BROTHER

Chapter 6

If it were an ideal world, Thea probably would have made her way through all of Miguel's assigned readings in a couple of days. Unfortunately for Thea, her life has never been ideal; between school, homework, working with Laurel, working at Verdant and dealing with decisions about her future, there wasn't much time left for recreational reading. That was why it took her nearly three weeks to read everything. The first document was simply a note from Miguel, once more reiterating that if at any point she was unhappy or changed her mind, all she had to do was say so. Thea had actually rolled her eyes reading it. He had made it abundantly clear that she need not be afraid to speak her mind. I'm never one to hold my tongue, she thought, confused as to why he assumed that would change with the shift in their dynamic.

After that quick note, Thea had started upon the books given to her. First was the volume entitled, Domination & Submission: The b**m Relationship Handbook. It was an odd manuscript and certainly not what she expected to find within a tome baring that title. It imparted information and yet had humorous slants to keep the mood light when things got simply too heavy. While, at some times, she thought the digital book leaned slightly more towards the male perspective, she could see why Miguel had chosen it as reading material for her.

Then it was onto the third item in the carousel, Submissive Training: 23 Things You Must Know About How to Be a Submissive. A Must Read For Any Woman in a b**m Relationship (Women's Guide to BDSM.) Unlike the first one, this chaptered book was certainly from the female perspective and while it lacked the humor to break up the intensity of the topic, it was very direct about what basically could be expected in such a relationship. Of the two publications, Thea preferred this one. Even though she'd gotten a wealth of information from her comprehensive internet searches, these books helped provide her a focus, a way to w**d out the ridiculousness of all the internet muck. After all, there was so much online and very little of it could be trusted. Thea hated to admit it, but Miguel was right to insist she read the books. Now, she was positive that she wanted into the b**m lifestyle; she could be what Miguel needed. It was nice to feel so sure on such a complex decision.

Last and undoubtedly most important, the document labelled 'Rules' on the carousel. It was just barely two pages in length and had seventeen points on it. She'd read all of them once, twice, three times; some of the rules made her bristle, others inspired a blush, and some just made sense in an odd sort ofway.

Rules: (I have reasons for all of these and, if you want, I can explain my reasoning to any and/or all of them.)

When in Playroom:

01) Address Miguel with the title of Big Brother; Thea will be addressed as little sister.

02) While waiting for Big Brother to arrive, little sister, nude unless otherwise told, must adopt the Back on Heels position (knelt on floor with a*s on her heels) with her wrists crossed behind her back, facing the staircase with eyes lowered.

03) Before any interactions begin in Playroom, little sister must recite her safe words (Red = stop, Yellow = pause and reevaluate, Green = great) to Big Brother.

04) Little sister may request knowledge of any toys Big Brother wishes to use upon her and what he intends to do with the toys.

05) After any play with toys has concluded, little sister must clean and sterilize the toys.

06) If the sheets of the bed have been dirtied during play, little sister and Big Brother must change them. Little sister must then take and wash them, storing them away.

07) If Big Brother chooses to collar little sister, the collar must be worn during all time in the Playroom. It is to be placed on and removed from little sister's neck by Big Brother only.

When not in Playroom:

08) The titles of the Playroom should only be used sparingly if at all around others for the sole purpose of pointing out an action or discussion that will later be brought up during playtime.

09) Both Big Brother and little sister must attempt to keep the other relatively informed as to their daily plans.

10) No communication regarding this new dynamic is to be shared with anyone else or through text message. Vague instructions may be texted to little sister if the need should arise, but nothing should be outright discussed. Exception to this rule is number eleven.

11) Every outfit selection by little sister must be approved by Big Brother. Little sister is to text him a picture and he will respond with a Y or a N. If given an N, little sister must continue to change outfits until she receives a Y from Big Brother. Only the outfit worn to school (as it is regulation and worn every school day) is exempt from this rule.

12) If collared in the Playroom, little sister will receive a discreet day collar that is to be worn at all times outside of the Playroom and may in certain situations be removed by little sister when necessary.

Other Rules:

13) Drugs and alcohol are not to be consumed by little sister without the approval of Big Brother.

14) If anything is ever wrong with little sister that will a) affect her Physical and mental health, b) cause her grievous bodily harm, c) endanger the secret, Big Brother must be told as soon as possible.

15) If ever there comes a time when either Big Brother or little sister decides that this is not working for them or that they just want out for whatever reason, the dynamic change will be abolished.

16) The rules may be updated, altered, or added to at any time by either Big Brother or little sister. Both must approve any alterations made to this document.

