Party of Five Ch. 16

"I don't want to go to sleep," Dawn said petulantly. "I want to suck this." She leaned down and massaged Josh's cock through his pyjama pants. "Will you put it in my mouth?" she asked, looking up at Josh, though her eyes were lost in the darkness.

A shiver ran through Josh's body, not only because of how Dawn's hand felt on him. "Dawn," he said laboriously, "this isn't the time to be doing this."

He tried to swat her hand away, but she dug it down between his legs, forcing Josh to stifle a groan. "Come on, Joshy," she said earnestly, "don't you wanna fuck me?"

Josh swallowed hard and bit his teeth together to stop them from chattering. "Dawn," he said firmly, "no. I don't want to do anything with you while you're drunk."

"How come?" Dawn asked in a wounded tone.

"Because you probably won't even remember it," said Josh, putting his hands on her shoulders and pushing her back gently.

"So?" Dawn said. She was letting him push her off him. "You'll remember it."

"Well, I want you to remember it too," said Josh. Dawn was kneeling on the bed now, no longer straddling him, which made it easier for Josh to refuse her advances.

"So you want me to go to bed?" she asked.

"Yes."

Dawn sighed and got to her feet. "Whatever, Josh," she said, and left his room.

Josh let his head hit his pillow and sighed at the ceiling. Some things about Dawn would never change. How many guys was she out with tonight? Or girls, for that matter? And how easy it would have been for any of them to take advantage of her, assuming they weren't drunk off their faces as well. In the past, Josh had never cared what Dawn got up to on the weekends; now though, he didn't like the thought of her hanging around a bunch of randy guys without being in full possession of her senses. Perhaps Alice had been right; perhaps he was playing the protective brother. It didn't surprise him, but the fact that he felt that way towards Dawn did. It made for a restless night's sleep.

* * *

On Sunday morning, Josh woke around nine-thirty, which was only slightly later than he usually woke. He showered, dressed, and went downstairs to find the house almost deserted. Jacquie would be up by now and most likely Alice as well, though where they were Josh couldn't guess. His mother was probably still sleeping, and after he remembered what had happened last night, he wagered that Dawn was too. The urge to check on her eventually overpowered his reluctance, so he stole upstairs to her room, pushing the door open as slowly as she had pushed his open the night before.

Dawn was sleeping rather haphazardly on one side of her bed. Her sheet was hanging on the floor and only the quilt was covering her. The pillow that she was resting her head on was wedged up against the headboard, her face smothered against it. A bare arm was protruding from beneath the quilt, hanging down to the floor. Her skin looked like copper in the pale sunlight streaming in through her window. Josh took a step forward and smiled down at her sleeping form. She looked rather endearing when all her grace had fled her; usually Dawn even managed to sleep in such a way as to look elegant and alert. Now though, she looked as though someone had thrown her down carelessly and left her to sleep as she lay.

Josh stooped down to pick up her sheet and laid it over her feet, which were sticking out at the bottom of the quilt. Dawn made a sudden movement and lifted her head, looking at Josh through her hair. "Josh?" she mumbled thickly, brushing her hair aside.

"Hi," said Josh, smiling with amusement.

Dawn let her head hit the pillow again and shut her eyes. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I just came to see if you'd managed to make it back to your room last night."

Dawn made a rather inelegant snorting sound. "After you kicked me out, you mean?"

"I didn't kick you out," Josh replied. "You were drunk."

"So?" said Dawn. "That doesn't mean we couldn't have had sex."

Josh sighed in frustration. "Maybe not for you," he said, starting towards the door, "but it did for me."

Dawn's slender arm reached up, and she grabbed his wrist with her hand. "Wait," she said. Josh stopped and watched her roll onto her back and open her eyes, her head propped up on her pillow. Her hair was more disorganised than it had ever been, her face completely devoid of make-up, her eyes lacking their usual cunning twinkle; Josh didn't think he'd ever seen her look so beautiful.

Dawn was considering him thoughtfully. "Thanks, Josh," she said, and Josh nearly fell over.

"For what?" he asked.

"For not taking advantage of me last night," Dawn replied. "I mean, don't get me wrong – I wish you had – but I think it was nice that you chose not to."

Josh broke into a smile. "You're welcome."

"Don't do it again though," said Dawn. "If I offer to suck your cock again, just let me, okay?"

