Sibling Love Ch. 04

Note from Author:

I decided it would be best to put all of the "vacation" chapters into one single chapter, hence this one being much longer. There is still plenty more to come so I do hope you'll enjoy it.

--- Chapter 4 ---

"You've got my card in case you need anything, you've got our numbers and if anything happens don't hesitate to call Mrs Townley, alright?"

I stared at Mom as if she'd grown three heads. "We'll be fine," I assured her as Dad finished loading their stuff into the back of the truck.

Ellie stepped up beside me and bounced on the balls of her feet. "Have fun, Mom. I bet you'll find some neat stuff in those little stores. Bring something back for me?"

Mom smiled down at Ellie as she stepped into the passenger seat. "Kids," Dad called out, leaning over Mom in the cab. "If there are any problems, just call us or the Townleys, alright?"

I ground my teeth in frustration. Were they serious? "If anything major happens I'll call the police or fire department, not you guys."

He gave me a wide grin before nodding. "That's my boy."

"Just remember, if you get hungry then please order anything you need. We can deal with money later."

I grumbled.

Mom gave me a look. "I'm just making sure that you'll both be okay."

Ellie jumped in this time. "Mom, we'll be just fine, I promise. Go and have some fun! I'll look after him and make sure he doesn't do anything stupid."

I shot her an accusing look and a shrug. She met it with a shrug of her own.

Dad and Mom laughed as they gave us one last wave before pulling out. We waved until they disappeared around the end of the road.

The street was silent for a few moments before I turned to Ellie. "Good to go?"

She didn't answer me as she bolted for the house to grab her holdall. I did the same, dragging it downstairs before grabbing my coat and keys.

"Are you good to go?" I called out again as I heard her stomping down the stairs. She dropped her two cases on the floor in front of me with a huge grin on her face. "Two cases? We're going for two nights, not a month."

Her grin turned a little sinister as she shrugged up at me. "I need it all."

"Fair enough, are you ready?"

"Yep! Let's get going."

I started the car up and let it run for a few minutes, warming up the freezing cold interior before loading our stuff in the trunk. My car really was a piece of shit. I made another mental note to get myself something more comfortable and better equipped as soon as possible.

"Three whole days with just the two of us and no one else to worry about," Ellie murmured.

I wanted to reach over and pull her to me, but unlike the truck there was no middle seat here. Instead, I opted to reach over and stroke her thigh. She immediately grabbed my hand and made a small noise of appreciation.

"Check in is after 5pm. As soon as we get there we can relax," I said while revving my old motor.

"I can't wait, Adey," she said, her voice as bright as her smile.

I shifted into gear and took off. As usual, Ellie fell asleep within minutes, softly snoring against the door while I took my time on the long drive. My car was reliable enough but I wasn't going to risk pushing it on a long journey. We pulled up to the strip over an hour later. The traffic had been a nightmare, so at least we weren't too early to check in. As I pulled into the underground parking lot, I glanced over at a sleeping Ellie.

"Hey, sleepyhead. We're here," I called out.

She stirred, opening frowning eyes to look around as I parked in one of many open bays. It wasn't busy at least. As the engine shut down Ellie let out a little squeaky yawn before looking up at me. She seemed to wake up almost immediately, no doubt as excited as I was to finally get our weekend underway.

"Let's go and check in," she said with a grin.

"No arguments here," I answered with a wink.

Our check in went off without a hitch. Hell, the room service met us on the top floor with some cold champagne as we tried to enter the suite. I guessed there were upsides to paying so much for a room. Ellie took it with a massive grin and a thank you as I let us in.

My stomach lurched a little as we walked into our suite. I'd hoped it would be everything we'd seen... and it was. Man, was it what we'd seen and more.

The pale grey and white room was easily big enough for way more than two people... maybe too big for ten people. All of the outer walls were lined entirely with floor to ceiling windows, electric blinds above each. The bed sat in an intricately built oak display, while the bed itself was absolutely massive. I could've laid on it width-ways and still not touched the sides. A gigantic chest sat at the end with a remote control beside it, no doubt for a TV. I glanced around at all the fine decorations as Ellie explored the entire area.

"Oh. My. God, Adey! Come and look at this!"

