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..."

crooks his finger and whispers in my ear, "So do

"Do not."

and

the other day I

His smile is devastating.

animal in bed, not that

up

"In fact..."

pounds so hard it almost makes my chest

in

ever survive without this man? These kisses? He's the addiction your mom

to get tired of us, of this, that one day we really will make it through the end of the movie without getting

answers that question as our legs tangle with each other and the blankets

and I want

he says between kisses.

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

and kisses me

with my

messing with your erection,

unbuttoning his jeans and pressing me back against my childhood

my future, I was too afraid to hope for it as he

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

I can't even control my own body as

at the stairway like he's afraid then looks back down at

about how fast I was going to go but fuck, it's even worse than I thought.” He bites down

baby, you have a

all there is

shift just enough for his angle to hit the perfect

don't know what

It's

out that the couch has joined the

as Easton pulls

made a mess, like a way bigger mess

"I got it."

bar with an array of paper

he

not do that...the only reason I have

my

of his old shotguns that he

"Perfect."

and gathers the used paper towels, tossing them in the trash

my luck, he'll misfire and hit my dick, making your prophetic story actually come true.” I fall back on the

drops the towel

as he pulls me into

can feel

body is hot against mine, muscular, firm, and

closer as we sit with the reflection of the documentary on

know that I'm here,