Sibling Love

"We'll need to set up a digital accounts system," Ellie explained to Dad as they sat at the kitchen island.

It was only 9am on Sunday and already there were laptops out and papers spread all over the place. Ellie was beginning to take on more responsibilities in our company as she was studying accounting along with literature, and her time at school was coming to an end. Afterwards, she'd be joining Dad and I full-time mostly on the back end handling quotes, invoices, accounts and such, though she'd occasionally come to sites just to get a better picture of what exactly was going on rather than hear it all second hand.

"Okay, okay, you three," Mom complained as she clapped her hands. "That's enough work talk for the time being. It's a Sunday, we're all supposed to be relaxing and taking it easy." Mom chastised us with a smile as she laid down a large plate of toast and peanut butter.

"You're absolutely right," Dad said as he closed his laptop and began filing away papers. "What are you two up to today?" he asked Ellie and I.

"I was going to head to the mall. There's a farmer's market today and I wanted to grab something special for dinner while it's up."

"Oh, that sounds wonderful, Aden. Let me give you my card." Mom leaned down to her purse and I gently grabbed her shoulder to stop her.

"It's fine, Mom. The band got paid extra and we got a big tip last night for playing on and helping the club out. I want it to be my treat tonight, my way of saying thanks for all the support."

Ellie tilted her head and pouted her lips ever so slightly as she smiled at me. "That would be lovely, Aden. Thank you."

Mom took my hand from her shoulder and held my wrist. "Yes, it would. I can't wait for it."

Dad nodded, throwing me a proud smirk.

I felt my cheeks flaring up in a blush. "No prob."

"What about you, darling?" Dad asked Ellie.

"There are a few things I could use at the mall as well, actually." She tapped her chin thoughtfully while looking over at me. "That is, if you don't mind me tagging along?" Her eyebrows perked with her question.

I almost burst out laughing at our act, but somehow I managed to push it down. "'Course I don't mind, you're always welcome."

Mom and Dad looked at each other, both wearing odd smiles.

"How did we ever raise such good kids?" Dad asked.

"I guess they just had wonderful role models," Mom replied.

We all laughed and finished up our breakfast. Ellie and I split up to get changed into our winter clothes as the mall was an outdoor affair and it was forecast to get even colder and icier through the day.

Ellie and I hopped into the truck and I started it up, letting it tick over for a few minutes while the air-con cut through the icy chill inside.

"I'm freezing," Ellie complained as she rubbed her gloved hands together. "Did you say it was forecast to get even worse?"

I adjusted the mirrors as I replied, "yeah. The news said it could drop down to twenty this afternoon."

Ellie let out a nasal whine. "Not the best day for retail therapy."

I laughed and looked over at her. "You're welcome to stay here, sis. You don't have to come with me. We can always get your bits and pieces when it's not so cold."

She sidled over to me, made short work of buckling herself into the middle seat and rested her beanie-covered head on my shoulder. "No way, Jose. There's only one thing I really want to get," she said with a sniff. "But just think about it. The mall is an hour away. No-one there will know us," she tilted her head back and smiled. "We could make it a small date."

...I hadn't even considered that.

"That's... a really good idea. You're full of those these days, my little genius."

"Aren't I just?" She laughed in that gentle way that never failed to calm me. "Just make sure you drive safe, boyfriend." She snuggled up against me as I put the car in gear.

My chest warmed at her words and her closeness. "Of course I will, girlfriend."

Ellie fell asleep almost immediately after we set off. The drive was, as expected, pretty dull. There was nothing much to look at besides snow covered trees and an occasional car or truck coming in the opposite direction.

I parked near the entrance to the mall and checked the clock. 10:30am. Not bad, we'd made decent time. The market should've just been hitting its stride. I unbuckled myself and turned to brush a gloved hand against Ellie's cheek.

"Psst... Ellie." I gave her a gentle shake. "We're here."

She frowned with closed eyes before yawning and stretching. Glancing around, it took her a moment to adjust to the new scenery before she looked up at me with a tired smile.

"You look so damn cute when you've just woken up." I planted a kiss on her forehead. "C'mon, let's go."

Ellie took a moment to unbuckle herself and we hopped out of the truck. As soon as we locked up I held my arm out. She gratefully took the invitation along with a playful giggle and wrapped hers around it, pulling herself tightly against me.

