Bring on the Wonder Ch. 03

He held her face in his hands, his thumbs brushing the tears from her cheeks, to no avail. Fresh ones spilled from her eyes even as he stroked her skin dry. "I don't have any answers. All I know is that I can't live without you. I can't function without you near me."

"You survived just fine before I moved in. Except for all the takeout and dirty laundry."

Nate smiled at her weak attempt at levity. "I'm not talking about diet and cleanliness. When you left, I realized I'd become used to your company, your presence in the house. I was worried, of course, but I was lonely because I missed you, Lizzie."

Lizzie stared at him, her tears slowing. Nate leaned close and kissed her. She put her hands on his shoulders, trying to hold him to her, wanting more. The physical bond between them might be the only thing to erase her doubts. For the time being, at least.

But Nate was having none of it. He drew away and looked into her eyes again. "Lizzie, I love you. That's how I know we'll figure out a way to make this work."

Lizzie dropped her eyes. "Nate–"

"Don't. I know what you're thinking." He touched her chin, drawing her gaze up. "How can this work? What will we tell people? What will they think? How can we even feel this way?" He shrugged. "Like I said, I don't have all the answers. I just know that this doesn't feel wrong. You can't tell me you don't feel the same way."

Lizzie stared at him, searching his eyes and face for some sign of a lie, for some sign of doubt. She found none.

"Do you love me?"

Her question seemed to surprise Nate, probably because he'd already confessed as much a few times over. Then he smiled, a handsome, slow smile that dried her tears and turned her insides to liquid fire.

"Elizabeth Anne," he whispered, sliding his hand around to cup the back of her head. "I never knew what love was until you showed me. I didn't know I could love until you proved it to me."

"I didn't do anything."

"You did. You're the most remarkable, clever, brilliant and adorable woman I've ever known. That you gave yourself to me that night..." He paused, his breath catching on the last word. He shook his head as if to clear his mind and when he looked at Lizzie again, his eyes were very dark, his pupils huge. "Lizzie, you take my breath away."

Lizzie's heart thumped hard in her chest and she leaned forward. She couldn't take anymore talking. She wanted more. She wanted to see if they could do that again, if it would feel the same way as it had then.

Nate didn't protest when she threw her arms around his shoulders and crushed her lips to his. He parted her lips with his tongue and dragged it over and around hers. She moaned into his mouth and felt her body heating as he sucked on her bottom lip.

With a swift jerk, he hauled her hips against his and twisted so that she lay beneath him on the couch. She pushed her fingers into his hair and let out another moan as he drove his tongue into her mouth for another taste. He yanked a hand from under her body and shoved her shirt up over her stomach. When his fingers brushed her skin, she let out a cry, the sensation of his touch rocking her very core.

All of a sudden, Nate stopped kissing her. His hands stilled and he lifted his head. Lizzie blinked and stared up at him. He was breathing hard and his hair was tousled from where she'd been clutching it.

He needs a haircut, she thought and blinked again, dread settling into her bones when Nate pulled away to sit up.

"Nate?"

"I can't do this."

Lizzie wilted, feeling like he'd just punched her in the stomach. Nate glanced up and his eyes widened as he took in her expression. He pulled her into his arms and tightened his hold when she struggled.

"I don't mean I can't do this, Lizzie." He pressed kisses to her forehead and face and lips. "I want you, you have to know that."

She looked back and forth between his eyes and nodded.

"All right. Now that you understand that, let me explain."

Lizzie giggled at his tone. It was so like his bossy big brother voice that he'd used for years when she was younger. The reminder of their familial link jolted her and she swallowed the knot of fear in her throat.

Nate recognized the look on her face again and kissed her before speaking. "We are siblings. You were right, not that either of us need to be reminded of that."

Lizzie nodded, still unable to speak.

"It doesn't change how I feel about you."

She nodded again.

"What I meant was, I can't do this here." He waved a hand at the room. "Here, in the living room, on the couch."

Lizzie looked around and felt her face warming. She felt suddenly like a teenager again, caught by her parents making out with her boyfriend. Except there was no one else here.