17) Remember, first and most importantly, this is about love. I love you, Thea, and I always will.

The 'titles' appealed to her in a way that she was ashamed to admit and she was surprised to find that they appealed to him too. The second rule had her curious so she attempted to adopt the pose specified, while she read the list, and surprisingly, it wasn't difficult or hard. It was a little awkward for her, but not insurmountable. The idea of being made to clean the toys used and the filthy sheets lit her imagination up like a Christmas tree. What toys will he use? How will he use them? The various ways that the fabrics could get messed up made her flush and squirm a little, but she forced herself not to get carried away in the what-ifs.

The outside of the playroom list was very common-sense for the most part. It was the eleventh decree that really stood out. Why would he want final say in her daily outfits? The top of the list stated that he had reasons for all of the guidelines, but what could his reason be for that rule? She made a mental note to ask about that one and continued with the list.

The final section started with a regulation that she really should have seen coming. After all, he had pilfered her stash on his first night home and that look he gave her when she was arrested. Yeah, I should have seen that one coming. The other thing she took note of was Miguel's unwritten, but very obvious concern about this change hurting her. That she really didn't understand. If I didn't want this I would have said so. Personally, she thought her words, and kisses, were bright neon signs of obviousness, but apparently it was weighing heavily upon Miguel's mind. She'd have to find some way to convince him that she was consciously making this decision of her own volition. She wasn't doing this simply because he wanted her to. Everything he offered her she wanted. What isn't clear about that? She shook her head; that was a puzzle for another day.

Quickly, Thea typed something into the document and hit save before picking up the small device and padding out of her room on bare feet. It was almost two o'clock in the morning, but Thea paid no mind to that. She had finished Miguel's task and she wasn't about to wait until morning to share that information with him.

Outside of his door, Thea hesitated. Knocking isn't just a suggestion; he'd told her that and she'd ignored it in the past because turnabout was fair play, but now things were different. Should I be polite and knock? It would certainly prove that she could listen and change accordingly. He hadn't put knocking in his list of rules though. Doesn't that mean I'm free to do as I wish? Frustrated that she was debating such a simple thing, Thea decided to just go for it. She put her hand on the doorknob and turned it, stepping inside without announcing herself.

He was seated on his bed leaning up against the headboard, legs crossed at the ankles. Her brain immediately took note of how the long sleep pants hung on his hips and the eighteen-year-old was sorely tempted to roll her eyes at herself. Stupid libido! The door gave a quick click as it shut behind her.

As she watched, his eyes ran over her from head to toe, taking in her pajamas. "Sup, Speedy?" He asked as his blue eyes met her green gaze.

"No one really says that anymore either," she informed with a teasing smile playing at the corners of her mouth as she bridged the gap between them. "I finished my reading." There was an odd sort of pride that she felt in proclaiming that. She held out the k****e and he took it with a blank expression. He typed the PIN into the device and tapped the last document open. His eyes scanned her alteration to the final rule. I love you too, Ollie.

"So you have." Miguel's eyes wrinkled at the corners as he smiled, sitting the k****e down on his lap, "Any questions? Anything you would like to change?"

She hopped up onto the bed next to him, sitting beside his calves and folding her legs Indian-style. "Yeah, you get final say on my outfits, why? I am more than capable of choosing my own clothes, in case you haven't noticed."

"Oh," he said, his eyes taking on that inexplicable gleam again, "I've noticed." For a second or two, there was an electricity to the air, as if they were on the precipice of something, but what? Thea hoped it was abandoning all this serious conversation in favor of more kissing. It had been two weeks since that night in the club and they'd only snuck one quick kiss since...and it hadn't even been that deep of one! She was beginning to think she'd just imagined those scant moments of illicit closeness.

Whatever it was, the moment soon passed and Miguel was answering her question with a level of heartfelt honesty that she would never have expected from him. "As for the why of it...I'm determined to prove to you that you don't need those clothes." He reached out and pulled her closer causing her to fall rather clumsily forward and onto his leg a little. Instinctively she righted her posture once more.

"I don't know what goes on in your head, Speedy, to make you think you need daring clothes to stand out or get attention, but you don't." He caressed her cheek slowly, "You get attention because you're you, Thea, not because of what you wear." His hand fell down her cheek to her neck before leaving her skin entirely. "Hopefully with this rule, you'll see what I mean one day and then I won't have to veto any of your outfits. You'll start making wise choices on your own."