"It's so freeing to be able to hold each other like this in public." Her voice was so cheerful, it was as though she'd completely forgotten about the biting cold.

She was so right. "Honestly, I didn't really pay it much attention over the last few days. But now that we're here, able to do it, I'll miss it when we get home."

"Yeah, me too. I guess we'll just have to make sure we have regular dates." She walked us around the corner of the car park towards the entrance of the parade.

"You won't hear any complaints from me," I said with a smirk.

We stepped through the bollard-lined entrance to the parade and both ground to a halt, staring in utter amazement. Christmas decorations lined the entire, wide pathway. There were thousands of twinkling lights, adornments, tinsel, holly... you name it, it was there. Christmas songs played softly through loudspeakers and dozens of trees lined the sides of the walkways, filling the air with all the smells of Christmas.

"This is so beautiful," Ellie said in awe. "If we'd only come here to see this it would have been worth it, don't you think?"

I glanced around for a few more moments before looking down at Ellie's face. My heart skipped a beat at the almost childish, wondrous look in her eyes. The golden lights sparkled in her teal orbs, lighting up her pale skin and brightening her pink cheeks. "They really went all out. Unfortunately for them, I kept the most beautiful thing of all to myself."

Ellie turned her eyes to mine. "Hmm?"

I squeezed her arm for emphasis; the pink on her cheeks spread a little further. She bumped me with her hip and let out a quiet laugh. "You get a point for that one, mister."

My brow perked on its own. "Wow, a whole point? I wonder how many for the grand prize... but, it's a little pointless," I joked as we turned to face each other, my arms snaking around her waist as her gloved hands lifted to stroke my chest.

She tilted her head, lips curling into a smile. "Is that right?" Ellie answered.

I let out a chesty hum along with a nod.

"Out with it then, Adey. Why is it pointless?"

My grin faltered a little as I leaned down and pressed a kiss to her chilled forehead. "I've already got the only thing I want right here," I murmured as I tried to fight the blush that began staining my cheeks.

Her palms came to a stop on my chest while she continued to look into my eyes, lips still turned up in that gentle smile as her own cheeks flushed to match mine. "You..." she lifted herself up on tiptoes. "Come here?" she asked me in the most loving, soft tone.

I pressed my mouth to hers where we shared the most chaste kiss. Our eyes fell shut as our cold lips began to warm each other from the static contact, bathing in each other's presence and closeness. That would never, ever be something I could take for granted. Ellie pulled back first, licking at her lips as she blinked those long, dark eyelashes up at me.

I gave her a playful wink before slipping my arms from behind her. She sniffled at the cold, but grasped my arm again as we both looked over the entire strip mall.

"So, any ideas about where to go first?" I queried.

Ellie bounced on the balls of her feet as she nibbled on the finger of her glove for a few moments. "Let's visit the market before anything else, just in case they happen to sell out of anything you might want to buy. Then we could just take a stroll through the parade and see if anything else catches our interest?"

"Sounds like a plan."

We headed to the middle of the parade where the enclosed roof sheltered a wide, open paved area. Stalls lined all of the walls with a whole bunch in the very center. It was pretty darn busy and noisy as a plethora of smells swirled around us. My mouth watered as my gaze bounced around the stalls. I couldn't wait to get started, so I led Ellie to the first stall and began perusing.

"What are you thinking of making for dinner, Aden?" she asked me as we glanced over a spread of vegetables.

"I was thinking of doing a fillet of beef wellington with fondant potatoes, asparagus and broccoli." I glanced over the veg and then back to Ellie. "Unless you want something else? It's your treat, after all. Pick anything you like and I'll make it happen."

"You already know that's my favorite dinner in the world," she said with a chuckle.

"My cover's blown..." I feigned a sad frown.

Ellie just rolled her eyes. "Come on, let's get buying."

With all of the ingredients bagged up we decided to take the bags back to the car rather than lug them around through the stores.

When I'd locked the truck, Ellie took her place around my arm again.

"That was far too expensive, Aden." I looked down to see her conflicted expression.

We started back towards the parade. "Ellie, please..." I rolled my eyes. "I told you already, it's my treat."

"I know, I know." Ellie shook her head with a dejected sigh. "Please don't think I'm ungrateful, because I'm not. I'm so, so grateful, but even for a treat that was just too much..."

