The Brother (Whip 5) ✔️

Chapter 19

SASHA

I woke up slowly, squinting as I opened my eyes, the sun rays coming from a nearby window almost blinding me.

For a moment I felt disoriented as I tried to make sense of where I was. There was a bougie fireplace right across from where I was lying, and a giant bookshelf surrounding it.

When did I get a fireplace?

I thought before my brain finally woke up fully and I remembered that I had stayed at Stefan's last night since by the time we were finished bitching about our families it was way too late for me to go home.

There was a kink in my neck, and I sat up, massaging it as I turned around to see Stefan on the other side of the couch, sleeping soundly.

After agreeing that I would stay over we continued to talk and, I guess, we ended up falling asleep right there in the living room.

I felt sticky and sweaty so I stood up and went into the bathroom, hoping that he wouldn't mind if I took a quick shower.

Once I was done, feeling refreshed and clean again, I went back into the living room to find him exactly as I had left him.

I walked to the couch and took a seat, leaning my head against the back of the couch, and looked at him as I thought about the events of the previous evening.

I still couldn't believe that I had the balls to say all those things to his mother, and I felt awful. But the moment that woman started insulting him, saying those vile things about him that could not be further from the truth, I had to jump in. I had been so angry, and I guess a part of me was for a moment transported back through time to that horrible evening when my father had attacked Misha.

I was a kid back then, we both were and even though I wished, I couldn't have really done anything to protect him. But even though I knew that now, for a number of years the thought that maybe if I had done something Misha wouldn't have ended up with those horrible people, had plagued me relentlessly.

So witnessing a similar scene last night must have triggered me, and I snapped.

Only after the woman had left had I realized how much I had overstepped. Stefan wasn't Misha, he wasn't a defenseless teenager in need of a rescue, and I wasn't his knight in shiny armor.

But, Stefan seemed to not care about that, and, looked genuinely thankful and appreciative of me stepping in. Which I got, because despite him being fierce and confident, she was still his mother and it seemed as if we all lost a bit of ourselves, of our courage when faced with family.

I shook my head, clearing it as I raised my hand, letting my fingers gently caress his face. It still felt unreal, impossible, that I was allowed to do such a thing, that Stefan actually wanted me to.

I watched him for a while, my fingers drawing patterns across his face, lost in a memory of the kiss we had shared before his mother had shown up and the way he looked and felt in just his towel preserving his modesty when I felt him stir.

I went to pull my hand away but he was quicker, grabbing my wrist before I could. His eyes opened slowly, a gentle smile spreading across his full lips as he said, "Don't stop. Feels good."

I blushed but nodded, letting my hand return to his face as I moved a bit closer. Our foreheads pressed against each other as I dragged my fingers across his cheek, down his strong jaw, and back again before they stopped at his lips.

I dragged my thumb across his bottom lip and sighed as they fell apart. His tongue licked the tip of my thumb before his lips wrapped around it and sucked, gently.