For a second, the younger Queen was stunned silent under the weight of such an astute observation, and from someone who only took one psychology class in his limited college career too! Do I really read like an Introduction to Psychology case study? She'd always thought she was beyond the trappings of ordinary, not quite extraordinary, but not average either. Yet, here he was, back only a few months, and already he had her figured out. It was a horrible feeling and she couldn't stop the words from coming out of his mouth even if she had wanted to do so. "You don't know me, not anymore."

"No," He admitted easily enough, "I don't know all of you and I doubt I ever will." She met his eyes then and the nasty feeling faded away, vanished like a shadow cast away with the return of the light. "I would like to be the person who knows you best, though."

"You...probably already are, Ollie." She said with a little self-deprecating laugh chasing her words.

"I will make that probably vanish," he promised, his face as carefree as she'd seen it since he'd come home. "You have more questions I'd think, but might I give your birthday present now? I've been waiting to give it to you for-"

Thea cut him off suddenly, reverting to child-like innocence at the mere mention of a gift. "Present!" Her exuberance was without containment. It had taken her fourteen days to peruse those books and every time that she began to lose focus on why it was important to read the volumes so thoroughly, she'd thought of the mysterious present. What can it be? Given that it required her to be knowledgeable about b**m, she figured it dealt with that, but what was it? Rules seven and twelve had provided her with a promising possibility, but everything she'd read, in the assigned material and online, said that collars were most often gifted after the Dominant was sure that the submissive was a good fit. Neither of them had any way to know that yet so she was pretty sure her present wasn't a collar.

He chuckled at her reaction before reaching over to his left bedside table and pulling out a box, no wider than a envelope, wrapped in reflective gold paper. Fleetingly she thought, it would be shame to tear that to bits, but that didn't stop her from ripping the paper into confetti as soon as the container was in her hands.

"Like a little kid on her first real, present-getting Christmas," Miguel muttered under his breath in good humor. His fingers on her wrist stopped her before she could remove the lid from the pristine white box. "Before you open it, you should know we wouldn't be able to use what it contains this weekend...or for a while actually."

"Why not?"

He said nothing, but turned towards the box. She figured it was nonverbal direction. The lid folded in upon itself a little as she took off and set it aside without a glance. There were various slips and folded papers inside. The flight plan of the Queen jet was on familiar stationery and, when unfolded, revealed the passengers as Miguel and herself and their destination: New York City. Of course, she'd been to the popular city a couple of times in her life, but they'd always been short, business-related trips with her parents. She'd never had the chance to see the bright, rambunctious city like she wanted; never been to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, or seen the New York City Ballet perform.

Sure enough, as she set down the itinerary for the flight, next in the box were two balcony tickets to the ballet. There was no performance information upon them, but Thea didn't care what they were to see. To her, dancing was a pure art form that allowed for a greater more meaningful expression of one's true depths. She'd started taking ballet lessons when she was three and she'd continued...until the Gambit disappeared. No one had even noticed that she'd given up her ballet classes then. Nor did they seem to remember that she had taken them at all. Miguel remembered.

Tears sparkled in her eyes as she set the tickets beside the plane's documentation and removed the last slip of paper. A reservation for the Deluxe Rose Suite at the Plaza hotel was confirmed on the folded sheet. She placed it down beside the rest of her gift and gave her attention to Miguel once more. He raised his hand halting her words before she knew what she was to say.

"When I originally planned these items for you, I was planning on a fun getaway, just you and me. A chance for us to really reconnect, but before I could give it to you, everything got so crazy and then you called me out on my secret as if it were nothing." The slight hint of amazement in his voice brought her pride. She was capable of being a surprise to him, which was good; she'd hate to be predictable.

"You've read and learned about all of this and you're still here, still all in with me. It's more than I could've ever hoped for." He shifted marginally so now there was more firm contact between their bodies. "My plan has always been, once I found my submissive, to make sure she knew that our bond wasn't solely for the Playroom. I would take her out make her feel pretty and loved, desirable beyond just our roles in that room." He sighed then and scrubbed a hand over his face. He must know that he lost me somewhere in this explanation. He reached out and tugged her onto his lap, successfully displacing the careful stack she had made with her gifts. She settled back, right shoulder blade meeting his left shoulder, as his arms encircled her waist. "With you, though, going out on dates must be far out of town and fewer as a result."

Now, she understood, but she couldn't resist teasing him just a little. "Miguel Queen, are you asking me out on a date?"

His eyes shined bright as he replied, "Yes, I am, Miss Queen."

"I accept."