Josh chuckled. "Okay."

Dawn smiled back, though it was a shrewd, amused smile. "Come here," she said, holding her hands out. Josh hesitated, looking at her suspiciously. Dawn sighed and dropped her hands on the quilt with frustration. "I'm not going to try to fuck you," she said. "Just come here!"

Josh moved cautiously forward and knelt on the floor beside Dawn. She pulled him forward and kissed him passionately on the lips until Josh's head was buzzing. "Wow," he said, after Dawn had removed her lips from his and he was able to breathe. "That was, um..." He trailed off into breathlessness. Dawn smiled at him again and rose to her feet.

"I have to take a shower," she said, opening her closet and surveying her clothes. She selected a pink, sleeveless top and a black skirt, then closed her closet again.

"Oh, I forgot," said Josh, getting to his feet at last, "Lara called last night."

"About what?" Dawn inquired.

"She was looking for you. She said she'd lost you."

"Oh, yeah, we got split up. Did she talk to you much?"

"Er...not really."

"Did she sound like she wanted to jump your bones?" Dawn asked with a grin

In spite of all he'd been through with his prurient sister, Josh felt his cheeks redden. "Maybe a bit," he conceded.

"And you didn't take her up on her offer?"

"Of course not," Josh replied incredulously.

Dawn rolled her eyes. "Don't tell me you have that loyalty crap for me now."

Josh suddenly became very interested with a loose thread on his shirt cuff. "No, of course not," he said offhandedly. "We're not in a relationship – I know that. And we can see whoever we want. And I know you probably did last night, so..."

Josh looked up to find Dawn standing in front of him with a smile. She ran a hand over his cheek. "You're so cute," she said, in what struck Josh as a derogatory tone. He was about to recover himself and retort, but Dawn was already walking out of the room, still smiling. Josh justknew she was making her ass sway like that on purpose.

* * *

Though he wasn't sure why, Josh did his best to avoid Dawn for the rest of the day. Luckily for him, she seemed too hung over to do anything other than sit in front of the television and watch all manner of sporting shows that Josh was sure she had no interest in. Had things been as they once were, he would have been quick to capitalise on her lethargic state, perhaps asking her how many poor, unfortunate men she was able to add to her tally after the previous nights antics, and then taking advantage of her sluggish reactions to dart out of the way before she could pull out his hair. But, as it was, he merely left her to her lassitude.

It was times like these that Josh realised how significantly Dawn's mood impacted the rest of the house. When she was out, or asleep, or hung over, everything seemed eerily quiet, almost disconcertingly so. Sometimes Josh would make up for this by playing a prank on Jacquie or bugging Dawn until she finally woke up enough to wreak some havoc. Now, though, he felt just as languid as she did.

So Josh found himself sitting at the kitchen table, staring at the wall and wondering why it was called a 'wall'. He gave up quickly though, after he realised he had no knowledge of etymology. He was just about to breathe an extravagant sigh and leave the room in pursuit of more interesting endeavours when Alice wandered in, looking as bright-eyed and cheerful as she always did. Josh found himself smiling involuntarily, simply because it was impossible to frown when Alice was in the room.

"Hey, Josh," she said to him as she crossed the room and placed an empty water bottle in the sink. "What's up?"

"Nothing," Josh replied listlessly.

"You look bored."

"That would be an accurate assessment."

"Well, it's a nice day outside – do you want to go for a walk?"

"A walk?" said Josh. He took his chin off his palm and straightened up. A walk. Did he want to go for a walk? With Alice? Alone with Alice? Now that he thought about it he realised how very little time they usually spent together. They spoke often and they were on perfectly amiable terms, but...they didn't really spend much one-on-one time together. So, yes, of course Josh wanted to go walking with her. But then, it wouldn't be the most comfortable walk in the world, what with their recent topics of conversation. What if Alice spoke to him about Dawn again? Or about Jacquie? What if she—

"I could always go on my own," said Alice, looking at Josh with a curious amusement.

Josh blinked and flushed, feeling stupid. "Um, sure. That'd be nice. I'll just get my shoes." He hurried out of the room and pulled on his sneakers, then stopped briefly in the bathroom to make sure his face was no longer red and his hair tidy. When he was satisfied – or as close to satisfied as he was going to get – he returned to the kitchen and walked to the front door where Alice was waiting outside. Josh stepped out and shut the door behind him.

