6

The afternoon sun hung high and lazy over the backyard, turning the pool into a sheet of glittering blue. All four of them were outside, music playing low from Jake’s speaker, cold drinks sweating on the patio table. Jake floated on an inflatable raft, one arm dangling in the water, laughing at something Sarah had said.

Sarah lounged on the steps in her red bikini, legs stretched out, kicking water playfully toward Ethan. Ethan sat on the edge of the pool, feet in the water, trying to look relaxed even though his shoulders stayed tight.

Mia stayed in the shallow end, moving slowly so the tiny black bikini from the first day clung wet to her skin. Every time she rose a little higher on the steps, water streamed between her breasts and over the freckles dusting her chest. She pretended not to notice Ethan’s occasional glances.

Jake suddenly sat up, water sloshing. “Hey, that pool filter’s acting up again. I need to drive out to the big hardware store and outlet — it’s two and a half hours each way. Gotta pick up the exact replacement part plus those heavy bags of chemicals. They won’t fit in Sarah’s car.”

Sarah perked up, brushing wet hair from her face. “Perfect timing. I’ve been meaning to hit the same outlet mall for back-to-school stuff before classes restart. New running shoes, some dorm supplies… I can ride with you, shop while you handle the hardware run.”

Jake grinned. “Works for me. Kills two birds, and I hate that long drive alone anyway.”

Ethan stood up, water dripping from his trunks. “I can come along. Help carry the heavy stuff.”

“Nah, man.” Jake waved him off, already climbing out of the pool. “You stay and help babysit Mia. Someone’s gotta keep an eye on her while we’re gone.”

Mia rolled her eyes so hard it almost hurt. “I’m eighteen, Jake. I don’t need a babysitter.”

Jake just smirked, toweling off. “Too bad. Rules are rules while Mom and Dad are gone. Ethan, good luck babysitting, bro. She can be a handful.” He winked.

Sarah stood, wrapping a towel around her waist. She walked straight to Ethan, leaned in, and kissed him softly on the lips — slow enough that Mia felt the twist in her stomach. “Be good,” Sarah murmured against his mouth. “We’ll text when we’re heading back. Should be gone about six hours.”

Ethan nodded, but his gaze flicked once to Mia before he looked away.

Jake and Sarah headed inside to change and grab keys. Ten minutes later the truck rumbled out of the driveway, leaving the house suddenly quiet except for the gentle lap of pool water and the low hum of the filter.

Mia stayed in the shallow end a moment longer, heart picking up speed. Then she climbed the steps, water streaming down her body, bikini bottoms riding high on her hips. She walked straight to the porch without drying off and stopped a few feet from Ethan.

He was still sitting on the edge of the pool deck, elbows on his knees, staring at the blue water. His swim trunks clung to his powerful thighs, chest bare and rising a little too fast.

The silence stretched, thick and humming with everything that had been building for days.

Mia moved closer until she stood right in front of him, dripping onto the warm concrete between his spread knees. “They’re gone for six hours,” she said softly.

Ethan didn’t look up at first. “Yeah.”

She reached out and rested her fingertips lightly on his shoulder, tracing one slow line down the hard muscle of his arm. Cool water from her skin rolled onto his. “Ethan…”

He finally lifted his head. His dark eyes dragged over her — wet hair clinging to her neck, the tiny wet triangles of her bikini barely covering her breasts, the freckles shining, the way the bottoms disappeared between her thighs. His jaw clenched so tight a muscle jumped.

Mia stepped between his spread knees, close enough that her legs brushed the inside of his thighs. She could see the exact moment his breathing changed.

One of his hands came up, almost against his will, and settled on her bare waist. His thumb brushed the edge of her bikini top, right over the soft swell of her breast.

“Mia… we shouldn’t.”

But he didn’t push her away. She leaned down slowly, giving him every chance to stop her, until her lips hovered just above his. “Then tell me to stop.”

He didn’t.bHis fingers dug into her waist and yanked her forward.

Their mouths crashed together — hot, desperate, years of tension finally breaking. Ethan’s tongue pushed past her lips instantly, deep and demanding, tasting chlorine and the sweetness that was only Mia. She moaned into the kiss, the sound vibrating between them, and he answered with a low, hungry growl from his chest.

His hands moved fast. One slid straight under the wet bikini top, palming her bare breast fully, thumb dragging roughly over her hardened nipple. Mia gasped, arching into the touch. His other hand dropped to her ass, gripping one full cheek hard through the thin fabric, squeezing and pulling her tighter against him so she straddled his thigh.

He ground up against her — slow, deliberate rolls of his hips that dragged the thick, hard length of his cock (already straining against his wet trunks) right along the soaked front of her bikini bottoms. Mia whimpered, rocking back against him, the friction hitting her clit with every movement. She could feel how big he was, how hot, how desperately hard for her.

The kiss turned messy and urgent — tongues sliding, teeth nipping at lips, breaths coming in sharp pants between kisses. Ethan pinched her nipple, rolling it between his fingers until she cried out softly into his mouth, then soothed it with his palm while his other hand kneaded her ass, guiding her to grind harder against the rigid bulge in his trunks.

“Fuck… you feel so good,” he groaned against her lips, voice wrecked. His hips snapped up again, grinding his cock along her slick heat, the thin layers doing nothing to hide how wet she already was.

Mia trembled, fingers digging into his shoulders, legs shaking as she chased the pressure. Their mouths never stopped — deep, wet, needy kisses that left them both panting.

Then, without warning, Ethan tore his mouth away.

He shoved her back a step, hands dropping like she

burned him. His chest heaved, lips swollen and shiny, cock still visibly throbbing against the front of his trunks.

“What the fuck are we doing?” His voice came out hoarse, angry at himself. “You’re Jake’s little sister. You’re my squirt. I’ve known you since you were six. I have a girlfriend. This can’t happen. I’m not ruining everything over… over this. We stop. Right now.”

Mia stood there, bikini askew, one breast half-exposed where his hand had pushed the triangle aside, lips red and puffy, thighs pressed together against the aching throb between them. Her eyes — wide and glassy — filled with sudden tears. One slipped free, tracing down her flushed cheek. Another followed right after.

She blinked hard, but the tears kept coming, silent and real.

Ethan’s face twisted with guilt, but he didn’t reach for her. “Mia… don’t look at me like that. Please. This is why we can’t—”

She didn’t wait for the rest.

Turning on her heel, she walked back into the house, the sliding door rattling shut behind her. The sound of her bare feet on the stairs echoed faintly, then nothing.

Ethan stayed frozen on the porch, chest still rising and falling too fast, the taste of her still on his tongue, the memory of her soft moans ringing in his ears.

He dragged both hands down his face, muttering a broken “Fuck” into the empty yard.

Upstairs, a door closed softly. And as the tears kept falling in Mia’s room, she already knew exactly what she was going to do next.