"Oh, good." There was a small amount of good humor mixed in with the relief he couldn't keep from his voice. Did he honestly think I would say no? "But we can't take this trip for six months."

"Why not?"

"Because someone got herself arrested and part of her parole agreement states that she can't leave the state of California for half a year."

"Oh." To be honest, once she snapped out of her angry-at-the-world fog, she'd just signed the agreement without reading it. She hadn't needed to; she trusted Laurel's legal prowess enough to sign the document blindly. If there was one thing that the eldest Lance daughter excelled at, it was doing the best for her clients.

With a single finger under her chin, Miguel tipped her head up slowly. "Hey, as much as I hate to admit to it, there was a bright side to the danger you put yourself in. Without the threat of jail time, we wouldn't be here having this discussion."

"Besides, I paid good money to make all of those things moveable," he said, nodding towards her gifts, "it would be a shame if we used them right away, wouldn't it?" She decided she quite liked this relax, playful, Miguel; he seemed happy and that was all she'd really hoped for him. "Don't worry, Speedy, I have other plans for us this weekend." He hesitated for a moment before tacking on a few words to lower any expectations she might have. "It won't be as glamorous as New York...and you'll be skeptical I'm sure, but-"

She groaned, "Just tell me, Ollie."

"We're going camping!"

Thea stared at the beautiful cabin in front of them as Miguel put the surprisingly rugged car in park, just outside the closed garage door. The red wood of the three-floored house seemed to shine with the afternoon sun's slow descent towards the horizon. It was a massive cabin and Thea had to tip her head upwards to see the staircase that she suspected led to the main entrance.

"When you said camping, I thought you meant camping, like in tents," She commented as she undid her seatbelt without taking her eyes away from the view that was their rented residence for the weekend, "like that absolute horrendous trip we all took when I was ten?"

Miguel laughed, "Oh my God, I totally forgot about that!"

She turned slightly in her seat to give him her best disbelieving look. "How could you forget the trip from Hell?"

Their mother had gotten it into her head that they weren't like other families so she'd decided to rectify that by declaring they were all going to go camping as a family. Despite having purchased top-of-the-line camping equipment, the trip had been a horrible disaster. Individually, they all suffered some kind of bad happening: their father had gotten stung by a bee, Miguel had tripped into a huge puddle, their mother had fallen into some poison ivy, and Thea had gotten lost in the woods for fifteen minutes after taking a bathroom break. It was the thunderstorm that really made it their worst family vacation ever. A bolt of lightning broke a huge tree branch off near their new tent and when it fell, the branch ripped a huge hole in the roof and then it proceeded to downpour for hours on end. They'd all ended up wet, tired and miserable the next morning. It had been horrible.

"How did Mom get you to go on that trip anyway?" Thea asked as she pulled on the door handle next to her hip. The cold air, freezing ever so slightly more thanks to their increased altitude and the possible snowstorm they heard might hit, was bracing and Thea almost wished Miguel had given her more than a few hours of notice so she could go shopping for clothes more suited for a California mountaintop in February. She hopped out of the car before she could think twice. "Did she bribe you or something?"

His car door shut behind and hers followed suit just to make the annoying beeping stop. "Did you ever stop to think," Miguel opened the rear door and started to unload their bags, "that maybe I wanted to go on that trip?"

"No," Thea answered honestly. "Because you were twenty years old and loved being out on the party scene so no, it never occurred to me that you might have gone of your own free will." She opened the rear door on her side of the car as well and began unloading things. Two people, three days, two nights and this many bags... Sometimes they just couldn't help being stereotypical one percenters.

"She used her clinching line on me."

Thea racked her brain trying to figure out what it was their mother could have said back then. It certainly wasn't the line she'd been hearing for the past five years. Do you really think this is what they would want for you? She took a wild stab in the dark, "Because I said so?" That's, after all, a parenting classic, right?

He removed the biggest suitcase, hers obviously, and brought all of the luggage to her side of the car before he answered. "What would a good brother do?"

Thea flinched. Ouch. That one was almost as painful as the mantra she'd heard since the Gambit's loss and she bristled at having been used as a tool of manipulation against him. "I'm sorry, Ollie." Clumsily, with a duffle bag in her right hand, Thea tried to give him a one arm apology hug.

He chuckled a little, setting down his numerous bags, "Nothing for you to be sorry for, Speedy." His lips dropped from her hair to her forehead and he pressed a small kiss there. "You have always been my weakness; it's just how it is." She tipped her head back a little so she could see his face, hoping not to see regret there. There was no trace of regret; only love.

