AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“And the third boy? Your boyfriend, what’s his name?”
Charlotte frowns, shifting in my lap and trying to look over her shoulder at Michael. My short growl stops her. Only when I feel her small hand stroking at my chest do I realize I never stopped making the sound.
Leaning my head back, I close my eyes and take a deep breath. I’m not used to being out of control, and the thought forces me to take another calming breath.
Charlotte’s weight slowly settles against me again. She’s gentle as if afraid to hurt me, or maybe she’s worried about another spanking. The why doesn’t matter. I just enjoy the feeling of her weight on top of me and imagine us in other places, with other ways that I can enjoy the same feeling.
I don’t know how long we sit like this, but it’s long enough for Michael to have turned on the radio so a local station fills the silence. The voice of a town member by the name of Kent tells us about a deal our local Walmart has on pumpkins.
Charlotte peeks over at my brother. I can feel her forehead turn. Not completely, just enough to see him, and then it moves back.
“He’s not my boyfriend,” she whispers. “Jason, the dick who ran out without paying . . . Dale is his friend.”
I force myself to remain still as she moves.
“Not my boyfriend,” she whispers against my mouth with a gentle kiss.
“Good,” I whisper back, my eyes meeting hers.
I see Michael’s hand coming toward us and have to remind myself that he is my little brother. Still, my breath lodges in my throat for a second as he catches a lock of her hair, giving it a quick tug.
“Welcome to the family, little lady. I’m Michael.” He smiles at me, giving Charlotte a quick wink.
With this feeling in my chest, my brother at my side, and my girl in my lap, I start my truck and pull back onto the road, doing another U-turn.
“Where?” I ask her.
“They’re at the camp,” she answers, telling me where her friends are. But that’s not what I meant.
“Where?” I try again.
“Oh, I was going back to the gas station.”
When I don’t speak, she adds, “Laura and Billy are getting busy, and she’s a little protective of her car. That thing’s her baby . . . so I walked.”
Michael’s sigh is just as loud as my own.
“What?” She shrugs. “It’s not like I got into a car with a stranger . . . well, until you forced me.” She grins.
But I’m not laughing because what if it hadn’t been me?
CHAPTERFIVE
Charlie
Is he still mad?
I don’t know what to say, but I know I need to say something to fix this.
I hesitate before leaning back toward the gap between the brothers, keeping as much distance between our upper bodies as I can so that both of us can think. Clearly, that goes out the window when we’re near each other. “I’m sorry.” I don’t know why I say it, but I do.
Nor do I know why I’m sorry, but I am.
A stranger being angry with me for walking alone shouldn’t bother me, but it does. He matters, and it’s why I still sit in his lap.
Like he’d let you go if you tried,my mind taunts.I push the dark thought aside quickly because no matter what kind of connection I feel, I sit in a truck with two men I know nothing about.
“I just wanted to go back and pay.” I explain, “We didn’t know Jason was going to do that. I’m not like that.” I look back and forth between them. “Really,” I insist when they don’t acknowledge my previous words. “I won’t be able to live with myself if I don’t pay.”