There had been hotter days than this this summer but not many. The sun was beating down on the streets without mercy, baking the poor, shrivelling flowers and conjuring a haze in the distance. Josh had never minded the heat, and he definitely preferred it to the bitter cold of winter, but he feared for Alice's delicate complexion, which would surely burn if she stayed out here too long. To make matters worse – or better, possibly – she was wearing her blue floral dress (Josh's favourite) which did little to protect her arms and legs. She didn't seem perturbed by the heat though, so Josh didn't say anything.

They started walking along the sidewalk, with no particular destination in mind. Alice was walking slowly, enjoying the scenery and the sights and smells of summer, looking around with a wonderfully optimistic expression, as though she couldn't have been happier. Josh matched her pace but admired the coarse grey concrete instead. Someone had to give it some attention.

After several minutes, Josh became aware of the silence between them and wondered if he ought to break it. He glanced several times at Alice, but she seemed preoccupied with the scenery, so he remained silent and continued to look at the ground. Before long, however, Alice turned away from the trees and flowers and butterflies and looked expectantly at Josh.

"So..." she said.

Josh looked up, racking his brain for something, anything, to say. "Um...nice weather," he settled for, then scolded himself so sharply that he almost missed Alice's reply.

"Yeah, it's lovely," she said, looking around again. Josh chanced a look sideways and noticed the fine sheen of sweat on her forehead and cheeks and neck. Her skin was shining like diamond in the sunlight.

"So how are things going with Valerie?" Alice asked, looking back at Josh.

"Um, good. I think."

"Are you still friends?"

"Yeah."

"Well, that's good."

"Yeah," Josh replied with a weak smile.God,he thought,why is this so awkward? I should say something else. Something funny – something witty. Like, um...like... His thoughts trailed off as he realised Alice was looking at him curiously. He stared wide-eyed at the pavement.

Alice seemed amused. "What are you thinking about?" she asked.

"Thinking about?" Josh echoed. "Nothing – I wasn't thinking about anything."

"You must have been thinking aboutsomething," said Alice.

"No – nothing. Nothing at all. Completely thought-free at the moment." Josh would have given everything he owned to know what Alice was thinking about, but he didn't tell her that. He noticed the disappointed look on her face as she turned away, and felt awful. "Actually, I..." he began.

"It's okay, Josh," Alice said, smiling. "I know you still find it hard to talk to me. It doesn't matter."

"I don't," Josh replied quickly. "Find it hard to talk to you."

Alice raised her eyebrows. "You don't?"

"No – of course not. I'm over that. Honestly."

Alice considered him for a moment, then her smile widened. She looked ahead again, and Josh dropped his eyes, both of them settling into a comfortable silence. Several minutes passed before Alice spoke.

"So were you thinking about Dawn?" she asked. Josh couldfeel his cheeks turning bright red. He willed them not to, but the damn things wouldn't listen. Alice saw his face and giggled, which, as always, only made Josh's blush deepen. "Sorry," she said.

Josh said nothing in reply,and they rounded the block and started back towards home. The walk back seemed to pass by a lot more quickly to Josh, until, that is, Alice started wiping the sweat from her neck and collarbone and everything began to move in slow motion. She raised her chin and wiped her palm along the underside, sighing with exhaustion. "It's so hot," she remarked. "But look at you, you're not even sweating."

I am, Josh wanted to say,just not anywhere you can see. He swallowed the thought as the house came into sight, and they hurried into its air-conditioned interior. Alice went straight to the sink for a glass of water and a damp towel. She poured a glass for Josh as well, which he accepted gratefully. He sipped it slowly, watching Alice over the top of it as she ran the moist dishtowel over her neck and face. At that moment, Alice was exciting him far more than even Dawn ever had. His breath was shallow, his palms sweaty, and his mind spinning uncontrollably. He had to do something, and fast.

"I'm, uh, going to take a shower," he said, standing up.

Alice merely nodded and poured herself another glass of water. Josh was up the stairs in five seconds and inside the bathroom in another three. He shut the door, walked to the sink and splashed copious amounts of water on his face. He was debating whether to relieve his own excitement, or to find Dawn and see if she was willing to. But, no, he didn't feel right doing anything with Dawn when he was thinking about...

