Wilson's Hard Lesson (17 page)

Kylie rolled her eyes as she heard her step- father call for
her for the thousandth time. “I’m coming!” She yelled down the stairs, her
hands busy with the curling iron in her hair. “I’m almost done!”

“Hurry up, up there! Gerald called up to his
twenty-one-year-old step-daughter. Your brother is going to be home any
minute!”

Kylie fought the urge to roll her eyes again, and finished
curling her hair. Though she was happy for the summer vacation, she was still
getting used to living with her parents again. It had been her first summer
home since she’d left for college, and she had forgotten how micro- managing
both of their personalities was. After taking one final look in the mirror,
Kylie fluffed her bright red curls and ran a finger underneath her left eye to
clean up the black eyeliner there. Perfect.

“Hi baby girl,” her mother sang as Kylie came down the
stairs and into the kitchen. She could see that the older woman was excited for
her Brandon’s homecoming, and Kylie soon found her mother’s smile to be
contagious.

“I can’t believe that both of my babies are going to be home
at once!” She squealed, bringing Kylie in for a super tight bear hug. Like her
daughter; Cassie had bright red hair, pale Irish features, and brilliant green
eyes that matched the green of the most fecund of forests. The only difference
was where Kylie was smooth and wrinkle free, her mother was not.

“I know mom,” Kylie gasped, not able to breathe in her
mother’s tight embrace. “I’m excited to be home too.”

Because they’d grown up in a small town, both Kylie and
Brandon had yearned for a way to escape. Being four years older than her,
Brandon decided to take the military route, and joined the marines. Kylie
however had chosen the philanthropic path. While on any school breaks, Kylie
normally volunteered her time to go to wherever help was needed. Whether it be
as far away as Africa, or as close as the Carolina’s, Kylie almost always
dedicated her free time to helping out the less fortunate.

Her original plan for the summer had been to go to Panama
and help with child vaccinations. However, when her mother Gerald found out
that her stepbrother, Brandon, was coming home for a three-month visit from
being stationed in Germany, they begged her to cancel her plans and come home
so that they could all once again be a family.

She wasn’t going to lie. She’d missed her family, often and
very much. But since she’d gotten accepted into Penn State, her mind had been
completely focused on social economics, and making the world a better place.

“We’re just so proud of you two!” Cassie gushed, giving her
daughter another rib crushing squeeze to emphasize her point.

“Mom,” Kylie gasped. “Can’t. Breathe.

“Easy there honey,” Gerald said as he entered the room. “We
just got her home, let’s not crush her so quickly.”

“Thanks Ger-I mean dad,” Kylie replied. Though he and her
mother had been married for nearly twelve years, she was just starting to get
used to the idea of calling him dad. It wasn’t really because he wasn’t a good
father figure. When it came to things of that nature, he was actually pretty
brilliant. He had taken her to ever FFA Meeting, every debate club meeting, and
had even helped her pick out her junior prom dress when her mother had to work
late. He was a great guy, and she liked that her mother had found such a good
man.

The only reason she hadn’t wanted to call Gerald dad was
because of the reason she came home; Brandon. Though it had been years since
she’d seen him, she still recalled the young pre-teen crush she’d had on him
growing up. To her, Brandon had been a God. Great body, beautiful eyes, and though
he teased her like a big brother teased a little sister, he was always quick to
protect her when the older kids had tried to mess with her.

Over time, she found her crush for him grew, and figured
that if she just refused to call Gerald dad, then Brandon would not be her
brother. It had made perfect sense at the time, but now as an adult, she
realized how silly she’d been with the entire thing.

“So where’s he at anyways?” Kylie asked, picking up an
orange. “I’m starving! I want to go get breakfast.”

“As soon as your brother’s home dear,” Cassie soothed,
running a placating hand over her daughter’s hair.

~

In the driver’s side of the car Brandon shook his head,
trying to get the awkward plane ride out of his head. Though he had tried being
nice to Winona, it had ended up turning around and biting him in the ass. She
was, by all accounts, obsessed. What had started out as a pretty normal
conversation had twisted into something different all together.

