Chapter Three
LEO
Aweek.
Seven days.
One hundred and sixty-eight hours.
It goes by in a blink and, at the same time, it’s a vast expanse of time.
That’s how long I thought it’d take Eve to shake her nervousness in the mansion. To open up and let me in. But, the longer she stays with us, the deeper she retreats into her bubble. I’ve given her space, fighting against my urges. I’ve held my tongue, and cut conversations at her disinterest.
Disinterest isn’t the right word. Not with the cheeky glances she gives me.
Those deep blue pools of hers ogling me as I walk around the bathroom, half-naked.
I sure as hell put myself on display for her.
What other chance do I have at winning her affection?
She’s fighting a losing battle, and time will eventually force her to give in.
Her mother won’t leave my father, because of his wealth.
Today started with what’s quickly becoming my new routine. I woke, went to work, and around lunchtime, business is settled. Perfect timing to get ready for Eve’s 1 PM interview at some skimpy lingerie store. I’ve spent more time in thoughts of Eve draped in lace than I actually have with her.
When I’m not working, I often find myself in the car, tailing Eve as she goes from one job interview to the next. There’s a primal urge inside me. It stands against everything I’ve ever believed in. I’m like a slobbering kid in a candy store, and Eve’s my golden ticket to the Chocolate Factory.
Unlike her mother, who’s fallen right into the Thorne wealth, Eve’s determined to be different. She wants to stand on her own in this harsh world instead of having everything handed to her.
I admire it, but still think it’s stupid.
The shower’s running when I get back to my room.
The old pipes are moaning at the water pressure flowing through them.
I pull off my jacket, tossing it on the bed.
I turn towards the bathroom door, considering, for the seventh time this week, if I should step up and try to catch a little sneak peek. This time, it seems luck is on my side.
Whatever cosmic force is pushing us forward has given me that golden ticket.
Plumes of steam puff out of a small gap in the bathroom door. Eve’s angelic voice is singing along to some modern pop song playing over the speakers from her room. She probably hasn’t even realized I’m home. Clawing nervousness squeezes my chest.
This might be the first, and only time I’ll ever get this opportunity. I’d be a fool not to take it.
I kick my shoes off and tip-toe towards the door in my socks.
Every step I take fills me with giddy excitement.
The thought crosses my mind, more than once, that Eve’s left the door open on purpose.
She knows when I get home or at least she has a general idea of the time.
She should have expected I’d be back before she went out.
And now, here I am. Standing inches away from our shared bathroom door.
My heart works overtime, pumping all the blood in my body south.
Our shared bathroom has a simple layout.
It’s narrow, with a shower on the side closer to Eve’s room, and a bath nearer to mine.
On the wall opposite both, an enormous mirror spans the wall from door to door, exposing the bathroom in its entirety.
I shut one eye, hoping the second will focus enough to give me a perfect view.
From that angle, I can see her. Naked, glistening, wet.
Her long, golden hair is clinging to her body, darkened by the water.
But, the steam has fogged up the mirror.
And water’s obscuring my view through the shower’s glass door.
I’m so close to seeing everything I’ve been imagining, and yet, I couldn’t feel further away.
“Fuck,” I mumble under my breath. She might’ve heard me, so I pull back and drop onto my bed in disappointment. The shower goes on, so does the singing.
Blissfully unaware of my attempts.
A few more minutes pass and then the sound of the water cuts out.
The groaning pipes go silent with it. Eve’s still humming along to the next tune her speakers are pumping out.
Have I missed my opportunity? She’s probably wrapping herself in a towel right now, covering any chance I’ll ever have at seeing her perfect body.
Maybe a towel will be satisfying enough.
What the hell’s wrong with you? All you need is to get your rocks off and you’ll be fine. You’ve never been desperate in your life, and it’s not going to start now.
My attempts at reigning myself in fail dismally. Fucking any woman that isn’t Eve, won’t satisfy my craving. If this is desperation, then I’m fucked.
Sneaking another peek with the steam dying down is pointless. It’ll only risk Eve spotting me. She already thinks I’m some kind of creep, and maybe I am. But, there’s only one way to satisfy my current desire. Who knows when I’ll get another chance like this?
I pick myself up off the bed, while a flush of nervousness washes over me. My lungs are being squeezed and crushed by an enormous pressure. My breathing’s shallow, I’m dizzy, but I’m ready.
With the door open, and the music playing, I walk towards the bathroom door and push it open.
I expect to see Eve standing in a towel.
I’m hoping it’ll accidentally pool at her feet as she makes an enraged spin towards me.
Instead, I’m met face first, so to speak, by a bent-over Eve, giving me a full and unobscured view of her clean-shaven pussy.
