sensual response occurred to her, she began to fight Todd, trying to push him away. But he didn't release her until he was ready then stood grinning as if he were extremely pleases with himself.
She attempted to regain her composure.
'Wh-What happened at school?' she asked. 'You didn't tell me.'
'Oh, that. Well, you know me, baby. I've always had an eye for chicks.' He shrugged. 'So I got one into trouble.'
'Oh, Todd! No!'
'That isn't the worst of it. She was the dean's daughter.'
Sharon gasped and put her hand to her mouth.
'The bitch had it coming,' he said coldly. 'Any girl who's too dumb to take the Pill deserves what she gets.'
Sharon began to realize that her brother had changed during the seven or eight months since she had last seen him. Whether this was a result of going away to college or of his having reached the exalted age of nineteen, she didn't know. He had always been wild – getting into one scrape after another – but she didn't remember him ever being so callous about it. Of course, he was on his own now, away from home and parents, and she supposed that made quite a difference to a young man.
'Would you like a cup of coffee?' she asked. 'Or how about breakfast? I haven't eaten yet.'
'You stay in the sack pretty late, don't you?' His eyes twinkled strangely again.
'I did this morning,' she replied with a blush. 'I overslept.' She had the uneasy feeling that he could tell by looking at her that she had been dreaming of Steve.
'Well, I've already eaten. But if you've got a beer in the refrigerator.'
'Sorry, I haven't.'
'You mean you don't drink when Steve's away?'
'Steve and I don't drink at all,' she said primly. 'Shit!' her brother said and laughed. She turned red. 'Todd, shame on you! Don't talk like that.'
'Oh, Sis, you're too much. You really are.' She turned and walked into the small kitchen, and Todd followed her. 'You can pour me some coffee if you want to.'
'I'll have to make it first. I was just getting dressed when you arrived.'
'Then that explains it.'
'Explains what?' she asked as she removed the lid from the percolator.
'Why you aren't wearing a bra. You must've been naked when the buzzer rang.'
Warmth came to her cheeks again. 'How can you tell I'm not wearing a bra?' she asked as she spooned coffee into the basket.
'I could feel your nipples. And the way your tits spread against me – wow!'
She whirled around, her cheeks flushed. 'Todd, I want you to stop using those obscene words!'
He blinked. ''Tits' isn't obscene. It's in the dictionary.'
'Well, don't say it!'
As she turned away from him to put the percolator together, he remarked, 'I don't remember you being so prudish.'
'And I don't remember you being so, so…'
'Vulgar?'
'Yes. Vulgar.'
He let his eyes sweep down her back to the full mounds of her ass. He inquired, 'Doesn't Steve ever use words like that?'
'Of course not! At least, not to me.'
'How do you talk when you're in bed? Do you say, 'Put your penis into my vagina, darling'?' He laughed.
She plugged in the percolator with an angry flourish. Her cheeks continued to glow. 'Todd, I don't want to discuss sex with you. It isn't decent for brothers and sisters to talk about those things.'
'Okay. Don't get ticked off.'
'Just what are your plans?' she asked coolly, though her cheeks still felt warm.
'My plans? You mean, about school?'
She got down a box of dry cereal and a bowl. 'That, and where you're going to live.'
'I want to stay here in Portland. As for school, I don't dare go back. I'm just screwed, I guess, unless I can get into another college.'
She frowned over his use of 'screwed', but she supposed it fell into the category of common slang. Anyway, she thought, his problem was her main concern at the moment.
'Have you told Mother and Dad about your trouble?'
'You gotta be kidding.'
'So they think you're still in school, huh?'
'I suppose.'
'Isn't the dean likely to get in touch with them?' she asked as she stepped to the refrigerator and took out a carton of milk.
'Maybe. That's why I have to hide out for a while, until the stink blows over.'
'But, Todd, you'll have to tell Mom and Dad where you are. They'll worry.'
'Quit bugging me, will you?' he demanded sharply. Then he flashed her a quick grin, and his tone softened. 'Things are bad enough without my big sister giving me hell besides.'
'I'm sorry,' she said in a small voice.
She proceeded to eat her breakfast. As soon as the coffee was ready, she poured it for Todd and herself.
They talked about old times in Klamath Falls and about Steve, whom Todd liked. But there was an undercurrent that troubled Sharon. Her brother seemed different, and the way he acted toward her made her nervous. He kept watching her with that strange glint in his eyes. This was the first time they had been alone together since she was married, and she felt uneasy.
After she had finished eating, they walked into the living room.
'This is a nice place,' he said. 'You and I can get along great here.'
She looked directly at him and spoke in a serious tone. 'Todd, I'd like to have you stay here. You know that. But don't you think you'd be more comfortable somewhere else, where you can have more… freedom?'
He grinned. 'I figure I can have all the freedom I want right here. Anyway, I don't have any bread.'
'I could help you out until you get a job.'
'Hell, I don't want to take a job, Shari. I'm hoping to get into another college. If I can make it, I'll only be here until then – maybe a couple of weeks.'
Sharon swallowed hard.
'Come on.' He stepped over and drew her into a loose embrace. 'You know you'd like to have me around.'
He moved his hand slowly up and down her arm, and the caress made her skin tingle. He was big and handsome, not at all like the roughneck little boy she remembered. She began to get a giddy feeling as she stood close to him.
What's the matter with you? an inner voice demanded. He's your brother!
Panic seized her, and she pushed him away. He narrowed his eyes and studied her reaction, a grin playing along his firm, handsome lips.
'You're gonna let me stay, Shari. You want me to stay. I'll be good company.'
'But, Todd…'
'No arguments now, or I'll take you across my knee and give you a spanking. I'm not your baby brother any more. I've grown up.'
That certainly was true, she realized, and it accounted for the strange way she felt about having him there. But he was still her brother, whether a baby or a man, and she assured herself that there was no reason to feel uneasy in his presence. She believed she wouldn't have had such a crazy sensation if it weren't for the fact she was starved for Steve's cock.
'All right, Todd. You can stay.'
