“You fucking wouldn’t dare!”
No, she was right. As much as I wanted to slap my hand across her cute bottom and watch it wiggle from the contact, potentially leaving a bright red mark against her lily-white ass, now definitely wasn’t the time. And god only knows what would happen if I gave in to what my cock was demanding.
“Tell you what. I’ll let you go on one condition. You take a shower and come downstairs,” I said.
“But I don’t want to.”
“Stop being a brat, Sara.” I let her go, and she turned onto her back to look at me. That got her attention. Her eyes bored into mine.
“I hate you,” she said, frowning, her eyes thinning into two little lines.
“Liar. Come on, I’ll make you something to eat, too.”
“Fine.”
“I’ll be downstairs if you need me.”
With that, I left her alone and went downstairs. Mission accomplished, I thought when I heard the pipes knock from the sound of water travelling up to the shower in the upstairs bathroom.
13
Sara
Leaning against the wooden headboard, I sighed. The argument I’d had with Anita had drained me, and my arms were weak from clinging to the bed as Harvey attempted to pull me off. And though he didn’t succeed, he certainly had the strength to do it, making me believe it’d all been for show. Why was he back here, anyway? Why couldn’t people just leave me alone?
I roared, startling even myself. I was being pathetic. I knew it, and they knew it. And yet of the two of them, my twin sister and stepbrother, I never expected it would be Harvey who would encourage me to see sense, to be the one who stayed… and supported me. It made me want to fight.
I bit my lip as his words played in my mind. His threat to spank me had certainly cleared some of the cobwebs. And a part of me wished he’d done it, too.
Swinging my legs off the mattress, fighting the urge to go back to bed, I stomped into the en suite bathroom. I didn’t want to disappoint my stepbrother more than I had already, and I couldn’t bring myself to refuse him because… well, it was Harvey asking.
Plus, I was a sucker for those big blue eyes, stepbrother or no stepbrother. I certainly could understand how woman all around him would drop their panties at his command; he just had to bat those baby blues and they’d be goners.
I took my time in the shower, appalled at myself as I ran a hand over my stubbly legs. Harvey had probably felt and seen the hair on my legs, and I cringed at the thought. Once they were smooth again I let the heat soothe my weary muscles. Reminder to self: Lying in bed for two (or more?) days is not a good idea, best not to do it again.
Feeling a little better, I stepped out. Regret would plague me, I knew, for a long time to come. I should have been there with my family as they buried my mom, should have been there when they lowered her coffin into the ground. But I wasn’t. There’s nothing I can do to change that, no way to go back in time and force myself out of my grief, but I could do something different going forward.
I quickly avoided the mirror and continued to dry off. I grabbed a fluffy towel from the rack and wrapped it around my body, using a second smaller towel to wrap my hair.
I shimmied into a pair of black trousers and put on a loose top; I skipped slapping on a ton of make-up and settled for a quick dab of waterproof mascara. Harvey had seen me plenty of times without make-up before, but this was not for him, this little act was for me. I wanted to feel like my old self again, like the confident Sara I sorely missed. I wondered where she’d gone and if I’d ever find her again. My mind started travelling down a dark path as Eric flashed in my head. I was too self-aware for my own good. I knew perfectly well what had happened to my old self, but now wasn’t the time to go diving back into that hole, exploring the why’s and how’s, not when a pinprick of light was only just starting to creep into my life again.
After I finished with the mascara, I applied the barest hint of blush on my cheeks, blow-dried my hair, pulled it up into a high ponytail, and then braved what awaited me down below.
A strong aroma of eggs, bacon and coffee filled the house as I made my descent. The smell made my stomach growl in hunger. I supposed starving yourself for days will do that to a body.
I sprang away from the bottom step and sauntered over to the kitchen. Once I got there I frowned in surprise, suppressing a giggle. Harvey had one of my very feminine aprons, the ones with pink frills, wrapped around his waist; his hands were busy at the hob. He looked over his shoulder and grinned. His eyes raked over my body and sent a rush of heat down to my belly. His gaze was intense and appreciative, and as he finally met my eyes. His own blue ones shone with fire and something that I couldn’t quite put my finger on.