Eve doesn’t notice me right away; she’s inspecting her face in the mirror. Trying to get rid of a stubborn eyelash is my best guess. And I’m not complaining. I’m loving the curve of her ass, and the dimples above. Even the fury washing over her face in the mirror as she realizes I’ve walked in.
Eve stands upright and turns to me slack-jawed. I’m given a full view of her tits as well as the exceptional hourglass shape of her body, and the muscular lines running along her belly to her hips. I instinctively reach for my cock, stopping before I near it. That’d be far too embarrassing.
We spend a few seconds, each of us locked in place, before Eve grabs for a towel hanging on the rack. She hurriedly tries to cover her body.
“What the fuck are you doing?” she roars.
I can’t speak. All I can do is inspect every perfect inch of her, failing to turn away, out of fear that I’ll never get to see this again. The towel covers up her privates but fails to hide her curves. Equally alluring, with what’s beneath.
“Are you staring at my tits?” she points a finger at my face. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
“I didn’t know you were in here.” I force my gaze away, but keep finding my eyes sliding back to her cleavage. “My door was open.”
Which is true enough, although, anyone with half a brain would have known someone was inside.
“Are you…” Eve looks at my grey trousers. “Are you hard?”
“Jesus, have you seen yourself? I’m lucky my pants aren’t ruined.” My attempt at blowing it off as a joke fails. Horribly. Eve’s face turns red hot with rage. She’s ready to tear my head off.
“Oh my God, no,” she protests. But just as I am gazing at her cleavage, she’s taking in all eight inches stretching my pants.
“Stop staring at my tits,” Eve demands, but she doesn’t sound as upset as she was a second ago.
“Stop staring at my cock,” I reply, trying to lighten the mood. “And I’m trying. It’s just so hard.”
“It really is.”
A double entendre? Or am I reading too much into Eve’s words?
“You’re so goddamn beautiful.” The words leave my lips without thinking. The voice in my head is saying I should regret it, but I don’t.
“What the hell?” Eve spits. “Are you trying to flirt with me?”
“I’m a man. You’re a woman. There’s nothing wrong with it.”
“You’re my brother,” she sounds disgusted.
“Stepbrother,” I correct. Eve doesn’t know the dynamic or understand the setup my father’s got going on. I guess there’s a little more in it for her than me. “To parents who’ve known each other a week longer than we have.”
“No. What? That’s no excuse for this.”
“It’s not a big deal,” I say. “It’s not the first time I’ve seen a naked woman.”
I try to think of more ways to justify my actions, but come up short. “Just get out of here. I need to…” I trail off, unable to think of a decent excuse for my entry.
Eve’s quick to dish it out, but receiving doesn’t sit well with her. She stays still a while, inspecting my body. While her eyes dance to my midsection, focusing on my lower half, she bites her lip.
“Don’t you tell me what to do,” Eve replies, but her voice is sultry and sexy rather than upset. Have the tables turned? Am I the one under the microscope now? What the hell is going on?
“I said get the hell out of here.” I take back control of the situation. I wag a finger in Eve’s face. She squints, focusing on the tip, and swallowing hard.
“Or… or what?” Her voice is soft. She’s still standing here. She’s not budging. Her breathing’s rapid. Her tits rise and sink with each breath in and out, and the jiggle’s driving me insane.
“Or, I’ll have to bend you over and teach you some manners,” I say. Is any of this real? Am I in a parallel universe where Eve’s interested in me?
“Oh, God.” Her words come out in a satisfied whimper to my response. She spins around, takes a few steps, and stops at her bedroom door. A statue in place, clutching the door handle.
“Do it then, pussy.” Half of her face turns to look at me. Her eyes are narrow slivers that glare back at me. The words come out choked. Maybe even nervous.
How the hell did being emasculated make me harder? The tip’s rubbing raw against my boxers, desperately begging for relief.
“You think you’re tough, huh?” I face Eve squarely. We’re both sizing one another up as if there’s any real competition. “Don’t you have an interview to get to? At that slut warehouse? Ready to parade yourself as a cock wallet to all of Austin?”
Lingerie stores don’t actually work like that, but my brain doesn’t work right when I’m flustered and annoyed.
Eve’s face sinks. Her attempt at standing strong crumbles.
She opens her mouth to speak, but the little quiver on her lip lets no words come.
I can’t tell if she’s about to cry or kick my head in.
Some twisted bit of fate’s working in my favor.
Eve’s teeth sink into her lower lip again.
She winks at me and walks off, humming along to the song on the radio, as if none of this happened.
I’m left alone in the bathroom, with my rock hard cock and my dirty thoughts of Eve Gardener.