None of that mattered now though, because he was finally
home. Stepping out of the car, Brandon inhaled deeply. He took in the pure
country air of his childhood home and he was instantly filled with fond
memories. He remembered riding bikes up and down the dirt road, going swimming
in the pond behind the barn, and getting together with his buddies to play
practical jokes on Kylie and her little friends. Turning towards the door, he
smiled widely, seeing his step- mother poking her head through the curtains of
the window above the sink.

Chuckling, he waved at her and made his way towards the
door. Cassie, who threw her arms around his broad shoulders, met him on the
sidewalk. Happy to see her, Brandon lifted her up and twirled her around in his
arms.

“You’re finally home! My baby boy is home!” Cassie cried,
holding on to him tightly. Though he was born someone else’s son, she had
always considered him her own. He was and had always a spirited boy, with a
wide protective streak that she had appreciated time and time again. Though
they’d teased one another at first, he had eventually become very protective of
her daughter.  For that she would be forever grateful and grateful.

“Hey mama,” Brandon whispered, finally setting the older
woman on her feet. “It’s good to see you.”

Cassie put her hands around Brandon’s face and kissed his
cheeks. “I’ve missed you so much,” she gushed.

“Cassie, let the poor man go, would you? He needs to
breathe,” Gerald teased. “Step aside and let a man see his son.”

Though she knew he was joking, Cassie moved aside anyways
and let her husband come up to his only son. Brandon and Gerald wrapped their
arms around one another in a tight, masculine hug. For a long time, they were
the only family they had. At least until Cassie and Kylie came along. After
several minutes, Gerald pulled away, and wiped a tear from the corner of his
left eye.

“Damn son. You look real good. Strong. I’m so proud of you,
you have no idea.” Gerald clapped him on the shoulder again. “Your mother and I
are just so damned proud.”

“Thanks dad,” Brandon replied, feeling the love and
happiness swelling up in his chest.

“Don’t forget about me,” A feminine voice called from behind
him.

Turning around, Brandon’s eyebrows went up in surprise as he
looked over the tall, feminine figure that was, at one time, his baby sister.
“Kylie? Is that you?”

The young redhead smiled prettily through her plump pink
lips, and nodded her head. “Hi big brother.”

Brandon ignored the initial feeling of arousal and opened
his arms to take the beautiful young woman into his chest. Giggling, she
stepped into his arms and wrapped them tight around his waist. It had been a
long time since they’d seen one another, and they had grown up so much since
then.

In Brandon’s arms, Kylie couldn’t help but lean in and relax
into the hard, chiseled, muscular chest that belonged to her stepbrother. He
smelled of leather and saw dust somehow, but she loved it. He smelled like
home.

“Okay, you two, okay,” Gerald laughed, clapping his son on
his back. “Let’s go get breakfast shall we? We’re all starving.”

Brandon’s eyes felt as if they had been glued to Kylie’s
bosom. Her low cut white sundress dipped perfectly down into the V of her
cleavage, enhancing the alabaster flesh that lay beneath the innocent looking
white dress. She was a girl no more, and instead a full blown
sexy
woman.

“Brandon? Sweetheart are you okay?” Cassie asked, her hand
resting on his naked forearm. After their greeting, Brandon had opted to change
out of his uniform and dawned a baby blue V-neck shirt and a pair of jeans. It
had been a long time since he’d felt someone touch the naked flesh of his arm,
and he jerked at the interaction.

“Sorry mom,” Brandon murmured, turning his head to focus on
Cassie.

“Maybe this was a bad idea,” she whispered, looking suddenly
guilty.

“No, really. I’m fine,” he promised, closing his hand over
hers. “There are just some things that I need to get used to again. Like a
decent meal for example.” He looked up as the waitress juggling their plates
approached their table, and he quickly got up to help her sit them down.

“Thanks cutie,” she said with a wink before leaving the
table.

“So, Kylie. What’s new with you? Still studying economics?”

Kylie finished her sip of coffee and nodded her head. He
couldn’t help but notice how her eyes lit up when he said the word economics,
and it made him chuckle. He liked how passionate she was on the subject, and
how committed she had become to making the world a better place.

“Yeah, I am. And I gave up a summer in India, thanks to
you,” she replied, her tone dripping with fun sarcasm.

“Kylie Ann!” Her mother gasped. “Don’t be so rude! I taught
you better than that.”