I snorted a laugh at her screeching and followed her excited voice into the massive bathroom. Once in, I had to let out a whistle of appreciation myself. A huge Jacuzzi ate up a corner of the huge room while an open shower was built into the adjacent corner. There were a pair of sinks opposite the shower, hung under a massive, wall-width mirror while an overly complicated toilet sat opposite the tub.

"I thought it looked good from the pictures but this is insane..."

"Isn't it?" Ellie could barely contain her excitement as she sat on the edge of the tub and grinned up at me. "Just think of how amazing the bath we could have in here would be." She glanced down into the tub and poked one of the jets. "We could have a glass of champagne and turn down the lights, cuddle up together and relax after we..." she stopped herself, eyes shooting up to nervously meet mine before she went back to fiddling with the tub.

Her nervousness was adorable only because I knew that it was completely unnecessary. I stepped up to her. "After we...?" I murmured as I slipped my hands behind her neck. She let out a tiny noise as I tilted her head to look at me. "Ellie?" I asked, though I was pretty sure I knew exactly what was running through her mind.

She kissed my forearm before taking a deep breath. "After we make love..." she said, clearly fighting the urge to look away. "I sound so stupid."

I hated how she called herself that. "You do not sound stupid," I reassured her as I knelt down, stroking the tiny hairs at the base of her neck. "Ellie, listen. There's no pressure. If you're not comfortable or if you're unsure at all-"

Ellie cut me off. "I'm not," she said with a tiny, almost nervous giggle. "I'm really, really not. I'm so excited, Adey."

"Me too," I whispered. She let out a little noise as I continued to stroke her hair, marveling at how beautiful she looked in the gentle bathroom light. I searched for a topic to change the subject and shift her attention away from sex. "We still have a couple of hours until our dinner reservation. Is there anything you wanna do?"

Her answering smile was infectious. "Why don't we get ourselves ready then head out a little early? The strip looks so beautiful and quiet from up here, we could take a slow walk to the restaurant?"

Part of me wanted to grin. She was a hopeless romantic, which was perfect since if I were honest with myself, so was I. "Sounds great, we can check out the room properly later."

We spent the next hour and a bit getting showered separately. Ellie made a point of keeping the bathroom locked as she got herself pampered, powdered and whatever else it is women did in the eternity it took them to get ready.

On my end, I went about getting unpacked and dug out my good dress clothes. They didn't see much use these days but what better opportunity to get dressed up? I gave my leather shoes a good buffing before taking out my black slacks and soft grey button-up shirt to give them an ironing. I followed it up by hanging out my Italian-made jacket. It was the single most expensive item of clothing I owned and it fit me incredibly well. Good tailoring cost good money, I figured.

I gave myself a small spritz of cologne before pulling on my tie and giving my hair a final style in my reflection from the window. Done with getting ready, I spent the next little while wandering around. I grabbed the remote first and found I was right about the TV, but what I didn't expect was the absolute monster of a curved screen that appeared.

"Damn, this is insane," I murmured to myself before clicking to drop the TV back down again.

I heard a crash from the bathroom, my head snapped around to stare at the door.

"You alright?" I called out, a little worried as I headed towards the room.

"Fine, thanks!" Ellie yelled back, her tone oddly pinched. "I won't be long!"

I folded my arms. "What are you doing?"

"Just getting dressed!"

I hummed but decided to ignore it and went to put on my jacket and straighten myself out.

A few minutes later I heard the lock on the bathroom door before it was slowly pulled open. Ellie took a meek step into the room and I swallowed hard, my blood searing in my veins at the sight that greeted me.

A pair of black, high-heeled pumps framed her lithe ankles. The low, angled hem of a dark emerald dress seemed to shimmer in the light. It ended halfway down her calves and somehow hugged her body in spots and flowed in others, highlighting her gorgeous curves to amazing effect while still being quite demure and unrevealing. Her neck was adorned by a delicate, silver chain necklace that held a small, silver heart. She'd transformed her hair from its usual waviness into thick curls that flowed to the middle of her back, with a few locks pulled forward to frame her face. Even her makeup seemed heavier than usual. Glossy, pink lips and slightly blushed cheeks were teamed with mascara and eye shadow that turned her teal orbs into sparkling aquamarine.

She looked absolutely stunning.

