Stepbrother With Benefits 6 Read online

"I could be a little sick," I say.

  Ethan picks up his spoon and dips it into my soup, then holds his hand beneath it while he brings it to my mouth. I open my lips and let him feed me like that. I swallow the soup and open my mouth again for more, but he gives me something else instead.

  Leaning close, he kisses me quick. It's soft and fleeting, but nice and sweet, too. As soon as I start to kiss him back, he pulls away.

  "What was that for?" I ask. "You're not supposed to do that."

  "Nah, it's cool," he says. "Just kissing it better. That's how this works, right?"

  "Again, this isn't second grade," I say, laughing at him.

  "Yeah, you were a lot cuter in second grade," he says. "Too bad."

  "I'm still cute!"

  "Yeah, you're pretty cute," he says, shrugging. "Kind of sort of maybe a little."

  "You don't think I'm cute?" I ask, frowning. It's kind of sort of maybe a little fake, but a frown is a frown.

  "Nah, you're cute, Princess. Don't worry. Different kind of cute now, though."

  "Can I have another kiss for being cute?" I ask him.

  "Wow, greedy much?" he says, grinning. "Yeah, come here. Just one more."

  He kisses me again, and I kiss him back. I wish we could stay like this forever.

  "I'll need another kiss later," I say. "At least a goodnight kiss. That's all. It's not for any other reason."

  "I'll give you a goodnight kiss alright," he says, growling at me.

  "Ethan," I say, waving my spoon at him like a teacher's ruler. "You need to behave!"

  "I'll get right to work on that," he says, rolling his eyes at me.

  "These biscuits are really good, huh?"

  "Yeah, the cheese is great."

  "Thanks for telling my mom to add it," I say. "How does it taste with your soup?" I ask, but I'm already dipping my biscuit in his bowl before he can answer.

  "Well why don't you just try it for yourself!" he says, grumbling as I taste and chew the biscuit dipped in his soup.

  "It's good," I say. "Here, you try mine."

  He does. I give him an extra spoonful of soup and feed him like he fed me before, too.

  "Good, huh?"

  "Yeah, it's good, Princess. Really good. You want to watch a movie or something?"

  "Alright," I say. "You pick. Pick from your Netflix profile. I want to see what movies you like."

  "You're saying you've never snooped on my profile?" he asks, grinning.

  "Nope!" I say. It's a lie; I have.

  "Liar."

  "Nope!"

  *** Ashley

  All good things must come to an end, and today is one of those things.

  Ethan and I ate three bowls of soup. All different kinds, too. My mom bought a lot, apparently. Even though I'm not actually sick, the soup warms me and comforts me. I do feel better now, though I don't think it's going to last for much longer.

  Ethan is asleep. It's late, and it's dark outside. Not too late, though. My mom should still be awake. I hope I can talk to her without Ethan's dad being around, though. I'm not sure if I can explain everything to both of them. It's easier if I only have to explain it to one person, and while I like Ethan's dad, I still don't feel as comfortable around him as I do around my mom.

  I slip out of bed and sneak through the dark of night. I know these hallways by heart now, even if I've been away for awhile because of school. Before that I spent the better part of three years here. It was hard at first, but I grew to enjoy and appreciate it. It's easy to get used to a mansion when you used to live in a cramped apartment. Anyone could do it.

  I tiptoe downstairs and towards the room with a light on: the living room. My mom is sitting in a chair in the room by herself. Further down the hall in another room entirely, I see another light on. It's Ethan's dad's office. He has to do work at home sometimes, and night is the easiest time for him to do it without missing out on spending too much time with my mother. I like that he cares about her like that.

  My mom sees me coming into the living room and she smiles.

  "Hey, honey, you feeling better?" she asks.

  "Yeah," I say, smiling. "Thank you for the soup. It was really nice."

  "I'm glad," she says. "Do you want some cough syrup? I bought some just in case, but you don't sound like you have a cough or a stuffy nose."

  "Um... I think it was my chest?" I say. "I think maybe it was just anxiety, but I'm not sure."

  "I understand," my mom says, smiling. "It happens to the best of us sometimes."

  I wish she actually understood, but I know she can't. I can't explain everything that's happened to her. It's easier if I don't even try.

