Chapter 15

I stir slightly as the desire to pee pulls me from my sleep. However, when I try to move, something is snug around my waist. I look down at a big muscular arm holding me tightly. What? Who is in my bed? Oh, Harley, I remember as I stare at his cute sleeping face. He was supposed to leave when I fell asleep. I guess he fell asleep with me, I think. I grin as I look at his slightly parted lips and stroke them gently. However, the moment doesn't last because my bladder demands I get up this instant. I quickly remove his hand, hop off the bed, and sprint to the bathroom, making it in the nick of time. Once I'm done washing my hands, I return to my room. Harley sits up on the bed. I must have woken him up when I pulled his arm off. "Sorry I woke you." "It's okay. Are you okay? Did you throw up?" "No, I had to pee," I say shyly. Why am I acting shy? This is just Harley. I approach the bed slowly, a bit confused about my behavior. Harley reaches out and pulls me on his lap before wrapping his arm around me and nuzzling into my neck. My body goes tense for a moment– what is this? "Are you feeling better?" I relax as his scent envelopes me. "Much better thanks to your care last night," I say as I tilt my face to his and smile. He grins, then tilts his head to mine and kisses me lightly on the lips as he tightens his hug. There he goes with another random kiss. I should talk to him about it. While I did start it by kissing him yesterday, that kiss was not meant to start a relationship or whatever he thinks we're doing now. However, before I can address it, he stands and lifts me into his arms. "Do you want to go somewhere with me?" He asks as he spins me around. I giggle at his merriment as he continues to spin me. He is so happy, maybe I should. I'll talk to him about it tomorrow. "Where do you want to go?” I ask once he stops spinning and puts me down. "It's 5:00 am," I note, glancing at the clock on the nightstand. "Come on; it will be a surprise. It is close by. I promise we won't be leaving the estate." I groan as he nods his head. He looks so cute, like an anxious puppy. I really would rather stay in bed, but he is asking me so earnestly. I cannot find it in my heart to refuse. "Okay, let me take a quick shower first." He grins from cheek to cheek. "Okay, I'll go brush my teeth." He leans in and kisses me again before running off to his room. I exhale. I should get ready. I head to the bathroom, take a quick shower, brush my teeth, and then pull on a pair of sweatpants and a big t-shirt. Harley walks into my room in a change of clothes and pulls me towards the door. We walk downstairs quietly and head through the kitchen into the backyard towards the woods surrounding the house. "Harley, where are you taking me?" I ask as I hold onto him and look around, a bit paranoid because the sky is still pitch black, and these woods look remarkably similar to all the ones in horror movies. "Just a little more," he replies before taking my hand and kissing it. My skin flushes as heat courses through my body. I groan. If one kiss can do this to me, I do not even want to know how badly the sex would mess me up. I sigh as we continue walking into the forest when finally, we see a light up ahead. "Come on, we're almost there," he shouts, pulling me along into a clearing until we are in front of a huge treehouse. "It's beautiful," I whisper in awe. It is truly magnificent and looks like a small castle held up by a tree. "My dad built it for my mom when she was pregnant with me because she would always go into the woods and read. He built it so she would be comfortable. It was her favorite place on the estate. She used to take me here to play before…." He pauses; I squeeze his hands as a show of support. "I come here whenever I miss her." I wrap my arms around him. It must be hard to talk about her, even if it has been 15 years. My dad has been gone for 14 years, and it's hard sometimes to think about him. "It connects to your mom, just like reading books connect me to my dad." He smiles and nods before unwrapping my arms from his body and pulling me towards the steps. We make our way inside the treehouse. It is warm and cozy like a cottage, with cream décor throughout. It has a sofa and tv in the main room with a kitchen in the back. The kitchen has a small stove and refrigerator with a child’s drawing, which must be Harley's. He pulls me to a small room in the back, next to a bathroom. Okay, this is not a treehouse– it is an apartment. I muse as I look around, the room itself has a queen-size canopy bed in all white, and the wall is made entirely of glass so that you can see into the woods. I am trying to decide if I find the glass wall scary or a fun feature when Harley pulls me into his lap on the bed. He nestles his face in my neck and kisses it. "I love your scent," he mumbles as my body goes stiff. Since yesterday, he has been acting strange as if there was a change in our relationship, and he's been upgraded from stepbrother to lover. Is this about the kiss? That kiss was from frustration and anger, and although I enjoyed