Author's Note: I understand the story is slow going, but I would like this to be a longer series. I'm sorry to say that Holly will not be marrying them since it is illegal, spankfunfor. But not all couples get married, right? For those of you wondering about Eli: I want to preserve their friendship, which is not a problem with Alex and JT and why you have not seen anything with him... yet. Thanks for commenting, everyone! It's nice to know what you are all thinking.
*****
"When do you have practice?" I asked Eli as I laid down beside him while he finished playing his level in his game.
"They called it off today because it's supposed to get over 100. I don't know why they didn't call it off all last week for that, but hey. No one ever said the coaches had the biggest brains."
"Hmm." I stared up at the ceiling and let my mind wander.
"What's up?"
"Nothing. The marathon I was watching on TV the past three hours is over. Have you been playing videogames all day?"
"If I say yes are you going to make me stop?"
"If you'll play cards with me."
"Only if it's strip poker."
I elbowed his thigh since he was sitting up and I couldn't reach his side. "Stop being a pervert, Eli."
"Should have never let me see anything, then I wouldn't think about it." His voice held the detachment he got from playing a videogame, and I wondered if he was really paying attention to what his mouth was saying.
"You weren't supposed to see anything. I didn't expect you to open that curtain."
"You screamed. Duh I was going to open the curtain."
"Preying on my body while I'm in terror. Good job, Eli. We sure taught you morals."
He smiled but didn't reply. He finished up his level and stretched out beside me. "I met a girl at practice. She's the new coach's daughter and is a junior."
"What's she like?"
"She's blond and about your height. She's smart and makes me laugh. She kind of seems straight-laced though, which makes me hesitate on making any moves. But then again, maybe that means she's got morals not to cheat on me."
"Also means you won't get sex, which is good. So I say go for it."
"You're really jealous about that, aren't you?"
"No. I would just like to have sex before I'm thirty."
"Count your blessings you've even gotten to make out. I don't think you'll ever get more than that with Alex and JT around."
I smiled and shut my eyes at his choice of words. "I'm not so worried about it. If it comes to the worst, I'll just move out. Get an apartment and you can come stay the night with me sometime and I'll play cards with you until you're regretting staying up on a school night."
"You're not moving out." My eyes opened back up as the bed sunk under Alex.
"I agree. I'll carry back in any box you carry out," Eli added.
"So I'm a prisoner in my own house." Alex took a hold of my ankle to help out with my description. "Fantastic."
"Do you feel like a prisoner?" He let go of my ankle.
"Nah. This is home. You and JT haven't been so loony lately either."
"If you say so," Eli mumbled and I laughed as Alex smacked the back of his head. "Hey!"
"He's still your older brother," I reminded Eli and earned a glare.
"Come on, Holly, I need to talk to you for a minute." Alex stood up and pulled my legs with him, dropping them over the side of the bed.
"Well then," I sat up and turned to Eli, "Rain check on the cards."
"Sure." He eyed us as Alex walked out the door and I followed him. He went into his own room, and a part of me hoped his reasoning was because no one walked into his room.
"Sit," I was told as Alex pulled his desk chair over to face me on the bed. Yes, he had a desk even though he only ever used the one downstairs. We all had desks in our rooms because our parents had always encouraged studious habits.
"Look," I started, "don't make it awkward or a bad thing, okay? If that's all you're going to say, just don't say anything."
He smiled at me and slid his hands to my thighs. "I wasn't going to, Holly."
"Oh. Well, yeah, good." I looked down at his hands and moved mine to hold his wrists.
"You're not going to threaten me with other boys touching you anymore."
"I'm not?"
"No. You're not. Look at me." I raised my eyes to his. "I want you to say it and mean it."
"But I don't mean it. If you go back to treating me like I'm a child, then I'm going to."
"Holly." His face was stern and I smiled at him. "I want a promise."
"That's gonna cost you."
He rolled his eyes, but played along. "What is it?"
"Fuck me."
"Try again." His fingers tightened on my skin.
"Nope. That's what it costs. Otherwise, I will torture you with thoughts of other hands on my body until you give in."
"It's not nice." His face wasn't joking anymore.
"I never said I was nice. In fact, I'd love to not be as pure as a darling angel anymore. Come on, Alex, get growly and possessive. I'm sure we can keep it down enough to stop Eli from investigating."
He took his hands from me and I sighed and dropped back on his bed. "I really don't feel that you get the meaning of sex."
"Animalistic pleasure. Sure, I get it plenty."
"No. In human life, it is supposed to mean loving someone enough to go that far."
"Really, so is that why you slept with Rachel, Alex? Out of
love
?"
I heard him stand up, and smiled when his face popped into view over mine as he crawled on top of me. "You want to know why I slept with Rachel, Holly?"
"Sure. As long as you don't start praising her big boobs. Probably couldn't take that blow to the ego right now."
"I slept with Rachel because she's nothing like you." He kissed my ribcage to punctuate it.
I frowned. "Thanks. Even better than her having bigger jugs."
He smiled at that and I wanted to smack him. "And you say I'm the jealous type."
"Well, she kind of already had something you won't give me, so yeah. I think I have a little cause for jealousy, thank you. You're just bothered by a hypothetical situation that will never happen since it's failed to happen the past five years I've been trying to get laid."
"Five years?" His eyebrow rose. "Holly Elizabeth, if you
