A Broken Family Ch. 03

"As long as they keep their hands off of you."

"Double standard much?" I walked past him and towards the camp site. I caught the movement of Alex and Eli's heads turning back towards the fire despite being pretty far away.

-

"Did you say something to JT?" Alex asked me a couple minutes after we had lain down. I was turned away from him and he was lying on his back.

"No." I was back to not being able to sleep because of the awkwardness and wished I wasn't in this situation.

"Are you mad at me?"

"Alex, I want to sleep." I yawned for emphasis and he was quiet for a minute.

"I'm sorry."

I groaned, knowing he was wallowing in self-hatred. "Alex." I sat up and turned to face him.

"You can go to sleep—I just wanted you to know I was sorry. I shouldn't have done it."

"Look, just shut up for a second please?" I waited and he didn't say anything. "Alright, the way I see it, you can lay there and be miserable or you can get over it like I have. I'll just take it as a compliment that I can make your blood rush despite being your sister. It's like Eli said to me—I'm your sister, but I'm pretty and we have an unconventional family. It doesn't have to be this big thing."

"I don't want to fuck you, Holly Elizabeth." His voice sounded irritated.

I paused for a second, thoroughly confused. "Oh... Kay. Well then I read that completely wrong. Looks like we really can go to sleep and not worry about anything."

"I would never use a woman like that."

I ran a hand down my face. "Alex, I feel like you're bipolar or some shit. Are we moving past this or not? I'd like to just figure this out so I can sleep peacefully and you can go find some pretty girl."

"Go to sleep. It's fine, just stop pushing me and telling me I'm lonely."

I stared at his outline for a solid minute before moving to lay back down, this time with my head on his chest. "Maybe we should go home tomorrow so you aren't bothered so much."

"Just keep your clothes on and I'll be just fine, Holly."

"What's that mean?" I shut my eyes and pulled his arm around me.

"I'll send JT to kill spiders next time." I blushed in the dark and tensed up. "I'm sure it won't happen again. Chill out." His thumb brushed my hip bone to calm me and I felt that fuzzy feeling in my stomach again.

"Don't let JT around me. I'd rather you see me naked than him."

"Why?"

"You're not as intimidating."

"You said that the other day. What makes JT so scary?"

"The fact that he's not afraid to beat me and handle me like a piece of meat."

"Maybe I should have punished you more."

"Probably wouldn't have helped. If we're being open here, spanking just reinforces my want to do it again, not stop."

"Okay, let's not be open." I smiled into the dark. "You'd better not be finding this amusing."

"Never. Now, can I go to sleep?"

"Sure. Goodnight, Holly."

"Night, Alex."

-

"Thanks for that last night," I told Eli as I lay down with my head on his stomach. We had gone down to the beach to swim again and Eli and I had tired before the other two.

"I say the same things to you when you forget."

"Still. Talking like that to Alex when you're older like JT is different. It's understandable to see people do it to their parents, but he's our guardian and brother so it's like a double punch." I paused for a moment to decide whether I'd tell him or not. "Alex told me to quit bothering him about being lonely. Maybe we should try to set him up in a non-set up way."

"Like with who?"

"I have no idea." I sighed and felt Eli brush the drying strands of hair out of my face. "What kind of girls do you think he likes?"

"Probably skinny blondes like every other red-blooded twenty-three-year-old male around here."

Fantastic, I thought to myself. "What about the lady who works at the grocery store? She's skinny and blonde. She's nice, too."

"She's also incredibly dim."

"Eli!" I slapped the leg closest to me.

"It's true. I almost asked her out once, but when I started to talk to her it started to show how stupid she was."

"She's like four years older than you, Eli. You shouldn't be dating that much older anyways."

"Thanks, Holly. Want me to jump back on that you shouldn't be dating anyone train?"

"No, I'm good. But really, maybe he'll be so lonely that seeing her will help him get back in the game again. At least he can get a good fuck out of it if he feels so inclined."

"How about you set it up and let me watch how well it goes over."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence."

"Anytime."

-

That night as I got out of the tent with fresh clothes and soap I looked over at Alex before turning to Eli. "Hey, will you come kill spiders for me?"