it, it did not change our situation. Our parents are still married, and I am still his stepsister. However, sitting here with Harley's arms wrapped around me, I know that something has changed for him. "Harley, is everything okay?" I ask, figuring I should hear what is on his mind before I continue to make assumptions. He lifts his head and smiles. "Everything is great. I just wanted the two most important women in my life to meet." I furrow my brow confused. "Mom, this is Ina. I wish you could have been here to meet her. She is frustrating and has a mouth on her, but I know you would have loved her." His face is plastered with a boyish grin that makes him look fourteen. My heart melts at how sweet he is being…wait; I'm an important woman in his life? I mean, we are somewhat siblings, okay, not really since we want to fuck each other brains out. Is that why I am important. As I work through my thoughts, Harley leans in and starts kissing me passionately. I inhale his scent as my mouth welcomes his tongue, my heart races, and my skin sets on fire, but my mind starts working again. This is wrong; we can't do this. I need to push him away, but my body will not obey me as it goes limp in his hands. My lips burn with need. I need to kiss him. His kisses are my life force– I need them. My head spins, and I know my panties are done for. Suddenly, he pulls away, leaving me gasping for air and my lips yearning for his. He pulls me close to him and nuzzles his nose on mine. "I want you, not just in my bed, but with me all the time. Ina, I like you, and it's foolish. We haven't known each other that long, and we shouldn't, but I can't stop." My heart drums in my chest as I pull away and start pacing back and forth. This is wrong. He can't mean that. But why does it make me so happy to hear? I stop and look at him, I would like nothing more than to jump in his arms, but then mom's face flashes in my head. Right, we can't. "Harley, you don't mean that." His smile drops as he shakes his head. "That is not the answer I wanted," he whispers as discomfort stirs in my chest, but I have to press on. "Harley, you are my stepbrother, and even though we may flirt, we can't act on it. Is this about the kiss? That kiss was a result of built-up frustration, not an invitation to forever." He clenches his fist and turns to the glass wall, staring out as the first light of morning breaks through the trees. "That kiss was everything to me. It took my breath away and left me wanting more. The kiss five minutes ago was the same. I felt the passion between us. You can't tell me that kiss meant nothing to you.” "I do not know what you felt, but in both moments, what I felt was a sexual attraction, pure lust. There is nothing else between us; you are confused because I am new and exciting, something different from your regular meals.” "Are you comparing yourself to food? Do you think I am an idiot who does not know the difference between sexual attraction and what I feel? Why can't you accept that I like you? That we have a connection?" "You were digChansong for coal in Chole's mouth a couple of hours ago, so excuse me if I am not falling into your arms because you suddenly like me." "You know there is nothing between her and me." He spins and approaches me. I step back cautiously as he grabs my hand. A jolt of energy courses through me, but I ignore it as I quickly pull away. He clenches his jaw. Hurt tightens my chest. I want to pull him into a kiss, but I cannot. One of us needs to face reality. "Harley, you saw our parents last night; they are happy, genuinely happy. I am not willing to risk that because we're horny." "Are they the only ones who deserve to be happy? What about us?" "I am happy if my mother is happy. A couple of weeks ago, I was willing to wait until the marriage ended, but I see the way they look at each other." "It's the same way I look at you," he screams, anger and pain evident in his eyes. "Are you going to marry me?" He furrows his brows, confused. "We're only 18 and 19. I just wanted to see where it goes." "That's just it, Harley; we do not have that luxury. I am not some girl you met on the street who you can date and bed until your heart is content, so you can see where it goes. I am your stepsister, so it is not worth the risk unless it is a real, earth-shattering kind of love. You said yourself; we are 18 and 19, we will meet new people and fall in love.” My heart feels like it is being squeezed, but I push on. "We can fall for other people; let's not complicate it. We can be amazing friends." "I..." He stops and turns back to the glass wall, silence descends on the room, and I think the conversation is over, but he turns back to face me, his eyes soft and filled with warmth. "Can I hold you for one last time? As if you belonged to me as if you were mine?" I nod as we both walk to the bed. He lies down, and I follow. He wraps one arm around me tightly and then intertwines the fingers of his other arm with mine before kissing it. I snuggle into his chest as we lie in silence, comfortable silence, our two hearts beating as one.