  "Can I talk to you about something quick?" I ask her.

  "Sure. Is something wrong?"

  "No, um... not exactly, but sort of?"

  She grins. "Uh oh. What's that mean?"

  Uh oh is probably the appropriate response to this, even if she doesn't know it.

  "Um... I sort of maybe promised a friend that I'd fly out to go see her?" I say. Her. That's it. It would sound stupid if I said I was going to visit a boy. I'm not visiting a friend, either, though, so maybe neither one matters. I've never lied to my mother before this, so whether it's one lie or two doesn't matter all that much; it's all equally bad.

  "When?" she asks.

  "I kind of maybe promised I'd go... tomorrow morning?" I say.

  I don't have a lot of options. I'm being blackmailed into this. I thought I knew what kind of person Jake was, but apparently not.

  I thought I knew what kind of person Ethan was, too. I definitely didn't.

  This is difficult. I swallow hard, hoping my mother doesn't notice anything.

  "That's going to be tough," she says. "I'd love to drive you, but we're waking up early tomorrow. Would it be alright if you had Ethan bring you?"

  "Oh, no, um... I can just take a cab, Mom."

  "Are you sure? I'm sure he wouldn't mind, Ashley."

  "No, it's fine. I can take a cab."

  "Alright," my mom says. "What about everything else? Are you sure you're feeling well enough to go? If you're sick, it might not be a good idea. Even small things can build into bigger ones if we aren't careful."

  Don't I know it. That's how this all started in the first place.

  "I won't be gone too long," I say. "I need to get a plane ticket, though. I know it's short notice but is that alright? I can do it right now."

  "I think it'll be fine," my mom says, grinning. "I don't think your stepfather will have a problem with it."

  "Alright," I say. "I'll go do that right now, then."

  "Alright," my mom says. After a moment, she adds, "Is there anything else you needed to talk to me about, too? You know you can talk to me about anything, right?"

  "Um..." I wish that were true; I don't think it is. "Actually..."

  "Mhm?"

  "Is it alright if Ethan sleeps in my room tonight?" I ask. "He already fell asleep. From earlier, I mean. I know that's kind of strange of me to ask. I can wake him up if you want, I just, um..."

  "Is there something I should know?" my mom asks, lifting both her eyebrows. She stays like that for a second, but then she smiles. "I'm just teasing. Of course, that's fine. You're both adults. You can make your own decisions."

  "I guess so," I say, muttering. "It's not like that."

  It is like that, though.

  "Not like what?" my mother asks. Is she being serious right now? I don't know.

  "It's just sleeping," I say.

  "Did I say it was anything besides sleeping?" my mother asks, coy.

  "No, but I thought you'd be more upset?"

  "If you thought I'd be upset, why'd you ask?" my mother counters.

  Touche. I suppose she has a point.

  "I just... I feel better when he's around, that's all. I know that he and I argued before, but he was actually really nice when you were gone. We..." I have to stop myself from blushing. "We went to go see a movie. At the drive-in. We got popcorn, too. And we went swimming in the pool. We ordered pizza and watched TV and went to a restaurant and had french fries and a steak and cheese sandwich."

  "Just one sandwich?" my mom asks, grinning.

  "We split it," I say. "He shared it with me."

  "Ethan's a nice boy," my mother says. "I suppose he's a nice man now, isn't he? I know he has his rough spots, but I think we can forgive him that, don't you?"

  "I think so," I say, smiling. "Just don't tell him I told you that."

  "Oh, I won't," my mom says, pretending to zip her lips. "Your secret is safe with me."

  "Good!" I say, giggling.

  My mom yawns. "I'm getting tired. I think I'll head to bed soon. Do you need anything else first, Ashley? You should call to schedule a taxi for tonight as soon as you get your tickets."

  "I will. Thanks, Mom. I should be all set. I don't think I need anything."

  "Alright. Just let me know if you change your mind. You know where to find me."

  "Alright," I say. "Um... can I have a hug goodnight?"

  "Of course, honey. Come here."

  I give my mom a tight hug and she holds me in her arms while we sway back and forth a little. It feels good. It reminds me of when I was younger. It reminds me of a lot of things.