"Then I'm hoping for some glowing reviews after dinner," I said as I leaned down to press against her beanie-covered head.

Spending $70 on ingredients for one dinner? I understood why Ellie was upset, but it was just a way of showing her how much she meant to me and how thankful I was. I earned a great living and had the extra cash I did thanks to the inspiration she'd given me, so it only made sense that I'd treat the woman I cared about so much.

"Come on, let's go have a look around," I said as we entered the brightly lit parade once again.

We wandered for a good half-hour until we ended up back at the market, except this time we moved on through to the other half of the mall. This end was just as brightly lit and festive but far less busy, mainly due to almost all of the stores being shut.

"Should we take the elevator?" Ellie asked. I turned to see her pointing at it.

Curious, I shrugged. "Why not. You want to take a look?"

"Yep!"

We rode up to the next floor and found ourselves inside a smaller parade of shops. It was very quiet and lit far more intimately. As we walked closer to the first sets of stores I finally understood why. Ellie did, too, as I felt her grip around my arm tighten. Lingerie boutiques lined the left side of the short corridor, while on the right were sex shops. Three of them, even. I honestly had no idea that we had anything like that in the area.

I glanced at Ellie to find her doing the same to me. We both let out quiet laughs.

"I wasn't expecting this," I murmured with a shake of my head.

Ellie gave me a meek smile and, to my surprise, started leading me towards the farthest lingerie shop. I blinked as we reached the doorway, noting the store was empty aside from a young woman at the checkout.

"Is... this where you wanted to come to get your 'thing'?"

She nodded wordlessly and led me into the store. I sucked in a deep breath as I was suddenly surrounded by hundreds of corsets, bras, sexy nightgowns, fetish clothing and a whole lot more besides.

I vaguely heard Ellie and the attendant talking while my eyes shot around taking in the sights. While the two ladies spoke Greek, I happily followed as the two started off... somewhere. I wasn't paying much attention to be honest, too busy eyeing up the sexy outfits and lingerie. I couldn't help but picture Ellie in almost all of them. One in particular really caught my eye. A sheer lace, body-hugging piece that came down to just below the crotch. It flaunted almost all of the mannequin underneath, especially the breasts and butt. Damn, I'd have to remember that one for the future.

"...32G, please."

I blinked as my well-trained ears picked up on that bit of information. Then I blinked again. I shot my gaze down to Ellie as she watched the assistant file through bras. 32G?! My wildly wrong estimate of a E cup showed just how much I knew about breasts that I, supposedly, loved. I felt like some kind of fraud.

"Ah, that's the one. Thank you so much for your help!" Ellie beamed as she took the lacy, hefty looking bra from the assistant.

"You're more than welcome. If you need anything else then please, just ask."

My eyes followed her return to the register, then turned back to Ellie who was sporting a silly grin.

"Well?" She winked at me and playfully latched back onto my arm. "Surprised?"

I shook my head. "You can say that again. I'm more surprised that you don't mind me finding out."

Her brow creased a little as she tilted her head, that silly smile still firmly in place. "Why would that surprise you? It's only been a few days, but I know how much you love my boobs." She lowered her voice a little before continuing, "you've done all sorts of wonderful things to them, so why on earth would I mind you knowing my bust size?"

A reason wouldn't come to me. It did make a lot of sense. "...true," I murmured.

Ellie brightened up and nodded. "Yep, it is."

I lowered my head and whispered, "you do realize all I can think about right now is boobs, yeah?"

She swayed her hips a little while poking the tip of her tongue through her lips. "Mmm, weeeell... as long as you're only thinking of mine while escorting your girlfriend through the scary lingerie store."

"Ellie... as far as I'm concerned, yours are the only ones in the universe." I smirked. "And this place isn't that scary."

We both laughed as she led me to the register to pay for her bra. After that we slowly made our way back to the truck.

Once inside I turned to Ellie and patted my lap. She was already shimmying over to hop onto me, wrapping my arms around her waist as she kicked her legs out on top of the seats.

"I had a great time today, sis. It was nice to spend some plain old normal time alone with no-one else to interrupt us."

She pulled her gloves off and raised her warm hands to cup my cold cheeks.