"I, uh," I stumbled over my words with a shake of my head, unable to take my eyes off of her. "Uh, you look..." I just stood by the door with my hands in my jacket pockets like a mute jackass.

Her nervous, tight lips quickly shifted into a toothy smile as she walked up to me. I couldn't move my appreciative gaze as she stopped right in front of me to reach up and take hold of my jacket collar.

"You're so beautiful," I breathed.

"Thank you, Aden," she giggled, exuding far more confidence while smoothing my collar out. "You look wonderful... so handsome and sexy in a suit. It's not often I get to see you all dressed up... I'm one lucky lady."

I swallowed against the lump in my throat and nodded, slipping my hands around her waist. "So am I. Lucky guy, even."

We stood like that for a few moments, just looking into each other's eyes before I cleared my throat and dragged myself out of my silent admiration. "Ready to get going?"

"I just need to put my coat on." She pressed my collar down once more before grabbing a thick, ankle-length black coat from the stand.

Meanwhile, I opened the hotel door and held my arm out for her. She made her way over, her smile not faltering for a moment and linked her arm with mine.

"Ma'am," I said with a smirk and a nod.

"Sir," she replied with a playful curtsy.

We made our way down the elevator and through the huge entryway into the icy streets. Part of me wondered exactly what kind of wizardry was implemented when they designed and made this coat, since I couldn't feel the biting chill in my upper body whatsoever.

Ellie seemed to be in a similar situation, her thick coat protecting her from the cold, though her blushed cheeks did gain a hint more pink as she let out a foggy breath. "The restaurant is a little way down there," she said while pointing to the right. "Let's just walk down there slowly, hm? We can check out the river and stores on the way."

"Good plan," I agreed as I walked us down the wide sidewalk.

The heavy traffic from earlier had calmed down by then and the streets were mostly devoid of people, probably because it was fucking freezing. Snow fell in a light dusting, lining the walls and benches along the street. It was almost silent aside from the occasional song or two coming out of storefronts as we walked past. The snow seemed to swallow up any noises that could have distracted us from one another, while lit up in varying shades of white and purple from moonlight and shopfronts.

"It's so pretty here," Ellie murmured as we took our lazy stroll.

"You're telling me. It feels like we're the only two people in the world right now," I answered as I looked around the empty streets.

"It really does," she said quietly, squeezing my arm as she stopped our stroll to rub against me. "If only we didn't have to take trips like this to be together."

I looked down to find her already staring up at me. The intensity in her eyes made my stomach twinge in sympathy. "I know," I said quietly. "We'll work something out. There's no rush, we've got all the time in the world."

The corners of her lips raised a little as she slowly blinked, her long eyelashes fluttering. "You're right. We'll find a way to make this work."

"That's my girl," I said with a wink as I leaned down to brush her forehead with a kiss. She chuckled and returned to resting her head back against my upper arm as we continued down the quiet street.

"We should come back here sometime. That bookstore looks amazing," I suggested while pointing at the giant, two story building. "Gotta be some good stuff in there that you haven't read yet."

"Are you implying that I'm a nerd who only reads books?"

"Pretty much." She poked me in the side as I snickered to myself.

I felt her laughing against my arm, though she made no noise. "Maybe they have some how to books, such as how to be charming on a first date."

"Ouch. Harsh but fair," I said with a laugh as we started to come up to the restaurants. "Is that the place?" I said after a few more minutes of walking, pointing at the modern looking place.

"That's it," Ellie replied, giving me a gentle squeeze. "Have you thought about what you want to eat?"

I shrugged. "I'll do what I always do and order the chef's recommendation. How about you?"

She didn't get a chance to reply as I opened the glass door. I made a point of standing out of the way and giving her a small bow.

Ellie just shook her head. "Get in," she laughed, pulling me into the quiet restaurant.

Within moments a server directed us to our private booth away from the public seats and we were left alone in the warmly lit alcove. Soft jazz played over the speakers, stuff that was surprisingly inoffensive and actually contributed to the warm atmosphere.

"This is nice," I said while pulling out Ellie's seat. Her smile was stunning as she let me help her out of her coat. I removed mine too and laid them over a spare seat beside us.

"It really is," she replied and sat down beside me at the small table, her hand immediately reached over to rest on my thigh as I adjusted myself and had a little look around. "The interior design here is beautiful, not to mention all of the amazing smells," Ellie mused as she glanced around the softly lit dining area.