"Oh, God," he said aloud, with dread. He stared horror-struck at his reflection.No, no, no, he thought.No – I'm not. I'm not thinking about...her. I'm not. I'm thinking about Dawn. Dawn's ass and Dawn's breasts and Dawn's sweaty neck. Oh, God.

Josh cast a nervous glance around the bathroom, as though he expected an ambush. He wasn't sure what to do. He couldn't relieve himself now – not now. But he had to; it would be much worse if he didn't.What do I do? he thought desperately.I have to think about something else –someone else. I—

His thoughts were cut off abruptly by the knock on the bathroom door. "Dawn?" Jacquie's voice. "Is that you? Can you hurry up; I need to use the bathroom."

Josh thought for a moment, then crossed the room and opened the door. "Josh," Jacquie said with surprise. "I thought Dawn was—" She was cut off mid-sentence as Josh yanked her forward and kissed her full on the lips. Jacquie was so surprised that she didn't kiss him back, only stared at him with wide eyes and gave a little cry of shock that was muffled against Josh's lips. Josh had shut the door and pushed her back against it; his fingers were wrapped tightly around her elbows and his body was crushing her to the door. His head was still spinning, and his heart was thumping like crazy inside his chest, but he managed to cling to the sliver of control he had and let go of his eldest sister. He took a step back and looked at her with an expression almost identical to hers.

"I'm sorry," he panted quickly. "I'm..."

Jacquie was still leaning against the door, blinking with confusion, mouth open and eyes wide. "Wow," she gasped. "That... Wow."

Josh tried and failed to speak. He wished Jacquie would close her mouth and straighten up, so that she didn't look so...violated. "Wow," she said again.

Josh looked at her with concern. "Are you... I didn't mean to... I'm sorry... I..." In response, Jacquie took hold of Josh's arms and pulled him forward, sealing his mouth with hers once more. Now it was Josh's turn to lie stiffly in her arms, staring at her with eyes wide. He recovered quickly though and shut his eyes to kiss her properly. Their arms ran around each others backs and waists and necks and tangled in their hair. Josh could smell Jacquie's perfume more than he'd ever been able to before, and it was mingled with another, more pungent aroma. He was barely aware of what was happening when he felt her fingers unzipping him. He opened his eyes and looked down, but all he saw was Jacquie's face.

She continued to kiss him as her hand slid inside his trousers and rubbed up against his cock, which had never been harder. She curled her fingers around it and gripped it tightly, making Josh gasp into her mouth. He was disappointed when Jacquie took her hand away, but the feeling vanished when he saw her take hold of her blouse and pull it up towards her head. She broke their kiss only long enough to draw the garment over her head, and then she was kissing him more fiercely than ever. One of her hands went to the left and fumbled around for the lock on the door; once it clicked the hand was on the side of Josh's face, pulling him closer.

Josh's senses were overloading, his mind dissolving into a euphoric haze. He wasn't sure what was happening or where his hands were or how many items of clothing he'd lost; he was aware only of Jacquie's lips pressed firmly against his and the touch of her hands on his body. She had made short work of the buttons on his shirt and quickly tugged it off. Her bra followed, so that her large breasts were squashed against Josh's chest. She held his face with both hands and kissed him fervently, turning Josh's knees to water.

Soon she was fumbling with the buttons on her jeans, quickly tugging them down to her knees. Her panties went down as well, as did Josh's trousers and underwear. Distantly, he realised this was only the third time he and Jacquie had made love – he also realised that he did, in fact, think of it as making love (whereas with Dawn he thought of it as raw, animalistic sex). They had never done it quite like this though; never with other people in the house and never standing up. Half of Josh's brain – what little of it was operating – worried about what might happen if one of the others were to come knocking; the other half did the equivalent of a mental Mexican Wave at the prospect of having sex.

Suddenly, Jacquie was gripping Josh's back more tightly, and she was raising a long, slender leg, back pressed against the door. Josh put a hand beneath her thigh to support her and moved closer. They were still on the same long kiss, inhaling desperately through their noses, so that they wouldn't be forced to take their lips off each other. Josh's cock was suspended before Jacquie's pussy, hungry for its touch. He realised, oddly, that even now, there was still the tiny voice inside his head that mentioned 'sister' and 'incest' and 'wrong', only now that voice excited him rather than frightened him.