Author's Note: I understand the story is slow going, but I would like this to be a longer series. I'm sorry to say that Holly will not be marrying them since it is illegal, spankfunfor. But not all couples get married, right? For those of you wondering about Eli: I want to preserve their friendship, which is not a problem with Alex and JT and why you have not seen anything with him... yet. Thanks for commenting, everyone! It's nice to know what you are all thinking.
*****
"When do you have practice?" I asked Eli as I laid down beside him while he finished playing his level in his game.
"They called it off today because it's supposed to get over 100. I don't know why they didn't call it off all last week for that, but hey. No one ever said the coaches had the biggest brains."
"Hmm." I stared up at the ceiling and let my mind wander.
"What's up?"
"Nothing. The marathon I was watching on TV the past three hours is over. Have you been playing videogames all day?"
"If I say yes are you going to make me stop?"
"If you'll play cards with me."
"Only if it's strip poker."
I elbowed his thigh since he was sitting up and I couldn't reach his side. "Stop being a pervert, Eli."
"Should have never let me see anything, then I wouldn't think about it." His voice held the detachment he got from playing a videogame, and I wondered if he was really paying attention to what his mouth was saying.
"You weren't supposed to see anything. I didn't expect you to open that curtain."
"You screamed. Duh I was going to open the curtain."
"Preying on my body while I'm in terror. Good job, Eli. We sure taught you morals."
He smiled but didn't reply. He finished up his level and stretched out beside me. "I met a girl at practice. She's the new coach's daughter and is a junior."
"What's she like?"
"She's blond and about your height. She's smart and makes me laugh. She kind of seems straight-laced though, which makes me hesitate on making any moves. But then again, maybe that means she's got morals not to cheat on me."
"Also means you won't get sex, which is good. So I say go for it."
"You're really jealous about that, aren't you?"
"No. I would just like to have sex before I'm thirty."
"Count your blessings you've even gotten to make out. I don't think you'll ever get more than that with Alex and JT around."
I smiled and shut my eyes at his choice of words. "I'm not so worried about it. If it comes to the worst, I'll just move out. Get an apartment and you can come stay the night with me sometime and I'll play cards with you until you're regretting staying up on a school night."
"You're not moving out." My eyes opened back up as the bed sunk under Alex.
"I agree. I'll carry back in any box you carry out," Eli added.
"So I'm a prisoner in my own house." Alex took a hold of my ankle to help out with my description. "Fantastic."
"Do you feel like a prisoner?" He let go of my ankle.
"Nah. This is home. You and JT haven't been so loony lately either."
"If you say so," Eli mumbled and I laughed as Alex smacked the back of his head. "Hey!"
"He's still your older brother," I reminded Eli and earned a glare.
"Come on, Holly, I need to talk to you for a minute." Alex stood up and pulled my legs with him, dropping them over the side of the bed.
"Well then," I sat up and turned to Eli, "Rain check on the cards."
"Sure." He eyed us as Alex walked out the door and I followed him. He went into his own room, and a part of me hoped his reasoning was because no one walked into his room.
"Sit," I was told as Alex pulled his desk chair over to face me on the bed. Yes, he had a desk even though he only ever used the one downstairs. We all had desks in our rooms because our parents had always encouraged studious habits.
"Look," I started, "don't make it awkward or a bad thing, okay? If that's all you're going to say, just don't say anything."
He smiled at me and slid his hands to my thighs. "I wasn't going to, Holly."
"Oh. Well, yeah, good." I looked down at his hands and moved mine to hold his wrists.
"You're not going to threaten me with other boys touching you anymore."
"I'm not?"
"No. You're not. Look at me." I raised my eyes to his. "I want you to say it and mean it."
"But I don't mean it. If you go back to treating me like I'm a child, then I'm going to."
"Holly." His face was stern and I smiled at him. "I want a promise."
"That's gonna cost you."
He rolled his eyes, but played along. "What is it?"
"Fuck me."
"Try again." His fingers tightened on my skin.
"Nope. That's what it costs. Otherwise, I will torture you with thoughts of other hands on my body until you give in."
"It's not nice." His face wasn't joking anymore.
"I never said I was nice. In fact, I'd love to not be as pure as a darling angel anymore. Come on, Alex, get growly and possessive. I'm sure we can keep it down enough to stop Eli from investigating."
He took his hands from me and I sighed and dropped back on his bed. "I really don't feel that you get the meaning of sex."