"It was the best. I'll never forget our first date," she said, her voice holding a strange, almost sad edge while she stroked my cheekbones.

My brow furrowed as a twinge of nervousness bit at my gut. "You okay?"

"I am..." she let out a slow sigh. "Please don't misunderstand, Adey. I meant what I said, I had a wonderful time," she paused and leaned in to rest her cheek against my neck, bundling her hands up between us. "It's just that... now we'll have to go back to pretending again outside of stolen moments."

She was right and it wasn't exactly ideal. "I know, El. But until we can work something out, we'll just have to make our dates a regular thing like we talked about earlier. This relationship was never going to be plain sailing, right?"

She didn't respond.

"We've hit our first big wave, but our boat is stronger than that. We'll just find a different route. It might take us longer, but we'll have built a way stronger boat by the time we get there."

She perked an eyebrow. "That is ridiculously cheesy."

I rolled my eyes. "Gee, thanks."

I felt her nose brush my neck followed by a soft kiss. "But... you're right. How did you even think up that analogy?"

"Years of listening to my bookworm sister reading out loud, probably." She snorted a harsh laugh into my neck and whapped me hard on the chest.

"You're an awful, mean, evil man."

I grinned in reply, more grateful than ever to see that happy, wonderful smile back on her lips.

"I know."

******************************************

I set the timer on the oven and undid my apron, chucking it carelessly onto the counter before reaching for my beer. With the prep done I just had to wait for everything to cook.

"Do you need any help?" Ellie called out from the living room.

A small part of me wanted to launch my can at her. "You couldn't have asked me that, say... an hour ago when I got started?"

She wasn't even looking at me! "But you seemed so focused. You wanted it to be a big treat and I just didn't want to get in the way," she answered in a sickly sweet tone.

"Are you sure it wasn't really 'cause you wanted to soak in the bath since you were cold?"

She dropped her head backwards over the sofa as she shot me a stupid grin. "I wouldn't do that to you."

I hummed. "I'm gonna take a shower. If you really want to do something to help, you can always come up and scrub my back."

Somehow I dodged the pillow she hurled at me, laughing at her as I ran up the stairs.

"Ellie, please don't throw things." I heard Mom chastise her as I got to my bedroom door.

Victory.

It took me a few minutes of hunting for my new toiletries but before long I was in the bathroom. Just as I'd finished my ritual of checking over myself in the mirror and standing under the water like a lemon for a few minutes or five, I started lathering up my hair. I paused as I heard something, frowning as I listened more intently, I heard a knock at the door. Poking my head around the glass partition, I stared dumbly at the offending noise. Really?

"What?" I barked over the noise of running water.

There was a muffled voice on the other side. I couldn't make it out but had a sneaking suspicion about who it might be. I hopped out onto the bath mat and wrapped a towel around my waist before swiping bubbles out of my eyes.

I unlocked the door and leaned a hand on the wall. The door cracked open, but before I could say anything Ellie had darted under my arm, pushing the door shut behind her.

Glaring at her, partly from shock but also because my eyes fucking stung, I shrugged in desperation.

"What the hell are you doing? Mom and Dad are downstairs!" I whispered angrily.

She just put a finger to her lips with a small grin. "Shh..." Her lithe fingers reached for the top of the towel and pulled me towards her. I nearly fell and had to slam my hands into the wall to stop myself. "Put those lips of yours to good use, Adey."

God, I wanted to nibble on those lips and drag her into the shower, but... "Ellie, what the fuck?"

She just carried on grinning up at me as she pulled us both against the wall. I was about two seconds away from opening the door and pushing her out before she finally said something.

"I suggested to Mom and Dad that maybe they could go and buy their favorite wine to go with our fancy dinner. Since you spent so much money and worked so hard on everything, they thought it was a wonderful idea."

"What?" I blinked in utter confusion. "Ellie, we bought wine. It's in the frid-" she silenced me as my towel fell and her warm hands wrapped around my woefully flaccid cock.

"Did we?"

My chest rumbled with a growl of excitement as she coaxed me up and up.

"Oh," she feigned surprise. "I must've forgotten, silly me."

My grin grew as quickly as my erection.

"So," I began, leaning closer into her while wiping the burning suds from my eyes, "hypothetically speaking, the wine that we forgot to buy, what could have happened to it?"