Summer's End Ch. 01

After the party, Brandon and Emma were left alone to clean up. While the temperature outside dipped, the interior of the cottage grew chilly, as well. Brandon went about lighting a fire in the hearth to chase away the cold.

"Adam was certainly attentive to you tonight," Brandon commented, as he stacked the wood just so.

Emma smiled, remembering some of the things Adam had said to her. "Yeah, he was very sweet." She felt the heat rise in her face, when she thought about some of the decidedly erotic comments Adam had made to her. Adam hadn't tried to touch her, though; Emma had been slightly disappointed by that.

"Just don't forget what I said earlier, Em," Brandon warned. "He's a player, okay?"

Her brothers' words forced the anger to swell in her chest. "Knock it off, Bran," she warned. "He was a perfect gentleman tonight. I've waited five years for that guy to notice me," she poked the air with her finger, pointing in the general direction of the Gerhardt cottage, "and he finally has! So quit trying to ruin it for me!"

At her harsh words, Scooter came out from his place under the couch. He circled her feet repeatedly, upset by her tone.

Brandon touched the lit match to paper and watched as the flames began to lick at the dry wood. Satisfied that the fire would take, he stood and turned to his sister. "Emma, look. I know you like him. I understand, okay? Just be careful, that's all I want you to do. Just be careful." He approached her, not wanting to fight on their first night, but a low growl and a warning hiss stopped him in his tracks. Brandon looked down; he knew whom he'd find at Emma's feet. "Fucking hell," he muttered.

"Oh, Scooter, hush!" Emma bent and picked up her furry little baby. She cradled him in her arms as she looked at her older brother. "I appreciate your concern," Emma nodded. "I really do. But I'm a big girl, I can handle it."

Brandon didn't think big girl described Emma well at all. She was definitely on the short side. The top of her head didn't even reach his shoulder. He her height was not what she was talking about, though. She thought herself mature enough to handle someone like Adam. And Brandon knew that was the furthest thing from the truth. Emma was such a stubborn girl. He hoped she wouldn't have to find out about Adam the hard way.

As Emma got ready for bed later that night, her bravado faltered. Adam was a fast talker, smooth, too. He'd said some things that had gotten her very excited, but she wasn't sure she was ready for him yet. Emma hated to admit it, but her brother was probably right.

Emma slipped into one of Brandon's old flannel shirts and thought back to some of the things Adam had said to her. He had called her beautiful. No one had ever called her that, except her dad. Emma didn't think she was particularly beautiful. Cute, maybe. Perky, God she'd been called that more times than she could remember. But beautiful? No, never that.

Adam told her he wanted to get to know her better. He wanted to take her to Silver Lake State Park the next day. She hadn't told Brandon that yet. She suddenly wondered if he would let her go. Emma was nervous about going there with him; some parts of the dunes were very secluded. She thought that maybe she should tell her brother everything Adam had said.

Emma's twin bed was against the half-wall of the sleeping porch, right in the living area. Being where it was, she had the benefit of the fireplace's warmth, unlike the sleeping porch, where Brandon slept. As she slipped from beneath the sheets, she could hear her brother's soft snores through the wall. Beyond his snoring, she heard the waves gently washing ashore. Both sounds were sources of great comfort to Emma.

Brandon was leaving early in the morning with some of his other friends, and they were headed for Silver Lake, too. Emma wasn't sure she'd get a chance to talk to him before then. Pushing the covers aside, she got up on her knees and opened one of the sets of shutters separating the sleeping porch from the rest of the cottage. She stuck her head through and looked down at her brother sleeping directly below her.

"Brandon!" No answer. Louder, "Brandon! You awake?"

A groan, and a mumbled, "I am now," came from beneath the covers.

"I have to talk to you. Watch out, I'm coming over."

Brandon came wide-awake. He knew what that meant, though Emma hadn't done it in a long time. He didn't think it was a good idea, not anymore. "Emmie, wait, no--" The words died on his tongue as her shapely leg came up over the wall, then the rest of her. Christ, she was wearing lime green panties. He scrambled out of the way just as she fell into the bed next to him.

Emma turned her head and looked at him. She smiled. "Hi."

"Hi yourself. You could've come through the door."

"The wall's quicker."

Brandon tossed the blankets over his sister's little body. "It's cold. Cover up." He couldn't stand looking at her, knowing that beneath his old flannel shirt she wore lime green panties.Dammit! His dick was coming to life.

Blissfully unaware of the physical reaction she'd caused Brandon, Emma snuggled under the warm blankets. She released a contented sigh, closed her eyes for a moment, and listened to the waves.

"Um, you planning on sleeping in here with me, or what?" That would be impossible. He knew he couldn't spend an entire night lying next to his sister. No, that was just asking too much.

Emma opened her eyes and laughed. "Maybe I am. Can I?" She was only teasing, but Brandon took her seriously.

He would have loved nothing more than to keep her there, beside him. He couldn't though. His conscience wouldn't allow it. "Hell no, you can't sleep in here! Are you crazy?" Brandon rose up on one elbow, prepared to order her out of his bed.

