Chapter 41

Warning: this chapter has stuff that y'all shouldn't do with your (step) siblings, cause its incest/taboo. You've been warned!

Evangeline

Lucas sways and stumbles toward me. I take a step back warily.

"Lucas. Are you alright?" I ask, momentarily forgetting about how he behaved for the past two weeks, or the fact that I'm alone with my stepbrother in a shirt and panties.

In other circumstances, I would have died of shame already.

He doesn't disregard my words or presence, simply brush past like I expected him to do. To my bewilderment, he drops to his knees in front of me and grabs my hands, staring up at me. Pale green eyes shine with emotion I haven't seen in a long while.

"Evie. I'm sorry." He rasps. He reeks of cigarette smoke and strong alcohol. Whiskey? Just what has he been up to all this while?

Words spill from his lips like a waterfall."I'm sorry I distanced myself from you all. I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect you when your Dad..."

"Stop." I gaze at him sadly.

He's drunk. That's why he's saying all this. He doesn't mean it. The crack in my chest widens a little, bringing with it more heartache. I want to let my animosity toward him get the better of me, but my body betrays me.

"Go to bed, Lucas. Tomorrow you'll forget this ever happened. Go to sleep," I whisper, allowing myself to touch his cheek. His face is a mask of vulnerability. I focus on the way his lashes cast long, spidery shadows across his cheekbones.

"No." His voice is cracks. He wraps his arms around my waist, as if that would stop me from walking away. I stiffen. Try to detach him. Get him off.

"Then, why?" My words resonate in the silence of the night. Sharp like thorns, filled with hurt.

"Because, I..." He falters. Swallows. Hard. Never, in the (albeit short) time I have known Lucas, have I seen him waver. The eldest. Always so sure and filled with aplomb.

"I love you."

My heart skips a beat. I think I misheard.

"What?"

He presses his forehead to my chest. Skin feverish. Warm breath fanning out across my stomach.

"I said it. I fucking love you. I may be drunk as shit right now, but I really do mean it. I love you so much, sometimes it feels like my heart is gonna break." He tilts his head up, eyes glassy, a pained expression on his face.

Without warning, he cups my cheeks with both hands and pulls my head downward to meet his

Lucas's lips are soft against mine. My hands move of their own accord, reaching up to twine my fingers in his feathery brown locks. I let out a little squeak as he nips on my bottom lip and picks me up. I hook my legs around his waist, his arms supporting my weight.

I pull away, gasping for air.

My first kiss. With my stepbrother, of all people!

That wasn't supposed to happen. But did I discourage him? More like the opposite!

I bury my head into the crook of his neck, face burning with shame.

"You don't have to forgive me. Or accept my apology. Just know that I love you. More than I've ever loved anyone my whole life." His hands stroke across my spine.

He's waiting for me to say it back. To know if I feel the same way. I do love him. But the question is, in what way?

"Okay, Lucas." My fingertips trace the line of his jaw. "We're gonna sleep now. You don't want a hangover tomorrow morning."