JT and Eli both looked at me and then Alex. "Sure." He slowly got up and followed me to the building. "You can use the women's if you want."

"There's actually more spiders in there, so I'd rather not." I stepped behind him and pushed him towards the men's room door. "Go kill them and then I'll come in. Here," I handed him my flip flop and he did as I said. A couple minutes later he handed me back my flip flop and stepped back so I could come in. "Thanks, so here," I handed him my clean clothes and towel, "stay close and watch the door in case more spiders come to attack me like the other day." He smiled and I frowned. "Don't even think about chasing one towards me or I will turn into the mean older sister."

I quickly undressed and surveyed the shower before getting in, happy there seemed to be no spiders in sight. I stepped back from the water, closed my eyes and started lathering the soap in my hair when I felt a crawling on my back and screamed. "Eli!" I ripped back the curtain as he ripped the outer one open and I quickly turned my back to him. "Kill it!"

"Shit." I heard my flip flop scrape the floor as he picked it up and jumped as it slid quickly over my skin. A second later he smacked it as he fell to the floor. "You good now?"

"Yes, thank you." I pulled the curtain back behind me and heard him pull the other closed, too. I tried to keep my eyes open as much as possible as I finished my shower so as not to back into another spider dangling from the ceiling.

After I'd changed and grabbed my stuff, Eli wrapped his arm around my shoulder. "You good?"

"Yeah, thanks for not killing it on my back."

He laughed and let go of me. "I figured you'd have smacked me if I put spider guts all over you."

"You're right." JT and Alex looked at us as we came back. "I think we should bring spider killer next time we come."

Alex cracked a grin at that and watched Eli cautiously. "One try to get you again?"

"It was crawling on my back."

His smile slipped a little and he looked back at me. "Did it bite you?"

That hadn't occurred to me and I stood up, turning my back to them and lifting up my shirt. "Is there a bite?" I flinched at the hand on my spine.

"There are two little dots that could be a spider bite, or just random scratches you got in the sand earlier," JT told me and removed his hand. "I'll go get the alcohol just in case." He walked off and I turned around as I lowered my shirt. Alex was looking intently at Eli who was watching the fire.

"Please stop staring at me," Eli told us both and looked up, meeting each of our eyes in turn.

"Sorry," I murmured and dropped into the chair beside him. I looked across to Alex, but dropped my gaze as a question registered in his.

-

"He saw you naked."

We had just lain down and I felt the rumble of his voice through my cheek on his chest. "You saw me naked. Your point?" He didn't say anything, just tightened his arm around me, fingers pressing into my hip. I got the feeling he was being possessive.

"He say anything about it?"

"Of course not. Eli doesn't see me as anything but a sister. You didn't even say anything when it happened."

"You're beautiful," he murmured and I felt him move to press a kiss to my head.

"Alex, go to sleep." He didn't say anything more even though I knew we both lay there awake a long while after.

-

We got back home the next day in time for lunch, which was spaghetti again—one of the main things we ate since it was the best thing Alex could make. "Your birthday party is Sunday," Drew told me as he walked into the dining room with a plate of food. He took the seat to the side of me Eli wasn't already occupying.

I looked over at Alex who smiled at me. "And you can have one drink. I'll make it."

"Anything I want?"

"Anything you want, except for I choose the amount of liquor in it."

My smile dropped slightly. "Well awesome. I have to tell Amy."

"Amy already knows," Drew said after he'd swallowed. I looked over at him and he smiled. "Guest list has already been contacted. Your brother had me take care of everything while you were gone."

"Did he take care of inviting plenty of single guys?" I asked hopefully.

"Not a chance, Holly," JT said. "Only people we know and trust."

"Well damn."

"Watch your language," Alex said automatically and we all continued on with our meal.

-

"This is the one," I said to Amy as I exited the dressing room. She looked up from the mirror she'd been looking in to check out the dress she'd tried on for the party.

"Your brothers will kill you."