"That first time was incredible, Lizzie, don't ever doubt that." Nate picked up her hand and kissed the tips of her fingers. "But I want to make love to you. Not on the edge of my desk, or on the couch in a hurry. I want to take my time and make sure you feel everything."

Lizzie shivered as his lips moved to the inside of her wrist and he licked the sensitive skin there.

"Will you come upstairs with me?" Nate licked her again. "Or am I going to have to drag you?"

Lizzie smiled. "You can catch me." And she bolted from the couch, up the stairs before he could draw breath to laugh.

He did catch her, just at the top of the stairs. He hauled her into his arms and kept moving until he reached his bedroom. She wrapped her legs and arms around him as he moved. Their lips stayed locked together and she gloried in the sensation of his tongue sliding against hers.

After an eternity, Lizzie felt herself falling back onto a bed. His bed. Nate followed, not allowing their bodies to lose contact. His mouth moved from hers as he dragged his lips across her cheek and down the curve of her throat. Lizzie arched, exposing her neck to him and gasping as his five o'clock shadow rasped over her sensitive skin. He rubbed his lips against the groove between her neck and collarbone before licking his way back to her mouth.

Lizzie slid her fingers through his hair and held his face to hers. She couldn't get enough of his mouth, of his kisses. The weight of his body on hers was glorious and being with him felt exactly like what he'd said. Right.

He rolled to the side and pushed himself to his knees. He yanked his shirt from his pants and Lizzie sat up to start undoing the buttons. Her fingers were shaking so bad she couldn't manage the buttons on her own. Nate's hands came down over hers and together, they slid each button through each eyelet until his shirt parted beneath her fingers.

Lizzie sucked in her breath as she at long last laid her hands on his skin. She flattened her palms on his stomach and slid them higher, pausing to circle his nipples with her thumbs. The coarseness of his chest hair tickled her palms and she smiled.

"Enjoying yourself?"

She looked up and nodded. He grinned and bent to kiss her. As he did, his hands found the bottom of her sweater and she lifted her arms so he could pull it off. Reaching back, she undid the clasp of her bra and Nate pulled the straps down her arms. For a second, she felt shy, half-naked before his probing gaze. But he was gentle as he pressed a hand to the center of her chest and eased her back onto the bed.

His gaze drifted over her naked torso, taking in the fluttering pulse beneath her chin and the rapid rise and fall of her chest. He dragged a finger down the side of her throat and across her collarbone. Then he traced the outline of one breast, circling closer and closer to her nipple with each pass. Lizzie caught her breath when she thought he was about to stroke the taut peak but he switched to her other breast. She closed her eyes with a groan of protest.

Nate's deep chuckle made her smile. She knew he was having fun teasing her and she'd be lying if she said she wasn't enjoying it as well. After what he'd made her feel only a few short weeks ago, she could be patient if it meant she would feel that again.

Without warning, Nate leaned over her and sucked her nipple into his mouth while still tracing the puckered center of the other one. She gasped and put her hands at the back of his head to hold him there.

"Oh God, that feels so good. Don't stop, please!"

Another deep laugh rumbled from his chest and Lizzie shuddered at the way it vibrated between their bodies. Nate's finger stopped circling her breast and she felt his hands fumbling with the button at the waist of her pants a second later. He got the button free and rubbed his knuckles across the skin he exposed above the elastic waist of her panties.

Lizzie bit down on her lip and shifted restlessly beneath his touch. Between the suction of his mouth at her breast and the slid of his hot fingers so close to where her body wept for him, she was going out of her mind.

As if sensing her turmoil, Nate taunted her some more. He dipped his fingers beneath the fabric of her panties before letting his palm glide back up her stomach to her other breast. He lifted his head and kissed a trail across her chest to the other, neglected nipple. Lizzie moved one hand from his head, over his broad shoulders and down the middle of his back, loving the way his muscles twitched at her touch.

She reached the belt around his middle and slipped her hands inside his pants. His head jerked up when she dug her fingertips into his ass. She opened her eyes to meet his and spread her legs beneath him. His weight settled between her thighs and they groaned when the overheated parts of themselves came together.

"Nate, please."

"Please what?" He looked down and gasped when she lifted her hips to rub against him.