Emma laid her small hand on his chest. "Settle down, Bran. I was kidding. I just want to talk to you; that's all. Lie down."

That he could do. Brandon's head returned to the warm pillow, as he tried to relax. He sighed. "Okay, Emma, what's on your mind?"

"Adam. I think he wants to become, uhmm, intimate with me." Emma blushed and ducked her head against Brandon's shoulder. She didn't usually discuss such things with him. Of course, up until now, she'd never had a reason to.

Brandon cringed at her words. "What exactly do you mean by intimate, Em?"

"You know,intimate. I think he wants to do it."

"For the love of God, Em, has he even kissed you yet?" Brandon rolled his head from side to side on the pillow, uncomfortable with where the conversation was headed. "Up 'til now he barely gave you the time of day, and now all of a sudden he wants to get in your pants? What the hell's up with that? Does he think that because you're eighteen now he can do whatever he wants with you? Because I swear to God, Emma, if he lays one hand on you, if he hurts you, I'll tear him apart!"

The more upset Brandon became, the more it distressed Emma. She was frustrated with his reaction; she didn't understand it at all. He'd had sex before. He'd lost his virginity. Why was she any different? She tried to explain it to him. "Bran, someday I want to do it; you know? I mean, why not now? Why not Adam? He likes me Bran, I know he does. He told me he did. You've done it before. I know you have." To Brandon, it sounded like an accusation.

Brandon didn't say anything for a long time. How could he? He turned on his side and looked at Emma. How could he tell her that he wanted to be her first? How could he tell her that he wanted to be the first and only man that ever made love to her? The only one to hold her, to kiss and touch her? To lie between her legs and taste her? How could he tell her that? He couldn't. There was no way to tell her something like that. Instead, he tried to focus on what she was saying to him.

"Emmie," Brandon began softly. "If you're determined to go through with it, I can't stop you. I won't even try. All I can do is warn you about Adam. He'll go through five or six girls this summer; mark my words. You'll only be one of them." He added as an afterthought, "Besides, he's kind of old for you."

"I love you Bran, and I trust your judgment, but I think you're wrong about him. He told me earlier he's been waiting for me to grow up. And how can you say he's too old for me? He's the same age as you. You're not old."

Brandon laughed a little at that. "I know you think I'm trying to interfere, but you came to me, Em. I'm only telling you how I feel." He knew that wasn't entirely true. He wouldn't tell her how he really felt. He didn't think he could ever do that.

"He wants to take me to Silver Lake tomorrow to swim, and I want to go."

Silver Lake was a smaller inland lake, warmer and more suited for swimming than Lake Michigan at that point in the summer. The Great Lake wouldn't be warm enough to swim in for a few more weeks yet.

Brandon nodded. "I'll be there, too, with Lisa, Matt, and John, but we'll be up in the dunes, so I don't think I'll see you. Just promise me, Em, if he tries anything with you, makes you feel weird or uncomfortable, leave. Okay? Promise? Just leave. You can try and find me, or just head home." The cottage was only a mile north of Silver Lake; some days they would walk along the beach to get down there.

"I promise Brandon, and thanks. You're the best." Emma leaned into him and kissed him on the lips.

Brandon closed his eyes as Emma's lips brushed his. His heart pounded in his chest at her touch. The light pressure on his mouth, her soft hand pressing his chest, they made him want to pull her into his arms and hold her tight.

The moment ended as soon as it began. "Love you, Bran," Emma said, rolling away from her brother.

"Love you, too, Em," Brandon replied, his voice drained of its usual strength. He watched her rise up on his bed and head back over the wall. Another glimpse of her lime green panties made his already hard dick start to throb. He reached down and withdrew it from his boxers.

So many nights he laid awake thinking of Emma, masturbating to pictures of her in his mind. That night was no different; though it felt kind of strange, knowing she was just on the other side of the half-wall.

As Brandon stroked his cock, he thought of her long dark hair and blue eyes, those heavenly blue eyes that curved up slightly at the corners when she laughed. He loved her so much, and not just as a brother. He had fallen in love with her years ago, while she matured and grew into a beautiful young woman. It had been painful and wonderful, being so close to her yet unable to have her as he wanted. It was one of the reasons he had decided to go to Chicago at the end of summer. He couldn't take it anymore. The pain of being around Emma, and not being able to have her, had finally won out.

Brandon turned to his side, away from the wall, and groaned into his pillow as his orgasm neared. He thought of her pretty little mouth, and what it would feel like wrapped around his cock. Behind his eyes, he imagined her lovely, full breasts in his mouth as he suckled on them, pulling at them. His toes curled and his sac tightened, as he imagined himself plunging into his sister's slick pussy. Hot, sticky jets of come shot upwards, coating his stomach. A single word escaped his lips. "Emmie," he whispered.

On the other side of the wall, Emma was just drifting off when something forced her to stir. She sat up in bed and listened. A strange sound was coming from the sleeping porch. She peeked through a gap in the shutters and nearly gasped at the sight of her brother stroking himself off. She stared, momentarily stunned as she watched Brandon masturbate.