"Tell me about it. The roasted garlic hit me as soon as we walked in, now I'm picking up fennel as well as thyme."

She rolled her eyes with a laugh. "You and your food."

"Hey, I appreciate flavor combinations!"

"So do I, but I don't pick them out of literal thin air!"

"What's wrong with having a taste for the finer things?" I asked as I leaned over to plant a kiss on her svelte neck. The fresh scent of her perfume tickled my nose as I hummed against her flesh.

Her responding happy sigh warmed me head to toe. "There's nothing wrong with that, I suppose." Her fingers walked up and down my thigh as she leaned against me. "I can't believe we're here, doing this. It's just the two of us and there's absolutely no one we have to keep up appearances for."

I slipped my arm around her waist and brushed my fingers over her hip. "I know. I could do so many things and it would be perfectly alright." To demonstrate, I lifted my finger to her chin and tipped her head back a little before capturing her lips in a deep, slow kiss. We parted several moments later, both a little breathless. "Like that, for example."

Her eyes burned as she licked her lips. "That will always be alright," she murmured as her fingers reached up to stroke my cheek.

Just as I was about to lean in for another kiss, our server appeared with a menu and welcomed us again to the restaurant before offering us a courtesy drink on the house.

I raised my eyebrows and glanced down at Ellie before looking up at the server again. "I guess I'll have the house wine, please."

Ellie nodded along with me. "That would be lovely, I'll have the same please, if you don't mind?"

She nodded at us both before disappearing around the corner of our little booth.

"Good service," I said with an approving nod. "Not often you get that."

"Adey, I think that might be due to us pre-booking and paying a premium for a booth."

I frowned at the ceiling. "Yeah, damn. Here I was thinking we'd just gotten lucky."

Ellie poked me in the cheek before continuing to stroke me with her fingertips. "We could be eating out of a car park at McDonalds for all I care, it would still be perfect."

My smile was immediate. "You're something special," I mused as I leaned in to capture her lips in another short kiss before the server appeared with our drinks.

She asked what we'd like to eat. I gave her my order for the chef's recommendation and Ellie agreed, ordering the same.

Ellie raised her glass to me. "Here's to us," she said with a nervous smile, "and all the times ahead of us."

"I'll drink to that," I said as I tapped my glass with hers and took a long sip.

We sat in silence for a minute or two, just holding one another and listening to the sounds of the kitchen in the background.

"Aden?"

I blinked as I glanced down. "Yeah?"

"I've noticed you've been practicing the guitar a lot more over the last week, do you have more gigs coming up?"

"Yeah. How'd you guess? We're playing the New Year's set at the same club."

"Really? Wow," she exclaimed excitedly, pride etched all over her face. "Why didn't you say anything before? That's fantastic!"

My shrug was instinctual. "I dunno, actually. Guess I figured you wouldn't be interested in coming to a metal gig for New Year's eve." I scratched the back of my head.

"Why on earth would you think that? I love metal and you guys are fantastic." She gave me a gentle poke in the leg. "Well, I know what I'm doing for my New Year's eve now," she said with a massive, toothy grin.

I couldn't help but frown. "Did you have other plans? You shouldn't drop them for me, y'know."

Ellie shook her head. "Nope. Sarah was thinking of going to a few bars in town, but to be honest I wasn't interested in the first place. Besides, Sarah might be interested in coming if you're going to be there."

"Eh?" That didn't make much sense. "Why the hell would she care about my gig? She hates me for some reason, and that's ignoring the fact that it's thrash metal which I seriously doubt she'll be interested in."

Ellie perked her eyebrow. "You've never noticed? Sarah has a major crush on you," she murmured, her grip tightening ever so slightly on my leg.

Eh? "Wait, what?" My harsh, bitter laugh ended with a snort. "Come on, that woman hates me. She jumps on every opportunity possible to bitch at me whenever she sees me."

Ellie shook her head. "She doesn't come over to our place to read books, Adey." Her voice sounded a little tight. "I couldn't say no because... why would I? You're my brother. Why would I care if she was interested in you?"

Well, that was a revelation. Sarah had been nothing but a complete ass to me in the few years I'd known her. I mean, she was a good looking woman but even putting aside her bullshit attitude, I'd never have been interested.