Lizzie let out a soft laugh and moved again. However much he teased her, it was a glorious feeling knowing that she had the same effect on him. While she rubbed against him, he pushed a hand back down between their bodies and under her layers of remaining clothing. Lizzie froze and arched off the bed a second later when his fingers pressed between her damp folds.

"Holy shit, Lizzie. You're so wet."

Lizzie smiled and nodded. She wrapped her fingers around his wrist to hold his hand there. "Don't stop."

"You're so wet for me."

She nodded again. Then his fingers brushed over her clit and a full-body tremor went through her.

"Oh God." Nate pulled his hand away and ignored her protest. He yanked her pants down her legs, growling in frustration when the fabric caught at her knees and calves. When he got them off at last, he pushed her legs apart with his body and kissed his way across her stomach.

Lizzie moaned and lifted her hips towards him, knowing where he was headed. This time, he didn't tease or tantalize. He kissed his way down and buried his face at the apex of her thighs. When his tongue split her and slid inside, she let out a wail. It felt unbelievable. His hot breath, the rasp of his whiskers and the tight clamp of his lips around her, it all sent her spiraling into ecstasy before she could draw breath.

Nate didn't let up. He sucked and licked her, tasting her over and over until she couldn't stay still. She writhed and bucked under his hold, mindless of the tight grasp he had on her hips. The dim thought crossed her mind that he would leave bruises on her skin but she didn't care. Sensation rocked her when she thought of how badly she wanted to be marked by him. By Nate. By her brother.

"Nate!" His name fell from her lips on a cry as he brought her to climax again.

After a time, he moved back up her body, leaving a hot trail of kisses and licks as he went. He stopped and took his time at different points on her. He nibbled the juncture of her thigh and hip before teasing the indent of her belly button with his tongue. His fingers traced light swirls over her sensitive sides until he cupped her breasts in each hand and pressed them together so her nipples were almost touching. Then he sucked them into his mouth, flicking his tongue over the tips.

All the while, Lizzie's hands didn't stop moving over his back and shoulders. She didn't know what she was doing except that she couldn't stop touching him. When he reached her lips, she sank her hands into his hair and kissed him with all the love and passion he had awoken in her.

"I love you."

"I love you, too." Nate pressed light kisses all along her bottom lip before sliding his tongue back into her mouth. Lizzie could taste herself on him and a punch of lust went through her.

"Make love to me, Nate."

Nate held his mouth over hers, their breath mingling. His eyes searched hers. No matter what he'd said before about how he wanted to savor this time together tonight, this was different for both of them. They weren't surprising themselves or each other with spontaneous sex on his desk. They were going into this with their eyes open, knowing that it would change everything.

Lizzie knew Nate saw the acquiescence in her eyes when he shifted and pushed at his pants with one hand. She reached down to help him, their eyes never leaving each other's. He shimmied as they pushed the pants down and he kicked them off. The muffled thump of his pants hitting the floor was the only sound in the room other than their breathing. Lizzie lifted her chin in silent supplication. Nate kissed her as she dragged one hand over his hip and circled his erection with her hand.

Nate's kiss turned hard as she stroked him once. His tongue delved deep and she gasped when he withdrew to bite down on her bottom lip. Not hard, just enough to tell her how far gone he was, how much her touch was affecting him. She stroked him again, rubbing her palm over the silky head of his cock. The liquid seeping out made her moan into his mouth and he responded when she spread that wetness around.

"Lizzie..."

She heard the plea in his voice and didn't feel like waiting any longer. She guided him to the hot, damp part of herself and let her thighs get pushed wide apart as he moved closer. Their eyes met as his body connected with hers and he gave a single weak push with his hips, sheathing only the tip of himself inside her.

Lizzie held her breath, her hand going to his lower back. Her other hand was in his hair, holding their faces close together. His lips hovered over hers, but they didn't kiss, and neither one of them moved. Lizzie could feel his arms start to tremble with the force of holding still. She stared into his eyes, his beautiful eyes, and nodded once.

Nate sank all the way in, the breath rushing out of both of them as one. Inside her, she felt the pulse of his heartbeat and the responding throb of her body around him. Never, in her entire life, had she felt so filled. His body inside of hers was what she hadn't know she'd been missing. No wonder she'd been so freaked out after the first time. Discovering this kind of connection would knock anyone's world off its axis.