"Animalistic pleasure. Sure, I get it plenty."
"No. In human life, it is supposed to mean loving someone enough to go that far."
"Really, so is that why you slept with Rachel, Alex? Out of
love
?"
I heard him stand up, and smiled when his face popped into view over mine as he crawled on top of me. "You want to know why I slept with Rachel, Holly?"
"Sure. As long as you don't start praising her big boobs. Probably couldn't take that blow to the ego right now."
"I slept with Rachel because she's nothing like you." He kissed my ribcage to punctuate it.
I frowned. "Thanks. Even better than her having bigger jugs."
He smiled at that and I wanted to smack him. "And you say I'm the jealous type."
"Well, she kind of already had something you won't give me, so yeah. I think I have a little cause for jealousy, thank you. You're just bothered by a hypothetical situation that will never happen since it's failed to happen the past five years I've been trying to get laid."
"Five years?" His eyebrow rose. "Holly Elizabeth, if you
had
been successful at fifteen, I would have made your ass so purple you wouldn't sit for a week."
"Hmm. So, if I say I'm only a theoretical virgin because I was so drunk I don't remember my first time... will you believe me? Or would you like to test and see if I still have that precious hymen?"
"Nice try."
"Can't blame me for it; just look at you." He raised his eyebrow again and I blushed. "Don't look at me like that. You know you're beautiful. I bet girls flirt shamelessly with you all the time."
"I've learned that if you agree to those kinds of accusations, girls tend to get annoyed." He bent his head and pressed a kiss to my cheek.
"No because I'll take pride in knowing my stud of a brother wants me instead of those girls. Or so he says. I haven't seen this shown so much."
"Just because I'm not screwing your brains out," I shut my eyes at the visual, "doesn't mean I don't want you. I just want you in a different way."
"Yeah, love and tender touches." I rubbed my cheek in exasperation. "I get that you love me. I love you, too. And sure, we can cuddle after. I just would really like some rough loving right now."
"No because you don't get it. You say you do, but if you did you wouldn't act the way you do. Be patient, Holly. Once you give up your virginity, you can't take it back." He sat up straight on top of me and looked down at me. "I probably shouldn't have encouraged you today."
"If it counts for anything, I'm happy you did." I smiled at him and ran my hands up his thighs until he took them in his hands.
"I don't doubt that at all. Now, if you'll go put on a shirt, you should come downstairs and cook with me." He rolled off me and the bed. I didn't move, just watched his ass as he walked towards the door. "Holly," his voice warned me. "Get up and keep your mind from getting you in trouble."
"Maybe you'll spank me if I let it get me into trouble." I winked at him as he turned to face me at the door.
"I'll let JT spank you."
"That works too. I'm sure I could persuade him, if he needs persuasion at all."
He frowned. "Leave your brothers alone, Holly."
"Nah. I'll trade you and just go put a shirt on." I slid off the bed, and wrapped my arms around him as I came to stand in front of him. "Are you jealous of them, too?"
"That would mean I view them as threats, and I don't think they'd sway their morals for you."
"Ouch. Way to insult mine." I stood on my tiptoes and kissed him. "Adam and Eve's children supposedly populated the earth. I don't see any problem since we don't even intend to go that far." I turned the knob on the door and opened it. "I'll be down in a minute."
True to word, I was down stairs just as he started pulling hamburger out of the fridge. "That is not what I meant by put on a shirt." He sat the meat on the counter and faced me.
I smiled at him. "It's a shirt. I'm 100% covered." I'd taken off my bra and put on a white fitted tank top.
"And breaking the always wear undergarments rule."
"Actually, you never said that. You only said I had to wear panties, and I am. Would you like to see those again?" I actually reached for my button as he dropped his head back and sighed at the ceiling.
"Holly, really." The door slammed and footsteps came towards the kitchen.
"Hey, what are you guys making?" JT stepped up beside me to survey the kitchen. "Spaghetti? Hamburgers?"
"Hamburger helper," I supplied, knowing we had a couple boxes in the cabinet. He turned his head to acknowledge my answer and I smiled at him as his eyes dropped.
"What the hell."
"I was just trying to explain to our sister that I didn't count this as putting a shirt on."
"No kidding." He returned his eyes to mine. "Come on, you're going up and changing." He took my arm in his hand for good measure.
"But I was going to help Alex cook." I looked to my older brother.
"After you change." He nodded towards the doorway and I let JT lead me away.
