?”

  It was silent for a long moment and I pondered through all the possibilities of what he was going to say. I almost thought he fell asleep until I felt the sheet rustling as he slid closer, pressing his chest against my back as his arm wrapped around my waist.

  “Is this ok?” he asked quietly.

  “Yes,” I choked out, my body tensing as I felt the undeniable touch of his skin against my own, the realization that he wasn’t wearing a shirt making desire pool in my stomach and my skin flush.

  For the first time tonight, I was glad that the power was out just so he couldn’t see my reaction.

  Erik started to pull away as he felt how tense I was. “If it’s not, I don’t have to-”

  “Wait!” I said as I blindly grasped at his arm, holding it in place. “Don’t go.”

  I could almost hear the smile in his voice as he said, “I’m not going anywhere.”

  Then he snuggled even closer, his legs pressing against my own and I allowed myself to melt into his embrace, my body hyperaware of every single place where our bodies touched. Even though his nearness filled me with desire, I was also consumed with a sense of safeness and when the next crack of thunder seemingly shook the windows, I didn’t even jump.

  “Sweet dreams.”

  His whispered words were the last thing I heard before I drifted to sleep in his arms.

  **~

  Chapter Five

  A soft sound aroused me from my sleep the next morning. I frowned as I started to awaken, unable to decipher what the noise was or where it was coming from.

  After a split second of basking in the warmth of the embrace I was being held in, I realized what it was. The sound, now recognizable to my ears as a groan, was coming from behind me, falling softly from Erik’s lips as I unconsciously ground myself back against-Oh my god.

  Erik shifted forward in his sleep, trying to resume the friction I had been unconsciously giving him as I pressed my ass against his morning erection. My body heated up with both desire and embarrassment, a wave of pure lust shooting right to my core as Erik whimpered behind me.

  I stopped my hips from moving forward and away, letting him press his hard length against me. I bit back a moan as he gently rocked against me, a content sigh falling from his parted lips and sending a puff of his warm breath across my neck, making me shiver.

  The sheer level of want that I felt was nearly overwhelming my mind, my body already lost to my desire. The desire to grind back, to push my ass against him. The desire to turn over and press my lips to his. The desire to wake him up and beg him to take me-His breathing abruptly turned erratic and I heard him hum sleepily with confusion. I slammed my eye
s shut and forced my breathing to regulate, hoping he couldn’t feel my wild heartbeat as I feigned sleep.

  When he fully awoke, I felt his entire body go tense against my back, his cock still snugly pressed against my ass. I expected him to pull away immediately as he realized what was happening, but he didn’t.

  Instead, I heard him let out a long, shaky sigh, the arm wrapped around my waist shaking with what I guessed to be restraint. I clenched my jaw tightly, trying not to react to the realization that he seemed to be struggling with the same desire that I had been fighting only moments ago.

  I wasn’t prepared for what happened next. He leaned closer and I could feel his fiery gaze land on my face as he propped himself up on and elbow and loomed over me. I loosened my jaw and tried to remain calm, hoping he wouldn’t figure out that I was faking.

  But when he suddenly pressed his hips against me, grinding his massive length harder against my ass, I couldn’t stop the moan that pulled out of my throat unexpectedly.

  He froze again and this time, I tensed up as well. The moment seemed to last a lifetime until he finally rolled away and hopped out of the bed. I stayed completely still as I listened to his footsteps rushing away followed by the sound of my bedroom door opening and closing.

  “Oh my god,” I whispered once I was alone.

  I let out a shaky breath and clenched my thighs together, swallowing hard when I felt just how wet I had become from his proximity. I couldn’t recall a time in my life when I had been so turned on and the desire to roll onto my back and masturbate was almost too strong to ignore.

  Almost.

  I hopped out of bed before I could make an even bigger fool out of myself and rushed to my closet, ignoring the way my stiff nipples rubbed against my tank top, begging for attention.

  Begging for Erik’s attention. For his touch, for his lips… for his teeth biting down and his tongue flicking over me.

  I closed the door to my walk in closet behind me and bit down hard on my lip and I shoved my hand into my shorts. I shuddered as I pressed my finger against my clitoris, my mind conjuring up a mental image of Erik standing in the guest room, unable to fight off the need to touch himself. I rubbed quick, hard circles over my clitoris as I imagined his hand running over his hard length, his jaw slack from the pleasure and my name falling from his lips as he came with a shudder.

  When I came, I couldn’t stop the muffled moan from rising, my body shaking from the desperately needed release. As I tried to catch my breath, I could just barely make out the sound of his knock at my bedroom door. I didn’t respond, I just leaned back against the door of my closet and tried to stay quiet as I heard him step into the room.

  “Kristen? You in here?”

  “I’m-I’m getting dressed,” I called back, wincing when my voice came out hoarse.

  There was a long pause and I was almost certain he putting together the pieces.

  “The power’s still out,” he said softly and I could tell by the closeness of his voice that he was right outside the closet door.

  I nodded to myself, opening my eyes and realizing that I never even bothered trying to flip on the light switch when I hastily entered the closet. I couldn’t see a damn thing, the room pitch black. A jolt of panic shot through me and I briefly contemplated opening the door and rushing out, but I managed to hold myself back.

  If Erik saw me now, there would be no denying what I had been doing in here. The last thing I wanted was to make everything even more awkward than it already was.

  “I’m going to take a look around outside. If you need me…”

  His voice trailed off and after a minute, so did the sound of his footsteps. I waited for a little while before finally poking my head out, making sure that the coast was clear before fully opening the door and letting some light in.