“You knew you wanted to see my face,” Brandon teased back,
brushing his foot up against her leg under the table. “You just don’t want to
admit it.”

Kylie giggled, and pushed a strand of hair away from her
eyes. “Yeah. Maybe I did. I mean you were a kid the last time I saw you.”

“So were you,” he admonished. “But you really grew up. I’ll
bet you have all the boys up at Penn State chasing you.”

He watched jovially as a blush spread over her cheeks and
ears. “I knew it,” he chuckled.

“In all seriousness though,” he added, sobering a little. “I
am sorry that you gave up India. But I’m really happy to see you.”

A soft smile lit up Kylie’s face, illuminating her eyes.
“I’m really happy to see you too big brother,” she said softly.

For a second Brandon could have sworn that there was a
moment sizzling between them. One of mutual desire, and sexual tension. Kylie
had certainly grown from an annoying teenager, to a classy young woman who was
set on saving the world.

“Oh come on she was just teasing,” Gerald laughed as he cut
into his giant stack of blueberry pancakes. “Weren’t you, Kylie?”

Reluctantly, Kylie looked away from Brandon and smiled at
her step- father. “Right-o daddy-o,” she replied saucily. “We were just teasing
one another.

“Yeah, dad, just some harmless brother-sister fun,” Brandon
chimed in. As he picked up his glass of orange juice and brought it to his
lips, he desperately hoped that he was telling the truth. Though in his heart
of hearts, he wasn’t quite sure.

~

“Yikes,” Brandon murmured as he took in his childhood room.

“Your dad wanted to ‘man it up’ a little bit, but my mom
wouldn’t let him touch it,” Kylie explained. After breakfast, the happily
united family went home, and while his dad watched the baseball game and Cassie
went out to work in the garden, Kylie offered to show him his old room. He had
forgotten how much he had enjoyed punk rock in his teens, but the mostly black
and red posters of Blink 182, Sublime, Tool, and 3 Days Grace glaringly
reminded him of a time that he painted his nails black and wore silver crosses
around his neck.

“I was such a dork,” he murmured, picking up an old black
leather forearm cuff.

“What do you mean was?” Kylie teased; pushing her hip away
from the doorway so she could walk in and sit on his queen sized
black-blanketed bed.

Brandon chuckled, and took a seat beside her on the bed.
“Nice,” he replied, pushing at her knee. “I mean, I grew up a little. Don’t you
think?”

Kylie ran her eyes down her brother’s muscular form, pausing
at his pale green eyes and long, dark eyelashes. “Yeah,” she said truthfully.
“You really did grow up.” A silence spread between them, but neither thought it
was uncomfortable. Instead, Brandon grabbed Kylie’s left ankle and brought it
into his lap.

“What are you doing?” Kylie asked as he started massaging
the bottom of her foot.

“What does it feel like?” He asked, expertly gliding his
thumbs over and around the pads of her foot.

Kylie relaxed into the pillows, immediately enjoying the
massage. With no boyfriend in sight, she had only been relying on her semi-monthly
pedicures for such a pampering. If this was what it was going to be like having
Brandon home for the summer, she decided that she was very much going to like
it.

“So what’s been going on with you?” Kylie asked, forcing
herself to keep her eyes open as she thoroughly enjoyed her massage.

“What do you mean?” Brandon asked, purposely playing dumb.

Kylie rolled her eyes and gently kicked him with her other
foot. It was mean to be a playful touch, but the moment her toes hit his side,
she found herself glued there.

“Oh. You mean the whole fighting overseas thing,” Brandon
said, immediately noticing her other foot. “It was…horrible,” he answered
truthfully. “And people keep asking about it. About what I went through and
what I saw, and honestly, it’s something that I never really want to talk
about.”

“I’m sorry,” Kylie apologized, rubbing her other foot gently
up and down his waist. “We don’t have to talk about it.”

“Switch,” Brandon said, letting go of her foot before
wrapping his hands around the other. There was a small moment of silence before
a smile crept over his face. “Although I will tell you about this one woman in
my squad. I mean, I knew she had a crush on me, but I really didn’t know how
far until we shared a plane ride to Texas.”

Kylie, sensing a juicy story, sat up in the pillows and
grinned. “Do tell,” she said, wiggling her eyebrows.