“Who is this? He looks a lot like you.”

“My brother,” I confess.

“You have a brother? I thought you were the only kid. I guess I don’t know much about you.” She gazes at the other pictures of mom with us, of mom and me, and of my brother and me. “Is he older?” she asks, turning to me, and I nod. “Is he studying here too? He looks really smart with those spectacles.”

“He was.” She waits for me to finish that sentence, but I don’t. Instead, I take another step forward, feeling the blazing attraction between us. It feels forbidden to have her here, touching the laptop I use to stalk her, seeing photos of my brother who her brother bullied. It reminds me of our complicated relationship.

“Where’s he now?” She wants to know more about me, and I want her to give this tonight.

“He died.” Elsie blinks.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know…” Elsie turns back and I take one more step until my knees are brushing her thigh. She’s a good head shorter than me, her body tiny in comparison to mine, but her light fills up the darkness in my soul.

“He would’ve liked you.” My hand shoots out, grabbing the desk for support. My move cages Elsie who puts her hand over my white knuckles. Her palm slides up my cheek, cupping my jaw on one side. She’s too close, slipping through my cracks like water.

“Yeah?” Her voice is soft and tentative. She has eyes only for me and I love it. This moment between us seems more intimate than any sex. It’s like she’s looking deep into my soul while she tries to bare hers to me.

I nod. “You’re easy to like, Elsie.” Our eyes meet and a shiver passes through her body. I watch her nipples pucker under the tight pink bodice of her dress, getting hard just for me. She’s dancing with the devil and she doesn’t even know it.

“Your brother…he must’ve been really young. How did he die?” She’s curious about me. Elsie wants to comfort me the way I comfort her, but she has no idea how twisted I am.

I want to lie to her and say it was an accident, but I can’t. “He killed himself.” Her eyes widen. “He was as old as you when I…” I shut my eyes, my fingers fisting. Her fingers touch my hard knuckle, giving me comfort. “He was being bullied…some rich kid was threatening him. My brother tried to fight it, but he spread lies around school and—” My voice breaks.

“Ronan.” Elsie moves closer, her soft fingers on my cheek keeping me alive.

“I wish I knew before. Mom and I were in the dark. He couldn’t even speak to us about it.” I close my eyes, pressing my forehead to Elsie’s. “When I found him dead in his room…I was devastated. We had planned to go to college together. Suddenly, he was gone and I was alone.”

Elsie quietly listens to my story. I’ve never told anyone this before, never broken down in front of a girl like this. The ugly memories of that fateful day wash over me, pulling me under. I fight the currents like I’ve been doing for so many years, struggling to stay above the water.

“What about the boy who bullied him? Did they ever punish him?” Her sweet voice is the only thing that makes me want to go on.

“No. He got away with it. There was no proof even though every kid in my brother’s class knew what was going on. They couldn’t speak out against him or his Dad would ruin them. Imagine losing your brother and not even being able to get justice for what he went through.” My breathing is rough. I gaze into my baby girl’s eyes, seeing nothing but sympathy in them.

Her thumb brushes over my cheek, her eyes all for me. “I can’t believe you’ve been carrying this burden all on your own. And I thought you were uptight. I’m sorry. I had no idea.”

“It’s not your fault,” I tell her. “You are the brightest thing in my life. Seeing you every weekend makes me feel better.” I grab her waist and pull her closer, my lips lightly brushing over hers. We’re both desperate for physical contact, and the touch of my lips makes her moan. “And we aren’t here to talk about me. What happened tonight, Elsie?” She’s aroused, her eyes closed and her eyelashes fluttering open and close when my lips brush hers. “Why did you run away?”

“I…” She opens her eyes, gazing at me. “Bill came onto me. I said no, but he wouldn’t stop. I kicked him off and ran away.” Her body shakes as she recounts the episode. My thumb smooths over her shoulder, trying to calm her down. “I don’t know what I’d have done if you weren’t there. I have nowhere else to go.” Her eyes are glassy when she looks up. I hate that he made her look like this.

“You’ll always have me, little dove.” I press a soft, slow kiss to her lips. “You know that you can always come to me. I’ll protect you.”

She nods. “Ronan…I…” Her eyelashes lower, touching her cheek. “I don’t want to go back home. Please, let me stay here with you tonight.” She’s clinging to me like a child and I want to keep her safe. “I don’t want anyone but you. When he touched me, I just knew that it was wrong. I only want to be yours. I want you to be the only man who touches me, who kisses me, who sees me naked, and makes me come. I want to scream your name when I come, wake up next to you with your cum inside me, and fall asleep in your arms.” Her words are making me hot, and needy for the inevitable.

“I’ll never let you go, baby. You’re mine now.” My words are a possessive grunt. “Your body, your soul, your pussy, it all belongs to me.” Elsie nods, choking on emotion.

“Yes, Daddy.”

God, that word makes me come undone. I silence her lips with a burning kiss, sealing her mouth with mine. Elsie’s moans die, her stomach rubbing on my bulge as she surrenders to me. Her body slumps while I hold her. Pushing my jacket off her shoulder, I touch her bare back, reacclimatizing myself with her scars. I love touching them, love reassuring her that I love her just as she is. The mating of our mouths is an inferno, making my cock hard as a rock. I kiss her hard, holding her body like she’s precious to me. Her palms frame my face, letting me drink her in like oxygen. I kiss my baby girl like a starved man who needs her love to survive. My hands run all over her body, touching her everywhere through that tempting pink dress. When her hands drop, her fingers fluttering over my erection, I jerk my hips violently against her palm.

Tearing my mouth from hers, I command, “Get on your knees, Elsie.”

My words are rough, making her eyes widen with lust. But Elsie is obedient. She drops to her knees, her gown stretching around her flared hips. When she gazes up from between my legs, her breasts hanging like teardrops, I lose it. I undo my belt and buttons, letting my jeans drop to the floor. I’m not wearing any underwear because I was watching her, knowing I’d want to touch myself when the object of my obsession entered the screen.

Her eyes pop wide open when she catches the first glimpse of my massive cock, veined and throbbing. Pre-cum leaks out of my swollen tip and she licks those juicy, gloss-lined pink lips in response.

“Touch me, baby,” I growl. “I’ve been dreaming of having those plump lips wrapped around my cock for months.”

She tentatively brings her hand to my throbbing member, grabbing me with other palms. The touch of her cool, soft palm against my sensitive, velvety skin is a revelation. My balls tighten in response. “You’re so big.” She breaths unevenly, sliding her hand up and down my bare shaft, feeling the veins throb under her. “I’ve never seen anything like it....”