  With the light from outside shining into my window, I was just able to make out the inside of my closet. I got dressed quickly before going to the bathroom to relive my bladder and make sure I was presentable.

  Of course, the window in the bathroom was so small that it was nearly impossible to see in. I managed to use the toilet without an issue but when I tried to see my reflection in the mirror, I realized that making myself presentable was a lost cause. I did the best that I could with the limited light, splashing some water on my face and smoothing my hair down with my hands.

  I went back into my bedroom and grabbed my dead cell phone before making my way to the garage. I could see the side door was slightly open and I knew that Erik must have gone outside through the garage, meaning we’d run into each other soon.

  I resolved myself to act totally normal and keep the illusion of ignorance about everything that had happened this morning. There was no reason to make things needlessly complicated.

  I opened the door to my car and sat down, turning the key back before plugging my phone into the charger. While I waited for it to charge enough to at least turn on, I mindlessly flipped through radio stations until I found one that hadn’t had its broadcast disturbed by the hurricane.

  I was quietly singing along to the song when the passenger door of my car opened and Erik plopped down into the seat. There was a brief moment where he didn’t look at me, but eventually he turned my way and I could see the same willful denial in his smile that was surely in mine.

  “Morning.”

  “Good morning. How’s it look out there?”

  “Pretty bad. It’s not raining as hard but there are a lot of trees and power lines down, at least on this road. I imagine it looks the same throughout the state.”

  “No flooding?”

  Erik shook his head. “Not that I could see.”

  As the song changed, we both sat silently in the car and listened to the music. Erik nodded along and mouthed the lyrics and I smiled as I imagined what his singing voice sounded like.

  The sound of my phone turning on pushed the thought away and I picked it up from the center console, waiting for the start-up to finish so I could check my texts and voicemail. The only text I had was from my mom, asking me to call her when I got a chance.

  I could feel Erik’s questioning look so I turned to him and read the message out loud.

  “I’ll leave you alone then.” He got out of the passenger seat but before he shut the door, he leaned down to tell me, “I’ll be in the kitchen when you’re done.”

  I nodded and he closed the door before he headed back into the house. Once I was alone in the garage, I scrolled through my contacts list and pressed call on my mom’s cell entry. She answered on the third ring.

  “Sweetie, I was so worried about you!”

  “Hi, mom. How is it over there? You guys got power?”

  “No but we’ve got the generator hooked up so we can listen to the weather report on the radio.”

  “It seems to be slowing down. At least the thunder’s stopped.”

  “It’s a large, slow-moving system, sweetie. It’s not over. We’re just in the eye right now.”

  A wave of disappointment spread through me as I took in her words. We were only half-way through the storm.

  Dammit.

  “Honey? Do you have power over there?”

  “No, it went out last night.”

  My mom knew how terrified I was of both storms and the dark and I heard her let out a concerned gasp. “Sweetie, if you need me I can try-”

  “No, no. Stay there, mom. Please stay safe. I’m fine. I… I’ve got company.”

  I could just visualize how her eyes must have popped out of her head. “Oh? Is it Bill?”

  I rolled my eyes. Bill wasn’t a bad neighbor by any means, but there was no way I would have invited him into the house. He seemed nice enough, but he still gave me some really creepy vibes.

  “No… It’s Erik.”

  There was a long silence and I could tell she was a little stunned by the news.

  “Oh. Oh honey, I’m sorry I didn’t mention that I invited him to stay with us. I honestly didn’t think he was
going to show up.”

  “Well, he did,” I commented dryly, my eyes darting back to the door to double-check that he hadn’t come back out. “It was a surprise, to say the least.”

  “Are you two getting along?”

  Even though things had taken an awkward turn this morning, I really couldn’t say that we had been getting along quite well.

  Maybe a little too well.

  “Yeah, actually. He’s… a lot nicer than I thought he’d be.”

  My mom sighed sadly, “I know. The impression he made at the wedding probably wasn’t a very good one for you, was it?”

  I snorted. “No. Was it for you?”

  She laughed, the sound light as she recalled the memory. “No, it wasn’t. But Gerald told me all about Erik so I’ve always known more about him than you. I imagine it’s been a little uncomfortable having a stranger there with you.”

  The only part that was uncomfortable was how much I craved him. Not that I was planning to admit that aloud any time soon. Especially not to my mother.

  “It was weird at first, but it’s fine now. I like Erik,” I said carefully, hoping that she wouldn’t read too much into the sentiment but that it’d be enough to calm her mind.

  “I’m glad to hear it, honey. Stay safe and call me later if you can, okay? I imagine I won’t be able to get home until tomorrow afternoon at the earliest if the weather reports are right.”

  I nodded to myself, my thoughts already running at a million miles a minute as I wondered if Erik was going to volunteer to keep me company again tonight. Would I be able to resist making a move if I had him in my bed again?

  And the more pressing question-If I did gather up the courage to make a move, would he outright reject me or did he reciprocate my desire?

  “Kristen?”

  “Yeah?” I blurted out as my mom’s voice snapped me back to reality.

  “Stay safe, sweetie. I love you.”

  “I love you, too. Stay safe and give my love to grandma.”

  “I will. Bye, Kristen.”

  “Bye.”

  After the call ended, I relaxed back in my seat and stared blankly at the door the led into the house, too confused by my contradicting emotions to even consider going inside. Instead, I decided to wait in the garage until my phone was fully charged and hopefully by then, my head would be clearer.