I stepped up to the other set of mirrors and turned slowly, checking it out from every angle. "I like it. It's short, but doesn't show my ass unless I bend over. It shows just a slight bit of cleavage. And oh yeah, I'm loving the fantasies this zipper brings to mind," I told her, picking up the end of the zipper that ended in between my breasts. It went all the way down to the bottom, and that was how you got in and out of it.

"Kill you," she emphasized, but smiled at me anyways. "You look beautiful though. If that's what you want, then okay." Her present to me was an outfit for the party.

"For real though," I turned to face her. "What do you think they'll say? There will be people all around us. It's not like they can yell at me or spank me like JT has taken to."

"Hold up," she looked like she was holding back a laugh. "He spanks you?"

"Shut up, Amy. I like that dress. Is that the one for you?"

She twirled in it. "Think Steven will like it?"

"He's coming to the party?"

"Yup. Drew said I could have a plus one."

"Then yes, I think he'll like it. Even better if you don't wear a bra and he can see everything from the side," I said, my gaze dropping down to the low V-neck.

"I like your ideas," she laughed and turned around. "Unzip me. I'm not even sure how I got it zipped myself."

I grinned. "Think I could borrow that line?"

-

"Oh shit," Drew said as I opened my door. He'd come up to get me to go down to the party. It wasn't a surprise, but the decorations and such were to be kept secret until now apparently. "Alex is going to kill me if you go down there like that."

I smiled. "Unless you plan to undress me and pick out something else for me to wear, I'm keeping this on." He swallowed and I laughed. "Come on, Drew. Lighten up. It's my party and they're all here. Why would this be such a big problem?" I took his arm and leaned up to kiss his cheek before tugging him down the hall.

Eli was standing by the back door as we walked up and a grin split his face as he knew what I was trying to do. "Alex is going to sick JT on you."

"Most likely. Oh well." I opened the door and stepped out to tons of people milling around. I was instantly blasted with "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" I laughed and walked out more. I was on my way to Amy when someone gripped my upper arm. "JT?" I asked as I turned.

"Go upstairs and change." Alex's eyes were molten as he looked at me, but other than that kept the danger out of his face to not worry the people around us.

"No. Come on, I'm not hurting anyone." He dropped his hand and another took its place. "JT, let me go."

"Take her up and make her change," Alex told him and I was pulled away. Not wanting to look like the bratty little girl who threw fits still, I allowed him to lead me away, knowing I wasn't going to change anyways.

"You are always pushing it, little girl," he told me as he pushed me into my room and shut the door. "Change."

I sat down on my bed. "Nah, I'm good."

"Holly, you had better change right now or I will change you myself."

I grinned and lay back on my bed. "Promises, promises, JT."

The door opened and he took hold of my hand, jerking me upright. "One last chance." His frustration showed on his face and made me want to laugh.

"Seriously, JT, like you'd really do that."

He kicked my door shut and pulled me to stand. Before I could stop him, he'd pulled the zipper down and it had fallen to the floor. My eyes widened just as his did. He grasped my arm and pushed me face forward onto the bed. His hand started coming down on my ass hard and I couldn't even count how many times it happened. He finally stopped and I reached up and grabbed a pillow to cover my front before turning over.

"Don't think that's all you get, little girl. As soon as I tell Alex you were naked underneath that dress he's going to warm your ass more." His jaw was tense and his breathing was a little off as I looked up at him.

My ass stung where I sat, but I hadn't lied when I'd told Alex it didn't reinforce rules for me. "JT, spankings don't scare me. Seriously, you're kind of amusing me right now."

"Amusing?" his voice held anger this time and not frustration.

"Well, here's this tough guy everyone else sees getting all worked up about a girl being naked underneath her dress. Normally, this would turn you on, but since I'm your sister, you've decided to switch back to your hypocrisy. Also, you hit like a girl." I smiled as his hands tightened, knowing he'd never really hit me, but loving to get him worked up.

"Get dressed. Now."

I leaned over and picked up my black dress where it had fallen. "Will do."

"You're not wearing that." He took it from me. "And you're going to wear underwear this time."

"Underwear... I'm sure I could walk down there like that. Maybe I'd finally get Drew to jump my bones."

"Holly, I am not kidding!" He leaned forward and took my chin in his hand. "If you are not changed in five minutes, I will have Alex up here and have him deal with you."

