Page 20 of Keeper

Until my brother decides to start fucking her.

Not happening.

“Well, if you change your mind, you know where to find me. I’ll hook you up. We can have more secrets.”

Placing the first tray of cookies in the oven, she bites her lip. “I don’t think it’s a good idea, Dray.”

Did she just give me a nickname? Do girls do that if they don’t want your cock inside them? I might be getting ahead of myself, but fuck, I want to breed her right here covered in sweat and flour and then I want to eat her cookies knowing for once I’m the brother that got something first. It’s dumb, she’s more than just a prize, but that has to be the reason I’m becoming obsessed with her. We just need to fuck it out.

“But you would? If you didn’t think it was a bad idea?”

“Would I want to be mindlessly happy and ridiculously horny?” she asks, eyebrows raised. “No, why would anyone want that?”

“I don’t know, some people are lame. Glad you’re not one of them. Why aren’t you asking me any questions?”

“Would you tell me the truth if I did?”

“Why wouldn’t I? I thought you’d at least be curious about the Creed family seeing as it’s about to be your family soon too.”

She scoffs. “You haven’t told me the truth once yet.”

“How so? Name one thing I lied about,” I argue, hopping off the counter to move closer.

“That you’d help me. That I was promised to you. That Jacob had to die, that you were just some random bastard, I can go on.”

Oh shit, she has me there. “Yeah, you’re right,” I chuckle lightly. “To be fair, I am just a bastard around here if that counts for anything. I think you saw the truth behind that one first hand. Also, Jake did have to die, and I will help you. We just haven’t figured out how yet, and the promised to me thing, that was a lie, but... let’s just call it wishful thinking.”

Her hands move expertly as she rolls a second round of cookies. “You want a girl from St. Andrew’s? Why?”

“I don’t want just any girl from St. Andrews, but maybe it would be nice to feel important enough to be given one.” That’s not what I meant to say, and I don’t know how to take it back without stumbling over my words. “That came out wrong, I— never mind. You wouldn’t understand, and I don’t know how to explain it anyway. But it’s fitting Alexander gets to have you. That’s all. How long do these cookies take in the oven?”

“The first batch should be done in a couple of minutes. But I do understand. I may not have firsthand experience, but I can imagine that being a bastard in Ephraim’s world is... lonely.” She sets the cookie tray aside and wipes her hands. “What would you do if you were given one? A girl from St. Andrew’s, I mean.”

Honestly, probably nothing at all because it would mean he forced someone on me, but like I said, it’d be nice to feel important every so often around here. “If she was you? You’d already have my baby inside of you.”

She huffs. “Funny, I’m starting to feel like your dad did this to punish all three of us.”

“Now you’re beginning to understand Ephraim Creed.”

The oven dings before our conversation can go further, and when she sets the tray aside, I have to hold myself back from eating one of the steaming cookies calling my name.

“How long do I have to wait now?”

“At least ten minutes. Fifteen if you want it to hold together.” She slides the second tray in the oven and sets the timer, then gets to work cleaning up her mess. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry he treats you the way he does. It doesn’t seem like Alex is much happier, though.”

“That’s because Alexander is still convinced he can please him, and I learned it was impossible by the time I was five. He tries to be perfect every single day, and it’s too fucking much on him. He needs to let that shit go and he’d be happier. Ephraim Creed would never actually do anything to cast his precious heir in a bad light. My brother has more power than he realizes.”

She fixes her sports bra and wipes a little bit of flour off her stomach. “Power is an illusion. People like Ephraim only have it because others choose to give it to him. I don’t have any because I choose to give it up. No one’s really better or more powerful than anyone else when it comes down to it. We all turn to the same shade of dust in the end.”

More pretty words from such a pretty girl. Go figure I can’t stop thinking about her. She’s so much more than the accessory my father is trying to make her. So much more than all of this.

I came to seek her out and quickly learned I need to keep my distance, because the more time I spend with her, the more tempted I am to steal her away from this place and everyone here.

Yeah, I have to go. I’m not waiting fifteen minutes for this damn cookie so I snatch one off the tray and cuss when it burns the hell out of my hand. “Fuck!” I growl, shoving it into my mouth anyway and then have to say goodbye to her sounding like an idiot who can’t work his tongue. “I have a party. Stop cleaning up after yourself and save me some cookies. Good talk, little keeper.”

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