Thea was unsure whether or not to make the first move. Thea leaned up slightly and kissed him gently, not wanting to presume too much. It always surprised her how unique kisses were; each and every single one, unique like a snowflake, without the ability to be repeated. She was determined to remember every single kiss they share because they were all breathtaking in their own way.

His lips moved slowly at first, taking direction from her, but soon the mere touch was not enough. In that moment, with his body pinning her to the closed car door, Thea was happily lost in a haze of Ollie, warm, harder, love, and safe. Whether she should or should not have initiated the kiss was a concern burned away in the fire of her mind as he deepened their lip-lock, their tongues meeting briefly. He pulled back first, the sound of him taking a much needed breath of air was like the gasp of a man dying. Her head came to rest on the car door, not because the support was necessary, but simply because she worried that if she even slightly leaned towards him, she'd end up stealing another kiss. Oxygen, she was forced to remind herself, is a vital necessity; drowning in the touch of his mouth, on the other hand, is not.

"You know what's weird?" Thea hedged. The look of sarcastic disbelief he gave her, as if to say besides our entire lives, had her momentarily distracted. She bent down and scooped up as much of their luggage as she could carry. "This doesn't feel weird to me."

His smile was slight, but genuine as he replied, "I know. We should get inside," Miguel advised, his voice delightfully rough, "its cold out and you aren't wearing the best clothes for this weather."

Together the two of them took all of their bags, Miguel carried a bit more then Thea of course, and started up the lengthy staircase to the front door. He set the heavier luggage down and took a keychain from the ink-black mailbox next to the entrance. He slipped the key inside the lock and pushed the door open. "Ladies first," He said as he bent down and picked up the items again.

She maneuvered her way through the door into the cabin and set down the heavy load in her arms unceremoniously. "Wow." She said, her eyes sweeping over the room in its entirety. It was a massive area, with the furnishings and cleanliness of a place cared for with pride. From what she could see, the first floor appeared to sectioned off by half walls, if at all. To her immediate right was a long dining table with matching chairs below a modern-art style chandelier. Just beyond that was an L-shaped sofa and other living room furniture on hard wood floors in front of a fireplace in that corner that was already lit and warmed the room. Behind the armchair and the end of the dining table was a shining kitchen that Miguel headed straight for as he entered the cabin behind her.

"Why don't you take our bags upstairs while I unpack the groceries?" He suggested as he set the cooler down on the white marble countertop. Thea nodded and turned half a step to the left before she took the staircase two at a time up to the second floor.

There were several doors on both sides of the hallway that she opened and peered inside. Four of the rooms were bedrooms and she chose to set their bags down in the most comfortable-looking suite. The bed frame was made of a darker wood and was accented by the red-orange bedspread atop the king-size mattress. She kicked off her shoes quickly and let her toes flex into the fluffy egg-shell colored carpet before going over to the dresser.

Eager to explore more of the large rental cabin, but knowing that if she didn't do so now, her suitcase would never get unpacked. She wasn't about to root through her bag all weekend either. So, reluctant though she was, Thea loaded three of the six drawers in the dresser with her clothing and put all her other stuff on top of it. They would be put away later.

Out of the corner of her eye, Thea caught sight of something as she exited the chosen bedroom. Unable to resist the temptation to do so, the eighteen-year-old approached the hardwood ladder at the end of the hall. She climbed quickly and pulled herself up onto the third floor. It was one large room with plush, dark carpet and beanbag chairs. There was a massive screen along the wall adjacent from the staircase and a high-end popcorn machine and mini refrigerator, no doubt stocked with drinks, sat underneath the projector on the back wall. "Wow," she said, going back down to the second floor.

She leaned over the banister, gripping it tightly in the process, "This place is amazing, Ollie!" Thea shouted down to him as she ran down the stairs, "There's so many rooms and the entire third floor is huge media room."

He came out of the kitchen, a dishtowel slung over his shoulder. It was evident that he was proud of his choice in rental cabins. She came down the last few steps and rounded the banister so that she was in front of him. He tipped his head down ever so slightly in order to meet her eyes. "I'm glad you approve, Speedy."

"What's this for?" She teased in good humor, snatching the blue and white checkered dishtowel from his shoulder. She ran it through her fingers and gracefully maneuvered it around. "Trying to seduce me with it?" She walked backwards in the direction of the kitchen as she spoke.

"What?" The word was choked by a confused laugh as he followed her step-for-step. "How would I even begin to do that?"