  "Goodnight," I say, whispering.

  "Sleep well, Ashley," my mom says, hugging me one last time.

  *** Ethan

  I'm sleeping or dreaming or something. Again. Didn't we already deal with this before? What the fuck are you doing here?

  Oh, wait. I'm awake now. I feel someone crawling into bed, which is kind of weird, but then I realize it's her. This isn't my bed, is it? I blink open my eyes and look around, and, yup, this is her room. It's her bed.

  "Hey," I say. "Where
'd you go?"

  "I had to go to the bathroom," Ashley says.

  "Didn't hear the toilet flush," I say.

  "Um... I went downstairs. I needed to talk to my mom for a second, too."

  "Alright," I say. "Yeah, I should get up and head to bed, too, then."

  "No," she says. "Stay?"

  "I know our rules and all of that, but do you think that's a good idea, Princess?" I ask.

  "I asked my mom if you could," she says.

  "Uh, what?" I can't even begin to comprehend that sentence.

  "I told her you were sleeping and I asked her if you could sleep in here with me tonight. She said it was fine. She said we're both adults and can make our own decisions."

  I laugh a little. It's not supposed to be funny, but it kind of is. "You think she really meant it?"

  "No," Ashley says. "I don't know. I don't think she meant it in um... that... way..."

  "Yeah, probably not. It's cool. Whatever."

  She's under the blankets with me now. The lights are off. It's pitch black outside except for the faint twinkle of starlight. Even the moon is gone. We're completely alone together.

  I know I should say I want to fuck her right now, and I wouldn't be opposed to that, but I kind of just want to lay down and cuddle with her and hold her in my arms and fall asleep. She's sick, anyways. Maybe tomorrow we can be a little more active, but right now I'm happy just spending the night with her in her bed. It's her bed and it's her special place. Why wouldn't I be happy to get invited to somewhere like that? Sounds pretty fucking amazing to me.

  "Come here, Princess," I say, pulling her close.

  She pulls up the blankets, covering us up to our chins. She wraps her arms around me, then stretches her leg out, pressing against my thighs, clinging close. I put my arms around her, too, and kiss the top of her head.

  "Goodnight, Ethan," she says.

  "Goodnight, Princess," I say.

  A few seconds pass. Nearly a minute. Everything is quiet. My eyes are still open, though. I'm waiting for her to fall asleep before I go back to sleep. After awhile, she scoots closer to me and looks up.

  "Kiss?" she asks.

  I tip my head down so that I can kiss her, then I press my lips to hers. We lay like that, soft and silent, kissing. There's no urgency here, no immediate need, nothing crazy or lusty or any of that bullshit. That stuff complicates things. This is just a nice, soft kiss.

  Our lips part, but she scoots up and kisses me again one final time before laying her head back on my chest.

  "Goodnight," she says.

  "Goodnight," I say, smiling.

  *** Ashley

  The alarm for my phone goes off and I panic and scramble to turn it off before Ethan realizes what's happening. Thankfully I set the volume on low so that it would be quiet. It vibrates, too, but I don't think that will wake him on its own. I'm not even sure if I needed to set the alarm in the first place, because it's been nearly impossible for me to fall asleep. I kept closing my eyes and trying, but then I would open them, look at my bedside table clock, and less than twenty minutes passed. The night went on like this, over and over, until I did finally fall asleep, but...

  I'm not asleep now. I'm awake and I need to leave. I have a plane to catch.

  I leave my phone on the bedside table and sneak up and out of bed. Ethan sleeps softly, breathing even softer. He's laying on his back and my hand used to be across his chest, but I managed to free myself without him waking up. I slide my legs over the edge of the bed and slip away into the dark of night. Tiptoeing to my bedroom door, I grab my bag, open the door, and slip outside.

  I want to take a shower before I leave, but I obviously can't do it in my room. I didn't think about this last night. Maybe I should have told Ethan he needed to sleep in his own room, but I'm not sure if that would have worked, either. It's fine, though. It's just a minor setback, but I have an idea. I tiptoe down the halls and head to Ethan's room, then sneak inside. Once I'm in, I close the door behind me and flip on the lightswitch.