Emma's shock quickly turned to interest as she watched Brandon's face contort with pleasure. She wondered what, or rather, whom he was thinking about. She shifted her weight from one knee to the other to get a better look and felt moisture in her panties. Guilt began to overcome her, even as she slipped a hand through the waistband of her underwear and touched her clit. Emma slowly began to work her little bud in circles.

She thought he was done when he rolled over on his side away from the wall, and away from her view. She moved to lie down and finish herself off when she heard her own name on her brothers' lips.Oh my God, he was thinking about me! Emma was taken aback, yet she found the idea thoroughly arousing.

Emma pictured her brother's hard cock as she rubbed herself to her own orgasm. She thought of him working his hard shaft with his hand, pumping and stroking. Just knowing he had been thinking of her made her pussy start to ache in anticipation of release. She was close. It was so wrong, oh God so wrong, but she wanted to see him do it again. Emma dipped her finger into her soaking pussy, then brought it back to her clit. Closer still, she applied a bit more pressure, then it hit. Her back arched and her pelvis thrust into the air as the first wave of her orgasm washed over her. She remained silent and clenched her teeth, though the urge to yell out nearly overwhelmed her.

Shaken by what she had seen and felt, and by emotions she didn't understand, Emma turned over and curled into a tight little ball. She fell asleep thinking not of Adam, but of her own brother.

***

The smell of coffee pulled Emma from sleep the following morning. She opened her eyes to see Brandon sitting on the couch drinking from a mug. He'd lit another fire, and the morning chill was already gone. Emma tried to turn over but a heavy object on her legs prevented it. She looked down to see Scooter draped across her knees.

As if sensing Emma was awake, Brandon looked her way. A smile split his face. "Morning, sleepyhead."

Emma stretched, sending a protesting Scooter to the floor. "Morning. What time is it? I thought you'd be gone by now." She sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed. "Any coffee for me?"

"Yup." Brandon rose and went to the kitchen. He grabbed a mug out of the cupboard and poured for Emma. He glanced at the clock over the stove. "Eight-fifteen. Here you go." He handed her the coffee and watched as she took a tentative sip of the steaming brew.

"Thank you. It's good." Emma had always thought her brother made the best coffee. "I thought you were leaving early?"

Brandon looked down at Emma and smirked. "Trying to get rid of me?" He tried hard not to become aroused at the sight of her, all messy and tousled. She had that sleepy, just-awakened look. He thought she looked incredibly sexy standing there in his old flannel shirt; it fell just above her knees.

Emma laughed. "Hardly, silly." She went and sat down on the couch in front of the fire to drink her coffee. "I'm just surprised, is all. I know you're anxious to get down to the dunes."

"I had one more thing I wanted to say to you, and something to give you before I left."

"Yeah? Got a present for me?" Emma eagerly leaned forward. She watched Brandon disappear into the sleeping porch. He returned a minute later with two small foil squares.

"Here, I want you to take these and make Adam use them, if the need arises."

Emma glanced down at what her brother pressed into her outstretched hand. "Condoms, Brandon? What for?"

Brandon looked at his little sister for a moment, trying to decide if she was serious or not. He decided she wasn't joking. He sat down next to her. "Emma, you've never done it with a guy."

For a brief moment, Emma thought of Brandon stroking himself off, thought of the way her name had sounded on his lips. She suddenly wondered what it would be like ifhe made love to her. Her nipples hardened, and she felt her cheeks flush.

Brandon's words broke into her thoughts. "Mom and Dad aren't here. It'smy responsibility to look out for you, Emma. C'mon, Em, you know that. Look, I know Adam; I know how his mind works--" Emma tried to cut him off with her protests, but he held up his hand to silence her. "Let me finish, please." Emma nodded, so he continued. "Just take these. You may be right; he may have no interest in sex with you, right now. But if he does, if he ever does, for God's sake, make him use one."

"What if he doesn't want to wear it, Brandon?" Emma asked.

"Son of a bitch, Emma, seriously?" Brandon let out a loud snort. "Then get the hell away from him as fast as you can. Do you want to wind up pregnant or worse, with some fucking nasty disease? He's probably fucked half the girls up here." Brandon was getting irritated with Emma's obvious lack of clarity regarding Adam. For some reason she just couldn't see the kind of man Adam really was. Brandon had seen it each summer.

"I get it, Brandon, okay. Thanks. Thanks for looking out for me." Emma leaned over and kissed his cheek, but she didn't move away. He was so close, and he smelled so good. The warmth between her legs grew; the beat of her heart quickened.

Brandon abruptly stood, aware of something that had just passed between them. Was he imagining it, or had he caught the scent of his sister's arousal? "I gotta run, Em. See you tonight," he muttered and was outside before Emma could say another word.

Brandon detested the thought of Emma being with Adam. Usually, Adam kept a girl around long enough to screw her a few times and then that was it. She was falling into Adam's trap, and there was nothing he could do about it, except sit back and watch it happen. He slammed the car into reverse and backed down the drive. Fucking hell, it was going to be a long summer.

To be continued...