Did he never see that FRIENDS episode? "Never mind," Thea said, hopping up on the counter, "it was a stupid joke." She twisted the towel around her fingers absently as she looked over the variety of ingredients on the island. "Ollie, are you trying to cook?"

Nervously, Miguel rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm not trying," He mumbled, "I am cooking. It's almost dinner time."

"Do you even know how to cook?" Her voice was soft as she asked the question. It wasn't a judgement upon him. They'd simply spent their entire lives in a full staffed home. He would have had no reason to cook for himself, or anyone else for that matter.

"Yes." He replied defensively and then after a few seconds, "No, not really, but how hard could it be?"

Thea chuckled, hopping off of the counter again. "Very hard." She approached the island, pursuing the items laid out more carefully. It was a variety of utterly random ingredients, but there were a couple of meal choices that she could make out of them. Her green eyes shifted from the marble top to her older brother who looked slightly embarrassed. "Take a seat," she said, nodding towards the barstool on the other side of the counter, "I got this."

"Do you know how to cook?"

She smirked, "I do, as a matter of fact."

He slid into the seat she'd indicated and, in order to prevent silence from befalling them, Thea began to explain. "Mom was busy a lot after... so usually it was just me and the staff in the house before and after school." She shrugged as she began to clean and dice the tomatoes. "So I spent time with nearly every member of the house staff, learning what I could. It gave me something else to focus on." She'd also been a little concerned that, with her as the only one using the services of the house staff, they would be let go and she'd be left to her own devices.

When she finished up with the tomatoes and looked up, Miguel had the face of someone who pitied her; it was an emotion that she was an expert at reading now. It was wrong for him to be looking at her in such a way. While she might not know the details of what he'd gone through, Thea knew that it was so much worse than anything she'd ever experienced. He shouldn't pity her. "Hey," She said, pointing at him with the knife, "don't do that. I'm glad I learned what I did."

"So am I," He said with a gentle smile, "We'd have to suffer through my attempts to cook otherwise."

The two of them fell into an easy, relaxing conversation after that. It was odd, how with his secret now shared between them, no longer were their discussions awkward or stilted. Where once he would have carefully chosen his words, now Miguel spoke freely. Where once Thea would have debated what was okay to say, now she could say whatever without fear. The meal was made and consumed all while they discussed anything that popped into their minds. It was nice and easy; certainly less stressful then dinner at home.

Together the siblings did the few dishes side by side. Miguel washed and Thea dried, stacking the dinnerware back in their places. Thea was reaching over to place a sauté pan in an upper cabinet when suddenly she was splashed with soapy water. She turned and glared playfully at her brother.

"Oh, it's on." She reached into the kitchen sink and flicked soap bubbles at him in retaliation. He grinned and soon enough they were involved in a heated soap battle. It wasn't until Miguel was hauling her away from the sink, his arms around her waist as they laughed happily, that their task was forgotten.

He finally set her back on her feet after they were clear of the soapy battlefield. He spun her around, smiled, and automatically her hand reached out to brace herself against his chest. "You are so beautiful," he whispered, before he leaned down and kissed her. It was an utterly soft, gentle kiss. She melted against him and the two started towards the staircase.

He held out his hand and without a thought, she took it. There was no doubt with Miguel because, no matter what he wanted or how kinky it might be, he was always going to be her brother. With the other men whom she had shared a bed, she'd been plagued with concerns. What did they expect of her? What would happen after it was over? She wasn't concerned about those things with Miguel. He'd been completely honest in explaining his desires and she was safe in the knowledge that, even if they failed to mesh in this endeavor, she would still have him in her life. Nothing would change that.

At the top of the stairs, Thea led the way into the bedroom she'd selected earlier. As soon as they were through the doorway, Miguel lifted her up, his arms holding her up for only a second as her legs wrapped around his waist instinctively. She grinned brightly, finally taller than her older brother for a second, before she bowed her head and captured his lips. Her whole body buzzed from the simple touch and Thea couldn't imagine ever kissing anyone else ever again. He was her only d**g now.

He set her down on the bed softly, his body moving to cover hers automatically. The kisses were urgent, desperate, but not rushed. His hands slid up from her hips slowly, his palms leaving a trail of fire on her stomach under her t-shirt. Her lungs were desperate for air when he finally pulled away. Before she could protest the loss, he was using his hands beneath her shirt to push it up and when the cotton was bunched at her shoulders, she leaned up slightly, and raised her arms to make it easier for him to remove it.