Then Nate moved again and rational thought fled. She gave herself up to the luscious sensation of Nate filling her, retreating and then returning. Their lips came together and he lowered himself so their bodies rubbed along their full lengths. He put his arms to either side of her head, dominating her line of vision. She didn't care. Even when he wasn't close, he was all she could see.

His hips moved against hers and she wrapped one leg around his thigh. He kissed her lips, trailed kisses to her ear and the side of her neck before making his way back to her mouth. She gasped and squirmed with every pass of his mouth over the sensitive parts of her face and his movements stuttered every time she did. She realized then that her inner muscles squeezed every time she shuddered. And Nate liked it. So she did it again, and again until he clamped his lips to her neck and moved hard and fast within her.

"Oh, yes. Yes!" She wasn't even aware of what was coming out of her mouth. She just knew she didn't want him to stop doing this. She never wanted him to stop.

Nate lifted his head and locked their lips together, his kiss passionate and fierce as he moved faster with every stroke. Lizzie gasped, tried to pull her mouth away to breathe but he wouldn't let her. Stars burst behind her eyelids and she arched beneath him, feeling her orgasm closing in on her. But Nate beat her to it. He wrenched his mouth from hers to bury his face against her neck, thrusting hard into her and deep for several long strokes. As he kept moving, spending himself within her, she let go, sliding over the edge with a cry.

They moved together for a time after they climaxed. Their movements were relaxed, their kisses light but every touch went straight to Lizzie's heart.

A few more minutes passed before Nate rolled off of her. Lizzie turned to her side, tucking a pillow under her cheek and smiling at him.

"Thank you, Nate."

He rolled his head to look at her. "For what?"

"For loving me like you just did." Lizzie hated the warmth that rose in her cheeks at her confession.

Nate smiled and turned to his side to they lay nose-to-nose. He put his hand on her hip and stroked his thumb over her skin in slow circles. For a long while, they just stared at each other. Lizzie didn't realize she'd dozed off until Nate's warm kisses to her shoulder woke her. She rolled over and stretched her arms out, making a satisfied sound at the way her muscles ached in delightful places.

"Did I sleep for long?"

Nate shook his head and kissed her again. "Are you hungry?"

Her grumbling stomach answered for her. They both laughed, shared another kiss and then threw on some clothes before heading down to the kitchen. They ate, talked, and went back upstairs to make love again.

The rest of the night passed in much the same fashion. They would enjoy each other's bodies, snooze, eat, talk, and love some more. Their talks were what Lizzie would come to cherish later.

They talked about what happened before she'd run away. She confessed about everything that passed between Lance and herself in the month they'd spent apart, hating herself for the look of pain on Nate's face as she did. But he gathered her into his arms, kissed away her tears and told her it didn't matter. Just like every relationship they'd had before now didn't matter. Lizzie accepted his forgiveness, the biggest worry she'd been carrying since deciding to come back home.

They also talked about the future, and how they'd handle their lives together from now on. There were no hard and fast answers but they knew they could be themselves at home at least. They thought at first they would 'come out' to their parents right away but Lizzie talked Nate out of that. They ended up agreeing that no matter how in love they were, or how committed they felt this very night, neither one of them could see what the future would hold. It didn't make sense to confess all until they were positive it was for life.

After that, they spent the quiet hours talking about their dreams, their adventure stories from college and travel. They shared horror stories from their dating past and laughed over family memories. And in the darkest hour, they held each other close and just stared into each other's eyes. That was when Lizzie fell asleep, safe in Nate's arms, satisfied with his love and devotion.

Perhaps it wasn't such a shock that she'd fallen in love with her brother. Who else would have spent his entire life devoted to her happiness and well being?

****

ONE YEAR LATER

Nate came into the kitchen from the garage, newspaper in one hand, briefcase in the other. His eyes were down on the page, not paying attention to his surroundings. Then the voices registered and he looked up. He heard Lizzie and another familiar voice, one that made him smile. He set his things down and walked around the table, the living room coming into view.