"I'm not changing."

He clenched his teeth and let me go, disappearing behind my door. I heard his footsteps on the stairs and quickly put my dress back on. I had gotten to the back door just as Alex opened it and walked in. I smiled innocently at him. "Thanks for the party, Alex. You're an amazing brother."

His face showed every bit of his dissatisfaction as he took my arm and drug me up the stairs like JT had. "Déjà vu much?" I said to him in a conversational tone. He pushed me into my room and shut the door behind us.

"If I ask you to take that off right now, are you really not wearing underwear?"

"Well, you're not going to ask because you're a gentleman, right? So I guess there's nothing for me to worry about." I sat down on my bed and smiled up at him.

"Holly, I'm not kidding. Stand back up." I did as he said. "Take it off."

"Seriously? No. And I'm going to wear it back down there because it's my birthday and I want to feel sexy. So if you wouldn't mind stepping away from the door..." I stepped to the side of him and he pulled me back into his chest, roughly pulling down the zipper just as JT had. "See, I can explain that."

"You are naked underneath that dress, Holly. You can't explain that at all. We talked about this." He jerked down my dress and pulled me towards my closet. He pulled out a colored tank top and a pair of my jeans before pulling me along to my dresser. He pulled a pair of panties out and a bra as I blushed at him looking at my undergarments before he pressed everything into my arms. "Change. Now."

I turned my back to him and did as he said, kind of worried at what he might do if I didn't. I put my underwear on first and after I'd pulled on my shirt, he pushed my upper body forward. He took a firm hold around my hips before he started laying his hand onto my ass hard multiple times. "Fuck, Alex, stop it," I groaned, yelping as he punctuated with the hardest slap yet.

"You need to straighten up," he told me before leaning me back up right. "And how does it feel to know that now all three of your brothers have seen you naked because of you trying to strut around like a whore."

I pushed him away from me. "Don't call me a whore, Alex." I slipped off my heels and pulled on my jeans facing away from him. "JT wouldn't have seen me naked if you had just dealt with me yourself."

"I don't like to put myself in that position, Holly, and you know it."

I turned towards him as I buttoned my jeans. "Because you want to fuck my brains out. Right about now I'd probably let you since you're all so freaking psychotic about what I wear, forget about letting me date."

He shut his eyes and pressed a finger to the bridge of his nose. "Holly, you test my patience sometimes."

"Want to take it out on my ass again? One condition, find me a man to take my frustration out after." I knew I was being awful, but I really liked that dress.

"Holly, go back to the party," was all he said and walked out of my room to his.

-

I danced with Amy as the night came to an end and Steven had left. There were only about ten people left besides us and my brothers. A tap came on my shoulder as the song ended and I turned with a laugh on my lips from Amy's joke.

"I got the memo a little late, but I wanted to wish you a happy birthday and wondered if I could have a dance." Michael smiled at me as my own smile turn nervous as I looked around for my brothers. They didn't seem to be in sight though, so I stepped towards him and took him up on the offer. I felt a hand on my back a minute later and turned my head to see Drew dancing with Amy.

"Your brothers are going to kill him, Holly." Michael heard him and pulled me close.

"Give me a warning if they head for us?"

I smiled and pulled back. "Just don't get handsy and maybe they won't say anything."

"I think I already ruined that chance." His eyes focused behind me and I took a deep breath before turning to see Alex coming towards us. I caught sight of the drink in his hand and smiled.

"Thanks." I accepted the drink and stepped back from in front of Michael. "Alex, this is Michael; Michael, my brother Alex." They clasped hands and Alex met his eyes for a moment before letting go.

"We're clearing everyone out in an hour so we can have...'family time'," he told me and turned away, heading towards where JT was standing with his arms crossed and Eli sat with a half-smile on his face as he saw me looking at him.

"Well, that wasn't so bad," Michael said, putting his hands on my hips.

"Odd, huh?" I turned back towards him, took a drink of the pink mixed drink before setting it down on a table nearby. "How about we dance until they kick everyone out," I suggested, pulling his arms back around me and starting to feel the beat again.