  I can use his bathroom. I can shower there. This is kind of where it all started, isn't it? It isn't exactly, but this is where I came when I agreed to our one week arrangement. I stripped down right over... here. I step there now, standing firmly on the exact spot. Placing my overnight bag on the floor by the foot of Ethan's bed, I decide this will be where I leave, too. This will be the beginning of my end. I pull off my pajamas and undress in the exact same spot as when I came to tell Ethan we could try his agreement. When I'm done, I pick my overnight bag back up and step into his bathroom.

  I keep the light off in the bathroom, preferring the cool darkness instead. I leave the door open, though, so the light from his bedroom washes in, partly slicing through the darkness. Creeping in, I reach for the shower knobs, twist them, wait until the water is warm enough, and then I step in.

  I don't have a lot of time, but I want to enjoy this while I can. I'm not sure what's going to happen to me after this morning. I don't know what Jake will want me to do. I need to figure out a plan, though.

  First things first. If I agree to this, he needs to agree to some things for me, too. I want to see him erase the text messages I accidentally sent him, and I want to see him delete the recording of our phone conversation, too.

  What if he made copies, though? What if he doesn't agree to delete anything and instead wants to continue blackmailing me? I think I should be able to steal his phone, even for a little bit, and delete everything myself, but I'm not sure what to do if he made copies. I'll have to figure that out as I go. That's my only option at the moment.

  I wash off quick and rinse my hair. I shouldn't have rinsed my hair. Ethan doesn't have a hair dryer, and I don't want to risk going back into my room to get mine. I can't ask my mom to borrow hers, either. It's three in the morning, and she'd definitely wonder why I didn't just use my own.

  I dry my hair as best I can given the circumstances, then tiptoe back into Ethan's bedroom.

  I packed a few quick things in the dark before I snuck back into bed with him last night. Hopefully it's enough. I grab a pair of panties and a bra and slip those on quick, then a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Nothing very fancy or nice. I don't want to wear anything nice for Jake. I used to want to, and sometimes I did, but not anymore. Maybe if I look unappealing enough, he'll give up this entire idea and let me leave.

  I doubt it. I wish it were possible, but I doubt it.

  I put my pajamas back in my overnight bag, turn off the light in Ethan's room, and slip away into the hall. Creeping to the stairs, then down, I sneak into the kitchen. I can hide here, I think. Sort of. I should eat something before I go, too.

  There's a banana in the fruit bowl and a yogurt cup in the fridge, so I take those and grab a spoon quick, then go sit at the kitchenette table. I try to eat, and I do manage to take a few bites of banana and yogurt, but I'm not sure if I'm hungry anymore. I take one more bite of each, forcing myself, but afterwards I start to feel nauseous.

  I'm really going to do this, aren't I? I'm going to sneak away, get on an early morning flight to a place I've never been, and let my ex-boyfriend blackmail me into becoming his sex toy for the next few days in order to keep the fact that I've been sleeping with my stepbrother a secret...

  It sounds crazy. It really is crazy, isn't it? It is and it isn't. It's something that's actually happening, but I never thought anything like this would ever happen to me. It hurts to think about it. My heart hurts. My stomach hurts. I feel physically ill again. I start to gag a little, and then my mom walks into the kitchen, smiling.

  "Really early flight, huh?" she asks.

  I refrain from looking sick. I can't let her know. I can't have her trying to convince me to stay here instead.

  "Yup," I tell her. "I thought it'd be the easiest."

  "Did you sleep alright? It feels like we were talking in the living room just a few minutes ago."

  "I slept alright," I say, lying. "I'm going to try and sleep on the plane, too."

  "Is it a direct flight or do you have any layovers?" she asks.

  "One stop," I say. "It's just for an hour. It won't be too bad."

  "That's what everyone always says," my mom says with a wink. "Then there's delays for days." She grins and laughs. "I'm sure that won't happen. Ethan's father and I had a short delay on our flight back, but nothing too bad. Usually morning flights are a little better about delays. That's how it's always been for me."

  For her. We never really flew much before she married Ethan's dad. After that, we all flew a lot more, though. In high school we used to take three or four vacations a year. I remember thinking it was crazy that we were allowed to miss school for a week like that, but I always made sure to get my homework assignments in advance so I could do it on vacation.