Suddenly insecure in a way that she'd never felt before, Thea put her hands on his shoulders and pulled him back in. Their tongues tangled together in the dirtiest dance that she could manage. He can't judge me if he isn't looking at me. However Miguel wasn't distracted for long and midway through the kiss she felt his thumbs sweep over her n*****s under the blue lace of her b*a. It sent small shockwaves through her body.

He placed a small chaste kiss on the corner of her lips before his attention turned to her chest. His mouth dropped across the top of her small breasts, first the right and then left, in an arching shape. Then his tongue repeated the motion over her heart.

"Your skin is f*****g delicious," his voice was utterly wrecked as he spoke. A wave of heat washed over her. He is so very different.How did I get so lucky?

Unable to resist any longer, she reached down and tugged him up to her again. After another quick kiss, her hands deftly undid the buttons on his shirt. She didn't wait for him to slip his arms out of the sleeves. Her fingers were itching with the desire to touch skin and this time she didn't have to stop herself. Greedily, she sought every inch of the skin she could reach. Needing ever more, she surged upward and kissed down his neck. There was headiness to brushing her lips across his skin. The warmth, the smell of him. Her tongue snuck out and licked tentatively at his pulse point; a smile graced her lips as he trembled beneath the sweeping motion.

The result was so wonderful that there was no resisting the urge to push even further. She sucked a bruise into his skin along his collarbone and was rewarded with a wonderfully deep moan from above her head. "Whoops?" It was a pathetic lie and based on his grin, Miguel knew and didn't care.

"Such a bad liar," he mumbled as his fingers splayed along the waistband of her jeans. He undid the button and pulled down the zipper on them without much effort at all and when he hooked his fingers in the loops, she lifted her hips and assisted him in peeling the denim down her legs. A deep, tortured groan was bestowed upon her when the pair where shucked aside and his eyes turned towards her now bared lower half. "No panties?"

"Figured they'd just get in the way this weekend," she informed him with a teasing smile and sure enough, his eyes widened.

"This weekend? You mean…?" She nodded and giggled as he pounced on her, rolling her overtop of himself. "You are…" He didn't finish the sentiment, but he didn't need to. A statement like that could only have a good ending.

"You have absolutely no idea what I am, big brother." She baited, taking advantage of her new position above him on the bed. Her hands ran over every inch of his broad chest, taking a several extra seconds over each of the healed scars that littered his skin. "One day, Ollie," she hedged gently as his breath became slightly shallower under the brush of her fingertips, "will you talk to me about all of this?"

There were several tense moments of silence. Thea was certain he was going to outright deny her request. He'd be well within his rights to do so, but she hoped he wouldn't. Clearly a great deal had happened on that island and Thea just wanted to be his sounding board. Isn't that what sisters are meant for? Support? She wouldn't blame him if he kept his secrets though. They were, after all, his.

"It's…not so easy, Thea." Miguel started to say in a soft voice, "It wasn't…I don't know how to talk about it, Speedy…but I'll try." A tentative smile graced his lips and her heart skipped a beat, "I'll try because you asked me to. For you, I would do absolutely anything. You know that, don't you?"

She leaned down and kissed him softly, sucking his bottom lip in between her own, not pulling, just letting it be. Their breath mingled and it felt so intimate that maybe she didn't need the words, 'I am in love with you,' to express herself, but she wanted to say them. Wanted to say them for herself. Aloud. Unrepentant. But she couldn't get them out. Fear froze the words in her throat. It's too soon. It'll scare him away.

When they pulled apart this time, Thea couldn't stop looking at his eyes. They were so bright, so brilliant, and so very blue. He was happy and it was marvelous to be the cause. Her body burned bright with the passionate fire that had been long denied.

Even after she realized the depths to which she desired him, Thea always imagined their first time together would be frantic and rushed. That was not at all what it was like. In reality, Miguel was studious and singularly focused as he learned her. His palms swept over every curve, every dip, as though he was memorizing her form. It was slow and her body buzzed with a simmering intensity that she'd never felt before.

Guilt bubbled in her stomach as her hands explored his body too. It wasn't fair of her to have assumed that Miguel would be like her other lovers. Those men had been barely more than strangers to her and they had just wanted to use her for their pleasure. It was just fine by her at the time; it got her what she needed so what did it matter if they just shoved her up against a wall and pushed her panties aside? Both the men and Thea achieved their goals in the end.

