Filthy Virgin

Chapter 5: Liam

"Celeste! That was a close one!" A peppy, slender but shapely woman with dark red hair and light green eyes linked her arm with Celeste's, gazing up at me. Her eyes were slightly unfocused, and I realized that she was completely drunk. I glanced over at Celeste again to check on her, and bit back a groan at the way her cheeks had pinkened, her gaze avoiding mine.

"Well aren't you a tall drink of water." The other woman's loudly muttered words drew my eyes back over to her, an amused smirk twitching at my lips. Her eyes grew large and she slapped a hand over her mouth when she realized she'd spoken out loud.

"You think so? I've always felt I was more of a whiskey guy than water," I replied with a chuckle.

Celeste rolled her eyes when her friend started to giggle. "Sorry about her, she's had a bit too much to drink tonight."

"No worries, sis."

Celeste cheeks turned even pinker at the casual mention of the fact that we'd been related at one point.

"Sis? OH! That's why you look familiar!" A finger poked me in the chest and I help back a wince at the sharp dig. "This is your new boss-slash-step-brother, right?"

"Well he's not technically my boss, Madison. Or my step-brother," she added with a glare in my direction.

Madison waved away her words as she wobbled on her heels. "Technically, shmeck... Shpeckally... Aw hell, you know what I'm trying to say." She grabbed my arm with a grip that surprised me and started dragging Celeste and me across the dance floor, pushing people out of the way while continuing to yell over her shoulder. "Come meet our other friends! Well, one is my husband, but that's beside the point." She kept jabbering on but I couldn't hear her anymore over the music and the crowd.

I was amused with the whole thing right up until we stopped at a table with two other men, one standing and catching Madison as she flung herself into his body, the other watching me with wary eyes as Celeste sat in the chair next to him. I took him in with a sharp gaze, jealousy razing through me as he slung an arm casually around Celeste. She turned her head towards him, and I tried to gauge their relationship but I couldn't read the look on her face.

Madison unwound her body from who I was assuming was her husband before making the introductions. Pointing to the man gazing at her and proving me right, she said, "This is Luke, my husband. That's his brother Anthony. We all grew up together, so we've been friends for a long time. Guys, this is Celeste's new boss but not really who is also her step-brother."

"Ex," both Celeste and I chimed in at the same time. Our eyes met once again and a heat that I swore I imagined passed between us before she glanced away.

"Ex-stepbrother," Celeste repeated. "His name is Liam."

Luke reached across the table to shake my hand as I took the now empty chair between Celeste and Madison. "It's good to meet you man," he said casually.

I nodded in acknowledgement and then reluctantly turned to the brother and extended my hand to him as well. He pulled his arm from around Celeste and I couldn't help but squeeze his hand a tad harder than normal in mine.

As fucked up as it might be for me to want Celeste as much as I did, it didn't stop me from getting annoyed that another man was touching her, even casually. When we let go of the tense handshake, I was able to relax slightly when Anthony didn't sling his arm around the object of my obsession again.

"So what's the story with the whole step-siblings thing?" Luke voiced the question I was sure most of them had been wondering.

"There's not much to tell, honestly. Twelve years ago her dad was married to my mom. After six months they got divorced, and we haven't seen each other since then. I remembering seeing you guys around once, but we never actually met each other."

Celeste chimed in at this point. "We never really saw each other." She turned towards me. "You were gone a lot, and then suddenly one day you were moved out."

I kept my face blank as I nodded, but my blood heated with her words. I remembered with perfect clarity the day I moved out. I'd done it when I knew no one was going to be home, because I didn't want to deal with my mom trying to convince me otherwise, her dad telling me I didn't have to go.

Mostly though, I didn't want to know if Celeste would look at me with her large eyes begging me to stay. But I'd known I couldn't stay there any longer. Not after what had happened the week before.

Home from a long day at work, I was relieved to see that my mom and Celeste's dad were out. It was a Friday night, and Celeste was usually hanging out with her friends. It looked like all the lights were out, so I was guessing I'd have the place to myself. I got inside to my room and stripped, grabbing a towel and heading to the bathroom Celeste and I were sharing temporarily since hers was being remodeled. Flipping on the light, the first thing my gaze went to was the pair of silky white panties that she must have missed the last time she showered.

I averted my gaze, something inside me twitching at the sight of the innocent panties. She was my sixteen-year-old stepsister for godsakes, I shouldn't be attracted to her. She was fairly quiet, but quick-witted. I'd heard her dry sense of humor and it always made me chuckle. Every time I laughed, her cheeks would redden, and she would hide her face in her white blonde hair, a pleased smile on her lips.

I showered quickly, wanting to get into bed before everyone showed back up and get some sleep. I stepped out of the bathroom fifteen minutes later, falling into bed. I didn't know how long I was sleeping when a sound woke me up. I rubbed my eyes, then checked the time. It was around midnight, so I figured I'd just heard Celeste coming home.

I don't know why I got out of bed. Something pulled me to my door, making me open it and look down the hallway to Celeste's room. I was surprised to see Celeste's door cracked open, the light off. Figuring it was nothing, I dismissed it. I was closing my door again when a sound caught my attention, and I paused in the doorway. Another sound came from her room, and curiosity got the better of me. I walked towards her door and was about to quietly call her name when mine suddenly filled the silence.

I froze, fingertips on her door.

"Liam..." My name hit my ears again, the breathy moan making my body automatically react. I pressed lightly on the door, needing to confirm with my eyes what I thought I was hearing. It opened enough for me to see Celeste on her bed, covers shoved to the side, wearing nothing but moonlight, a thin tank top and another of those silky white panties I'd seen in the bathroom. Her legs were parted, one hand inside her underwear and the other teasing her hard nipple under her shirt. I froze, heart stuttering at the sight. Blood pumped south as her quiet voice filled the air, body arching in her bed as she got closer to coming.

Seconds later neurons fired in my brain, snapping me back to reality. I jerked away from her open door, quietly hurrying back to my own room as quietly as possible. I let out a growl of frustration as soon as my door was shut, willing myself to forget what I'd just seen. It was a natural reaction, to get turned on when you heard the sounds I had and seen what I'd seen, but I was still disgusted with myself.

I now knew Celeste touched herself to thoughts of me. I knew that my body responded to it, but I still had morals. I knew at that second that for both mine and Celeste's sake I had to get out of there. I had to protect her from herself, and from me. If that meant leaving, then that's what I would do.

I tuned back into the conversation as the memory of that day faded, seeing that Celeste was watching me, her bottom lip caught between her teeth as she studied me. So much had changed in the last twelve years, but my desire to protect her was one thing that hadn't changed. I still wanted to make sure that she was kept safe. But now, I wasn't sure if that was stronger than the need that had popped up between us now. And if she felt anything like she did back then, I was guessing I had quite the challenge on my hands.