Escape: A Stepbrother Romance Novella by Stephanie Brother Page B

and
some old running shorts you can wear.”  It makes me feel better to fuss over
him, it gives me something else to focus on.
    He
looks torn but then he nods and we walk back into my bedroom together so I can
get him a towel and clean clothes.  I slip into bed while he cleans up, curling
up on my side.  My body feels weary and my head is still a little foggy from
all the crying and the after effects of the drugs.  I must fall asleep because
I don’t remember Brandon coming out of the bathroom and when I come around, the
room is suddenly dark. I turn in bed, finding him lying next to me on his side,
respectfully still on top of the covers. He’s sleeping, his long fair lashes
casting fan-shaped shadows onto his beautiful high cheek bones. His skin is so
smooth and peppered with freckles, just like when he was a child.  I lay and
watch him breathe slow and steady through slightly parted lips.  He’s lovely
like this, with no stress marring his brow or worry in his eyes.  Everything
feels familiar to me.  But so different too.  His hands that used to be just a
little bigger than mine are huge, his biceps and forearms containing so much
strength.  I can’t stop looking at him even though I worry it’ll be weird if he
wakes up and catches me.  I want to take him all in while I have the chance.  I
even look at his feet, marveling at their size and slimness.
    I’ve
never felt this way before, finding everything about a person so right.  It
sounds cheesy or cliché to say that he feels like a part of me, but it’s true. 
We are connected in a way that’s special.  I feel it all the way to my marrow. 
And I know it started when we were young and stepsiblings but I don’t care
about that.  He used to be my best friend and we’re not related in any way that
matters.  I have no doubt in my mind that he’s meant for me and I am meant for
him. And now he’s so close, I’m not letting him go again.  This could be my one
chance to make him see it too. No matter what has happened today, I’m not going
to let this chance slip through my fingers.
    I
shift closer, carefully moving out from under the covers.  He stirs but doesn’t
wake and I stay motionless for a while.  When I’m sure he still sleeping, I
lean forward and kiss his top lip very gently, running my tongue along the
inside to taste him. He exhales against my lips, still locked in his slumber
and I move closer, kissing him again and slipping my hand under the fabric of
his shirt.  His lips move slightly, like an automatic reflex, and I feel on
fire, like I might combust with the longing I feel for him.  I snuggle even
closer until our knees are touching and his curled hand rests against my
breast.  His skin is so warm under my palm, his chest so solid and muscular.  I
kiss him again and this time his tongue touches mine.  He’s still sleeping, I
think, but it doesn’t take away from the pure sexual rush I feel between my
legs.  He shifts closer to me, reaching out for me and pulling me close, even
though he’s still lost in his dreams.  I feel the rigid press of his cock
against my belly, and I want to moan so badly I have to bite my lip. 
    Tucked
into his arms I feel warm and safe, exactly what I need to put my anxiousness
to rest.  His roaming hand slips up my ribs, pushing up my camisole until he
palms my breast. Brandon moans in his sleep, pinching my nipple hard enough to
make me gasp.  I’m watching his face when his eyes pop open, bleary for a
second until he realizes where he is and what he’s doing.  He goes to pull
away, heat flaring across his cheekbones but I hold his hand against me.
    “I’m
sorry,” he says, quickly trying to release himself from my grasp.
    “Don’t
stop,” I breathe, leaning forward to kiss him again.  His lips are reluctant at
first but as I squeeze his hand harder on my breast I feel his reluctance start
to wane.  I slip my tongue into his mouth in the most explicit way I can,
licking over