She should have known Miguel would be different because they were different. They were connected. Even if he were desperate enough to need her so abruptly like those men had, it would still be different. She would still love him and be loved. Miguel had always stood out to her, her big brother was the standard upon which she judged all the men in her life, despite the numerous flaws Miguel possessed. She had never thought he was perfect, but he was perfect for her. Her hands traced over every muscle under his skin as he moved above her. God, he is beautiful. So, even though their touches were lingering, Thea was still breathless and slightly mystified when her hands helped him roll the c****m on.

"Ready?" A single word, but it bore so much weight. He was offering her one last out, a way to stop this before there was absolutely no going back. Once they did this, they were officially crossing that final taboo line. Thea couldn't have cared less. She wanted this, wanted him.

"So ready," she hesitated only briefly before tacking on the title he'd assigned himself, "big brother." The glimmer that put into his eyes that followed kept any potential awkwardness at bay.

There were no more words exchanged between them. He simply reached down and parted her with his thumb. He slid inside her embarrassingly easy, but she didn't a spare a thought for shame or worry. f**k, it's perfectly imperfect. There was a slight ache because she'd been celibate for so long, which yes, she kind of blamed him for, but he was inside of her. Finally, solidly connected.

He stayed admirably still as her inner walls adjusted to accommodate him. How he knew she needed some time Thea had no clue, but she was grateful for it. His lips, hands and, in a few instances, his tongue distracted her until the discomfort subsided completely. Her hips moved slowly to start them off and Miguel soon took over the rhythm. It was as slow and deliberate as every other action of the night and Thea was quickly ready to flip their positions and once more take control. I'm not gonna break, she thought begrudgingly.

As if he could read her mind, Miguel leaned down and planted his fists on either side of her head, crushing some strands of her hair. His lips caught her earlobe briefly before he whispered, "You feel so good, little sister." She shivered. "I'm going to go slow," it was a warning, "take my time with you. Make love to you until you know only my name."

An embarrassingly loud moan was ripped from her throat as his words registered in her brain. "Ollie, please." Please what? Even she didn't know what she was angling for anymore. Him to move faster? Thrust harder? Him to stop saying such wonderful, yet naughty things? All of them were possibilities.

Luckily, Miguel didn't ask her for clarification; he simply started to move in earnest. Her legs wrapped tight around his hips, forcing him in even deeper. A guttural moan of pleasure was his only approval of this shift; she took it as a positive sign. With each snap of his hips and the matching forward thrusts of hers, Thea was rapidly losing her ability for coherent thought or action. Her body followed his instinctively, seeking that edge of pleasure desperately and all she knew was him. His eyes, hooded now, his lips parted as his warm breath puffed out, and his skin, a sheen of sweat glistened as she watched his muscles ripple with every move he made. A warm feeling of pride blossomed in her chest.

Then, almost without warning, Thea tumbled over that edge into pleasure. Her o****m rolled through her and she screamed out his name as though the sound of it was the only thing keeping her anchored to her body. Inadvertently, her inner muscles contracted as she came and Miguel soon followed her into bliss. It was a truly powerful feeling and, though she would never dare say so aloud, it was a not so easy to achieve feeling for her. Only one other man brought her to that particular nirvana before and he'd ended up being a cheating asshole. Yet Miguel... A blissful smile graced her features. Always my exception.

Carefully and with utter tenderness, Miguel separated their bodies with a sad sigh as he rolled over next to her. He dropped the used c****m in the waste basket under the nightstand unobtrusively. His lips ghosted over her shoulder as he whispered, "You okay?"

Her smile was blissful as she turned her head to look at him, "Mm…better then okay, Ollie."

"Good." Together, the two laid there catching their breath and reveling in their post-orgasmic feelings for several minutes. He pulled her to him and she happily rested her head on his chest. She listened to the calming thump-thump of his heart beneath her ear. It was such a relaxing beat that Thea began to drift off to sleep. She'd never been one for cuddling, but it was nice in the moment.

Then she remembered something. "I thought you didn't do vanilla." Her words were slightly slurred by sleepiness, but his chuckle was a sign that he understood what her words.

"I never said that," He ran his hands over her damp hair absentmindedly, "I just said I wasn't sure only vanilla would work for me. You didn't think I'd just…throw you into the deep end, did you?" He kissed her forehead gently, making her feel precious and loved. "I love you, Thea. Of course our first time was going to be just us, no frills."

He reached down and, with one finger, tipped her head up so their eyes met, "You understand, don't you? I wanted our first time to be this because you deserve it." Tears glittered in her eyes, but she refused to be that girl. "I wanted to know you, just you, before we get in deeper, okay?"

She nodded softly and he smiled gently, "Go to sleep, Speedy."

She couldn't have argued with him even if she had wanted to do so.