You’re Mine by Penny Brooks

Harper

 I'm exhausted.

Mom and Dad have finally gone to bed, but I wouldn't put it past them to do room checks like they used to at summer camp.

I'm still downstairs with Easton bingeing some murderous documentary about a crime of passion, and some creepy stalker who always pretended to be her work friend but secretly cut pieces of her hair and slept with them in his pillow.

Ryan and Sadie are upstairs doing who knows what in the kitchen.

The creepy man on the screen continues his stalking.

Gross.

I shudder.

"Are you cold?"

Easton asks, pulling me close.

I frown.

"Is it just me or are you way too into the part where he almost gets away with it.” He shakes his head like he's disappointed in the mass murderer.

"I mean, he's an idiot, he could have made it, but noooo, he has to go back for one of those creepy pieces of hair like he didn't just kill her for rejecting him."

I scrunch up my nose.

"Weird that the husband ended up living."

"Poor guy probably wishes he were dead, imagine someone standing over you while you sleep with a butcher knife."

"Yay, what a great Christmas, so merry and bright,"

I tease and give him a hard shove.

“I'm going to have nightmares tonight about knives.” He laughs.

I turn to him and grip him by the shirt.

"I will end you if you sneak into my room, hover over me with a knife and scare the shit out of me.

I'll take that same knife and chop off both balls.” "Wouldn't that make me a eunuch?"

"Yes,"

I seethe.

"With the giant dick but a severe lack of testosterone and desire to have sex."

"Should I be scared that you just gave me an exact definition?"

He smiles.

"Chill, I won't scare you, I actually like my testicles and um..."

whispers in my ear,

"Do not."

and look

hard the other day I was

His smile is devastating.

wild animal in bed,

up his

"In fact..."

leans in, my heart pounds so hard it almost makes my

meet in a hungry

survive without this man? These kisses? He's the

tired of us, of this, that one day

tangle with each

love you and I want this

he says between kisses.

with the butcher knife, I can't stop thinking about your dad coming down the stairs with one of the steak knives from

and kisses me

messing with

with your erection, that's new,’ I tease,

and tugs down my shorts quickly unbuttoning his

in my future, I was too afraid to

my body instantly relaxes, basically sucking him in and saying a small prayer that he'll

sensitive and emotional I can't even control my own body as I get dangerously close within a

up at the stairway like he's afraid then

going to warn you about how fast I was going to go but fuck, it's even

baby, you have a magic

there is

makes the pressure shift just enough for his angle to hit the

don't know

if It's just

can never find out that the couch has joined the soon to

almost embarrassed as

made a mess, like a way bigger mess than we've

"I got it."

from the downstairs wet bar with an array of paper towels and a warm rag from

groan as he

that...the only reason I have self control is fear of

as he tugs my shorts back up and

shotguns that he probably doesn't

"Perfect."

the used paper towels, tossing them in the trash

prophetic story actually come true.” I fall back on the

towel and walks

pulls me into his arms, kissing

can feel your

against mine, muscular,

the reflection of

that I'm here, by your side, no matter